PRAISE

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so …” (Psalms 107:2)

Power, Redemption, Affirmation, Inspiration, Sanctification, Exaltation

Volume 8 Issue 2                                                                                                      September 2007

Hands Up Ministry

PHILIP MORRIS USA INC.

THE ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

The Servant Team – Leaders:

Ruth Johnson, Ivan Pope, Delois Maddox, Karen Page,  Sandy Witherspoon, Paul Thompson, and Jackie Hager

Tom Meadows, Roy Campbell, Ralph Brown and Richard Hatcher-Emeritus

The Twelve Disciples – Prayer Team

George Foreman, Ivan Pope, Janet Taylor, Juanita Langley, Margie Jasper, Denise Warren, Karen Page, Tom Meadows, Pam Barden,  Deedre Dickerson and Tee Williams

Love Fund Coordinator:

Mary Tinnell

Newsletter Staff:

Mona Eno and Tom Meadows

If you would like a copy of this newsletter, contact Tom Meadows and give him your home and/or e-mail address.

PRAISE JESUS

FROM THE SERVANT TEAM:

PRAISE the Lord!!

Pastor Jeremiah

Speaking in 2007 – God Has A Prophet

“Living Water”

I preached a sermon in January for my church titled “The Living Water”.  I would like to briefly share some of the major points of the sermon.

John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.  As Christian believers, we have the “living water” in us but is there something that is stopping the flow.

God’s Word tells us what has happened in the following verses. Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.  We have forgotten the source.  Christians become so engrossed in the gift instead of the Gift Giver.    Still water becomes stagnant.  Flowing water purifies itself. We have carved out a way of life that is broken and cannot hold water.

Isaiah 43:18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. This is revival.  Revival starts with the “living water”.  You must be a pursuer of this living water, you must be a possessor of this living water, and you must be a purveyor of this living water.

God does not care if you have a wealth of knowledge if you don’t have a well of water.

The Newsletter staff is always looking for roving reporters, writers and publishers.  Anyone interested in serving God through this publication, please contact us.

HATYILYTILYAJLY

Has anyone told you

I love you

Today?

I love you

And

Jesus loves you!

If you need prayer contact Karen Page or Margie Jasper or any member of the Twelve Disciples or the Servant Team

Prayer Ministry

The one thing that holds this ministry and our work together is our prayer ministry headed up by Karen Page and Margie Jasper.   Did you know that we hold a noon prayer meeting every Wednesday at the location of the weekly Thursday meeting.  Did you know that our prayer register has about 300 requests to date?  Each of the names is called out to the Lord everyday not just on Wednesday.  It is a humbling thing to call out 300 names to the Lord knowing that you need as much prayer as any of these names.  Many people will be touched by the Lord through Hands Up Ministry who otherwise might never attend church.

Hands Up Meetings

Tuesdays: United Christians of Alleghany Warehouse Company:  12:20 PM – 12:50 PM   

“The Light” at Park 500:  12 PM – 1 PM

Wednesdays: M/C “C” Shift:  2 AM – 3 AM

M/C “B” Shift:  7 PM – 8 PM

Thursdays (Noon – 1:00 PM): Alternates between Operations Center, Finance Center and Manufacturing Center

 Manufacturing Center – October 11, October 25, November  8, November 22, November 29, December 13

Finance Center – October 4,  November 1, December 6

Operations Center – October 18, November 15, December 20

West Mart One – Thursdays at noon.  Look for forthcoming information from Sandy Witherspoon and Deidre Schilling.

Headquarters HUM

Cabarrus HUM)

BL Plant HUM

We are still praying for these sites to get started but we realize until someone hears God’s call, it will not happen.

$20.00

Sometimes we just need to be reminded!

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.

He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.  He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air. Well, he replied, "What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.” Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air. My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.

No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.

You are special- Don't EVER forget it." If you do not pass this on, you may never know the lives it touches, the hurting hearts it speaks to, or the hope that it can bring.

Count your blessings, not your problems. "And remember: amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic. If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.

The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965); English statesman and author.

The Saints and Angels Song

"Could we with ink the ocean fill

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill

And every man a scribe by trade...

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry,

Nor could the scroll contain the whole

Though stretched from sky to sky!"

O love of God, How rich and pure!

How measureless and strong

It shall forevermore endure

The saints' and angels' song!"

The Healing is Coming

Four things that will get the attention of a lost world when seen in Christians.

V    Joy………….the absence of complaining.

V    Unity……….being able to walk in the spirit of unity with our brothers and sisters when we don’t agree.

V    Courage……..not the absence of fear but the willingness to do what God says even while afraid.

V    Signs and wonders……only God can do them through a willing vessel.  The anointing and Glory of God placed on chosen vessels.

Revival

^{We are more concerned how people affect us that how we affect other people.}

^{It is not about being bad.  It is about being lost.}

^{It is not about being good.  It is about being saved.}

^{It is not about the spiritual gifts we receive.  It is about those we give away.}

^{It is not about our weakness.  It is about His anointing}

^{It is not about being worthy.  It is about being adopted.}

^{Nobody cares what you know until they know that you care.}

^{Revival starts with you, Saint or Sinner.  A child shall lead them.} 

Butterflies

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.  One day a small opening appeared.  He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.  Then it seemed to stop making any progress.  It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly.  He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.  The butterfly then emerged easily.  But it had a swollen body and small shriveled wings.  The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.  Neither happened!  In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.  It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.  If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.  We would not be as strong as what we could have been.  We could never fly!

I asked for Strength … And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom … And God gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity … And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage … And God gave me Danger to overcome.

I asked for Love … And God gave me Troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors

     MISSIONS AT WORK

INVESTMENT FOR AN ETERNITY

By Tom Meadows

Once again we as a Christian ministry have the opportunity to go into other parts of the world and make a difference in the lives of others.  Hands Up Ministry in partnership with Chester Outreach Church of the Nazarene will work toward the goal of raising $15000 and sending 20 people to the mission field in the Dominican Republic to build a church at Punta Villa Mella.  The congregation is in dire need of a building.  You can check out the details on our web site at www.hands-up-ministry.org and click on Missions.  What can you do as Christian and a member of Hands Up?  Glad you asked.  You can go as a team member and it will change your Christian life.  You can give financially toward the goal or support someone who wants to go but cannot afford the expense.  You can by all means pray for the success of this Investment for an Eternity.

This will be out third church that we have been blessed to build on the mission field.  Is God great?   How great is your God.  Pray for our churches there:

Villa Progresso Church

El Curro Church

Punta Villa Mella Church

Be missions minded not absent minded.

Hand Up Servant Team

The Hands Up Ministry Servant Team met on August 4^th at Shoney’s for breakfast and a leadership meeting to discuss where we have been, where we are and where we are going.  One of the main topics was the word “focus” and discussing our call to this ministry.  The key takeaway was more clear communication and the oversight of the ministry by all seven leaders irrespective of location.  Ministry must go on and HUM will continue to be God’s banner at Philip Morris.  HUM is not unlike some churches where attendance fluctuates but we cannot control who comes but we can insure that the meetings are held to glorify God and present His Word.  We believe that God will honor His Word if we speak it.  People at PM need the Lord even more and why they don’t come to the meetings as before is choice.  I learned along time ago that people do what they want and God knows that too and that is why He gave us a will.

Ephesians 6:6 - Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.

GOD IS ALMIGHTY

by

Pastor Jeremiah

The sovereign character of Jesus is tested and proven by His own statements.

Are you willing to give up what and who you and others think you are in order to be what and who God wants you to be?

I have chosen you. John 15:16

Most of our noise is a substitute for power. 

1 Kings 19

The motivating force in a lifetime is love. 

John 3:16   1 John 3:17

Be a miracle seeker.  John 6:26

Seeking in 2004 – God Has A Presence  

Psalms 51:11  Psalms 91

A Dream:  It’s not what has happened in the past – it is what will happen in the future.

 Habakkuk 2:1/3

Desire – Decision – Discipline – Determination

PHD:  Purpose – Hope – Destiny

WAIT – NOW:  always be in an expecting mode.

History at West Mart One

The Lord has been faithful and answered our prayers for the Hands Up Ministry to hold meetings at the new PM location of West Mart One.  Under the direction and leadership of Sandy Witherspoon, Servant Team leader and Deidre Schilling, Hands Up Ministry held it’s first meeting on Thursday, September 6, 2007.  There were five people in attendance.  Due to scheduling, the meetings are being held on different days for now.  Sandy and Deidre are developing a distribution list for this area and they will keep everyone advised of the meetings.  In case you are in the area on a specific day for business you can visit with WMO HUM.

Lord we do thank you and honor your Holy name for this opportunity to serve you at West Mart One.