If it’s not on your calendar yet, you still have some time to put it there! DSC’s third annual Cause for Praise is tonight, Friday, October 19, from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM.

Our musicians will introduce a number of newly written songs of psalms set to song, including this one from Psalm 100.

“Psalm 100”
Words and music by Drew Hodge

Make a joyful noise to the Lord.
Serve the Lord with great joy.
Come into His house and sing!
Know that the Lord is God alone!
Chosen to be His own,
we belong to Him and sing, we sing!

Enter in His gates
with thanksgiving!
Fill His courts with praise!
Enter in His gates,
with thanksgiving!
Come and bless His name!

For the Lord is Good;
His love will endure;
His faithfulness to all generations!

For more information about Cause for Praise, and for links to songs recorded at DSC, click here.

In case you weren’t aware, DSC has a relatively new Missions Blog that tracks closely with our efforts and partnerships locally and around the globe.

Ahead of our upcoming Missions Emphasis Week (October 21-24), Clint, our Missions Director, recently published a blog with an invitation to dinner with three of DSC’s missionaries.

Here are the details:

Missions Emphasis Sunday is October 21st this year.  And as part of the celebration, we will be hosting a dinner with three of our global missionaries.  The night will include a silent auction, a Mediterranean dinner, free childcare, and a time of Testimony and Q&A with the following folks:

• Dr. Jaime Jacobo Pineda – Dr. Jacobo is our dear friend and partner from Guatemala with whom we seek to serve the Rabinal Achi through Community Health Evangelism.
• Hugo W. – Hugo is the Director of Arab World Media (AWM). AWM exists to “To see mature, multiplying churches among all Muslim peoples of the Arab world.” Not only do we support AWM from our annual missions budget, our hopes are that as we raise up a few SNAP families to move to North Africa, they will be able to benefit directly from AWM’s ministry on the ground both now and in the future. Please pray toward this end even now.
• Chuck Harper – Chuck is DSC’s missionary in residence who recently accepted a new position at Western Indian Ministries as the General Director.

Yes, you read that right: Childcare is free and includes a meal and a program.

Seating is limited to the first 50 adults who RSVP and pay ($20 per person) for their seat. You can pay online here, or by using check or cash in a missions envelope by dropping it in an offering box or taking it to the church office. You can RSVP by emailing global@desertspringschurch.org.

Finally, the silent auction will include items from our three global core initiative regions of the world (North Africa, Guatemala, and Native America).

Check back at the DSC Missions Blog in the days ahead for introductions to our guest missionaries for Missions Emphasis Week. The first introduction, for Dr. Jaime Jacobo and Jannette Pineda, is available here. Subscribe to the Missions Blog here.

On Sunday we announced the appointment of six new deacons: Sandy Beauchamp, Greg Dart, Leonard Duran, Marvin Gibson, and Jason Mancini.

Here’s a nice description of the office of deacon on DSC’s Leadership page:

In the New Testament Scriptures, there are two offices in the local church: pastors (or elders) and deacons. The deacon is a “servant” office (this is what the Greek word “deacon” means, and what we see in Acts 6 with the first deacons). However, it is also a managerial office: deacons lead others in an area of service. In Acts 6:3 “the seven” (deacons) were put “in charge” of a task. The seven of Acts 6:3 may have helped to manage around three thousand in the church at that time.

In Acts 6 we see areas that require some form of leadership, such as problem-solving and peace-making, related to an area that starts in the material realm (in this case, taking care of the needs of widows). Again, deacons give attention to more practical needs of the body. This frees up elders for the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4). Though the needs that deacons respond to often start in the material realm, the ministry often mingles physical and spiritual needs. For example, “complaints” are handled (Acts 6:1), Stephen preaches (Acts 7), Philip preaches (Acts 8), and deacons “hold fast the mystery of the faith” (1 Timothy 3:9).

On our Leadership Page you will also find photos for each of DSC’s leaders, including these five new deacons.

We’re looking forward to having Jerram Barrs with us on August 4 for a Saturday Seminar, “Barriers and Bridges: Loving Others to Christ.” Jerram was with us in 2009 for our Prizing the Privilege of Prayer weekend, and quickly became endeared to our church as a man passionate about the gospel, and about sharing the gospel. He teaches apologetics and outreach at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis.

The seminar will take place at DSC from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. The cost is free.

Click here for sermons by Jerram Barrs from his visit with us in 2009. Also, you can purchase any one of the following books at Amazon or at the Resource Center:

Learning Evangelism From Jesus

The Heart of Evangelism

The Heart of Prayer

Through His Eyes: God’s Perspective on Women in the Bible

This faculty video from Covenant Seminary will give you a sense of Jerram’s warmth, conviction, and clarity concerning the nature of the church’s role as a people sent by Christ:

Click here for messages preached at DSC that touch on the subject of evangelism, including Ryan’s sermon from John 4:1-42, “Lessons from Jesus on Witnessing.”

It is with joy that we announce that Nathan Sherman has accepted our offer to serve DSC as our new Minister to Youth and Families!

This great news comes at the end of an almost six month search process. During that time, DSC’s elders have been praying about this transition, reviewing resumes, and discussing the needs of the ministry. In April, they extended an invitation for Nathan to visit DSC for a candidating weekend. Over the weekend of May 6, Nathan visited with his wife, Marcie, to meet with the elders, staff, and the youth ministry leadership, and to teach the students during the Paradox hour on Sunday.

In 2010, Nathan received his Master of Divinity in Theology from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has been serving since that time on staff at Providence, an Acts 29 church in Austin, TX.

Here’s is a paragraph from Nathan’s resume:

“Being rich in mercy and kindness, God called me into belief in the gospel when I was in the 8th grade. For the near entirety of my life I have been blessed to have more mature believers who were and are concerned with my personal growth and discipleship. Through their model, discipleship by transferring both truth and life has always been an imperative for me as Christ has mandated. In 2006, I married my precious wife, Marcie. Marcie has a Master’s of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Southern Seminary. She is an extremely competent and compassionate counselor and discipler of women. We have two boys, Owen and Caleb, and we are expecting our third son, Micah, in May 2012. Through our experience in churches, seminary, and now as parents, we have developed an increased concern for ministering to families as a whole through the gospel.”

As you might expect, there is one part of that paragraph that is already obsolete: Micah Henry Sherman was born on Wednesday morning, weighing in at 9 lbs. 4 oz.! He is healthy and the family is coming home from the hospital today.

Please be in prayer for this family in the midst of their many transitions. If you would like to welcome Nathan, Marcie, Owen, Caleb, and Micah, please email them at nathan@providenceaustin.com. We look forward to being joined by the Shermans at the end of June.

Until that time, we will enjoy our time with Greg and Caitelen Schneeberger, who have lived with and served among us so faithfully for so many years. Greg and his family will be moving to San Diego in July where Greg will be a church planting intern at North Coast Presbyterian Church. Learn more about their future ministry here, and look out for opportunities to serve and celebrate this precious family in their transition.