News from the Mission Field

July 2023

Holy City

Contact Lynn Rogers for more information 843-442-1604

North Charleston Dental Outreach

In June, MTF chairs Jean and Johnnie Corbett visited their friend Dr. Bill Sasser, founder and director of the North Charleston Dental Outreach, a Holy City mission partner, and they toured the facility. NCDO has served the Chicora-Cherokee area for more than 20 years, providing care to those with few options for needed dental care. St. Michael’s has been blessed to provide a grant to help with the building of a new clinic, which opened the end of 2022. They are now able to provide preventive and restorative dental care.  Picture below: Dr. Sasser, Jean, Lisa Simmerlin, Johnnie.

Mission Partner School Supply Drive

Charleston Classical School, a Mission Partner, is a Christian classical school located in North Charleston for K- 5th grades, serving an under resourced and minority population. Although all students pay toward the tuition, 95% of tuition cost is covered by scholarships. Marie Owens is head of school. Kindly leave your contribution at the MTF table in the Belser Building near the Michael’s Alley door.

#2 pencils 24 count crayons colored pencils

pencil boxes liquid glue glue sticks

notebooks - wide rule blunt tip scissors

Hope Scholars Academy is a new mission partner for Holy City! 

Hope Scholars Academy is a University-Model, Christ centered, Classical hybrid private high school located in the Park Circle area in North Charleston. More than half of the students attend with partial scholarship aid. Anna Smith is head of school. They would greatly appreciate our help to collect supplies for biology and chemistry classes in addition to other school supplies. Kindly leave your contribution at the MTF table in the Belser Building near the Michael’s Alley door.

measuring cups     measuring spoons eye droppers

small glass bowls beakers thermometer

regular scissors highlighters dry erase markers

dry erasers pencils pens

college rule notebooks liquid glue

Hurting Coast

Contact Sherrie Driver for more information 770-354-6471

Mike and Shelley Walker (center) recently visted the Rev. and Mrs. Wolf and their three children in Portland, Maine; the joy on their faces speaks volumes.

Rise Church, Portland ME (the Rev. Dan Wolf) has successfully transitioned to its newly gifted church campus. They have been sharing the space with a Sudanese Anglican congregation from the area. Unfortunately, Father Solomon, their priest, has died suddenly leaving behind his family and church members who need our prayers. If you feel so called, Dan has replied to Anne Schaffer (Hurting Coast committee member) that donations for Father Solomon’s family are being accepted as per Dan’s note below:

We are taking donations to help with ongoing support of the family. Checks can be written to “ Rise Church” with “Father Solomon” on the memo line and mailed to Rise Church at 1047 Congress St, Portland ME 04102.

Pray as we host the funeral with likely 400+ people on Saturday July 8th at 8a, that God would be glorified as we celebrate Solomon’s life and faith.

Thanks again,

Dan

New Wineskins Missionary Network (Jenny Noyes) continues its charge to mobilize Anglicans and spread the gospel globally! In this ever-changing and sometimes scary world we live in, there are many Anglican missionaries and mission partners who are in need of our prayers at all times. Please see the link below for their names and locations:

Click for Anglican missionaries and mission partners

You may also join the New Wineskins community on Facebook for frequent news and events!

Click for New Wineskins Facebook group

Hungering World

Contact Park Dougherty for more information 843-860-3950

KENYA

The leaders of Samburu County Nkalup Vision (SCNV) and God’s for All Nations (GF) the Rev. Julius Gichuru and the Rt. Rev. Simon Mwaura were in Charleston earlier this month, attended a covered dish dinner with members of the Mission Task Force and thanked them for the support St. Michael’s has provided to their ministries through the years.

INDIA

St. Michael’s Medical Eye Clinic began operations in May 2023. The eye clinic is fully equipped with modern and digital eye testing machines. As the eye clinic is situated in the village of Kalikapur, the eye screening team visits villages and brings people to the eye clinic.

The eye screening team met a lady of 65 years who sell eggs in the village market place. She complained to her family that her vision was getting blurred and was finding it difficult to walk and go to the market to sell eggs. The family members were illiterate, and they did not care for her. She then started complaining of her eyesight to the village people who said that it may be some evil spirit which is in her and that was the reason that she could not see properly. Instead of going to an eye doctor she went to a witch doctor who took huge money and gave some medicine. Day by day she became more blind.

St. Michael’s eye screening team met her and brought her to the clinic. The doctor met the patient and found that she simply needed power for her glasses. She was given the right power and the clinic provided power glasses for her and she could see. She blessed the doctor and said that I was blind and now can see. After she could see, she went back to her egg business.

The SOUND of FREEDOM

In the past ten years, St. Michael's built two Safe Houses in West Bengal, India. Who are the residents? They are beautiful girls ages 5-16, who have been rescued from sex trafficking and potential trafficking. Three dozen members of St. Michael's have met and prayed with the girls. They have looked into the very eyes of girls who are now living with a gift of HOPE from Jesus.

Today, St. Michael's Safe House provides new life, healing, education, food, and clothing for 18 girls. Bishop Probal and Rita Dutta championed to provide a safe shelter for them. Trafficking is real in India, in the USA and globally. This week, with a gift from St. Michael's members, a second floor is under construction on St. Michael's Safe House to house an additional 10 precious lives.

The movie Sound of Freedom reveals the reality and horror of what usually happens to missing children.

This is the true story of Tim Ballard, Border Patrol turned rescuer of hundreds of trafficked children.

Sex trafficking raises billions of dollars annually. It is now more lucrative than drug dealing. The drug is used once. The child is used multiple times a day.

Click on this official Sound of Freedom link to a short trailer

We recommend the movie to adults and teenagers - not children. Get involved somehow: Pray for the brave men and women who are fighting against the traffickers who are destroying little girls and boys - even infants! Please pray for HOPE for the more than two million children who are in bondage world wide.

We attended the Sound of Freedom movie which inspired us to include this in the July Mission News Eblast.

Johnnie and Jean Corbett

St. Michael's MTF Co-Chairs

GLOBAL IMPACT CELEBRATION (GIC)

Since our last report, GIC 2024 has continued to progress and you can expect to hear more in August. These are the key items to keep in mind:

1. GIC 2024 was announced on May 28th. GIC Week will run from January 28, 2024 through February 4, 2024;
2. The Silent Auction is off to a good start with a growing collection of items being curated;
3. We are planning a “pre” GIC in Saturday January 27, 2024 for young families to assemble blessing bags and then attend an art and music session; Ruth and I will shortly reach out to Sean and Kate Norris (keeping Sherrie Driver in the loop) to request them to conduct the art and music session based on Dandelion Ministries methods;
4. Bishop Andrew Williams will be the pulpit speaker on Sunday January 28, 2024;
5. Ruth and I will also speak to Sean Norris and Dan Wolf (keeping Sherrie Driver in the loop) about further participation in GIC 2024 events to feature Dandelion Ministries and Rise Church;
6. The GIC Banquet set for Thursday February 1, 2024 at SCS Hall; catered by Jamie Westendorff; keynote speaker selection in process; 
7. A Thanksgiving service to thank mission partners and Mission Task Force members is planned to take place in the Chapel on Saturday February 3, 2024, which will be conducted by the Rev. Bill Hyer;
8. The Rev. Al Zadig confirmed that the Rev. Barry Black, Chaplin, U.S. Senate, will be the pulpit speaker for Sunday February 4, 2024;
9. GIC “jar banks” are being distributed and receiving positive feedback.

Blessings,

Bob and Ruth Bonelli

Please Remember....

Your mission pledge allows the parishioners of St. Michael's Church to continue to be blessed to be a blessing unto others.

Thank you for your support.