For the Glory of God

I just did a quick browse of all the churches, ministries, and places we have been blessed to serve in over the years. In one sense it is very embarrassing and not a good track record. On the other hand, I thank God for his grace that has sustained us along the way!

We have served in Latin America having learned Spanish and adapting to Argentina culture as well as teaching at a Bible College South Texas (Rio Grande Bible College). We have also served as Pastor/Associate Pastor in 4 cities in Canada. Thank the Lord for that amazing privilege! To God be the glory, great things he has done!

Having served God for so many years and in so may places, I have come to a few conclusions:

1. Ministry is about connecting people with the Lord!
   

I learned from a wise old professor years ago that ministry is not about me, it is all about connecting people with the Lord! If we fail to do that, then we have failed!

2. Ministry focuses on who God is!

We live in a world we so many competing voices that it is not easy for even the most devoted Christian to eliminate the “noise” of the world and seek the Lord. But if we fail to direct our attention to who God is and his power to change our lives, then we have really missed the mark!

3. Practicing Spiritual Disciplines is Imperative

The Bible nowhere teaches us to do certain things in order to gain salvation! It is not in the Book! But, many times we are admonished to pray, to read the Word, to congregate with God’s people and to love and care for each other. These are called “spiritual disciplines” and the more we make them an active part of our daily walk, the more we will adopt the mindset of godliness! That mindset is what we strive for every day! We long to be more conformed to the person of Christ in our daily basis. BUT, that lifestyle does not come easy! It requires spiritual discipline to say “yes” to somethings, and “no” to that which hinders us.

Final Thoughts

Wherever I have had the privilege of serving, South America, English Speaking Quebec, Alberta, or Southern Ontario, believers all have the need to continue to grow in Jesus! I have not met one who has completely arrived, we are all “under construction!” Let’s strive together to become all that God desires us to be for his glory!

Thank you for your prayers and support all these years of ministry! I could not have done it by myself!

God bless,

Pastor Bill Finch

Winning the Battle

 Like you, I was shocked and saddened by the shooting death of Charlie Kirk! Here was a man who had dedicated his life to God, who defended the faith in the public square in Universities and Colleges. Institutions that at one time, many years ago, were training grounds for pastors and missionaries. These same places of higher learning are now breeding grounds for radical thinking that has thrown out any concept of a holy, righteous, omnipotent God who loves us. Instead God, to them, is an antiquated concept associated with everything that is wrong with our society. 

To be honest the church has not helped herself in this matter. The statistics are there for all to see. The news reports the sins of church leaders making sure that ALL the details are given. The truth of the matter is that we must “own our sins”! For those of us who are members of local churches we need to pray for our church leaders! Pray that God would be their number one priority and that they have such a hunger a thirst for righteousness and holiness that even the thought of straying from their covenant is far from their mind!

I need to tell you that there is no magical formula to keep those sins away from church leaders or away from any other believer for that matter! No one has a wand that can be waved to take these sins away from us! How then can each of us take steps of faith to avoid falling in love with the sins of the flesh? What can we do to take steps of faith to become the people God desires us to be? Is it even possible in a world like ours?

ALL believers, including church leaders, must take this issue seriously! “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) This is the first thing we need to be aware of as we fight the battle: Satan does not play games, he is out to destroy you! Write that phrase down! Memorize it and live like it is true because it is! Satan wants nothing more than the Church to destroy itself by its lack of discipline and curiosity with the sins of the flesh!

Please know that all sin destroys even in the life of believers, including Pastors! Just like the first sin in the Bible brought about death so does sin even today! For those who have experienced salvation by the grace of God the same thing is true! Yes, Jesus saves us from our sins BUT sin still destroys every thing it touches! So that little innocent glance at that woman across the aisle can turn into something that can burn down a forest! Watch yourself!

What’s the solution? How can we live in this world and avoid these deadly sins (by the way, ALL sin is deadly!) ? Is it even possible?

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace… 2 Timothy 2:22

You have to be willing to fight sin! Don’t fold like a cheap tent every time temptation walks by in a short skirt! Fight for holiness!

I would like to tell you that if you just apply these things you won’t have to fight with the flesh anymore! WRONG! It is a lifetime battle! 

Meet with God’s people regularly, have a dedicated time each day to read the Word, take one day at a time and be victorious that day and then the one after that and each successive day! 

Develop this personal discipline to build godly habits into your routine! Live in the light of God’s presence every single day! Don’t take a day off, because you can be assured that our enemy NEVER does!

Let me leave you with this verse today:

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

Live today in the victory that Jesus has already won! Charlie Kirk is rejoicing in the presence of his Lord today! We look forward to that day when we are all in his presence singing his praises! In the meantime, let’s live our lives in the victory that Jesus has already won!

For His Glory,

Pastor Bill Finch

Under Construction

Under Construction

I just did a quick browse of all the churches, ministries, and places we have been blessed to serve in over the years. In one sense it is very embarrassing and not a good track record. On the other hand, I thank God for his grace that has sustained us along the way!

We have served in Latin America having learned Spanish and adapting to Argentina culture as well as teaching at a Bible College South Texas (Rio Grande Bible College). We have also served as Pastor/Associate Pastor in 4 cities in Canada. Thank the Lord for that amazing privilege! To God be the glory, great things he has done!

Having served God for so many years and in so may places, I have come to a few conclusions:

1. Ministry is about connecting people with the Lord!

I learned from a wise old professor years ago that ministry is not about me, it is all about connecting people with the Lord! If we fail to do that, then we have failed!

2. Ministry focuses on who God is!

We live in a world we so many competing voices that it is not easy for even the most devoted Christian to eliminate the “noise” of the world and seek the Lord. But if we fail to direct our attention to who God is and his power to change our lives, then we have really missed the mark!

3. Practicing Spiritual Disciplines is Imperative

The Bible nowhere teaches us to do certain things in order to gain salvation! It is not in the Book! But, many times we are admonished to pray, to read the Word, to congregate with God’s people and to love and care for each other. These are called “spiritual disciplines” and the more we make them an active part of our daily walk, the more we will adopt the mindset of godliness! That mindset is what we strive for every day! We long to be more conformed to the person of Christ in our daily basis. BUT, that lifestyle does not come easy! It requires spiritual discipline to say “yes” to somethings, and “no” to that which hinders us.

Final Thoughts

Wherever I have had the privilege of serving, South America, English Speaking Quebec, Alberta, or Southern Ontario, believers all have the need to continue to grow in Jesus! I have not met one who has completely arrived, we are all “under construction!” Let’s strive together to become all that God desires us to be for his glory!

God bless,

Pastor Bill

The Motivation for Ministry

The Motivation for Ministry

Too often those who represent God and his message have used their platform as a means of gaining popularity and financial success. I am in no way saying that a Pastor or Christian worker should not get paid BUT that should never be the principal motivation for serving!

First Peter, chapters 1 and 2, teach us that the primary motivation for serving the church is to feed God’s people spiritually. That should always be first! However God blesses after that is accomplished, is His business. Pastors are to be first and foremost faithful servants.

Pastors, we are not in the ministry for ourselves! We serve God’s people for their blessing and benefit. May our principal motivation be to bring glory to God as his people grow spiritually under our ministry.

Attention Getters

Have you ever noticed how much competition there is every day for your attention, and your money? It is really incredible the battle that goes on to captivate your passions. Advertisers frame their publicity in such glowing personal tones that one ends up becoming personally and emotionally attached to things. Take for example vehicle advertisements that make the purchase of that particular car or truck to be the absolute fulfillment of all you have ever dreamed to have in life! Fast food ads speak of their edible goods in terms of contentment onthe moral level for eating a certain hamburger or sandwich.  

The truth is that we need to get around and we need to eat. We want a reliable vehicle and good food to follow the examples we just shared. But these can never bring us the ultimate satisfaction we crave as they are advertised.  We are fall in the deceptive trap thinking that they actually can deliver true happiness and satisfaction. How in the world can things created give to us creatures any sense of contentment or joy in life? But that is what the world tries to sell us every day! And...you and I fall for it!  

Psalm 146 is God's antidote for that erroneous thinking. After the declaration by the psalmist to praise the Lord has long as he has breathe, he challenges our tendency to trust, to find satisfaction, to find joy in that which does not last forever. If we have the choice between trusting in that which is temporary versus trusting that which is eternal, what do we choose? If you will allow me to ask, , what do you choose?  Is it not true that we try to get satisfaction out of that which could never give it to us! The Rolling Stones had it right, "I can't get no satisfaction."   

Psalm 146:3 says, "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation."  Human beings are tempted to trust in the temporary every day. The advertising industry is built on this premise. They are experts at awakening that part of you that yearns to be satisfied.  But the great 'shell game' in that is that what you think you are going to get is impossible from that source no matter how attractive it is. Why? Because it is temporary. Verse 4 says, "When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish." That is a short term investment.   

How much better to find real, lasting, deep satisfaction,and real joy in the One who can actually deliver the goods. 'The goods' being that which can bring us true satisfaction and joy in this life and in the next. Verse 5 says, "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God," This is truly incredible! Our hope, or our trust in is God, the writer mentions the God of Jacob. Jacob is that Old Testament character whose life was dramatically turned upside down by his encounter with God, you can read about it in Genesis 32:22-32. Jacob was trusting in what he could do, in fact his desire to get his father's inheritance lead him to trust in his mother's plan. But God met him, touched his life and Jacob took God as his hope and treasure. Only God could fill him with the satisfaction that he previously sought in a temporal blessing.   

This God who asks us to trust him is described in Psalm 146:6, as the One "who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever..." Then we have a litany of examples given as to how God provides now and eternally for people's needs. He is  the One in whom we find all of true, lasting satisfaction in life. As I read this Psalm I find myself indignant with my own shortsightedness in trying to manufacture my own contentedness with anything I could purchase with money.   

One of my favourite television programs when I was a small child was Captain Kangaroo (yes, that does date me!). He would always say at the end of the show, ""You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool Mom." All of us, including Moms, can be fooled into thinking that anything this world has to offer us will bring us such satisfaction that it will last forever. Only God can truly offer that. What are you trusting or hoping in today?

What Does God Want Me to Do?

"What does God want me to do?" Have you ever asked that question? A friend said to me recently, "I cannot tell you what God's will is for you." I appreciated that. Many times people do try and help us in this area, and at times we are left scratching our head.  The question of knowing and living in God's will is something that we grapple with in many areas of life. From our vocation, to family issues, to how we spend our money, to how we discipline our children, and in many other areas we want to know what God has to say. Does the Bible have anything to say about this?


God says a lot about it, let me give you some biblical principles when it comes to this area of life:

1. Seek God first - we many times put the cart before the horse.  We want to know God's will instead of getting to know God as priority. James 4:3 talks about people who put their own desires first then conveniently forget about seeking God first. In Matthew 6 as Jesus gives the principles for living under God's rule, he underlines the importance of seeking God first (verse 33) before seeking any other thing in life.


2. Know God's Word - What does God have to say about the issue you are facing?  For example, the word of God may not tell you the name of the person you are to marry but it does give you principles for discovering who he/she may be.  It may not tell you what type of job you should look for but it certainly tells you how God has wired you to serve Him. The important thing is to grow in your knowledge of the Word and in intimacy with God.


3.Grow in Community - If I think that I have the gift of teaching I should be a part of community that will affirm that or lovingly tell me that I don't have that gift.  I believe strongly in the local church (or a small group within that church) recognizing and affirming the gifts God has given to us. In fact in Acts 13 we read of Barnabas and Saul(later to be known as Paul) being sent out as missionaries from the church of Antioch.  It seems that they were involved in the ministry of that church and then God confirmed in the hearts and minds (verse 2) of the church that these men should be sent out to serve God and reach the unbelievers with the gospel (verse 3). If the church does not recognize one's gifts then that ought to indicate to us God's direction for this moment in time.


When you ask next time, "What do you want me to do, Lord?", know that this is a great question and a great place to start is talking to God about it.  When we sincerely seek him he will lead us in his ways. Psalm 23:1-3 reflects this truth in a beautiful way,
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me like down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for
his name sake."
The bottom line is that we are asking God to lead us in his path for the glory of His name!

The Great Deception

I have been deceived.  That is quite a statement to begin this blog, is it not?  For my entire life of walking with our Lord I have equated my knowledge of theology, my reading of the Scripture with making progress spiritually. But I have missed the point. Those things are well and good, necessary even. But they can never be substituted in for growing in intimacy with the Lord. 

To grow in intimacy with the Lord is the goal of the Christian life. When the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3 “that I may know Christ and the power of his resurrection” he was talking about growing in intimacy with Christ.  In this chapter he talked about all the things that had become his “claim to fame.” He had a very impressive resume that included spiritual activity that brought “ooos” and “ahhhs” from those around him. However impressive, none of those things helped him grow in intimacy with the Lord.

What is your claim to fame? Your theological training? The church you attend? Maybe you have memorized all kinds of verses from the Bible. My own spiritual heritage was marked by a form of legalism that declared you were okay with God if you followed the ‘do’s and don’ts’. The truth of the matter is that our only claim to fame that is worth anything before the Lord is the fact that we are His! In looking at those things in his past Paul plainly stated in Phil. 3:8, “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things (his claim to fame) and count them as rubbish.” The question that burns in my heart is this, how does one get to that point in their spiritual journey?

How can I look at all my accomplishments and say that they are rubbish? What would motivate me to consider my past as garbage?  For Paul there was something more important, more dear to his heart than anything he had every accomplished. That something became a someone, Jesus Christ.  It was important now for Paul, and for every son and daughter of God, to know Jesus more than any other thing or person in life.  

The crux of the matter is that we should know more theology, and we should be faithful at reading our Bibles. BUT these should be disciplines by which we get to know Christ more. These ought to never stand apart from the greater goal of knowing Jesus; they ought to lead us to love him more.  The commentator Matthew Henry states that this knowledge of Christ is an “experimental acquaintance with Christ.” It is personal, and it is something that we experience because of Christ’s resurrection. It is what we experience in growing more and more in Jesus.

Recently, my wife and I drove the Beartooth Highway. This road has been classified as one the 10 most scenic highways in the United States. On its route between Montana and Wyoming, one must drive on U.S. Highway 212 slowly climbing from 5,000 feet above sea level until you reach the top at 11,000 feet. There are switchbacks going all the way up in order to make that climb. The Christian life is like driving on switchbacks. The goal is to know Christ, to grow in intimacy with him, to strive each day to know him better and more fully than the day before but then comes another switchback when it seems that we are not making progress at all. The apostle Paul expressed our goal in Phillippians 3:14, “I press on toward the goal (knowing Christ) of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” We keep on striving with the goal of knowing Christ clearly ahead of us.

The deception that I have experienced is in thinking that the exercise of spiritual disciplines is enough. No, they are not, they are tools to help me achieve the ultimate goal, to know Christ and I dare not confuse the two. When I do then I am off track and end up with a false knowledge of God and not the real thing. Our prayer ought to be that we continue to grow in the intimacy of knowing Jesus.

If I am a Bible teacher in a seminary, my goal ought to be not only that my students learn the material I am teaching but that they grow in knowing Christ better. My goal as a pastor is not just that my people learn to have a daily quiet time but that in that quiet time they are knowing Christ more. My goal as a church member is that I personally am growing to become like Jesus.

May God help us to see the real goal for which he has made us his own! God bless!

Keep the Water Flowing

Pastor Tim Keller twitted recently, “Our hearts are like a bucket of water on a cold day – they will freeze over unless we regularly smash the ice that is forming.”

It got me to thinking, how often do I find that my own heart has frozen over?  When that happens, communication (fellowship) between myself and God seems to be cut off.  So the question I want to pose is this: How can we keep the water of our spiritual lives flowing without the stoppage of ice blocking communication with God?

One example of a church, a group of God’s people, who experienced this blockage, is the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22. This is Jesus' evaluation of this church. We have this evaluation recorded for all time. What would Jesus evaluation be of our church or our life? Thank God that it is not written in Scripture for all to read for all time!  Revelation 3: 15-17 reads, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”

As I read these verses the question that popped into my brain is, “how could they not realize that they were in such a desperate situation?” Then, I remember, how many times do I live in sin and not realize the desperate situation I am in?  Sin is the great deceiver; it promises satisfaction and never delivers! One would think that I am spiritually sensitive enough to know when I have fallen in the eyes of the Lord. But we don’t because, as Tim Keller says, the water in our bucket has frozen over.
There are at least  6 principles, 3 negative and 3 positive, that will help us to smash the ice in our spiritual walk to keep the water flowing.

      3 things that cause the water of our spiritual lives to freeze

            1.     Unrepentant sin – Psalm 66:18 “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
                 the Lord would not have listened.”

2.      Lack of Intimate walk with God – we go through the motions of attending church, do what we should but lack the passion that comes from a daily encounter with the Lord

3.      Unforgiving attitude toward others – Jesus said in Matthew 5:21-26 that if we know that things are not right between you and another member of the family of God that we are to leave the gift and be reconciled to that person. We must avoid holding grudges. The old phrase that says ‘let’s bury the hatchet’ in regards to repairing relationships is good as long as we don’t remember where the hatchet is buried so we can use it against the other person when they mess up the next time!

What things can we do in a positive way to keep our relationship with God flowing?

1.      Have an active, daily dependence in God.  The apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,”  He knew that he needed to live by daily depending on the Lord in order to keep moving ahead to becoming all God desired for him. What does daily, active dependence on God look like? A. Meet with God daily. No Christian can survive spiritually if he is not growing on a daily basis. B. Trust God when you don’t understand what he is up to. There are times when I come to the proverbial fork in the road. At these times we need to follow his clear leading.

2.      Find our satisfaction in God ALONE

      We human beings tend to blame others for what is lacking in our own lives. This can be true in husband-wife relationships, as well as in many other relationships we have. We can’t understand why our spouse is the way he/she is because he/she is not meeting our emotional needs. Because we are not satisfied in God alone, there is no person on the planet who can meet that need! It is only when I am satisfied in God that I can let the other off the hook for their shortcomings.

3.      Keep moving forward one step at a time, one decision at a time. 

      God is continually teaching us.  I remember when summer was over and be back in the classroom in the fall thinking, “Will I ever do anything else in September other than sit in a classroom?” Have you ever thought that?  With God, we are always in the classroom; we are always growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 Peter 3:18.  The book of Proverbs is all about growing in wisdom to become a person of wisdom through the decisions we make every day. Don’t allow sin to slow you down! Proverbs 24:16 says, “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” Confess your sin, ask God to give you victory of it and keep on walking in the grace and victory He has given to you in Jesus!

Conclusion
How are you doing spiritually today? Are you freezing up, as Pastor Keller mentioned, or are you continuing to smash the ice that is forming so that the water can freely flow? May the Lord give us wisdom and grace to keep on keeping on for His glory!

Happy or Holy?

     What makes you happy?  Being with friends?  Eating your favourite food?  Watching a good movie?  The theme of happiness dominates our society.  Do whatever you like, when you like, where you like!  If anyone gets in your way, then you can rain on that person’s parade for getting in your way.  How dare they stop you from being happy?  But, what about when God draws the line in the sand?

     There is a higher priority than being just being happy.  I like to be happy, I love it when my sports teams win and don’t like it when they lose.  However, whether they win or lose, or whether I get to eat my favourite flavour of ice cream is irrelevant to God’s goals for my life.  This is where the proverbial ‘rub’ comes in life. Many people, including some who profess faith in Christ, have not discerned between God's measurement of contentment and our desire to just be happy. We often miss the point. 

     God’s priority is character development by which we grow to reflect His own.  He takes us from being self-centered people who are all about the good time and moulds us into people who are all about Him.  The apostle Paul talks about this in his first letter to the Corinthians. Specifically, he deals with the cultural right that people had to make themselves happy by eating meat that had just been offered as a sacrifice to a pagan idol. "Just look at that meat, it is almost talking to us, “Eat me! I am delicious barbecued!” But Paul says there is a greater priority than enjoying a tasty steak.  The thing that was more important was that some people’s conscience would not allow them to eat that meat. So if you put yourself first and not think about that person, you would actually be sinning against Christ! These younger Christians had not yet come to the place of a proper understanding that the idol was nothing and therefore they could be free to eat the meat.  Paul’s point was that their Christian lives were not about making themselves happy!There was and is a greater goal.

     This ‘right’ we think we have to be happy extends to the local church too.  The unity of the body is a principle that Paul, and other New Testament authors, wrote about a lot. A person who seeks to develop godly character puts the local church as her goals over their own personal comfort. If the music is not exactly my type but God is being exalted, Praise God! If the Pastor was a little too long or too personal or too boring, or if someone sat in their spot, people who are trying to grow spiritually to develop godly character respond in a way that would edify the whole church.  Our consumer mentality to be happy seems to be unaffected by the fact that God calls us to be united in Christ, to serve one another, care for one another, and love one another.  Local church leaders love to lead people whose goal it is to have godly character as their number one goal in life. That is contagious and the whole body catches it!  Local church leaders also must be growing in godly character as well lest they speak in ways that are less than helpful.  

     The goal for the Christian life is to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind and each other likewise. When we adopt those qualities of being like Christ, happiness becomes a by-product of living for God.  I can't get passed the fact that the majority of the Disciples that Jesus called to serve Him and His people had their lives ended at the hands of those who sought to extinguish their message from the planet.  We in the Western world know very little about that kind of suffering.  But the one characteristic of each of those followers of Christ who gave up their lives for their Lord was joy!  Joy is the state of being content with life and with what God has given. Paul said, “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”

     There is joy in serving Jesus, the joy of growing to be all that he has designed us to be, and no fleeting circumstance could ever match that! For the Christian true happiness and contentment are found when we follow Jesus with ALL of our being. 

     Thanks for taking the time to read the blog! I welcome your response. God bless you! 

      

Important News from Argentina

Dear Prayer Partners,

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you for your fellowship in the gospel.."

These words from the pen of the Apostle Paul express my thoughts as I fly this afternoon to Santiago, Chile for our next field visit. Would you rejoice with me on what The Lord has done for us! We left Canada less than a week ago not sure of what would happen here. Our National Leadership Coordinator had a series of potential team members lined up for David Ruiz and I to interview. By the end of yesterday we were able to confirm God's calling to on 5 people.

The greatest challenge facing this team is importation of the shoeboxes. Pray specifically that the team would find a "non-government organization" that has the ability to import things into the country. Also, they are trying to get into have meetings with government officials since these are the people who have the last word on the issue.

David Ruiz and I are now in Chile. We are meeting with a woman tomorrow who has great experience with Operation Christmas Child in the U.S. and now lives in Santiago. Then Friday night and Saturday morning we are having vision casting meetings. Please pray that we would have a good selection of people from which to draw to reinitiate the ministry here.

Thanks again for standing with us! I will keep you informed as things develop.

For God's Glory,

Bill

Juan Pablo Bongarra, Host of "The Open Door" with David Ruiz (grey hair) Cristian Franco, new  NLT Argentina Co-ordinator

Argentina NLT

Finch Insider Prayer Team: South America Tour April-May 2013

Dear Prayer Team,

     Our Lord loves children! You know that. Remember when the followers of Jesus thought that kids were getting in the way and hence being a bother to him?  In one of the most interesting exchanges between our Lord and his followers, he tells them, "Hey, guys, get out of the way and let the kids hang around me for a while." Kids loved being with Jesus, they loved to hear him teach and they loved him because He loved them.  Did you know that is still true today?

     I am sure that most of you first heard about Jesus when you were a child.  Statistics tell us that the majority of Christ-followers made a decision for the Lord when they were under 13.  How wonderful it would be if we were to look at kids with the heart of Jesus!  Operation Christmas Child is about sharing the love of God with children in tangible ways while we share the good news of the gospel of Christ.  God is changing the lives of children all around the world through of OCC.

     A few weeks ago, I had the enormous privilege of attending Global Connect. This meeting of Operation Christmas Child staff and volunteers brought together people from 102 countries! We were celebrating the gifting of 100 million shoe boxes! Or, 100 million gospel opportunities in which kids heard the message of the gospel! Watch the video here: 100 Million Shoe Boxes

   This conference reminded me of the world wide impact this ministry has. That is why you are so important to me! Without your prayers, my efforts are in vain.  I need you more than ever.  Would you commit to begin to pray for me in the next 2 weeks especially as I visit 4 countries? Here is my schedule and how you can pray:

Argentina: April 21-24
1. Recruiting new National Leadership Team to lead the ministry. We have a team leader for whom we are thankful to the Lord.
2. Meetings with key leaders with the Argentina Bible Society and hopefully with government officials to expedite the importation of boxes.

Chile April 25-28
1. Recruiting new National Leadership Team to lead the ministry. We are starting from scratch here, so we will be holding vision casting meetings to begin the process.

Paraguay April 28-May 1
1. Reviewing the first season of ministry this team has had.
2. Encouraging and teaching the team as well.

Uruguay: May 1-May 4
1. Reviewing the strategic plan for this team
2. Encouraging and teaching the team.

    Pray for myself and my colleague, David Ruiz, as we travel and interact with these wonderful servants of God. It is our heart's desire to be a blessing to them and to encourage them in this ministry. Thank you for praying. Would you take two seconds and let me know you are praying? I will communicate that to our teams and it will be very encouraging to me and them!

    Also,  please pray for Deb as I travel.  We are now empty nesters and so when I travel she is alone. Pray that God would bless and keep her during this time! You can drop her an email too at deb.finch2008@gmail.com.

God bless you, my friends, I appreciate your fellowship in the Gospel!



 

Operation Christmas Child Canada- South American Team Leaders

The Blessings of Team Ministry

Receiving Award for Samaritan's Purse

Dear Prayer Family,

    If you are as old as I am, and I know some of you are so you will appreciate this illustration.  In the early 1970s, the Boston Bruins dominated the NHL (you remember the NHL, don't you?).  Phil Esposito set the NHL record for most goals in one season. But if you remember, it was Bobby Orr who was responsible for a lot of Phil's success. Many of Phil's goals were called 'garbage goals' because he scored many goals off rebounds or great end to end rushes by Orr.

     I have felt like that this week in Venezuela as I am on my way home from a blessed ministry trip. We were celebrating 10 years of Operation Christmas Child here, I am travelling with plaques and recognitions given by the National Leadership Team to the Team at Samaritan's Purse who collect shoe boxes of gifts for children from Teams of parents and children across Canada who send them to SP who sends them to the National Leadership Team who sends them to the Regional Leadership Teams who distributes them to churches who share them with children! Now I would call that TEAMWORK, wouldn't you?  This week I had the privilege of accepting an award that really goes to all the TEAMS that I just mentioned!

National Leadership Team Venezuela

    This week I met a TEAM of over 50 volunteers who work with local churches. Some of these dedicated soldiers for the cause of Christ live 10 hours or more away from the capital city of Caracas and came to receive training and instruction. These are the people who see the boxes distributed to churches and then to the children. What a wonderful group of servants! I will you could meet them.

    The National Leadership Team won a special place in my heart this week.  When I arrived in Valencia, Venezuela last week I did so without my suitcase arriving with me.  If you have travelled at all you will know how frustrating that can be.  For me, this is the second consecutive trip that this has happened. The last time was not so bad as the suitcase arrived the next day and was delivered to where I was staying.  However, that was not the case this week.  All of my clothes, both dress and casual were in it.  Since we had a elegant celebration for the 10th anniversary, I also brought my new suit.  But I could now wear it because I did not have it.  The NLT were very kind supplying some of my basic clothing and toiletry needs! I did go a few days without my usual morning routine as you will note in one of the pictures below.

Nice hair and new shirt!

     Thank you for being a part of this prayer TEAM, your prayers sustain me and encourage me. God was faithful and blessed! I appreciate you all greatly for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until know!

For God's Glory,

Bill

Ministry in Venezuela

Dear Prayer Partners,

     Psalm 62:8 says, "Trust in him at all times, O people;pour out your heart before him;God is a refuge for us."   This verse contains a number of things that run against my human nature.  First is the exhortation to 'trust'.  This is especially difficult when one has been hurt by someone else, trusting runs counterclockwise to how we feel.  Instead of trusting we hunker down and become introverted in our thinking and actions in order to protect ourselves from further damage.  God wants us to trust in Him at all times. When times are good and when times are tough, when people do us wrong and when people are glad that we are around. We are implored to pour out our heart before the Lord.  I know very few people to whom I would pour out my heart.  God is the One to whom we can trust to pour out our heart.  Romans 8:1 says that there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus! He will not condemn us, he understands that we are frail children in need of divine aid.  So trust him (I say to me too!)! We may not now the future, we may not know how a thing will turn out but we know He loves us and works all things for His glory and our good.

     I am on my way back to Venezuela tomorrow for 3 days of ministry. I have been given the privilege of speaking 3 times during the 10th anniversary celebration of the Operation Christmas Child ministry there. Please pray for my travels and my speaking ministry. My spoken Spanish is a little on the rusty side so I would appreciate your prayers for that.  I speak tomorrow afternoon at 4:30 pm, Friday morning at 7:00 am and at 3:00 pm. I fly out tomorrow morning at 9:10 am and arrive the next morning in Valencia, Venezuela at 11:00 am.  My return trip is leaving Sunday, November 4 at 11:45 am and arriving in Calgary next day at 7:10 pm.

     God bless you and your family! I appreciate you and thank God for your support of the ministry.

Thanks for being a part of the Team!

Bill Finch

Impacting the World One Child at a Time

Hello my friends, I wanted to share with you this impactful video that demonstrates God's love in a very tangible way! I pray it will be as impactful on you as it was on me.  I know some of you don't use facebook and I wanted to share this with you in this way! Thank you!  Deb and I love you! 

Finch Insider Prayer Edition from Chile

Thank you for your prayers during our time in Venezuela.  We had come with really no agenda other than getting to know the people on the team. God opened the doors to have two days of very meaningful dialogue  and sharing with them. I shared with you some of the God sized achievements that this team has achieved from 10 years of dedicated ministry.  Their goals are even bigger.  You may be aware of some of the political challenges facing this country. Our NLT leader showed a headline saying the the ruling party says the key to their socialist success is the indoctrination of the 7 plus million Venezuelan kids! Her goal is to reach them with the gospel FIRST!! Now that is something to pray for to knock holes in the spiritual darkness!

CHILE

The next couple of days we will be meeting with the leaders of our team here.  This team too has existed for 10 years and has some success. But that success has been limited to the leader's ability to share the work and develop those around him.  He and his wife have been faithful and we want to honour that.  For the team to grow to become more successful some adjustments need to be made.  Therefore, we are going to be having some crucial conversations this weekend.  Your prayers are necessary!

Pray for Deb and Erin at home.  Deb is doing well in her new job at Samaritan's Purse where she is part of the donor services team.  Erin is working for a couple from our church in their painting and redecorating business.

VERTICAL CHURCH

Pastor James MacDonald's book by that title has been blowing me away in the sense that he is saying stuff I have thought of for years!  Get the book you will be challenged and enriched.  Anyway, try this on for size, "We don't worship so that the preaching will be more impactful for us; we preach so that worship will be more impactful for God."  (page 170)

THANK YOU!

Finch Insider Prayer Edition: Venezuela and Chile

This week as I prepare for my next ministry trip, God has place me the classroom to learn some new lessons all over again.  Specifically, He is teaching me to point vertically!  How often I get caught up in the horizontal issues of life and neglect the vertical.  I read this morning about the transcendence and awesomeness of our God from Psalm 8, "When I look at your heaves, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man you care for him."  God is so above us, so transcendent, so awesome that we lose out when we refer to him as "the man upstairs"!  He is so greater than that! Our mission is wrapped up in calling the nations to join us in worshipping our Great King!

In service for the King we continue our South American tour as we visit Venezuela and Chile.  Both of these countries have been involved with Operation Christmas Child for 10 years.  They both have been used by the Lord to reach 100s of children for the Lord. My mission, then, is to get to know these teams better and understand their needs and how I can serve them.  I will be leaving this Sunday, September 23th and returning on October 3rd.  Here is my exact schedule so you can be praying for that:

Sunday, Sept. 23rd Leave Calgary @ 7:00am Arrive Toronto 12:44pm
                              Leave Toronto @ 16:25 Arrive Caracas 21:10

As far as visiting Venezuela is concerned here are some things to pray about.
1) This will be my first time ever in this country, pray for wisdom in picking up things I should and should not do there.
2) Pray for wisdom for me as I meet with the National Leadership Team and help them be more effective as they move forward. My colleague, David Ruiz, will be joining me so that will help me a lot learn about the team.
3) Pray that I would leave the 'fragrance of Christ' with the team.  I want to help each person grow in their personal relationship with the Lord.

I leave for Chile on Wednesday night-Thursday morning, it is a long flight with a connection and a bit of a layover in Lima, Peru. I will forward you prayer items for our time in Chile later next week.

Thank you for being a part of my prayer team!  It is awesome to join together to see God work in our and through us in these days.  If I can pray for you please do not hesitate to let me know, I have lots of time on planes and in airports to pray for you!

Your Servant for God's Glory,

Bill Finch  

Finch Insider Prayer Edition: Thank You!

THANK YOU!!
So much for joining me in prayer as I traveled in Paraguay and Argentina this past week!  Your ministry and dedication was invaluable. 

Now, can I count on you to pray for me as I count to serve God?  Next Sunday, I am going to Venezuela and then onto Chile.  There are always to pray about with all of my teams as they are at different stages of development. 

Stay tuned as your ministry in prayer is just beginning, I will keep you updated as to new ministry trips. 

I appreciate you all greatly,

Bill 

Picture taken before Argentina (blue and white shirt) played Paraguay (red and white shirt)
Did I mention that Argentina won the game!

David and Pablo, my ministry partners

Sharing the ministry of OCC with our new NLT Paraguay

Finch Prayer Bulletin Insider Edition from Argentina 2

Thank you for your prayers this past week! It has been a huge blessing to me personally.  Let me share with you what the Lord is doing in Argentina as far as the Operation Christmas Child world is concerned.

As I shared with you one of the biggest obstacles that we have faced here is the importation of the shoe boxes.  Tuesday afternoon we met with the Bible Society of Argentina. At this meeting there was the president and two of his top staff members.  We  shared the OCC ministry with them and they were very excited with the possibilities of its growth.  This organization has been here for over 100 years and has all the government ties we need to import the boxes.  There was an openess on their part to provide us with a data base of churches to contact, they are willing to be our consignee as well.

I mentioned that we were going to interview potential members of our National Leadership Team.  I learned a lot about when NOT to hold this type of meetings.  One is in the morning and the other is when the Argentina national soccer team is playing! Both of those happened. Despite that we had some good candidates with whom we will be following up in the days to come.

Our team of Pablo, David and I have really enjoyed our time together as we have served here in Paraguay and Argentina.  We have prayed, laughed, and ate together.  As we each go our separate ways tomorrow, we do so with a sense that God has begun a good thing in these countries.  There are some very important decisions to make, especially in Argentina.

Later today I begin the trip back home leaving Argentina at 4:45pm and arriving back in Calgary at 9:10am Mountain Time.

What to pray for?
1. Thank God for my co-workers, Pablo and David
2. For Paraguay team as they begin to step out and begin ministry there.
3. Thank God for the Bible Society of Argentina's willingness to help us in so many ways.
4. For important decisions to be made in the next while as we build the Argentina team.

Thank you for your encouragement during this week. I am home for a few days then take to the skies to Venezuela on Friday, September 21!

Your Fellow Servant in Christ,

Bill

Finch Insider Pray Bulletin: Argentina Edition

¡Buenos Dias! Good Morning!

Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina! It is wonderful to be here again, this is my 3rd trip "home" this year.
Perhaps the most important trip I have made here.  As you pray for our time here this week let me give you a little bit of background. Operation Christmas Child has been ministering here for 10 years.  Recently there have been many challenges that our team has faced.  One of the greatest ones is the problem of the importation of the shoeboxes, this has been a problem not just for our organization but for many ministries and even multi-national companies.  It is a government problem as they try and protect their national companies market from the invasion of inexpensive products from outside the country.  The government paints everyone with the same brush, they don't look at the fact that we are bringing aide to the poor children of their country.

The second thing that you need to know as you pray is that we are in the process of recruiting a new National Leadership Team that will be centered in Buenos Aires, the capital city of the country.  We want the team to meet on at least a monthly basis, something that has not been happening with the current team as they are so spread out all over the country.  We believe that Argentina has a huge potential to be able to import at least 10 containers of shoeboxes.  In order for that to happen, we are making adjustments to the team here.

Please pray for:

     1. Recruiting meetings that will take place tomorrow at 10 o'clock in the morning and at 7 o'clock in the  
         evening.
     2.  A good cross section of people who will come to the vision casting meetings, especially those with the
         gifts and talents to lead our team.
     3. For David, Pablo and I as we make contact with these people and are sensetive to the direction of the
        Spirit as we interact with people tomorrow.
    4. For a team to be named before we leave on Thursday.
    5. For God's blessing and intervention in the importation of the boxes.

Thank you for your prayers! I am delighted and thrilled by your participation in our ministry here!

Have a God filled day!
Bill

Finch Prayer Team Insider Report #4

Dear Prayer Team,

     Thank you for your prayer support during this week.  Our training sessions were wonderfully blessed by God in many ways.  Let me share a few with you

     1. My co-workers David and Pablo did a phenomenal job in their training sessions.  Their experience and wisdom in the ministry of Operation Christmas Child was invaluable to the team and for me.
     2. God is building a wonderful sense of camaraderie among this young team.  We do not take this lightly as we know how hard this is to achieve.  The individuals on the team come from different denominational backgrounds and some even from different social-economic backgrounds. But God has formed a team of people who like to be together!
     3. Perhaps the most exciting 'God moment' we experienced the last few days was how He brought to the team a Consignee to partner with us in the importation of the shoe boxes into the country. The director of this  organization has had a wonderful ministry of serving the poor of this country for many years. They do evangelistic campaigns and have a radio ministry.  Their director said to our team yesterday, "This is God's time for the children of Paraguay."  He asked forgiveness for concentrating so much on ministering to adults and ignoring the needs of children.  There is a growing awareness on our team of the great challenge before them to reach this generation of kids for Christ. 
     4. Please pray for the Paraguay team now that they have received the instruction on how conduct the ministry.  I know that some left the meeting today wondering how they were going to put it all together. We have all the confidence in God that they have the gifting and desire to impact this nation for the Lord. 

     Tomorrow is a new chapter on this trip, at 5:00pm we travel over to Argentina where there is a different set of challenges awaiting us there.  I will send you more information about that tomorrow.  

     You are a huge blessing to me!  Thank you so much for praying for me, I appreciate greatly the relationship I have with you through many years of serving the Lord together.  

In His love and for His Glory,

Bill