Winning Nations

A Family

September 2006: Pittsburg Kansas;  A family of church leaders representing their churches came together to seek God, strengthen relational bonds, and enjoy days of rich fellowship.  I am amazed at the goodness of our Lord in helping us during these days. Friendships are only as strong as they are tested, and these church friendships have stood through great testings.  A coming together and pushing forward together, was experienced during these days for all in attendance.   During these days it was as though the Spirit of God was orchestrating our time together, reconciling our pasts and pointing to our future.  Dave and Chris Richards and I had the opportunity of visiting most of these churches before this conference, and the time was rich in fellowship and friendship.  The leaders from these churches met at Covenant Harvest church in Pittsburg Kansas with Dave and Chris Richards for a capstone of meetings and finding the way together. These churches and leaders know the difficulties of past failures and obstacles, but one thing is sure; they are living like a real family and finding grace for each day.  A start has begun with many questions arising as to how to proceed together, but a willingness to find the road together.  Pictures below are as follows: Dave Richards with Pop Dan and Rachel; Dave Ministering to Doug and Denise Kreighbaum, Pastors of Covenant Harvest Church in Pittsburg Kansas; Jerry and Brenda Curry, Pastors from Victory church in Waverly Missouri; Denise Kreighbaum

Cherished Friends

it all started in Shelbyville, Missouri for this little Hippie kid when He met the lord in 1973.  Patty and were married in 1975 and moved to Kirksville in 1976, where we began to raise our family.  During that time we were leading a group of Christian Hippies in Kirksville called Agape fellowship.  Through the next twenty years we stayed in or around the Kirksville area and were a founding family in Covenant Life Fellowship.  Being a home group leader, deacon, elder, and then extra local team member, I began traveling to other churches from C.L.F. and the leadership team.  During this time we met Doug Kreighbaum, Tony Fajkus, Tom Bedford and many other wonderful brothers and sisters, working closely with them in a team context.  Looking backwards, it hasn't been an easy road but it has been a road where the realities and meaning of friendships have been tested.  I value these brothers and others like Dave Richards from Basingstoke England, and Anthony Earl from Chicago,  who bring accountability and security into my friendships and work in the Kingdom of God.  Today, in the Central United States, different churches are beginning to find common values and vision to build God's Kingdom as a family of churches.  Some of these relationships from my Kirksville days have gone on to pastor churches.  They are now helping to pioneer and build into this exciting chapter of kingdom building.  I get the privilege to travel from Sweden to these churches and see the coming together of old and new friends in a new day of God's grace.  Four times a year we meet to thrash about values and vision and issues regarding this emerging family.  Doug Kreighbaum puts together the initiative for these meetings and a yearly Leadership conference in Pittsburg Kansas.  Dave Richards has been instrumental in being an Apostolic voice into this new Paradigm, and Håkan Gniste from Uddevalla Sweden, has been a Barnabas, a pillar of strength and encouragement to this group.  Many of these brothers have come to Europe and Sweden to renew friendships with my family and meet new brothers in Europe and invest in new foundations in this part of the earth.  The Kingdom of God really is all about relationships and I would never want to do this without cherished friends.  You can see pictures from different friends in our USA photo album.   Below is a picture of Doug Kreighbaum, and Dave Richards.