Dates to

Remember

Elder & Deacon

Training -

August 12

August 19

Mission Sunday

Unified Service -

August 23

Sunday School

9:00 a.m.;

Worship

10:30 a.m.

Communion

Offering

this month is for the

Benevolent Fund.

Please consider an

additional gift.

Shepherd Volume 30 No. 8 August 2015

(Continued on page 3)

Resuming the Race

After a crash or the presence of any other impediments to safe racing are

removed, the green flag signals to the drivers that the track is clear and racing speed may be resumed. In the local church there are also impedi-

ments to finishing the race. You can imagine what many of them are:

budget crises, staff issues, poor location, lack of available seats or parking

and most importantly, a lack of attention to Biblical truth and priorities.

Well, now that the original building and the west wing are each approach-

ing 25 years old, we’ve accumulated some major maintenance needs unex-

pectedly that are in the way of moving forward in ministry. Yes, having

facilities is a blessing and one not shared by many churches throughout the

world, but when the facilities need attention and the costs go up, it can

really halt momentum as a congregation is forced to direct much needed

ministry resources toward bricks and mortar. That’s discouraging! What

a momentum buster!

As you now know, despite the wonderful legacy of our charter members

to budget for “Major Maintenance” each year, our facility needs have

caught up to us. Since last month, the west wing has been re-roofed and

the sound board replaced. But there remain several significant projects

that still need completion – first on the list being the roofing of the original

sanctuary! And as you know, each year at our Annual Meeting, there is

interest in paying off the remainder of the existing mortgage. So, Rally Time

is here! During the month of July we presented the need and encouraged

you to prayerfully consider a one-time gift, a three year pledge or anything

in between so that we could complete the remaining projects, replenish

the Major Maintenance fund and start paying down the mortgage. This will

get those impediments to ministry off the track and allow us to keep our

eyes fixed upon our vision: TO KNOW CHRIST AND MAKE HIM

KNOWN.

So this month you will receive a mailer with a letter explaining the need

and opportunity once again. It will also include a helpful Q&A to answer any questions you may have and a blue, Rally Time pledge card and enve-

lope to return. Once those blue cards are received, the House &

Grounds Commission, the Stewardship Committee and the Session will

know that the impediments to moving forward with ministry have been

removed and we can resume racing speed. August 30 will be a great Sun-

day to celebrate the results and kick off the fall ministry season here at

Westkirk! Our hope is that our gifts and pledges will exceed the costs of

The Session

Moderator - Michael Mudlaff

Class of 2015

Chuck Heitbrink

Michael Mack

Doug Peter

Class of 2016

Mark Bakker

Tom Duff

Class of 2017

Phil Groner

Bryan Pearson

The Deacons Moderator - Donna Vorm

Commission Deacons

Discipleship - David Vorm,2016

Evangelism - Sue

Holcomb, 2016

Worship - Melinda

Turnbull, 2015

Committee Deacons

Fellowship - Brad Miller, 2015

House and Grounds - Russ

Harrison, 2015

Stewardship - Bernie Koebernick, 2015

Parish Deacons Moderator - Chuck Holcomb

Class of 2015

Kay Cunitz

Regi Donaldson

Cheryl Harrington

Chuck Holcomb

Dave & Cindy Lanham

Dot Monroe

Class of 2016

Pam Brown

Treasurer - Chris Brown

Assistant Treasurer -Don

Iverson

Birthdays Anniversaries

1 ..................... Sherie Whitehead

2 .................... William Admussen

2 ....................... Colleen Obrecht

3 .............................. *Bryce Bone

4 ............................. Ellen Kinnaird

4 ......................... *Kylah Tuinstra

8 ........................... Russ Harrison

8 ..................... +Jerry Van Cleave

9 ............................. Brinn Watson

10 ...................... *Emma Georgeff

10 ........ * William Schoonhoven

12 ........................ Meredith Heer

12 .............................. Beth Mogle

12 ............................ Don Powers

13 .......................... *Alyssia Bone 14 .............................. Peggy Bone

14 ................................. Lisa Jones

15 ................................ Kay Cunitz

16 ............................... Sherry Bain

16 ............................. *Nicole Duff

17 ............................... David Tullis

20 ........................ .Madeline Heer

20 ............................. Myra Verros

22 ............................... Benae Duff

22 .............................. Dan Marvin

24 ....................... *Ben De Castro

25 ............................. Paul Havnen

25 ............................ Emeth Sharp

26 ....................... Barbara Orend

27 ......................... *Isaiah Mudlaff

30 ........... Elizabeth (Tate) Glenn

31 ................. Marillyn McCulloch

*Youth Member

+Missionaries

4 ............. David & Donna Eiland

5 .............. +Peter & Ana Lucaciu

5 ............ Bud & Charlene North

6 ........ Chris & Karen Admussen

9 .............. Kevin & Robin Riggins

9 ... +Jerry and Patty Van Cleave

12 ........... Bill & Barbara Springer

18 .............. Bryan & Sarah Sharp

20 ........... Mark & Teresa Bakker

20 .......... Don & Marilyn Lanham

21 ....... Cliff & Jane Hammarlund

22 ............... Chris & Beth Mogle

27 ............. Glen & Roma Bassett

27 ........... +Dave & Karen Eggert

30 ........... Max & Barbara Asman

Condolences

Sympathies to the family and

friends of Mary Ellen

Risewick, a long-time member

at Westkirk who passed away

June 28. Her memorial service

was July 6 at Westkirk.

Sincere condolences to family

and friends of Bob

Schmadeke, long-time mem-

ber at Westkirk who passed

away July 5. The memorial ser-

vice was July 9 at McLarens

Chapel in West Des Moines.

Deepest sympathies to Doug,

Kim & Grant Peter on the

loss of Doug’s father, Stanley

Peter on July 19. Funeral ser-

vices were held July 22 in Britt,

Iowa.

Pastor Michael

(continued from front page)

our upcoming projects, replenish the Major Mainte-

nance fund and pay down that mortgage complete-

ly! Keep Calm and Rally On!

ESV Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded

by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside

every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us

run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy that was set before him endured the

cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right

hand of the throne of God.

RALLY TIME! The Westkirk Presbyterian Church Major Maintenance

Projects and Mortgage Pay Down

2015 Projects

West Wing Roof, completed

Sanctuary Roof, pending East Wing interior painting, repair of front entry

columns

2016 Projects

Re-pave Horseshoe Drive and Sidewalks

Kitchen ceiling and Great Hall painting

2017 Projects

Re-side and paint West Wing

Replace 3 exterior doors

Wish List: insulate Student Ministry center ceiling,

office area insulation/sound proofing, install shades

in Sanctuary, repair/replace/top coat asphalt drive,

replace Sanctuary carpet, repair drywall and paint

Sanctuary, PAY DOWN MORTGAGE!

Stewardship Report We have reached that time of the year when our

expenses exceeded the contributions. It is the

busy time of the year when everyone is planning

and taking vacations and enjoying other summer-

time activities. We are also making and anticipat-

ing preparations for attending the State Fair and

beginning another school year.

Current Year Last Year

Ingathering $251,017.73 $224,737.52

Expenses 258,027.40 244,193.32

Difference (7,009.67) (19,455.80)

Our continuing support will assure the success of

our Church and its mission. I trust we are all pray-

ing about the kind and size of our gift which we can

pledge to the Church's fundraising campaign during

Rally Time which we hope to conclude by the end

of August. Thank you for your continuing support

of Westkirk.

. . .Bernie Koebernick

Stewardship Committee Deacon

Senior Adult Ministry Opportunities The Senior Adults met for lunch indoors in July (it

was miserably hot outside for the planned pic-

nic). The lunch was great; Westkirk BBQ pork and

beans with tables decorated in a red, white and blue

theme. Chuck Heitbrink and Bernie Koebernick

took off their aprons (they had prepared the meal)

and spoke to the group about the upcoming Rally

Fundraising project at Westkirk.

In August there will be NO Lunch. The next one

will be September 8.

Psalm 139:17 & 18 “How precious to me are

your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of

them! Were I to count them, they would out-

number the grains of sand. When I am awake,

I am still with you.”

Worship Survey, Part 4 By Pastor Michael Mudlaff

You made it! Congratulations! This article marks the fourth and final installment of the Worship Survey arti-

cles and explores the important and final question of the survey: “Did We Meet Our Goal.” In order to

properly evaluate whether or not we met our goal, we need to remember what the goal was, right? You can

track the history and trajectory of moving from one service to another by reading, first, the 2013 Annual Re-

port’s Pastor’s Welcome article, then the Shepherd articles that same year (specifically the five May through

September articles) and then the 2015 Annual Report Pastor’s Welcome from earlier this year. The process

began when we really began to wrestle with the question of why our attendance had stagnated and among

the new members over a 3 year period, why only 3 of them were in the ‘young adult/young family’ category.

Recognizing the potential effect of this on Westkirk’s future, we sought to determine how to change that

trend. A committee was established, meetings were held, Housekirks were visited and articles written. In

the process, an important discovery was made.

The discovery was that our church had numerically grown to 80% of its seating capacity. Church de-

mographics studies all agree that once a church reaches this point, it will impact growth. One of the reasons

for this is because guests and visitors tend to arrive about the time the services begin and at 80% capacity, it

is an uncomfortable moment for a guest or visitor to have to find a seat when all the ‘regulars’ have already

found theirs.

Another of the issues we dealt with in the discussion of how we might best attract new young adults and

young families was the issue of the heart. We had to decide if we were going to be a church that primarily

catered to itself, or a church that looked to reach out to others. As difficult as it is, we knew we had to be an outward seeking congregation if we were going to remain true to our vision, TO KNOW CHRIST AND

MAKE HIM KNOWN.

So the big picture goal was to encourage future growth at Westkirk among young adults and young families.

Several recommendations were made, many affirmed, but the biggest one was going to two services. Addi-

tionally, in thinking outwardly, that second service would be different than the current service. This was be-

cause experts say that having two identical services does not attract new people, it only divides the people

you have. There are really two answers, then, to the survey question – the answer the congregation gave in

the survey, and the statistics. And honestly, the results are a mixed bag.

According to the survey results, 46% of the respondents answered, ‘No.’ Thirty-one percent said ‘yes,’ and

22% was not sure. When broken down according to how long the respondents have been attending

Westkirk, ‘no’ still was the top answer in all categories, but among those who have worshipped here for 10

years or more, the ratio was significantly higher. Over half of those who have attended for 10 years or more

answered, ‘no,’ where as among those who have attended for 0-3 or 4-9 years, the margins were much small-

er with ‘no’ coming in at around 40% each.

The actual membership statistics tell a different story, however. In 2013 and 2014 (yes, 18 months of which

have included two services), 15 of the adults who have joined us in membership either had or have elemen-

tary age children, were young singles or young marrieds! Now among that group, two have moved away, but

the rest are still here and split evenly between the first and second service. This year, 10 of the 14 persons

who joined in the first membership class or have expressed interest in the next class fit that category.

We may not be able to definitively say that the increase is due to the two services, but we can say that the

trend has changed and we are on our way to reaching that goal of attracting and retaining young adults and

families. That being said, our overall average weekly attendance is down – doesn’t that say something. Yes it

(Continued on next page)

(Continued from previous page)

does. Here is a sample of some of the things it

says: 1) we cannot be satisfied with that trend if

our vision is TO KNOW CHRIST AND MAKE

HIM KNOWN. There are still thousands of peo-

ple in the metro that need Jesus; 2) We expected

and warned that some people would leave the

church over this decision. A couple have. I say it

that way because among the people who have left,

we are only aware of 2 that have left for that rea-

son alone. And we are aware of 8 that initially left

but have since come back; 3) Many people struggle

with the heart issue. They have indicated that we

did not reach our goal because they don’t like

something about the new schedule, not because of

their knowledge of the goal; 4) We now have plen-ty of seats available – prayerfully consider inviting a

friend to come with you to Westkirk. And bring

them to the service that you think will fit them

best rather than the one that suits you best.

We still have work to do and your Session and

staff are always available to hear your thoughts and

ideas. In fact, based upon some of what we

learned in this survey, we are going to be more

thoughtful about the content of each worship ser-

vice so that we are being very intentional about

leading well in coming before the throne of God

each week in worship. Pray for us. We pray for

you!

Thank You Notes Dear Friends at Westkirk,

I want to thank you for the many cards, flowers, pray-

ers, visits and food given following my bi-lateral knee

surgery. It certainly is different being on the receiving

end of these many kind deeds. I look forward to bring

on the "giving" side soon! A special thanks to Pastor

Paul and Donna Nelson for being with us the day of

surgery plus several other visits. Chuck Heitbrink

stopped by Edgewater Rehab a couple times where I

stayed in the same room Lou Heitbrink had when she

was there! The Omega Housekirk group was also very

supportive. Thank you and God bless each of you! I am

working hard on rehabbing!

In Christian love,

Darlene Reighard

Dear women of Westkirk,

Thank you so much for your teamwork, dedication, time

and energy that you put forth to make the luncheon for

the celebration of Mary Ellen Risewick. We certainly

appreciate it!

The Risewick Family

Dear Westkirk family,

Thank you all so much for your many acts of kindness

and caring of Dad throughout his life. We sincerely ap-

preciate the love and guidance he was shown at

Westkirk. We are blessed to know that he is in the

company of our Lord.

The Family of Robert D. Schmadeke

Fifty Years of Ministry

Westkirk celebrated with Pastor Paul Nelson the

anniversary of his ordination with a congregational

dinner on June 14. Thank you for your faithful ser-

vice to the Lord!

(Continued on next page)

The Book Corner This June and July has seen

the overhaul of the fiction

section of our church li-

brary, a process I enjoyed

and hope will continue in-

definitely---with input from you. I would love to

hear what works of fiction by Christian authors,

past and present, God has used to feed you.

Among the titles now available on our shelves are

Christy and Julie, two novels by Catherine Marshall,

Gods and Kings by Lynn Austin, and Till We Have

Faces by C.S. Lewis. Several titles by Francine Riv-

ers have been donated, including The Sin Eater and

The Mark of the Lion trilogy, and we have a number

of the Mitford Series novels by British author Jan

Karon. You can also find The Nine Tailors, another

wonderful mystery by Dorothy L. Sayers, as well as

a collection of short stories by Flannery O’Connor

entitled A Good Man Is Hard to Find.

The goal for this section will always be to house

books that display God’s glory through excellence in the storytelling arts---well-written books that

refresh and delight but also challenge us in various

ways. I hope you will find we have made a small

beginning in that direction. ---Linda Wilde

Pastor Zoli Visits from Hungary Pastor Zoli Dan and his family shared their ministry

in Hungary during the Sunday school hour on June

21. Helga translated for her husband during their

visit. Westkirk member Dan Marvin has been

working with them through International Messen-

gers since 1998. Please pray for this year’s English

camp, and for those receiving the Gospel to contin-

ue in their faith after the camp is done.

The Ministry of Listening

Think of a time when you really felt cared for. Chances are someone focused on what you had to say, was attentive to your needs, and listened to how you felt instead of telling you how you should feel or what you should do.

Listening is one of the most powerful ministry tools at our disposal. It demonstrates that you care about the

other person. In Stephen Ministry, a great deal of time is spent in teaching and practicing listening skills be-

cause of its importance as a caregiving tool. You too can become a more caring listener by understanding

and applying these six listening concepts from Stephen Ministry training:

Listening is active. It takes energy and commitment to listen really well. Focus your attention on

what the other person has to say, instead of thinking of what you’ll say next. Look at him or her

while you listen, and nod along from time to time so the person knows you’re tuned in.

Listening takes patience. Often you need to build trust before someone will open up to you.

Constant, patient listening is a key.

Listening involves more than just words. Pay attention not only to what is said, but to what is not

said – or to what is said with a smile or a sigh. Pay attention to body language, too. Does it agree

with or contradict a person’s spoken words?

Good listeners aren’t completely silent. They restate key thoughts or ideas to be sure they under-

stood correctly or ask focused questions to encourage the person to reach a little deeper.

Listening happens over time. One conversation might build upon an earlier one. As you listen over

(Continued from previous page) Teacher Appreciation The Discipleship Commission would like to recognize and thank the

following people for their time, effort, creativity and faithfulness in

helping our congregation “To Know Christ and Make Him Known.”

These people have dedicated many hours to preparing lessons and

teaching in Sunday school, Kidskirk, WOW, HouseKirks, Dorcas Cir-

cle and Bible studies. Please take time to thank a person who has

taught you or your children this year!

Adult Education

Mark Bakker, Chris Brown, Chad Carlson, George Edema, Darren

Georgeff, Michael Mudlaff, Dan Marvin, Paul Nelson, Michael Mack,

David Vorm

Women’s Bible Study

Regi Donaldson, Rebecca Donaldson, Mona Yentes, Kay Cunitz

Dorcas Circle

Gail De Graaf, Elaine Erickson, Lou Heitbrink, Bette Jones, Marilyn

Long, Kelli Miller, Donna Nelson, Fran Nugteren

Housekirk Leaders

Jim Baehr, Scott & Stacie Bland, John Donaldson, Darren Georgeff,

Chuck Heitbrink, Lou Heitbrink, Chuck & Sue Holcomb, Paul Kurtz, Michael & Keri Mack, Brandon & Abby Mick, Paul Nelson, Doug Pe-

ter, Bill & Marsha Raisch, Lee & Melinda Turnbull, David Vorm, Larry

& Sherie Whitehead

Intergenerational Sunday School

Mark Bakker, Chuck Holcomb, George & Abby Edema, Brandon

Mick, Doug & Kim Peter, Dave & Donna Vorm, Clinton & Emily

Crowder, Derrick & Brinn Watson

Student Ministry

Kyra Stadtlander, Styles & Amy Stadtlander, Trent Vis, Amy Withers,

Tyler York

Children’s Ministry

Teresa Bakker, Chad & Amanda Carlson, Emily Crowder, Hanna

DeGroot, Tom & Benae Duff, Nicole Duff, Elaine Gaumer, Tate

Glenn, Judy Hahn, Gloria Huyser, Cheryl Harrington, Cindy Lanham,

Renee Lanham, Abbey Mick, Jonah Mudlaff, Sasha Mudlaff, Karen &

Matt Parman, Danika Stadtlander, Karissa Stadtlander, Kylah Tuinstra,

Sandy Tuinstra, Lindsey Vis, Donna Vorm, Brinn Watson, Tyler &

Vera Watson, Sherie Whitehead, Amy Withers

*Special thanks to the Fellowship Committee for preparing

meals for WOW, and to the Hospitality Room Hosts for

Sunday morning refreshments!

several conversations, are

there any recurring

themes or patterns in

what the person said?

Are there any contradic-

tions from what was said

earlier? These are signs

there may be more to ex-

plore underneath.

Listening is confidential.

A great way to build that

trust and to show the

person you really care for

him or her is to maintain

confidentiality and not to

share with others what

was told to you in a pri-

vate conversation.

Jesus was the model of a good

listener. Much of his ministry

was listening to people. By listen-

ing to what people had to say, he

demonstrated how much he real-

ly cared about them. Remember the stories of the woman at the

well, Nicodemus, or the disciples

on the road to Emmaus? All

were times when Jesus showed

his care and concern by first lis-

tening to people and then giving

them what they needed.

We all want Westkirk Presbyteri-

an Church to be a caring place, where members and guests truly

feel people care about who they

are and how they feel. Just as

our new Stephen Minister Candi-

dates are being trained to use

good listening skills to communi-

cate how much they care, so can

you. Follow and practice these

listening principles and make a

concentrated effort toward be-

coming a better listener. Listen-

ing is a great gift we can give to

one another, and one we can all

use in order to make Westkirk a

more caring place.

EvangelismNews

Westkirk Mission Conference Our annual Mission Conference will be Sunday, August 23,

with preaching on "Exult in Tribulations, Consider Trials all

Joy" based on Romans 5:1-5 and James 1:2-4. What an

amazing work of God is taking place in complicated parts of

the world! You won’t want to miss this report.

Please plan to join us at 9:00 a.m. for a special coffee time

(with some yummy pastries from Panera Bread). We will di-

vide into 3 groups for a sharing time with our missionaries

before coming back together for the combined Service

at 10:30 a.m. We have purchased the amazing book PRAY

FOR THE WORLD: A New Prayer Resource from Operation

World by Patrick Johnstone. You may pick up a copy for

your family during the coffee and sharing time!

Evangelism Commission: Sue Holcomb, Sandy Champion, Darren

Georgeff, Kathy Johnson, Doug Louis, Dan Marvin, Brandon Mick

Reformed Youth Ministries (RYM) – Summer Conference

June 15 – 21, 2015

Back in mid-June a group of our students and leaders spent the week at the YMCA Camp of the Rockies at

Estes Park, Colorado with other youth from around the country. We spent the week learning about what it

means to “abide in Christ”, playing Gaga Ball, resting, hiking, and horseback riding. We ended the week going

whitewater rafting on the Cache La Poudre River. It was a phenomenal week of marveling at God’s creative

handiwork in nature and growing in gratitude for his glorious redemptive work in Jesus Christ! Thank you to

all who supported us in prayer and to all who supported us financially, as well. I think everyone on our team is

in agreement –we can’t wait to return to RYM Colorado!

2015 RYM Team:

Eric Brown

Matthew Brown

Nicole Duff

Jonah Mudlaff

Amy Stadtlander*

Kyra Stadtlander*

Styles Stadtlander*

Elinor Wilde

Tyler York*

Brandon Mick*

(* denotes volunteer leader)

Student Ministry

THANK YOU for your prayers, support, participation,

volunteering, and donations for Vacation Bible School

July 12-16. We had over 70 kids during the week!

Most came with their parents, and some even brought

their grandparents! Those who didn't come with

adults were lovingly cared for by volunteers. It was

amazing to see the Lord at work--can't wait to see

what He'll continue to do in the lives of those who

were here. Special thanks to all of the volunteers, Au-

dio Engineer Whitehead, our Choral Commanders

Mudlaff and Mick, and Commander Cosmos--what a

blessing you are!

With a thankful, joyful and humbled heart,

Benae Duff

Director of Children’s Ministries

PS--For more pictures from the week, check out

www.westkirk.org!

Space Probe VBS 2015

Thank you to Emily

Crowder for photos

of VBS!

Organization

2700 Colby Woods Drive

Urbandale, Iowa 50322

Phone: 515-253-0330

Fax: 515-253-0596

August 2015

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAID DES MOINES IA

PERMIT NO. 5083

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Staff of Westkirk

Pastor - Michael Mudlaff

Assistant Pastor - Brandon Mick

Pastor for Congregational Care and

Senior Adult Ministries - Paul Nelson

Pastor in Residence - George Edema

Office Coordinator - Suzette Carter

Director of Children’s Ministry - Benae Duff

Vocal Music Director - Jordan Pohlmann

Stephen Leaders

Karen Breeding, Rick Eyerly,

Pastor Michael Mudlaff, Pastor Paul Nelson

Custodian - Barbara McCargar

Communion Stewards

Steve and Dot Monroe, Jim and Sandy Champion, Paul

and Jeanie Havnen,Kay Cunitz & Cynthia Fisher,

Lee and Melinda Turnbull

Wedding Coordinator - Marilyn Long

Flower Chairperson - Audrene Hansen

Office Volunteers

Jan Geisler, Becky Koebernick, Barbara Orend, Don and

Kathy Powers, Darlene Reighard, Bernie Koebernick,

Production Staff

Chuck Heitbrink, Becky & Bernie Koebernick,

Fran Nugteren, Barbara Orend, Kathy Powers,

Myra Verros

The Shepherd

Communication Organ of

Westkirk Presbyterian Church

2700 Colby Woods Drive, Urbandale, Iowa 50322

Phone: 515/253-0330

e-mail: westkirk@westkirk.org

Managing Editor - Kelli Miller

Proofer - Myra Verros

Photographers - Brandon Mick,

Donna Nelson

Contributing Editors

Benae Duff, Audrene Hansen,

Russ Harrison, Chuck Heitbrink,

Beryl Irvine, Kelli Miller, Marillyn McCulloch,

Brandon Mick, Michael Mudlaff, Paul Nelson,

Myra Verros, Linda Wilde

EvangelismNews

Update from Dave and Karen Eggert

Turkey May 28 – June 16

Three weeks is a long time to be away but I got a lot done. The Turkish ministry leadership team made budget decisions for FY 16 then the PACT leadership team did the same for our 10 country area. I met in-

dividually with a number of our staff, worshipped at two Turkish churches, attended an all-day meeting for

the leaders of foreign organizations in Turkey and spent time with staff visiting from Singapore. There was

also a prayer meeting for all staff in Istanbul and a farewell party for a family returning to the USA. The sec-

ond week, six of us travelled to Izmir, Ankara and Bursa to evaluate the campus ministries in those cities.

The Izmir ministry has just sent a team (led by a Turkish couple) to begin a new ministry in Eskisehir.

We are adding a third team in Istanbul in the Fall and this Summer we are exploring opportunities in Eastern

Turkey to start a campus ministry. So we are expanding! Our team in Ankara is led by Koreans and in-

cludes Chinese, Turks and Korean Americans– 4 languages spoken. And they are getting along well! My

last two days were spent with a team from our church in Ames who came for a short term project with the

Young Professional ministry.

Next up is our biennial staff conference at Colorado State U. July 13-22. Most of our PACT team will be

there. We’re planning a reunion to update staff who have served in PACT countries before and to recruit

new staff. Several of the Turkish staff are in the USA and will swing by the conference as well.

I knew before leaving for Turkey that Joanna would get engaged on June 20

(she didn’t know though) but Karen and I were very surprised to find out

when we walked into the engagement party that her sister Sarah had flown in

from Hawaii for the occasion. We are very excited for Joanna and Colin.

They are trying to make lots of decisions before he leaves for a seven month

Air Force assignment soon.

Enjoy the Summer!

Dave and Karen Eggert

Westkirk Mission Conference Our annual Mission Conference will be Sunday, August 23. Dave Eggert will be preaching on "Exult in

Tribulations, Consider Trials all Joy" based on Romans 5:1-5 and James 1:2-4. What an amazing work of

God is taking place as these teams minister in this part of the world! You won’t want to miss his report.

Please plan to join us at 9:00 a.m. for a special coffee time (with some yummy pastries from Panera Bread).

We will divide into 3 groups for a sharing time with our missionaries before coming back together for the

combined Service at 10:30 a.m. We have purchased the amazing book PRAY FOR THE WORLD: A New

Prayer Resource from Operation World by Patrick Johnstone. You may pick up a copy for your family during

the coffee and sharing time!

Evangelism Commission: Sue Holcomb, Sandy Champion, Darren Georgeff, Kathy Johnson, Doug Louis, Dan Marvin,

Brandon Mick