"O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon His Name and make known His deeds among the people!" (Ps 105:1)

May the LORD cause His face to shine upon our City and Valley!

Please be aware of several of the following opportunities for prayer, support, or community involvement, and pass this information along to others who may be interested as well (you may also access this update on the web at http://www.MissionHuntsville.org/updates.htm).

Community and Special Events Christ Our Passover - Pastor's Luncheon (4/2), City-Wide Celebration (4/15)   Bless the City - Honoring and Blessing the Jewish Community Serving the City as One - Churches Uniting in Compassion and Service (4/19) Burning Hearts Huntsville - City-Wide Youth/College Outreach (4/21-22) Christian Concert and Campus Outreach - UAH Campus (4/20) Pastors and Ministry Leaders Youth Pastors Prayer - Young Life House (Weekly) Greater Huntsville Interdenominational Ministerial Fellowship (GHIMF) - Taylor's Chapel PBC (4/12) Greater Huntsville Pastors Prayer Summit (GHPPS) - Willowbrook Baptist Church (4/8) Huntsville Association for Pastoral Care (HAPC) - Equipping the Spiritual Care Provider (4/19) Marketplace and Business Community Young Business Leaders (YBL) - Annual Spring Breakfast (4/3) Marketplace Leadership Luncheon (MLL) - Thursdays (weekly) Prayer and Intercession The Call Alabama, A National Solemn Assembly - Montgomery, AL (4/5)   40th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination

"GOD be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause Your face to shine upon us ... that Thy way may be known upon earth, and Thy salvation among all the people!" (Ps 67:1-2)

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"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
And in you (Abraham) all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen. 12:3)

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 15, 2008, North Hall, VBC in Huntsville. The annual CHRIST OUR PASSOVER celebration and Unity Banquet will again be attended by a cross section of Christians from the greater Huntsville area!

However, prepare yourself for something unprecedented this year! In response to the foregoing scriptural directive, and promise of God's favor from Genesis 12:3, the Christian community will express unconditional love and blessing to the Jewish community through our annual citywide offering this year. This offering will be designated for specified local charities in the Jewish community and humanitarian efforts in Israel.

Why? Christians in particular and the world in general, owe a debt of gratitude to the Jewish people.

"They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings." (Romans 15:27)

While there are ever cycling, geopolitical/religious, elements in our world that have invariable sought to destroy Israel and the Jewish people, the Christian church must seek to bless them! We must be like our Lord and love all of humanity, but we must give honor where honor is due (Romans 9:4-5, 13:7) - God chose Abraham and his Jewish decedents for the unique purpose of blessing all the families of the earth, including yours and mine in ways too numerous to mention.

Consider the extent of blessing that might come upon our city, and our area, as a result of this extraordinary expression of gratitude from the corporate Christian community. Will you be part of it? Will you assist in making this happen in a profound way? Prayerfully consider how you will get involved and spread the word. You will be blessed!

In His Service
Robert S. Somerville
Director, Christ Our Passover

Serving the City as One 2008 – Saturday, April 19

What is Serving the City as ONE?

Serving the City is an annual event to bring the churches of Greater Huntsville and the surrounding communities together to visibly demonstrate the love of Christ through united prayer, a day of serving in the community, sharing (food, clothing, blood drive, etc) and celebrating together God’s goodness. Saturday, April 19, 2008 will be our city and community-wide day of service.

The Stated Purposes of Serving the City is to:
• Allow churches an opportunity to serve the community together
• Demonstrate the love of Christ
• Build bridges from the church to the community
• Meet basic and urgent needs in the city

The Demonstration of Christ’s Love

Christ gave us abundant examples of how we should serve with servant hearts in our community. Everywhere he traveled he would serve all of the people he came in contact with. We have numerous biblical commands of Christ which lead Christians to display God’s love through service.

Philosophy of “Serving the City”

It is very important that “Serving the City” be an effort led by many churches in our area. Our perspective is this endeavor should not reflect on any one church, be run by any one church, and that the focus be on impacting the city for Christ. The “Serving the City” director will work with the church directors and the coordinating team so that all churches are represented in the organization and the decision making in each area. It is a Christian effort to demonstrate the love of Christ to all we come in contact with. Each and every decision will begin with prayer and prayer will be the foundation for all the work to be carried out. The greater Huntsville area and the surrounding communities need to see churches and Christians working together meeting basic needs through out the area.

For more information contact Mike Pearce, Director Serving the City 2008 by email or phone 256.428.9448.

LETTER FROM DIRECTOR

Dear Serving the City (STC) friends,

Here is the latest information about participating this year on Saturday, April 19. If you or your church plans to participate please respond as soon as possible. Promotion time is becoming short. If this is a duplicate to those who have already committed to be involved please disregard.

We now have the STC posters ready and will have the brochures for individuals to sign up on Monday. Please estimate how many you will need for each. You may have up to 10 posters and as many brochures as you need. Count on having one for each person in your worship center or your Bible study group. Perhaps you will want to put them out more then one Sunday. Then you will need several on hand to have at the office or a welcome center.

Send me a count by Monday and I will have them available for you to pick up after Monday the rest of the week. We are suggesting a four Sunday sign-up time. March 9, 16, 23, & 30. You may pick your own dates. I have two different posters. One with the four sign-up Sundays printed on it or a blank one where you can fill in your own dates. Remember we have spring break and Easter during this time so it will be hard to communicate during this busy time.

Once you have your brochures filled out they must be turned into me at First Baptist Church on Monday, April 1. We will be in a crucial time period to assign the teams, enlist team leaders and call/email all the participants with their assignments. Team leaders will call or email every member of their team by the week before the Serving the City day.

I am very excited about the projects and even more excited to see how God will use each one of us on that day.

Don’t forget to send me your poster and brochure requests.

Hand in Hand,
Mike Pearce
Serving the City Director

Serving the City as One - Interest and Training Meeting Guide (PDF)

Switchfoot
Athlete, Emery

Spraggins Hall - Huntsville, AL
April 20, 2008 06:00 PM

For info contact: 256-837-9293, or see More info or Ticket info

Sponsored by Hyundai of Decatur, Family Security Credit Union, Willowbrook Baptist Church & Dr. William Mitchell of Huntsville Laser Center

AREA YOUTH PASTORS JOINING IN PRAYER!
8:30am Thursdays

Stephen Hampton (Young Life of North Alabama) and a group of youth pastors in the Huntsville area began meeting weekly last fall to simply pray for kids and for each other. They meet every Thursday morning from 8:30-9:30 AM at the Young Life House (YL House, 201 Bob Wallace Ave.). He shared it has been a great time to cry out to the Lord on behalf of kids.

Please share this opportunity with other youth pastors or others involved in youth ministry who might like to join together in this special time with others from this geographic area! For more information you may contact Stephen below:

Stephen Hampton, Area Director
Young Life of North Alabama
201 Bob Wallace Ave.
Huntsville, AL 35801
(256) 533-1251
younglife@arilion.com
http://ylhuntsville.younglife.org

YOUNG LIFE OF HUNTSVILLE
www.YLHuntsville.younglife.org

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation . . . " (NIV)

Young Life's mission is to introduce kids to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith.  When a kid is introduced to Christ, he or she becomes a new creation and they receive a new heart.  And as they begin to grow in their faith, kids understand more and more that "All this is from God".  If you are interested in knowing more about how you can help Young Life Huntsville make an impact in the lives of kids, then call the Y.L. House at 533-1251. 

Mini-Summits occur the 2nd Tuesday of each month.

April Mini-Summit
Tuesday April 8th

History of Willowbrook

"O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build this a house for Thy holy name, it is from Thy hand, and all is Thine." - I Chronicles 29:16

Willowbrook was founded in 1954 by three families from Northside Baptist Church. It was originally named Hymer's Chapel Missionary Baptist Church after Mrs. Mamie Hymer, who deeded a half-acre of land on Bailey Cove for the church's first home in 1955. Additions were made to the one-room block building as needed and the name was changed to Willowbrook Community Baptist Church in 1966.

In 1969, the Willowbrook congregation moved to a temporary location during construction of a larger facility on a 10-acre site. The 122-member church began holding services in the new facility in 1970.

Willowbrook has since undergone expansions to its education wing and Worship Center. The church had 536 members when construction began on a new 700-seat Worship Center in 1985.
On November 23, 1997, Willowbrook dedicated its new facility, which included expansion to the Worship Center, education wing, children's wing and recreational and youth facilities.

More Online

Leadership - Directions - Home

Huntsville Association for Pastoral Care (HAPC)
School of Applied Ministry

“Tools for Effecting Reconciliation and Forgiveness”

Saturday, April 19, 2008
8:00 am to 12:45 pm

Holy Spirit Catholic Church
625 Airport Road, Huntsville, Alabama

Spiritual care providers often find themselves involved in ministries of reconciliation, coaching and encouraging others in the healing of damaged relationships. This class will equip care providers to help others move beyond the pain, anger, and separation that block the journey to wholeness. It will identify practical tools to assist survivors of brokenness in reclaiming their power through forgiveness and reconciliation. The faculty for this class, made up of Zara Renander, Kerry Holder and Frank Broyles, is experienced in teaching about ministries of reconciliation and the use of pilgrimage for transformation.

This class is geared toward lay spiritual caregivers and helping professionals, but anyone interested in the topic is welcome. CEUs will be available for nurses and social workers. The cost for the class is $35 but is reduced significantly with congregational sponsorship. For more information or to register, call 256-658-7426 or e-mail hapc_sam@yahoo.com.

Huntsville Association for Pastoral Care (HAPC)
School of Applied Ministry (PDF)

HAPC was founded in 1977 through a joint effort of clergy, medical professionals and local congregations.

6:30am Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
VBC North Hall

Lt. General Robert L. Van Antwerp
Chief of Engineers and Commanding General , U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

On May 18, 2007 Lieutenant General Robert L. “Van” Van Antwerp became the U.S. Army Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps Engineers (USACE). LTG Van serves as the senior military officer overseeing most of the Nation’s civil works infrastructure and military construction.

As the USACE Commanding General, LTG Van is responsible for approximately 33,000 Civilian and 600 military employees, who provide project management and construction support to 250 Army and Air Force installations in nearly 100 countries around the world. The Corps has a key role in support to the Global War on Terror with thousands of Corps Civilians and Soldiers deployed to support reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan . USACE is also responsible for hundreds of environmental protection projects and for overseeing the regulatory permit program to protect, restore, and enhance thousands of acres of wetlands. In addition, the Corps has an emergency response mission to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency in restoration and repair after a disaster, whether natural or manmade.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1972, LTG Van completed Ranger, Airborne and Air Assault training, and both the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses. LTG Van and his wife, Paula, have been married for 34 years and they have five children, Jeff, Luke, Rob, Julia and Kathryn.

We invite you and your guest to come and meet General Van as he shares stories of his career and his faith.

Cost: $13/person or $100/table of 8. Register by calling the YBL office at 882-6003 or email ybl@arilion.com (We will confirm your registration by phone or email.) Registration deadline is Monday, March 31st.

Reaching Men in the Workplace!
www.YBLHSV.org

Marketplace Leadership Luncheon (Greater Huntsville)

The Area-Wide Marketplace Leadership Luncheon (MLL) is a unique time of encouragement and specific focus, including consideration of greater purpose and unique opportunity in the workplace. It is hosted by businessmen and women for businessmen and women. Please consider joining us for this special time!

Area-Wide Marketplace Leadership Luncheon

Time:	11:30am-12:30pm (MLL private buffet will open at 11:15am)
Date:	Thursdays - weekly
Location:	Carrabba's Italian Grill 2801 S. Memorial Parkway, Huntsville, AL 35801, (256) 288-1333 Map and Directions - Located in the Parkway Place Mall parking deck.

Please RSVP here due to limited seating if you have not already confirmed your attendance in some way!

This is a special luncheon occurring every Thursday as a gift to the Marketplace and Business community (no cost other than your lunch).

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Marketplace Leadership Luncheon
www.MLL-HSV.org

TheCall Alabama

10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday, April 5th, 2008
(please note change in venue)

The Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center
201 Tallapoosa Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
Map/Directions

www.thecall.com

See video by Josh Pittman (Youth from North Alabama)
TheCall - Montgomery, AL (Video)

TheCall Alabama
www.thecall.com/alabama

For three years, the Lord has led me to pray for Alabama.

The burden was born out of a dream in which I was digging for the wells of revival, and I hit an obstruction. When I dug around the obstruction, I found bones. Inscribed on the bones was "Alabama." I knew from the dream that Alabama was key to revival in America, however there were things hidden that needed to be prayed through for the breakthrough to come.

The bones of Alabama, I believe, speak of the historic calling on the state as a forerunner for justice in America. They also speak of hidden issues that must be repented of that affect the whole nation. It is my conviction that TheCall in Montgomery is pivotal for a great turning in America.

In solemn assembly before the Lord, we are calling for repentance for the shedding of the innocent blood of African American slaves, racism (Montgomery – the first capitol of the confederate states), lynching, and the killing of innocent children and many others who laid down their lives for Civil Rights. But, we also believe that those who suffer the most and can still forgive receive redemptive authority to lead the nation. We believe a new company of African American voices, birthed out of fasting and prayer, will lead the parade of history in bringing freedom from poverty in the inner cities and lead the way to the ending of abortion and movements of adoption in this nation.

On the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., we want to cry out to God for a new prophetic mantle to fall on Alabama and its people to bring forth spiritual awakening and justice and, in particular, proclaim with the clearest voice, “Let my people go!”

I believe that out of this gathering, a human life amendment could be brought forth, much like the voting amendment that was born out of the civil rights movement in 1964. From this gathering, we will call on God for fasting and prayer movements to explode through the inner cities of Alabama and our nation that can alone shift atmospheres and restore city streets with dwellings.

So, it is to Montgomery we go on April 5th declaring, “We have a dream!” We have a dream that abortion can end. We have a dream for reformation in our cities, and we have a dream that National Revival can be ignited that will transform a nation.

For TheCall,
Lou Engle

Values of TheCall - See also TheCall.com

TheCall is not an event. TheCall is a movement emphasizing prayer, worship and fasting for Spiritual breakthrough. It is a nameless and faceless movement joining the generations. Therefore, it will not be marketed as a convention of celebrities. The primary participants are young people. The musicians on stage are to be worshippers, not entertainers. The board of directors will not receive financial compensation, speakers and leaders come at their own expense. People should prayerfully consider fasting on the day that TheCall gathering is in their city, region or nation; no food will be provided. TheCall is a grassroots movement. It is a cross-cultural and cross-denominational gathering.