A Great Mentor- Rev. Robert Ferguson

Upon my arrival to Miami some months ago I had the privilege to return to Sarasota and visit with Rev. Robert and Ruth Ferguson. My wife, Shari and I consider them to be one of the greatest influence's in our lives and ministry. We had the privilege of working on his ministry team as the youth pastor at Calvary Assembly of God, Sarasota, FL ( now renamed The Church of Hope). Rev. Ferguson served successfully as a missionary to Jamaica for several years and as Senior Pastor for churches in both Indiana and Florida.

Pastor Ferguson has served as a mentor and coach for me on numerous occasions. My life and ministry has benefited from his sage advice, counsel and leadership! It was wonderful to spend the afternoon with him and update him on the transition and new opportunities that God has brought our way! Below was a very special moment for me during our time together! I thank the Lord for the "Divine Mentor's" He has placed in my life!

Great Mentor Rev. Ferguson from russell debord on Vimeo.

Sunday Splash!

We experienced another great day at Sunset Chapel! I am always amazed at how God allows thing's to come together! For the third straight weekend of 2010 we have seen our attendance continue to increase! There were a healthy number of new guests in our service! Everyone is doing a terrific job of spreading the word about SC and what God is doing here in Miami!!!!

I want to give a big shout out to Maritza Velez and her daughter, Laura who together created our awesome stonewall backdrop! It really helped me with the message as we focused on Nehemiah's "Call to the Wall"!! We are blessed to have such creative in house artists! I think everyone was able to visualize the task that God called Nehemiah to as one of great undertaking.

Nehemiah's calling to repair the ruins of Jerusalem was a result of Israel's sin and disobedience. Our lives experience so much pain and devastation as well when we don't build up the walls of our heart and mind to protect us from Satan's influences. Like our "Divine Mentor" we must become people of determination, courage and commitment. And like him we must anticipate that some serious obstacles and hindrances will come up against us. As people of God whenever we attempt great things for God, you and I must be prepared for great opposition. Nehemiah as a leader demonstrated outstanding leadership traits such as the ability to...

1.Model the Way
2.Inspire a Shared Vision
3.Challenge the Process
4.Enable Other's to Act
5.Encourage the Heart

The church always stands in need of men and women like that! It was such an encouraging sight to see everyone come forward at the conclusion of the teaching message and place your own personal " Call to the Wall" hopes and desires. Best of all, was the response of 4 individuals who made decision's to rebuild the ruins of their lives and allow God, The Wise Masterbuilder to come into their hearts and lay the foundation of His Son, Jesus Christ!

Let me also express appreciation to each one for the incredible response we received for the Haiti earthquake offering.Thank you for allowing God to prompt your heart to make a donation. I am so blessed to pastor such a wonderful and compassionate church! I will post later this week an update with the total we received and any updates that come into our office from our General Superintendent, Rev. George Woods. We will keep you posted concerning future opportunities to be involved in relief and recovery efforts. On that note, please keep Melissa Edwards in your prayers as she fly's to Haiti on Tuesday with her team of surgical doctors to assist with the challenging medical crisis there in Haiti.

Divine Mentor's/Haiti Earthquake Response

Don't miss our current teaching series "Divine Mentor's". During tomorrow's second message we'll be looking at the life of Nehemiah and his "Call to the Wall". Nehemiah found his passion and calling after a visit from his brother. That conversation changed his life and allowed him to discover his life purpose. Yet his response to God's call to rebuild the ruined wall's of Jerusalem came as a result of Israel's sin.

Sin's influence and involvement in our lives also produces destruction and ruin. What wall's in your heart and life need to be rebuilt? As a Christ-follower, come and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal area's that you may need to rebuild in your own life and be able to avoid hurtful consequences.

As reports of Haiti's devastation continue to overwhelm us, the numbers are still inconclusive as to how many death's have actually occurred. It's very possible that over 3 million people are directly affected by this natural disaster. Haiti has long beenconsidered the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

Our fellowship has 273 churches there with over 66,000 members who like so many are dazed, in shock and struggling to make sense of everything. The needs are so great, I am appealing to our people at Sunset Chapel to consider either making an online donation on our website homepage or come prepared to make a contribution during this weekend's service. We will be supporting two ministries "Convoy of Hope" and "Latin America Child Care", both of these ministries are currently in Haiti doing all they can to assist the Haitian people.

Let me say thank you in advance for your prayer's and response that will come to help this nation as they try to recover from this great tragedy. We will assess future needs and consider becoming involved in sending a mission's team of volunteer's once we hear that our missionaries and these organizations are prepared for this to occur.

Pain into Purpose! - Haiti Relief

In response to yesterday's devastating earthquake in Haiti, I want to encourage everyone possible to first pray.

Please consider joining with us for tonight's Prayer Service as we direct our thoughts and prayers towards this impoverished and hurting nation. Many of our families who attend Sunset Chapel will be in attendance and will bring us first-hand reports from their families living in Haiti. In the midst of this stunning devastation, God is able to accomplish much.

As the nation and people struggle to regain their bearings and balance, aid and recovery efforts are well underway from a variety of sources. Would you consider making a contribution to help assist those who are on the ground and fully engaged in the extensive humanitarian and recovery efforts.

Two such organizations are "Convoy of Hope", which provides emergency services, medical care, food, water, temporary tent shelters, and blankets. The second is "Latin America Child Care", which has several schools in the affected areas and who is frantically trying to assist the children and families that have been affected by this disaster.

I have already authorized an initial contribution to be forwarded to these organizations. We will receive a humanitarian aid offering in our Sunday morning service. You can go to our homepage and click on our online giving icon,then select "other", designate your contribution amount, and then type in "Haiti" in the box. If you've not already used this feature, you will be prompted through the process to be able to utilize this giving resource. If you have any further questions, please contact Frances Watkins at 305-271-4094 ext. 102 and she will assist you with your requests.

Newcomer Invitation!