Kingdom Planning

Planning

Genesis 1:14 - And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky...for signs and for seasons and for days and for years...

Psalm 90: - ...teach us to count our days, that we may gain a wise heart.

Two weeks ago, Kirtland Hope Evangelical Church had a planning meeting. One of the people who had been going to church at the Free Methodist Mission recalled that 4 days after our strategic planning meeting there, we were informed that the mission had been sold and the ministry was being shut down. I don’t think we have to worry about that this time. Right now our average attendance is 20 with about 1/3 of those Native American . We have about 10 kids but they are not all there every week. Easter Sunday we had 33 people, two were visitors from another state, and 2 were visitors who are very active in another church. With the combined congregations, I’d say we have about 25 regular attendees.

We are not a mission, although we are currently worshiping on the Evangelical Church’s mission site. Our focus is the Native American, in particular the Navajo, people, although many of us are white or mixed race/Hispanic. Our worship style is a mix of contemporary and traditional Christian and contextual /Native American - our worship focus is Yahweh – Creator God, Father Son Holy Spirit. Our teaching (Pastor Art is much more a teacher than a preacher) is Bible Based (Diyin God Bizaad). Our goal is to grow, by bringing people into a vital saving relationship with Jesus and providing the unchurched with a healthy church family.

We’ve planned a few outreach events and are trusting the LORD to provide the needed funds to pull them off. We have the “Horse Whisperer” coming in July. I’ll post more details on that when I get them. Right now all we really know are the dates, July 13, 14, 15. We are hoping to follow that up with a western/horsey themed VBS July 19,20,21,22. We will have a Back-to-School carnival either August 8 or 15th. We will host a Pastor’s Seminar for some of our neighboring churches on the reservation in September and we will be doing some sort of outreach during Shiprock Fair.

Some of the men that Pastor Art is counseling through the Brethren in Christ (BIC) overcomers program are expressing interest in coming to our church at the end of their session. A few of the people who we bonded with thru the Passion Play of the Navajo Nation have also said they would pay us a visit. We are also hoping to bring home some of the “family” who had been attending the Free Methodist Church on the mission before it closed or Kirtland Hope before it moved. Some relationships need to be mended and trust needs to be rebuilt.

Since we are small, and many of our people are on limited incomes, our weekly income is sparse. Our model for giving is 2 Corinthians 9: 7-8. I’d ask you to consider those verses as well, as we could use some saints willing to contribute to our ministry. And as always we can use prayers – for wisdom, provision, and healthy growth. Prayer is the key, the first step in anything we do, the glue that holds any ministry together. The Evangelical Church can arrange mission trips out here. We even have a place for teams to stay. It’s a good way to visit a third world country without needing a passport or shots. It’s a great service experience, rich in culture, eye opening, life changing. Pastor Art and I love showing people life on the Rez.

Art (Brokop) is on face book and I use his page/wall to keep in touch with our “friends”. Our e-mail has been the same for the past 12 years – artandme@juno.com. Our snail mail address is 301 E. Hopi, Farmington NM 87401. You can leave a message on this blog, if you don’t have a google account - just check anonymous. We’d love to hear from you. May God bless us all and we go about Kingdom Building. Soon and very soon (?) we are going to see the King. Sincerely in His service...Maryellen

Back Stage at the Phil Thomas Performaning Art Complex

The Lord's Supper

Jesus before Pilot

Poetry by Maryellenbernadetteiachettageniipuffbrokop

March 12, 2009

Greet the dawn,
You who are loved by God
You with the golden hair
Greet the dawn – a new day for you to learn
Be it cloudy, or sunny – like your many moods
It is a new day – and you are loved by the God who made it
Greet the dawn

Greet the dawn
You who’s God is the LORD
You with the sky blue eyes
Greet the dawn – young warrior with laughing eyes
Be angry at unfairness – fight your enemies
It is a new day – and your God, the LORD is with you
Greet the dawn

Greet the dawn
Little bird, with your sweet laughter
You who are new to this world
Greet the dawn as your ancestors have
Begin this day with a song of joy – little bird
It is a new day, and you have the love of many nations in your heart.
Greet the dawn, and the God who loves you, the LORD who is your God

Greet the dawn children of a new generation
Greet the dawn.

Green Sleeves in Shiprock

12/07/04

What child is this all dressed in black
With long dark hair and eyes so bright
Who thinks her future is just as dark
As the clothes she hides behind?

He looks so angry this bright eyed son
The world he lives in is so unkind
But should he smile at a hint of joy
His face can light up the shadows

Jesus, Oh Lord I cry
Release an army of warriors
Fight, Fight the demons here
So the children can see the light.

What child is this without a dream
Dressed in black and shadows
Who cannot hear a word of hope
For the din of the angry clatter

Jesus, Oh Lord I pray
Release an army of angels
Drive away the deafening throng
So they can hear your whisper
Open your hearts while the way is clear
See the truth around you
The Joy and Promise of the Living Light
The truth of the stories you’ve heard.

 

Friday, October 24, 2008

For Michael

I see you
You are not invisible to me.
I see you all
Walking with your head down,
Dragging you feet, wearing out your souls.
I see you
Vacant men walking past Vacant houses
Men of the Land, who don’t seem to care anymore
about the Land around them
Dry, like the Land you are born to
I see you
Making your way into town
For a drink, for a job, for a change
And making your way home again
To the old mother who still cares
To the old grandmother who still prays for you
To be greeted by a long sad sigh and an open door
I want to say, “hold your head up high”
I want to say, “be the brave you were born to be”
I want to say, “I am sorry.”
I want to cook for you, and sing you songs, and tell you stories
Great Stories, Living Stories
I want to give you a hot cup of coffee on a cold night,
With lots of sugar and a dash of hope.
I want to drive you home
To the son that needs you
To the woman that loves you
And I want to say…
Look past the stars, Look past the moon
Look past the tent meetings and revivals
Seek God!
He is there waiting
He sees you.
Learn to sing His songs
He is calling you.
Believe His stories
He has a plan for you!
All of you. Each of You.
Walking this Land for a Divine purpose.
He is not the White Man’s God
He is every man’s God
He is not the missionary’s God
He is the People’s God
He formed you, He knows you, He sees you.
You are not invisible to Him.

cameras. mirrors, and memories

I am discovering the joy of Facebook...connecting with friends, searching for shadows of my past, chatting with my sisters. And I am becoming more and more aware of my face. When did I get so old? When did I start looking so much like  my mother. Some of the friends I found, some of the shadows, look really good. I'm just a frumpy, grandma type school marm. The mirror over my sink doesn't mock me as much as that nasty camera when it turns on me. I think, if I try, I can remember being young and thin. But in all honesty, I wasn't very happy back then. Lost you might say. I'd like to be healthier, which would mean that I would have to drop a considerable number of pounds. I think being a better steward of the body which the LORD has given me, would enable me to serve Him more effectively. I'm trapped in an exhausting cycle of being to tired to get in shape, and being tired because I am not in shape. Does that make sense? Actually right now I am killing time - I need to get busy before I waste the day. Tonight Pastor Art and I are going to Albuquerque to worship and share fellowship with some friends at Thunderbird Ministries. Tomorrow night is the first performance of the Passion Play of the Navajo Nation. I have a 3 day weekend coming up because Monday is Navajo Nation Sovereignty Day. Maybe I will borrow Tziporah and her stroller and take a nice long walk.

Passion Play of the Navajo Nation - Rehearsal

He's Alive!

And yes, this was a glorious Easter Season. Actually it's not over yet. Not until April 23/24, when the Passion Play of the Navajo Nation is presented in Shiprock, New Mexico. Pastor Art will be playing Peter in that production. I am helping with the crowd scenes. We've been involved with Passion Play for 12 years, and this season has been exceptionally exciting. We were part of the first Spanish Speaking production in Farmington, and then in the English Speaking version. Counting dress rehearsals we did 10 presentations in 10 days. Now we have 3 more weeks of rehearsals with the Navajo Cast. This has been quite a multi-cultual, multi-generational experience, and we've made a lot of new friends.
Three weeks ago we were asked to take over the pastoring of Kirtland Hope Evangelical Church. Our little congregation had been joining their little congregation in worship for a few weeks prior. Their congregation is primarily Navajo. The two groups seem to be binding together well. We had a wonderful Easter Sunday. There was a Sonrise Service around the drum. A yummy Easter Breakfast and a slightly more "traditional" or should I say, conventional worship service at the regular time - 10:00am. Altogether we had 33 people worshiping the risen Christ!
The Evangelical Church owns a house and double wide trailer, which houses visiting mission teams and serves as a ministry center. There are 2 "missionary" couples assigned to this area who are part of our Church. Currently our worship services are in the trailer. We are planning on having a planning meeting soon. Resources are sparse but potential and hope abounds. And we serve a great God! I'm posting pictures of the Easter Egg hunt we had for the church kids at our house, and of the Easter Sunday SonRise Service. Please continue to pray for our ministry. And May God Bless Us Everyone!

Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Breakfast

Sonrise Drum Circle