Victory by Submission

If you have cable or satellite tv, you have seen it, it is the fastest growing martial art sport in the United States. Cage Fighting is a blend of martial arts styles made popular by the tv show "Ultimate Fighting Championship." Doctors warn that this kind of Martial Art is very dangerous, could be fatal and fighters it should be careful.

One of the favorites martial art style used on cage fighting is called Jiu-jitsu.
Jiu-jitsu promotes the principle that a smaller, weaker person using leverage and proper technique can successfully defend against a bigger, stronger assailant using joint-locks(arm bar for example) and chokeholds to defeat an opponent. When one opponent is able to apply the joint lock or the chokehold successfully, the other taps the floor indicating that he can’t handle anymore. This kind of action applied by the winner is called “Victory by submission”.

In James 4:7 (NIV) says: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. God wants the oposite of forcing us to submission. He wants us to submitt ourselves to him. Forced submission is nothing different than law enforcement. Jesus said that we should love God and our neighbors as ourselves before anything else. Submission to Him is a volutary action and we do it because we love him.
In the same time, when our lives are submitted to God we can resist the devil and only then the devil will flee from us. Many want to have victory over satan, but they don’t want total submission to God and it can’t happen. (Acts 19:13-17)
Submission to God is an act of love. If we love him we obey him commandments.
May we submit to Him, after all the best and easy way is Victory by Submission.

Bishop David Roller’s Blog

Bishop Roller has his own Blog that he posts regularly even when he is away. The blog has many of his thoughts and messages that bring insight for the church. It contains not only messages in text, but also videos.
The blog content goes from tips for your next vacation to altar calls. Check it out at http://www.fmcna.typepad.com/roller/

Two churches pay off mortgages in November

Both Passaic First Spanish and Mountainview Community Church in White Haven, PA paid off their mortgages in November.

Mountainview has raised $100,000 in seventeen months to pay off their mortgage. Pastor Joe Shimko credits a spirit of prayer by the church, praying specifically for the mortgage to be paid off, and the generosity of many people. We rejoice with the people of Mountainview on achieving this significant milestone, and pray that God will direct the next step of their ministry.

I received a call from Pastor Hector Fernandez on Thanksgiving day to tell me that the leaders of his church presented him with a Thanksgiving gift by informing him that the church mortgage had been paid off. He said they told him that the leaders of the church have been working for three years to pay off the mortgage, and had planned to surprise him with that gift. Pray for Passaic church as they are looking for a building that will be able to seat 1000 people. It is very difficult to find this type of building in the downtown area of Passaic.

Diogenes Cezila Hired as Communication Specialist

David Harvey, Superintendent of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Free Methodist Church, is pleased to introduce a new staff member, Diogenes Cezila.
Diogenes has been employed to fill the role of Communications Specialist, effective November 24, 2008. In this role he will design and implement a comprehensive communication strategy for the Mid-Atlantic Region.
The impact of Diogenes’ work will be seen as there will be an increase of the steady flow of high quality communication from the conference office to pastors and churches. This communication, in multiple formats (including website, blog, e-mail, etc), will promote the purpose and vision of the MAR among pastors and churches and will provide information that will build a sense of belonging and team.
Let us tell you a bit about Diogenes. Born to Afonso and Fatima Cezila in the Brazilian city of Braganca Paulista (in the state of Sao Paulo); Diogenes is 26 years of age, has been married to Michelle for three years, and has a 19-year-old sister, Daiane (pronounced like the Anglo name Diane).
Diogenes is a gifted worship leader, a ministry he has pursued since he gave his life to Jesus at age 17. He has been a worship leader both in Brazil and in the United States, where he has lived since age 21.
By age 18 he had operated a bakery for four years, initially in partnership with his father, a church planting pastor. As the church grew and his father went to full-time ministry, Diogenes became the sole proprietor of the business, which he operated until age 18 when he became a Network Manager and Computer Tech for a company in Brazil.
Diogenes holds a technical degree in Computer Maintenance. He has earned a Church Planter degree from the Free Methodist Church’s seminary. Diogenes is currently working on a degree in Business Administration at the Community College of Baltimore County.
Currently Diogenes is involved with the ministry of the Baltimore Brazilian Church Planting Project and the Dundalk Free Methodist Church in Baltimore, MD. He is passionate about his faith in Jesus and very competent in using communications technology in service to the Kingdom of God.

Diogenes speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish and is available in the Mid-Atlantic Office on Mondays for those who may need to communicate to us in Spanish or Portuguese.
Join us in welcoming Diogenes to his part-time role (eight hours a week) in the Regional Office of the Maryland-Virginia and the New York Conferences. You may communicate with him directly by calling the office 410-297-8017 or e-mailing him at doc@midatlanticfmc.org.

News from Myrtle Beach Brazilian Church plant

Myrtle Beach Brazilian Church recently had their first graduation of leadership school. Of 10 graduates, 6 of them are teenagers and 4 adults. The leadership school prepares believers to serve as small group (cell groups) leaders and they are very excited to start reaching out the Brazilian community in Myrtle Beach SC.
The church plant started July/2007 since then, they baptized 10 new believers and had 6 weddings. The Church led by pastor Arimateia with the help of his wife, pastor Ismenia, and his son pastor Josafa have a Sunday attendance of 50 people and they have great expectations of growth with the new small groups.

Casa de Oracion Baptizes 14

Casa de Orcion church plant in Clifton, New Jersey recently had a celebration service in which they baptized 14 new believers and received six new members. The church is growing steadily and is led by pastor Camilo Mora. It is currently averaging over 60 people on a Sunday. Casa de Oracion was planted by Clifton Crossroads church which is led by pastors Willie and Daisy Kirchhofer.