Jeff Ward on Jan 22nd 2010 International
We wanted to update you on some of the details of our initial response to the Crisis in Haiti:
WHEN: A team of Watermark doctors will be leaving from Austin on Saturday at noon. They will be joining up with a group from Hill Country Bible. While the jets have been donated, the cost of fuel is significant. There is a donor matching any contributions, and if you would like to contribute toward this effort, please indicate “disaster relief” on your check to Watermark. The plane will be direct into Port-au-Prince and the team will return on Thursday.
WHO: The team includes several Watermark physicians, trauma surgeons, emergency medicine specialists, orthopedic surgeons, and anesthesiologists.
WHAT: On the ground, our team will be taking over for existing and exhausted teams at clinics operated by Mission of Hope Haiti. MOH has arranged all of the logistics on the ground. We also have a Watermark member who is a photographer and has been on the ground since shortly after the initial quake. He has been reporting daily on conditions there.
FUTURE MEDICAL TEAMS – as you can imagine, we had an overwhelming number of medical personnel offer assistance. Unfortunately, we could not accommodate everyone on this initial trip. However, there should be plenty of opportunities for future teams. Additionally, we hope to be able to soon send teams through our partnership with World Vision.
Please be praying for this initial team….
Here’s a link to the Mission of Hope website: http://www.missionofhopehaiti.org/
Here’s a link to a NBC’s short video of the work of Mission of Hope – http://www.nbc.com/news-sports/msnbc-video/one-mans-mission-of-hope-in-haiti/
Jeff Ward on Jan 20th 2010 Events, Watermark
If You Were Mine: A Workshop for Those Exploring Adoption
Have you ever thought about adopting? Tapestry, Watermark’s Orphans Ministry, will be hosting an interactive 7-week study called If You Were Mine for those interested in exploring whether adoption is right for their family.
This study will provide informed insight on many topics, including God’s heart for orphans, basic decisions, agencies, funding, paperwork, home studies and finalization. All of this is aimed at helping you or someone you know, understand the next steps to take and discern whether God is calling you to give a child a forever family through adoption.
The study will run from January 19th – March 2nd (6:30 – 8:30 p.m.). Childcare is available. A workbook is required for this study which can be purchased for $10. We don’t want finances to be a barrier that keeps anyone from attending so please contact us if you need assistance.
To sign up for the If You Were Mine study please visit the Watermark events webpage. Please contact David at dpleventhal@gmail.com
Jeff Ward on Jan 20th 2010 Events, General, Local
As you know, one of our “flagship” opportunities to really engage our community is our annual “Service Day .” This year it falls on May 2. It will look very similar to last year but on a larger scale both for Watermark and the fact that we are collaborating with dozens of other churches across the metroplex and World Vision. There is even a website www.goandbe.org and Facebook page highlighting the collaboration. It will be an exciting time to engage our community. We have lots of needs as we begin planning, including folks to begin coordinating service sites, communicating with ministry partners and other organizations, bus captains, site captains, supplies coordination, folks to stay on campus and help stragglers, and logistics, such as people movement, buses, signage, etc. We’ll begin planning in February, so let us know if you’re interested in this. You can e-mail us at externalfocus@watermark.org.
Jeff Ward on Jan 16th 2010 Events, Watermark
Thank you to the dozens of Watermark members who have reached out to us, asking what you can do as a part of the body of Christ to help the victims of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti. We want you to know that we are prayerfully considering our corporate response to these dire circumstances. Over the last few days, Watermark’s leadership has been in near constant contact with our key ministry partners (World Vision and others) and our friends on the ground in Haiti, including a conference call with those in Port-au-Prince who are assessing the situation firsthand. We are taking all the necessary steps to ensure that every dollar and every minute invested in the relief effort honors God and is reviewed wisely. Ultimately, we believe that a corporate response from Watermark will allow us all to make a long-term impact in Haiti for Kingdom purposes, so we hope that you will join with us in the relief efforts that we participate in with our ministry partners.
We hope to update you fully on Sunday with ways that you can be involved in the relief efforts and the long term recovery for the people of Haiti. Our goal is to deploy people with specific skill sets within the Watermark body in the coming days who will be instrumental to care for the physical and spiritual needs of the people of Haiti. In the meantime, please join with us as we continue to pray for the victims, their families, the relief workers who will be traveling to Haiti, our partners at the leadership level who are making decisions, in-country church and organizational leaders, and us, as we discern how God would have us respond.
