Calvary Assembly of God - Winter Haven

Calvary Assembly was our destination for August 31, 2005. It was a tremendous blessing that brought to a close a month of blessings. An interesting fact about Calvary, it is pastored by Denny Postell. He is the son of Pastor Dennis Postell at Abundant Life in Punta Gorda. You may have read about both pastors in a Pentecostal Evangel article after Hurricane Charlie hit Punta Gorda in 2004 (Click Here to read the article).

We had a wonderful time at Calvary. Our itineration table was crowded with children of all ages, and many of their parents. It is always a blessing to see children being drawn in by the movie The GodMan.

We had the benefit of a brief window to present our ministry to the congregation. The response was wonderful. It really is a blessing to go from church to church and continue to have an abundance of love poured out upon us.

After our window, Pastor delivered a service that expressed the need for Christians everywhere to help those in need. His expressed point was to energize the church to get involved in providing aid and relief to those in the southern USA who are struggling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. It was a moving service, including the presentation of photos that showed examples of the devastation and those struggling to survive.

With service complete, we were able to spend about 45 minutes talking to members of the congregation at our table in the lobby. This is always fun and allows for a more intimate exchange than is possible in the service. As always, Rebecca made many new friends.

The Brown Family Chronicles - August 2005

The following link will take you to our August 2005 newsletter. http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n8.pdf.

What is a Jacaranda?

Jacaranda? The first time I saw the word, I had a serious case of huh. I have never heard or see the word before. I began to wonder what exactly a Jacaranda was. We first saw the word Jacaranda as we were driving south on Interstate 75. We were on our way to Port Charlotte for a Sunday morning service. Over the course of the next several weeks, we either crossed or drove down Jacaranda two to three times each week. Then it struck me...Jacaranda must mean "a place from which blessings flow." After all, this was August and we were in our first district-scheduled section. And each service was the revelation of new blessings. Blessings of love! Blessings of worship! And blessings of finances! Every time we crossed or drove down Jacaranda, we received blessings.

As is generally the case, reality is sometimes different than our initial perceptions. It turns out a Jacaranda is a tree, and a guitar, and a golf course, and a hotel. Nevertheless, to the Brown family, Jacaranda will always be a reminder of the tremendous blessings we received from Section 13 in the Pen-FL district of the Assemblies of God. Out gratitude goes out to Pastor Gary Gray of Venice Assembly and all the pastors from Section 13 who came together to make August 2005 a truly blessed month.

Ministry Update

Today marked the restart of one of our ministry efforts - Kids Club and Sidewalk Sunday School. Pastor Teresa Bullard hosted a volunteer breakfast this morning where we explained the various opportunities that exist both throughout the week and on Saturdays. I was able to share our format for Saturday's Kids Club program and encourage those new folks in attendance to get involved with us.
Since we are no longer involved in foster care, Tammy is able to take a more active role in our ministry work. While I will continue to fulfill my every Saturday duties, Tammy will be serving with Pastor Teresa every Monday and as needed on Saturdays. It is exciting to be able to hang on to this tremendous children's ministry opportunity while we complete our itineration.

Ministry Brief - August 2, 2005

Wayne is currently active in co-facilitating a Tuesday night Men's Bible Study at Victory Church. Wayne's work with the Saturday inner-city children's ministry at the Freedom Center in Lakeland is about ready to restart, wtih the annual Back to School bash scheduled for August 6. That outreach, called Kid's Club, is an offshoot of Victory's Sidewalk Sunday School program. Each week between 60 and 200 children enjoy 90 minutes of action-packed ministry with a powerful message about how God loves them.

The Brown Family Chronicles - July 2005

The following link will take you to our July 2005 newsletter.
http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n7.pdf.

Itineration Progress - July 25

Candidate School and School of Missions are now complete. The Brown family is back in Lakeland and has returned their focus to itineration and ministry planning.

Wayne's first day back in town included a day-long meeting with the team at Book of Hope to work on the strategy for how The GodMan will be incorporated into the existing Book of Hope ministry infrastructure. It is a blessing to see how God is opening doors for this new ministry tool and how eagerly those in the field are receiving it and are ready to use it in their efforts to reach lost children and youth for Christ.

Rebecca's school started back the last week she was in Springfield, so she returned home with school already in progress. She has settled right into school and is enjoying each day. Rebecca continues to be the light and joy of every church service as her smile and unconditional love for others shines through to everyone she meets.

The Brown Family Chronicles - June 2005

The following link will take you to our June 2005 newsletter.
http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n6.pdf.

Foster Care Update - June 13, 2005

Today was a bittersweet day. Our last foster child, Tonisha, went to live with her adoptive family. Tonisha, who is now six-year-old, has been a part of our family since she was one-month-old. Please keep her and her new family in your prayers. Pray for an easy adjustment for everyone.

The Brown Family Chronicles - May 2005

The following link will take you to our May 2005 newsletter.
http://hqmail.agmd.org/~wayne.brown/TheBrownFamilyChroniclesv1n5.pdf.