Missionary Musings

Rileys' February Prayer Letter

2012-02-06T08:44:00.000-05:00

Dear Praying Friends:

At Valentine’s Day, we usually think of the romantic love we have for our spouses. This year, let’s consider God’s love, too. “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another”. 1 John 4:9-11 ESV

This year we begin our fifth year of ministry in Clarkston! It does not seem like we have been here five years. Time has moved by, and we have had many great experiences. We look forward to this year of ministry together with you as our prayer partners and supporters. Thank you for standing with us.

Our Vision: to make disciples who multiply disciples, leaders, groups, and churches

Our Mission: to partner with local churches to plant reproducing congregations

Family: Pray for the spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial needs of our family. Kevin and Laurie work full-time, and we have two growing boys: Jim and Matt. Life can be fast-paced and busy.

Church Partnerships: We have some great church partners. Several churches joined us in 2011. Others are considering partnership in 2012. Pray that God will bring churches and laborers to his harvest field in Clarkston.

Mission Teams & Summer Interns: March is full with collegiate mission teams, and summer is full with church mission teams. Please pray for these teams as they come to work with us. We are in the process of recruiting four summer interns for 2012. Please pray that God will send us his choice young men and women for ministry in Clarkston.

Financial Support: We appreciate your financial gifts. If God leads you to support us, here is how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be sent to North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543, Atlanta, Georgia 30368; MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. NAMB has updated their online donation system. To make a one-time donation, please visit: www.namb.net/msc-onetime/. To set up a monthly automatic donation, visit www.namb.net/msc-recurring/.

Until All Have Heard,

Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Rileys' December Prayer Letter

2011-12-13T14:03:00.000-05:00

Dear Praying Friends:
Thank you for your continued prayers for our family during November. Kevin’s father went to be with the Lord the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving. Thank you for your emails, cards, and phone calls offering sympathy, encouragement, and support. We are grateful for each one. We were sad to see Dad go, but we know he is healed from the Alzheimer’s that afflicted him on earth.

God has been so good opening doors of ministry for us! We are following up on contacts made by mission teams from Eureka Baptist Church, Hunter Street Baptist Church, First Baptist Church Hendersonville, NC, and Woolsey Baptist Church.

After hearing the Creation to Christ story, a Buddhist priest told a Bible study leader “I am very interested in your book. Your book tells us what happens after we die. Our books do not tell us that”.

Kevin and Dave were able to visit a Bhutanese man we met a few months ago. As we were leaving, he commented to us “I need help. I want to go the good way. I want you to help me go the good way”.

Some mission team members worked with another NAMB missionary who ministers to a resistant, unreached people group. Working with the missionary, the team delivered food and visited several families.

A Muslim woman from Africa approached one of our English teachers asking if she would come to her home and teach English. We now have two new English classes (one for men and one for women) started in an apartment complex. Pray as we follow up on these and many other contacts.

We met M. from Guatemala as she visited her friend in Clarkston. M. told us she had bought a
Bible and had been reading it. She said she has put away her saints and no longer prays to them. She realizes God is leading her to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him. She invited us to visit her in her home. She told us that, if we would send a teacher, she would open her home and invite her friends and neighbors to learn English and study the Bible. M. lives in a complex outside of Clarkston, and we do not have any Spanish speakers who could help us. We prayed for laborers to help us in this new harvest field. I shared the situation with a friend whose church is near M’s. apartment complex. Providentially, a Latino woman who attends his church lives across the street from this complex. She is willing to help us with translation. Pray as we work together with this church and move into a new area. Pray for M. to come to faith in Jesus.

We are still in need of women to teach English as Second Language. We need teachers for Tuesday and/or Wednesday mornings from 9:30–11:00am. Pray with us about this need.

Financial Support: We appreciate your financial donations. If God leads you to support us, here is how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be sent to North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543, Atlanta, Georgia 30368; MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. NAMB has updated their online donation system. To make a one-time donation, please visit: www.namb.net/msc-onetime/. To set up a monthly automatic donation, visit www.namb.net/msc-recurring/.

Latino House Church Launch

2011-12-13T08:26:00.000-05:00

I am constantly amazed at the work of God, but I don't know why. He loves to do wonderful things to bring glory to Himself. God's work brings grace and life to people He loves and is calling to Himself.

I have never seen God express Himself more than in the circumstances that led to the launch of a Latino house church Monday night, December 12, 2011. I write the date specifically because I want to it to be a date of remembrance for me.

A year ago North Peachtree Baptist Church prayer walked an apartment complex near their campus in Doraville, Georgia. During 2011, many CIBC church members and mission teams have prayer walked a particular apartment complex in Clarkston, Georgia. We were seeking God and his activity among the people who lived in these communities.

In October, a mission team encountered a Guatemalan family in the Clarkston complex. They spoke no English and we were not able to communicate with them. In November, another mission team was able to connect with the family again, this time with a Spanish speaker. We met a young woman I'll call M. She was visiting her friends and lived in the apartment complex in Doraville. She invited us to visit her in her home and was willing to open her home for a Bible study and invite her friends to attend. Just the 'person of peace' w have been looking to discover.

I (Kevin) had no idea that North Peachtree had been praying for her complex, I didn't know anyone who could serve as a translator, I was at a loss. I recognized God was at work, He had placed M in our way, and we had a spiritual responsibility to minister to her. I began praying for laborers for the harvest. Others prayed as well.

I spoke with my friend and mentor, Steve, who attends North Peachtree Baptist Church and told him the story. He said there was an Hispanic lady in their church who had been leading a group in her home which was right across the street from the apartment complex where M lived. God answers prayer!!!

Pastor Chris, on staff at North Peachtree, joined our mission band and we all recognized God was working, we were racing to catch up with Him, and we were standing on the threshold of a great thing. Chris contacted Maria, the Latino lady in North Peachtree Church. She contacted M and arranged a visit. Chris, Maria, and I visited with M. She was still open to a house group and willing to invite her friends.

Monday night, December 12, 2011, we were a part of answered prayer and God's activity as six of us gathered together to begin a church. God is awesomely good!!

Rileys' November Prayer Letter

2011-11-04T07:50:00.000-04:00

Dear Praying Friends:
Thank you for your continued prayers and support for us and the work in Clarkston, Georgia. It means so much to us to know that you are talking to God on our behalf. As you pray, please pray “that words may be given to me (us) in opening my (our) mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” Ephesians 6:19

God has a unique way of connecting distant people to accomplish His plan. In October, I received a phone call from a woman in Maine. She told of a Russian speaking, Afghan family that had been resettled in Clarkston two weeks earlier. She knew of this family because she is connected to a work in Ukraine where this family had been living for the past 16 years. She found Clarkston International on the internet and believed our church was the place for the family to attend. The family spoke very little English, she said. I remembered a Russian mother and son from Florida who had come with a mission team during the summer. I contacted them and asked if they could come at their convenience and connect with this family. They came that very weekend! The Afghan family is now attending our church, establishing relationships with our church family, and we are able to minister to them, as we are able. Pray for this family as they adjust to a new culture and community.

We took a group of 37 Bhutanese people to Hendersonville, NC in October. This was a fun and exhausting weekend. Our Bhutanese church planter and members of FBC Hendersonville organized the trip and the weekend fun. The Bhutanese families stayed with Hendersonville families, went hiking and enjoyed the fall colors on Saturday, and all attended church together on Sunday. Many of the Bhutanese families are Hindu and Buddhist, so this was a great opportunity to experience God’s love through His people in NC. Pray for the partnership between the Bhutanese church plant and FBC Hendersonville.

Keep praying with us:

 For women to teach English as Second Language. We need teachers for Tuesday and/or Wednesday mornings from 9:30 – 11:00am;

 For our English teachers who will be hosting a Thanksgiving meal for their students in November. We want to use this opportunity to share the Gospel with our students;

 For our combined worship service on Sunday, November 20. All eight of our churches will be worshipping together. If you would like to catch a glimpse of what heaven will look like, join us for this service;

 For mission teams in November – Hendersonville 1st Baptist, Hunter Street Baptist, Crabapple 1st Baptist, Woolsey Baptist.

Financial Support: If God leads you to support us, here is how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543, Atlanta, Georgia 30368; MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. NAMB has updated their online donation system. To make a one-time donation, please visit: www.namb.net/msc-onetime/. To set up a monthly automatic donation, visit www.namb.net/msc-recurring/.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Rileys' Prayer Letter

2011-09-28T08:46:00.000-04:00

For a sub-Saharan African, a Middle East or North African, and an Asian church planter to join our church planting team;
For women to teach English as Second Language. Monday – Wednesday morning classes start October 10;
For “households of peace” open to the Gospel;
For mission teams in October – Hunter Street BC, Johnson Ferry BC, Crabapple FBC, Operation Mobilization.

Financial Support: If God leads you to support us, here is how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543, Atlanta, Georgia 30368; MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. NAMB has updated their online donation system. To make a one-time donation, please visit: www.namb.net/msc-onetime/. To set up a monthly automatic donation, visit www.namb.net/msc-recurring/.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Storying In A Day Training

2011-09-19T15:55:00.000-04:00

We are very excited to have had 37 people trained in Bible storying on Saturday, September 17. Mark Snowden from the North American Mission Board was our facilitator for the day. If you are working with non-literate or oral cultures, Bible storying is a great way to communicate God's Word to them. Thank you Mark and all who attended the workshop.

Reaching The Nations August 2011

2011-08-02T19:11:00.000-04:00

July was a month of “endings”. Summer mission teams and backyard Bible clubs ended. We said “good-bye” to our summer intern Jamie Wagner. She did an awesome job this summer working with the mission teams and was a great help! Summer break is ending, and the children are heading back to school.

This month, I have seen how the “disconnectedness” of different mission teams coming weekly is, in fact, very connected to what God is doing in Clarkston. In one apartment community where we worked this summer, a couple from one of the mission teams sat on a hill each morning and prayed. Each day, they prayed for a particular section of the apartment community. Nothing spectacular happened that week, but they were faithful to pray every morning. A week later, another mission team came and hosted a summer block party in the same apartment community. Residents from the entire community attended, but we noticed that most came from the area where the couple had prayed the week before. Several families provided contact information, and people came for prayer at the end of the block party. One young man asked us to pray for peace in his home. A woman who had a lung removed had been told by her doctor that spots had been found on the remaining lung. A third man is facing eviction. We have never before seen this level of spiritual response and openness among the people in this apartment complex. The following week, CIBC church members visited these and other families. Some are now attending our church.

I share this with you as a testimony to how God works with and through each mission team that comes to Clarkston. Paul said it best when he wrote to the Corinthian church “I planted; Apollos watered; but God gave the increase”. This is a New Testament pattern of ministry--not just something that works in Clarkston, Georgia! When you pray or come to serve, God uses what you do to affect the lives of people in such a way that He is most glorified.

Keep praying with us:
For a house church to begin in August (We are inviting and gathering people over the next two weeks);
For our Back-to-School worship celebration Saturday night, August 6;
For M, our Hindu friend, who came to church for the first time last Sunday (He promised to come again next week!);
For four college interns for the fall (August – December).

Financial Support: As you pray for us, please pray that God would provide financially for us. We believe God knows and cares about our needs. We trust Him to meet our needs so we can focus to expand His Kingdom among all the people groups in Clarkston. If God leads you to support us, here is how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543, Atlanta, Georgia 30368; MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. NAMB has updated their online donation system. To make a one-time donation, please visit: www.namb.net/msc-onetime/. To set up a monthly automatic donation, visit www.namb.net/msc-recurring/.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Reaching The Nations July 2011

2011-07-05T12:16:00.000-04:00

June was a month of opportunity and challenge. The mission teams from The Point, West Cabarrus, Hunter Street, and First Baptist of Hendersonville did an outstanding job with the backyard Bible clubs and Vacation Bible School! They worked not only in complexes where we have ongoing ministry, but also in a new complex. We were all pleasantly surprised at the spiritual openness of the new complex and the people there. We surveyed the complex, and we have several ideas for future ministry before us.
The biggest challenge in June was spiritual warfare. I do not think I have ever been more aware of the spiritual conflict in Clarkston than in June. We have seen God win several spiritual battles. We left a JESUS film with one family, but they said “we are another religion; we are Buddhists”. Yet, when a couple from the mission team visited them a few days later, the family had watched the film and told the team they all like it very much.

Demons oppressed another man. He had been to the priest, made a sacrifice, and dabbled in black magic and witchcraft. We shared the story of Jesus delivering the demon-possessed man. We told him “Jesus has power over all evil spirits. Whatever Jesus tells the evil spirits to do, they must obey.” His body language and countenance immediately changed. He sat straight up, put out his hand, and said “thank you for coming to my home today.” The conversation was over. Again, we visited him a few days later; he was much more open to receive a word from Scripture and allowed us to pray for him.

We have faced challenges with our English as Second Language ministry. Some have faced personal trials; some have faced family struggles; and students are slow to come some evenings. We are still working to start a fourth group. Our workers are dedicated and committed to this ministry, and although the work is tough some days, we know that they will persevere!

We need your prayer support. Pray with us:

To discover “persons of peace” (We believe we have discovered one or two who have potential.);

For a house church to begin by the end of July (We are considering two locations.);

For our English ministry every Wednesday night--our teachers and students;

For mission teams coming in July: First Baptist of Camdenton, Brainerd Baptist, Highlawn Baptist, Green Valley Baptist, Woolsey Baptist, and Hunter Street Baptist;

Financial Support: As you pray for us, please pray that God would provide financially for us. We believe God knows and cares about our needs. We trust Him to meet our needs so we can focus to expand His Kingdom among all the people groups in Clarkston. If God leads you to support us, here is how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543, Atlanta, Georgia 30368; MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. NAMB has updated their online donation system. To make a one-time donation, please visit: www.namb.net/msc-onetime/. To set up a monthly automatic donation, visit www.namb.net/msc-recurring/.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Torment

2011-06-28T19:32:00.000-04:00

While visiting a home this week, we encountered a man tormented by evil spirits. He claimed to believe in Jesus, Buddha, and Krishna. He had been with a priest, practicing black magic. He is after power, something the evil one always promises for a price.

We shared with him the story of Jesus and the Gaderene demoniac. Everything was going well until we stated that Jesus is more powerful than the evil spirits and is in control of evil spirits. They have to do what He tells them to do.

At that point, the man sat straight up, said "thank you for coming to my home today", and stuck out his hand to shake ours and end the conversation. We left him with some Gospel materials and a JESUS film in his language.

Praying for him and we will see what God does in his life.

Reach The Nations - Rileys' Prayer Update

2011-06-19T20:12:00.000-04:00

Hello Prayer Partners,

Thank you all for your continued prayer for the work in Clarkston, Georgia.

The Point Baptist Church mission team did an awesome job last week in the community. Prayer walks, visiting, teaching English, and Bible clubs made for a full week of ministry. Many relationships were made with adults and children. The Gospel was shared in several homes. Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to nurture the seeds that were planted last week.

Hunter Street Baptist joined us on Saturday for a day of ministry. This was their 36th consecutive month sending a team to Clarkston. A blessing to work with such faithful people! We were able to teach English and citizenship to adults, help children with some school basics, and had a good conversation about culture with several young people.

We are joined this week by West Cabarrus Baptist Church. Pray for this team as they continue the work begun by The Point. We will be following up with many of the families we met last week, sharing more Bible stories with them. Pray for God's name to be made great, for His Kingdom to grow and go forward, and for the enemy to be defeated at every point.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin Riley
North American Mission Board
Mission Service Corp

Blog: www.kevinrileymission.blogspot.com
Web site: www.cibc-sbc.org

Spiritual Warfare

2011-06-16T08:11:00.000-04:00

Spiritual warfare was evident yesterday. A Hindu priest was sitting in our Bible club area with his prayer beads when we arrived. I don't think he was there to pray against us specifically, but he was there nonetheless. We prayed for God to move him along, and after 10-15 minutes he left.

The battle is real, but we are fighting an already defeated enemy.

Reaching The Nations June 2011

2011-06-05T20:37:00.000-04:00

We have seen God do wonderful things in May! Our summer intern arrived, and she is already hard at work. Ten of our church members completed English as Second Language training for instructors. Our English as Second Language ministry in apartment complexes is growing, and we have made final preparations for summer mission teams to arrive in June!

Jamie Wagner, our intern, came with a collegiate team in March. We are excited that God led her to come back and work with us this summer! She is already working hard tutoring children (who are attending summer school to try to learn more English and catch up with their work) in three homes and teaching English to other groups along with church members. She will also be working with mission teams this summer. We welcome Jamie!

We are encouraged about the growth and expansion of our English ministry! With the help of H, our Bhutanese worker, we have three English groups meeting weekly. Many--if not all--of the students are Hindu and Buddhist. God is at work! One of the teachers shared the creation story with a group last Saturday. A Hindu priest has been attending this group. After leaders shared, and the group discussed the story, the priest said, “The story you read is true”. Another Hindu family is now allowing their children to attend church. Pray for our English/Bible teachers and for their students to learn English and to become followers of Jesus.

Many of you reading this letter have invested your time and prayers in Clarkston. Some of you have come to Clarkston and have participated in prayer walks and other ministry activities. Others have not come, but have faithfully prayed for God’s Kingdom to come in Clarkston. We say, “Thank you!” God is answering your prayers, and His name is going forth. We have many opportunities to share the Gospel, and people are now more open than ever to hearing the Gospel. Please continue praying along with us. The enemy will not take this lightly, but greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world!

Pray with us:

 To discover “persons of peace”;

 For a house church to begin by the end of July;

 For our English ministry every Wednesday night--our teachers and our students;

 For mission teams coming in June: Woolsey Baptist, Hunter Street Baptist, The Point, West Cabarrus, and First Baptist of Hendersonville;

 For Vacation Bible School June 27-30--our director, teachers, and children;

 For Jamie, our intern;

Financial Support: As you pray for us, please pray that God would provide financially for us. We believe God knows and cares about our needs. We trust Him to meet our needs so we can focus to expand His Kingdom among all the people groups in Clarkston. If God leads you to support us, here is how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543, Atlanta, Georgia 30368; MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. NAMB has updated their online donation system. To make a one-time donation, please visit: www.namb.net/msc-onetime/. To set up a monthly automatic donation, visit www.namb.net/msc-recurring/.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Reaching The Nations May 2011

2011-05-03T08:56:00.000-04:00

April has been a great month for visiting families and building relationships! We have met new families from Nepal and Sudan. We have had opportunities to pray, share the Gospel, and encourage people. We appreciate having Hunter Street Baptist, Woolsey Baptist, True Life Baptist, and Johnson Ferry Baptist to join us in prayer and visitation this month.

“The English Corner” provides English students with opportunities to practice their speaking skills. We started this ministry in March with the help of Baptist Collegiate Ministry teams. We are excited that several of our church members have caught the vision for this ministry, and they have continued it during April. We average approximately twenty English students every Wednesday evening. They come to practice English and socialize with our team and with each other. Relationships are developing, and everyone is feeling more comfortable around one another. Opportunities for spiritual conversations are occurring! Last Sunday, a Muslim man from the group attended our church.

We are finding that the desire to learn English is very great--greater even than we could know! Many doors are opening, as we are able to go into homes and teach English lessons. Teaching English is an important touch point with people of other languages and cultures. We are looking for churches to collaborate with us to teach English, with the goal of classes leading to the planting of house churches. If you would like more details, contact Kevin at riley10sdad@aol.com or 404-296-6483.

Pray with us:

 To discover “persons of peace”;

 For Hunter Street Baptist and Woolsey Baptist, who will be sending teams to Clarkston in May;

 For the English as Second Language workshop at Clarkston International Bible Church on May 14 & 21;

 For meetings this month with partner and potential partner churches;

 For summer mission teams coming in June and July.

Financial Support: As you pray for us, please pray that God would provide financially for us. We believe God knows and cares about our needs. We trust Him to meet our needs so we can focus to expand His Kingdom among all the people groups in Clarkston. If God leads you to support us, here is how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543, Atlanta, Georgia 30368; MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. NAMB has updated their online donation system. To make a one-time donation, please visit: www.namb.net/msc-onetime/. To set up a monthly automatic donation, visit www.namb.net/msc-recurring/.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

The English Corner

2011-04-21T07:49:00.000-04:00

For several weeks now, we have hosted "The English Corner". It all started back in March with two collegiate mission teams that served with us. It has continued with some of our church folks helping English as Second Language students practice their English. Some students are beginners and practice saying simple sentences. Other students are more advanced and share about their lives, families, homeland, and dreams. I am encouraged as I stand back and watch the church meet a practical need and share through smiles, laughs, and encouragements the love of our God for all people.

Conversation

2011-04-19T20:27:00.001-04:00

I visited my South Asian Christian friend today. He is helping us start a house church network. He attended our combined Sunday worship (all eight of our churches meet together for worship) this past Sunday. I asked how he liked the service. He said he enjoyed it very much. We sang "I Have Decided To Follow Jesus" as our closing hymn. He said after he became a believer in his country and his parents forced him to live/sleep in a separate room outside the home because of his faith, he would sing that song every night. I know nothing of that kind of persecution or that kind of joyful faith.

Fruit

2011-03-29T20:11:00.000-04:00

Today was a great day! Last Sunday God brought a man to our Bible study group that I had visited some months back. He is a believer from a south Asian country. I sensed God telling me his coming was important. My co-worker and I visited him today. Our intention was to discover if he was interested in helping us plant house churches. To our surprise and joy, he told us that he had been praying and believes God wants him to plant churches. This is an answer to our prayers of many, many months. Fruit! Tomorrow he is introducing us to another young couple and we are going to share the church planting vision with them and ask them to pray about joining our team.

Faith

2011-03-28T09:48:00.000-04:00

"Faith is a deliberate commitment to the Person of Jesus Christ, even when I cannot see the way ahead". Oswald Chambers

Reaching The Nations; Clarkston, Georgia; March 2011

2011-03-07T08:44:00.000-05:00

We have had a fantastic February, and we are anticipating a marvelous March! God is doing so many good things, and we want to share two of them with you now.

Hunter Street hosted an “English Day” in the complex they serve in each month. An amazing couple who works with Operation Mobilization and spent 20 years serving in Nepal came to visit. They were warmly received by the Nepali people living in the complex. They helped us with translation, and we had a very good conversation with the “village elders”-- 6-8 Nepali men who watch over their people in the complex. We discussed their needs and how we could help them. They asked for help with preparing to take the American citizenship test. When I asked where classes could be held, one of the men said “You may come to my home. I will invite others and you can teach us all in my home.” What an answer to prayer! For so long we have prayed for an entrance into the Nepali community in this apartment complex, and God has opened the door. Pray that they will be open to hearing how to become citizens of God’s Kingdom, not just citizens of the United States.

Laurie and I teach an international class, which is equally challenging and fun. One of the women in our class told us her husband wanted to be baptized. Kevin, along with a translator, visited him the next week. He explained the Bible’s teaching about baptism and asked the husband, J, if he had ever made a commitment to follow Jesus. J said, “I have always wanted to, but no one has ever told me how to become a Christian”. Kevin had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with him and leading him to faith in Jesus. Pray for J and his family. They are a great young couple with two small children. Laurie and I are able to visit them often. They are learning English and are beginning to read the Bible in English.

Pray with us:
 Five mission teams will be working with us this month. Pray for opportunities to share the Gospel and discover people of peace in the community.
 Kevin has been having trouble with his blood pressure in recent weeks. Pray that he will be able to control these problems with healing, exercise, diet, and/or medication.
 Wisdom in developing partnerships with new workers in the community.

Financial Support: As you pray for us, please pray that God would provide financially for us. We believe God knows and cares about our needs. We trust Him to meet our needs so we can focus to expand His Kingdom among all the people groups in Clarkston. If God leads you to support us, here’s how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Reaching The Nations; Clarkston, Georgia; February 2011

2011-02-04T08:56:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that New Year’s Day has come and gone, and the month of January is at an end! Ministry has been intense since Thanksgiving. To paraphrase the writer of Hebrews, time would fail me to tell you all that Green Valley Baptist, Woolsey Baptist, Dayspring Baptist, Hunter Street Baptist, Foundry Baptist, Zion Baptist, and Moutainview Church helped us accomplish during December. (If I left out your church, I apologize.)

Some exciting things God is doing:
 Building the ministry team in Clarkston--
Dave Nelson is now serving with us, and we will have an intern, Lauren Brewster, serving with us this summer to assist with mission teams!
 Working among the young people--Four youths came for prayer during the first Student Worship Gathering in January.
 Bringing new partners--We welcomed Woolsey Baptist Church as a partner in January.
 Bringing “people of peace” to us--

Our strategy and work is focused on evangelism and church planting. We are concentrating this year on praying for the Clarkston community and praying for God to connect us with “people of peace” in the community. Who is a person of peace? Simply, s/he is an unbeliever in whom God is at work. S/he is seeking to know how to have a relationship with God. The centurion, Cornelius, in Acts 10 is a very good example of a person of peace. Our prayer is for God to connect us with these people so that we can share the Gospel with them and establish churches in their houses.

Pray with us:
 Student Worship Gathering on February 5: Our theme is “God’s Love”. Many young people in our community need to know and experience God’s love.
 Mission teams from Briarlake Baptist, Hunter Street Baptist, and Woolsey Baptist will be serving with us this month helping with prayer walks, teaching English, and seeking people of peace.
 The ministry team: Laurie and me, Dave and Trish, Fran and Shirley--Pray for our spiritual, mental, physical, and financial well-being.

Financial Support: As you pray for us, please pray that God would provide financially for us. We believe God knows and cares about our needs. We trust Him to meet our needs so we can focus to expand His Kingdom among all the people groups in Clarkston. If God leads you to support us, here’s how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Reaching The Nations; Clarkston, Georgia; December, 2010

2010-12-06T22:27:00.000-05:00

One of the special gatherings we get to enjoy at Clarkston International Bible Church is the joint worship service the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It brings together all of our churches, and it is truly amazing to see people from all over the world worshipping as one church. It’s a little peek into heaven and what we have to look forward to in eternity.

Thank you for praying for the youth outreach in November. The launch of “Sanctuary”, our monthly youth worship service, was successful. Approximately 100 youth attended, and several praise teams from our churches led in the service. Pray for the next worship service in January. Our theme is “New Beginnings”.

November was a busy month for outreach and mission projects. Several churches from Georgia, Alabama, and Florida helped us distribute coats and food to people in apartment complexes. We made new contacts with families (many from the Congo), and some have begun attending our Sunday School class and worship service.

December will be a busy month with more churches coming to serve with us in Clarkston. We have targeted two apartment complexes for ministry. Mission teams will also be working with several of our language churches helping to provide Christmas gifts to children and visiting families. Pray for opportunities to share the Gospel with the people we meet.

Clarkston 2011: We already have churches expressing interest in serving in Clarkston in 2011. It’s not too early to begin thinking and planning for a mission trip to Clarkston next year! Our focus in 2011 is Connect, Grow, and Serve. We will work to connect people to God and to one another, help them grow in these relationships, and find a place of service. Pray about being a part of what God is doing in Clarkston. For more information, contact me by email at riley10sdad@aol.com or by phone at 404-296-6483.

Financial Support: We thank you for partnering with God and us through your prayers and giving in difficult economic times. Your support helps us continue to serve in Clarkston. If you would like to partner with us in God’s work in Clarkston, here’s how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Reaching The Nations; Clarkston, Georgia; November, 2010

2010-11-02T17:18:00.000-04:00

We appreciate all of the churches who have helped us this month! Our focus in October was visiting families. God sent us five mission teams in October to help us visit, meet practical needs, build relationships, and share the Gospel. We went to visit a young man whose mother had a stroke and was terminal. He was very distraught and even talked of suicide. We were able to share some Scriptures with him, pray, and encourage him. (Pray as we follow up with him again this month.) We also had the opportunity to again visit a family from the Middle East. We have had a relationship with them for many months now. They are a wonderful family, and even though language is difficult, we always have great visits together. At the end of the visit, we prayed together. As they dead-bolted their door before we began praying, I was reminded again of the fear that many people here experience. They did not want anyone to discover them praying with followers of Jesus.

We need your help restocking our food pantry! The need for food has been so great in October that we have exhausted our food pantry. If your church, Sunday School class, youth group, etc., would like to help with this project, please contact me by email at riley10sdad@aol.com. I will be glad to email you a list of foodstuffs needed.

Pray for the youth outreach event, Saturday, November 6. This is a first step for us in reaching the youth in our community. So many of them are drifting through life with no direction or purpose. We are providing “Sanctuary” – a place of worship, rest, and healing. We are hoping to make this a monthly ministry. Pray for us as we launch this ministry that young people will respond to the Gospel and discover God to be a Person of sanctuary.

Pray for the outreach work in November and December. We have several teams already scheduled to come serve with us and minister to families during these months. We will be helping families with food, which will open the door for us to talk to them about the “Bread of Life”. We will also be delivering Christmas gifts to families, which will open the door for us to talk about God’s Gift to the world. So, we are expectant as we move toward the end of 2010.

Clarkston 2011: We already have churches expressing interest in serving in Clarkston in 2011. It’s not too early to begin thinking and planning for a mission trip to Clarkston next year! Our focus in 2011 is Connect, Grow, and Serve. We will work to connect people to God and to one another, help them grow in these relationships, and find a place of service. Pray about being a part of what God is doing in Clarkston. For more information, contact me by email at riley10sdad@aol.com or by phone at 404-296-6483.

Financial Support: We thank you for partnering with God and us through your prayers and giving in difficult economic times. Your support helps us continue to serve in Clarkston. If you would like to partner with us in God’s work in Clarkston, here’s how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Reaching The Nations; Clarkston, Georgia; October, 2010

2010-10-11T10:50:00.000-04:00

Reaching The Nations
CLARKSTON, GEORGIA OCTOBER 2010

September was a month of open doors. God has sent us a wonderful person who speaks nine languages. She possesses a great heart for people in the community. Because of her help, we have been able to connect with several recently arrived families from Africa and Asia. Fran and Shirley Keck are also invaluable workers in the ministry. Without them, many families would face insurmountable obstacles as they try to start new lives in Clarkston. Dave Nelson is another new member of the team. He is formally with Operation Mobilization and will be working closely with our Sudanese congregation helping with leadership development. He will also be helping with work among the Burmese people.

Food seems to be a big need for many families. We visited a newly arrived family this month and found they had two loaves of bread, three 2-liter bottles of Coke, and 2 gallons of water in their home. That is all they had for a family of seven people. In another home we visited, the couple asked us if we had any rice we could give to them. Between the church’s food pantry and the Kecks, we were able to help these families with food.

God is building a great team here that has a heart to reach people with the Gospel and help meet practical needs. Relationships are the key. The opportunities we have to meet newly arrived families, help with material and relational needs, presenting the Gospel as we have occasion to do so creates the beginnings of a good relationship. Our Sunday School class now includes people from four countries and we are excited to study the Bible with them. Please pray with us as we continue to minister to these new families and that we will have more open doors to reach additional families.

We are now resupplied with Bibles! Thank you to those of you who helped us financially with this need. Many believers and non-believers are unable to get Bibles before they arrive in the U. S. It is an encouragement to be able to give Bibles away to people who want them.

Please pray for the outreach work in November and December. We have several teams already scheduled to come serve with us and minister to families during these months. We will be helping families with food, which will open the door for us to talk to them about the “Bread of Life”. We will also be delivering Christmas gifts to families, which will open the door for us to talk about God’s Gift to the world. So, we are expectant as we move toward the end of 2010.

Clarkston 2011. We have already had churches express interest in serving in Clarkston in 2011. It’s not too early to begin thinking and planning for a mission trip to Clarkston next year. Our focus in 2011 is Connect, Grow, and Serve. We will work to connect people to God and to one another, help them grow in these relationships, and find a place of service. Pray about being a part of what God is doing in Clarkston. For more information, contact Kevin by email at riley10sdad@aol.com or by phone at 404-296-6483.

Financial Support: We thank you for partnering with God and us through your prayers and giving in difficult economic times. Your support helps us continue to serve in Clarkston. If you would like to partner with us in God’s work in Clarkston, here’s how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

September Prayer Letter

2010-09-01T17:27:00.000-04:00

We began August by giving away LOTS of school supplies! Our church (with the much appreciated help of Calvary Baptist, Hunter Street Baptist, Dayspring Baptist, Genesis Church, First Baptist Hendersonville, NC, and Briarlake Church) gave away nearly 500 bags of school supplies to kids in Clarkston. Many refugee families--particularly families who have just arrived in the U. S.--had no other way to provide school supplies. Also during the same weekend, Innerarity Point Baptist helped us with a Bible club in a new apartment complex.

The North American Mission Board came to Clarkston on August 26. (When you mobilize a staff of nearly 300 people, you can get a lot accomplished in a short time!) NAMB staff:
interacted with teachers and students at 9 schools;
visited several international families in the community;
prayed and shared the Gospel on the streets of Clarkston (with at least 7 decisions for Christ!);
cleaned and stocked our church’s food pantry;
cleaned and made ready several apartments for newly arriving families;
worked with international women in 2 microenterprise centers;
shared a Bible story and practiced English with 400+ English as Second Language students;
built 21 community garden plots for internationals in an apartment community; and
taught a seminar for ethnic pastors on Lifestyle Disciple-making. I’m sure I have forgotten a project or two, but I hope you can sense the impact NAMB staff made on our community.

We need your help to purchase Bibles! If your local church, Sunday School class, WMU, Baptist Men, or other group would like to contribute to our Bible fund, please make your checks payable to “Clarkston International Bible Church” and designate for “Bibles”. Please mail your check to Clarkston International Bible Church, 3895 Church Street, Clarkston, Georgia 30021.

Come serve with us this fall! We are launching Mission 24--a 24 hour mission experience. Your mission team arrives on Friday evening, works Saturday morning and afternoon, and departs Saturday evening. To sign up, contact Kevin by email at riley10sdad@aol.com or by phone at 404-296-6483.

Pray along with us in September! Upward basketball will be in full swing, and we will touch at least 300 children with the Gospel. Pray for “Wonderful Wednesday”, our weekly ministry to English as Second Language students. Pray for mission teams coming on September 18 and 25 to serve with us.

Financial Support:
Thank you for partnering with God and us through your prayers and giving in difficult economic times. Your support helps us continue to serve in Clarkston. If you would like to partner with us in God’s work in Clarkston, here’s how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

July Prayer Letter

2010-07-04T19:49:00.000-04:00

JULY 2010

Dear Praying Friends,

Happy Fourth of July! Be encouraged by these words: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1) “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13) “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Thanks to the mission team from Crabapple First Baptist Church! They did a great job in June hosting two backyard Bible clubs. Eighty-one kids attended. Several team members had opportunities to share the Gospel one-to-one with the kids. They worked hard, and though exhausted, they finished well.

Thanks to Calvary Baptist Church and Hunter Street Baptist Church for a great pre-VBS weekend! Calvary and Hunter Street mission teams “blitzed” apartment communities and neighborhoods with flyers the Saturday before VBS began. Calvary and CIBC youth hosted a concert and cookout Saturday evening and people from the “blitzed” areas came. One man said he came “just to check out what was going on”. Four new families from the community attended church on Sunday!

Thanks to First Baptist Church Camdenton, MO for helping us with Vacation Bible School! We could not have done it without this super team! Our first day’s registration was 100 kids. The last day, we had 179 kids. In addition to working bible school at night, this team helped another missionary during the day, so they worked full days all week long.

Please pray that we can effectively follow up on all the new contacts we have as a result of backyard Bible clubs and VBS.

New Song Family Church, Glenwood Baptist Church, Highlawn Baptist Church, and Green Valley Baptist Church will be serving with us in July helping with backyard Bible clubs. We will be working in some of the same apartment complexes as well as moving into some new communities. Please pray that God will use these mission teams to make an impact with the Gospel in the Clarkston community.

Financial Support:
Thank you for partnering with God and us through your prayers and giving in difficult economic times. Your support helps us continue to serve in Clarkston. If you would like to partner with us in God’s work in Clarkston, here’s how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Church Around The World

2010-05-17T08:46:00.000-04:00

Sunday was a very interesting day. The family started out in church in North America. It was a multi-ethnic church of course.

Following that service and some lunch, I had the opportunity to preach in the Sudan. The service started at 1:00pm, so I had to hustle. The Sudanese church turned out to be a multi-ethnic church on this particular Sunday. There we people from Korean, Egypt, and North America in attendance, as well as our Sudanese brothers and sisters.

Moving on from the Sudan, I arrived in Burma. Again had the opportunity to preach. This Burmese church is a church in transition from a mono-cultural to a multi-cultural church. Everyone there was Burmese, except me. But the culture is changing. There were songs in English as well as Burmese. The children recited a Bible memory verse in English.

My Scripture text in both churches was Acts 11:19-30 -- the church at Antioch. A church in transition. We talked about principles that help us move from a mono-ethnic, mono-cultural church (the Jerusalem church) to a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural church (the Antioch church). Quite interesting to preach on that subject and observe two churches in the midst of that transition process.

Clarkston Prayer Update

2010-05-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Praying Friends,

Paul asked people to pray for him “that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador” (Eph. 6:19-20). As you pray for us this month, would you pray in this way? It is too easy to get busy with many lesser things and neglect the most important thing--sharing the Gospel with people! Pray for divine appointments to share the Gospel.

Last month I introduced you to Fran and Shirley Keck--two friends of ours that are now working in one of the Clarkston apartment communities. They have a great ministry with people from many nations! Their ministry is key to opening up several other apartment communities to the Gospel. Pray that we will be able to begin a Bible study in this apartment complex this month.

Several church leaders have visited Clarkston in April and more are coming in May. Thank you for your prayers for God to send laborers into His harvest field in Clarkston. He is answering this prayer! Summer mission teams are coming to help us with community outreach in June and July. Pray for God to send those He is calling to work with us in Clarkston and pray for Him to prepare them to serve effectively.

We are excited about another possibility! A missionary couple, formerly with Operation Mobilization, may have the opportunity to work with our Sudanese congregation. This couple has experience working in North Africa and the Middle East and would be a tremendous asset for this church, helping them with leadership development and discipleship training. Pray for this couple and for the Sudanese church that this will be a fruitful partnership.

Financial Support:

Thank you for partnering with God and us through your faithful prayers and giving in very difficult economic times. Your support helps us continue to serve in Clarkston. If you would like to partner with us in God’s work in Clarkston, here’s how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Spring Break Bible Club Day 2

2010-04-06T21:05:00.000-04:00

God gave us another gorgeous 90 degree day. We also had 50 kids today. These children come from all over the world. We had Afghanistan, Bhutan/Nepal, Bosnia, Burma, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, and Sudan represented in our group today. Those were just the ones we could identify.

We were able to follow up with the young man we prayed with yesterday. Providentially, when we got to his apartment his pastor was visiting. We met Pastor Peter and explained to him what had happened at the Bible club on Monday. We entrusted this young man into the care of his pastor for follow up about his decision to follow Jesus.

We also had members of our Bhutanese and Burmese churches with us today to help with communication. It makes things so much easier when you have someone with you that can speak the language.

Spring Break Bible Club

2010-04-05T20:11:00.000-04:00

We are grateful to God for wonderful weather this spring break week. Almost 90 degrees today and plenty of sun. One could almost forget the bitter, cold days of winter. Almost :-).

We are grateful too for the mission team from First Baptist Church in Loganville coming this week to serve with us in Clarkston. Rather than head to the beach or the mountains, these students and student leaders committed themselves to work in God's harvest field in Clarkston.

Lots of kids today. I counted at least 35. There may have been more. The kids heard the story of creation today. Then we painted bird houses as a reminder that God created everything.

I had the opportunity to share the Gospel and pray with a young boy named P. We plan to visit the family to talk to them about P's decision and share the Gospel with them.

Prayer Walk and Hunter Street

2010-03-20T18:16:00.000-04:00

God gave us awesome weather today. CIBC mobilized to pray in several neighborhoods as we prepare to go door-to-door next weekend inviting people to attend Easter Sunday service. We have 1000 door hangers to distribute next Saturday to neighborhoods near our church. Praise God for the laborers who entered the harvest field today to pray and please pray for the outreach next Saturday morning.

Our faithful brothers and sisters from Hunter Street Baptist went door-to-door in one of the apartment communities today sharing their testimonies, passing out tracts, and praying with families.

God was so faithful to them today. Last month the community had been spiritually hard, very little response from the residents, no spiritual sensitivity at all. A team from Pensacola, Florida prayer walked that community earlier this month in advance of Hunter Street's visit today. Many more open hearts today. Several asking when services are at CIBC so they could attend. Met a Hindu man who is considering following Jesus, but needs to understand who Jesus is. A Muslim woman very open to a visit, shocked that we would show love to her and her family. An Ethiopian lady who is trying to help a very needy Somali family with clothes. We are going to collect some clothes for this family.

God is faithful to answer the prayers of His people and open the minds and hearts of lost people to Himself for His glory.

February/March Prayer Letter

2010-03-14T18:37:00.000-04:00

Dear Praying Friends,

We realize it’s been a while since you last heard from us! February and March have been busy! We’ve been attending mission conferences and working with mission teams. We have appreciated the opportunities to visit Dayspring Baptist Church in Augusta, 1st Baptist Church of Thomaston, Ga., and Luther Rice University and share what God is doing in our community, as well as the challenges we face in the work. We have enjoyed working with old friends from First Baptist Woodstock and Hunter Street Baptist and working with new friends from Heritage Baptist in Pensacola, Fl. and West Florida Baptist Collegiate Ministries.

March is an important month for Clarkston International Bible Church. We have set a goal to contact 1,000 homes and invite people to attend Easter Sunday services. Saturday, March 20 we are prayer walking the neighborhoods around our church asking God to prepare the way for our visitation teams. Saturday, March 27, we are returning to those neighborhoods, knocking on doors, and inviting the families to church! Please pray with us for these community outreach activities.

There is an undertone in our community of spiritual warfare. I noticed this last month when I was with a mission team in one of the apartment complexes. That particular Saturday there was very little to no spiritual hunger or sensitivity to the things of God. Please pray for God’s kingdom to be established and Satan’s kingdom to be brought down.

We are excited to be able to purchase Burmese New Testaments now! This is the first time we have been able to put Bibles into the hands of the Burmese people. We have been able to give them Gospel tracts and CDs, but now we are glad to be able to give them God’s Word! Praise God for the Burmese Bibles, and pray His Word will be planted in people’s hearts.

The mission team from Heritage Baptist Church worked with Pastor Mohkles Hanna from the Arabic Baptist Church in Lilburn, Georgia. Both the mission team and the Arab Church were encouraged as they worked together with several Iraqi families. Another team from Heritage will arrive in April to help with an Iraqi family outreach. Please pray this outreach will start a church plant among the Iraqi people in Clarkston.

Financial Support:
Thank you for partnering with God and us through your faithful prayers and giving in very difficult economic times. Your support helps us continue to serve in Clarkston. If you would like to partner with us in God’s work in Clarkston, here’s how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Mission Conference

2010-02-26T17:10:00.000-05:00

I have been participating in a mission conference in Augusta, Georgia since Wednesday of this week. Seeing some old friends and making some new ones. Great church, great people, great missionaries.

We've spent the past two mornings together as missionaries and church staff sharing about our ministries, hearing from the pastor and staff, and praying together.

Two themes have grown from these times together. One is the need for laborers all over the world. Two is the desire of church leaders for their people to move outside the walls of the church to impact the local community. All of us have prayed for a revival in our own lives and in the lives of church people.

Hard Ground

2010-02-21T18:33:00.000-05:00

Jesus talked about four types of soils in the parable of the sower. You know the story so I won't repeat it here. If you need a refresher about the parable, check out Matthew 13.

We moved out Saturday into an apartment community with our team specifically looking for people who are receptive and would open their home to a Bible study. Our target people group were the Bhutanese Nepali people, largely Hindu.

The team split up into smaller groups. I visited 3-4 homes personally. Teams members visited additional homes. It was a day of hard soil. No one really hungry, no one really seeking after the True God.

The day was not a failure, we do have families to visit again. Sowing seed on hard ground yesterday though. Tough to walk away without a sense that someone in that community is open to hearing more about God.

Valentine's Day Outreach

2010-02-15T08:38:00.000-05:00

We spent yesterday with our youth from Clarkston, and young adults from First Baptist Woodstock doing outreach in the community. Several from Woodstock provided roses and carnations to give away to folks in the neighborhoods. We had over 300 flowers.

We tagged each flower with John 3:16 and information about our church. We split up into three teams, each team with three buckets of flowers, and headed into the apartment community. The first apartment community we visited had no one out. That is very unusual. We moved on to another and found plenty of people outside walking, working on cars, and children playing. It took us about 20 minutes to give away our supply of flowers. We also had some candy for the kids.

A good time tells people that God loves them and we do too.

Synergy

2010-02-10T20:04:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed spending two days this week with leaders from First Baptist Church, Gulf Breeze, Florida. This is a church with a strategic vision to work among a particular people group in the Clarkston community. Two representatives from the IMB joined this group's visit.

Monday we briefed the vision team and then made two home visits. Both visits were to families that have been visiting our church recently, so that gave me a chance to invite them to come again. Such needs in both of these families. The financial need is the one that immediately jumps out at you. However, if you listen longer and closer, you will discover there are physical and emotional scares from experiences in their home countries. One family had their father kidnapped and tortured, but he was returned to them alive. The second family had their father killed. Loneliness, isolation, frustration, struggle ... these are a few of the word to describe the struggles and needs of these families.

These two families represent many more families just like them in the refugee community. Language barrier, lack of adequate employment, culture shock, a sense of being overwhelmed by all that is new. Its a hard life for many refugee families.

Churches like FBC Gulf Breeze and others like them provide a major resource for these families. Its not money; its relationship. These families need friends, American friends, to love them, listen to them, comfort them, and help them navigate the American culture.

January Prayer Letter

2010-02-05T13:36:00.000-05:00

Dear Praying Friends,

January has been filled with opportunities…and challenges! Despite the fact that the devil has fought us every step of the way, we have seen God provide “divine appointments”, overcome the assaults of the enemy, and faithfully work in the lives of people! “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

We welcomed the Brewton Parker Baptist Collegiate Ministries team in early January, during the coldest week Georgia has experienced in a long time. These guys were awesome! We braved the cold on Monday and prayer walked two apartment communities. Tuesday and Wednesday we made home visits to Bhutanese families. We experienced two “divine appointments” with families from Cuba and Colombia, and Iraq. We have stayed in touch with these families, and the Cuban man has visited our church.

Kevin had appendicitis and surgery in mid-January. He spent a week recovering at home. The same week, Laurie and the boys battled a stomach bug. That was a challenging week around our house, to say the least! In late January, Laurie’s grandmother went home to be with the Lord, and we went out of town to attend the funeral. We appreciate everyone who prayed for us in January. It matters that you pray for us on a regular basis! Answers to your prayers definitely made the difference for us in January and will continue to do so!

Please join us in prayer for:

§ Involvement of every one of the churches in prayer, evangelism, and disciple making;

§ Community outreach on Sunday, February 14, 2010;

§ Prayer walking and community outreach in March in advance of Easter Sunday;

§ Mission teams coming March 6-11, 13-17; 19-24; and 20-27;

§ Travel to mission conferences in February and March (We’ll be in four different conferences.);

§ “Persons of peace” (Matthew 10 & Luke 10) in our community;

§ Continuing relationships with people we have met in January;

§ Potential partnerships with several churches considering long-term ministry in the Clarkston community.

We praise God for:

§ Arrival of Nepali Bibles!;

§ The people God has led us to this month;

§ Heritage Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida for the coats they donated to us (We have many families that are unprepared for the cold weather in Georgia.);

§ God’s daily faithfulness to our family.

Financial Support:

We are thankful every month for those of you who faithfully support us with prayers and finances in very difficult economic times. We could not continue to serve in Clarkston without your support. If you would like to partner with us in God’s work in Clarkston, here’s how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin, Laurie, Jim, and Matt

Brewton Parker Baptist Collegiate Ministry Team, Day 3

2010-01-14T16:39:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday was the most interesting day by far (at least for me) with the Brewton Parker team. It was to be another cold day, so we had plans to meet another Bhutanese pastor and visit 5-6 families in a different apartment complex. As is often the case, God had other plans for us.

I called the pastor as we left the church to tell him we were on our way. No answer, so I left a message. When we arrived at his apartment, I knocked, but no answer. We had seen a man standing near the building as we parked looking as if he was waiting on someone. I thought this might be our contact, so I asked one of the guys I work with, to check him out. I knocked on the door a few more times, still no answer. When my co-worker didn't come back right away, we went downstairs to check on him.

Turns out the man he met was Cuban. He and his wife had only been in the States 7-8 months. They were political prisoners in Cuba for 15 years under the Castro regime'. On the mission team was a young lady from Mexico. She had been waiting all week to talk with some Spanish speakers. She immediately became our translator. We were invited into their apartment and they also invited a neighbor who was from Colombia to join us. All of them are followers of Jesus. I and my co-worker went back to the church to get some Spanish Bibles which we gave to these families.

After an hour or so, our visit ended and we moved back down stairs. The weather had warmed a little and I thought we might do some prayer walking in this apartment community.

Sitting on a balcony above me was a lady with her young son. I said "hello" and she replied. I asked where she was from. "Iraq", she said. Then she asked, "Do you want to come in for a visit?".

So, back upstairs our team goes to visit with this family. A husband, wife, and young son from Iraq who had been in the States 7-8 months. It turns out that this family is from the Yazidi people group in northern Iraq. Their villages had been attacked by the militias, so they fled to Syria and eventually to the States.

God had these families waiting for us. I am constantly, constantly amazed at the openness of internationals to complete strangers. Here we were a group of 13 white people.

Where else can you go and visit in Cuba, Colombia, and Iraq and never leave the apartment building???

Brewton Parker Baptist Collegiate Ministry Team, Day 2

2010-01-13T09:40:00.000-05:00

Well, last Tuesday was colder than a dog. As brave as we were to prayer walk, we decided to make some home visits. We hooked up with Suresh and Sereta, a brother and sister from Bhutan. We share some tea with them in their apartment and they told the team the story of the Bhutanese Nepali people who were forced out of Bhutan in the early 1990s. these refugees have been living in camps along the Bhutan/Nepal/Indian border for the past 18 years. Suresh became a follower of Jesus while he was in one of these camps.

From their apartment, we went to another apartment complex to pick up Pastor Purna. He is a Bhutanese pastor of a new church started this past September. We divided up into visitation teams and spent the day visiting Bhutanese families in two different apartment communities. The one thing I appreciate about working alongside the Bhutanese believers is that they know where all the Bhutanese live, whether they are Christian, Buddhist, or Hindu.

My most vivid memory is visiting a Hindu man whose family was struggling financially. Many families are in these days. We asked him how we could pray for him and his family and he asked us to pray for several in his family who are of working age to be able to find a job. Then he said something very sad. "I sometimes feel like drinking poison and ending my life", he said. Our translator, who was a believer, didn't even wait for us to reply. She immediately told him that was a bad choice and there was a better way. We shared briefly with him about the hope that the God of the Bible gives to people who will trust Him. Then we had prayer, asking our Father to reveal His love to this man and his family and give them hope. What an awesome privilege. What an awesome God!!

Brewton Parker Baptist Collegiate Ministry Team

2010-01-12T16:03:00.000-05:00

I am grateful to Glenn Wallace and his BCM students who made the sacrifice of break time to come to Clarkston and serve alongside us. Months ago when Glenn and I were planning this trip we had no idea how COLD it was going to be. In spite of the weather, these guys were awesome to work with and they never complained.

Monday morning we did prayer walk. We layered up as best we could and hit the streets of Clarkston. God was waiting on us there and the group I was with had a "divine appointment" with two men. We had stopped in front of their apartment building to pray. As we started praying, I heard one of the apartment doors opening but just thought someone was leaving their apartment to get into their car. After a moment or two, I sensed no one was coming out. I looked up and two men were staring at us from inside their apartment. We introduced ourselves, told them we were in to community praying for people, asked if their was anything we could pray with them about. They invited us into their apartment to pray with them, which we did.

Monday afternoon we moved into another apartment community. Again, we divided into teams of three, planned to circle the community, and meet up on the other side of the circle. As my group came to the meeting spot, the other groups were not in sight. I thought they might have taken a little longer to get to us because they had more ground to cover. We walked a little farther and still no sign of the other groups. I thought they might have gone inside the community center because it was getting cold. All of a sudden the sliding glass door opened on a second floor apartment and out steps Glenn who says "We are up here. We are drinking tea. No one speaks English." We had a good chuckle at that and told them to have a good visit and we meet them when they got back to the center. Fortunately for Glenn and his group a relative of this family came in who did speak English and could translate the conversation.

God is good.

Christmas in Clarkston

2009-12-19T17:47:00.000-05:00

We are grateful to our friends from the North American Mission Board, Calvary Baptist Church in North Carolina, and Hunter Street Baptist Church in Alabama for helping provide Christmas to many families in the Clarkston community.

November Prayer Letter

2009-11-29T17:49:00.000-05:00

Clarkston Chronicles
NOVEMBER 2009

Dear Praying Friends,

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season! We, as believers, prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Old Testament prophecy, the Nativity story, and John the Baptist announced that the reason for His coming was to be the savior of all peoples. “I have come to seek and to save the lost”, said Jesus. Christmas is a wonderful mission event!

We are moving forward with evangelism efforts. We saw four people make a commitment to Jesus during our November 21 outreach. Five young people made commitments to Jesus during a youth event. We are involved in follow-up discipleship with these people as well as twenty adults that indicated a commitment to Jesus during our Upward Basketball awards night. Follow-up is the tough part!

The outreach team visited a lady who had made a commitment to
Jesus at Upward Basketball awards night. We explained the Gospel
to her again to make sure she understood and talked to her about what a commitment to Jesus means for her life. It didn’t take long to see the lack of knowledge she had. We had the opportunity to counsel and pray with her about her decision.

I was reminded through this experience the care and clarity we need to exercise when we share the Gospel with someone. It is easy to use “church language” that people do not understand and that has no meaning to them. We need to keep the Gospel simple, but not simplistic.

Please join us in prayer for:
* Involvement of every one of the churches in prayer, evangelism, and follow-up discipleship;

* Bibles in Nepalese and Swahili;

* Distribution of the JESUS film during December;

* Financial provision for us at the end of the year.

We praise God for:
* Global Impact Celebration at Dayspring Community Church in Griffin, Georgia.

* Four decisions for Christ from our community outreach November 21;

* Twenty people that participated in evangelism training on November 21;

* God’s faithfulness to our family throughout the month.

Financial Support:
We are thankful every month for those of you who faithfully support us with prayers and finances. We could not continue to serve in Clarkston without your support. If you would like to partner with us in God’s work in Clarkston, here’s how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Laurie & Kevin Riley

Prayer Walking and Street Evangelism

2009-11-17T22:20:00.000-05:00

Laurie and I had the opportunity to be with Dayspring Community Church in Griffin this past weekend at their Global Impact Celebration. Good church, good pastor, good people.

Saturday morning we went into downtown Griffin for a prayer walk and we were looking to share the Gospel with people. I met one man, D., who claimed to be a Muslim. Trust me, I'm around Muslims a lot and he didn't seem to be much of one. Nevertheless, I attempted to engage him in a Gospel conversation, but he kept talking in circles and I sensed he was not ready at all to hear the message. He was willing to accept a tract, so I left him with that.

As we were reassembling our group, I notice a young lady, T., crossing the street. Her facial expression and body language told me she was having a bad life. I stopped her, handed her a tract and had an opportunity to present the Gospel to her using the EvangeCube. She wasn't quite ready to pray with me but she was close and definitely in need of God's work in her life in many areas. I called over one of my prayer partners (see picture), who works in a local outreach ministry in Griffin, and he gave her a brochure and shared with her about the ministry he was with. She did give us the opportunity to pray with her about several needs.

As you think about it, please pray for D. and T.

A Teachable Moment

2009-11-11T17:32:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity today to tell the Bible story to our English as Second Language students. Today's story was about the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses. We called them "God's 10 Rules" in the story. The word "commandment" is a stretch for some of our students.

After the story a lady came to me asking for a copy of "God's 10 Rules". I walked with her to our Bible resource table, took a Bible and turned to Exodus 20 and showed her God's 10 rules. I gave her the Bible and she marked the chapter with her pen.

I explained to the group that all of us no matter our country, culture, or language have broken God's commandments and we come up short of God's expectations of us. What is the solution to this problem? Our friends the Gideons stopped by today and handed out pocket NTs to each student. I picked up one of the NTs and told the students to read the book of John and they would learn how God has provided a solution to the problem.

Pray please, that God's word will take root in the hearts of those who will take time to read His Word. Many of our students are from Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist backgrounds.

October Prayer Letter

2009-11-04T17:00:00.000-05:00

Clarkston Chronicles
OCTOBER 2009

Dear Praying Friends,

Evangelism was our major emphasis in October. Pastor Neil Reddy, a former Hindu, trained a mission team from Hunter Street on witnessing to Hindus. Afterwards, we visited several families in English Oaks that we had met at the block party in September. The team was able to share the Gospel as we visited in homes that day.

Dr. Victor Benavides from the North American Mission Board trained members of the International Church, the Liberian Church, and the Nepali Church in evangelism. After the training, we divided into evangelism teams and hit the streets of Clarkston to share the Gospel. Four people accepted Christ as a result of the outreach ministry. Later that evening, we held a Gospel concert at Clarkston International Bible Church, and three more people accepted Christ.

I became acutely aware of the spiritual conflict in Clarkston during several witnessing encounters. I sat in the home of a Nepali family noticing the New Testament on their coffee table. I know this family is a Hindu family, but I was encouraged to see the Bible in their home. I asked if they would be willing for me to come back to their home and share some stories from the Bible to help them understand its message. The look on their faces helped me realize the spiritual blindness that exists in their minds and hearts.

On another occasion, Victor and I went into a community specifically looking for several Cuban families. We were able to share with several Cuban men we met. I was the prayer partner for Victor because I don’t speak Spanish. As he shared with these men, one of them prayed to accept Christ. God removed the blindness!

Please join us in prayer for:
§ Dayspring Baptist Church, Augusta, GA--A.M. Service, November 7

§ Dayspring Baptist Church, Griffin, GA--Global Impact Celebration, November 13-15

§ International Worship Service-- November 15

§ Hunter Street Baptist Church at English Oaks--November 21

§ Evangelism Training & Community Outreach--November 21

§ Restart of our Iraqi work-- we are seeking God’s leading on how to re-launch;

§ An African, Kirundi-speaking pastor to plant a church among the Burundian people.

We praise God for:
§ Seven decisions for Christ from our community outreach & concert on October 24;

§ LoveLoud Clarkston with First Baptist Woodstock;

§ God’s faithfulness to our family throughout the month.

Financial Support:

We are thankful every month for those of you who faithfully support us with prayers and finances. We could not continue to serve in Clarkston without your support. If you would like to partner with us in God’s work in Clarkston, here’s how you can: Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Laurie & Kevin Riley

Outreach Day in English Oaks

2009-10-17T20:06:00.000-04:00

It was cold and rainy today in Atlanta. The weather did not deter the mission team from Hunter Street from visiting families today in English Oaks. We focused today on families from Bhutan. Neil Reddy, a local pastor, took some time with the team teaching us about sharing the Gospel with Hindus. Very helpful. We spent a couple of hours visiting and building relationships with several Bhutanese families. Several of the visitation teams had the opportunity to share the Gospel. Seeds were planted today. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will water these seeds and produce the fruit of new birth in the lives of the people we shared with today.

I also had the opportunity to meet a new family from Iraq. They have only been in Clarkston two days. This family is Christian; they speak no English. I spoke with my Arab pastor friend and we are going to follow up with a visit to their home.

September Prayer Letter

2009-10-02T17:29:00.000-04:00

Clarkston Chronicles
SEPTEMBER 2009

Dear Praying Friends,

In a recent article, Ed Stetzer made this comment: “In refocusing on God's mission, many are focusing on being good news rather than telling good news”. While it is important to “let our light shine before men so that they see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven”, we cannot neglect God’s command to tell the Gospel. “How can they hear without a preacher?” Proclaiming, telling, and announcing the good news is Paul’s call to the church in Romans 10.

The entire staff of the North American Mission Board came to Clarkston in September. They were involved with our English as Second Language students, local schools, and the Clarkston Community Center. They worked with several NAMB missionaries in Clarkston. I worked with a group of 50-60 NAMB staff who participated in a prayer walk and street evangelism.

Hunter Street Baptist Church kicked off their adoption of a local apartment community with a block party and cookout--in the rain. Many residents came anyway. I met one young man from the Sudan who has been in America only 5 months. Our Sudanese pastor and I had a chance to visit him later at his apartment. I thought we were going to be visiting two people--the young man and his roommate. However, it turned out that we visited with four young men and discovered 4-5 more Sudanese families who have recently arrived in Clarkston.
God is faithful to lead us to people when we go into our community.

Check out our blog for updates throughout the month. We can’t fit everything into the prayer letter! http://kevinrileymission.blogspot.com

Please join us in prayer for:
§ Calvary Baptist Church, Senior Adult Choir – October 9-14;

§ Global Impact Celebration, 1st Baptist Church Spartanburg, SC. – October 10-14;

§ Hunter Street Baptist Church – October 17;

§ Georgia Baptist Convention, Chapel – October 21;

§ Love Loud Weekend, 1st Baptist Woodstock – October 22-24;

§ Upward Basketball every Saturday;

§ Wonderful Wednesday every Wednesday;

§ Restart of our Iraqi work – we are seeking God’s leading on how to relaunch;

§ An African, Kirundi-speaking pastor to plant a church among the Burundian people.

We praise God for:
§ North American Mission Board Spiritual Focus Day;

§ Hunter Street Baptist Church’s adopting an apartment community in Clarkston;

§ God’s faithfulness to our family throughout the month.

Financial Support:

Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for and giving to support our work. Mission Service Corp (MSC) is a team of self-funded missionaries who work in assigned ministries that support the evangelism efforts of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and its mission partners. Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Laurie & Kevin Riley

August Prayer Letter

2009-08-30T22:58:00.000-04:00

Clarkston Chronicles
AUGUST 2009

Dear Praying Friends,

This month has been a busy month of ministry. Every weekend was booked with a mission activity! We started an Iraqi Fellowship in August and met twice: August 2 and August 16. The first gathering was well attended, but some of the people were confused about what we were doing. They mistook the worship time for a town hall meeting to discuss difficulties they are having in adjusting to life in America. The second meeting was more purposeful in worship and Bible teaching. Please continue to pray for this new work.

The Clarkston International Bible Church (CIBC) youth went on a mission trip in August. I know it sounds a little crazy-- Why would people from our church go on a mission trip when there is so much to do in Clarkston? Well, because God has called us to go! We went to Augusta, Georgia to work with The Bridge Ministry. The Bridge is an outreach ministry to the homeless and poor. Pastor Roger Gardner leads a worship service underneath a bridge every other Saturday throughout the year. The church gathers for worship and Bible teaching. CIBC’s young people lead the praise and worship time during the service. I am so proud of them! They have a heart for God and a heart to serve Him. This passion is seen in everything they do. We plan to go back to The Bridge in early November.

Check out our blog for updates throughout the month. We can’t fit everything into the prayer letter--http://kevinrileymission.blogspot.com!

Please join us in prayer for:
§ North American Mission Board Spiritual Focus Day in Clarkston – September 3;

§ The next Iraqi Fellowship – September 13;

§ Mission Fair, First Baptist, Covington – September 20;

§ Global Impact Celebration, Eastside Baptist Church – September 23-27;

§ Wonderful Wednesday every Wednesday;

§ An African, Kirundi-speaking pastor to plant a church among the Burundian people;

We praise God for:
§ Outreach to the Iraqi people in August;

§ The youth mission trip to The Bridge Ministry in Augusta, GA.;

§ God’s faithfulness to our family throughout the month.

Financial Support:

Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for and giving to support our work. Mission Service Corp (MSC) is a team of self-funded missionaries who work in assigned ministries that support the evangelism efforts of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and its mission partners. Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Laurie & Kevin Riley

New Branch Community Church

2009-08-24T15:33:00.001-04:00

We are thankful to have New Branch Community Church serving in our community. They began working in with us during the summer and have continued their ministry into the school year.

Employment Seminar with Hunter Street Baptist

2009-08-24T15:06:00.000-04:00

Our faithful friends from Hunter Street Baptist were with us this weekend conducting an employment seminar in our Internet Cafe'. Usually we have 30+ students, but only 12 people came on Saturday. Although the numbers were lower, this gave the team members more one-on-one time with the students. This is helpful not only for gathering information, but also helps establish a good relationship with the people.

Iraqi Fellowship - A Church Planting Partnership

2009-08-17T19:17:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, August 2 we launched a fellowship time with the goal of establishing a church among the Iraqi people coming to Clarkston, Georgia. At the initial meeting we had 70 people. This past Sunday, August 16 we held our second fellowship time. We had 20 people attend. We are not discouraged by the drop in attendance. It is typical for any church planting effort.

There are many needs and concerns among the Iraqi people. Employment, of course, tops the list. Learning to speak English goes hand in hand with finding a job. Safety for themselves and their children in a new culture. Adjusting to multi-cultural schools with classes in English is a challenge for many children and young people. Health problems for some of he adults is a concern.

We are grateful to members of the Arab churches at Briarlake Baptist (Pastor Nicholas) and First Baptist Lilburn (Pastor Mokhles), Pastor Elias Awabdy, Dr Jerry Baker and Rev. Fayid Saknini of the Georgia Baptist Convention, Dayspring Baptist Church (Pastor Jackie Perkins, Chris - Judea missions coordinator)

The Bridge Ministry

2009-08-17T18:13:00.000-04:00

I love young people with a heart for ministry. Saturday Laurie and I had the opportunity to take six of our young people to The Bridge Ministry in Augusta, Georgia. We learned of this ministry in February when we were part of a mission conference at Dayspring Church in Augusta.

The Bridge Ministry reaches street people, the homeless, and low-income families with the love of Jesus. It is an outreach of New Hope Worship Center in Augusta. The church meets every other Saturday under a bridge. The core of the ministry is worship of God and the preaching of the Gospel by Pastor Roger Gardner. Attendees are also served a meal and after the service clothing is distributed.

Saturday we traveled to Augusta to lead the worship time during the service. The young people did an awesome job, as always, leading worship. Through the experience, God continued to broaden their vision for outreach into the community.

Language Pastors' Fellowship

2009-08-13T17:00:00.000-04:00

I really enjoy getting together with our language pastors. These are godly men who have many responsibilities and challenges as they lead their congregations in Clarkston. As refugees themselves, they are learning to live in a new culture with all of the difficulties associated with that experience. In the process of learning, they are trying to help members of their congregation learn to live in America also.

Today, Rev. Allen Hill from the Georgia Baptist Convention and a member of Clarkston International Bible Church spoke to the men about stewardship. He did a great job! Any time you talk about stewardship, you get lots of questions and discussion. I believe good things are ahead for our churches as these pastors take what they learned today back to their churches.

Back to School

2009-08-08T20:26:00.000-04:00

Combine a Health Fair and a Back-to-School giveaway and what do you get? A wonderful day of meeting people and ministry in the Clarkston community. We were able to help people with health needs; provide school supplies to at least 430 elementary, middle, and high school students; get kids excited about Upward basketball starting in September; give away Bibles, tracts, and chronological Bible story CDs. Throw in some popcorn and activities for the kids and you got yourself one awesome day.

Check it out ...

July Prayer Letter

2009-08-03T14:31:00.000-04:00

Clarkston Chronicles
JULY 2009

Dear Praying Friends,

July has been a great month of ministry in our community. Several of the language churches have helped us reach our community. It is a continuous prayer of mine that all eight churches meeting on our campus will be involved in evangelism and outreach ministry. We are beginning to see it happen, and it is very encouraging!

I asked a Burmese pastor to help me invite Burmese children to attend a weekly backyard Bible club in one of the apartment communities. Because he was with us and spoke the language, many more Burmese children attended our Bible club than in previous weeks. The same day, we met a family from the Sudan. They were new to America (only 2-3 weeks in the country) and didn’t know we have a Sudanese church meeting on our church campus. The father told me they had been praying as a family for God to lead them to a church in America. I explained to him that God had answered the prayer of his family. The following Saturday, I took two Sudanese pastors to his apartment and introduced them. The family came to the Sudanese church the next day.

Backyard Bible clubs have opened many doors for us. CIBC youth hosted a Bible club in an apartment complex the last week of July. We averaged 20-25 children each day. We had been in the same complex earlier this summer, and we continued to have a good reception from the people there. The Caribbean Pacific Indian Congregation helped us with this Bible club. We appreciate Pastor Neil and having his church working with us in Clarkston.

Check out our blog for updates on Vacation Bible School and backyard Bible clubs –http://kevinrileymission.blogspot.com!

Please join us in prayer for:
A Middle Eastern, Arabic-speaking pastor to plant a church among the Iraqi people;

An African, Kirundi-speaking pastor to plant a church among the Burundian people;
Health Fair and Back-to-School – August 8;

Youth Mission trip to Augusta, Georgia – August 15;

Employment Workshop – August 22.

We praise God for:
Outreach to the Iraqi people – August 1;

Contacts made with families during backyard Bible clubs;

YOU, who pray and support us as God leads you.

Financial Support:
Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for and giving support to our work. We cannot stay on the field to do the work we are doing without your help. May God continue to provide for your needs as He provides for ours. Mission Service Corp (MSC) is a team of self-funded missionaries who work in assigned ministries that support the evangelism efforts of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and its mission partners. Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Laurie & Kevin Riley

LAUNCH!

2009-08-02T22:26:00.001-04:00

Today marked the launch of an Iraqi church on the CIBC campus. Yesterday we visited 6-8 families, inviting them to come to a time of prayer and worship. We really had no idea how many to expect today. Personally, I felt like if we had 50 people that would have been a good start. Over 60 people attended today. Word spreads fast in the Clarkston community.

We, the leaders, were a little unorganized. I think the number of people attending surprised us. We will do better at the next meeting in two weeks.

A concern I had going in and unfortunately was realized is that some people came with the expectation that they would get material help from the church. That was not and is not our intention. We do not want people to come because they will receive material things. There was a misunderstanding with one man about this and I was disappointed in the way it was handled. Any sense of worship was lost at that point.

I don't mean to sound unconcerned for the needs of the Iraqi people in our community. If I were in this man's shoes, the safety of my children, the crime in the community, my financial means to support my family would all be high on my list of concerns. So, we have to find a way to address these needs in addition to beginning a church among these people. We cannot become distracted from the main goal which is to share the Gospel and plant a church. Neither can we ignore the "whole person". Pray with us for wisdom in these matters.

Clarkston International Youth & Backyard Bible Clubs

2009-07-27T19:41:00.000-04:00

God has opened doors for us to move into three apartment communities this summer and have ongoing ministry. I believe this is an answer to much prayer by many people who have joined us to prayer walk in Clarkston and who have prayed for Clarkston from a distance.

I am excited because our youth have been very involved this summer with several Backyard Bible clubs. Previously, we have been helping other churches. Today we launched our own club.

We had a good group of children from Hindu and Muslim backgrounds. We also had parents come out and join us as well. I am glad to see the parents come because it tells me they are interested in their children and what they are learning. We welcome all moms and dads!!

Backyard Bible Clubs

2009-07-25T19:10:00.000-04:00

We continue to share the Gospel with children and build relationships this summer through backyard Bible clubs. We are thankful for New Branch Community Church from Dacula, Georgia that is working every Tuesday in one apartment community. Each week the number of children is growing and we are meeting parents. We anticipate the work of New Branch to continue during the school year on Saturdays.

Good Time @ Vacation Bible School

2009-07-25T18:29:00.000-04:00

Saturday (7/18) was a wonderful day for Vacation Bible School at CIBC. We have lots of volunteers and 65 kids, although we may have had more. We lost count somewhere in there.

Registration ...

Opening rally ...

Learning about Peter & Jesus ...

Lunch! ... (guess what we had)

Fun & Games ... a B-I-G "Thank You" to the mission team from Hunter Street Baptist Church for running our recreation time with all the kids.

My wife, Laurie, worked behind the scenes all day taking care of little David so his sister could attend VBS.

Warm Up for Vacation Bible School

2009-07-17T11:07:00.000-04:00

"Come and see the show; it's rock n roll" ... remember the lines from that old song. For some of you, probably NOT. I give away my age with that one. We did have a great concert with the Jordan B Band from Duluth, Georgia and CIBC's own Planton Plane.

We registered some children for Vacation Bible School ....

Several of our ladies are nurses and they served by checking the blood pressure of some of our guests.

Overall, we had tons of fun as we always do praising Jesus.

June Prayer Letter

2009-06-29T23:20:00.000-04:00

Clarkston Chronicles
JUNE 2009

Dear Praying Friends,

June has been a HOT month in Clarkston. Despite the heat wave, we have seen God at work in many ways in and among the people.

Many summer mission teams have come this month to work with us to reach our community. Green Valley Baptist from Alabama helped us with a prayer walk. Six churches from South Carolina worked with us to host six different backyard Bible clubs in apartment complexes. Calvary Baptist Church from North Carolina joined us for Summer Fun Fest. Hunter Street Baptist worked with one of our Bhutanese congregations, visiting families that we had contacted through backyard Bible clubs. Hopewell Baptist Church hosted a block party in one of the apartment communities where we are working to establish a year-round work. New Branch Community Church visited the same community and is considering partnering with us to establish an ongoing ministry. Man, I’m tired!

Backyard Bible clubs have opened doors for us. Thank you for praying with us about this ministry. We met E., a man from Cuba that had been a political prisoner there for 10 years. The day I talked to him he told me he has been in America for only two weeks. Pray as we follow up with him and give him a Bible. S. is a 7 year old from Afghanistan who attended our Bible club. She expressed interest in knowing Jesus. We have to follow up with her family because they are Muslim. This situation is very delicate. Pray for the whole family to come to faith in Jesus. At one Bible club, we had many Bhutanese parents sitting in the grass around the children listening as the mission team shared the Bible stories. Pray as we go back to these families and ask to show them the JESUS film. The majority of these families are Hindu.

Please join us in prayer for:
A Middle Eastern, Arabic-speaking pastor to plant a church among the Iraqi people;

An African, Kirundi-speaking pastor to plant a church among the Burundian people;

Backyard Bible Clubs – July 13-17;

Vacation Bible School – July 17-19.

We praise God for:
All the mission teams that have partnered with us thus far this summer;

Contacts made with families during backyard Bible clubs;

YOU, who pray and support us as God leads you.

Financial Support:
Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for and giving support to our work. We cannot stay on the field to do the work we are doing without your help. May God continue to provide for your needs as He provides for ours. Mission Service Corp (MSC) is a team of self-funded missionaries who work in assigned ministries that support the evangelism efforts of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and its mission partners. Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Laurie & Kevin Riley

Thankful for God's Timing

2009-06-15T20:45:00.000-04:00

I get a lot of emails and calls from church groups wanting to do ministry in Clarkston. Most of the time I find an open spot on the calendar and plug them into a ministry. Often I don't step back and look at the bigger picture, even though I usually have a bigger picture in mind.

God has set up this week in such a way that it can only be His doing. So, we are thankful.

Saturday a group from Green Valley Baptist Church in Alabama cam and prayer walked some apartment complexes in Clarkston. We targeted these particular complexes because today (Monday) we launched six backyard Bible clubs in the apartment complexes where the prayer walks took place with a mission team from South Carolina.

I work with one of the South Carolina teams in two apartment communities. I also had some of the youth from our church working alongside the mission teams as helpers and guides. Everyone did an awesome job! We had approximately 20 children in each location. At the second location we had many parents sitting nearby listening to the Bible story.

"We'll be here all week", as the saying goes.

Open Doors

2009-06-03T09:03:00.000-04:00

Our God is faithful to answer the prayers of His people!

We have been praying for God to open up several apartment communities for ongoing ministry. Yesterday I received an email from a church willing to commit to ministry one day a week during the summer and every other weekend when school starts back. We have an apartment community targeted and have been praying for workers to help us on a regular basis.

Yesterday I also received a call from another apartment community telling me that we were welcome to come into their community any time. "Anything positive you want to do is okay with us". Now we need to mobilize workers for that community.

A team is coming together to begin a worship service for Iraqi refugees. We have carved out some space at Clarkston International Bible Church and are anticipating a launch in July.

Please continue to pray as we move through these open doors that God is providing. We need to be faithful with His provision as He has been faithful to hear our prayers.

May Prayer Letter

2009-05-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

Clarkston Chronicles
MAY 2009

Dear Praying Friends,

Can you believe the month of May is over? I feel like the month has flown by. We have had a busy month with a few unexpected changes.

The first weekend in May we were in Andalusia, Alabama for the Covington Association’s “On Mission Celebration”. We enjoyed a Friday night banquet, a Saturday mission fair, and spoke in four different churches on Sunday. We appreciated the opportunity to share about what God is doing in Clarkston, as well as the warmth and hospitality of the churches and people of Andalusia.

Life got a little crazy after we got home. I began to have some issues with my heart and had a catheterization. I am thankful that the doctor found nothing at all wrong with my heart. A week later I had a physical, and my cholesterol was normal, along with everything else. I am now on a heart healthy diet and have lost almost ten pounds. Both Jim and Matt had strep throat and some bad allergy symptoms, but they are fine now. We appreciate everyone who prayed for us throughout this month. God listened and answered your prayers. We are all well. Thank you!
We had a blast at Valley Place Apartments with Hunter Street Baptist Church. We met “Gear Grinder” whom the kids loved. He shared his testimony with the crowd, and we made several good contacts among the residents. Pray for follow-up, which is always a challenge in our community.

Please join us in prayer for:
A Middle Eastern, Arabic-speaking pastor to plant a church among the Iraqi people

An African, Kirundi-speaking pastor to plant a church among the Burundian people

Backyard Bible Clubs – June 15-19 & July 13-17.

Community Evangelism – June 20 or 27

We praise God for:
The “On Mission Celebration” in Alabama

An excellent health report for Kevin

The block party at Valley Place Apartments that opened the door for a backyard Bible club later this summer

Financial Support:
Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for and giving support to our work. We cannot stay on the field to do the work we are doing without your help. May God continue to provide for your needs as He provides for ours. Mission Service Corp (MSC) is a team of self-funded missionaries who work in assigned ministries that support the evangelism efforts of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and its mission partners. Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Laurie & Kevin Riley

A Great Day in the Valley

2009-05-24T20:48:00.000-04:00

Valley Place Apartments that is. Hunter Street Baptist Church from Birmingham, Ala. brought an awesome team to help us do a block party. We sweated the weather all week; the forecast was not good; the apartment complex had no indoor facility. But God ... during the party sun broke through the clouds and everyone had a wonderful time. The Gospel story was presented in many different ways to the children and adults that attended. We made several contacts that we will follow up on in the coming weeks. Enjoy the pictures of our day below.

We talked to a Muslim lady who is widowed with three children. Her husband was killed in Iraq because he worked for the new government.

We met a lady in a drug recovery program who wants to be picked up by our church van and attend Clarkston International Bible Church. "Lord knows I need to start going", she said.

We met two young boys from Kosovo who asked about our church but said they didn't think their father would let them come because their family is Muslim. We told them we would not get them into trouble with their father and it was okay if Muslims attended our church.

Networking

2009-05-12T21:04:00.000-04:00

"It's not what you know, it's who you know". We've made that statement more than once in our lives. I put it into practice today by starting out at World Relief this morning. I met with Joshua and Laura. Joshua works with local churches helping them adopt refugee families. Laura is the new volunteer coordinator. I purposed to become a volunteer with World Relief in order to meet refugee families, build relationships with them, and introduce them to Jesus. Once I am approved as a volunteer (you never know, I could be dangerous :-) ) my first contact will be with a Somali man. Tough place to start, but you never know what God may do.

Another advantage to being a volunteer is being able to introduce new refugees to other believers at CIBC and our language churches. For example, one of the case workers told me today that there is a single, Sudanese man coming in a week or so. I can very easily take our Sudanese pastor with me when I have the opportunity to meet him for the first time.

Pastor Phil and I also met with Larry and Larry from Calvary Baptist Church in North Carolina today. Larry White and Larry Sheets, to be more specific. They are planning to bring fifty senior adults to Clarkston in October. This will be an excellent opportunity to introduce these friends to the senior adults in all of our language churches. Because the mission team will be here several days, they will have the opportunity to visit and build relationships with other seniors who attend churches on our campus.

It's not what you know, it's who you know. Who do you know??

Wonderful Wednesday

2009-05-09T21:07:00.000-04:00

I've written about Wonderful Wednesday before on my blog. If you have missed those postings, let me introduce you to what we affectionately call "Wonderful Wednesday" at CIBC. Every Wednesday during the school year CIBC hosts the break time for our ESL students. The students come over to our gym for refreshments and snacks, music, and a Bible story. On average we have approximately 200 people attending each Wednesday.

This past Wednesday Pastor Phil and his wife, Myra, were out of town getting some much needed rest. I had the opportunity to tell the Bible story to the students. Our story Wednesday: "The Day Jesus Died". What a privilege to tell this story to a crowd who profess different world religions and and some who profess no religion! The story of a God who loves each of them enough to send His only Son to die for their sins so that they can stand righteous before God. Many in the crowd are working very hard to earn a right standing before God. How wonderful to tell them there is no need for works, rather to place their faith in what Jesus did the day he died for them.

John 3:16 rings very true when you stand in front of a group like that: "For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life".

You Never Know What Life Holds

2009-05-07T22:23:00.000-04:00

For the past few weeks I have had some heart trouble. Nothing major, no chest pains; not even what I would call discomfort. More a feeling that something isn't right. Last week I saw my primary care physician. He did a little checking, but didn't find anything wrong. Still, he referred me to a cardiologist for which I was thankful. I saw the cardiologist on Tuesday and today, Thursday, I was in for a heart catheterization procedure.

If you have ever had the experience of waiting and wondering about your medical condition, you know what I have experienced these past three days. You are trying to keep up a work routine, make plans, schedule meetings and events, but you can't because you don't know what the test will reveal. What if its serious? What if I have to have surgery? How long will it take to recover? Can I still lead a normal, active life? What if .... what if .... what if.

At the core, you have your faith and it is being tested. Not in a bad way, but this is one of those life experiences that asks you if you really believe what you tell people you believe. Jesus often said "fear not" to his disciples at times when fear is considered the normal reaction to a situation. You mediate on the good shepherd, then you wonder exactly where this loving shepherd is leading you.

As I was wheeled out of the room this morning headed to the procedure room, I imagined in my mind my Good Shepherd leading the way, staff in hand. "Come on", he said, "we're going". How wonderful to know "we" were going! He wasn't waiting somewhere else for me to return. He wasn't coming along later after it was all over. "We" were going, He was leading the way.

Long story short: the doctor said "Mr. Riley, you don't have any blockages. Your heart is fine". I am thankful to my Good Shepherd, Jesus, for hearing my prayer and the prayers of many others who talked to Him about me and my situation. O worship the King!!

On Mission In Alabama

2009-05-05T11:18:00.000-04:00

Laurie and I had the opportunity this past weekend to join with thirty other missionaries at an On Mission Celebration in Andalusia, Alabama. Now, if you don't know where Andalusia is, go to Montgomery and turn left. You'll run into it.

Friday night was a dinner and introductions at Harmony Baptist Church. Rev. Larry Cummings, standing at the podium, is the Associational Missionary for the local association.

Mission Fair on Saturday. We met many people and were able to share information with them of our work in Clarkston. We also met other national and international missionaries working in various parts of North America and the world.

Sunday we spoke at four churches sharing more about the work in Clarkston and challenging people to respond to God's call to mission work and then join Him where He is already at work.

April Prayer Letter

2009-04-30T08:35:00.000-04:00

Clarkston Chronicles
April 2009

Dear Praying Friends,

Easter has come and gone, and summer is coming! The end of the school year; the beginning of summer camp; Vacation Bible School, and backyard Bible Clubs--These are great opportunities to reach our community for Jesus!

April was a good month of work. We celebrated Palm Sunday with a combined service, as a family of believers from all over the world. Many refugees took Bibles and tracts in their native languages.

Hunter Street Baptist served our community with an employment seminar. Approximately 25 attended, which was a smaller number than usual, but this gave the team plenty of opportunities for more personal interaction. (I enjoy working with Hunter Street because the seminar presenters and team members are always looking for open doors to share their testimonies with people.) After the seminar, the team did a little shopping at the Refugee Sewing Society store.
Please join us in prayer for:
A Middle Eastern, Arabic-speaking pastor to plant a church among the Iraqi people

An African, Kirundi-speaking pastor to plant a church among the Burundian people

Laurie & Kevin traveling to Andalusia, Alabama for an On Mission Celebration May 1-3.

Block party at Valley Place Apartments on May 23

We praise God for:
International Service on Palm Sunday

Three truck loads of rice and beans from Northside United Methodist Church

Financial Support:
Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for and giving support to our work. We cannot stay on the field to do the work we are doing without your help. May God continue to provide for your needs as He provides for ours. Mission Service Corp (MSC) is a team of self-funded missionaries who work in assigned ministries that support the evangelism efforts of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and its mission partners. Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to http://www.namb.net/, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Laurie & Kevin Riley

Blog: kevinrileymission.blogspot.com

He is risen!

2009-04-12T07:52:00.000-04:00

He is risen indeed!!

"But when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this; behold two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen'." Luke 24:3-6

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures". 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

International Worship Service

2009-04-06T20:12:00.000-04:00

I love Sundays in Clarkston!! For some reason I feel "at home". God intended for His glory to be declared among the nations and it is around our place on Sundays.

We celebrate together twice a year: Palm Sunday and the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It was standing room only on Palm Sunday 2009.

We had some visitors from Iraq join us Sunday. This is an answer to prayer as we have been asking God for a breakthrough among these people. Our Sudanese brothers translated for them during the service on Sunday. If that's not cross cultural missions ... tell me what is!!!

We offered everyone who came an English language Bible and Bible story CDs and Gospel tracts in various languages spoken by those who came to the service.

God is awesome and it is exciting to see what He is doing among the nations He desires to know Him.

March Prayer Letter

2009-04-01T23:51:00.000-04:00

Dear Praying Friends,

Do you ever have one of those busy stretches of time that leaves your head spinning and you wonder what is God up to in all of this? March has been like that. There has been activity – prayer walks every Saturday, a visit by Dr. Geoff Hammond, president of the North American Mission Board, an international pastors’ fellowship with Dr. Jerry Baker from the Language Missions Department of the Georgia Baptist Convention, and other meetings here and there. There have been times of reflection when I have asked God what He is doing in an Iraqi family, the new men’s Bible study, and the community as we have prayed through it.

I had the opportunity to visit another family from Iraq this month. We’ll call them “Abe” and “Ann”. They both have had health problems since coming to the States. They are a wonderful family with five children: two boys and three girls. My Arab pastor friend has been visiting them for six months, and I have visited with the family on three different occasions. They are very open to discussing spiritual things. The Arab pastor has given them an Arab Bible, and they read it daily. They are not yet able to accept that Jesus is God and is also God’s Son. Of course, when Peter made his confession about who Jesus was, our Lord told Peter that he did not know that by flesh and blood, but that the Father had revealed it to him. So, will you pray for Abe and Ann that God Himself will reveal to them the true identity of His Son Jesus? Ann
is having surgery soon. Please remember this need as well.

Please join us in prayer for:
A Middle Eastern, Arabic-speaking pastor to plant an Iraqi church in Clarkston
Our international service on Palm Sunday, April 5
Wonderful Wednesday – the distribution of Bibles and other Gospel materials to the people
Mission teams to come to help us reach our community, especially helping with backyard Bible clubs this summer

We praise God for:
Saturday prayer walks--30-40 people came each week to pray for our community.
Successful launch of our Men’s Bible Study--8 young men, along with Joshua and Kevin, attended the first study session.

Financial Support:
Thank you for your faithfulness praying for and giving to support our work during these difficult days in our country. We could not stay on the field to do the work we are doing without your help. May God continue to provide for your needs as He provides for our family.

Mission Service Corp (MSC) is a team of self-funded missionaries who work in assigned ministries that support the evangelism efforts of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and its mission partners. Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin & Laurie Riley

International Pastors' Fellowship

2009-03-26T21:13:00.000-04:00

We were very grateful today to have Dr. Jerry Baker from the Georgia Baptist Convention come to share with our international pastors. Dr Baker also brought some of his staff with him. Even though some of our international pastors have been at our church for some time, many of them had good questions for Dr. Baker. Other pastors are new and are just learning of the benefits of joining with our local association, state and national conventions. It is important that these pastors realize they are not alone in planting, growing, and leading their churches. So many resources are available to help them in the ministry.

Several of our NAMB missionaries who work with the pastors were also in attendance today. Terry Earl, seen here with Paulette DeHart, teaches English to many families through in home literacy ministry.

Tim Cummins and his daughter Ashley, seen here with Pastor Moges of our Ethiopian church, work all over northeast Atlanta in multi-housing communities establishing after school programs for children. Tim's ministry, Whirlwind Missions, also hosts mission teams doing year-round outreach and ministry projects in many multi-housing communities.

Prayer walking continues ...

2009-03-21T19:13:00.001-04:00

March has been dedicated to prayer walking the Clarkston community. It is the desire of all our churches to see God work in Clarkston. We have spent each Saturday morning going out into neighborhoods and apartment communities to pray for people.

Obviously, the greatest need people have is a personal relationship with Jesus. This has been our priority prayer. We have asked God to remove any barriers and to orchestrate circumstances in people's lives in order that they might come to faith. We've asked that the "light of the Gospel" dispel the darkness the enemy uses to blind the minds and hearts of people keeping them from faith in His Son Jesus.

There are other needs we have prayed for also. The liberation of those with addictions, peace in the place of violence, food for those who are hungry, safety and security from crime, wisdom and knowledge for those learning English and for children struggling with school work, jobs for those who are unemployed.

We appreciate the faithful people from all our language churches who have come to pray with us. Our largest group of prayer walkers was the Saturday it was raining and miserable outside. We appreciate two of our partner churches ... Dayspring Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia; and Hunter Street Baptist Church in Hoover, Alabama (near Birmingham). Each church has driven several hours to come to Clarkston and join with us in prayer for our community.

Caleb Men

2009-03-09T08:57:00.001-04:00

I want you to meet Clarence (left) and Wayne (right). Laurie and I had the opportunity to meet them at a mission conference we attended in February.

Clarence is 96; Wayne is in his late 70s - 77 or 78 years old. They lead mission teams all over the world building churches for nationals, coordinating evangelistic work, and doing some relief work. Wayne has personally been to Brazil over 50 times and is planning to go back there in March.

They are a joy to be around and had as much or more energy as any of us "young missionaries". They are humble men, men energized with a global vision to strengthen and serve believers all over the world.

God grant me the ability to be a "Caleb man" as my years increase.

Prayer Letter

2009-03-08T23:07:00.000-04:00

Clarkston Chronicles
February, 2009

Dear Praying Friends,

February has been a quick month. Sorry for sending our prayer letter later than usual! We had the privilege at the end of February to be at Dayspring Baptist Church in Augusta, GA for a Global Impact Celebration. We were there the same weekend it snowed in Atlanta, so we were a day late getting home, where we were greeted with a sick child. It was off to the doctor on Tuesday to have Jim checked out (just a virus!). We have been trying to catch up since we returned from Augusta!
In February, members of the Liberian congregation joined with a mission team from Hunter Street Baptist Church to do some visiting in the community. My group went to the home of a young Iraqi man. I had visited him before with an Arab pastor and heard his heart-wrenching story. He was kidnapped by Iraqi militia, tortured, and left for dead in a dumpster. A Christian doctor in his neighborhood found him, nursed his wounds, and saved his life. He was in a coma for almost two months. He woke up in a United Nations facility in Egypt, having no idea how he had arrived there. From Egypt, he came to the United States as a refugee. Although he is Muslim, he seems to be open to the Gospel. He has lost thirteen family members who have been killed by the Iraqi militia. He is unable to work because of his injuries and suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome. We have prayed with him and given him a Bible, which he accepted. Please join us in praying that this man will come to faith in Jesus.
A team from Alabama and some members of the Liberian church visited a Liberian man in his home.

Please join us in prayer for:
A Middle Eastern, Arabic-speaking pastor to plant an Iraqi church in Clarkston
For the church-wide (including all nine churches) prayer ministry all four Saturdays in March--Ask God to send Christians into the Clarkston community as prayer warriors asking God to prepare people to hear and receive the Gospel. Pray for our international service on April 5.
Wonderful Wednesday – Several Somalis have recently taken Bible story CDs and Bibles.
For our young men’s Bible study launching March 18--Pray for Kevinand Joshua Firestone who are leading this ministry.
Yousef family (from Iraq) with Hunter Street mission team members
Mission teams to come to help us reach our community, especially helping with backyard Bible clubs this summer

Financial Support:
Thank you for your faithful prayers and financial support. We could not stay on the field to do the work we are doing without your help. May God continue to provide for your needs as He provides for our family.

Mission Service Corp (MSC) is a team of self-funded missionaries who work in assigned ministries that support the evangelism efforts of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and its mission partners. Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to www.namb.net, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin & Laurie Riley

Saturday Outreach

2009-02-24T17:15:00.001-05:00

Saturday was a great day as a mission team from Hunter Street Baptist Church, one of our partner churches, came for a day of visiting in the community. Pastor Peter and members of Caring Believers, our Liberian church, also join us.

We began our journey into the community visiting two families from Burundi. In both homes, we meet a brother and sister. Elveide, pictured above is holding her four month old baby. What a cutie!!

We moved from Burundi, Africa to Iraq in the Middle East. We had to drive about 2 miles to make that trip. And we saved thousands of dollars in the process. Duraid and his family have been in the States for two months. He is trying to get his driver's license so he can find work.

A Truly Wonderful Wednesday

2009-02-19T16:02:00.001-05:00

Every Wednesday is special because so many people have an opportunity to hear the story of Jesus.

This Wednesday was extra special because Tim Cummins, one of our NAMB partners, brought Amharic Bibles for our Ethiopian pastor to distribute. These Bibles have been long in coming and we are grateful to Tim for getting these for us.

Pastor Moges joyfully gave the Bibles away and the Ethiopians were happy to receive them.

Pastors Come Together

2009-02-13T15:12:00.000-05:00

Thursday saw the fruition and the beginning of something I have been praying and working toward for a year. The meeting of all our language pastors to pray and fellowship together as well as exchange thoughts and ideas.

As I have mentioned before, we have eight language churches meeting on our campus along with the mother church, Clarkston International Bible Church. With so much activity and variety, it is too easy to "miss" one another. Pastoral ministry can be a lonely vocation. Who encourages, prays for, stands with the pastor?

My heart is for our pastors to get to know each other as men and as pastors. We came together this week to begin that process. Each pastor had the opportunity to introduce himself and share a few prayer needs for himself or his church. The needs vary. One church needs a full-time pastor, another is looking to buy a permanent building, others are adding or restructuring their leadership, and there is always the need for transportation to get people to and from the worship services.

We prayed in unison, all the men praying at one time. I'll admit I was praying but also listening to others around me. I heard French, Arabic, Amharic, Kirundi, Nepali, and two different dialects of Burmese. I realized that God understood each man's prayer. God speaks every language.

Our mission statement says we will reach everyone in our ministry field and provide them with a growing, healthy church. These pastors and their churches vital in the fulfillment of that mission. The vast majority of people reached in Clarkston will attend one of our language churches.

Would you pray for our pastors fellowship? We meet again in late March. Ask God to give a heart of unity within this group. Ask God to develop relationships between these men so that they can encourage one another in the ministry.

As you support our ministry with your prayers and financial gifts, we are able to complete the work God has called us to do in Clarkston. If you would like to contribute to our work, you can do so by going to http://www.namb.net/, click on "give now" at the top of the page, click on "support a mission service corp missionary", and type in "Kevin Riley". Thank you for partnering with us through prayer and financial gifts.

Click this link to see pictures from our meeting:
http://whirlwindmissions.smugmug.com/gallery/7344873_uuQpj#472705957_8kFHp--

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin & Laurie

Restoring The Years

2009-02-07T10:03:00.000-05:00

God has given me the privilege and opportunity to become friends with an Arab pastor, Pastor Mokhles Hanna. He serves an Arab church in Lilburn, Georgia not far from Clarkston. He has a tremendous heart for the Iraqi people coming into the Clarkston area.

Recently, Pastor Mokhles and I had the opportunity to visit a Iraqi man. The past two years of his life have been tragic, to say the least. He is a Sunni Muslim. Saddam Hussein was also Sunni. Since the fall of Saddam, the Shi'a Muslims have been taking their measure of revenge against the Sunnis in Iraqi. While still in Iraqi he was kidnapped by the Shi'a, tortured, shot four times and left for dead in a dumpster. His wife, two brothers and a sister were murdered by the Shi'a. Miraculously, he was found in the dumpster by a doctor who lived in his neighborhood. She was able to save his life. He came to the United States hoping for a better life, but has since been robbed at gunpoint. He was hit over the head during the robbery, but not tortured, shot or left for dead. He is unable to work as a result of his experience in Iraqi.

As we sat in his apartment listening to his story, our hearts could not help but break for this dear man who has lost everything. He told us he has lost hope. Pastor Mokhles shared with him the words of the prophet Joel, "I will restore to you the years the swarming locusts have eaten". Joel 2:25.

We plan to visit this man again, give him a Bible and share the love of God with him. It is difficult to believe in the love and mercy of God when you have experienced so much tragedy in a short two year time. Please pray for us as we do this. Pray that God would open his mind and heart to believe the truth about Jesus.

Until All Have Heard,

Kevin & Laurie

2009-02-02T20:50:00.000-05:00

Dear Praying Friends,

It seems like only yesterday that we began our ministry among refugees in Clarkston, Georgia. It has been a year of learning, of a few mistakes, and of being stretched outside our comfort zone. It has been a year of seeing people from all over the world in tremendous physical, emotional, and spiritual need. We have seen progress-- building relationships in the community and with our partnering churches. As we begin our second year of service, we want to share with you our ministry vision so that you can pray more effectively for us.

Our vision is to one day see Clarkston International Bible Church reach all the people in our ministry field and to provide them with an opportunity to become a part of a ministering and multiplying congregation. To that end, our mission is to partner with churches and ministries to help support and mobilize the existing local church and to plant more indigenous congregations.

Nine churches meet on the Clarkston International Bible Church campus. We will focus on three areas of ministry to help them this year: leadership development, evangelism, and discipleship. We have already made some plans with our partnering churches to join us in this effort this year. Our goals are to see people: 1. come to know Jesus this year; 2. enter into a local congregation; and 3. begin to grow in their faith. We also want to see: 4. current leaders mature in their roles; and 5. new leaders rise up and get training.

Here’s how you can pray for us:
For Kevin as he continues to develop relationships with the language pastors; that he will be an encouragement to them.
For the church-wide (including all nine of our churches) prayer ministry all four Saturdays in March and the first Saturday of April; Ask God to send forth Christians into the Clarkston community as prayer warriors asking God to prepare people to hear and receive the Gospel. Pray for our international service on April 5.
That all of our churches will train their members on how to share their faith and then go out into the community to tell people about Jesus
For a work to begin among the Iraqi people coming to Clarkston; Pray for a Middle Eastern, Arabic-speaking leader to head this effort.
That God will send mission teams to help us reach our community, especially helping with backyard Bible clubs this summer.

Financial Support:
As many of you know, we are self-supporting missionaries appointed by the North American Mission Board. If you would like to know more about Mission Service Corp and how we are supported, go to http://www.namb.net/. Click on "Sending Missionaries" and look for "Mission Service Corp". Thank you for your faithful prayers and financial support. We could not stay on the field to do the work we are doing without your help. May God provide for your needs this year just as He provides for our family.

Mission Service Corp (MSC) is a team of self-funded missionaries who work in assigned ministries that support the evangelism efforts of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and its mission partners. Financial support for this ministry can be made to the North American Mission Board, P. O. Box 116543 Atlanta, Georgia 30368 MEMO: Kevin Riley Account #9048. To contribute online, go to http://www.namb.net/, click on “Give Now” and follow the instructions.

Until All Have Heard,
Kevin & Laurie Riley

To The Least of These

2008-12-14T19:43:00.000-05:00

Jesus said it ... "And the King will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" Matthew 25:40.

Clarkston if full of "the least". People from all over the world who were forced out of their country because they were the wrong ethnicity, the wrong religion, the wrong tribe. They are the unwanted, the rejected, the outcasts. Jesus, according to his own words in Matthew, identifies with them. They are "my brothers". In fact, as we celebrate Jesus' birth, we learn from John's Gospel that Jesus himself was unwanted and rejected. "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." John 1:11. Is it any wonder that Jesus identifies with the refugee?

We make every effort to welcome these dear people and provide for their physical and spiritual needs. Other churches join with us in this ministry. This weekend Calvary Baptist in Winston Salem, NC came bringing blankets, food, Christmas gifts for the children, and the message that God loves all people no matter their station in life. Its our desire the be the hands, arms, feet, voice of Jesus to them.

Will you pray for us and with us as we communicate God's love in the person of His Son, Jesus to these dear people? None of the other faiths in our community have this message that a Savior is born. They do not have the message of a God who has come near, who is with each one. Pray that God will open the hearts and minds of many this Christmas season to receive more than a blanket, coat, box of food, or Christmas present. Pray that they will receive Jesus.

Giving Away God's Story

2008-12-10T20:57:00.000-05:00

Here at Clarkston International Bible Church, we have "Wonderful Wednesday". Every Wednesday our church hosts the break time for the ESL students. We serve coffee and snacks and sing simple English songs. In the past six weeks approximately 200 students have attended Wonderful Wednesday each week.

The most important thing we do is tell God's story. Pastor Phil, using a power point, is sharing chronologically God's story. So far, we've made it into the Promised Land and conquered Jericho. Today and next week we are taking a break and telling the Christmas story.

One of our ministry partners is Global Recordings Network. Check out their web site at http://www.globalrecordings.net/. They have graciously supplied our ministry with chronological Bible story CDs in eight different languages. In addition to telling God's story, we give it away on CD each week. Our Bible resource table is always crowded as the students go back to class and many are coming to ask for a CD in their language. Today, we gave away many CDs in Amharic, the language spoken in Ethiopia.

Why CDs? Many of our ESL students struggle to read in English, even simple English. Many are unable to read their own language. So, we share something with them that they can listen to in their heart language. Many ask for CDs in English, but I tell them I only have it in "their language".

Please pray with us:
Our Bhutanese Church will host a Christmas Celebration on Saturday, December 20. As many as 500 Bhutanese are expected to attend. We are planning to distribute CDs to everyone.

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ". Romans 10:17

"So shall my word that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it". Isaiah 55:11

People of Peace

2008-11-14T08:38:00.000-05:00

We were blessed several weeks ago by the ministry of Calvary Baptist Church from Winston Salem, North Carolina. They brought 130 young people and adults with them to partner with us in the Gospel. We covered many streets and apartment communities with information about Clarkston International Bible Church.

I have been asking God to raise up in Clarkston "people of peace" in the community that He is preparing to receive us and the message of Jesus. Jesus speaks about this person, this "man of peace", in Luke 10. He told His disciples to expect to meet a man of peace when they went into towns and villages to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.

We saw several examples of this as we were out in the community with the mission teams from Calvary Baptist. We sent teams out on Saturday morning into four different apartment communities to distribute two pound bags of rice to anyone we met. In one community I already knew a Bhutanese family. We knocked on their door and they were happy to receive the rice. I asked the cousin of this family if he would be our guide and translator and take us to other Bhutanese families living in the community. We went to several other Bhutanese homes that day giving away rice because of this young man, the "man of peace", God had waiting for us.

In a second apartment community, a team approached a man checking his mail offering him rice. He said he didn't need any, but he would take us to families he knew of that did need rice. He led us to several other homes that morning. He commented to the team "What you are doing is good". I don't believe he is a Christian, but he recognized a "good work" being offered in his neighborhood.

Later that afternoon teams went back into the same communities we had been in that morning to host block parties. Mike, one of the men from Calvary, and I were talking with a Bhutanese couple. This couple was very well-educated and well-spoken. Both had been school teachers in Bhutan. Mike asked the man if he knew who Jesus was and had ever heard of Him. The man said "I know a little bit about Jesus, but would like to study more about Him". I IMMEDIATELY pulled out pen and paper and had the man write down his address so I could visit him and bring him a Jesus film. He was a man of peace prepared by God to receive us that day and was open to hearing more about Jesus.

Each Wednesday CIBC hosts the break time for the ESL students. The past two weeks we have had over 250 students come to what we call "Wonderful Wednesday". Pastor Phil uses a power point presentation to story through the Bible. Each week a new Bible story for the group. A man from Indian asked Pastor after the presentation if he could have a DVD copy of all the stories. Caution is always appropriate in situations like this because you never know how people will use something like this to twist the truth of God. Pastor Phil asked him why he wanted the stories and what he was going to do with them. "I like the stories. They are interesting to me", he said. Another man of peace God had prepared and sent our way this past Wednesday.

Would you join me in this prayer for God to raise up people of peace in Clarkston among all the people groups? While you are praying that prayer for us, would you pray that God will raise up people of peace where you live, work, go to school, go to church, who are waiting for YOU to talk to them about Jesus? He will, be ready, the harvest is plentiful.

Until All Have Heard .........

A Day in the Life

2008-10-29T17:56:00.000-04:00

Every day in Clarkston is different. I can make my to-do list, but flexibility is the word to live by in Clarkston. If people are an interruption, Clarkston is not the place for you. People are opportunities, people is the reason we are there.

Here's what a day can look like in Clarkston:

The door buzzer sounds and standing at the door is an Iraqi couple, early 30s, asking for "something" over the intercom. They have only been in the United States two weeks so their English is limited. My ministry partner and I go downstairs to talk to them. After lots of sign language we learn their names and they learn our names. After a few more minutes of trying to understand one another, we learn they need a winter coat for their 9 year old daughter. Our church doesn't have a clothes closet, so I call Ms. Pat, the "Mother Theresa" of Clarkston, who runs a local thrift store. Unfortunately, I had to leave a message.

Another lady approaches our group. "Excuse me, I need some help". This lady had recently been laid off and is in need of food for herself and her grandchildren. Our church does have a food pantry, so I send her upstairs and one of our secretaries helps her fill some boxes with staple goods.

Back to our Iraqi family. We learn they live close by in one of the apartment communities. My ministry partner is trying to get the address and the jacket size needed for the 9 year old.

Soon I hear the secretary calling for me over the intercom. "This lady needs help carrying the food boxes to her car". I go upstairs to help. As we come out the door, my ministry partner has finished talking to the Iraqi couple. He lends a hand to carry a food box. We three walk to her car, load the boxes, and pray for God to encourage this lady and help her find a job. We also invite her and her family to worship with us.

Our parking lot is near the doors where our ESL students exit after classes. The school day is ending as we are helping this lady and praying for her. Out the doors come 200+ ESL students from countries beginning in West Africa and stretching to Burma. As we finish praying, I notice two Iraqi men that we have befriended and have been coming to church. We wade into the crowd to talk with them. School is going well, family is okay.

As we are talking, I feel a tug on my shirt. I turn and it is a Bhutanese couple we visited a week before. We give the traditional greeting and then we get a hug from the man. We talk briefly and he is struggling to tell us something which I don't think we ever understood. It's just the way it goes sometimes.

Our two Iraqi friends head off to afternoon classes. Our Bhutanese friends start their walk of 3-4 blocks home. Our African-American lady needing food has left for home. The new Iraqi couple left some time back.

Did I say "day"? This happened in the span of half an hour!! Where else in the world can you go and interact with three different ethnic groups in the span of 1/2 an hour.

Clarkston is a fabulous place. No two days are ever the same.

Life Comes At You

2008-10-19T16:38:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, my wife Laurie was able to accompany me to Clarkston on a weekday. I had several meetings and she was making over our Sunday School room. Believe me, it needed LOTS of work. We also had the opportunity to help an Iraqi family we have been working with for a month get some furniture for their apartment. It was a good day of work and ministry.

After getting home, I changed clothes a left for work. I teach tennis part-time and had a lesson. Fifteen minutes after I left for work, someone tried to break into our home. The intruder started at the front door, ringing the bell repeatedly, I guess thinking that doing that would get someone to the door. Laurie didn't go to the door since she was home alone. Shortly after that, the intruder went around to the back door, Laurie said he was trying to peer in between the blinds looking to see if anyone was home, and then kicked in the back door. Laurie had already called 911 and when the glass went flying across the living room, she screamed. At that point, the intruder took off. Thankfully, our children were not home and Laurie was not hurt.

Last month, someone vandalized our car during the night while it sat in our driveway and stole some things out of it.

We didn't think too much about the car vandalism. We call the police and made a report. Pretty much the end of the story there. But after the break-in, we began to ask ourselves if this was a spiritual attack to distract and discourage us in the work.

Interestingly, the next day I reached an email from one of our supporting churches telling us we were the missionary family highlighted in their church's prayer guide. I replied telling the story of the break-in and car vandalism. We also called some of our prayer partners from our sending church in Covington and asked them to come to our home and pray with us and for us. They graciously did so.

As you read and think of us, please pray for God's protection and over watch of our family.

What are we all about?

2008-10-08T23:23:00.000-04:00

Greetings to all our readers. This is my first venture into the blogosphere. My wife, Laurie, and I serve as missionaries with the North American Mission Board at Clarkston International Bible Church in Clarkston, Georgia.

What is our vision for our ministry? We see a day when Clarkston International Bible Church will reach all the people in our ministry field and provide them an opportunity to become part of a ministering and multiplying congregation.

What is our mission to the community? To partner with churches and ministries to help Clarkston International Bible Church support and mobilize existing churches and to plant more indigenous churches.

We hope to share with you the daily outworking of this vision and mission in our blog through stories and pictures of our friends from all over the world.