The Forum welcomed Jeanne Dennis, Dean Stinchfield and Sue Thielke each a Commissioned Centurion on Monday September 28, to discuss their ministries and outreach into the culture. We asked each to give a brief overview of their ministry and to probe how God has pursued and sustained them during the development of their faithfulness to Him.
Jeanne Dennis (www.jeannedennis.com) is a writer and speaker encouraging women and their families to experience the joy of true faith. She does this by helping people focus their growth in intimacy with the Creator, applying Biblical truth to everyday life and by encouraging them to pass the heritage of truth to others. Her newsletter, Faith Roots and Shoots is a monthly publication and her quarterly online Barefoot Path explores the intimacy of a relationship with God and the childlike wonder of the faith. Jeanne admits that it is challenging and difficult at times in staying focused in her ministry, but relies on God through His word and one on one time to provide sustenance and direction. She also credits the Centurion Program (breakpoint.org/resources/centurions), with assisting her to define Biblical Worldview and engage the culture for Jesus Christ.
Engaging 6th graders as Dean Stinchfield has done for the past three to four years is an awesome experience and always challenging when it comes to teaching and providing approximately 95 of them each Sunday, with a program for understanding Biblical Worldview and their place in God’s world. Dean uses a variety of resources to enhance his teaching including Rewired and a curriculum titled FaithSearch as well as BreakPoint Commentaries and materials gleaned from the Centurion Program. He further augments his teaching with questions from students who are wrestling with faith issues on their own journey. His “Stump Deano” session that begins each class is a favorite for the kids and answers questions like, “How do I share my Faith with a Muslim in my class?” or “Where is God when I feel lonely, even in a crowd?”. Additionally, Dean’s aspiration to teach the Anchors Away curriculum to high school seniors further increases his desire to reach into the culture focusing on middle and high school students. How does he overcome the hurdles? By spending more time in prayer and recognizing that excuses in not pursuing these God given opportunities, are spiritual attacks. In addition, Dean relies on the daily publication of ViewPoint (www.colsoncenter.org) to help direct his continuing growth in the faith.
Framework Productions (http://www.frameworkproductions.com) is the ministry developing through the efforts of Sue Thielke. It is a music and arts production company with a mission to foster and encourage Christian artists to illuminate a Biblical worldview in today's culture by producing superior music, drama and fine art. In its early stage of development, she involved her pastor as her accountability partner. Sue has now surrounded herself with a board of strong believers and is leading the group to build a client list of Christian musicians, thespians, and artists. The Framework group has begun construction of a recording studio and maintains a web and Face Book presence. Admitting that this has been and is a faith growing experience, Sue underscores that the Centurions Program and those she continues to meet through it, encourage her to continue the ministry for reclaiming a worldview sphere that Christians have ceded to the secular world.
In closing this session, no one has said or written it better regarding the mission of Centurions in the world for Jesus Christ, "We are erecting a platform - a platform of Christian worldview thinking and living - on which the next generation of church planters, missionaries, Sunday school teachers, Bible study leaders, and pastors - will build the Church as it will be for a generation or more. We are leveling the terrain, driving in the piles, putting down the cornerstones, and preparing the materials to build the Church that the next generation will use with, I'm persuaded, great and powerful effects." (T.M Moore, Dean of the Centurion Program).
