Learning to Trust

One of the many things that I am learning as part of my internship with Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) is that I have to trust. I am learning to trust that good concepts and messages will come out as I study scripture with the goal of teaching a solid biblical lesson to the people God has entrusted me to serve.

Every Tuesday I meet with a group of men to study the story of David’s early formative years before he became king (1 Samuel 16 – 2 Samuel 4). Working to prepare these lessons has taught me to trust that a good lesson will bubble up. As I have talked about in previous journal entries, I create one-point lessons (taught to me from Andy Stanley in his book, Communicating for a Change). I am learning to trust that through my hours of exegetical study a good Bible-based lesson will emerge that I can teach to these three men. Sometimes that lesson is revealed to me very early in the process of my study, but most of the time I have to be patient and trust that the lesson will open up to me towards the end of my study.

Working to prepare these Biblical lessons is teaching me to be patient and to wait on God to reveal to me what He wants me to teach to others. It helps me realize that I am under His authority working to teach His word to others.

New Year Greetings from Church Assistance Ministry (CAM)

Hi to all of our CAM family of Praying Partners,

I wish you all a New Year filled with God’s blessings. 2011 has been a momentous year for us, as we grew from a staff of 3 plus 2 support team members last January, to a staff of 6 plus the support team of 2.

This fall we welcomed Julie Kurz as Trainer and Coach in Family and Children’s Ministry, and Pastor Don Smith as Trainer and Coach in Discipleship Ministry with a great ministry already established in the Philippines. Our continuing staff consists of Jun Sabate, International Director, Dennis Baker, Senior Consultant, and me, Steve Elliott, as President. Dale Isaac continues to serve us so well as our chief financial officer. And Christopher Scott, remains our Intern with various responsibilities.

We believe that 2012 will provide us with great opportunities to serve the church, along with denominations and missionaries, with a more complete staff that is able to serve the church in helping strengthen virtually all areas of ministry. I am personally amazed by the fact that God provided some of the greatest and most experienced trainers and coaches in the western US to serve with us.

We invite you to join us in serving the church by praying and giving to our ministry. You can designate your gifts (and, of course your prayers) to any of the various staff members and to our ministry expenses. Perhaps 90% of our expenses are for travel expenses to the places to which God has called us.

Please pray for two big upcoming international trips:

• Don Smith is going to Haiti the fourth week of January, to explore with resident missionaries if we can help in a much needed expansion of church planting and discipleship in that country.
• Jun Sabate and I are going to the Philippines and Japan February 13-27. We will be training church planters and coaching an expanding team of Evangelical Free Church leaders in the Philippines, and training and coaching Church Planting leaders in Japan as well.

Thanks again for your support and prayers.

In partnership with you,

Steve Elliott
Church Assistance Ministry