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August/September 2011 “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel, which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…”
-1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Greetings in the name of Jesus,
For the past several months, the Elder Team I’ve been part of has been teaching through the first letter of Paul to the Corinthian church. Several controversial chapters and one deeply theological passage have fallen to me in the random rotation. It is great truth, valuable teaching, but borderline boring! Not the prophet’s favorite material. This past week I hit the jackpot however, with 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. Here Paul takes a break from tongues and prophecies and women’s hairdos, to get back to the basics. Frankly, I was more excited in anticipation of preaching the passage than in the reunion, which occurred the day before; as exciting as that was! In the overwhelming fog of current bad news, it was delightfully refreshing to share the ultimate Good News. “…That Christ died for our sin according to the Scripture…rose again the third day… and that he was seen by Cephas, and then by the twelve. After that he was seen by over 500 brethren at once…” That Jesus died, for our sins and was raised from the dead, is the message of hope. Without it, there is no hope! The Old Testament proclaimed Christ’s resurrection in advance. The empty tomb sealed the deal. The Apostles testified, then five hundred citizens; some of whom were still alive when Paul preached it. Paul in effect told folks in the Corinthian church to go find some of these witnesses who could back up his claims. James, the skeptic, then joined the host of witnesses. James ended up a leader in the church in Jerusalem! Finally, Paul, a former enemy, wraps it all up. An attorney with this many witnesses speaking for his position would have ambulance-chaser and flash and banner ads running every half hour on the Internet and TV! What an exciting message, this good news. It flies in the face of all the hopelessness and hostility of our culture. The resurrection, with all its proofs, continues to be a stumbling block to those who reject Christ. It didn’t require hours and hours of research and study to preach this message! The Holy Spirit had recorded a precise and powerful message that needs only repeating. What a joy it was to simply preach Christ crucified, buried, resurrected and ascended. The Mansion family, accompanied by many 40th reunion attendees, sat under the huge tent where the festivities took place the day before. God’s Word came to us in power--His power--and we were refreshed by the truth that, “to as many as received him, he gives the power to become sons of God (and daughters of God).” Perfect Good News; perfect weather; perfect setting. Several were convicted by the message and surrendered their hearts in commitment to Christ. Well, the 40th has passed into history. More than three hundred, past and present “Mansionites,” many prayer warriors, and supporters, and some who had watched His Mansion from afar, were gathered here “on the Hill.” The weather was a perfect “10.” Folks began arriving Friday night to hear Stephen Bell and his band “Raging Grace” perform. Such a great band and so God-honoring. Raging Grace’s message set the stage for a wonderful day to follow. Saturday morning literally hundreds of arrivals arrived and began breaking up into small groups, gathering all over the hill. I quietly passed among the crowd, threading a “memory strand” through the small beads of folks with common ties in history. What’s really moved me most was to stand back and witness individuals, who themselves, own an important segment of the 40 year history. It might be six months, six years, or forty years, but each one’s piece is as important and vital to the whole, as anyone else’s. There was a cadre of those who had lived here; sons and daughters, and yes, even their grandchildren! Supporters and past board members, who many had never met, were honored and included. And the party rolled on. Oh yes, lest I forget to mention it, we even had a program! God met us here on The Hill that weekend and friendships were renewed, lost contacts reconnected and visions rekindled. In the midst of months of preparation and planning for the celebration, the gardens continued to grow, piglets and calves were born, and the cord wood yard filled up. The garden has flourished and it looks to be a rich harvest. Yesterday teenagers from two visiting churches trudged up from the fields with 5-gallon buckets of broccoli, yellow beans, cucumbers and squash. When a thunderstorm passed, Cathy had her little band of workers seated on the 1767 barn floor, snapping onions from the top of onion sprouts. These are the seeds she’ll plant next year. It saddened some to watch the playful little, piglets, when they recalled the two huge pigs that were slaughtered and smoked for 10 hours, to provide the pulled pork eaten at the reunion. (They didn’t look so sad during the picnic!) With this reality so vivid in their minds, they may not have gazed out on the pastures to observe two newborn calves nursing from their mothers! The Joy of all joys, however, is to stand apart and watch the powerful work of God’s Holy Spirit changing lives. We have witnessed this summer, some wonderful transformations. Candidates who have graduated, and/or completed commitments--who were fractured, self-centered, basket cases upon arrival--becoming valued contributors to this work and great potential servants in the churches they choose to grow in. Strange as it may seem, I was privileged to participate in another very joyous reunion in late June; the memorial service for Vivian O’Connell. Vivian, when I met her, was a widow with four children living at home. Together they struggled to operate “The Moorings” in Chatham, on Cape Cod. One after the other, Vivian and her still at home four, came to personal faith in Christ. A daughter came to serve at His Mansion in CT. Then a second daughter joined us after our move to NH. Soon after, Viv, along with her remaining teenager, came to serve as my Personal Assistant. Vivian was a treasured gift from God to me…and to His Mansion. Vivian O’Connell served as my Personal Assistant for nine years. Then she retired…No, she did not! Vivian moved to New York City where she worked serving meals in the ghetto to down-and-outers for several years. She attended the “Times Square Church” where Dave Wilkerson was the pastor. It wasn’t until her crippled feet wouldn’t carry her for blocks and blocks and hold her body up for hours that Vivian surrendered to retirement; cared for by her constant friend and daughter, Chris O’Connell. On June 18, 2011, Vivian O’Connell passed into the presence of her King--and for many years--her spiritual husband. The “funeral” was anything but! Laughter and song marked the occasion with a mini Mansion reunion to follow. From where I stood, death held no sting for my beloved friend, Vivian O’Connell. “See you later, Vivian!” BUT GOD... Grateful for the first 40.
Saturday, July 30th, 2011: As the sun rose, creating the most beautiful backdrop for the scene of the morning, the cars slowly and steadily began to roll on the hill. Over three hundred friends and family with past and present connections to His Mansion, made their way here to join us for the blessed celebration of 40 years of ministry! The crowd brought together veteran program residents, mentors and staff that united 40 years of history on one hill and under one tent. Many faithful prayer warriors and supporters were here for the day along with the two remaining His Mansion founders, Hal Moore and myself. One of the most enjoyable parts of the day was witnessing the long-time reunions of friends from days past. There is a special bond when relationship is built on the mutual love of Christ. Stories, memories and testimonies were shared, and song, praise and prayer were lifted to the Lord. Hearts were renewed and encouraged as reflection on His Mansion’s past, present and future filled the tent with excitement. Although it would be impossible to give an adequate depiction of the day, I hope a small semblance of the joy and gratitude for God’s faithfulness can be seen in the pictures below.
Now a word from Paul…
In the midst of all the excitement over the 40th Anniversary, our community has continued to be blessed by the selfless volunteer service of numerous church groups, youth groups, schools, families and individuals. July and August have brought to us folks from as close as local New Hampshire to as far away as California and New Zealand. We have been blessed by the number of repeat volunteers that have chosen to come back to the hill to serve once again, as well as an incredible number of first-time volunteers. We are privileged by the friendships that have been fostered and eager to grow in these relationships.
The leader of a youth group from Illinois emailed the following reflection of his and his group’s experience: During our week here, you graciously and repeatedly thanked us for our help on the hill. Actually, we received far more from you than we gave…You made us feel at home…and showed an interest in our lives. During work crew you told us your stories of what the Lord is doing in your lives…We were blessed. The way you interacted with God and with each other led many in our group to say, “God’s presence here is obvious and people here understand that.” Your example led members of our group to open up and give their own testimonies in our group times…never underestimate how God is using you to impact short-term volunteers like us.
Another woman from Indiana who spent three weeks living, working and volunteering with us left a note for our family with these words: Thank you for sharing the testimonies of the redeeming power you have found in Jesus’ love. You have built me up and encouraged me through your prayers and testimonies…I am looking forward to sharing the testimony of God’s work here at His Mansion…and the testimony of what God has done in my heart and the call I feel to surrender my life in obedience to Him, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords with my family and church family. It is my heart to come back.
We are always excited to learn of the countless ways God uses this hill and those here to minister to others while He is faithfully at work in our own lives as well. It blesses our hearts to hear your unique testimony of what God is showing and teaching you and we welcome you to continue to share your experience here with us!
Top Row: Christian Heritage School of CT, Mary Frances and Lucinda, Centerpoint Church in NH Middle Row: First Baptist Church of Little Falls in NY, Home of Christ Church #5 in CA, Gneco Family from MI Bottom Row: Hamilton Family from New Zealand, Calvary Chapel in CT, Harmony Church from SC The second week of July was our third Healing in the Context of Community (HCC) course of this year. Twenty-seven people participated in this week-long class, including the fifteen members of our California work group from the Home of Christ Church in Cupertino! The make up of this recent class was particularly unique. Ages ranged from 16 to 81 and made for three generations of a staff member’s family to be on the hill with us. Despite the variety in life experience and personal background, God used this week to His glory and worked in great ways in each participant’s life. The week serves as a training time for Christ followers seeking to learn how to serve hurting and broken people in their own communities, existing ministries or in developing a new ministry. Most participants though, also recognize their own brokenness and find this time to be that of self-examination and reflection on their walk of faith. It is amazing to see God’s Spirit move in so many ways in the hearts of those engaged in this course. The last course offering of 2011 will be October 8th through the 14th. If you are interested in learning more about or participating in this HCC course, contact Nick Clark in our office at 603-464-555 or email, nick@hismansion.com. There is still so much for us to look forward to in the remainder of the summer and moving into the fall. We will be holding our next graduation on Saturday, September 10, 2011 where ten residents, currently in the third phase of our program, will be moving on from their season here at His Mansion and following God’s call to the next stage of life. Although it is always sad to say goodbye to our graduating classes, we also know that there is joy and anticipation in how the Lord will grow and use each of them for the glory of His Kingdom work. Graduations also create our ability to bring in a new class of residents. These new folks will be arriving on the hill on the Wednesday following graduation and we stand in eager confidence and expectation that our Lord has great plans for healing and a future for these new Mansion family members. We rejoice in the ebbs and flows of life on the hill and are thankful for every person that God places here, staff, residents and volunteers alike. As our family grows, God’s Kingdom grows and for that, we gratefully praise the Lord. Closing comments from Stan…The country’s finances are in chaos, and that affects all of us who foot the bill. The costs of bare necessities of life at His Mansion--fuel, electricity, repairs, etc.--are skyrocketing. This does concern me. It seems that the gift-income to His Mansion holds strong; at about the same level as at this time last year. However, with the cost of living going up, it will be a test. We have been in these situations before and He has been faithful. He continues to meet our needs as every bill is paid and we carry no debt. The reunion reminded me of just how much our prayer warriors and supporters are an important part of this wonderful organism we call His Mansion. I value you all so much. You are who God uses to undergird and facilitate the transformation of broken men and women. You are doing something important--you matter! Thank you. Joyful in His service together,   Stan Farmer; Ambassador-at-Large Paul Atkinson Sr; CEO
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