February 2012

One of our primary goals with Village Soul is to work alongside existing churches to help the pastor encourage members to find ways to fulfill the mission of Christ in their communities.  This is why our relationship with Franklin Park Church continues to be a vital part of our ministry. A week ago, Pastor Greg asked me to teach in the Sunday morning service about living out Jesus's call to make disciples wherever we are.  It was exciting to see some people capture the vision for this in ways they have not before.  We believe God is stirring something in the hearts of key people in the congregation to step up in fulfilling this call in their lives.  Two men in particular, Ron and Jeff, have felt a call to reach out to other men they know in the community.  A couple days after I spoke, one of them told me the type of ministry I described that morning is exactly what they want to see their outreach to men become.  Pray that God will give both Pastor Greg and me wisdom in coaching these men for the ministry they desire to do. Tina and I are also being more deliberate in connecting the Life Group we lead for FPC with the work we do at The S.P.A.R.C. Center.  The hope in this is to build a team that is working on this project together and creating an opportunity for people in our Life Group to connect relationally with the people we are ministering to through S.P.A.R.C.  This work has become an informal community of people who know each other and care for one another.  Pray that as these relationships build, we will see more people connected with S.P.A.R.C. get involved with our Life Group and FPC. Pray, also, that God continues to give us the opportunity to encourage others in fulfilling His call to make disciples of all people, including those in our own community. Rick and Keith, two or our Life Group members, help sort clothes at The S.P.A.R.C. Center.   Additional Prayer Items: I (Leon) am taking a more active role in helping Madeline Wengert, Chi Alpha Missionary to the University of Indianapolis, with outreach to international students on her campus.  We will be working with some of the international students in her ministry to start a discussion group using Campus Alpha material Wednesdays during the noon hour.  Pray that God will use this group to draw students from various nations into a deeper relationship with him.   The congregation that owns the building that Franklin Park Church uses has recently dissolved.  Though it is sad to see any congregation close, this brings some new responsibilities and opportunities for FPC.  The denominational leadership for the other congregation has graciously allowed FPC to continue to use the facility with full use rights and no increase in rent.  Their only additional expense at this time will be paying all utilities and maintenance costs.  Franklin Park Church will also have the opportunity to purchase the building in the future if they determine this is where they want to stay long-term.  Pray that God will give Pastor Greg and his congregation wisdom as they determine the role this location will have in the long-term mission of the church.  School Transportation Fund Update: We have put our plans to apply for a separate incorporation for Village Soul Ministries and the School Transportation Assistance Fund on hold for now.  As we worked through this process, we discovered there were some miscommunications with our state leadership and we want to verify if the 501(c)3 application is necessary before we proceed with this further.  In addition, there is state legislation in the works that may give our local school district options to provide general transportation again without a fee and make the assistance fund unnecessary.  We are waiting to see how this works out before moving ahead on this project as well.  We will contact people who designated money for the incorporation fee and fund about their donations.  Pray for the best decisions to be made in our state and local government for the sake of this community.  Pray, also, that God would give us wisdom in seeking to be a light in a community that has gone through serious political turmoil.     Ministry Goals Train lay people to work with their pastors in fulfilling the mission of Jesus in their communities. Network with multiple churches to pool resources for community outreach. Make tools like the Alpha Course, Celebrate Recovery, and KidzClubs accessible to people on a main street level. Home Address & Contact Info: Leon & Tina Longard 4441 Lucky Cir Indianapolis, IN 46203 Home: (317) 791-7116 Cell: (317) 306-9819 E-Mail:  longard@gmail.com tklongard@gmail.com Website: www.villagesoul.org Financial Support Information Please mail all tax-deductible donations to: Village Soul PO Box 39471 Indianapolis, IN 46239 Make checks payable to Franklin Park Church  and write Village Soul in the memo. Or click the link below to give on-line through Vanco Services