Monday, September 13, 2010

September news

September 13, 2010

Dear friends of Freshwater,

Some exciting things have developed in the past 6 weeks. It has been our dream since the beginning of FreshWater for a church to see the vision of what we do, embrace it, and allow us to serve within their body. On September 12, the First Christian Church of Stilwell voted to allow us to do exactly that. I will serve as an Associate Pastor for Families and Youth and will continue the ministry of FreshWater within the church and community. FreshWater will continue as a separate organization raising its own funds.

At times, the purpose of the church and the purpose of FreshWater will cross. Both First Christian (FCC) and FreshWater have a passion for reaching out to the community and helping people. The partnership of FCC and FreshWater will enhance the ability to provide free counseling for those in the community who need it.

My salary will be largely supported by FCC. Future funding for FreshWater will continue to buy the resources our clients need (most of whom are unchurched at this point) and will help pay for the ongoing accounting and administration needs of the ministry. FreshWater will also continue to offer Leadership Retreats, Pre-marital, and Marriage Retreats.

The majority of my day will be devoted to ministry at the church. The beauty of this partnership is the flexibility (and office space!) it will give FreshWater in meeting with clients. As we shared in our last newsletter, since school has begun we have had to be creative in scheduling our clients, because day appointments have been unavailable. Working at the church will allow me to have day appointments when needed.

I am excited about this new adventure. I feel privileged to partner with FCC in meeting the needs of the youth and families within the church and with helping the leadership grow. We are humbled that God has allowed a way for us to continue our passion for FreshWater and to serve with a body meeting many needs within this community. We appreciate your continued prayers and support.

Serving with you,

Chris Morton
Executive Director, FreshWater Ministries
a 501c3 non-profit, tax-deductible organization

www.freshwaterministries.us

918-696-3793

Rt. 6 Box 1095, Stilwell OK 74960

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Our Purpose

Helping people find significance and confidence in their lives.

We are a non-profit organization, operating solely on the generosity of individuals who desire to partner with us as we strive to help all people find significance and identity in their lives. Please consider partnering with us.


Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." - John 4:13-14

What is Spiritual Direction?


We define Christian spiritual direction as help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship. (William A. Barry, SJ and William J. Connolly, SJ, Center for Religious Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA)

Is it the same as counseling?
Although very similar, spiritual direction provides a place to deal with issues that remain hidden and dark within a person’s soul, many times issues that have been suppressed for so long that the person doesn’t fully realize how much it is affecting them. Counseling’s primary focus is on a plan of action to deal with the effects of woundedness within a person’s life. We will sometimes refer to a counselor when a more clinical, psychological approach would be more beneficial. Spiritual direction’s primary focus is to teach people how to let God accompany them through all of their life, including their past pain. By companioning people in their pain, they will gain confidence from His presence and power.