About Us

Metro Christian Fellowship is an evangelical charismatic church on the south side of Kansas City, Missouri. Our worship services embrace heartfelt worship, expression of spiritual gifts, prayer for the sick and teaching from the Bible. Visit us at our website.

Nepal Blessing

Dear Metro,

This is just a quick note to say how much we appreciate your constant support and prayers for the work God is doing here in Nepal. It is wonderful to know that you are standing with us. Every month when we see your name on our statement we give thanks for you and we pray that God will abundantly bless you. Metro is such a blessing to our family. Words can't communicate all we feel, but we want you to know that God is using you to make a difference here in Nepal and we are blessed.

We look forward to seeing all that He will do in the year ahead through your prayers and your generosity.

Blessings,

Bob & Sonam Brownlee

10 Questions: Jen Parker

  • Where were you born? Atlanta, GA
  • What is your middle name? Kathleen
  • Favorite chip? Doritos-original
  • Favorite season? Fall
  • Coke or Pepsi? Coffee, that was one of the choices right?
  • Your childhood dream job? Teacher
  • Favorite item of clothing? sweatshirt and jeans
  • Favorite Sandwich? Turkey
  • Breakfast Food? What’s breakfast?
  • Dream vacation spot: Italy

Adventures in Guatemala

Below is a note from Sue Kawase reporting from Guatemala about her trip with Pastor Rany Catlett, Kevin Mangold and Sue's son Kenon.

Our Guatemala team is socked in the village unable to fly out because of the thick clouds. The first flight attempted and turned back, having to land again. The experienced MAF pilot could not see any openings throught the clouds, and so returned to the short landing strip. Greg Walton attempted unsuccessfully to navigate through a river last weekend, but his Rover got stuck; even a minivan could be tough getting out. Our flights out are scheduled to leave 9am on Monday.

Other than this, we have had a wonderful time in the village. Greg and Helaine have treated us royally, Guatemalan village style. We've had suppers by candlelight on their veranda; native lunches with Sabina- a Guatemalan woman and her girls cooked in her stone/mud corner "oven"; cold showers by candlelight; and a chance to love and serve these wonderful people. Kenon has taken the challenge with communicating in Spanish with the school children and the rest have attempted as well. The school children enjoyed watching Kenon on the trampoline. The satellite and hot water heater is up and running thanks to Jim Grimes and Kenon. Randy and Kevin Mangold have been great team leaders, keeping us humored with lots of stories, and leading us in flexibility, Guatemala time.

Thank you for your prayers...we are enjoying our time tremendously; and, especially glad to serve and love Greg, Helaine, and little Gigi.

PS- All who sent gifts--they send their big THANKS!

Love from all,
Sue Kawase

Stirring Up The Gift

I really think that you'll enjoy this day of being together in the presence of God and each other as we encourage, teach and seek to stir up the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives and community. We feel it's a timely thing for us all to do. A number of people will be participating in the day. One unique feature will be 5 minute testimonies from 12 different people that will be interspersed throughout the day. They will relate how hearing the voice of God in some personal and more direct kind of way has impacted their faith in Jesus. We will also spend some time at the end of day having about 11 teams of 2-3 praying with those in attendance. I'm confident that the Lord will be there to confirm the hearts of His precious people. The day will zip by--believe me. We'll go away thinking about how we need to do it again in the near future. Please pray about attending.

With much love,
Michael Sullivant (and Terri too)


On Mission Field in KC

Following is an excerpt from Maria Little's recent ministry letter. Maria is on an extended stateside leave from her Ivory Coast mission. Feel free to contact her if you are interested in supporting her ministry or would just like more information.

The beautiful tree lined streets and cold and snow of Brookside are my home at the moment, yet my heart continues to long for Africa. I don't tolerate the cold as well as I used to, and find myself missing the heat. But, as I have told you before, this is where I am to be right now. And the Lord has made that abundantly clear. And He is aligning all things to His glory and His purposes. But I wanted to check in, and bring you up to date on happenings and share a bit.

As I believe I told you before, I started work in October in the Infectious Disease Clinic at Truman Medical Center, here in KC. This is the indigent care hospital for the Kansas City area. This clinic is primarily for treatment of HIV and AIDS. And it has definitely been a divine placement. My patients are as diverse as your imagination, and they keep me entertained and on my toes. My colleagues and superiors know that I am a ' short termer' and will be returning to Africa, and they are teaching me all that I need to know about HIV/AIDS while they've got me. They even sent me to Chicago for an intensive training time. I have met pharmaceutical rep's willing to give me medications for Africa. It is a time of networking and aligning things for teaching and providing care to the HIV population in Africa. I even have multiple patients from Africa - and a few from Abidjan. You should have see the shocked look on their faces when I start speaking French with them. It gives us an instant connection, and I think makes both of us long for Africa.

Learning about adults is a stretch for me, but I am enjoying it. This clinic is definitely a mission field, and I am growing quite attached to some of my patients. This is a horrid disease, and no one deserves it.

I'm also working at Swope Parkway Health Center as a PNP ( Pediatric Nurse Practitioner). You know I couldn't forget the children, and this keeps my foot in the door with the kids, and keeps my pediatric skills up. I'm working with my friend, Warren Johnson, who unfortunately will be moving from Swope in the next couple months. They ( and me ) will sorely miss him.

I am meeting with people and groups, sharing vision and my heart for Africa. Support raising has always been hard for me, but necessary. I will need to get my support to a higher level before I return, and will start focusing on it more intently in the next couple months.

-Maria Little

10 Questions: Kirk Sackett

Where were you born? Independence, MO
What is your middle name? Alan
What is your favorite chip ? Ranch
Favorite season? Fishing season
Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi!
Your childhood dream job? Forest Ranger
Favorite item of clothing? Waders
Favorite Sandwich? Rueben
Breakfast Food? Eggs
Dream vacation spot: Colorado Mountains

Men in the Mountains

In September of 07 I took nine guys from Metro and we went on an adventure to the “Lost Coast” in California. What a great trip!

We camped the first night in the Redwoods and shared our hearts around the campfire.. sharing about all that God was doing in our lives.

For the next few days we hiked into the wilderness of northern California. Each night we would gather around the campfire and pray for each other.. sharing in victories and breakthroughs as well as carrying each others burdens.

It was seriously one of the richest camping experiences of my life!

May God give us many times together where we can enrich one another in truth and in life. He gives us to each other as gifts to share in each others sufferings and share in each others victories.

Come join us soon on one of Metro’s retreats designed especially for men. You will also be blessed and grow in relationship to God and to your community! Here are the retreats that we have on the calendar for this year:

April 9-13th in Colorado Springs

August 2008: Somewhere wild and untamed!

Pray about putting those dates on your calendar.. you will be glad that you did.

-Jim Bailey

You can check out pictures from the trip here.

Feeding the Homeless a Souffle

I wasn’t thinking. I don’t like being late and I was in unfamiliar territory hence I arrived about half an hour early for my appointment. I was the first appointment of the day and the office door was locked when I arrived on the fourth floor.

A short time before as I walked into the building I noticed a homeless man sitting on the bench near the elevators. I admit I was a little concerned this early in the morning and all alone in the building. I kept my head low and quickly went up the elevator only to realize no one was there and the door was locked.

I came down the elevator, left the building and got in my car to find some coffee. While I was driving around I decided to buy the homeless man something to eat. I went to Panera Bread, bought my coffee, and a souffle. Panera doesn’t carry much in the way of hardy breakfast food so this was it. I rushed back to the building because now I was late and there he was sitting on the bench. I quickly ran over, handed him the souffle and headed to the fourth floor. He eagerly took the food.

When I walked in for my appointment I asked if the homeless man was always there. “Yes,” came the reply. Then she added, “Was he relieving himself?” “ No”, I shrieked, “he was just sitting there.” My friend explained he frequents the building and they can’t seem to get him to go or to help him. “When he gets unruly the security will come and shew him away”, she said to me. I apologized and said I felt like I had just fed the pigeons. You know when there are birds around outside a restaurant and you feed them only to insure they will come back again.

When I relayed this story to my family and friends they laughed at me. “Only you would feed a homeless man a souffle,” they laughed and I admit I laughed too. It began to sound pretentious and condescending as I replayed the story to myself through the day. I had felt pretty noble before as I thought about buying breakfast for a homeless man. I haven’t had much contact with really poor people lately. Have I lost my compassion or my manners? I use to work with the poor at a crisis pregnancy center years ago. Has my life become to comfortable?

This was on Tuesday and I have been thinking a lot about the poor since. Much of Jesus ministry was to the poor whom no one else seemed to care about. His heart was moved with compassion and He cared about them. He fed them, healed them, delivered them from demons and taught them about the kingdom. He spoke to them and valued and respected them. Many questions came to my mind and I found some answers.

How does the Lord feel about the poor?
Deuteronomy 15:11 says, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.” In Proverbs 14:20 we are told, “the poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.”

What is the Lord’s response to the poor?
Psalm 1:21, I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.”

What does the Lord say my response should be to the poor?
Proverbs 14:31 gives us one answer, “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” Psalm 83:3, “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.”

What happens if I do not heed the Lord’s command?
Proverbs 21:13, “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”

What happens when I do obey the Lord regarding the poor?
Proverbs 22:9, “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.” Proverbs 19:17, “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done.”

How do I become poor?
Proverbs 21:17, He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.” Proverbs 20:13, “Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.”

What do the poor have that others do not?
Proverbs 13:8, “A man’s riches may ransom his life, but a poor man hears no threat.”

What does the Lord require of me?
We are commanded to act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with our God. I discovered that I cannot ignore or leave the poor to others. They now seem to stare at me from street corners, hospitals, jails, nursing homes and in the market. They live in my city and need my compassion, prayers, time and love. I can feed them, care for them, help them, clothe them, teach them, give to them and love them but I am not allowed to ignore them.

Lord, help us to see the poor as you see and love them. Give us hearts of compassion to act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with you. Help us to hear the cries of the poor and to respond kindly. Give us generous hands for the poor and needy in our land.

-Livie Sanchez

LifeGroup Questions

Following are a few questions that Brad, from a church in Perryville Arkansas, asked our church for help with. John Gilman provided these great answers.

1. For much of the last 2000 years, churches have had an unbiblical model of evangelism - "inviting the community" in. How does the LifeGroups model take the church back into the community?
LifeGroups take the church back into the community by helping members succeed in their communities as parents, citizens, and employees.
2. From your experience, where does the LifeGroups model "not" work in ministry?
The only way that LifeGroups don't work in ministry is that, for them to have enough time and energy for the members to give each other, other church programs have to assume a supportive role to this effort.
3. What curriculum or study resources works best for your LifeGroups?
I believe life provides the curriculum, as it did for Jesus and the Twelve. As people bring their personal challenges and opportunities to the group, the group thinks and prays together to find God's solution.
During the week our LifeGroups meet in homes to encourage one another and grow in the Lord. If you’re interested in being part of a group John will be leading a new LifeGroup class on Monday nights for 10 weeks beginning on January 28th. Here is your invitation:
Would you like to be in a LifeGroup? In some ways a new group is easier to integrate into than an existing group. The purpose will be helping each other succeed in living the life God has created for us by listening to each other, giving wise and loving counsel, and praying for each other. If enough people sign up, we will meet as a LifeGroup, from 7-9 for 10 weeks. If it seems good and there is a mutual desire to do so, the group will continue on thereafter as a Metro LifeGroup. John Gilman will instruct and lead the group during its startup.

Christmas in a Refugee Camp

Over the holidays our church has been praying for our friend Bill in Asia.. one Sunday we all prayed together for him. Here is his report back to us.
Hi Friends,

I am in a hurry and swamped with work so I don't have time to write back to everyone individually like I would like but I do want to thank everyone for praying for our Christmas Day event in the Refugee Camp.

All went well and God's hand was upon the whole day! The interest level in the camp in the Gospel has risen sharply in a non-confrontational way......an absolute miracle. Praise the Lord. This kind of thing should not be going on there, in the natural. Praise God for the supernatural!!!!!

We are having a follow-up meeting this coming Saturday, so as much as this letter is an "answer to prayer report" it is also a request for more prayer covering.

I love you guys...........in Him...Bill
Please continue to lift Bill and his ministry up in prayer.