World Missions Committee
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
MERRIMACK, NEW HAMPSHIRE

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World Missions Committee

The World Missions Committee is currently made up of 5 church members; Riley Fraas, Jim Loring, Sandra Mote, Greg Ross II, Holly Slater and Bill Taylor. We are overseen by Elder Ron Downing who was the former chairman of the committee and continues to be a tremendous asset in the work this committee performs.  Each member of the committee is fulfilling a number of different roles as outlined by the WMC manual with Greg Ross currently filling the role of chairman.  We are actively looking to add additional members to the committee in order to spread the work load to others and also to expand our work to include our local missions calling to the town of Merrimack and the surrounding area.

Our Purpose

As with all our lives, our ultimate purpose is to give Glory to God.  However, recognizing that each of us as individuals have varying gifts and abilities (I Cor. 12) and by extension the various committees within the organized Church have different primary focuses, our particular purposes are:

Nurturing the Church’s commitment to the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) with special emphasis on efforts that are outside the direct local Church’s involvement.

OUR MISSIONARIES

The following list of missionaries are currently supported by the First Congregational Church of Merrimack, New Hampshire.

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John & Betty Banker
Wycliffe Bible Translators

The Banker’s main assignment with Wycliffe Bible Translators is to support Bible translators worldwide. John writes and edits translation helps which colleagues around the world use to help translate God’s word more accurately and quickly.

Betty is an assistant to Wycliffe’s International Translation Coordinator. She is involved in getting translation helps and other materials to the translators. She does many other jobs that facilitate the Bible translation work being done by Wycliffe and other missions. John and Betty are still involved in ministry to the people in Southeast Asia with whom they worked from 1958 to 1975.

Their daughter Kathy Taber is a 2nd generation missionary in the Banker family.

Prayer Verse: Colossians 1:10 That you might walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Victor & Lisa Atallah                        Cyprus Map
Middle East Reformed Fellowship (MERF)

The Middle East Reformed Fellowship is a religious, non-profit and non-political charitable organization, serving in the Middle East on behalf of Reformed Family of Churches and believers worldwide. It is for those who are committed to proclaim the historic Christian faith as expressed in the early ecumenical creeds and the confessions of the Reformation.

MERF is engaged in encouraging and strengthening the Church throughout the Middle East. Non-Christians are responding to the challenge of the Gospel of Christ. They are being discipled by national Christians. Those in need are being helped spiritually and in practical ways.

MERF is active in Evangelism, Church Extension, Biblical Training and administering Diaconal Aid in the Arabic speaking countries of North Africa, the Gulf States, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, as well as in the Sudan and Iran. MERF aims to strengthen the Church and to reach out in the name of Christ to the local community.

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REVEREND MIKE AND SUSAN KOOY
Faith Presbyterian Church
Formerly Jefferson Presbyterian Church (JPC)/ Shiloh Retreat Center

The Kooy’s serve in the North Country in Lancaster, New Hampshire.  Mike is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church of America.   Mike is from Grand Rapids Michigan and his wife Susan is from Sudbury, Ontario. They have three children, Luke (7), Naomi (5), and Anna (1). Faith Presbyterian Church began in 2007 and is located on Main St. of Lancaster, NH. The congregation is currently at 45 worshipers and growing. Greg Gordon, assisted by Bruce and Brenda Gordon along with Ken and Lisa Todd, lead the Shiloh Retreat Center. Shiloh maintains a faithful reformed ministry to children and young people at summer camps and to adults at various retreats.

Prayer Verse: ROMANS 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Geoff & Nancy Donnan                            Fellsmere Florida
Reverend Geoff & Nancy Donnan
Reformation Christian Ministries
                        
RCM is an international, educational mission’s ministry and is under the oversight of The King's Reformed Presbyterian Church of Fellsmere, Florida (a Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church) and Sharon Orthodox Presbyterian Church of Hialeah, Florida (an Orthodox Presbyterian Church). RCM is therefore church-run and not a para-church ministry. There are additional offices in Suriname and the U.K. The doctrinal standards of Reformation Christian Ministries are those of the Westminster Confessional Standards. This is a world-wide educational mission organization with various colleagues in the different fields whom we collaborate on Gospel and Christian educational ministries. The various offices of RCM in different countries are separately administered, but cooperate on like-minded projects. RCM cooperates by agreement with like-minded churches and denominations by assisting with mission work in specific fields and/or projects. Ecclesiastical authority for missionary ministers or local field personnel comes from their respective churches, not from RCM.

Holmlund Backyard Family Picture                Dover New Hampshire
Reverend David & Elizabeth Holmlund
Pilgrim Presbyterian Church
Portsmouth Christian Academy

Pilgrim Presbyterian Church is a mission of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. This is a church plant by the Amoskeag Presbyterian Church, in Manchester, NH led by Dr. Gregory Reynolds.  Pastor Allen and other ministers of the word had been preaching on Sunday evenings at 6pm to a small, but faithful congregation, until Pastor Holmlund arrived.The Amoskeag Presbyterian Church, the Home Missions Committee of the Presbytery of New York and New England, who along with FCC of Merrimack will be supporting this church plant.
Pastor Holmlund was most recently serving as an interim pastor at Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Metamora, Michigan.  He is a graduate of the University of Southern California (B.A. Philosophy) and Westminster Seminary California (M.Div.). He is currently completing his doctoral work in Historical Theology at Calvin Theological Seminary.  His wife, Elizabeth, is also a graduate of Westminster Seminary California (M.A. in Biblical Studies), and a current student at Calvin Theological Seminary. Reverend Holmlund was ordained as pastor of Pilgrim Presbyterian Church on June 30th, 2007.
The Holmlund’s have three children; Evangeline 1 , Ezra 4, and Zechariah 5.
NathanTomlinson.jpg        Dyer Indiana
Nathan Tomlinson
Mid America Reformed Seminary
Nathan Tomlinson, son of our senior pastor Allen Tomlinson, is entering his third year of ministerial studies at Mid America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana. Nathan has been under the care of the Midwest Presbytery of the OPC while continuing his studies at MARS. This summer (2011) Nathan is completing an internship at Jaffrey Presbyterian Church and here at FCC.  During the summer of 2010 Nathan completed an internship at Amoskeag Presbyterian Church in Manchester, NH. Nathan was married to Holly Bradford on June 9, 2011.  The World Missions Committee of the First Congregational Church has committed to supporting Nathan until he completes his schooling. 
Prayer Update

April 2011 Prayer Agenda
May 2011 Prayer Agenda
June 2011 Prayer Agenda
July 2011 Prayer Agenda
August 2011 Prayer Agenda
September 2011 Prayer Agenda
October 2011 Prayer Agenda

Recent Events
May 11th 2011
"What the Media doesn't tell about the impact of the gospel in the Muslim World"
The WMC hosted Victor Attalah for a special Wednesday Missionary night.  Many FCC families and several other churches were also represented to enjoy a great evening of encouragement from God’s Word, His Work in the Muslim world, and sweet fellowship with Victor and Lisa to follow.  The message was overwhelmingly encouraging as Victor shared stories about the power of the Gospel in the lives of Muslims.  Victor also spoke to the fact that Christians are called to suffer in this life, whether in Muslim lands or in the US.  He went on to say that Christians need not fear Muslim immigration as this is an opportunity to reach them with the gospel.  We collected $583 in a love offering for MERF and Victor stated he would like to come back in the future as he was encouraged to see the good turnout for the event.  The World Missions Committee would like to thank all those who came to the event and provided refreshments following the service. Thank you also to those who helped with the cleanup efforts following the fellowship time. 

July 4th 2010 - Historical Church Tours
We had the privilege of guiding nearly 40 people of all ages and backgrounds on an evangelistic historical tour of our church facility.  We successfully conducted 5 separate tours before and after our annual 4th of July Worship Service with the help of numerous church members including Alesia Dopson, Brittany Jennings, Jordan Franceour, Ron Downing, Riley Fraas, Sharon Knotts, Jeanne Powell, and Greg Ross II.  We were in 18th century attire and presented the tour from the perspective of that time period complete with a sermon delivered by our first pastor Rev. Jacob Burnap, played by our own Pastor Stephen Michaud.  Please go here to see some of the many great pictures taken by deacon Chet Dupont of the 4th of July service and tours.  Thanks Chet!

Missionary Visits!
Dave & Elizabeth Holmlund: March 28th, 2010
Pastor David Holmlund and his wife Elizabeth visited us for a Sunday evening service at the end of March.  We had a wonderful visit with these folks serving near UNH and seeking to build up Christ's church in eastern New Hampshire.  Both David and Elizabeth continue their graduate studies while maintaining an active full time ministry and raising 3 young children!  

Mike Kooy: January 31st, 2010
Pastor Mike & Susan Kooy and their children visited us on January 31st to share with us their ongoing work in Lancaster at Faith Presbyterian Church.  Pastor Kooy is very eager to see Christ’s kingdom built up in the community of Lancaster as they plan another free kids day camp this summer among other outeach opportunities.

Annual Missionary Potluck: October 9th, 2009
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4th of July 2009!
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        Annual Care Package Delivery to Pastor Holmlund & Family!
    Elder Ron Downing delivered our Missionary Care Package to the Holmlund family in June.  Many thanks to the congregation for their generosity and love towards the Holmlunds.  They were very thankful and look forward to fellowshipping with us again very soon.
                                    Holmlund Care Package Deliveryholm_care2
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Missions Links
            Coming soon..............
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