Is Independence Day a Civic or Religious Holiday?

Is July 4th (Independence Day) a civic holiday or is it a religious holiday? Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter are generally recognized as Christian holidays as they celebrate God’s goodness to our country, Jesus birth, death and resurrection respectively. But what about the 4th, a civic or religious holiday? I would argue that Independence Day is a religious holiday.

Why you ask? Many think of the 4th as a celebration of the adoption of the Declaration of the Independence and the birth our nation. That’s true, but not the whole story.  The key to understanding the birth of our nation is in the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence;

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The founders of our nation believed that our rights as people came from God, not from any man, monarchy or government, and as long as we held onto that truth; that our rights do come from God, then no man could take them away. After living under the tyrannical British monarchy, they understood first hand the sinful nature of man, so they deliberately wrote in our country’s founding document, that we are a free people not because our government says we’re free, but because God created us as free people and no one can take that away. Truly something to celebrate!

So this year as we all spend time with families, engage in July 4th activities, eat hot dogs and watch fireworks, remember...that you live in the only country in history that guarantees and celebrates your God given right to freedom...don’t ever forget.

Ministry Update March-May 2018

14,000 miles traveled
5 states
10 plane flights, 4 rental cars, 5 Uber rides
11 different beds slept in and 3 different times zones
1 Moose seen
1 Navajo Taco and 1 Alaskan Salmon dinner eaten
Coffee, coffee and more coffee (I don't know how much...a LOT)
Club Visits
Awards Ceremonies
Lot's of new friends met and many laugh's shared

Thank you again for your faithfulness in supporting our ministry through prayer, financial support, missionary housing, loaned cars, meals, late night coffee and gift cards that help so much with our on the road meals and fuel when we drive. Most of all, though, thank you for your friendship and for sharing your lives with us.

Please know, Judy and I feel incredibly blessed to know you and partner with you to reach children with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. When we became missionaries, we thought that we would be the ones to minister to others, but we soon discovered that in many cases others minister to us just as much...what a unique partnership we have. Indeed, we are very humbled by our relationship with you.

I hope you are all well and enjoying God’s goodness. The Lord has been keeping us busy over the last few months. Here is report of what we've been doing...

In March I was invited to MC a very fun and unique Games Day/ Parent outreach event hosted by Green Valley Baptist Church in Henderson. I purchased banana's, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and Oreo cookies, and we played some food games. We used the traditional games props of batons and games pins but also added some of our own; bike tires and hoola hoops. We played old games like Sparky Safari and the Sparky Crawl, but also played new games like T&T Balloon blow and Bike Tire roll. Afterwards, Green Valley donated and cooked hot dogs for parents and children and we had a great time of fellowship (thank you Carmen). Highland Hills donated Peppermint Patty candies and turned them into award medals (thank you Shari). Although it was a little different, most importantly...kids and parents had FUN (smiles were everywhere) and the Gospel was proclaimed as Pastor Brian Jenkins shared the message of Jesus. What a great day.

Judy and I attend Journey Weekend in Sacramento, CA. Journey Weekend is a high school event featuring a Fine Arts competition, AwanaGames and Bible Quizzing. We attended this event to thank and encourage Journey volunteers from our area who spend all year ministering to these high school students. It is so much fun to see these students serve God by showing their talents in music, art, sculpture, Bible Quiz and athleticism.

We were invited to be quizmaster at the T&T Bible Quiz hosted by Spring Valley Baptist Church in Las Vegas. What a joy as I listened to these T&T students share from and recite God's word. I wondered what our Lord experiences when he hears His word being declared by these children. 

2018 Nevada Summit Bible Quiz Team

Summit 2018- Coaches Dan and Karla Harker from Summit Christian Church in Sparks lead our team from Nevada to the National Summit Competion in Springfield, MO. Summit is a national high school event holding Fine Arts, Volleyball, Bible Quizzing, and AwanaGames competitions. This year, the keynote speaker was Sean McDowell.

See my Summit photo album here

Basic Training at Gallup Church of God in New Mexico- we provided training for this church and also made connections for future training and equipping on the Navajo Reservation. Please be praying for this ministry. 

Navajo training photo album here

Our ministry team member, Marigrey Francis trained a new club in Las Vegas at Church of the America’s. What a great ministry team we have...THANK YOU to all of our Ministry Team members.

We also attended a SEND NORTH conference at the Alasks Christian College in Soldotna, Alaska with our missionary colleagues, Dan and Geraldine Bylsma from Anchorage. SEND NORTH is a missions agency that sends missionaries into the Alaska bush to minister to Alaska Native villages. We went to build partnerships and look for ways to partner with these folks to help and support them in their efforts to reach the children in these Alaskan Villages with the love of Jesus. There is a huge need for the gospel in these villages. We also met and built relationships with the Alaskan Baptist Convention and Arctic Barnabas, an organization dedicated to serving and supporting these missionaries. Stay tuned for future developments.

I was blessed to 16 clubs over this time. This is one of my favorite things to do as I get to see God working, thank and encourage leaders as I see their passion for reaching children and spend time with clubbers as they are discipled in the word of God.  Sometimes I'm asked to share and sometimes I just get to go a be a spectator. I was blessed to visit clubs in Reno, Las Vegas, Carson City, McDermitt, Bullhead City and Fort Mohave. ..What a joy!!

Club Visit Photo Album Here

Thank you again to everyone who prays, supports, encourages, shares, serves, laughs and seeks after God. Together, we are reaching children with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I praise God for you and the work He is doing in and through you. See you again down the road.

My month- February 2018

4,100 Miles Traveled
4 States
2 Countries
Lot's of Tacos, Starbucks and fast food
4 plane flights, 2 trains, 1 Greyhound, 1 rental car, 3 Uber rides
Trained 8 new clubs
Visited 5 Clubs
1 New Club Development meeting
Pastor's Conference

We are so grateful for your partnership through your financial support, prayer and friendship. We are continually amazed that God would allow us to serve Him to reach His children and their families with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

We started the month in Rosarito, Mexico by working with SOW Ministries, Sierra Bible Church- Truckee and Calvary Chapel Rosarito to train 8 new churches coming from Ensendada, Rosarito and Tijuana. We finished the month on the Navajo Native American Reservation in Tse Bonito, New Mexico working with Awana Missionaries David Hilderman and Jerry Berheim to host a "4-14 Pastors Conference" (Age 4 through 14 window) and shared with Navajo Pastors how God values children, how children are most open to the gospel from ages 4 through 14 and how children's ministry is a great way to reach children and their families. We will continue to develop this ministry to reach Navajo children with the love of Jesus. 

Along the way, we got to attend and share at Awana outreach events in Reno, visit 5 existing Awana clubs to encourage and thank Awana leaders for their service and even met with a pastor and church leaders at a Chinese Church in Las Vegas who are considering using Awana to reach the Chinese community in Las Vegas.

The training in Rosarito, Mexico was bi-lingual. Here is our training team. Marigrey Francis was our Spanish trainer and Jenny Howard served as our English trainer

5 churches signed up for our training and 8 actually attended from Ensendada to Tijuana. We estimated that 500 new children in Mexico will be hearing the gospel weekly because of this training.

Gametime training at Calvary Chapel Rosarito. Games are what draws kids into club so the gospel can be presented.

After our classroom training, on day two or our training, we invited children in, and our training attendees actually executed a live Awana club. Gametime, Large Group and Small Group Time

Graduation and commissioning of our attendees

Working with Awana missionaries David Hilderman and Jerry Berheim at the Navajo         4-14 Pastors Conference in Tse Bonito, New Mexico- sharing with Navajo Pastors the importance of children's ministry, how God values children and how Awana can be a great tool for reaching children and families with the love of Jesus. Navajo pastors have a huge burden for the children on the rez. 

Sparky worship at Hilltop Community in Carson City, NV

Gametime at First Baptist Sparks

Treasure Hunt Night at Sierra Bible Church Truckee

Trek Weekend in Reno, NV.

T&T Bible Quizzing in Reno, NV

Sharing at Trek Weekend in Reno

Evangelical Chinese Church of Las Vegas is considering Awana to reach the Chinese Community with the love of Jesus.

  

My Week (Jan 6th-Jan 13th)

1,166 Miles
3 States
Traveled by a plane, train, bus, 2 rental cars and 1 Uber
Many, many, many calories eaten with Pastors, Awana Ministry Directors and Awana volunteers
Visited 3 Awana clubs
At least 6 Starbucks
Trained a new club in Las Vegas

Although, it was very nice to spend time with family and friends over the Christmas season, I was very anxious to get back to my calling of training, encouraging and exhorting pastors , church leaders and volunteers about the importance of reaching children with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Worked with our Southern Nevada Ministry Team to train Mountaintop Faith Ministries in Las Vegas how to use Awana to disciple the children in their community.

Helping Mountaintop Faith Ministries with new game ideas they can play without a game circle.

I drove out to Kingman First Southern Baptist Church in Kingman, AZ. They started their ministry this year using Trek and Journey. Pastor Richard Felton is hoping to start a club ministry next year for Cubbies, Sparks and T&T...was very encouraged.

What a blessing to spend a night at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas. I had the opportunity to talk with and listen to the young Sparkies and T&T clubbers. Although I am a children's ministry, I spend most of my time with the adult leaders of these children. It is so special to spend time with children and hear their perspective on life.

I spent Thursday night at Hilltop Community Church in Carson City, NV. So appreciative of Awana Ministry Director Matt Beier and his team as they work to balance family, work and ministry as they  reach the children of Carson City with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I had the opportunity to share with the children at Hilltop all that God is doing in Nevada and beyond through the ministry of Awana.

During my stay in Las Vegas, I was hosted at the home of Dave and Donna Malpass in. They are such incredible and humble servants as they open their home to me. 

It still amazes and humbles me that God wants to use me to build His kingdom. As I travel throughout Nevada, California and Arizona, I feel so blessed as I see others with the same shared passion of reaching kids. Large churches, small churches, urban churches and rural churches all see the need to share the love of Jesus with the children in their communities.  

My Week (Dec 3-9)

1,701 Miles
3 States
1 Plane, 1 Train, 1 Greyhound, 1 Rental Car
Visited 3 Awana Clubs
4 different beds slept in
4 trips to Starbucks
2 Netflix movies watched

Gametime at South Reno Baptist

Pat Zeman leading T&T Large Group Time at Havasu Alliance Church Awana

Investing in the lives of children at Havasu Alliance Church

Using the Awana materials and asking questions of T&T clubbers is a great way to help these children strengthen their faith

November 2017 Ministry Update

Hello Family, Friends and Ministry Partners,

Summer is over, and the Awana club season is fully underway. God has been keeping us busy: here is a report of what we've been doing.

• New Club Development- There are 6 new clubs across our ministry area. Casa Del Padre in Reno, Crossroads Community Church in Gardnerville, Calvary Assembly of God in Ely, Kingman First Southern Baptist in Kingman, AZ, Shadow Hills Baptist and Grace Christian Center in Las Vegas are all new clubs reaching kids in their communities this year...Praise God!

• Awana Ministry Conference- Along with our training team, we provided advanced leader training on a variety of topics in 7 locations. Fallon, Reno, Las Vegas, Henderson, Pahrump, NV, Walker, CA and Fort Mohave, AZ. Over 300 Awana Leaders attended to find new ways to evangelize and disciple the children in the communities with the love of Jesus. It is very exciting to see God working in the hearts and minds of these "kid influencers".

• Nevada Baptist Convention- I was blessed to spend a couple of days at the Nevada Baptist Convention State Meeting at Life Baptist Church in Las Vegas. Awana has rightly postured itself as a "ministry of the church". Partnering and serving pastors so that they realize that Awana can be a key ministry to help them reach out to their community is a key part of our strategy. I had a great time catching up with old friends as well as making new ones at the NV Baptist Convention.

• Baja, Mexico- I have been developing a partnership with SOW Ministries in Baja. SOW works with churches and orphanages in Baja to help supply them with the various physical needs they have, ie food, supplies, appliances, furniture, school supplies, etc. We will be partnering with SOW to train leaders in churches and orphanages to help them fulfill the spiritual needs these children have through the ministry of Awana. I traveled to Baja and met with pastors in Tijuana and Rosarito. We will return in early 2018 to train 5 churches in Rosarito and Tijuana. Calvary Chapel in Rosarito is the largest church in Baja with 2,000 members and 500 children in their church. In addition, CC Rosarito has a church planting school and has planted another 18 churches up and down Baja. The pastor team at CC Rosarito would like to start with the Awana club in Rosarito, then train the additional 18 churches sometime down the road. Praise God!! Please be praying for this ministry.

Meeting with children's ministry workers in Rosarito, Mexico

Meetings with Children's Pastor at Calvary Chapel Rosarito

• Navajo Ministry- I made a trip to Gallup, NM to meet with the Awana missionary there to discuss strategy for reaching the children on the Navajo Reservation. Please be praying for this ministry.
• Team Meetings- As I mentioned in my last update, Awana has asked me to help 4 other missionaries in the US develop their ministries. These missionaries are in Alaska, Texas, Utah and the Navajo Reservation. I have spent considerable time helping them and brainstorming to develop strategies and plans for partnering with the churches in their areas reach the children in their communities. It is very exciting to see God working in other parts of the country.
• North American Missions Conference- I was blessed to spend a week with missionaries from around the US as well as other key leaders from around the world at Awana Home Office in Streamwood, Illinois. The purpose of these meetings is to encourage one another as well as to stay current on church trends, how Awana fits with these church trends and how we can serve our churches better to help them develop ministry that works in their community.

Awana Missionary Collegues TJ Sipes from Mississippi, Charles Nderitu from Kenya and Mark Morgan from Alabama

Encouragement from Awana President Matt Markins

Awana is still fun and exciting, even for missionaries.

• Club Visits- Part of my role as missionary is to visit clubs to encourage leaders and thank them for their ministry. At times, working as a children's ministry volunteer can be lonely and unrewarding. Encouraging these leaders and helping them see the value in their role as a kidmin worker will pay long term dividends for generations to come. I have made 12 of these club visits.

Over the last 3 months, God has used us as we've traveled over 11,000 miles by car, train, bus and airplane. We've been in 5 different states, two different countries and slept in 10 different beds. We've had countless Starbucks coffees and countless fast food meals; even Chick-fil-A. We've been invited into peoples homes as they hosted us with their accommodations and meals. And we've been humbled to know that God wants to use us (why us??) for His purposes and excited to see Him moving in the hearts and minds of people as they evangelize and disciple children.

If you reach a child, you can reach the family. If you reach the family, you can reach the community and if you reach the community, you can change the world.

That's it for now...

until all the children of the world know the love of Jesus
Jeff & Judy Gilpin
US Missionaries/ Pacific Southwest
jeffg@awana.org
awananv.org
Mobile 530-414-9497
Facebook: facebook.com/jgilpinx2


***If you'd like to support our efforts to reach more children in Nevada, California Arizona and beyond, tax deductible donations can be sent to:
Awana Clubs
C/O Jeff Gilpin
P.O. Box 697
Truckee, CA. 96160
* Checks should be made payable to Awana with a note on the memo of the check "Gilpin Support- Acct. 319"

or you can donate online at awana.org/missionaries/gilpin

Reaching lost kids

I recently had the opportunity to have lunch with a pastor in rural Nevada to talk with him about starting an Awana ministry at his church. After sharing with him about the importance of children's ministry, what Jesus thinks of children as depicted in Matthew 19:14, ie "Let the little children come to me..." and how he might use Awana to reach out into his community and bring new families into his church, this pastor told me something I have heard many times before.  "Awana is a great ministry, I love Awana, I'd love to start an Awana ministry at my church, BUT we don't have any children that come to our church".

My response was EXACTLY! I told him the very fact that he doesn't have any children come to his church is the very reason he should start an Awana ministry. I asked him to consider what if the Apostle Paul had said to himself "I'm not going to start any new churches until I can round up some Christians". Doesn't make sense does it, as one of the primary reasons for the church is to reach the lost.

I asked him to consider that Awana is not a ministry to find "bad" kids and make them "good", or to take good kids and make them better, rather Awana is a ministry to find dead kids and give them life through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Please be praying for children and for pastors. Pastors have an incredibly difficult job; pray that they will view children's ministry not as something to keep kids busy while the adults "do real ministry", but that children are loved and cherished by God, that they are geniune souls to be saved and that they are legitimate members of the church.