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Justin & Michele Cole with baby Lydia
Since starting PreVision Partnership, a
number of folks who came to Christ at Buckhead or Cumberland Community
Church have been in touch with me. What they tell me is always very
encouraging! As a new regular feature of the newsletter and website, I have
asked a few of them to share the stories of how they came to faith. One
such person was Justin Cole. This is his story.
"I came to the Lord through a D.W.I.! The time must
have been around 1994 in Atlanta. I was your typical single man in his late
twenties. The job I had was good pay, the free time on my hands was
exceptional, and most of my friends lived for the weekend activities, which
consisted of bars, bands and dates! It seemed like a normal existence for
most young single men at the time. But, the more I look back on it, the
more it seems so trivial. When you're caught up in immediate gratification,
seeking pleasure, or selfish desires, you are truly in need of a compass of
some kind. It's almost like you're a "mouse on the tread wheel",
"a frantic squirrel trying to cross a busy street", or in my
case, "like Tiger Woods without a golf club". When you're living
just for yourself, you are eventually going to burn out, have a horrible
experience, or never get the chance to develop into the potential God has
in store for you. I came to the Lord through the means of a D.W.I. (Driving
While Intoxicated) one night in Buckhead. How is this possible?..."
(Read on at PreVision’s website at Faith
Stories)
Take a few moments to check
out the rest of the new website (follow the Ministry Quicklinks
below) to see calendar updates (with information on our Biblical Tours),
latest news, and a new photo gallery. While you are there, why not sign the
guestbook -- and, if you wish, make a donation!
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6 Reminders From The
First Year
It has been almost a year since we officially launched
PreVision Partnership; here's what I have been reminded of in that time:
- I am supported by many good people who stand with
me - Board members, Ministry Founding Partners, Ministry Prayer
Partners and Ministry Volunteer Partners.
- I enjoy teaching!
- The Lord is never late but seldom early when it
comes to financial provision!
- I have a great family who walk by faith as I do
- Starting a new ministry (like a small business)
takes LOTS of administrative time and effort...but that's OK
because...
- I enjoy teaching!
Yours,
Peter
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A few ministry
highlights since my last newsletter include:
- Weekend services at
Horizon Community Church, Cincinnati OH
- Easter Sunrise Service at
the home of Bill & Norma on Lake Keowee, SC
- Hellenic Ministries Board
Meetings in NJ
- Kairos
Foundation Dinner at the Metropolitan Club in New York
- Urbana '06 Missions
Conference for 25,000 students in St. Louis, MO
More
"Looking Back" at www.previsionpartnership.com/News ...
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I will be teaching
in South Africa for the month of June; I speak at a Cyara National
Men's Retreat from June 8-10th and at the South African Association of
Evangelists National Conference from June 27-30th. Other events at
churches, Bible colleges, and homes in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and
Durban are also on the schedule (I was last in South Africa as a 14 year
old immigrant with my family --- sadly we moved back to Scotland!). Future
teaching trips to China and India are being prayed over.
PreVision Partnership "Biblical Tours-with-
Purpose" are going well and we have tours planned to Israel from
September 21st-30th and Greece from September 30th-October 7th, 2007.
I will be in Greece next April with Hellenic Ministries so we are
planning a joint Greece- Israel 10 day trip from April 7th-17th, 2008.
I had an encouraging meeting with a well-known Christian
author who strongly encouraged me to continue writing-especially on
evangelism as fishers of men. He offered his help and some excellent
recommendations; I will be attending the Blue Ridge Mountains
Christian Writers Conference from May 20-24, 2007in Ridgecrest, NC.
More "Looking Forward"...
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Around 5-10 hours a week of my time is
spent on meetings and phone calls with other (mostly younger) men in
ministry; I am glad to have this ministry of encouragement, counsel,
and informal mentoring. I know from experience --- a pastor's job is
one of the toughest in the world and about half of those I speak with are
in transitions not of their own choosing! This time is not spent in
highly visible ways (nor is it income-producing!) but I feel strongly it
is part of the Lord's purposes for PreVision Partnership.
As with any start up
ministry or business, administration takes a huge amount of time;
this past four months I have completed lengthy forms for the IRS, Federal
and State agencies, set up payroll services, negotiated health insurance,
transferred a retirement fund, secured new webhosting and website,
arranged for credit cards, etc. The good news is that we received final
approval for our 501c3 tax-exempt status! (retroactive to May 2006).
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We now have 35
Ministry Founding Partners (MFP's) contributing to PreVision
Partnership's "100+ Plan"; we have about 30% of our annual
needs and we are 35% of the way through the year! We are so
grateful for these Partners who believe in our vision and stand with us
to see people coming to know and love Jesus Christ. PreVision
Partnership's budget for 2007 includes salaries, medical insurance,
travel expenses, materials, office costs, etc. We are trusting God to
raise up an additional 65+ Ministry Founding Partners to fund
PreVision Partnership's Ministries.
****************PreVision Partnership's "100+
Plan"****************
60 Gifts
......10 gifts of $5,000 +
......20 gifts of $2,500 +
......30 gifts of $1,000) ..........................................=
$130,000
50 Gifts
......10 Partners giving $20/month = $2,400 +
......10 Partners giving $30/month = $3,600 +
......10 Partners giving $40/month = $4,800 +
......10 Partners giving $50/month = $6,000 +
......10 Partners giving $60/month = $7,200 .............= $24,000
******************************************************
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Don't let the large amounts in the 100+ Plan stop you from
becoming an MFP! Many of our faithful MFP's give between $20 and $100 a
month. 50 MFP's giving like this would add $24,00 to PreVision
Partnership's annual income! So step out in faith as the Lord leads you.
We have added a "regular monthly donation" option on our
Donations webpage to make this opportunity more available.
I do want to share honestly about our needs. As we face the
summer, our financial needs are becoming critical. Every month this year,
at some point, we had an empty bank account and were days away from
unpaid bills. But every month has also ended with enough provision for
that month and paid (almost) all the bills (some have kindly allowed us
to delay payment---we still owe $3000 for medical insurance for 2006).
Meantime, we claim verses like 1 Corinthians 9:14,"...those who
preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel" (NIV)
Online
Donations at www.previsionpartnership.com/Donations ...
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Becky is looking
forward to the visit of her sister, Linda, while Peter is in South Africa
and taking a break from the help she gives PreVision Partnership with
administrative tasks and hospitality. Colin (11th grade) & Fiona (8th
grade) are doing well at school but are longing for summer break! Both
are looking to enjoy the swimming pool, tennis courts, and playing fields
right next to our house! Colin enjoys watching European soccer with his
Dad (both are glad Manchester United won trophies this season) and Fiona
enjoys reading and dance class several evenings a week with a big
performance coming in May 2007.
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