Dear Christian Friends
Greetings! On the 21st of June, it will be 33 years since we incorporated Christian Concourse Ministries with the State of Virginia and registered with the IRS as a tax-exempt Christian ministry. As reflected specifically in our Articles of Incorporation, the purpose for our Christ-centered service is two-fold: 1) to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ and 2) promote unity among Christian believers.
In our focus on the Gospel of God we seek to answer the commission of our Lord Jesus in Luke 24:46-47 (ESV): “And [Jesus] said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations.’”
In our focus on Christian ministry in the long-term care arena, we are swimming in a marvelous example of Christ-believers enjoying harmonious, Spirit-endowed fellowship – unity – interdenominationally! Drawing from experience in nursing home ministry that began in 1957, Dar’s and Jerry’s personal testimonies stand on the fact that the Holy Spirit never prompted us to draw boundaries based on the Christian denominational diversity of our little “congregations.” We simply ministered Jesus and His Word as He is presented in Scripture! At times, the presence of the Holy Spirit was manifested in powerful ways as we watched Him pour Himself out upon hungry souls. Psalm 133:1 (NIV) declares: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”
“With Christ In The School Of Prayer” Andrew Murray, of South Africa, published this little book in 1895. The title presents clearly the contents of this gift to the Body of Christ. It is still ministering to many of Christ’s children today. In order to make it more understandable, and trying not to change his meaning, in 2010 we updated the original English that Rev. Murray used 135 years ago. We invite you to check it out on our website at www.christianconcourse.org/with-christ-in-the-school-of-prayer/ If you are hungry for a deeper life of prayer with your Heavenly Father, you might find this tuition-free class well worth your diligent attention! Jerry is revisiting these “lessons” that Christ is teaching and finds them to be even more challenging and enriching than they were 16 years ago!
TENTH LESSON “What Do You Want?” – Or – Prayer Must Be Definite “And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51; Luke 18:41)
ELEVENTH LESSON “Believe that you have received” “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24) “What a promise! so large, so Divine, that our little hearts cannot take it in, and in every possible way we seek to limit it to what we think is safe or probable….”
NEW! Prayers and Meditations by John J. Ament, Sr. Free on our website to copy and share! Check it out. Under “Downloadable Resources” on the main menu at the top of every page go to “7) Prayers and Meditations”.
Prayer Request! As some know, we’re no longer able to print our nursing home materials ourselves. Likewise, we’re needing to stop doing the packaging and shipping ourselves. Therefore, we want to shift our production to a commercial printer who will do the printing and shipping for us. This will incur a greater financial responsibility. Also, we need to develop the financial footing to take steps to keep the ministry going, and to keep our materials free and available for use by the elderly and infirm all over our great Country. Therefore, we are praying for $3,333.33 in monthly donation receipts. In the last four months our monthly average has been $1,148.75. We invite you to join us in prayer to our Heavenly Father to increase our monthly financial resources accordingly. Thank you! God bless you!
With Faith in Our Father God,
Jerry and Dar Johnson