As Winter comes to a close and Spring is just around the corner there is a feeling of “turning the page” in the air. While holding in great esteem and honoring the things that God has done there is a great excitement in the fresh smell of a new page, an anticipation of what God will write on this one and those that follow.
Wiconi has turned a page and is moving forward in the next plans that God has for it. In January we finished and launched the new website. There is more that will be added to it, and there are still a couple kinks to work out with the new website server/host, but it is a good representation of the next page for Wiconi. You can check out the new website here: www.wiconi.com
The next big internet project will be a total overhaul of our own Agape Lane Ministry website. The Lord is strengthening some established facets of our ministry while speaking new things into it and we feel it’s important to collect those ideas and represent them accurately on the website. Please pray that God will give me direction and creativity to make it interesting and informative.
The Agape office is completed and operating well. And thanks to helpers recruited by one of our board members the drywall has been installed in about one half of the studio. We hope to have the rest of it completed soon, and so do a couple other ministries in the area. We’ve been approached by two local ministries that want to produce several ongoing video projects to reach out to local communities and Western Pennsylvania. One ministry is focused on reaching all nations and the other specifically men of all nations. And though our focus remains more toward Native America we feel God may be increasing our territory.
Agape Lane Ministry has the opportunity to partner with other ministries and participate in outreach to several communities this summer.
The first is to come along side our friend Ed Slonchka
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Ellson’s daughter, Callie Bennett, is the winner of the Native American Music Awards’ “Best Gospel Recording of 2017 award.” She has been very active in suicide prevention. We will be Hosting Mini Concerts at churches, schools, community centers, etc. on both the Cheyenne and Crow Reservations featuring Callie. Her concerts are designed to encourage the youth, give them hope, and a message opposing suicide. The rate of Suicide among Native American youth is still 4 times higher than the national average in America.
The second opportunity is to travel to the Pikangikum Reserve in Canada. This Reserve has the reputation of being the suicide capitol of North America, some say the World. We’ve been invited to go and serve with Colleen Estes, a missionary living there. This is the same Reserve that Jonathan Maracle and Broken Walls minister at and talk about all the time. Actually Colleen has hosted them before. Presently we do not have an exact date or project/program scheduled but it will be in the summer most likely July or August.
The third opportunity will be to return to Oklahoma to continue with our Native American Legacy Video Series project. We have been collecting the stories of the Elders concerning their family history and what it was like growing up as a Native American in their community. And affects other programs like the relocation programs of the 50’s and 60’s had on their lives and family. Also many of them are able to share a rich history of the Christian church and missions in their tribe. And while we are there we will also sit down with ministry leaders and discuss the needs and future mission trips to the area.
Each of these trips will cost an average of $1,500. That is a total of $4,500 for them all. We are believing by faith that we will be able to walk through the open doors that God has provided through the generous support of people like you. Will you please pray about and consider helping us go? You can give to any or all of these trips on-line using this secure link http://agapelane.org/online_donate.html
(Please specify that this gift is for the mission trip or trips by clicking on “Add Special Instructions To The Seller” and then typing in your memo) You can also send a check or money order to Agape Lane Ministry, 367 Beaver Run Rd, Apollo, PA 15613. (Again, specify the trip or trips your gift is for)
PS. If you are a regular supporter of Agape Lane Ministry please do not redesignate your regular gift to these trips, Agape needs your regular gift to maintain operations.
Quick Update: We sent out an appeal letter much like what you just read seven days prior to the writing of this newsletter, Praise God several people have responded already and we have a little over 10% of the projected budget pledged. Please pray and ask God to continue to assure those He is calling to partner with us on these trips.
Our grandson Tyler just got stationed at the Shepherd Air Force Base for his Advanced Training. Just so happens that this AFB is in Wichita Falls Texas, about 35 or 40 miles away from where we used to live in Lawton, Oklahoma. There are just two things that make this palatable:
1. Our Kiowa brother and sister (and Agape Board members) Janet & Gerald and family will get a chance to visit with him. Tyler made a good relationship with them on his many trips to visit us in Oklahoma.
And 2. He’ll only be there for several months so we’re not missing too much time with him.
Tyler is doing well and seems to be maturing very quickly, no longer the teeny bopper that left here last July.
Charlyne and I believe we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully we’ll get to finish unpacking and settle in soon. Let me explain… You know all about the construction of the office and studio, but what you may not know is that our home needed some major improvements as well. So during any time I could steal from the other projects I’ve been working on our house. Since May of 2016 we have been living in a construction site with many of our possessions still in boxes and furniture pilled in corners. Since it is our home and not the ministry we didn’t feel comfortable asking for volunteers to help so our sons have helped us do anything we couldn’t do on our own. Over the Winter I’ve had more opportunity to work on the house and am almost finished. We look forward to moving in, completely.
Char and I are both becoming part of the community. Charlyne much quicker than I, but I think that’s because first she is a woman and second because she hasn’t been as involved in all the construction. I have to admit that I was beginning to feel a bit isolated other than church on Sunday morning. Charlyne has joined a women’s prayer group , and has partnered with several other ladies in a ministry geared toward women. I recently have joined a long established men’s prayer group in a local community. It has blessed my socks off! And both of us have been invited to hang out with a group/family of believers that meet monthly for food, fellowship, praise, worship, and prayer. That too has been a blessing.
We have a new way for you to help support our ministry every day just by searching and shopping online or dining out at your favorite restaurants. We’ve registered Agape Lane Ministry with GoodSearch.com, a company that helps non-profits like ours raise funds through the everyday actions of our supporters. Every time you use a Good Search service, they donate to the non-profit you’ve designated.
You can start using it now. Just go to www.goodsearch.com and click on the link in small letters under the search text bar that says “Choose your cause” That will open a small search window where you will type in “Agape Lane Ministry” You will be transported to another window where you can register as a supporter of our ministry/cause. Then anytime you use Good Search they will donate to our ministry.
We’d like to begin building our presence on GoodSearch.com. Please join our community on GoodSearch.com and help us raise money for our mission. Get started by clicking the
“Become a Supporter” button on our profile page here: http://www.goodsearch.com/nonprofit/agape-lane-ministry.aspx
Please join us and invite a friend.
Just wanted to let you know there is another easy way that you can support Agape Lane ministry just doing the things you normally do. When you make purchases at Amazon through the Amazon Smile project. There is no extra charge to you but Amazon will donate ½ % of your purchase price to our ministry. Just click on the link below to register us as the ministry you want to support.
http://smile.amazon.com/ch/43-1957219
You can also just go to the Amazon Smile website at http://smile.amazon.com then in the search box under the "Select a Charity" area type "Agape Lane Ministry" into the search box and click the search button, then choose our ministry in Lawton, Oklahoma as your charity. That's all there is to it. As long as your computer is set up to accept cookies every time you go to Amazon Smile it will automatically apply the donation to our account. If your computer doesn't except cookies then you will need to enter the information each time you shop.
Thanks so much,
Howard & Charlyne
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and Global Reach Network June 15 -23, 2018 to serve the people of the Crow and Cheyenne Reservations in Montana. We are invited to host a pastor’s prayer breakfast on the Cheyenne Reservation. The keynote speaker at the prayer breakfast will be Ellson Bennett, a well known Native ministry leader and preacher from the Navajo Reservation in Arizona.