Faith Promise: Pleading for the Chance to Give

 I was scared to death when I was a young boy that God would call me to be a missionary.  In fact, that fear stuck with me into my teen years. Even though I was an extremely involved leader in our youth group I stayed home when our youth group went on a weekend mission trip to Dallas.  I didn’t want anything to do with being a missionary.  Needless to say, God has changed my heart over the years.  In fact, mission work, both domestic and international, is one of my great joys in life.   First Church has always been passionate about mission work.  Even as far back as the 1930s we were actively involved in supporting overseas missions.  First Church has always been a church that understands the global nature of Christianity and for the past number of years we have used “Faith Promise” as our primary means of supporting missionaries around the world.  You will hear more about “Faith Promise” the next two Sundays and how this approach to financially supporting missions has transformed our global outreach at First Church.   This Sunday we are kicking off “Missions Week” at First Church.  We will begin this Sunday morning from 8:30 am to 10:30 am by packaging food through Stamp Out Starvation.  Make sure you show up before 8:30 am so we can package as much food as possible.  You can find out more about Stamp Out Starvation on their website,  https://www.stampoutstarvation.com.     On Wednesday evening we will have a great evening of fellowship, celebration, and food with a barbecue cook-off, a dessert auction, and a presentation from one of the missionaries we support.  During the barbecue cook-off and dessert auction you will have the chance to vote for your favorite barbecue by giving a financial donation or bidding for your favorite desert.  All the proceeds from the evening will go to support our missions program at First Church.   I look forward to seeing each of you in worship this Sunday as we kick of Mission Week at OKC First Church!   Pastor Lesly