Equipping Christian Leaders to Fulfill the Great Commission

8 March 2007

WELCOME Aletheia Joy Wilson!

Aletheia (ə-lay´-thē-ah), our 5^th girl in a row, brings the girls into the majority in the Wilson family, but her 4 brothers don’t seem to mind!

At 3am last Saturday morning (March 3), God blessed our family with the safe delivery of another baby girl! Aletheia is absolutely beautiful and so sweet and quiet. Her name means “truth,” a value which is not honored in the world but which is part of the nature of our “God of truth” (Isaiah 65:16). We know from experience that it is difficult to uphold truth in this world, so we added the middle name, “Joy.” It is our desire as parents to see Aletheia “rejoice in the truth” (I Corinthians 13:6) and bring that joy to us as we see her “walking in the Truth” (3 John 1:4).

The Fun Side of Church-Planting

After several newsletters and emails describing our calling in ministry as spiritual warfare, it would be only fair to mention that there are many joys to pastoral ministry! One of my greatest joys in this Kansas venture has been to see young men growing in the knowledge of the truth. Let me tell you about Chris:

After growing up in the Christian Science religion, Chris came to Christ as a teenager around the time he left for college. He got settled in Manhattan, and a house-mate who had heard about us through a church missions conference in Wichita encouraged him to visit Christ The Redeemer Church.

Over coffee a week or so later, Chris told me that he wanted to learn more about his new faith and how to defend it. I suggested he write up a list of questions and meet with me once a week to see what the Bible has to say about each question.

The questions started with differences between us and Christian Science: Why do we have elders? What is a Biblical understanding of the material and spiritual worlds? What about medical care? Speaking in tongues? The end times?

In the process, two other young men plus my two oldest sons joined the weekly apologetics discussions. We are currently going through a book called God’s Hammer, on the inspiration of the Scriptures. After studying the first chapter, Chris mentioned how helpful it was to him in responding to someone at the university who challenged his belief in the Bible! Please pray for Chris and the six other young men in our church as they engage the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ, whether at their high school or at Kansas State University, or at Fort Riley – and beyond!

Kid’s Corner: Beniah

Last September, Josh, Amos, Papa, Grandpa and I did a manhood hike for my coming of age. We backpacked in the Smoky Mountains near the Tennessee and North Carolina border. I am almost 14 now and am almost done with 8^th grade. That means that I can almost start driving practice in Kansas! After we moved here, Josh and I took a Debate class with some other homeschoolers in the area and participated in three state-wide debate tournaments. I have greatly improved since August when we started. We still have one or two more tournaments left. Pray that we will do well. I like Kansas and have made several friends here. Amos and I have started a String Ensemble with a couple other kids at our church. I am also excited about our new baby. I have more chores (i.e. kitchen work) since Mama is in bed recovering from the birth, though. Please pray that I will continue to do well in my studies.

Prayer Corner

Praise God for the safe arrival of Aletheia! Pray that we can be good parents and that Aletheia will grow to love God with all her heart. Pray also for our son Beni to grow in godly manhood and continue his work with the faithfulness that characterizes him.

 Please keep praying for the development of relationships with neighbors and for opportunities to share the Gospel with them. Pray that God would raise up enough interest in His timing that we could start a neighborhood Bible study.

 Praise God for the wonderful young men and women He has gathered into fellowship at Christ the Redeemer Church, and pray that the church would continue “to grow as God causes it to grow” (Col. 2:19).

 Also, please pray for good health for our family. One or another of us has been sick almost non-stop since the beginning of the year, and this is wearing on us!

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Donations: Christ the Redeemer Church, POB 1007, Manhattan, KS 66505 * 785-537-9377 * www.ctrchurch-mhk.org

Home: Nate & Paula Wilson, * www.NateWilsonFamily.Net