february 2015-idc mckinney

FEB 2015 | IDCMCKINNEY.COM | LEAD PASTOR: JORDAN STONE

IMAGO DEIGospel Partner Spotlight: the Chengs

“Be still, and know that I am God.I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!”PSALM 46:10

For the next several months, we plan to feature an in-depth look at each of our

Gospel Partners in order to get to know them better as well as to learn more

about God’s calling in their lives. We hope these spotlights spur the IDC body

into deeper relationships with our Gospel Partners and also deeper prayer for

their families!

As we kick off this series,

we are excited to share

about John & Jessie

Cheng. John and Jessie

have been on staff with

Cru (formerly known

as Campus Crusade for

Christ) for several years,

and now they reside

in Richardson. They

originally joined Cru

while serving in China,

and then after adopting their daughter, Hope, they have transitioned to a Dallas-

based ministry of Cru called “Cru City.” It is both an exciting and pivotal time in

John & Jessie’s lives as they begin ministering within Dallas because they are in

the very beginning stages of prayerfully putting plans in place to reach men and

women in Dallas who need to know the redeeming message of Christ. You can

read more about John & Jessie’s background at idcmckinney.com/go.

idcmckinney.com/go



What are your favorite Bible passages and why?

John: Psalms 27:4, because it's the best example of what proper pursuit of God looks like. It's like he has a sea of options before him and he chooses that one person. His desire is a constant pursuing of God.

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.”

– Psalm 27:4

Jessie: Zephaniah 3:17, because I love that I can be secure in God’s tender care and love for me. I am comforted to know that the God of the universe delights in me and sings over me. Such sweet love!

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by

his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

– Zephaniah 3:17

The Chengs at a deaf orphanage in China



What do you enjoy most about your role with Cru?

John: The joy in leading men to Christ. Being a part of their growth and ultimately helping them see the same joy in multiplication.

Jessie: I love that I am able to enter into ministry right where I am in life, and for me right now, that’s at the children’s hospital. God has given me a unique position because I know what it is to be both a parent and a nurse, which is allowing me to minister to both staff members and patient families.

What is the deepest desire you have right now for God to move within your ministry?

Our ministry verse is Jeremiah 29:7. In this particular verse, the original Hebrew word for welfare is “Shalom.” In this context, shalom is referring to the whole-ness and completeness of the people and the city — their physical,

emotional, and spiritual wholeness. We are called specifically to seek this state of completeness in our city, both in the individual residents and in the city as a whole.

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile,

and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

— Jeremiah 29:7

The Chengs leading worship



What has been one of the most noticeable ways God has grown your faith since being in full-time missions?

John: I am now able to make decisions based not on what is safe and comfortable, but in the ways God is leading, even when they stretch my abilities.

Jessie: I realize more and more that my work has nothing to do with me. God is moving in the world to bring sinners to Him, and to receive His glory. With this, He uses me in ways I never dreamed of and He assigns me to tasks that require gifts I didn’t realize I have. And sometimes I don’t have those gifts, but He extends absolute grace and makes me adequate for the task anyway!

Since becoming new parents through adopting sweet Hope last year, what is one of your favorite ways you have seen God grow in each other?

John: Watching Jessie through this legal battle. Her honesty, it's like she’s not afraid that God would desert her for it. To see your wife love her daughter is one thing and to see her love her Lord is another. This adop-tion has shown me that Jessie has a fierce love and is always challenging me.

Jessie: I have loved seeing John’s love for his child, even though she isn’t biological. His Chinese heritage definitely predisposes him to believing that he needs to have a biological son, but God has really worked out His plan for us, and John is faithfully following that.

What are some ways that your family has fun together?

We love taking country drives, going on long walks, hosting people at our home, visiting the art museum, and spending time with Hope’s cousins.

What are some specific ways the IDC family can intercede in prayer for you?

Since adopting Hope, we have been unable to return overseas, and this has brought about 2 major adjustments: 1) not having a close-knit team and 2) not having specific goals or ministry strategy in place. Please pray that God would build a team of com-mitted people and church partners to join us in seeking the welfare of our city. Please pray that Jessie would find more opportunities to be involved in the ministry while still caring for Hope. Please pray for Hope’s continued growth, development, and health.

What are ways that IDC can encourage and support you?

Jessie and I would love IDC to join us in ministry efforts, specifically by partnering with us regularly on our projects. We would love to share meals with church members to get to know them, would love to have members join us in local outreach events, and would love for members to go on short-term missions projects with us.

We are thankful for how the Lord has allowed IDC to partner with several

incredible individuals, couples, and families who are diligently working

to share Christ, help plant churches, and care for the needs of orphans.

Here are recent updates and prayer requests from some of our Gospel

Partners. If you are interested in biographies and contact info for all of

IDC’s Gospel Partners, please visit idcmckinney.com/go.


IMAGO DEIGospel Partner Prayer Requests

Kyle & Carrie WileyNEXT Worldwide

NEXT Worldwide is committed to planting churches through evangelism and discipleship in areas with little or no Gospel witness. Please PRAY:

- for Kyle’s trip to Canada (Calgary, Cochrane, Canmore and surrounding areas) in early February to go well and for God establish connections with local pastors so NEXT can send teams later this summer to share the Gospel and eventually help plant more churches.

- for NEXT to continue signing up college students to fill the trips that are planned for Spring Break and later this summer. Trips are planned to many areas from Latin America to a very closed country in S. Asia. Kyle is planning to lead the trip to S. Asia, so please begin to pray for God to prepare the hearts of Kyle’s team, as well as the people they will be serving.

Gospel Partners in AsiaDue to security reasons,

this partner’s name remains confidential. However, they are based in a remote area of Asia for the purpose of reaching an unengaged people group with the Gospel. They recently shared some updates and here is how we can PRAY:

- for God to help them form friendships with locals.

- for the Lord to help them quickly learn both the national language and eventually the people group’s specific language.

- Praise God for some recent connections who are familiar with the specific people group they will be engaging and for insight regarding the exact location of the people group.


IMAGO DEIGospel Partner Prayer Requests

Bruce & Denise KendrickEmbrace

Embrace is a ministry serving at-risk, foster, and adopted children and their families. While Embrace is based here in Dallas, they equip and work alongside churches throughout the U.S. Please PRAY:

- for the Texas Orphan Conference on April 11 as Embrace calls ministry leaders from across Texas to advocate for the needs of children and families in the midst of the Texas Legislature being in session.

- for God to direct Bruce & Denise as they prepare for a nationwide “Hometown Tour” starting in June 2015. The whole Kendrick family will visit 25 cities across the U.S. for the purpose of equipping churches and beginning grassroots efforts to care for the foster, adopted, and orphaned children in their communities. Please pray for God to continue giving Bruce & Denise connections with churches who desire to host this training.

JoannaCrossover Communications International

Crossover is a sending agency that brings access

to the Gospel to unreached nations, and Crossover’s primary pursuit is “Vision 2020,” where they plan to plant 2000 reproducing churches by the year 2020. Joanna’s role at Crossover is both the Care Coordinator and Prayer Coordinator of all Crossover’s field staff throughout the world. Please PRAY:

- for Joanna to be filled with God’s incredible wisdom and knowledge as she facilitates important training conferences for many of Crossover’s field staff starting in January of this year and again in September.

- for God to use Joanna to encourage, strengthen, equip, and unify field staff as they pursue Vision 2020 throughout the world. Although they are serving in many parts of the world, may the staff remember they are working TOGETHER for Vision 2020 and ultimately for God’s glory.

- for God to continue adding to Joanna’s support team so that she will soon be 100% supported on a monthly basis.


We are encouraged by the many ways that the IDC family demonstrates

and proclaims their faith in this world, and here are a few individuals we

wanted to highlight. If you would like to share how God is leading you in

similar ways to connect with those around you, please send a note to

[email protected] and share details!

IMAGO DEIIndividual Mission Efforts

John Woodruff’s TripThailand, February 2015

Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) missionaries from all over Asia will gather on February 6-11 in Thailand for a time of worship, fellowship, and care. A significant part of this care is giving missionaries a chance to meet with John for professional counseling in order to encourage and guide these folks in their relationship with God in the context of serving Him in another culture. Please PRAY for God to give John continual wisdom and love as he sits with these missionaries in the depths of their heartache and the heights of their joy. Also, please PRAY for John’s physical health during his travels and emotional rest as the days are highly engaging.

Opportunities to Serve

Embrace & IDC’s Valentine Respite NightOn Friday, February 6 (6-9pm) Embrace and

Imago Dei are partnering to host a respite night for foster and adoptive families in our area. This will be a fun night where foster/adopted children and their siblings can have fun with the activities that we’ll provide for them — and their parents will re-ceive a much needed night to themselves! We need LOTS of volunteers, so please contact Natasha Combs ([email protected]) sign up!

Upcoming Dates

Sunday 2/8 Men’s Upper Room

Tuesday 2/10 Women Discipling Women “Behold Our God” study

Monday 2/16 Church Prayer Night

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

february 2015-idc mckinney

Documents

john jessie cheng

cru city

john jessies lives

dallasbased ministry

lead pastor

john jessies background

proper pursuit of god

ministry verse