Dear Friends,
As we look back at 2008, there is one word that really stands out: Growth. We truly thank God for all He is doing within New Brothers Fellowship:
- NBF Inside Newsletter begins, which extends our reach to men inside.
- The newsletter brought the need for a P.O. Box, which has increased our mail from Brothers on the inside.
- We went from one NBF Discipleship Group a week, to four.
- Doug went from going into four facilities, to going into seven.
- Two NBF churches notified us that they will be increasing our support for 2009.
- The Lord added another church to our support team.
- And, NBF is finally becoming a 501.[c][3], non-profit corporation!
Yes, that is our big news for the New Year. On December 29th we received confirmation that we are officially New Brothers, Inc. Today, Doug filed our DBA (doing business as New Brothers Fellowship) and received our business certificate from the city of Haverhill. Very exciting news, but very intimidating, too. NBF is all grown-up now.
Family News
On a more personal note, Hannah is now back at school after her two-week break. We spent as much time together as we could, and enjoyed every minute.
One very special experience we will always remember was getting to meet Mr. and Mrs. Lars Gren. Mrs. Gren is better known as Elisabeth Elliot, a writer, missionary, and widow of the martyred missionary to Ecuador, Jim Elliot. Elisabeth Elliot is also one of Hannah's heroes.
The meeting began when Hannah requested a copy of The Journals of Jim Elliot, which Elisabeth edited, for Christmas. She had begun to read them at college and very inspired and affected by Jim's writing. This book was the one thing she wanted most. So, Caroline ordered it from Mr. Gren, and---much to our surprise---we discovered on Christmas morning that Elisabeth had signed the book for her. Hannah was so touched, she wrote to thank them both. She also took a little step of faith and asked if she might meet Mrs. Gren before returning to school. Well, last Saturday we were honored to meet and visit with the Grens at their home in Magnolia, Massachusetts. It was a very special time for us all, a remarkable experience.
Jim and Elisabeth Elliot's example is our inspiration for 2009. It's a great thing to know we are serving God in a work that is needful and fruitful, but most important to us is that we are growing to be more like Jesus every day. Whatever God asks us to do, or go through, we want to be quick to answer, "Yes, Lord."
Christmas Events
With the holidays and Hannah's homecoming, we neglected to report on The Cookie Blessing of 2008. The storm delayed our distribution day, but the cookies did get out---and were a blessing! Caroline and Hannah assembled the trays on Monday morning (the Monday before Christmas), and then Doug and Hannah delivered them to the Corrections Officers at the Farm and the five program/half-way houses in Essex County that are associated with the NBF Discipleship Groups. The churches that participated, New Life Community Church in Gerogetown, Market Street Baptist Church in Amesbury, and New Life Christian Assembly in Haverhill, were invited to include Christmas cards and information about their church. We wanted the residents to know this blessing came from the whole Body of Christ. Thank you so much to everyone who made this outreach possible!
We also had a very special Christmas Eve service at the Farm. The storm on the 21st shut-down Sunday night's chapel service at the Farm, but God opened the door for it to be re-scheduled for Christmas Eve. Thankfully, two chapel volunteers, Dan and Tom, were willing to take time away from their own families to join us. Hannah and Caroline baked some cookies, and we all gathered for a wonderful time of worship and the Word. There were a record number of men in attendance---standing room only. It was a really fine way to spend our Christmas Eve!
NBF Inside
Monday, we received a letter from an inmate we've never met, from a facility where Doug has never ministered. We assume he heard about NBF from the NBF Inside Newsletter we began publishing this year. That's very exciting and encouraging to us all by itself. However, his letter was so good we wanted to share a bit of it with you:
Doug & Caroline Gregan, I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ may continue to provide many blessing[sic] for the two of yous[sic] and that your ministries continue to flourish. First and foremost my name is ___ and I serve Jesus. I'm currently incarcerated in ___ and I worship here at the chapel under Pastor ___...which leads me to the reason for this letter. I'm trying to establish a support system for when I enter society. I thank God for people like you and I pray that you add me to your mailing list and that I'm able to correspond with you guys. I'm from the ___ area and have been incarcerated for 11yrs and serving 15 to 20 yrs for attempted murder with a dangerous weapon. I've been redeemed and I want to live my life for Christ. I hope to be a part of all yous[sic] are doing for Christ...Your Brother in Christ....
Isn't that exciting? This is what God is doing inside. NBF is what God is doing outside. This man is why we're here. He is why we you pray. He is why you give. He is what it's all about, because when he gets out, he's going to need the Body of Christ to be there for him. His release is at least four years away, and we need to be sure NBF is here for him. Isn't it incredible how the Lord is planting seeds for future harvests?
Thank You!
Finally, as we look forward to 2009, we are thankful for your continued support for NBF. This is a ministry to the Body of Christ, by the Body of Christ, and for the Body of Christ. It cannot---it does not---happen without you, the Body of Christ. You are such a blessing to us, in so many ways. This Christmas, in particular, we really felt the love of Jesus through you. There were Christmas cards with encouraging words, and special gifts that have delighted us, and provided for us. Thank you all for your generosity. We are truly humbled by the thoughtfulness, kindness, love we have received. Thank you for keeping us going. It all means so much to us.
May the Lord bless and keep you and yours today and throughout the New Year!
