Thursday, March 24, 2011

Feb 2011

A few words about our ‘team.’

Behind every good ‘front man’ is a good ‘team’ helping and cheering him on! And we have been blessed with an incredible team/Board of Directors. Jay and Melissa Gresham have served on our Board since the beginning. They were the first to support and believe in FreshWater and have been our biggest cheerleaders every step of the way. So, it is with mixed feelings that we announce that they have stepped down from their position on our Board. We have been blessed by their support and wisdom and are thankful for the heart they have given FreshWater and the friendship we share. We love you, guys!

We are pleased to introduce our newest Board Members, Greg and Dian Walker. Greg and Dian have known Chris ‘forever.’ They served with us this past summer as we led a small group of Young College Adults. Their love for those students and for the community led us to ask them to join our Board and we were pleased when they said yes. Both Greg and Dian work for the Stilwell Public Schools. They have 2 married daughters and have just recently become grandparents!

Jack and Joyce Smay still serve on our Board. Chris considers them to be one of the primary influences in his life and Joyce Smay’s name will always be a part of his testimony as to how he got to where he is today. It is a joy to serve with them. The wisdom and insight they bring to FreshWater is invaluable.

Community needs update

Stilwell has a population of just over 3,000. So, when our small town experience 3 murders in the first 3 weeks of the new year, we are obviously stunned. Two of those families have children who attend the youth ministry at the church where we serve. The emotional heartache and many needs in our county are staggering. The work is hard and, at times, overwhelming. We covet your prayers. We are seeking ways to be more ‘proactive’ in our community. We want to get ahead of the trauma. We want to help marriages before they are on the brink of divorce. We want to help young people before they turn to wrong ways to deal with issues they face.

We’ve seen that the power to change can only come through allowing God to shine His truth on the darkness of our circumstances. Only he can replace fear with faith, anger with self-control, guilt with forgiveness, blame with truth, and shame with confidence. Only He can renew our minds. This is the heart of FreshWater and what we desire to share with more and more people. If you haven’t already, please prayerfully consider partnering financially with FreshWater. We are a 501c3 non-profit and all donations are tax-deductible...more important than that , though, each donation helps change lives here in Adair County. We hope you’ll join with us.

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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.