Change of Address
The Pressure´s Off
Praise Notes
Prayer Requests
Thanksgiving
Opportunities to Serve
Must Be the Spirit Moving
We remind our friends again that our mailing address has changed to coincide with that of our
accountant (Joe Kilpatrick, CPA):
Friends of WATS
100 Crescent Centre Parkway, Suite 710
Tucker, GA 30084-7060
Tel: 678-226-4733
Fax: 404-806-4433
Gary Maxey´s cell phone: 404-895-0018
Patricia Conlee´s cell phone: 678-622-5580
Web: www.watsonline.org
This is all about Friends of WATS CUTTING COSTS to the bare bones. We have closed our former office
to work out of our homes. Thank God for modern technology that makes this possible! Virtually ALL US
Christian ministries are feeling deeply the current economic crunch. If God puts it on your heart to
give an extra financial boost at this time WE NEED IT!! Blessings on you!
Keep praying for WATS! God is doing great things for us this year!
Recent tough circumstances have reminded me that at the heart of the WATS vision is the pursuit of holy passion for God. Two quotes come to mind:
"When we live to make this life work, whether we follow natural wisdom or biblical principles,
we become either proud or discouraged, self-congratulating or self-hating. . . .
The Law of Liberty has been established as the way to a better hope rather than a better life.
That better hope is intimacy with God" (Larry Crabb, The Pressure´s Off).
"The pursuit of joy in God is not optional. . . . There are many professing Christians who delight
in God´s gifts, but not God. . . . God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied
in him" (John Piper, Desiring God).
Maybe our mission statement doesn´t say it quite as well as we could: "to train men and women for holy living . . ." Both training and holy living can be linear processes that might qualify us for God´s blessings, yet may not elevate us above the "holy" people found in other religions. Crabb and Piper are right: the only worthy goal is intimacy with and delight in God. Thankfully, that has been the bedrock vision all along at WATS. I am thankful for every student and staff member who has grasped it. And I pray that those of us who have not will return to our founding vision.
- Thank God for a record number of WATS short-term missionaries who left for six weeks to six mission fields in June. Thirty Springboard missionaries are now on two mission fields outside Nigeria (Sudan and Gambia, where they are working with Calvary Ministries [CAPRO] and The Great Commission Movement [Campus Crusade for Christ]), and four inside Nigeria (Niger State [with the Anglican Missionary Diocese], northern Nigeria [with CAPRO], Akaeze in Imo State [with TETMIO], and Lagos [with Love a Muslim mission]). Each of these short-term missionaries has raised transportation funds and is supported in the field by offerings raised by WATS students and staff. They are assisting resident African missionaries.
- Thank God for the small but energetic team from 12Stone Church of Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA, who exploded into action at WATS on Monday, June 9. They started the library renovation and expansion project literally with a BANG, bringing down the huge concrete wall separating the library from the old chapel. The leaking roof has now been completely repaired; security bars have been placed onto the huge sliding glass windows, etc. The team (Tim Powell, Lorraine Shaffer, Todd Sheppard and Wayne Wasmus) left FIRED UP for Jesus!
- Thank God for faithful adjunct faculty who kept the WATS academic mill churning in June: Background of the New Testament was taught by Dr. John Lotzgesell (missionary to Nigeria with International Institute for Christian Studies), Dr. Victor Reasoner (Southern Methodist College, Orangeburg, SC) taught TWO back-to-back modules in Systematic Theology, and Pastoral Theology and Counseling was tackled by Dr. Anthony Headley (Asbury Theological Seminary). WATS is privileged to have some truly dedicated adjunct faculty, many of whom return year after year to help.
- Did you ever make a donation for Gideon Bibles? In June we heard our very own WATS Gideon Bible story. Abubakar, a young man from northern Nigeria, showed up at WATS to apply as a Masters student and sampled six hours of Dr. Reasoner´s Systematic Theology lectures. He shared his story of being raised in a Muslim home. One day his father brought a Gideon Bible home and hid it in a desk drawer. Later Abubakar found it, opened it to John 14:1-6, and continued reading through the entire New Testament. Later he began to dream about Jesus, and after about six months he went out into the bush and cried out to God to give him confidence to share his faith. He started attending a Christian church and eventually openly professed his faith in the Lord. His family was furious and called in Islamic Mallams to dissuade him, and then locked him in a room for three days. He was told if he did not return to Islam he would be killed. He eventually escaped, and even after he enrolled in college his family continued to pursue him to try to kill him. After more than four years, Abubakar returned home, his family finally accepted him and he was able to lead his brother to the Lord. Now Abubakar plans to come to WATS to study for the ministry. Praise God for the power of His word!!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Thank God for mission teams headed to WATS in July: a five-person team from Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church (Johns Creek, GA) and a four-person team from Alpharetta First UMC and Due West UMC (all in the Atlanta area) are tackling more library renovation - including a lot of book cataloging - VBS for 100 children, and installing of three water purification systems in the greater Lagos area. Pray for great success for these teams members as they minister to both physical and spiritual needs in Nigeria.
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Remember to pray for our thirty short-term Springboard Missionaries.
- WATS undergraduate students are still out on their "summer" holiday period. But pray for a busy month for Masters students. In early July, Dr. John Lotzgesell returns from northern Nigeria to teach Pauline Epistles, and Professor E. M. Uka (University of Calabar) comes to teach Topics in Church History. Toward the end of the month Dr. Joseph Wasmond (Tennessee), Dr. Peter Colman (Illinois), and Dr. James Anderson (Minnesota) fly in together to teach modules in Spiritual Warfare, New Testament Theology and Theology of Rest. The courses in spiritual warfare and theology of rest are open to a limited number of undergraduate students, and we are expecting good reports. Pray for these wonderful adjunct people!
- Pray for Dos and Beverly Carter, who have accepted an assignment as full-time missionaries in Lagos. They first went to Nigeria with us nearly one year ago, never dreaming that they would now be back there to live. Dos will serve as a teacher elder for the Elim Church and the Lagos Christian Fellowship - two international congregations which are very supportive of WATS. Pray for the Carters!
- Pray for our WATS and Friends of WATS finances! These are testing times. Finances are DOWN, yet the work of God must continue. God has never failed us, and we refuse to consider anything except total victory. Pray about increasing your support of WATS - a very worthy ministry that must move forward for God!!
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Finally, pray for two very dear people who need our prayers for physical needs:
- For my dear wife, Emma Lou Maxey, as she prepares for thyroid surgery on July 29th.
- For Tom DeRossett, a faithful friend undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer and also recovering from hip surgery.
God is able to exalt Himself in both of these cases! Thank you for your prayers!
Thanks for standing with us! Let´s draw close to Jesus and worship and serve Him with joy in July.
- Do you have AIRLINE MILES you will not use—that you can donate to Friends of WATS? Last year 5 trillion frequent flyer miles went UNCLAIMED!
- Check www.watsonline.org for giving online!
- We need Bibles or books, including children´s books! Contact us about getting them to Illinois for shipment to Nigeria.
| Friends of WATS | WEST AFRICA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY | |
| 100 Crescent Centre Parkway, Suite 710 | PMB 003, Ipaja | |
| Tucker, GA 30084-7060 | Lagos, NIGERIA | |
| Ph: 678-226-4733 or 404-895-0018 | Ph: +234-1-898-1676 or 1914 | |
| Fax: 404-806-4433 | EM: GMAfrica@aol.com | |
For more information, check out our web site: www.watsonline.org