Fwd: Warming the Cold

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Abundant Living Ministries <jnc.alm@58371457.mailchimpapp.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 3, 2026 at 1:03 PM
Subject: Warming the Cold
To: <info@gehmanmennonitechurch.org>

Copyright © 2026 Abundant Living Ministries, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted to receive our newsletter electronically rather than through the mail. Our mailing address is: Abundant Living Ministries 400 E. 4th Avenue Lititz, PA 17543 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Fwd: She kept unfolding the tiny outfit

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From: Lisa Hosler, Align Life Ministries <info@alignlifeministries.org>
Date: Tue, Mar 3, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Subject: She kept unfolding the tiny outfit
To: <gehmanmennonitechurch@gmail.com>

One heartbeat. One gift bag. One changed heart

Greetings! Alexis had recently miscarried. She had just ended her relationship with the baby's father and assumed she would have little support from her family. Abortion felt like the easiest way to move forward. She came to Align for a pregnancy test, but even the thought of an ultrasound felt like too much. During her appointment, she mentioned she was living with her aunt. Her client advocate gently encouraged her to share the news. To her surprise, her aunt responded with love and support. That encouragement gave Alexis the courage to return for her ultrasound. When she saw her baby's heartbeat, everything changed. Before she left, we gave her a small "new mom" gift bag. Inside was a tiny baby outfit. Alexis unfolded it, smiled, folded it back up … then unfolded it again. She did that five times, just smiling at that little garment. It made the future feel real. Today, Alexis is attending prenatal classes, learning practical parenting skills, and she is hearing about Jesus. She is also earning baby essentials as she prepares to welcome her child. In Matthew 6:25, Jesus tells us not to be anxious about what we will wear. Perhaps God used that tiny outfit to remind Alexis that He would provide. Because you give, women like Alexis have a safe place to process, see the truth on an ultrasound screen, and experience compassionate, Christ-centered support. Your generosity puts that tiny outfit in a trembling mother's hands. It keeps the ultrasound machine running. It keeps the door open for opportunities to share God's Word with young parents. Would you prayerfully consider giving today so another woman can move from fear to faith? We invite you to join us in championing life and the gospel. In the powerful, life-saving name of Jesus, Lisa Hosler President DONATE

Align Life Ministries | 131 South 8th Street | Lebanon, PA 17042 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice

Fwd: After the rain

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: EMM <micah.brickner@emm.org>
Date: Mon, Mar 2, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Subject: After the rain
To: <gehmanmennonitechurch@gmail.com>

Last January, a few months into dry season, I was getting tired of the view and the dust; everything was brown. I decided to plant a flower garden to bring some color to my world.

AFTER THE RAIN Last January, a few months into dry season, I was getting tired of the view and the dust; everything was brown. I decided to plant a flower garden to bring some color to my world. I planned out the area in our yard, but one strike of the shovel into the dry ground told me that this was not going to be easy. I poured bucket after bucket of water onto the area, but it was still no easy task to break up the hard, dry ground enough to get my flowers planted. But I did it. I planted a small flower garden and even found an old birdbath to put in the center. It is a place of beauty, and even the birds that visit bring another vibrancy to the yard.   READ MORE   DAILY PRAYER LANCASTER, PA. 1 | Join us in prayer for the Business Leaders' Breakfast on March 10. Pray that it would be a meaningful time of connection and learning for local business leaders. 2 | Pray that those celebrating Ramadan would experience a revelation of the gospel during times of prayer, fasting, and community gathering. 3 | Pray for the Afghan community in Lancaster. Pray that, for those celebrating Ramadan, they would experience a revelation of the gospel during times of prayer, fasting, and community gathering. 4 | Pray for the Nepali community in Lancaster. Ask God to provide for their needs and for the flourishing of their businesses and endeavors. Pray that they would have opportunities to learn about Christ in ways that are meaningful to them. 5 | Join J.C. Ebersole in prayer for All-nations Association of Bible Schools (AABS) as they begin to offer a new course on small business development. Pray for wisdom and much fruitfulness as it is developed and implemented among the schools. 6 | Pray for God to call volunteers for the programs at Neighbors Community Center, at Hub450, our building in Lancaster, PA. WEST AFRICA 7 | Pray for effective and humble partnerships between Western Christians and the vibrant sending churches in West Africa.  8 | Ask God for a deepening of relationships and gospel effectiveness for workers in West Africa, that they may share Jesus' love in culturally relevant ways, leading to genuine encounters with Christ. 9 | Pray for the Holy Spirit's "missional impulse" to drive forward new church multiplication movements in West Africa. 10 | Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead workers to the "one lost sheep" among the least-reached in West Africa until they are found.  11 | Pray for individuals and families to be called to join the work of leadership development and church planting in West Africa.  CENTRAL EUROPE  12 | Pray for the Holy Spirit to break down barriers to faith (like pride, apathy, distrust of organizations, etc.) that would enable the people in Central Europe to hear the words of Truth.  13 | Pray for God to call workers to join and strengthen the team in Germany. 14 | Pray for the Czech believers to rise up in faith and boldness to engage with their family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors, sharing testimonies of how God has transformed them. 15 | Pray for a movement of Central European people to come to know Jesus, for disciples who make disciples into the 3rd and 4th generation.  16 | Pray for EMM workers as they minister with and among the Czech people. CENTRAL ASIA 17 | Pray for believers who face persecution for their faith in Central Asia. 18 | Pray for groups of believers to form and develop among the minority groups of Central Asia, like the Uyghur and Dungan. 19 | Pray for innovative and unique church planting and discipleship models to reach the rural communities in Central Asia. 20 | Pray for unity among the believers and for workers to be sent into the harvest of Central Asia. 21 | Pray for God to send workers to the field to work in business for transformation and teaching English. SOUTHEAST ASIA 22 | Join Steve Horst and Bethany Tobin in prayer for the EMM team as they coach new workers in the Isaan Doorways Program. Pray for participants to thrive as they persevere in learning language and culture. 23 | Pray for workers to be called to Thailand, to work with displaced people from Myanmar. 24 | Join Brody and Abigail* in prayer for their support-raising journey as they prepare to serve in Thailand. Pray that they would be infused with energy for a busy year of work, meetings, and travel. Pray that they would continue to trust in the Lord and be aware of where He wants them to grow.   25 | Pray for traveling mercies and divine appointments for Donna and Gerry Keener during two weeks in Vietnam in March for Leadership training with Mennonite Church pastors and workers. 26 | Join Mark and Sarah Schoenhals in prayer for Life Enrichment Church as they seek to be intentional in identifying and developing house church leaders. Pray for Mark and Sarah as they support this endeavor. OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD 27 | Pray for God to call Advance program participants for the fall of 2026. 28 | Pray for Alan and Carol Wert's small group as they read whole Bible books together during this term in Cardiff, Wales. Pray that they grow in unity and insight.  29 | Join Jonathan Bornman in praising God that the documentary, "Unexpected Peace," is screening on WITF in March! Pray for the viewers to be touched by God through the message of the film. Pray for the dubbing and distribution of Unexpected Peace across Tanzania.  30 | Please pray for Phil and Linda Gottschalk as they begin a new semester teaching at the Baptist Theological Institute in Bucharest, Romania. Linda teaches Church History, and Phil teaches History of Christian Thought. Please pray for Ukrainian refugees who are a part of the R10 Ukrainian Church in Bucharest, Romania that Phil and Linda are involved in. Pray for them as they encounter many barriers.  31 | Pray for Peter and Christy's* ongoing ministry with refugees in France. Pray that their immigrant friends could find the support they need, learn the language, and find healing from the pain of displacement. Join them in praising God for the practical ways that the French Mennonite  Some prayer requests adapted from joshuaproject.net. *Names changed for sensitivity reasons.

Eastern Mennonite Missions | PO Box 8617 | Lancaster, PA 17604-8617 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Our Privacy Policy | Constant Contact Data Notice

Fwd: PA Has a Foster Care Crisis – The Church has the Answer

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Kurt Weaver <hello@cm01.charityengine.net>
Date: Thu, Feb 26, 2026 at 10:36 AM
Subject: PA Has a Foster Care Crisis – The Church has the Answer
To: Gehman Mennonite Church <info@gehmanmennonitechurch.org>

Dear Friend, Grace and peace to you in Christ. Last week, the Church Ambassador Network and local pastors met with State Senator Stefano and State Representative Grimm Krupa to pray and discuss the growing foster care and childcare crisis in PA - and especially in Fayette County.  According to our Road to Shalom report, Fayette County and southwest Pennsylvania rank among the most vulnerable regions in the Commonwealth, marked by high rates of child food insecurity (where children lack consistent access to enough nutritious food for a healthy, active life), substance abuse, single-parent households, and foster care placements. Statewide, more than 13,000 children are currently in foster care. These are not abstract statistics. They are precious children, image-bearers, and neighbors entrusted to our pastoral care. Scripture frames this not merely as a policy issue, but as a theological calling. God created the world in shalom (Genesis 1:31). When that wholeness fractures through sin, children often bear the deepest wounds. The Lord calls His Church to "bring justice to the fatherless" (Isaiah 1:17) and defines pure religion as caring for "orphans and widows in their affliction" (James 1:27). The foster care crisis reveals both the brokenness of the Fall and the Church's calling to embody redemptive love. We are encouraged that Keystone Family Alliance is expanding around the state and into hurting counties like Fayette County. Their model is explicitly church-centered: recruiting and supporting foster and adoptive families from within local congregations, building volunteer Care Communities around those families, and partnering with county agencies to help children find stability and belonging. They seek not merely placements, but perseverance. They surround families with practical help, mentoring, and relational support so that foster homes do not walk alone. To learn more about them, click here. This represents an important opportunity. Government administers child welfare. Agencies coordinate services. But the Church uniquely offers covenantal community; embodied love, enduring commitment, and gospel hope. True restoration requires both wise intervention and spiritual renewal. As our Lord declares, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). As shepherds, we can: ➡️ Pray for children in care, biological families in crisis, foster families, agency staff, and public officials. ➡️ Teach a robust theology of family, prevention, and care for the vulnerable. ➡️ Mobilize members toward foster care, respite care, and Care Community support through Keystone Family Alliance. ➡️ Advocate graciously for policies that strengthen marriage and family stability, recognizing that prevention is a form of mercy. The Church Ambassador Network exists to build bridges between pastors and public servants in prayer and principled partnership. If you would like to host a prayer gathering, connect with Keystone Family Alliance leadership, or explore how your church can engage, we would be honored to serve you. The crisis is real. Yet Christ is building His Church. And through faithful shepherding, He restores shalom in broken places. In Christ, Kurt Weaver, Director Pennsylvania Church Ambassador Network kweaver@pafamily.org Building relationships between the shepherd of the church and those serving in civil government as instituted by God. ➡️ Support Our Work

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