NO SLEEP TIL BROOKLYN

No Sleep Til Brooklyn Challenge

July 1 - September 1

Goal: 75% of our support raised by September 1. 40% of our support has been raised by July 1.

Challenge: Pray and Give! Please consider giving in one of the following ways:

1. Monthly Commitment

We are seeking people to give:

$250 monthly $100 monthly

$50 monthly $25 monthly

$10 monthly

2. One-Time Gift

We are seeking people to give:

$1000 $500

$250 $100

Giving

Please make checks payable to Brooklyn Church Project.

Indicate "Stancil Support" on the memo line.

Send checks to the following address:

Brooklyn Church Project

c/o Park Slope Presbyterian Church

174 Prospect Park West, Apt. 1L

Brooklyn, NY 11215

You can also give online at http://resurrectionwilliamsburg.com

Click on Give, then Give online. 

Type in your information and select the category: Pastoral Intern.

Follow: Weekly updates at http://stancils.blogspot.com about Brooklyn and us.

 

June Prayer Update

Prayer Update June 2009

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. - Acts 1:8

Family & Friends,

Greetings from Lawrenceville, GA!  The last few weeks we have been trying to get ready for our baby girl to be born and for our move to Brooklyn. We often feel overwhelmed and anxious with the transitions taking place in our life. We are reminded that God’s Spirit empowers his people in mission. Please pray for God’s Spirit to empower us during our transitions and for the health of Mia and our baby girl as we prepare for delivery.

Our witness in Brooklyn: Christ called his disciples to be his witnesses in places that were unfamiliar with him and his work. Brooklyn is such a place that needs to know about Christ and his work. Nearly a hundred years ago Brooklyn was called the “city of churches” because steeples filled its skyline. Yet, when Resurrection Presbyterian Church began in 2005 only two other English-speaking evangelical churches existed in its neighborhood (Williamsburg) of 120,000 people. 

We have been called to be witnesses in Brooklyn, to make Christ and his work known. David’s responsibilities as an assistant pastor at Resurrection Presbyterian Church will be quite varied. David will initially focus on meeting newcomers and helping them become assimilated into the life of the church. He will help oversee the ministry of home groups which meet weekly to help people discover who God is, who they are, and how they might love and serve one another and the community. He will also have opportunities to assist with other areas of ministry such as community outreach, communion, hospitality, and children’s ministry. Please begin praying for God’s Spirit to empower our witness in Brooklyn.

Our Need: Please praise God with us that 30% of our financial support has been raised! We are so thankful for many of you who have already partnered with us through giving and prayer in our mission to Brooklyn. We are seeking to raise $30,000 more by July 1 toward our final goal ($120,000)  by July 1 so that we can make preparations for David to start his job September 1. Please continue to consider financially partnering with us in one of the following ways as we seek to be a witness in Brooklyn.

1. Monthly Commitment

We are seeking people to give:

$250 monthly     $100 monthly

$50 monthly       $25 monthly

              $10 monthly

2. One-Time Gift

We are seeking people to give:

$1000               $500

$250                 $100

Giving: Please make checks payable to Brooklyn Church Project. Indicate “Stancil Support” on the memo line. 

Send checks to the following address:

Brooklyn Church Project

c/o Park Slope Presbyterian Church

174 Prospect Park West, Apt. 1L

Brooklyn, NY 11215

You can also give online at

http://resurrectionwilliamsburg.com

Click on Give, then Give online. Type in your information and select the category: Pastoral Intern.

We will continue to contact you about financially partnering with us. We are grateful for your love and support.

Peace to You,

David & Mia

Support Information

Moving Forward: Brooklyn, NY

We are so thankful that you are involved in our lives. For this reason we wanted to share with you how God is leading us to Brooklyn. Please prayerfully consider financially partnering with us in one of the following ways as we seek to minister in Brooklyn. 

1. Monthly Commitment

We are seeking:

5 people to give $250 monthly

10 people to give $100 monthly

15 people to give $50 monthly

20 people to give $25 monthly

25 people to give $10 monthly

2. One-Time Gift

We are seeking:

10 people to give $1000

20 people to give $500

30 people to give $250

40 people to give $100

Giving: Please make checks payable to Brooklyn Church Project. Indicate “Stancil Support” on the memo line. 

Send checks to the following address:

Brooklyn Church Project

c/o Park Slope Presbyterian Church

174 Prospect Park West, Apt. 1L

Brooklyn, NY 11215

You can also give online at http://resurrectionwilliamsburg.com

Click on Give, then Give online. Type in your information and select the category: Pastoral Intern.

We will contact you within the next few weeks about financially partnering with us. We are grateful for your love and support.

Peace to You,

David & Mia

Stancil Family Update

Stancil Family Update

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. - Romans 8:22-24

Moving Forward: Our Next Mission

Family and Friends, 

Greetings from Lawrenceville, Georgia! Christ has risen! Expectation fills our hearts and minds as we remember the passion of Christ, especially from the perspective of Jesus’ disciples. The disciples watched Jesus willingly walk straight to his death on the cross. Fear and doubt quickly replaced their readiness to serve. They were full of shock and disbelief at what had just happened and unsure of what would happen next. We welcome the celebration of Easter in particular this year because we have experienced similar shock and disbelief concerning the events of our lives over the last couple of years. We have been unsure of what will happen next. We have been stuck in a moment. Christ’s resurrection brings the expectation that all his disciples will be raised and his creation will be renewed. The Christian hope in the resurrection opens our ears to hear the groans all around us for redemption, and it renews us in mission.   

 

To give you a snapshot of our life, we have made our home in Lawrenceville for the last two years. Jonah is 3 ½ years old, and he loves sports, calendars, letters, numbers, and learning about the seasons and the weather. He is very excited about wearing shorts and short-sleeves as the weather gets warmer. We are also expecting a baby girl in July. We are all excited and thankful. We moved to Lawrenceville in 2007 to care for David’s mom. After she passed away in December 2007, we started to seek God’s next mission for us. Meanwhile, Mia has been working in nursing at Gwinnett Medical Center, and David has been substitute teaching with Gwinnett County Public Schools. He received his license to preach in October 2008. We are  members at Ivy Creek Church where we are reminded of the hope of the gospel weekly. Mia serves by helping lead a women’s bible study and teach children’s Sunday school while David serves primarily in teaching adult Sunday school. 

Our sanctifying God has used the last two years in Lawrenceville to test our faith and strengthen our call in ministry. We served David’s mom in the difficult last months of her physical life. We watched her life come to an end a mere two years after David’s dad had died. Shock, grief, and numbness muddled our momentum in ministry. We staggered forward burdened by the difficulty of resolving conflict and dealing with sin in our lives. We were grieving and needed a sense of direction from the Lord. Yet, we had to wait. During a period of remaining in grief and yet hoping for another mission, God directed us to the hope of the resurrection of Christ. Our unique experience of loss has opened our eyes to see the brevity and futility of life in this world. The entire world is crying out for new life. God has shown us that one place where the groaning of the world is audible to us is the city. Therefore, we have envisioned starting an urban church for the sake of bringing hope for new life. We have been seeking opportunities to fulfill that mission.

Introducing Brooklyn

The Church: An opportunity that God has brought our way is a position with Resurrection Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, NY beginning September 1. David will be an assistant pastor participating in a two-year church planting internship. Resurrection Presbyterian Church began in 2005 in the neighborhood of Williamsburg. Many people attending Redeemer Presbyterian Church (Manhattan) as well as other Redeemer churches, were living in Brooklyn, and they were meeting in small groups throughout the borough. As they sought to introduce their friends to the vitality of the Christian faith, they realized there was a need for new churches in Brooklyn. Williamsburg was one neighborhood where church groups had been meeting. These groups began praying for a church to start in their neighborhood. Their prayers became a reality when they were connected with Vito Aiuto, the senior pastor at Resurrection.

The Network: Resurrection Presbyterian Church is a part of Brooklyn Church Project, a ministry organization formed in order to start many congregations in Brooklyn. If Brooklyn were a city (it is a borough of NYC), it would be the 4th largest in the US. Brooklyn is unique because it consists of many highly populated neighborhoods that are distinct from one another yet are close in proximity. The Brooklyn Church Project congregations intentionally seek to be neighborhood churches, populated primarily by those living and serving within a geographic area. This commitment originates in the incarnation of Christ. He lived among us and loved us as neighbors. Brooklyn Church Project consists of three congregations which include Resurrection Presbyterian Church, Park Slope Presbyterian Church (begun in 2004), and Flatbush Church Project (begun in 2008). The pastors of these congregations share resources, meet weekly for prayer, cast vision together, and mentor church planting efforts. Please take some time to look at the project’s website: www.brooklynchurchproject.com.

The Call: We traveled to Brooklyn in March and enjoyed our visit. We had the opportunity to meet with the pastors and families of the Brooklyn Church Project (two pastors and their families are friends of ours from seminary). While there, we were exposed to the charm and the challenges of life in New York City. There is much diversity in regard to people and experiences in Brooklyn. Brooklyn needs the hope of the gospel and we are excited that God has called us there. As an assistant pastor participating in the church planting internship, David will be connected to all the pastors of the Brooklyn Church Project and will study urban church planting and pastoral ministry with them. At Resurrection Presbyterian Church, he will have the responsibility of assimilating new people into the church, training community group leaders, counseling, preaching and teaching, and initiating new ministries. The goal of the next two years is to train and prepare to start a new congregation in Brooklyn.

Our Need: The gospel changes the world, and the world lives in Brooklyn. Therefore, we ask you to consider partnering with us in the mission of celebrating the gospel, in word and deed, in Brooklyn. First, we need your prayers. What we are seeking to do is greater than we are, and only God Himself can bring about such new life. Second, we need your financial support. We are seeking to raise $120,000 for the next two years by July 1. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us as we seek to minister in Brooklyn. Please take some time to look at the church’s website: http://resurrectionwilliamsburg.com. If you know anyone else who may be interested in partnering with us, please contact David at dwstancil@hotmail.com. We will follow up with you within the next few weeks. Please note that future correspondence from us will originate from the church. Thank you so much for being a part of our lives. We would like to pray for you and want to hear more about God’s work in you. We are grateful for your love and support.

May Christ’s resurrection bring you great hope,

David & Mia

July 2008

Jonah at 3 years old

Tribble Mill Park, Grayson, Georgia

2007 pictures

Thanksgiving 2007

Jonah's 2nd Birthday - July 2007

grief envy

C.S. Lewis once said, "No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear" (A Grief Observed).

No one ever told me that grief felt so like envy.

I find myself envious of so much. I am even envious of the grief of others. I look at other people who have suddenly lost loved ones and I wish to be in their shoes. Of course, when I talk with them they wish to be in mine. 

I despise my situation because I had to watch cancer slowly take life away from my parents. It was a slow agonizing process to watch my parents grow weaker and weaker. I just wish they maintained their health and died suddenly without having to watch them suffer. However, others who have suddenly lost loved ones expressed envy of my experience because I was able to say goodbye to my parents and be with them as they suffered and died.

My grief envy has a history. At this point, nearly half of my life has been spent with a sick parent. My dad was diagnosed with cancer when I was 15 years old. I was unaware of my envy at the time, but I was envious of others whose family still had their health. My life became defined in many ways by my dad's sickness. I could not talk with many people without them asking how he was doing. They should've asked and I appreciated them asking. Nonetheless, I wanted a life without that concern constantly following me around. I wanted a life without the constant anticipation of my dad growing weaker and weaker. I was there with my dad when his body began to fail him. I was glad to be with him. It was a "holy" experience being with him as he entered his eternal rest. However, it was also a "horrible" experience at the same time as I finally watched the life God gave him come to an end on this earth.

My grief envy did not have a moment to subside because in less than two months my mom found herself in an even weaker state than my dad (upon diagnosis) as cancer quickly began to take her life away. I had to watch the same process happen all over again only in a different person, my other parent. The rightful concern of others surrounded me and I wanted a life without it. My grief envy steeped even lower. I was envious now of those who still had one healthy parent. I went through the very same holy and horrible experience with my mom as her body began to fail her.

Now, my grief envy enters a phase where I am envious of those who can watch their parents enjoy their grandchildren.

All of my grief envy has roots. The reality is that nearly half of my life I have felt too weak, too vulnerable, and too exposed as a result of the sickness and death of my parents. I want a life full of strength and health. Yet, this does not seem to be part of my story. Weakness and vulnerability will constantly follow me for the rest of my days as a result of the sickness and death of my parents. 

Thankfully, the grace of God follows fast after weakness and vulnerability and turns my grief envy in this life into hope for the life to come.