December Opportunities

City Wide Prayer Gathering:

A powerful and important time to gather with churches from all across the city, believing God for “Greater Things!” this gathering will take place at Mount Hope, and the church will remain open throughout the rest of the night(until 6am, January 7) for any who want to linger in prayer.

http://mounthopechurch.org/Home.aspx

Youth Christmas Program Epicenter of Worship

An evening where our youth come together and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through acting, dancing, and songs of worship and praise. This program is open to community and starts at 5pm.

http://epworship.com/upcoming-events/

New Level Sports After-School Tutoring

Are you good with kids? Are you savvy in the area of Math, Science, maybe English, or all? Volunteer for our New Level Sports After-School Tutoring that just started.

Contact Shane Buckley at (810) 288-1518 for more information.

Wendy’s Fundraiser:

Take your children out for a treat and support a ministry that helps local families in need at the same time :-) 

On Wednesday, January 20, the East Lansing Wendy’s located on Trowbridge Rd. will be donating 15% of their sales between 5 – 8 p.m. to St. Vincent Catholic Charities.  Help support STVCC through this Wendy’s Fundraiser.
Wendy’s is located at 1000 Trowbridge Rd, E.Lansing, MI 48823.

St. Vincent Catholic Charities

What: Beginning Nov. 29th, St. Vincent invites you to join its Holiday Giving Program by sponsoring a refugee family, teen or select an Angel Gift Tag from one of our Angel Trees found at local shopping malls and retail shops. 

When: Beginning Nov. 29th
 
Contact: To receive information about how you can get involved, contact Thomas Woods at: 517.323.4734 ext. 1203 or woodst@stvcc.org.  

Or click here: http://stvcc.org/eventscpt/be-an-angel-holiday-giving-drive-collection-concludes/

New Directions 

Do you have someone or know someone who has a family member or friend in prison or jail or is now released? Michigan has around 47,000 men and women incarcerated; the 83 county jails and youth offender facilities, statewide. Who will reach them? Who will go?

We are an Inter-denominational Prison Ministry and Outreach training and sending devoted volunteers, people just like you, into prisons, jails, youth offender facilities and nursing homes.

“I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:36

For more information click here.

Volunteer descriptions.  

Street Pastors

What: Join a team from Capital City Vineyard serving the Lord on MSU campus. Pass out hot chocolate and coffee to students as they walk by and engage in conversations. This ministry's focus is to encourage students with a Christian background in their walk with the Lord and find a church in the area, let people know about HOPE (House of Prayer East Lansing), engage students in thought provoking conversations, and most of all, show all we come in contact with the unfailing Love of Christ. We have young people as well as adults that come out and would LOVE to have you join us!  The vision is to be able to have more than one table set up in the area. Right now we are in need of more volunteers to make this possible!

When: Saturday nights at 8pm.  

Where: House of Prayer East Lansing - 619 E. Grand River 

The Furnace Prayer Room

What:  The Furnace seeks to fuel spiritual awakening on campus through prayer. See more here: http://www.furnacemsu.com/aboutus.html

Where: HOPE - House Of Prayer East Lansing - 619 E. Grand River

Schedule:  NOTE hours differ during Christmas break.

• Open hours Monday - Friday 11am-6pm. Open hours are times when the prayer room is open for anyone to come and spend time seeking God in prayer, studying the Word, etc. We encourage you to drop in and leave as you need. Meet a friend and spend time praying for the campus.
• Monday - Friday 12-1pm - Devotional worship and prayer -
• Sundays 6-8pm - Worship and prayer -
• Mondays 7:30pm - Teaching and equipping Prayer 101 -
• Mondays 8:30-10 pm - Worship and prayer -
• Monday, December 14th 8:30-10pm - End of semester worship night -

Wake - Capital City Vineyard youth group 

What: If you're a youth who wants to grow in your faith, be encouraged by like minded Christians, and put your faith in action, COME HERE!! We dig into God's word, have deep discussions, and powerful prayer times. Todd Hargett, who has a heart for sharing the gospel with the lost on a day to day basis is the leader of the group. You WILL go away encouraged and excited about your faith! 

When: Every other Sunday, 6-8pm. Our next meetings are the 22nd of November, December 13th, December 27th.

Where: Capital City Vineyard Church, 1635 Coolidge Rd. East Lansing MI 48823

Missions in our hometown!

Put these dates on your calendar:

St. Vincent Catholic Charities

What: Beginning Nov. 29th, St. Vincent invites you to join its Holiday Giving Program by sponsoring a refugee family, teen or select an Angel Gift Tag from one of our Angel Trees found at local shopping malls and retail shops. 

When: Beginning Nov. 29th
 
Contact: To receive information about how you can get involved, contact Thomas Woods at 517.323.4734 ext. 1203 or woodst@stvcc.org.  

Love Lansing

What: On December 12, we will gather together with our partner churches to serve our neighbors in South Lansing in a practical way. We are focusing on what we call the “Kingdom Rectangle,” the region from Dunckel to Waverly and from Holmes to Willoughby.  We will pack and deliver totes and boxes of needed items to nursing homes, schools, and low-income housing communities. Visit THIS LINK for more information about Love Lansing Christmas.

When: December 12th.  Rally begins at 9:00 am - delivery completed by about noon.

Where: Trinity Church, 3355 Dunckel Road, Lansing, MI 48911

Christmas Coat Drive

Providing coats for children in need this Christmas season.

Mount Hope invites you to partner with STVCC Children’s Home and Lansing Area youth homes to provide over three hundred (new) winter coats for each youth in need. Help us share hope this Christmas by providing coats for foster care children in the Lansing Area who need to know they are loved. Click HERE for more information on how YOU can help out!

Believe for greater things

Wednesday, January 6th 7-9pm.

A city wide prayer gathering hosted by Mt. Hope. (More information to come)

Weekly opportunities: 

Street Pastors

What: Join a team from Capital City Vineyard serving the Lord on MSU campus. Pass out hot chocolate and coffee to students as they walk by and engage in conversations. This ministry's focus is to encourage students with a Christian background in their walk with the Lord and find a church in the area, let people know about HOPE (House of Prayer East Lansing), engage students in thought provoking conversations, and most of all, show all we come in contact with the unfailing Love of Christ.

When: Saturday nights 8pm-whenever the drinks are gone!

Where: House of Prayer East Lansing - 619 E. Grand River 

The Furnace Prayer Room

What:  The Furnace seeks to fuel spiritual awakening on campus through prayer. See more here: http://www.furnacemsu.com/aboutus.html

Where: HOPE - House Of Prayer East Lansing - 619 E. Grand River

Schedule: 

• Open hours Monday - Friday 11am-6pm. Open hours are times when the prayer room is open for anyone to come and spend time seeking God in prayer, studying the Word, etc. We encourage you to drop in and leave as you need. Meet a friend and spend time praying for the campus.
• Monday - Friday 12-1pm - Devotional worship and prayer -
• Sundays 6-8pm - Worship and prayer -
• Mondays 7:30pm - Teaching and equipping Prayer 101 -
• Mondays 8:30-10 pm - Worship and prayer -
• Monday, December 14th 8:30-10pm - End of semester worship night -

Wake - Capital City Vineyard youth group

What: If you're a youth who wants to grow in your faith, be encouraged by like minded Christians, and put your faith in action, COME HERE!! We dig into God's word, have deep discussions, and powerful prayer times. Todd Hargett, who has a heart for sharing the gospel with the lost on a day to day basis is the leader of the group. You WILL go away encouraged and excited about your faith! 

When: Every other Sunday, 6-8pm. Our next meetings are the 22nd of November, December 13th, December 27th.

Where: Capital City Vineyard Church, 1635 Coolidge Rd. East Lansing MI 48823

Thoughts from the Orrs:

We were so blessed to have this amazing couple on our team! They worked unbelievably hard and used every ounce of their energy serving the Lord while in Ireland. Below are their thoughts from the the trip!

     "I was on the On Street Prayer team. My sister attended The Moody Bible Institute & did street ministry but I had never heard of anyone doing it since.

It rains nearly every day in Ireland, we passed out tea, coffee, and soup and invited them to join us for the Sunday service/finale of iHeart Derry at the Guild hall.

    Throughout the week we met people from Poland, Italy,The Netherlands, and a couple of teachers from Spain with 90 students who were taking exams. They were staying at Ulster University where we were also staying.They did not have transportation and had to walk long distances to get anywhere.

     There was someone from the Bahai Faith, a Far Eastern religion which resembles Universalism-- whatever you think God is--is OK. They are very gentle people. I asked him about the Hindus who have a million Gods. How do they know which is the right one? Some people came back to talk every day.

There was a Dutchman who said he was ready to come back to church.  He liked to talk about theology. One day he

came in tears. Someone had reported that he had 2 cats.The landlord told him it was either the cats or him. He had been crying all night and said he was ready to jump off the bridge into the Foyle River. I hope we had a part in preventing this.

The Nebraska group said they had several accept Christ as their Savior. When Sunday, came people kept coming until the auditorium was filled! The Dutchman was all smiles. He said a lady on the internet had taken the cats. After the service he said it was the best sermon he ever heard."-Jeanne Orr

"Jeanne and I are blessed and thankful to have been a part of this ministry of community outreach!  I found our trip to Ireland and the outreach experience at Cornerstone Church to be very challenging and rewarding. It is inspiring to see so many young people involved in this ministry.  This is due, I am sure, to the overall vision that takes this church in it's outreach to the community of Derry.

I worked mainly with the group that performed community services projects in the downtown area. We cut brush, cleaned walk areas, and did restoration work on storefronts. Our group also did cleanup work at the new church building.  All of this is having a powerful impact on the community!  May the Lord continue His blessing on this outreach.  'Where there is no vision the people perish." Proverbs 29:18 ' "

-Carl Orr

Kid's Week

From Monday-Friday there were teams at 4 different locations holding programs for children 12yrs and under.  It was a wonderful opportunity to sow seeds of love and kindness into the lives of young people in the community.

My dad was on on street prayer and had been telling me amazing stories of praying with people who were considering suicide and were opening their hearts to Christ as a result of problems in their lives.  I was reminded that when working with children we might not see a huge revival in a day. We might feel like we aren't doing much because they don't often have huge problems or addictions in their lives at this early age.  We might not even see the results of our labor this year at all, but we are making a difference in lives that will blossom in the future.  It is our prayer that these children will remember our kindness and love and someday realize that we did it as a result of Christ's love.  That these will be the ones who grow up and don't have addictions and suicidal thoughts because of what Christ did in their lives when they were young. That they will be the ones going out in their community making a difference in others lives who don't know Christ. 

Derry has a population of approximately 107,877 according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.  Each day 1.7 of those people commit suicide each day. There is so much hurt in our world, people want more in life. As Christians it is our job to tell them the reason for our hope and give them hope in life through Christ our Savior.

Travels-

 About to leave for the first leg of our trip!! 

 Lunch in Toronto while waiting for our flight. 

 Toronto airport waiting at our gate.

 

 

When we arrived in Derry they had lunch waiting for us and gave us time to settle into our rooms.  The evening was spent relaxing and walking some around the city.

We're Back!

Wow! I can't believe how fast it all went! Praise the Lord for all He has done in Derry as well as in our lives!  I'm sorry I didn't get around to posting while I was gone. We were kept very busy and I don't have a phone or anything of my own to use. 

We arrived home at 1:40am on the 15th.  I will be posting pictures and stories soon!

Lydia

The Vision:

What is our goal for this trip? To change and to be changed. We will go out as lasers on our mission and spread the light Christ has given us there. We will be filled with His light and be changed as God works and speaks through us!

Let’s be sensitive to what God wants us to say and do. Maybe it is just to smile at someone, having patience with a child we are working with that isn’t cooperating, praying for the others on our team when they are feeling down or discouraged. 

What does the Lord have for us to accomplish? How are we going to accomplish it? What are your goals for this trip? Let’s come back to America as 12 changed people, but not stop there. The same pain and hopelessness we will see in Ireland is right here in our own towns. As we go back to normal, everyday life, we can keep sharing what we have learned, and how we have changed with others. I want to see God work in mighty ways, to see miracles! God has power and He wants change, all He is lacking is laborers.

My dad and I have been praying for each of the team members and pouring our hearts out in prayer for the locals in Ireland. Please join us in prayer. God has amazing things for you to accomplish! Let’s make Him the center of our trip!

Whether you are going on the trip yourself, or know someone who is, you have the ability to make a change in our world through prayer! God is powerful!

July 12th

This video explains the strife in Northern Ireland. It was recorded in 2013. Though it shows many different areas of Northern Ireland, including Derry, the march it covers happens in Belfast.




In 2014 there was much more peace on July 12th, just a year after the previous video was recorded. The Lord has already worked on so many hearts! This is very obvious from the peaceful reports of last year's parade. You can read about the 2014 marching season HERE. Let's be praying that God opens hearts and heals hurts this year!

I Heart Derry Local Kickoff

On Sunday the 10th Cornerstone Church had their official I Heart Derry Launch where they present this year's schedule to the members of Cornerstone and invite them to sign up and serve at I Heart Derry.

The local response has been absolutely incredible with around 175 volunteers signed up to participate throughout the week. Many of whom have signed up for the whole week.  Praise the Lord! 

Let's be praying for the locals who will participate as well as the teams from around the US who will be gathering in Derry July 3rd-15th.  The Lord is going to do amazing things! 

You can keep posted by visiting:

Instagram - i_heart_derry

Instagram - cornerstonecity

Twitter - cornerstonecity

Facebook - iHeartDerry

Facebook - Cornerstone City Church

or-iheartderry.com

There are photos and information on all the different projects that will be happening throughout the week.

What does a typical iHeart week look like?

iHeart Derry outreach is an annual event hosted by Cornerstone City Church.  It will take place from July 4th-13th in 2015. 

The week opens up with a high energy training day which sets the stage for the week to come.  Volunteers are broken up into teams and sent to different locations throughout the community. There will be 5 Kid's week locations including Donemana Primary School, Lisnagelvin Primary School, and Currynierin community center. Playgrounds will be built throughout the community as well.

Each morning teams go to their locations to host high energy events for children.  These events consist of dancing, songs, sports, stories, crafts, and games of all kinds.

After the kid's programme for the day winds up, teams prepare for the next day's lesson and head to their street cleanup project.  There is a mobile-medic station where people can get their blood pressure and sugar levels checked as well as receive minor first aid.  Coffee stations will be set up around the city as well. On Thursday evening there is football tournament between local teams.  

It is amazing to be a part of this event and see the impact Christ's love has on a community!

"Sometimes...

being a missionary doesn’t require you to live amongst anacondas or gigantic bugs."

Please read this amazing post written by Noelle Rhodes, missionary to Northern Ireland. Noelle is the one who heads up Kid's Week during iHeart Derry.  I encourage you to read this article where she explains in her own words what it's like to be a missionary in a first-world country and why she feels called to minister to Northern Ireland with her husband and children.  Click this link to read her article! 

"Beyond fights over flags and parade routes, I see the potential for this little place to become a mighty lighthouse of hope for transformation. This is why I work with children. The most effective people group to influence a cultural shift is children. If we can teach children that because of Jesus’ love for them, they can love each other...well, who knows what Northern Ireland will look like in 20 years time? " - Noelle Rhodes

Street Pastors

"Four missionaries currently are involved with Cornerstone City Church. The Inmans focus primarily on children’s ministries and organize the Kids Week segment of the church’s annual citywide outreach called “iHeart Derry.” The Suarezes created and lead the Master’s Commission ministry and are involved in Street Pastors, an evangelistic outreach to teens. Raquel and the Inmans also participate in Extreme Team, a ministry that goes into elementary schools to share the gospel in fun, exciting ways.

Engaging a culture where historical religious division runs deep requires exemplifying personal salvation in Jesus and authentic Christian love. For Cornerstone, sharing that love means loving the whole community.

“Derry has lots of old memories that conjure up pain,” says Robert Suarez.  “It’s very important that what we do here is visible because that will create new memories. As a result, what they think back on will be positive, healthy and life-giving rather than negative.”

As the Master’s Commission and Street Pastors teams go out in ministry across the city, their impact can be felt in a variety of ways.

“When we’re out among the people, it calms the atmosphere. Young people come over to us and want to talk. After an hour or so, they go home without getting involved in trouble. We’ve actually seen a decrease in violence,” says Robert.

Local leaders, media and the police department have acknowledged what Cornerstone is doing for the community as both Catholics and Protestants are touched by believers’ acts of compassion. This year, as part of the “iHeart Derry” outreach, Cornerstone partnered with Convoy of Hope Europe to build a playground in a Protestant neighborhood. Their effort drew the attention of the deputy mayor, who made an appearance at the site. When the project was completed, grateful parents watched their children play at the new facility until late in the evening. The church also hosted a prayer event, inviting people from the community to form a line across Peace Bridge, hold hands and pray together."


This is an excerpt from an article on Worldag.org, if you would like to read more follow this link: http://world.ag.org/article/bridging-divisions-derry

While in Ireland we will have a chance to participate in the Street Pastor program.  Last year we were invited to join the street pastors and stand outside a night club from 12-2am. We handed out soup, coffee, and simply shared Christ's love.  As it mentions in the article, there is much more peace in the areas where the street pastors are and they have developed a relationship with the police in Derry. This has in turn opened more opportunities for Christ's love to be shared.