Eastern European Winter Bible School Appeal 2010 / Winter Welfare Parcels / Haiti November 2009
WINTER WELFARE PARCELS
We're providing Winter Welfare for brethren and sisters in many parts of the former USSR and Eastern Europe. We thought it'd be nice if at least in the Baltic States, we could present our brethren and sisters with a Winter Welfare package each. For this to work and not cause jealousy, the content of each package would have to be more or less similar without 'extras' added in some packages which aren't in others. We don't believe in keeping "Christmas" in a religious sense but we think it'd be a nice gesture at what can be a very lonely time of the year, to give our poorer brethren and sisters a Winter gift around New Year. We're therefore inviting you to make up a Welfare package containing:
Multivitamins;Warm socks;chocolate, biscuits, tea, coffee sachets (e.g. Nescafe 3 in 1);deoderant, a combs, a handkerchief; a pack of tissues.
You're welcome to add a Bible note too. You can send the packages to us at:
Riga Ecclesia, c/o D & S Histere, a.k. 90, Ilguciems, Riga LV-1007 LATVIA Europe.
HAITI
For some time, Carelinks USA and other Carelinks workers have been in correspondence with a small group in Haiti who have come to agree with our doctrinal understanding of the Gospel and would like to be baptized. We invite your prayers this week for the efforts which will be ongoing with this group all week in Haiti.
Eastern European Winter Bible School Appeal 2010
The text is below.
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks
Eastern European Winter Bible School Sponsoring Appeal
BACKGROUND
The Bible Schools in Eastern Europe began in 1992 when we invited a small group of interested people from throughout the former USSR to study the Bible with us for a week. The ex-USSR spreads over 9 time zones, so it's really hard to get people together in one place. However, such meetings are important in order to create a sense of community and fellowship amongst those who have been baptized and who are seriously studying the doctrines of the Truth. The Schools have been kept going ever since, thanks to the generous support of Western brothers and sisters. However, the collapsed economic situation in the area means that we have to heavily subsidize many brothers and sisters to attend. Attendance reached a peak of 220 brethren and sisters. If we don't keep up these Bible Schools, the sense of community and fellowship amongst this widely scattered group of 1500 brethren and sisters will be seriously damaged, and despite rising costs, we feel we really have to ask for your support each year to enable this wonderful gathering to continue.
You might have seen the video that was being distributed that showed one of those Russian Bible schools. Now CCM are organizing not only the main Winter Bible School but also a few Bible weekends on a more local scale, and also sisters' weekends. We're grateful to Western brothers and sisters for coming over and assisting the local brethren and sisters with speaking at these functions, and we'd love to hear from any who'd be able to come and speak, or who'd just like to come over and share in this unique experience.
You can see a report of last year's school at http://carelinks.net/doc/-10743249 .
2010 WINTER BIBLE SCHOOL
These schools may be the only time most of these Brothers and Sisters get together as they are so scattered, often in total isolation. Several young couples have met and are now married as a result of meeting at these Bible Schools; and many isolated brethren and sisters comment that they live 'from Bible School to Bible School'. There is a very warm and intense spirit of fellowship; but without your support, these gatherings can't happen. The Winter Eastern European Bible School is booked for January 15-20, 2010, God willing, in Poltava, Ukraine. Speakers will include Bro Charles Abel from the UK and Bro Duncan Heaster from Latvia. We’re additionally hoping to have Brothers Charlie Klennert and Eric McKee from the USA giving classes, but that’s not confirmed yet. We'd like to not only invite your attendance, but also to encourage you to consider sponsoring a brother or sister to attend.
DONATIONS
The total cost of these gatherings [excluding fares for speakers, which are met privately] is about GBP 10,000- if we limit attendance to about 65 bre & sis. This works out at about 150 GBP / person on average. We really do need your support. This year we’ve decided to appeal for donations and we will then ask whoever you sponsor to send you their thanks, as in previous years. Below there are some examples of the type of brethren and sisters who attend; if you’re particularly moved to support one of those cases, do contact us.
You can donate through PayPal or by cheques made out to 'Carelinks' sent to :-
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
Carelinks, c/o Bro John Thatcher, P.O. Box 152, Menai Central, NSW 2234 AUSTRALIA Email: accounts@carelinks.net
UK
Robin & Jean Field, 4 Ellergreen, Burneside, Kendal LA9 5SD Email: jandrfield@mypostoffice.co.uk
NORTH AMERICA
Carelinks USA, c/o Charlie Klennert, PO Box 1049, Sumner, WA 98390 USA Email: charlie@tacomaecclesia.net . Carelinks USA is tax deductible.
CANADA
Canadian representative, to whom Canadians can send checks [made out to "Carelinks"]:
Steve and Connie Keating, 3420 Lakeshore Road, RR 3, Alexandria, Ontario K0C 1A0 Canada steve_keating@hotmail.com .
If you have a PayPal account, you can donate by clicking here: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=1411229
Please note that currently 1 GBP [British pound] = 1.6 US$, 1.7 CAD$, 2 AU$, 1.1 Euros, 12 ZA Rand
Please pray for the community here as they grow in grace and the knowledge of their Lord and Saviour Jesus.
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks Christadelphian Ministries
Brother Albinas Brother Albinas was baptized in 1992 and has faithfully attended Bible Schools since then. He is a school teacher, always with his Bible on his desk [see photo] and is a respected figure in the Eastern European brotherhood. A schoolteacher’s salary is only enough to live off and he can’t get to Bible School without your help.
Brother Andrej & Sister Tanya
Andrej and Tanya are a young married couple who attend Bible Schools regularly, but Andrej now has only intermittent employment and it’s hard for them to come without help.
Brother Andrej [Kazan]
Andrej is hearing impaired, but he and his wife simply love Scripture. He’s pictured here at a previous Bible School. He hears everything OK if he sits at the front and uses his apparatus. He’d simply love to come.
Brother Valerij
Valerij lives in the far north of Russia in a small village. He has no chance of fellowship apart from the Bible Schools. He faithfully attends whenever we can fund him. He walks with a stick and it takes him 3 days each way to travel but he eagerly comes.
Children from Moldova
There are three children of sisters from Moldova who’d like to come to the Bible School
Sister Danita and children from Belarus
Sister Danita is a victim of Chernobyl radiation but whilst she's in remission she’d love to come to the Bible School. She’s good with children and you can see her teaching children from the CBM Sunday School lessons.
Sister Irma
Sister Irma, far right in the photo, lives in Latvia where she is a faithful attender of the ecclesia. She loves going to Bible Schools and counts those she knows from going there as her closest friends.
Sister Lena & Brother Vitaly
Sister Lena and her fiancee brother Vitaly were both baptized at different Bible Schools, as was Sister Lena’s mother, Sister Galina. Going to Bible Schools has become part of their spiritual life and it’s a joy to help them come, indeed Bible Schools have played a large part in the spiritual life of this family.
Sister Luba and her son Zhenya
Sister Luba works hard selling books all day on the street. She faithfully attends Bible School with her son when she can. She wants to come this.
Sister Ludmila [Ukraine]
Sister Ludmila and her son brother Stas were both baptized at Bible Schools. A school teacher, sis Ludmila is always in her element commenting on the daily Bible readings during the readings session each morning at Bible School.
Sister Raisa
Sister Raisa's sister Nina was recently baptized at a Winter Bible School. She enjoys fellowship with the many other sisters of her age at the Bible School. Her daughters and grandchildren have all been baptized due to her faithful example.
Sister Sofia
Sister Sofia was baptized at a Bible School- you can see her rejoicing here afterwards with the visitors from overseas. She is very frail but very faithful. Bible School is the only chance she gets to meet with her brother in the flesh Boris.
Sister Zoya
Sister Zoya's daugher has been baptized, and she lives as she says from Bible School to Bible School.
Brother Oleg
Oleg has attended Bible Schools for a long time, and arranges his annual leave from the factory to always be able to get to them. He's a very faithful brother and fills notebooks with his extensive notes on the talks.