[ag-news] AG NEWS #2363: November 10, 2014 ---------------------------------------------------------------- AG-NEWS: Monday, November 10, 2014 Please send story leads to [email protected] for consideration ---------------------------------------------------------------- **Pastors See Positives in Casino Vote Two AG pastors, see their efforts to keep casino out of their communities rewarded in unexpected ways. Through their partnership with community groups and other denominations, relationships formed that had little opportunity of forming prior to the effort. Although legislation to bring casinos into Massachusetts remains, churches now shifting gears to prepare for the challenges casinos historically bring to communities. **Christian Parents Find Hope in Dealing With Rare Disorder Parents with children with Kabuki Syndrome often have difficulty finding emotional support and medical treatment of rare disease. However, small AG church in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, has become gathering place for families from around the nation, with members suffering from the disease, to come and learn as well as build friendships with those facing similar challenges. Church also seeing community members with special-needs kids turning to the church for acceptance and love. **This Week in AG History -- November 10, 1957 Eight language branches were formed in the Assemblies of God from 1944-1953 to allow Pentecostal immigrants whose mother tongue was not English to organize themselves. Branches included Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Yugoslavian, Italian, Greek and Philippine. As churches matured and moved into second and third generation, most of the churches joined geographic districts and the language branches dissolved. Read this historic edition of the Pentecostal Evangel and its account of the Greek District Council along with other stories by James Van Meter, Elva Johnson, the new Central Assembly in Springfield, Missouri, and more! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Bad Advice/Good Advice . . . Its Your Choice Run away from your problems and youll be happy. Ignore your problems and theyll go away. Some bad advice is easy to recognize, but not always easy to break free from. If your marriage is struggling, stop running and recognize that change is needed! Discover whats best for your marriage with the proven methods of MarriageRestored. After just one weekend, youll see the incredible difference good advice can make! Click on youtube/watch?v=-qfcbVsHHmU and see what MarriageRestored can do for you! Find a weekend and register today at marriagerestored. Upcoming events: November 14-16 — West Palm Beach, Florida. February 27-March 1 — Lafayette, Indiana. See website for more dates and locations. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- **PASTORS SEE POSITIVES IN CASINO VOTE For more than a year, Pastor David W. Searles, a founding member of Friends of East Boston, and Pastor David Martinez, a founding member of Friends of Revere, have been working with their communities to prevent casino gambling from coming to nearby Suffolk Downs racetrack — which is partially located in both communities (see s2.ag.org/casino for story). Searles, pastor of Central Assembly of God Church in East Boston (cag.boston), and Martinez, pastor of Tabernaculo Evangelico de las Asambleas de Dios (abernaculoevangelico) in Revere, saw their efforts rewarded in an unexpected way that signaled a victory for them. In mid-September, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission made an unexpected decision when it voted not to award Suffolk Downs a casino license. Searles explains that the surprise was based on previous decisions by the gaming commission. We all felt that Suffolk Downs, which is located only about a mile away from both my and Pastor Martinezs churches, was going to have a casino no matter what we did, he says. Were very grateful for God for that [surprise decision]. Its the bright light that has happened in the whole process so far. The disappointment, however, is that the gaming commission chose to give a casino license to Wynn Resorts and its planned casino in Everett, which is about five miles away from the churches. In addition, Searles, Martinez and a host of other churches had come together with community members in an attempt to repeal legislation that allowed casinos to operate in Massachusetts, which was placed before voters on the November 4 ballot. We were gaining ground with strictly a grassroots movement and our Faith for Repeal website, Searles says, but then the casinos television, radio and print advertising began hitting the media in September. My understanding is they spent $7 million on promoting it, while we really didnt have any funds to do that kind of media blitz. The measure to repeal legislation that allowed casinos into Massachusetts failed, 60-40 percent. Searles says that the casinos and politicians made a lot of promises in order to convince people to approve bringing casinos into Massachusetts. He said that the community groups the churches joined with plan to hold them to their promises. I am greatly disappointed that we didnt win, Searles says, but I see this movement as a prophetic movement — we spoke the truth in love about the reality of what casinos will bring. When the casinos come, that witness is still going to be there, its not going away — the community and politicians will know we spoke the truth. But for now, Searles says its time for the faith community to refocus and ready itself for what casinos historically bring — lost jobs, increased crime, increased gambling addictions, increased personal bankruptcies — and do its best to prepare to minister to those who will suffer as a result. Martinez agrees, but adds that through this process he has become a voice for the Hispanic community in the area — which up to now, had no voice. Its no longer just about the casino [gambling], Martinez says, its also about giving a voice to the Hispanic community. As Searles reflects on the last year of effort, despite the failure to repeal the law, he recognizes that a lot of good has resulted. The communities actually came to the churches to ask for our involvement — that was huge, he says. Then we had more than 300 faith leaders, from a broad spectrum of beliefs, including a lot of AG ministers, sign up to be a part of this effort. This not only gave us a unique opportunity to rub shoulders and develop relationships with those of differing faiths, but with those with no faith at all. --Dan Van Veen ---------------------------------------------------------------------- **CHRISTIAN PARENTS FIND HOPE IN DEALING WITH RARE DISORDER By the time she left the hospital four months after her birth, Lilly Ingrams medical bill totaled $1 million. In the eight years since, another $1 million in surgeries and treatments have accrued. Lilly has had operations on her eyes, heart, ears and hips because of a rare condition called Kabuki Syndrome, which occurs in one of 32,000 live births. It affects every cell and system in my daughters body, from her skin to her heart to her hair, says Lisa Ingram, Lillys mother. The younger years are the hardest because the kids bodies grow at a slower rate. It takes our kids longer to coordinate what most of us take for granted — coordinating breathing, chewing, swallowing. Because Kabuki Syndrome is rare, parents sometimes have difficulty finding both emotional support and medical treatment. Lisa Ingram and her husband, Kerry, live in Mukwonago, Wisconsin. Their neighbors are Mike and Melinda Pieart. Mike is pastor of Orchard Hill Assembly of God in Mukwonago and Melinda Pieart, the congregations family life pastor, is a former special education teacher. The Piearts two daughters befriended Lilly. As the neighbors became better acquainted, the Ingrams began attending Orchard Hill AG. Lisa Ingram lamented that she didnt have the opportunity to interact with other families dealing with Kabuki Syndrome. Mike Pieart offered the church as a meeting spot for families to gather from around the nation. Lisa Ingram went to work inviting knowledgeable doctors and therapists from Childrens Hospital in Milwaukee to speak at a carnival at the church last summer. The second annual carnival in July drew nearly two dozen extended families, more than twice as many attendees as last year, to the small town 20 miles west of Milwaukee. The church provided inflatables, carnival games, prizes, and toys for Kabuki kids and their siblings, plus meals and crafts. The gathering offered a setting for relatives of Kabuki Syndrome kids to meet face to face, and to hug, vent and grieve. The carnival is a place where we all have something in common, no matter the age or functionality of our child, Ingram says. She says that parents want their children to be accepted despite physical limitations and cognitive delays. Kabuki kids can be socially awkward, and sometimes loud. Yet they also tend to be sweet natured. My daughter is a blessing, Ingram says. She is extremely loving and accepts everyone. She sees the world as we all should see the world. Affected children have a similar appearance because of a chromosome mutation. Common physical traits include arched eyebrows, long and thick eyelashes, long openings of the eyelids, a flat and broadened tip of the nose, and large protruding earlobes. It is an epigenetic disorder that may be inherited or caused by environmental factors, such as chemical exposure. Yet the syndrome impacts each child differently because of familial genetic makeup. Frequently, gastrointestinal, heart, liver, kidney, bone, and joint problems manifest. Compared to other children, Kabuki kids are more prone to autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and especially anxiety. Families struggle financially because of the medical costs. Married couples struggle to stay together at all. As is often the case with special-needs children in the home, the divorce rate is high among parents. FINDING HOPE IN GOD Although Orchard Hill AG is a church of under 100 attendees in a village of only 7,430 people, the congregation has become the epicenter of Kabuki Syndrome support. Pieart believes the decision to reach out with an annual carnival is a divine calling that blesses families involved as well as the congregation as a whole. Were beginning to see a greater impact with other families who have special-need kids and are looking for a church home, Pieart says. They are looking for some sense of normalcy, for acceptance and love for their child. Thats what were called to do as Christians. Kabuki parents who are Christians realize their faith is what keeps them intact. Lisa Ingram has found a ministry calling as she offers hope to other parents around the country. My husband and I use what weve learned in the past to get us through, Ingram says. We take comfort in knowing that if we are having a bad day, God will give us another day tomorrow that might be better. We know God is in charge and we arent in control. Troy and Rene King believe support from other Christians has been imperative in the medical progress achieved by their Kabuki Syndrome daughter, Rikki, who turned 13 on August 2. Doctors told the couple that their daughter likely wouldnt ever walk, talk or eat on her own. She now does all three. Everything she has accomplished has been by prayer, says Rene, who is bookkeeper at South Anchorage (Alaska) Assembly of God. I know my friends and church family will pray, whether its for Rikkis body or for me emotionally. It gives me a lot of peace. The Internet is a lifeline for far-flung Kabuki parents, particularly for King in remote Alaska. Although she cherishes church family, friends and relatives, King says she feels a special rapport with other Kabuki moms, and maintains a website (allthingskabuki) to support families with prayer and practical help. There are days, King says, when she is distraught because of situations her daughter experiences: other children shunning Rikki because shes different; undergoing yet another medical procedure; being mistreated by other children even though Rikki has treated them kindly. But then I watch her during worship at church and see the joy she experiences in the house of God, King says. I rejoice when I hear others say they have witnessed the love of God through her. That reassures me that God has a plan for my daughter, and she will touch the lives of other people — because of Kabuki. --John W. Kennedy, Pentecostal Evangel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- **THIS WEEK IN AG HISTORY -- NOVEMBER 10, 1957 The Assemblies of God, during the 1940s and 1950s, formed eight language branches for immigrants to the United States. These branches functioned much like geographic districts, allowing Pentecostals whose mother tongues was not English to organize themselves and to better coordinate their ministries. Most of these new language branches were for immigrants from southern and eastern Europe: Hungarian (1944), Polish (1944), Russian (1945), Yugoslavian (1945), Italian (1948), and Greek (1953). The German Branch (established 1922) was the first language branch. The Philippine Branch (formed circa 1940) was the only language branch for non-Europeans formed during these early decades. All branches became known as districts in 1973. Hispanics have always been the largest non-English speaking group in the Assemblies of God in the United States. However, Hispanics had their own structure within the Assemblies of God and never identified using the term branch. The first Hispanic administrative structure was organized in 1918 as the Latin Conference of the Texas District. It was renamed the Latin American District in 1925. The last language branch to form, the Greek Branch, was actually a pre-existing network of Greek Pentecostal churches called the Hellenic Protogonos Apostolic Ecclesia (Greek Original Apostolic Church). The group was recognized as the Greek Branch by the Assemblies of God General Secretary on August 14, 1953. The Greek Branch disbanded in 1968. Most language branches served as a temporary cultural bridge for new immigrants to America. As their children Americanized and learned English, the churches founded by immigrants joined geographic districts and most language branches dissolved. The Pentecostal Evangel published numerous reports of the language branches over the years. The November 10, 1957, issue was no exception and carried news of the Greek Districts annual convention held in Oakland, California. Read the article, Greek Branch Holds Convention, by Gust Harbas, on page 30 of the November 10, 1957, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel. Also featured in this issue: * The Call of the Spirit, by James Van Meter * Springfields New Central Assembly * Lead Me to the Rock, by Elva Johnson And many more! Click here to read this issue now: s2.ag.org/nov101957. Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (ifphc.org). For current editions of the Evangel, see pe.ag.org. --Darrin J. 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Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 07:40:51 +0000
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