Helping the Hurting In Our Midst -- First Conference A Huge Success!

October 04, 2005

Helping the Hurting In Our Midst -- First Conference A Huge Success!

Jesus said:"Do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." Mark 8:18b,19 NASB

In Our Midst and SafeHaven Ministries combined efforts this past weekend to bring the first "Helping the Hurting In Our Midst" conference to Calvary Baptist Church in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

It was, I believe, what will be a loaves and fishes experience over the coming weeks and months. We only had about 30 people in attendance, but God touched the lives of those 30 and I believe they will be the five loaves and two fish that God will use to begin multiplying the ministry to which we've been called.

God moved in such amazing ways this past week and weekend.... I am still in awe of what He accomplished.... Following are just a few ways we saw God work:

Anita was confronted by a gentleman at the church while we were setting up for the first session. He was filled with anger and told Anita with much bitterness in his voice that both his daughter and granddaughter had had abortions. However, Anita came alongside him even in his angry state. She told him that we are called to love sinners as Christ would; that we are His hands and feet and heart toward them. She later told me that his demeanor softened after that encounter....

One (non-post-abortive) woman was able to attend only part of the conference having been pulled away by a family situation. After she returned home her mother-in-law came for a visit and confessed that she was post-abortive. Because the non-p/a woman had just been to the conference, she was able to receive that information with acceptance, understanding and compassion.

The pastor took up an offering during one of the sessions which ended up being two dollars more than the bill for the food we served for lunch!

Another woman reported through tears Sunday morning that "Satan had been defeated" in her life as a result of this conference.

Another woman wrote on one of the evaluation forms: "I can't wait to share [what I learned here]with others. Now I feel empowered as a non-abortive female to share with others."

By God's grace and because of His faithfulness, this small group of people learned the truth about abortion . They learned how to compassionately minister to them, and they were challenged to take what they learned back to their churches and communities and to share this truth with others. Already many doors for healing have been opened in people's lives.

It was an exhausting weekend, but it was worth every ounce of energy, work, frustration, expense, inconvenience, and attack of the enemy we encountered. And we were invigorated and energized to continue on in this work for His glory.

Please continue to pray for In Our Midst as our work is only beginning. The fact that we sent invitations to over 550 churches in North and South Carolina and only thirty people showed up confirms just what an uphill battle we have before us. Even so, this is God's ministry and we believe He will continue the good work He has begun in and through us for His glory and on behalf of those in our midst that have been so deeply wounded by abortion.

Many thanks go to all the kind folks at Calvary Baptist Church, Rock Hill, and to the wonderful SafeHaven volunteers that gave of themselves to help bring this conference together. May God bless each of you a thousand-fold for your service to Him and His people this past weekend!

To God be the glory forever and ever, Amen!

Mary Comm
President, In Our Midst Ministries, Inc.

Posted by mary at October 4, 2005 12:51 PM

Comments

I would like to just give my personal thanks to you Mary, and Carla for all of the work that you did to make this event happen...to Joel for his support and to all of the ones who played any role in this conference...there are still so many great things happening because of the impact this conference made...I am totally amazed at how God can take little and make much...lives were changed, are continuing to change and in the future will be changed...I am just so honored to have been a small part of the plans he worked through this ministry...May God continue to bless!

Posted by: Anita | October 6, 2005 01:13 PM