Church Organisational Service

I have been putting alot of updates of last weeks events on our other blog, but I wanted to also update this one for the those who read it.

This past weekend, we officially organised Northwest Baptist Church with a church charter and church membership.  We have 10 members in the church right now.  You can see a video of the entire service below, with Pastor Austin Gardner of our sending church preaching.

Four of the people who joined the church did so by baptism on Sunday afternoon in a local swimming pool.  You can see a video of that service here.  The man’s name is Bobby, and the three girls (Rebekah, Victoria, and Sophie) are his granddaughters.

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers as we go forward for the honor and glory of God!

Organising the Church

Tomorrow is a very special day for our church, as we will be organising the church with our charter service.  It is a blessing to have the pastor of our sending church, Austin Gardner, with us to preach for us.  He has been preaching for us since Wednesday.

In the evening service, we will have a time where we commit ourselves to form a new church and sign a charter document.  Please pray for the church.  Several will be joining by statement of faith and a few by baptism.  This is an exciting step for us, as we move forward for the honour and glory of God.  Thank you for praying for us.

My Mother

Sunday was Mother’s Day, and I wanted to just say a word of thanks to my mother, Dedre Snode, for what a wonderful mother she has been to me.  Thank you, Mom, for…

• Rearing me and encouraging me to love the Lord.
• Being a Godly example and teacher.
• Supporting Dad in his decisions to follow God.
• Making sure we grew up in church.
• Leading me to Christ as a young boy.
• Continuing to be a great example to me and Teri and our children.

My Pastor

I just wanted to publicly thank my pastor in the States, Austin Gardner, for all that he does for us and for our ministry here.  He is always willing to take the time to answer many emails and phone calls.  I just got off the phone with him and have been emailing back and forth for the past hour.

He has been a close friend and mentor to me for the past 7 years.  He came with us on our first trip to Ireland in February 2003, visited with us twice since we have been here, and is coming again the end of this month.  I appreciate so much all of his love, wisdom, and kingdom-mindedness.  Pastor, we love you and Mrs. Betty and appreciate all you do.  You are a great example to me and to many others around the world.

Update on the Visa Situation for Gene McKinley

I got the following update from a friend of ours who is a missionary in the Republic of Ireland.  The visa situation does not directly affect us but it does affect alot of our friends who work in the South of Ireland.  Please be much in prayer for this.

Dear Pastors and Praying Friends,

The 3 year limit is an across-the-board matter. I just heard of a Catholic Priest in Naas that was also given his last (3rd year) stamp. He will have to appeal to the Department of Justice to see if they will grant him an extension.

BUT, I still cannot get anyone who knows where this is stated in a law, regulation, or policy. I plan to continue to pursue this end of searching to find out if it is so.

This past Wednesday I went for a meeting with our Immigration Solicitor and a Barrister. They seemed to be very sure that within 2 or 4 weeks we should have this solved for my family.

They said that because we have the two children who are Irish citizens before January 2005, and the young but growing condition of the church, that we have such a strong case that the Government will not want to use us as a test case (A case to set precedent and law).

I am disappointed in the fact that our case is not going to be a help to anyone else. The Barrister seemed to indicate that someone may have to pursue this all the way to the high courts to set out the law. But, the Government would probably wait to pursue it all the way to a high court with someone who does not have as strong of reasons to be in the country as ourselves.

Please continue to keep this in much prayer, as many missionaries here and those planning to come are still heavily affected by this 3 year limitation being enforced.

Please feel free to e-mail or call me if you have any other questions.

Your servant in Christ,

Gene McKinley

Daddy’s Little Girl

I can’t tell you how thankful and proud I am of this little girl.  She is a real heart-stealer.  I praise God for her.