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April 2011 “When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves?” -1 Corinthians 6:1-2 Greeting in Jesus’ Name, There is a lot more in this passage than what we find in just these verses, but still plenty to think about. Paul speaks about the widespread use of pagan judges to settle small time, interpersonal disputes, but the principle is deeper than that. One of the greatest challenges facing staff at His Mansion is dealing with all the “petty stuff” that goes on between individuals going through the program. Many of the residents have been raised in a culture of personal rights and entitlement. It is safe to say that the statement that most identifies them is: “My rights are more important than anything else!” In truth, everyone wins when a brother or sister takes the high ground, yielding his or her rights and sense of entitlement. This is especially true in regards to the “petty stuff” when, no matter who prevails, it still won’t affect the next day, let alone, life! It is easy to slip into the erroneous thinking that there are but two people involved in the dispute. There are always at least three! If you don’t believe and trust that God rewards the righteous and will best manage vengeance, then you will fight your own battle…and will ultimately lose! Residents at His Mansion have the privilege of learning these important lessons in the context of community.
In your family, work/school and relationships; how are you doing with this “my rights” thing?
Speaking of healing in the context of community, we have just completed the spring of 2011, one-week HCC course. Twenty individuals attended, coming from nine different states and one Canadian province.
One particular lady who participated in the course had come to His Mansion nearly two decades ago as a young, unwed mother-to-be, to have her baby. Now she returned here for this course in a very different place in life, better spiritually but with a new set of challenges before here as she faces the complexities of raising a teenage son. It was encouraging to me that she was drawn back to the Mansion after all these years, still continuing to seek wisdom and guidance by following God's call to her. Another member of the class attended the week in order to acquire skills that he can use in ministering to the addicted in Northern Maine. This comes after many years of wrestling with a life of addiction himself. Matt and Chris Kantrowitz attended the HCC week together in preparation for serving here as full-time long term staff members. Chris brings a Master’s degree and years of experience to the position of Director of Women’s Counseling, while Matt will provide counsel and instruction for the young men in the program. Matt graduated from the His Mansion program 35 years ago, went on to complete his Master’s at Gordon Conwell and then served as Chaplain of the Maine State Prison for eighteen years. We are privileged to gain all this life experience from both of them. What goes around, comes around!
Healing in the Context of Community: Class of March 2011 The Healing in the Context of Community course will be offered three additional times this year:
Call our office to speak with Nick Clark, His Mansion Institute Program Administrator, for more information or to begin the application and registration process for the week that best fits your schedule. God has something special in store for each person willing to trust Him and allow for the transformational work of the Spirit to occur in their life while participating in this course within our community.
Recently I was blessed to hear a touching testimony at a Prayer and Share service that was expressed by a resident. The young man poured out his heart in praise regarding the way God is molding and healing his life. I remember when he was here on a previous try. He was angry, rebellious and selfish. He did not stay in the program for but a few months. We gave him a second chance and this young man has surrendered. It still blesses my heart to witness this kind of transformation.
On a personal note, I am enjoying my new role as mentor, confidant and advisor (among other things) to various staff as well as having a significant input in the lives of men outside of the domain of His Mansion. Joan also enjoys a growing role as an encourager to other women. We are both embracing our new roles and the opportunities before as a result. Now, a word from Paul… The mounds of snow that seemed to have taken over the hill are now slowly but steadily diminishing. The other morning at breakfast, I heard a resident that had arrived during one of our biggest storms back in January, comment that he was seeing the ground for the first time since he has been here. The main road up to the hill again accommodates for two-way traffic. The sap buckets adorning the trees are quickly filling. The birds are now chirping. Spring is here!! The imagery of the change of season--from the cold, barren winter to the glimmers of the first signs of new life that come with spring--parallels the profound meaning and significance of the upcoming celebration of Easter. It is crucial for all of us, as believers, to try to grasp to the best our human ability can allow, the great importance of Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection. However, for the majority of the residents in our program, understanding and accepting this selfless act is perhaps the most vital part in the quest for healing. For individuals trying to break apart from a past of addictions and destruction, trying to embrace a new identity that is contradictory to the lies that were believed for so long, this new life and identity offered through Christ’s sacrifice is foreign. Albeit a struggle at times to accept this deep, profound love of Christ, as we near this Easter celebration, we give praise for His work and His divine love that has led to the transformation of so many lives on this hill. We were privileged to host our first work group of the year as we welcomed Wheaton College here for the week of their Spring break. It was a blessing to each of us that these 14 individuals would choose to spend their time off from classes volunteering and working alongside our family here in New Hampshire. God’s faithfulness is evident as He worked in mighty ways in the lives of each student that came here as part of this service trip. I want to share with you the personal words of two individuals from this group. Dave, a junior at Wheaton majoring in Christian Education, sent us the below recount of his week spent here: My experience at His Mansion was a memorable one to say the least. Upon departure from Wheaton, most of us (including myself) were coming to New Hampshire with mixed expectations. We really didn’t know what to expect from the community at His Mansion. Upon arrival, we soon realized that this community was truly like no other. First, we were able to experience the Sunday morning service at The Meeting Place, which proved to be an incredibly fruitful time. This time of Gospel-centered worship and fellowship was not the last time our group from Wheaton was able to participate in the community of believers at His Mansion. I was continually blown away and ministered to greatly at meal times, Prayer and Share, and especially at “Brother’s night,” when the men gathered for a time of worship. Personally, it was both here and in “Sociogram” that I witnessed the profound truth of the Gospel and the work of Christ at the utmost center of the ministry of His Mansion. I saw men exhorting their brothers with Scripture. I saw individuals who have been radically transformed by the Gospel, with eager hearts to tell the world about it. Throughout my week at His Mansion, I was blessed immensely by the Christ-centeredness and Gospel-rootedness that I witnessed, as well as the great amount of authenticity and humility in the residents and staff. Most of all, I enjoyed being able to fellowship with believers who have been changed by the same Gospel, are filled with the same Spirit, and are a part of the same Church, as I am. Another Wheaton student, Michelle, reflected on her experience within this community as follows: If I were to sum up my experience at His Mansion, it would be that it brought me back to the truth of the Gospel. When I looked into the beautiful eyes of the residents, mentors, and staff, I saw brokenness...I saw myself. But there was also something in those eyes that was impossible to miss, and that was the power of God's transformative work in their lives. There is no greater sight than to see the beauty of broken, sinful people walking in the victory of Christ as they wrestle with the implications of what God's forgiveness and grace mean for how they relate to God, themselves, others, and the world He has given us to inhabit. I pray that I also would have the courage to walk in the victory of Christ daily so that when others look into my eyes, they too, may see the power of His transformative work in my life. His Mansion is a place built on His Truth where "ashes are exchanged for beauty" (Isaiah 61:3).
 
Wheaton College Faith Baptist Church of Canaan, NH
We additionally were blessed through the service of the Faith Baptist Church from Canaan, New Hampshire who brought eleven volunteers to spend a recent Saturday here on the hill. We thank each person who came with the group for the hard work that they devoted to our community and for the enthusiastic spirit they had towards the opportunity to be here. God blesses our community uniquely with each group or individual who chooses to volunteer here.
I have been blown away by the incredible response of churches and work groups that have expressed an interest in serving at His Mansion this year. Our calendar over the next several months has been filling up since last year! If God has given you the desire to serve as a volunteer here at some point this year, call us now so we can coordinate schedules with you. We want you too to have the opportunity to experience Christ as we do, and as other volunteers have witnessed to, within our community.
HIS MANSION ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION- 40 YEARS OF MINISTRY!
The plans and events of Saturday, July 30th continue to come together more specifically each day. We are excited to have been able to confirm that a longtime, special friend of the Mansion, Kevin Doyle, along with several others that make up an old His Mansion “team”, will lead the special time of praise and worship in the afternoon. The day will be an incredible reunion for many! We continue to seek your help as we work to put together our “Story” book for Stan and Joan Farmer. We are looking for stories that speak to your personal experience with His Mansion Ministries. If you have had any relationship with the Mansion in the past 40 years, staff, resident/student, volunteer, or any other category, we want to hear the impact that this ministry has had on your life. An email has been created just for these stories and any pictures you might have, so type up your personal story, scan those old photographs and email them to sharethestory@hismansion.com. You can also send items through the postal mail to our office. We will return any photos that you send in so you can still hold on to your own Mansion mementos. We can't wait to put all this together into one special book for Stan and Joan! The online registration process for the celebration is set up and ready for you to RSVP! The link for registering is available from the homepage of our website, www.hismansion.com. On the registration form, select your “ticket” quantity to correspond with the number of people you want to register at that moment. Click on the “Register” button and fill out the information as required on the page. Once you’ve completed the process, your name will appear at the bottom of the page in the “Attendee List” along with everyone else that has registered. You can keep coming back to this page on a regular basis to see who else is attending as well. Neat, huh? I’d encourage you also to spread the word of our 40th Anniversary Celebration by sharing your attendance on Facebook. We are looking forward to seeing your names appear as you RSVP. I can’t wait to see you all in July! Closing comments from Stan… Financially, we find ourselves blessed with nearly the same gift income as at this time last year. We praise God for this but are keenly aware of the decrease in buying power. All this brand new, wet ink money emerging from some DC basement doesn’t go as far as it used to! My comfort is in knowing that God is not impressed or limited by man’s ineptness. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Spiritually, God is blessing us with a huge harvest of men and women’s souls. If we continue to reach out and minister just as if He, alone, was the source of all we need, we’ll continue to enjoy His supply. His Mansion is blessed with the most faithful and Spirit-sensitive partners in the Kingdom. 2011 will be a super year regardless of any circumstances and I am excited to be a part of it. Rejoice with us as He provides. Once again we can boast in Christ; God has met our needs. Every bill is paid and we carry no debt. Thank you!
Joyful in His service together,   Stan Farmer; Ambassador-at-Large Paul Atkinson Sr; CEO
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