Dear Prayer and Financial Supporters,

The Lord is accomplishing great things, and He is using you to make it possible!

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi expressing his appreciation for their generosity toward him personally as well as his ministry. Tenderly and with deep affection he noted that when he left Macedonia, no support came to him except from them. On top of that, several times they supported him with special gifts when he was serving in Thessalonica. Check it out at Philippians 4:14-16. Whatever you do, don’t miss the key part of this message. “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account” (Philippians 4:17).

This is exactly how Karen and I feel toward you, our dear prayer and financial supporters. Never do we look to you for your money. We of course deeply appreciate your gifts. I will write about that in just a moment! What we truly want is fruit that will abound to your account. Now about your gifts! Every time you pray for us, it is a precious gift that results in lasting fruit. Every time you send financial support, this gift results in fruit that lasts. Every time you recommend to a friend something from our ministry, this results in fruit that lasts. Thank you!

As I said, the Lord is accomplishing great things, and He is using you to make it possible. There are so many prayers and praises that I hardly know where to start!

Praise: Chip Wood and his family continue deputation raising their support to serve as the next JOY Club Director. There will be many closing programs for JOY Club over the next few weeks. We are excited that many unchurched families will attend. There are still new churches that are chartering. Karen is having a great ministry with the directors and clubs throughout the United States and Canada.

Praise: Two new marriage videos as well as new Two Minute Tickers are now posted and available at www.michaelpeck.org. Chris Brown has done an excellent job of taping, and several couples from Abbe Road Baptist Church of Elyria came to be recorded for the sessions. Two more videos will be added soon.

Praise: Many of you have contributed to the PRESS fund. We are in the process of getting the advertisements designed. These will appear three times in the Baptist Bulletin, twelve times on their web ads, once in their conference workbook and once in the directory.  The cost is just about exactly as we estimated. I could not afford to do this by myself. You have made this possible with your very generous funding.

Praise: The Lord is using you to expand the family ministry in ways that I never dreamed. The Daily Prescriptions are going into hundreds of homes, offices, and schools. Have you subscribed yet? They’re free, and you will find the subscription box at the bottom of my homepage. Families, counselors, pastors, and church secretaries are using the bulletin fillers and the counseling resources in their ministries.

Praise: A pastor who is using my premarital counseling material, “From This Day Forward—Preparing Couples for the Journey of a Lifetime” wrote to us and said,

            “I am taking two couples through the book now. This is the first I have used it. I have used

                other materials over the past 30 years, but this is by far the best concise material I have used.

                The homework and the sessions are very practical. I have added a session where I have seen

                the need. No one minded. Some other material I have used is good, but it is so intense that it is

                intimidating! Other materials are so ‘fluffy’ they aren’t worth using.”

I am so thrilled for the opportunity to be useful to pastors. Obviously there are tons of books and materials for home and family today. So why do I want to write and produce as much as possible in the next few years?

It is because of the 80/20 principle! Pastors and counselors have discovered that with many of the books written today about marriage, parenting, home, and family, the material is pretty good in just about 80% of what is written. Then there is the 20% of things that are written in these same books. Some of these things are flat out wrong. Some of the material is embarrassing in what the writer suggests. Some of the questions or homework is either too intimidating or too fluffy. They are just not what we would ever recommend.

That’s why I write. That’s why I am excited everyday as early I get to the writing corner. Every day I am in touch with pastors and missionaries throughout the world. They prod me on for additional family resource materials. I am blessed and excited about the opportunities. I so appreciate the fact that you are praying and supporting. Here are several things for which I would ask prayer.

Prayer:  The designing of the ads for the Baptist Bulletin. While there will be additional advertising in the days ahead, this will be the major advertisement which is already funded through your PRESS giving.

Prayer: Please be in prayer for Abbe Road Baptist Church in the pastoral search. I will continue to pulpit supply May 4 and 25. There are several special opportunities that are ahead this month.

            May 11-14- First Baptist Church, Wellington, OH. for a Christian Life Conference

            May 17-  Karen at the Ladies’ Luncheon, First Baptist Church, Wellington, OH

            May 18-  Fellowship Baptist Church, Lorain, OH. (This is one of our BCP churches!)

            May 27- Mike at the Hebron Senior Saints’ Fellowship held at Baptist Church Planters

Prayer: I will be professionally recording twelve videos which will be fifteen minutes each. These will be available free of charge to pastors and individuals. Please pray now because the manuscript preparation will begin soon. Honestly, this is a huge undertaking. It will, however, provide amazing opportunities to reach families. Your PRESS funds also are helping to support the production costs of these videos!

Prayer: The book I am currently writing, “Growing—Staying Best Friends After the Honeymoon’s Over” is coming along well. Please keep praying. I am comparing the building of a beautiful marriage to the building of a beautiful house. I think you will enjoy the storyline throughout the book. Please pray with me as I work on this.

Way too much information, isn’t there? I just can’t help it. Karen and I are excited. We are so humbled and thrilled to be your missionaries. Thank you for your support. Thank you for funding the PRESS fund. We want to thank you most of all for your friendship and prayers. Yes, the Lord is accomplishing great things, and He is using you to make it all possible.

Sincerely,
Michael and Karen Peck

Author and Family Counselor / JOY Club Youth Ministries’ Director

Baptist Church Planters.

PS. Check out our website www.michaelpeck.org  and sign up for the brief daily devotionals called Dr. Mike’s Daily Prescriptions. Maybe you know a friend who needs a brief encouragement each day and would enjoy the Daily Prescriptions. Contact us at PastorMJP@aol.com and kpeck@bcpusa.org.