February 22, 2009 at 7:41 pm (Uncategorized)
Hi All,
Just a quick note to request your prayers over this coming week, both for safety in travel and in ministry. Myself and a couple colleagues are heading out to Ostrava for a couple days of church planter training with the CP’s out there.
Please pray that everything would go smoothly, and that it would be a successful 5 days with our Czech partners!
Blessings,
JF
February 17, 2009 at 2:56 pm (Leadership Development, Links, NLI, NLI Women's Development)
This post is for all the ladies (and wives of you men) that read Love. Give. Go.
EMERGE is a conference for Christian women in leadership.
Everything is in the name. “EMERGE: to appear out of or from behind something; to come out of an experience, condition, or situation, especially a difficult one; to become known or apparent; to arise.”
This event, put on by NLI’s Women’s Development, is designed for both emerging and advanced leaders 18 years and older. All who serve in church and marketplace leadership including education, business, healthcare, politics, the arts, etc. are welcome. Everything about the conference will reflect the value and importance women have in God’s Kingdom. A holistic approach to ministry will be modeled addressing the entire person: spirit, soul and body.
Invitations are being extended to women across North America. There are two conference locations, one in the Midwest [South Bend, Indiana] and one in the Pacific Northwest [Aloha, Oregon], May 1-2, 2009 and May 8-9, 2009 respectively. An amazing international team of women in leadership is being mobilized. They are coming together to insure the sacrifice of your time and resource is a good investment. They will give Bible-based, life-tested and sometimes-humorous teaching out of the abundance of their leadership experiences.
Because there will be a mosaic of women from different cultures and career backgrounds, you are sure to have an amazing experience learning from each other. This gathering promises to reflect what vibrant, healthy, 21st century leadership looks like.
To register, or find out more information, follow the link below:
February 17, 2009 at 2:39 pm (Uncategorized)
Hello everyone! This is the latest edition of Love.Give. Go. Grab a cup of tea, have a read, and enjoy!
Blessings,
JF
February 5, 2009 at 3:53 pm (Uncategorized)
Have any of you heard the news? England is receiving record snowfalls! We’re getting some up here in the west-midlands area but the bulk of it is down in the London area.
It’s interesting to live in a country that isn’t particularly prepared for such snow falls – and well, I’m talking 10 cm… 
January 28, 2009 at 11:35 am (Church Planting, Missions, NLI, Short Term Missions, Updates)
It’s a very active time here at the office in Bedworth. I’ve just been handed off some Romania Short Term Missions to coordinate, 2 from Canada, 1 from here in England, 1 from New Zealand and 1 from Australia. Our first team looks like it’s going to be out on the ground in early May – and that’s exciting! It’s an immense task, being the link between partner and host country, and so I really need your prayers!
As a Children’s Leadership Development Team, we’re concentrating on planning an excellent Kidshaper UK ‘09 conference this coming November 5th to 7th. We’re in the early stages of planning, designing, and booking – but this year’s conference already promises to be better than last year – helping to encourage and inspire children’s ministry and community leaders to reach kids for Christ.
Also I want to ask you all to prayerfully consider partnering financially with me in the work I’m doing here through Next Level International. Being here is an amazing opportunity from God to help serve the European continent. As of late, the European Population Statistic just reached 822,000,000 people. That’s huge. And, unlike many places in the world where the need is highly publicized, Europe is a lost continent, and more importantly, a continent that is spiritually hungry and needy. The awesome thing is, that because of all of us who are working on a support income at Next Level International by God’s calling things are changing on this continent. Churches are being planted, people are being saved from a lost eternity.
Just right now – there are 14 churches being planted in 3 regions in Romania – that’s just in one Church Planting project in one country that Next Level International works in. Leadership in this country is being trained to reach their communities where they need it most – not just to hold a Sunday ‘feel-good’ service. The Church Planters are men and women with families who have in some cases, given up their ‘normal’ life to pioneer something new for the Gospel through Next Level International and by the power of God.
God has granted me such an opportunity make a Kindgom difference. Not just feeding the hungry, or doing some measure of social work - but actually the opportunity to affect the eternal destiny of people. In the long run, that’s what matters.
To get involved, and to help me help Europe – click on the “Be A Partner” tab above.
January 14, 2009 at 9:36 am (Uncategorized)
A big hello to all of you, my faithful supporters and blog readers! It’s a new year, and the possibilities are endless! I pray that your 2009 has started well, and that God’s protection and blessing will be on each one of you and your families.
Christmas in England was beautiful – and New Year was good as well, with festivities happening at my lifegroup (small group) leaders’ house – Ronnie and Janelle Zerr. At midnight we turned on the BBC and watched the fireworks in London – WOW! What an amazing display of fireworks!
The new year here at Next Level International has started well, with plans for many Short-Term Missions, new Church Planting projects and a boost within the Children’s Leadership Development Department. We’re also switching to a regional model for the organization this year – so it should be an interesting year ahead!
JF
December 17, 2008 at 10:24 am (Missions, NLI, Short Term Missions, Updates)
Well, another year of Short-Term Missions is complete! Below are some of the stats from this year’s Short-Term Missions – and it’s amazing when it’s all laid out how many people were reached this year with the Gospel through the Short-Term Missions department – 8,906! Thank you to all of you who keep Next Level International in your prayers – lives are being changed, and people are coming to know God through the unique work that each STM team has in the cities they visit.
THE TEAMS
33 STM Teams: 22 STM teams, 3 Prayer Teams, 4 Planet-shakers STM teams, 2 iTeams, 1 Dance team (*visited 3 nations), 1 Expo trip (Czech)
Estimated people on mission: 300 people
7 Host Nations: Romania (13), Slovakia (12)*, Ukraine (2), Czech Republic (3), Poland (2)*, Austria (2)*, Spain (1)
6 Sending Nations: Canada (10), UK (9), Australia (7), USA (1), Ukraine (1), NZ (1) Ukraine (1) (iTeams/prayer/expo teams not included)
People by sending nation: 125 Canadians: 88 UK: 44 Australians: 11 USA: 9 NZ: 7 Ukrainians
THE MISSIONS
Total 1st time decisions: 229 (Adults 46: Kids/youth 183)
Other decisions of note: 413 Re-commitment/Response to preaching/request for CP follow up
Baptisms: 8 (1 after Ukraine mission & 7 during Austria iTeam)
Adults reached: 4,725
Children/youth reached (including school kids/youth): 4,181
School children reached: 720
Total numbers reached by STM teams in 2008: 8,906
Some comments from the Short-Term Mission Teams were…
From a High School Team from Canada who went to Zvolen/Lucenec in Slovakia…
“In the Crisis Orphanage we entered a room where the children were not familiar with visitors; these precious lives had been horribly abused and many could not even speak because they were so traumatized. Some never smiled, some were fearful of the males in our group. We began to blow up some animal balloons and our students began to interact with the children, after 4 hours of playing, skits and having fun almost every child was laughing and squealing with delight. When I asked the director of the home if there was anything we could do to bless them her answer was, ‘You already have, just by coming and playing with the children). Apparently many churches come to the home to drop-off toys etc. but no one will come in because there are gypsy children in the home, we were the first to actually go in, this was just one of the many open doors that we were privileged to be a part of.
In the children+s hospital, children were abandoned by their parents because they were considered too ill to take home. They would now be sent to a ’special) orphanage. These little ones were left alone in a cot, hardly touched or played with until we had the wonderful opportunity to go in and spend a short time with them-another open door opportunity for pastor Otto and his church.”
Planetshaker’s Team from Australia who went to Poland commented…
“I believe that much of what the Lord used us to do would be considered seed-sowing. I do believe that our time building relationships with the people of the Churches and encouraging them was successful, chiefly because we connected so well and felt the heartbeat of what God is doing through them. We also had some great success sharing personal testimonies and the gospel with many of the homeless and poorer people of the area. Our time spent in the cultural centre was also a very fruitful experience, mostly because we were able to connect culturally in order to build trust between us and the kids, and also the centre and the Church. The people all seemed very interested in Australian culture and the fact that we were so excited about their culture gave us a platform to minister to their hearts. God is Sovereign!
The list continues to grow in this area. To see God+s Sovereignty in another nation was mind-blowing! It was so encouraging to worship the same God with different people in a different way and sense His hand upon it. The Church is very family oriented, but outward focused,which is exciting to be a part of. I believe that we have each returned with a desire to get more outside the walls of the Church and have a fresh confidence to do so. As many would expect, we have a new appreciation for relationship and the things that the Lord has entrusted to us in Australia. One of the other things that stood out amongst the people of the Filidelphia Church is their sincerity. Few of them wore masks, which made some of us realize just how much people in our culture do.”
And the comments could continue! People are engaging in mission, realizing their potential to minister – even to people they don’t know. Praise the Lord! We’re seeing teams not only excited to go on mission – but they come home refreshed and ready to minister to their own cities again with a new passion for those around them.
On that note – I encourage you to get involved in next year’s missions – there are lots of possibilities and YOU’RE invited!!
December 11, 2008 at 11:30 am (Uncategorized)
What did we do to network online before Facebook? Well, to keep in tune, I have started a Facebook Group dedicated to my work with Next Level International! Visit it, join it, spread the word! It’s called Janelle Fowlow: Missionary with Next Level International.
Cheers all -
Janelle
December 10, 2008 at 3:11 pm (BOOST, Church Planting, Czech Republic, Links, Missions, NLI, Short Term Missions, Updates)
November/December 2008 Newsletter
This is the newest edition of my Love.Give.Go. Newsletter. You can download the pdf version from here. Alternatively, you can receive it by email or regual post with the provision of an address, electronic or postal.
Enjoy folks – and a very Merry Christmas to you all!
JF
December 3, 2008 at 2:19 pm (Church Planting, Czech Republic, Missions, NLI, Short Term Missions)
Wanted to let you all know of an upcoming training trip into Czech Republic coming up at the end of February/beginning of March ‘09. Myself, along with Regional Manager Judith Linnell and Church Planting Project Leader/Coordinator for Czech Republic, Kerry Parker, will be heading out to Czech for a few days. Myself and Judith will be facilitating Short-Term Missions training for the Church Planters in the Czech Church Planting (CP) project.
When Next Level International (NLI) facilitates a church planting project through partner churches in North America, Australia/New Zealand, the UK, part of the partnership support agreement from the supporting church is that they will send Short-Term Missions (STMs) teams for the latter three years of the project to give the new church plant a boost with regards to it’s identity in the community. In this way, STMs become an amazing catalyst for ministry opportunities into communities where Evangelical Christians are even viewed as a cult in some places! STM’s have a chance to break this stigma; to break wide-open barriers between the Church and Community and see the the Gospel shared not just by word, but by deed as well!
The most important point in all of this, is that after the STM leaves the host city, town or village, the Church Planters have an amazing open pathway from which they can now become active and accepted in the communities where the church is planted.
The training that we will do in Czech is to help the Church Planters in teaching them how to receive and host Short Term Missions Teams. As STMs are a two-way road, it is as important for the receiving church to understand how to facilitate and host a mission, as it is for the missions team itself to be trained to go to the host church and country. It’s an integral and vital step in the process of reaching out into the community in which the Church Planters work.
We’re really excited about this training, and the possibility that it holds for the new churches in the Czech Republic. It’s the personal opportunity to help train those who are influencing a nation for Christ, by enabling them to enable others to become catalysts within their community – sparking a move of God in the nation!
So – I ask you to intercede on behalf of myself, Judith, Kerry and the Czech Republic Church Planters who will be participating in this training in February/March ‘09.
I’m excited to be a part of this training trip and to see the long-term effects of what it produces!
Blessings to you all.
JF
