Share the Crown

Starting the Next Project

adammparmenter — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 00:53:16 +0000

Recording space for the Parmenters next CD, The Shelter

The children and I had a great evening together, performaing a concert of sacred music at Orangeville Baptist church in Plainwell, MI. It finally hit me that it was time to start working on the next recording.

My job situation is completely up in the air and our finances are a matter of intense prayer. It seemed impractical to start a new project. But the whole focus of the new CD will be just what we are facing now. Going to Christ for shelter, when the storms overwhelm us.

I already own the equipment. It was just a matter of building some desktop speaker stands out of scrap wood and setting everything up.

The Hardware for recording the Shelter

There will be some tweeking to get the sonic characteristics of the room right, and it will be a squeeze getting musicians in. I may have to set up musicians in the bedroom. I can’t take over the living room this time.

It will be another adventure seeing where God leads us as a family and how this recording progresses. We are praying for a project that blesses people and encourages them to trust God.

For Those Who Serve – Our Gratitude

adammparmenter — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 15:49:31 +0000

In 1620 the pilgrims landed on our nation’s shores, escaping religious persecution. Since that time, people have come to the United States to enjoy the freedom to worship God openly and to invite others to do the same.

For over 230 years, the United States has been a source of hope to the world around us. Our nation was founded on these core principles: that all people are created by God and are individually accountable to Him for their actions.

Our government has not perfectly followed these principles. Each of us could point to a time in our nation’s history and even in our personal lives when we didn’t uphold the principles on which our nation was founded.

Even so, the United States of America has been blessed by God with unprecedented periods of peace and prosperity. Blessed with such abundance, we have sent missionaries throughout the world to share the good news of Jesus Christ and to aid the neediest peoples.

In our country we can tell our friends and neighbors about Jesus, invite anyone to church, and openly share the good news: that Christ died to forgive our sins and rose back to life so that those who trust and follow him may have eternal life.

All throughout our history individuals have served our country in the military to defend the freedoms we so cherish.

From the ragtag band of citizens that fired the first shots in the revolutionary war to today’s men and women fighting terror, US soldiers put themselves in harm’s way for their country. We are truly grateful for your service to us. Because you are willing to face battle, we will never have to face it here.

For every soldier on the front lines there are a hundred more in support, and still more in administrative functions. There are also those that train and stand at the ready. You may have served your entire military career and not fired a single shot, but our appreciation of you is no less profound. You also are guarding our freedom. Thank you.

My whole life I have lived in relative safety. The plans of madmen like Hitler and Stalin have been foiled. The communist threat has been contained, and the terrorist jihad is being blocked.

Today I am free. This freedom, especially the freedom to worship and serve Jesus Christ, is precious to me, and to us here at Lawrence Bible Baptist.

For those who have served or are currently serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or National Guard, we at Lawrence Bible Baptist offer our profound and heartfelt thanks.

For Those Who Serve

adammparmenter — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 01:35:13 +0000

For Those Who Serve
Lawrence Bible Baptist Takes a Moment to Thank Our Troops
Sunday, November 14th, 2010 at 11 am

Lawrence Bible Baptist Church
350 S Paw Paw Street, Lawrence, MI 49064-9686
(church) 269-674-8745

The people at Lawrence Bible Baptist appreciate the great freedoms we enjoy in our nation: chief among them is our freedom of religion. The church members have a sense of gratitude for those who have given themselves in service to our country, protecting our freedom.

The month of November traditionally is a month of giving thanks. So, to coincide with Veterans Day on November 11th, Lawrence Bible Baptist is taking a moment to say thank you to our troops.

Any individual who is currently serving or has served in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force or National Guard is invited to join us for our morning church service on Sunday, November 14th at 11am. Refreshments will be served following the service.

“Render therefore to all their dues; tribute to whom tribute is due…honor to whom honor. Owe no man anything, but to love one another.”
Holy Bible, Romans 13:7 & 8

Hello world!

adammparmenter — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:14:38 +0000

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

Our First Term of Service

adammparmenter — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:24:07 +0000

Well,

God has brought us in a direction I would never have expected. Years of training and preparation have brought us to pastoral ministry at a small country church in Lawrence, MI.

Lawrence Bible Baptist Church is home to about 35 folks, that have a desire to reach their community and grow. It’s a wonderful group with potential to have an impact in their community. As we start in ministry, we feel like the missionaries we prepared to be, just not where we thought we would be.

Please, continue to pray for us as we work to equip this group of believers to represent Christ in Lawrence, MI.

Parmenters Change Of Plans

adammparmenter — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:42:24 +0000

Dear Friends:

We want to let you know the sad news that we are resigning from ministry with ABWE.

It has been agonizing and heart wrenching to make this decision, but God has been close and faithful. After three years of Prefield and 83 meetings, we had only attained 30%. During 2009, our support fluctuated between 25% and 28%, and then finally up to 30% in May of this year. Our personal finances began to run perilously low.

Over the last several months we did not have peace that we were still where God wanted us to be. So we had been praying that God would reaffirm His direction for us. Adam started calling the churches we had visited so far hoping that the answer to our prayers would be several churches wanting to support us or at least expressing a strong interest in supporting us. We could not find any new support and it seemed our phone and e-mail went silent. Instead, the answer to that prayer was a phone call from a job recruiter. Our direction, though not what we were hoping for, seems clear: Adam accepted a contract position at a local corporation. As a result, the new job does not allow for us to continue in pre-field, and we must resign from ABWE.

While we did not raise our needed support, our prefield ministry has resulted in changed lives for Jesus Christ in churches all over the Midwest. When people shared with us how our ministry had made them think, convicted them, or encouraged them, it made the thousands of miles traveled worthwhile.

We know God is sovereign and His plans are perfect. I don’t think we will ever truly understand why we couldn’t go to the Czech Republic, but we do not doubt God on this. We can be certain that He is faithful. My son Michael always says, "Start by assuming God knows what He is doing." With that in mind we are submitting to this new direction and trusting Him for the outcome.

For HIS Sake….

Adam & Marge Parmenter

Pray With Us

adammparmenter — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:07:32 +0000

Hello Friends:

Last week we completed a week of travel which included a concert in Iowa, then a concert in Illinois, followed by a day of ministry and presentations in Iowa again. It was a wonderful time of effective ministry. Also, I was able to spend time with a new friend in the Czech Village, Cedar Rapids, IA. It was also the week that our support level finally made it to a full 30%.

Back in Kalamazoo, MI, the satisfying glow of ministry began to fade and the problem of our support level weighed on our hearts once again. It has taken us three years to get to 30% support, and for 18 months of that time our support has been moving up and down between about 26% and 29%. Two churches have joined as supporters, and several individuals have joined, which offset some other support that was lost.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Psalm 127:1

We’ve begun to wonder if we are "laboring in vain". We had about 83 meetings in three years and have a full schedule into the fall. The response to our ministry and our mission to the Czech republic has been exceptional.

Here are some quotes from the evaluation forms we give for each church we visit: "They blessed and challenged me", "The Parmenters were a blessing to our church", "The day was a blessing, challenge and very positive".

We are worried that after such a full schedule of great meetings that we are not seeing more support come in. ABWE guidelines show that we should be at about 60% support by now. In the coming week, we are working to discern if we are supposed to continue with prefield. Please, pray with us that we will have clear direction from the Lord. We need a clear indication that God will provide the supporters we need to continue. Also, this week, I’m going to call churches we’ve been to in an attempt to find out if there are any that are planning to support us. We are also praying that we will be able to discover any individuals that have been considering supporting us. If there are no churches planning on adding us then that could be an indication that we aren’t where God wants us to be.

Over and over I think about the Czech. In such a strongly atheist country like the Czech, there are college students that are curious and interested in Christianity. They would be willing to study the Bible with some one. Our age and background make us suitable for a number of ministries to help the little church in Southern Bohemia grow and Christians there mature in their faith. It’s heart breaking to consider that we might not have the funds to go help the Czechs.

We have been praying about our support for some months, some times with tears. We know that God is good, and that He is able to do anything in His will, regardless of the economy or political system. Pray with us that we will have wise discernment and clear direction over what to do next. We appreciate your prayers, and will keep you posted on our next steps. Adam Parmenter on behalf of

Marge, Michael & Maryellen

www.sharethecrown.com

“Now I’m not alone…”

adammparmenter — Mon, 03 May 2010 19:36:53 +0000

(Czech believer speaking to an ABWEmissionary)

It’s heart breaking to realize the vast majority of Czechs believe God is a myth for the weak minded. Believers (only 0.5%) are isolated, facing intense opposition from friends and family.

Working with a team of missionaries alongside isolated Czech believers, we’ll help them reach their country for Christ and mature as a church family.

“We need to get you here…”

(Ron Barnes, missionary/team leader, Czech Republic)

Pastor Ron Barnes and his family have been in the Czech four years. What he has discovered is that while many Czechs are hardened to matters of faith, there is a younger generation hungry for a life changing relationship that will sustain them regardless of their circumstances. The opportunities to share Christ with the Czechs are growing. The need is now.

"Two are better than one…”

(Ecclesiastes 4:9)

We can accomplish more together than we can alone. We are looking for hundreds of supporters who each donate a a small amount, $5, $10, or $25 per month. If each of us does what we can, together we can quickly raise the monthly income required to live and serve in the Czech for many years to come.

"We can’t do this alone.”

(Adam & Marge Parmenter)

In today’s economy giving is a sacrifice. Pray about it. With many of us working together we can field a team of missionaries to serve those living in deep spiritual poverty. Share our heart and vision for the Czech Republic.

*Click this link for a printable financial support form.

*Click this link for automatic withdrawal from checking or credit card

If you have any questions please contact us at this link.

Adam, Marge, Michael & Maryellen

The Parmenters: Prefield missionaries to the Czech Republic

Mission Board: Association of Baptists for World Evangelism

Home Church: Bethel Baptist, Kalamazoo, MI

Tax Time Supporters

adammparmenter — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:18:41 +0000

Our individual financial supporters are very
important to us.

They range in amounts from $10 per month to hundreds and range in age from a children’s sunday school group to eighty year olds. One supporter supports us at the $10 per month level
($120 annually), and sends the support annually from her tax return.

We
need your financial support, and being a Tax Time Supporter is an easy
and fairly painless way to support us financially for $10 or $20 per
month. If we had 300 supporters each donating the equivalent of $20 per
month, we would have almost all the monthly financial support we need.

Getting a refund this year? Please consider becoming a Tax Time
Supporter and sending an amount each year from your tax returns. Use the link at the top of the page for a form you can print and send with your check.

Impossible?

adammparmenter — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:30:31 +0000

Throughout Scripture, God calls upon people to do what is beyond their own ability to accomplish. Once, early in Jesus’ earthly ministry, he saw the disciples fishing. They had fished all night but caught nothing. These were experienced fishermen. Jesus said,

“Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So, signaling their partners in the other boat for help, they filled both boats so full they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees, exclaiming, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

Luke 5:5-8 (ESV).

No amount of human effort resulted in fish. Instead, it was the Lord who provided. Marge and I can identify with the disciples. God has provided for us a full schedule, encouraging churches, enough gifts of money to finance car repair and over thousands of miles of safe travel. But—our financial support level remains unchanged. It is currently not enough to meet our needs. I have not found part-time work. We are beyond our human ability to continue pre-field.

We can’t imagine how 2010 is going to turn out. Our belief is that God will provide our support needs according to His timing. I know that we aren’t the only ones dealing with difficult spiritual, emotional, health or financial challenges. Perhaps the struggle you face threatens to overwhelm you. Join us this year in trusting God, resisting the urge to “cut our losses and run.” Join us this year in prayer as we daily pour out our hearts to God. Join us this year as we saturate our lives with God’s Word. Challenges can drive us closer to God if we let them. Join us in trusting Him who alone can accomplish the impossible.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5&6 (ESV)

Adam, Marge, Michael & Maryellen