As we leave for Mfuge Ministry site today, I'm reminded of a quote by William Borden:

Say "no" to self, "yes" to Jesus every time . . . . In every man's heart there is a throne and a cross.  If Christ Is on the throne, then self Is on the cross; and if self, even a little bit, is on the throne, Jesus is on the cross in that man's heart . . . . Lord, I take my hands off, as far as my life is concerned.  I put Thee on the throne of my life.  Change, cleanse, use me as Thou shalt choose.

Colossians says: "That in all things He (Jesus) may have preeminence.". To have Christ on the throne of our hearts and lives is an honor. He has done so much for us. Pray that our group will continue to serve and learn. Pray for tender hearts to those they come in contact with. Please pray for worship and our church group time that the Spirit of God will move in a powerful way.

Mission-Fuge

Good morning. We are up and preparing for Ministry Sites today. We have 83 students and adults who will be scattered among a dozen or so ministry sites. They will be serving with children, food pantries, social ministries, senior adults/nursing homes, painting, construction, and yardwork, and several others. Please pray for our group today. It's hot, so pray that they will stay hydrated. Pray our church group devotion and worship tonight and for the Spirit of God to have complete freedom to move among our hearts. Thanks once again for loving our students and being intentional about praying for them. God is so good!

Eugene

Long 2 Days But We've Reached Our First Leg

After 24 hours of open road driving/riding, driving in circles in the Meadowlands, finding the hotel, fun, great, & sweet students and adults, and a solid hour of nerve-wracking, pulse-pounding, steering wheel clinching, bumper-2-bumper traffic in the Bronx, we are finally sitting at the top of Yankee Stadium. I think we're above the nosebleed section. What's so neat is to watch these students just laugh, have a good time, and have fun after a very long 30 hours. Folks, we are so blessed. Thank you for the encouragement and love you give us. You are such a special church family and group of parents. Pray for the Lord to soften our hearts for Him!

Writing during the top of the 5th inning of the Mariners game. Still much left in the day. Pray for rest for our group tonight and for an anticipation of what God has for us the rest of the week. Praying for y'all!

Because Christ is All and in All,
Eugene

Love y'all and again thank you for allowing your students to experience new things and encounter different people & opportunities.

Finally On the Road!!!

After pushing, cramming, stuffing, and praying, we finally loaded up and left about 8:15. Coming through Memphis as I type (by the way -- I'm not driving!). All told there are 85 with us. Thank you to our wonderful church family, parents, and others for allowing us this opportunity. As I wrote earlier, pray for decisions. There are some who may need to be saved and others who need to come back to the Lord. We serve a great and awesome God who is clearly in control.

Great verse to consider in Col. 3:11-- " Christ is All and in All." May it be so today and in the days ahead. Love y'all and praying for you!

Eugene

Welcome!!!

I believe that our purpose for existing as Christians is to exalt Jesus Christ as Lord and seek to bring Him glory in ALL things. Colossians 1:18 says, "that in all things He (Jesus Christ) might have preeminence." One of favorites passages of scripture is found in 1 Corinthians 10:31. Paul writes, "Whatever you do, whether you eat or your drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Since I was a teenager that verse has spoken to my heart and helped shape my life in many ways. I really do believe that we exist to "promote the Lord Jesus Christ" in all things.

My prayer is that as we pray, read, communicate, and share together that we will discover and awaken to all that Jesus Christ is to us, for us, and through us. I look forward to sharing in it with you.

Thanks again for visiting this site. Another purpose for this blog/site is to allow students, parents, and others to follow the Senior High of Emmanuel Baptist Church as we journey to Mission-Fuge at Eastern University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Along the way, we will experience some neat things in our travels and in New York City.

Our itinerary is as follows:

• Wednesday, June 30 -- Leave EBC at 8:00 am (Hopefully -- if we can get all the luggage on)
• Thursday Morning, July 1 -- Arrive in the New York City area around mid-morning
• Watch the Yankees vs. Mariners at 1:00 & later eat at Ellen's Stardust Diner in Times Square (Hopefully get back to the Hotel by 10:00)
• Friday, July 2 -- Full Day in Manhatten -- Empire State Building, Chinatown, Subways, Little Italy, Central Park, Lots of Walking!!!
• Saturday, July 3 -- Another Full Day in Downtown -- Ground Zero, Battery Park, Statue of Liberty/Liberty Island, and Ellis Island. -- Much walking & subways
• Sunday, July 4 -- Arrive in Philadelphia for Mission-Fuge (the birthplace of our nation)
• Monday, July 5-9 -- Ministry Work Sites (We'll update as we go along if possible).

I want you to be aware of our itinerary for a couple of reasons. Our youth are blessed with wonderful parents, a wonderful & supportive church family, and a sense of love by our church. We want you to journey with us and as we journey together, all we ask is that you pray for our students & adults.

Pray for the following:

• Safety in travel throughout our trip
• Safety while in New York & Philadelphia at Ministry Work Sites
• Fun for our Students & Adults
• An opportunity for spiritual growth in our group and in our relationships with one another
• An awakening to who Jesus Christ is and how He desires to be supreme in our lives.
• Pray for salvation of students, hearts to be touched, lives to be changed and transformed, repentance of hearts & lives over the awareness of sin and its reproach before a holy God

Thank you once again for taking time to pray for our students & adults. Just pray for revival to take place and for the fire of God to "blaze away" in our hearts & lives.

I hope to post from time to time to give you an update as to what we're doing & where we're at. The hectic pace we will be traveling at may make it difficult, but we sure will try.

Thank you for everything. Praying for you.

Love in Christ,

Eugene

P.S. If you would like to contact me with prayer requests for your students or anything else, please email me at Eugene@emmanuelbapt.org

Feel free to leave comments and encouraging notes for our students.