bridges don 1983 germany
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/10/2019 Bridges Don 1983 Germany
1/6
-
8/10/2019 Bridges Don 1983 Germany
2/6
Talking abou t the way that
God loves
to
give, VBS is a
good
case in point . We started
with 3 people. By the time VBS came, we had
9-10 people to work with th e
children.
As a
result of program,
some
of
the
children
are
still coming to Sunday
school
and
the
youth
program
At
th e
evaluation for th e VBS, it
was de
cided
that next year the teachers would write
their
own
m ateria ls . T here w ere several
reasons fo r
this,
but
I
think
the
main
one
is
tha t
mos t of th e kids with which w e work
have no real
concept
of God,
Jesus, or what
being
a
Christian
is really all about. Please
be
praying for
us here
as it will
take
a lo t of work
to
get th is
done
SUMMER CAMP
In July, we traveled to Molveno, Italy
for
summer camp.
It was well
attended (about
70
people),
and
the subjects
were
great. Harold
Fowler taught a class on Encounter ing
Culture.
Raymond Bodley
taught
the
book
of
Hebrews. Dale
Mallory
led
a
class
on
Christian
Doctrine.
Fred
Miller taught
the
book of 2nd Corinthians. Guy Mayfleld
had
a
class on res tora tion principles. Bob Warner
taught
about
Jesus and Paul's teaching
methodsr-AII in afh-it--was a very
good t ime
with a lo t of
valuable information gleaned.
This year, I traveled in a caravan
to
camp
with the Gary
Goble
family and the Tim
Bushacker
family.
We
went through
th e
Bavarian Alps on the way down. Quite
often
I
got left behind when we
were
cross ing the
mountains ~
having
a diesel engine
does
t end
to slow one
down
on mounta ins It was
the
first t ime
th at t he Bushacker s
were
able
to go to
camp,
and
they
really did
enjoy
it
I
was able
to
take
along my
dog,
Kuia, to
camp this year.
She was
labeled with
a
new
name
a t camp
~ Killer Dog It
seems
that
she
protected
my
camp
site very well. Yet,
she
is
somewhat of a missionary herself. In Ger
many, many people ask
me
what
happened
to
her (she
has
only
3 legs).
The same thing
happens in Italy. Yet, I le t the Italian Mis
s iona ri es handle th e
question
if they are
around.
She
is quite a
conversation starter.
DEPARTURES
This
past summer
has
been a
hard
one for
us
here
a t
L an dstuh l. W e ha ve seen
in
the
space
of
just
a
few short
months
si x families
leave.
Pat
and ane t McAllis ter moved to
southern Italy. They were here
about
5
years
and ve^ ctive in the church life Janet
taught in the Sunday schoo l and
helped
in
VBS.
Pat
helped
with
the construction of th e
new auditorium. They will
be
greatly missed.
Lynn and
Nancy Mauler l ef t in
June
fo r Il
linois.
They
were
active
here for about 3
years. They will also
be
greatly
missed
as
they worked in the
Sunday school, and
Lynn
headed up
our men 's
meetings.
Ron and Patsy Bouslay lef t in July to go
to
Mississippi.
Ron got out
of
the Air
Force
and
will
be
looking for work in the s ta tes. I ask
that you pray for him and the family. They
were a great
blessing
to
us
here.
Working
in
the
Sunday
school,
they
also
helped
in
the
construction
of the audito rium (that r oom
might stiil no t be
done
if Ron had not
been
back there working ). Ron was ou r treasurer
fo r 2 years.
Tim
and Peggy Bushacker
left
here in
August while I was in the s ta tes) t o a ttend
school
in
San Antonio. One
of
the
thrilling
parts of the
ministry
here is to see
people
growing
in
th e
Lord. Tim
and
Peggy were
both baptised here. To watch them grow was
a real blessing. Tim became
head
of our sun-
day school,
and Peggy
was
a
teacher.
Tim
would make
s ome
cal ls
on s ome
of
th e
people in the
barracks, lead
devotions, and
even taught a few Sunday
school
classes.
Pray for them in their new field of
service.
I
would
like to
keep
these
people,
but
for
now God
will
be ab le to
u se
t hem
in
a
new
field of
service
There are more, the
Hensleys have gone
to Florida, and the Links
to Arkansas.
Mary Link gave her life to the
Lord
just
before they
left
fo r the states. She
had been
wrestling
with it fo r such a long
time. She knew that
she
needed to be bap
tised, but
she
was not ready to
give
in to
God.
(She told me that
she
understood
everything
that
I
said about
the
plan of salva
tion, but
she
j us t was not ready Knowing
is
no t
salvation )
The
Links have
become
very
dear to us here.
Pray for
them in their new
f ield
INTERNS
This next
summer
we are planning to have
s umme r in te rns c ome and
work
with u s here
at
Landstuhl.
If
you
o r someone
you know
might be interested in working
as an
intern,
p le ase s end
me
a resume as
quickly
as
possible. Please include t he bas ic i tems like
age, height, marital
status,
parents name.
Also, give information about your education.
-
8/10/2019 Bridges Don 1983 Germany
3/6
previous
work,
abilities, interests and hob
bies. Iwould like
to have
also a picture of you
(smali
passport
size will do), and a
letter
of
recomendation from your church. I will need
this
Information
{as
the interns
will
be
selected
by the middle of January)
to give
adequate time for the
raising
of
support.
Some of t he dut ie s t ha t will be
required
of
the interns
will be
secre tar ia l, preaching,
teaching, VBS,
camp, calling,
and sharing in
whatever ways
may
open
up. It will be a good
time to see the work that goes on in
Europe
and more specifically Germany. You will
have an oppor tuni ty
to
get
acquainted with
th e var ious miss ionar ies
t ha t
are here
Knowledge
of
German
is
helpful
but not
n e c e s s a r y
Again, please
let me
have
your
resume as
soon
as possible
NEW FAMILIES
A
new
family
that has been coming is
Ron
and
Lisa
Wadowsk i. They have
been a real
blessing
since
they
have
joined
us
here.
I
ask
that you pray for them.
Adjusting to
a new
country may be exc it ing and
frustrating.
Yet,
they
seem
to be doing
real well.
They have
s ta r ted
a
c o n ve r sa t io n al G e r m an c lass
Brad
a n d
Dawn
White
is
a no t he r
n ew fami
ly that have joined us
here. Both
are
proving
to
be
a great addition to th e
church
family
here.
They will
be
starting in
November
a
youth
group for some of the older
kids
here
at the church.
Dawn will
be doing some
of
th e s ec r e t a r i a l w ork w hile D iane is in th e
sta tes
this
winter and spring.
Pray
for them
and
their
work. Working with the youth may
be
a challenging as well as a rewarding
work.
MID-WINTER
RALLY
I am present ly gett ing
ready
for ou r Mid-
Winter Rally
which will
be
In Frankfurt
again
this year.
The
theme of the ral ly is Epheslans
4 - GROWING INTO CHRIST. It will prove to
be an exciting time
as
we are anticipating
a
good turnout.
Say, why don't you
come?
I
will be leading a class on the first six verses
in
Eph.
4.
We are
going
to do
a
lo t
of talking
about presen/ing the unity of the Spirit. A
lo t
of things have been
written
on this subject .
I do
ask that
you will pray for
me dur ing
thi s t ime
as
it is
going
to take a lot of work
to
get
ready
for
this time.
SYMPATHY
We
express
our
deepest
sympathy
to
the
family of Wiley Rood
who
passed
away
the
last of October.
Mr.
Rood and his
wife
Ruby
were a
blessing to
the Church In
Landstuhl.
I
was
privileged
to
visit in t he ir home
while
I
w as back
in
t he S ta te s th is summer . Wiley
was
a
personal
blessing
to me and
I will
miss
him greatly, along with h is family and many,
many friends.
PETITIONS FOR PRAYER NEEDS
1.
Guidance
for
the Church
1- Names of Christian or
Church
of
Christ
2. Growth of the Congregation/Calling military or civilians here in Germany
Program 2. Letters of encouragement
3. Book Store 3. News of God's dealings with
you
4. Bible Correspondence Course 4. Prayers
5. The
Congregat ion here
6.
The
Bus
Ministry
I
would like
to
t ake thi s oppor tuni ty
to
wish you
and
yours
a Very
Merry
Christmas
and
a
Happy
New Year. It is my
prayer
that
God
will
bestow his
bountiful blessings
upon each
of you
In
Christ,
Don
FINANCIAL REPORT
February
-
October, 1983
Balance on Hand
1-21-83
1,252.34
Income 9.575.75
10,828.09
Rent, Food 3,124.12
Transportation
2,045.92
Miscel laneous 4.261.14
9 43 8
Balance on
Hand
10-31-83
1.396.91
-
8/10/2019 Bridges Don 1983 Germany
4/6
Chris t ian
Mission
Field Address: pon Bridges-
Kaisers t rasse
79 Landstuhl
West Germany
aiB
NOVEMBER-MARCH, 1984
Group Picture Mid Winter Rally 1983
MID-WINTER
Since 1
have
last written to you, a lot of things
have
happened. Let me try and catch you up on a few of
them. First, Christmas was very enjoyable (yes, it has
been
that long). I
spent
the day withthe
Spencer
family
in PIrmasens. The following week the Mid-Winter Rally
was
held in Ruesselsheim (outside of Frankfurt). The
theme of the rallycentered around Ephesians 4, Iwas
given the topic Presen/ing the Unity of the Spirit. Let
me
share
with you a few of the thoughts that were con
tained in this topic.
What is itthat you believe, that I believe, that would
bind us together? If you ask the first ten people you
meet
on the s tree t to define what a Christian is, you
would probably get ten different answers. Look at the
Christian world (not the religious world) and you se e
confusion.
Their
voice
is not
one
bu t
many.
Not only is
their
speech
different, but their system of worship is
also at variance. So, in a world
such
as
this,
how
does
one talk
about
preserving the unity of the spirit?
It is one thing to create
and
another to preserve that
which is created. Ephesians reveals to us that the
church
is th e creation of God. Itis there tha t the e te rnal
RALLY
purpose of God
the gathering into one the whole
created universe -- is seen. When we
realize that
we
are
not able to create unity among ourselves, but that our
unity comes because of our oneness withGod, we w
be
participants in God s
purpose.
What is the basis of unity? Our first answer is
Jesus
Christ. Itis through him that we have
become adopted
sons and
daughters. But. from where did we learn
about Jesus?
Was it from intuition? nature?
art?
th e
movies? From
what
source
of authority (for
there must
be one) have we come to know him? Either the New
Testament is our source, or we have no sourcel Our
starting point must be the NewTestamentI [Wemay not
dismiss God s clear instruction
with
but
we
all
have
dif
ferent interpretations. Dowe have unlimited freedom in
interpretation.
so, then reason, feeling, or local cir
cumstances
are
our
final authority. Thus, we would
be
carried
in the direction of whichever popular wind
blew.] It cannot be
based
on
creeds
or confessions,
church traditions, or systems of theology (e.g., Calvin s
or Luther s). In
speaking
likethis, we need to realize that
this matter of authority may also be a point of division.
-
8/10/2019 Bridges Don 1983 Germany
5/6
Keith Giles has joined us. He is married with two
children. He
and
I
have been
looking for an
apartment
so
t ha t he
can ge t the
rest of his family
over
here. It is
good
to
see th e
eagerness and enthusiasm he
shows
in
his service to the Lord. As he works
and
grows here, I
ask
you to pray for him
and
his family.
Of course,
as
time
goes
on people leave us also.
Dennis and Lola Carter along with their not quite 1 year
old, Amanda, left in April for the states. Dennis has
been
our treasurer for
the past
year. Theywill
be
greatly
missed
he re . We
do
wish fo r them
the
best in their new
place
of service to
ou r
Lord.
SPECIAL
EVENTS
In January, we held another Souper Bowl day. We
had about
20
people
come
and
share
their
soups
and
sandwiches
(plus a few
desserts
in a fellowship meal.
Afterwards, we headed for the bowling alley to tackle a
few
games
of bowling.
There was a church outing to the Gutenburg
Museum.
Some
of us
were
able to se e the history of the
printing of the Bible. The children
tha t went
with us
really
enjoyed some
of
the
different displays that
were
available. We go t to se e
some
of
the
city of Mainz
during this trip.
Another church outing took us to the country of Lux
embourg.
Although it is a small country,
the people
were
very friendly. We visited
the
American
cemetary
where a bo ut 5 40 0 soldiers are buried.
General
Patton
isalso buried there. We had about 20 people go on this
trip. They did a littleshopping, sight-seeing, and got a
littletired. It is good when one is able to visit some of
these
places; it is even better
when one
can do it with
Christian
friends.
BIBLE STUDY
We
have been
having a real
good
turnout for
Wednesday evening Bible study. At the present , the
ladies ar e studying a survey of the Bible. The men ar e
studying the history and principles of the restoration
movemen t. We meet
for
about an hour. Afterwards,
everyone
pitches
in
and
helps
clean
the
church
building. It
proves
to be not only profi table - but fun.
And it
does
not
take
us very long. The more
people, the
less
t ime.
The Bible study that was going in Hahn
has
resumed.
We ar e presently going through a book by T.A. Smith
cal led DISCOVERING DISCIPLESHIP. It is proving
useful and helping
us
to grow. Also, some
couples
ar e
becoming acquainted
with New Testament Christianity
through
th e active
work
of
Dave
and Jackie
Newer.
Much
has
already
been
gained.
I
pray
that more will
be
gained as
we
see the
growth of
the group and those
involved.
PROJECT
I
am
working on a new project for the work here at
Landstuhl. Iam trying to purchase a
copy
machine.
The
machine
costs about
1800. Itis very efficient
as
a copy
would run
about
a
penny
a
page.
There are a
number
of
uses
for it -- VBS material,
newsletter,
co r
respondence, promotions. Itwould help in saving time
f rom off ic e work . I can think of a
number
of
benefits
it
would provide. Any contributions toward this would
be
appreciated.
At present, I have about 236. THANKS
. (Ifa Sunday School Class in your Church would like
to help with thisworthy project, please
send
your
dona
tions to Don Bridges, c/o Forwarding Agents, M/M Al
Ashley, 6627 Roxton, Amarillo, TX79109.)
PETITIONS FOR
PRAYER
NEEDS
1.
Guidance
fo r
t h e Chur ch 1.
Names
of Christian or Church of Christ military or
2. Growth of
the
Congregation/Calling
Program
civilians
here
in
Germany
Book Store
2 .
Letters of encouragement
4
Bible
Correspondence Course
News of God's
dealings
with you
5. The Congregation here 4.
Prayers
6
The Bus
Ministry
In
Christ,
Don
FINANCIAL REPORT
November, 1983
-
March,
1984
Balance on Hand 10-31-83. 1,396.91
Income
6,666.90
8,063.81
Rent,
Food
1,173.29
Transportation 780.92
Miscellaneous 2.741.87
4,696.38
Balance on Hand 3-31-84 3,367.43
-
8/10/2019 Bridges Don 1983 Germany
6/6
Don Bridges leading a class on PreservingThe
nity
of
the Spirit' - Mid-Winter Rally, 1983
Even
Jesus
was confronted by
Jews
who followed the
law of fvloses as interpreted
through
their traditions. We
see him healing on the sabbath, harvesting and eating
grain on the sabbath, eating withsinners, letting sinners
touch him. We should emphasize
once
more that we
should speak
where
the Bible speaks and be silent
where the Bible is silent. Yet. even that is not enough,
we
need
to
speak
as
the Bible
speaks
-- i.e.,
use
the ter
minology of
the
Bible,
We must ask ourselves the quest ion 'How diverse
can we be
and
stillmaintain the unity of
the
Spirit? The
answer is that we must
see
what is necessary for us to
unite
ou r lives to Christ? Itis
no t
news t ha t we mus t hear
the gospe l, believe its message, repent of our sins
(change the direction of our walk),
and
be immersed,
[This last point
seems
to be
debated
on grounds of
creeds, traditions, and theological systems - but Acts
2:38
and 1
Pe t. 3 :21
are still in
the
Bible
with
which
one
must deal,] These
are
things which
are
necessary for us
to enter the kingdom of God, Ifthe apostles' instructions
are to have any value, we
have
no right to decide on
their validity. Where God
has
clearly spoken, we can
only understand and obey.
God has not revealed his mind in everything,
however. Where he
has
not clearly spoken, we
are
free
to
differ from each
other . Thus , it becomes a matter of
Service at Mid-Winter Rally 1963.
deciding
between faith
an d
opinion. What
are the
things that are necessary, and what are not? [Everyone
should take time
and
study 1 Cor, 8-11
an d
Rom. 14,
for to deal with them here would take too much space,)
It is in the area of opinion which
cause
so many pro
blems. When an opinion is elevated to the posi tion of
faith (something that is necessary), we speak where
God
does
not. Paul used his right to appeal to
ivil
powers (Acts 22:25-29). to circumcise Timothy (Acts
16:1-3) and not Titus (Gal. 2:3-5), to marry or not{1 Cor,
9:6-27), At the same time, others also
have these
rights,
but they are not to be bound on another The
question
of eating meat (1 Cor, 8) was an early example of this
problem. Ivlodern issues would be music, style of dress,
drinking, speaking in tongues, prophecy, experiences.
To
make these
issues requirements of faith in
order
for
one
to maintain fellowship with a certain group is mak
ing my salvation determined by your requirements and
n ot G o d s .
Let me end with two thoughts. Unity itself is not the
supreme
goal.
Loyalty to Christ is To
compromise
the
things that are essential for our salvation (e.g.,
substituting sprinkling of
babies
for immersion into
Christ) is as wrong as making our opinions the norm for
being a Christian,Thus, we need to distinguish between
th e
reve lat ion of
God
and
th e
wisdom
of
men,
We ask
for faith,
and
not
for
the deduct ions
of
reasons;
for
th e
testimony of God, and not the
opinions
of men.
t
Harold Fowler
leading
a class on Grieving The Holy
Spirit' - Mid-Winter Rally, 1983.
NEW P OP
We have some new people who are attending now.
One familyis
James and
Carol Walton, They have three
children. Carol
will
be helping with the upcoming VBS
program
and
is
presently
holding a
class
for the
children that come on Wednesday evenings during the
Bible study. Jim
will
be helping in calling
and some
other activities around the church. I ask you to pray for
them
as
they begin t he new
field of
service.
Another familyis Ray Roberts, At the present. Ray is
the only
one
here. The rest of the family will be joining
him this summer after his daughter graduates from high
school. He will greatly ad d to
th e
work
here
in various
ways.
Again,
pray
for
them
in their work
here.