LSU Fraternity Outreach - A Blessed Evening! 

FORTY-ONE indicate desire to trust in Christ as Savior and Lord

Members of Five Fraternities met at the Kappa Alpha House

Thank you for all of your prayers and for your encouraging notes about the LSU fraternity outreach on Wednesday night.  What a blessed evening it was!

103 filled out comment cards, and FORTY-ONE indicated the following:  "Tonight I realize my need to put my complete trust in Christ and what He has done for me on the cross and to follow Him as Lord of my life."

Campus Director Darin Travis and the CRU (Campus Crusade) staff men did a wonderful job of organizing the event.  It was also evident that, over some period of time, they had established solid credibility with the fraternity men which enabled them to be very effective in their recruitment to this somewhat unique outreach meeting.  I give thanks to our Lord for their good work at my alma mater.

Also, the panel members, Jason Greene, Eric Danos, Ben Heroman, and Dr. Bill Russell were excellent both in content and in their manner of presentation.  I wish that there was a video of the evening.  I can assure you that you would have been quite moved by the substance of their comments about their experiences in business, the winsomeness and humility with which they shared words of wisdom, and their honesty, even vulnerability, in discussing their own spiritual discoveries and development.  The 103 young men in the room hardly moved.  They sat in rapt attention.  It was just that impactful!

I'll conclude with the thoughts that Darin Travis shared in a letter yesterday:

• We were hoping the Lord would use the night to work in those young men's hearts.  I believe that He did.  I assume that most of you read the last question on the response card.  The Gospel was shared, they were quiet, then invited to pray:  41 of the 103 indicated that they made that decision to follow Christ. Pretty incredible!

Please pray not only for the 41 but for all 103 of these young men and for Darin Travis and the CRU staff as they are already beginning to do the follow-up work.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!

Rodney

LSU  

Fraternity Outreach Tonight 

Businessmen's Panel Discussion 

Tonight I will be moderating a businessmen's panel discussion at the Kappa Alpha Fraternity House.   Men from a number of fraternities will be in attendance.  A couple of fraternities have made attendance at this meeting mandatory for all of their freshmen.  About 100 are expected to participate.  

Four men will serve on the panel:  Ben Heroman, Jason Greene, Eric Danos, and Dr. William Russell.  Each of them will address topics of vital importance to these young men as they will soon be launching their own careers.  This will be followed by a Q&A period at the end of which I have been asked to present the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.  PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO PRAY FOR THE SALVATION OF THESE YOUNG MEN.  

Bec and I drove over to the campus earlier today and took the pictures below.  I also had the opportunity to do something I have wanted to do for a long time.  As we visited my fraternity (Theta Xi  - on the right in the pictures below), the Lord walked me right into a group of Theta Xi's who listened very respectfully as I told them about what the Lord did in my life when I lived there in that house.  I also invited them to come over to the KA house tonight for the panel discussion.  One young man said that he would definitely be there.  Please pray that he and others will come.  

I am very grateful to Campus Crusade director Darin Travis and his team for inviting me to be part of this outreach.  It is interesting that recently I had been so full of desire to share Christ with the fellows on fraternity row that I had actually been thinking of just going over there and introducing myself and engaging with them.  What a joy to know that the Lord was planning to open this door of opportunity for me.  

Please see the pictures below.

KA House and Theta Xi House

Bec and I in front of the KA House

 A little gathering of polite listeners out on the patio of the Theta Xi House at lunch today

Pointing to the upstairs room where I lived for two years

"When your memories of the past are more precious to you than your dreams of the future, that's when you begin to die." - Jim Downing, former Chief Operation Officer for the Navigators, soon to be 100 years old!

Dear friends,

It’s not every day that one has the opportunity to run the hills of Hebron with Caleb!

 Friday afternoon at about four o’clock, having just arrived in Ruston, Becky and I stopped at Green Clinic where, as some of you know, our son Jake has worked as a physician for almost five years.  To our surprise our very dear, long-time friends Polly and Wayne Smith were there.  With them was the guest speaker for the weekend conference that Wayne had organized – Mr. Jim Downing. 

Mr. Jim, who had already spoken to an early-morning men’s group, had taken a fall and could not move his left leg and therefore had to use a wheelchair.  Also, he had been traveling extensively (This being his fourth state in four consecutive weeks to speak!), and apparently he had contracted a virus which was causing fever, nausea, and weakness.  We were thankful that the x-rays showed no fracture.  Also, Jake cleansed and re-wrapped his left foot which is in poor condition due to diabetes and gave him some medicine for nausea. 

About thirty minutes before the conference was to begin it became apparent to Mr. Jim that he should not speak but instead seek to get as much rest as possible with the plan of meeting with the men on Saturday morning at 9 a.m.  When the crowd of men came into the Smith home that morning, Mr. Jim was sitting in front of the fireplace in his wheelchair waiting for them! (I have been told that he’s always the first to arrive.)

What a clear mind!  Amazing!  What expectation that lives would be impacted!  Not only did he speak but he engaged in an extensive and very helpful Q&A time with the men.

At noon, when the conference was over, three of us had to lift Mr. Jim into his bed.  Although he was scheduled to speak at Monday Morning for Men at 6 a.m. and then again in Shreveport on Monday evening, it seemed that it was probably best to make proper travel arrangements for his return to Colorado Springs where he could give further attention to his hip injury.

But this was his Caleb-like report:  “This is what I came to do!”  So on Monday Morning, when I arrived at First National Bank’s community conference room just before six o’clock, there was Mr. Jim at the front in his wheelchair with his microphone on, waiting for the men!  For the next hour and a half men were blessed to interact with this aged warrior.  How invigorating it was to watch him sprinting down the home stretch!      

Later that morning an MRI was done of Mr. Jim’s hip, and then – he was off to Shreveport!  His answer to concerns:  “A car-ride is refreshing to me!”  How did it go?  Well, here is the most recent word I have received from Wayne Smith:  “He flew back to Colorado Springs in good spirits! Had a great evening in Shreveport at Broadmoor Baptist church on Monday with 30 + guys. A survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack now living in Shreveport made a special trip to visit with him before the program. They had a great time of reminiscing.”  (Mr. Jim is the oldest living survivor of Pearl Harbor.)  

One day the most glorious reminiscing will begin!  It will be the reminiscing of those who never quit dreaming and doing all the way to the end!  Forever and ever men and women will be saying to one another, “Do you remember when . . . ?”  And not one deed done for the Kingdom will ever grow dim in their minds!

I close with the ‘Prayer of an Old Man’:  “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.” (Psalm 71:18). 

                                                                                    Let’s run the hills!

                                                                                    Rod (for Bec and me)

BATON ROUGE, COVINGTON, MINDEN, PERU MISSION, AND MONDAY MORNING FOR MEN IN RUSTON

September 19, 2012

 

Greetings, friends!   We give thanks to our Lord for you and for your prayers. 

 

BATON ROUGE, LA – First Baptist Church:  I am very grateful to Pastor Oren Conner for the privilege of preaching at First Baptist on Sunday, September 9^th.  This was very special for me for two reasons.  First, this congregation has very warmly hosted our weekly Gathering of Men luncheon since 1999. Also, this was the first church that I visited when I came to LSU as a freshman in the summer of 1968.  I was something of a wandering, seventeen-year-old soul as I sat near the back of that beautiful sanctuary with its massive white pillars.  Little did I know that one day my Lord would actually allow me to serve Him in that very pulpit from which Dr. Norris Palmer preached to me on that morning. 

 

COVINGTON, LA – Grace Family Church:  On Saturday, September 8^th, through the kind invitation of Lavon Welch, Ed Miltenberger, and Eric Cooper, I led a seminar on how to preach from the epistles at GFC.

 

MINDEN, LA – First Baptist Church:  A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with Ty Pendergrass, Pastor Leland Crawford, and Ass’t. Pastor Jim Wallace to discuss strategy for the establishment of a men’s ministry at First Baptist Church.  They are now moving forward with their plan!  On Thursday, October 11^th, our long-time friend, Judge Wayne Smith of Ruston, LA, will be the speaker for an evening outreach event. Please pray for Wayne, and if you are in that area, I hope you will consider attending this meeting.  In January FBC will begin their weekly ministry to men as Pastor Leland will be teaching “The Quest for Authentic Manhood” (a series written by our brother Robert Lewis, also originally from Ruston).    

 

PERU MISSION – Seminary (Presbyterian):  Through the invitation of another dear friend Steve Hill, I will be teaching expository preaching in the seminary of Peru Mission from October 1-10. I have also been asked to speak at evening outreach meetings. For several days, I will be in the city of Cajamarca (pop. 217,000) which is situated in the northern highlands at an altitude of 8,900 ft.  One of our visits to churches will take Steve and me into a remote area even higher in the Andes Mountains.  Then on Friday, October 5^th, we will take an overnight bus down to Trujillo (pop. approx. 315,000) on the Pacific coast where I will preach at several churches on Sunday and will then teach another group of seminary students, beginning on Monday. Please pray for safety and for effectiveness in teaching. Also, please pray for Steve and his wife Dianne. 

 

RUSTON, LA – "Monday Morning for Men":  A new, but long-awaited ministry endeavor!  As some of you know, Ruston, Louisiana is very dear to us.  In the 1970's and early '80's, we enjoyed wonderful years in ministry there before moving to England in 1984.  Twenty-four years later, in 2008, our son Jake and his family moved back to Ruston.  Since before he arrived in Ruston, he has strongly encouraged me to do men's ministry there.  Well, at last, on Monday morning, September 17^th, at 6:00 a.m., we began! 

 

Exactly 40 of us came into the lovely conference room provided by First National Bank.  The men came from a number of churches and denominations.  Their ages ranged from about twenty to eighty!  My message was on the never-ending discovery of God:  “You shall seek Me and find Me when you search for me with your whole heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). We then divided into small groups for discussion of the passage and prayer.  

 

Would you please pray for the protection of this effort and of all of the men who are involved? Please pray for Bec and me as we make this weekly 8-hour round trip, and please pray and ask God to cause all of us to grow in our obedience to that commandment that guides us into the fullness of who we are as human beings: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39). 

A brother in Ruston has developed a website: www.mondaymorningformen.org   There you can find our guide for meditation and an audio file on the great commandment. It is entitled “The Great Theme of Your Life”

In our great Savior,

 

Rod and Bec

 

P.S.  As we are about to enter the final quarter of this year, we must address the matter of finances in a bit more direct way.  We need additional monthly supporters.   Please know that any amount will be deeply appreciated.  Thank you for whatever you may feel led to do.  

Becoming Anglican

August 13, 2012

 

Dear friends,

 

For many years, Becky and I have been on a long, much blessed journey.  It all began in 1984 when we and our boys moved to England where I studied with John Stott, and we had our first experience with the Church of England.  Week after week and month after month, we had tremendous joy in our worship, our fellowship, our study, and our service with Anglicans.  What we did not realize was that we were at the beginning of a winding and sometimes uphill road that would at last take us into the Anglican Church. 

 

About ten years ago, Becky and I became aware of a new conservative, evangelical movement among Anglicans in the United States.  Because of the extreme liberalism that had become pervasive in the Episcopal Church of the U.S.A., many Bible-believing Episcopalians were assembling themselves in a new expression of American Anglicanism.  These conservative Episcopalians were placing themselves under the oversight of conservative archbishops in Africa and Asia as a number of these groups were being established all over America.  As soon as Becky and I became aware of this unprecedented situation in Anglicanism, we began our quest.  We wanted to know if God was calling us to be a part of this movement.  Over the past decade, Becky and I have attended large conferences as well as small meetings of Anglicans, and we have spent many, many hours in counsel with Anglican leaders who have been very helpful and strongly encouraging toward us.  And now at last we have reached our destination. 

 

I know that you will have a number of questions.  I will try to briefly answer the most important ones.

 

1.  Nothing will change in our ministry with The Mission Foundation.  Becky and I will continue to do all of the work we have been doing in the past.   I will continue to serve at the Louisiana State Capitol, with The Gathering of Men, and in Developing World countries.  Becky will be going forward with her ministry to women both in the U.S. and abroad.  As in the past, our ministry will always be trans-denominational. 

2.  Becky and I will continue to be dependent upon friends like you for the financial support of our ministry with The Mission Foundation.  We want to say again that any monthly support of The Mission Foundation is greatly appreciated.  We need your involvement.  Even the smallest monthly gift is a great blessing to us.  If you are not presently involved, would you please consider becoming a monthly supporter?

3.  I have met with our presbytery (Southeast LA Presbytery of the PCA) and have explained to them why I am becoming an Anglican.   I assured them of my love for them and of my anticipation of good co-laborship with them in the Lord’s harvest here in LA.  I am in good standing with my presbytery.  I have no conflicts with any of my brothers in the PCA.  A letter that affirms my good standing has been sent from Rev. Scott Lindsay, clerk of our presbytery, to the Western Gulf Coast Diocese of the Anglican Church.

4.  Becky and I are joining the Anglican Church in North America.  I am NOT joining The Episcopal Church whose leaders have departed from Biblical theology and have begun ordaining homosexuals.

5.  There are about 78 million Anglicans in the world today.  As is the case with many denominations, the Anglican Church is growing most rapidly in the Global South where Anglican preachers are proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus with great zeal.  It has been my privilege to serve among many of them in Africa. 

 

I am very happy to say that Becky and I are taking this step with the blessing of our board of directors.  Also, we are deeply grateful for letters of recommendation that have been sent to the Anglican Church by those with whom we have been associated in ministry for many years.

 

In closing, we are very thankful to have friends like you.  In just a little while, we will all be before our King.  We must remember the words of Jesus to His disciples, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.” (John 9:4)  Let’s get on with the work until He comes, or until we go to Him! 

Meet you at the finish line!

 

Rod and Bec

Rodney and Becky Wood, serving at home and faraway

Rodney and Becky

Dr. Rodney Wood and his wife Becky have ministered in many contexts here in the U.S. and in other countries.  Rodney is the Director of The Gathering of Men of Baton Rouge, a marketplace ministry for men.  Also, since 1993 Dr. Wood (a seventh generation Louisianan) has ministered at the Louisiana State Capitol.  Rodney and Becky have also ministered internationally.  Rodney leads seminars on expository preaching as an International Facilitator with John Stott Ministries, and he has taught at a Bible college in Uganda and served as a professor at Ukraine Biblical Seminary.  For many years, Becky has taught and discipled women.  She continues to engage in that ministry not only in the U.S. but in a number of other countries in which she and Rodney work together.  

Ministry to the Louisiana Legislature

Since 1993 Dr. Wood (a seventh generation Lousianan) has ministered at the Louisiana State Capitol. "When I was a university student (and even before that time as a boy), I had very privately-held thoughts of one day serving in our state government.  However, the calling that God had for me was different than I had originally imagined.  What a blessing it has been." - Rodney Wood

Dr. Wood in the House of Representatives

Senator Robert Adley and Senate President John Alario

Opening the Senate in Prayer

Senator Francis Thompson in the Louisiana Senate Chamber

Invocation - The House of Representatives

Rep. Hollis Downs and Rep. Frank Hoffman

Governor Bobby Jindal

Ministry to Men

For 19 years, Rodney has led The Gathering of Men here in Lousiana.  But he has also established men's ministries in Sheffield, England and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that are continue to thrive under the leadership of nationals in those countries.

  

Men's Retreat

Men's Ministry, Sheffield, England

Rod with some of the brothers in Sheffield

International Ministry to Pastors

and other church leaders

Rodney and Becky's ministry has taken them to many countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Ethiopia,Croatia, Czech Republic, Albania, Ukraine, Russian, The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, India, England, and a closed country in East Asia. Some of this travel has pertained to his work with John Stott Ministries.  Ten years ago, Rod's teacher and mentor Dr. John Stott invited him to be involved in an effort to establish a world-wide movement of expository preaching in developing countries.  In addition to JSM's preaching seminars, Rod has also taught at a Bible college and a seminary, and Bec has taught and discipled women.  In this presentation, we will only be able to highlight our work in Africa.  

But first we would like to share a picture that was taken at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity not very long before our family moved to Covington.   

WITH JOHN STOTT WHILE LIVING NEAR LONDON
JUST TWO YEARS BEFORE WE CAME TO SERVE AT TRINITY CHURCH IN 1986

Serving in Africa

Rod and Bec have served in countries in both East and West Africa

Affy and Femi Adelye (one of Rod's teaching colleagues)

Archbishop Henri Orombi and his wife Phoebe, one of Rod's students at Kampala Evangelical School of Theology in Uganda

Delegates at our first preaching seminar in central Tanzania

Teaching with Swahili translation

Teaching at a Bible college in Uganda

Teaching at a preaching seminar

Tanzanian delegates listening intently

Bec's translator leans in to capture the words

Bec teaching the women's fellowship that she established at a Bible college

What Bec loves to do

And this is what she has always loved most!

______________________________

We are extremely grateful to our Lord for the many opportunities

He has given us to serve His people.  However, . . .  

Sometimes one becomes so tired that she can sleep anywhere, even on the floor in the Nairobi Airport!

But our Lord is pleased to give us energy.
So, by His grace, we pick up our bags and go again!

THANK YOU, FRIENDS,
 FOR ALL OF YOUR PRAYERS 
AND FOR 19 YEARS OF MONTHLY SUPPORT 
OF US IN OUR WORK.  THANKS FOR KEEPING US GOING!
With love to you all!

Rod and Bec