Operation Christmas Child a Success

2008 A Success for Operation Christmas Child in Dungarvan

Operation Christmas Child enjoyed a healthy swell of the generosity within the borders of Dungarvan again this year. Local coordinator, Cliff Gregston, was pleased to hand in the final count of 1,229 boxes and a few large bags of clothing and additional gifts! Everyone involved would like extend their heartfelt thanks for our areas amazing contribution to this great charity. Whether we see it or not, the opportunity to bring a smile to the face of a child who wouldn’t have received a present without our efforts is all the reward necessary! 

Kingdoms Clash Reflection

Thank you for committing to praying during the Kingdoms Clash event in Waterford on the 18th of October.  The event went very well with an estimated 150-200 kids showing up for the concert event.  The youth were as always very excited and animated, but were respectful to our requests as well.  The evening started and ended with a set by Out of Hiding, the Christian band from the US in conjunction with Holy Fire Ministries.  Several local youth bands played mini-sets throughout the evening.  Midway, Out of Hiding played again and the lead singer gave his testimony, which paralleled the struggles these youth are encountering in their every day life.  The crowd was sitting quietly as he talked and shared how Jesus set him free.  He then asked people to raise their hands if they wanted to know more about who God really is.  Despite the mocking laughter of some circles, about 20 kids raised their hands.  At the risk of further ridicule from their peers, they stood and praying out loud, asked God to reveal Himself to them.  It was an amazing moment.  Out of Hiding also gave out their CD`s to the youth.  Sunday went by without a response at the followup, but having seen and felt God`s moving on Saturday, we were not so discouraged.  On Monday, Ericka was in Waterford and ran into one of our youth from DCF who showed her a text he`d just recieved from a friend who attended.  The girl said she could not stop thinking about the testimony that she heard and that she loved listening to the Christian music she was given that night.  We believe God is continuing to stir in the hearts of these youth who were witness to the clash of light and dark.  We thank God that many took the step to ask God to draw near, a prayer He always answers!  We are excited to see what comes forth in the future.  Thank you for interceeding on their behalf.  God bless you.

BeTheChange Youth Outreach is now called Kingdoms Clash

Time is slipping away and we are getting closer to our next youth outreach on the 18th of Oct. I thought it would be fitting to let everyone know about the name change and venue change. The former name BeTheChange, is now "Kingdoms Clash." There is no better way, in my opinion, to describe what it is that one might experience through this outreach than Kingdoms Clash. Someone could walk in at 8:45PM and hear a teenage boy share his inspiring story of how God has changed his life and all the wonders of that experience and observe young people sitting on the floor quietly listening to every word being spoken. Then someone else could walk in at 9:00PM and see a loud heavy metal thrash band pounding out a secular song that would blow them across the room!  Throughout the night they could see Christian worship music, drama, Video clips, dance, etc. One thing is for sure, it is not your neat and tidy average experience! 

Some would ask, is this a Christian event? The answer is absolutely YES! We are simply going into all the world and preaching the gospel. Our strategy is to go into their world and pull them out instead of foolishly waiting for youth to “miraculously” decide to come to church and act like us.We are reaching out to them as they are, and starting at that point, then lovingly pointing them to Jesus Christ. 

We will be meeting in the Dooley’s Hotel right in the heart of Waterford City. This is the first time we have had the event outside of a church. Many thanks to Maranatha Church for hosting all of the previous meetings! 

We are blessed to Have Holy Fire ministries bring their band from the USA to be here with us on the 18th. May the Lord use them mightily as they give themselves to the cause of Jesus Christ!

Please pray for us, and for the youth of Ireland!

Dutch Team Outreach

August was a busy month for youth outreach.  Fresh on the heels of Cliff's return from the youth camp in Germany, where three Waterford county teens gave their lives to Jesus, Dungarvan Christian Fellowship also hosted a team of eight young adults from Holland.  The team from Athletes in Action stayed for a week and led a sports camp at Clonea Beach that included soccer and volleyball Hurling, as well as skits and stories that conveyed the love of Christ.  

Despite the constant deluge of rain that has marked this Irish summer and the resulting slow start, children and teens began to attend the sessions.  Every night the team would come home exhausted, covered in mud and sand.  They talked of their frustrations and how God met them in those struggles.  By the end of the week they reported that they felt as if they were the ones blessed, reminding all of us that the work is His and that it is for His glory.  He will meet all who seek Him.  All the youth who were slow to participate and slower to engage in conversation had by the end of week opened up to the team.  One boy had observed the way the team encouraged and hugged each other at the beginning of the week, commenting on the strangeness of it.  By the end of the week, the team reported he was always the quickest running to them for the same attention.  The week ended with a large barbeque for the youth and many tearful goodbyes.  As a fellowship, we were also blessed in being able to share the journey.

As many of the students were at Clonea for holidays, let us agree in prayer that they find more people in their hometowns who can continue to encourage the growth of seeds planted.  Let us pray that they do not forget the love they received as Christ's love and that they continue to seek Him.  Let us pray that God bless the team who came in obedience and love.  Let us pray that He continue to use them as a light in their homes as they were at Clonea.  Let us do this in the name of Jesus.

Holly Krebs

Chinese Youth Camp in Germany

It was quite scary to even consider bringing 3 troubled Irish teens to the largest Chinese youth camp that I have ever been a part of. With over 60 already attending, I was apprehensive to say the least. You would think that after doing camps before in various locations including the USA, Holland, and Ireland that this camp in Germany would be predictable and comfortable. Yet it is always a new experience when you gather youth of different ages, ideas, hopes and pains etc. together in one place. There seems to be no real way to prepare for something so organic, so powerful, and so divine! God is always faithful to come through at each camp, and they are so different and special in their own way. This camp was certainly no exception.

The journey with the three youth to the camp began with fists being thrown in the airport, but God had a plan! When we arrived everything began to change. The first meeting was so amazing, with no hesitation most all of the youth sang with their whole hearts and experienced the presence of God in such a real way that no unbeliever could resist for long. As the camp went on, it only increased in intensity and relationships were brought even nearer to God and each other. To make a long story short, all 3 of the teens that I brought were radically saved! One by one Jesus melted their hearts along with the rest of us. As a result, all three entered the waters of baptism along with 5 other Chinese youth! I said this year’s camp was by far the best, but I say that every time, and I am sure I will say it again after the next camp!
The changes have already affected our church here in Ireland as these youth are telling their parents and friends about Jesus and how He has truly changed their lives! The Sunday morning after we arrived back in Ireland I was still experiencing the ultimate “camp high” so at church I felt led to give an alter call for those that were touched by the DVD presentation of the testimonies and baptisms and other aspects of the camp. Immediately the mother of one of the teens came forward to accept Christ! Another teen that was a guest has also said that she is interested in learning more about Jesus as well after seeing the footage of what God can do!

I am delighted as a pastor to have people come serve with a real vision for God and Prayer. Holly Krebs in just such a servant. She moved over in faith and serves in faith and lives her faith in Jesus Christ. She is also blessed in her writing as you are about to read below. I look forward to hearing more of her writing and insight as time goes on.


This is my confession: I have been reading Acts since last October and can`t seem to get past the first few chapters. It`s not that I`m especially dense, but every time I open up the book to read the next chapter I find myself revisiting the first only to be left pondering too much to continue. It`s not that I`m especially spiritual either. I`m not diving into Hebrew-Greek origins of words or cultural connotations. I am just stuck on it, like when you walk through a gallery full of wonderful works but you can`t help but keep coming back to the same picture. The others are no less beautiful or profound, but there is something immediately relevant that makes you want to stand in front of one particular piece all day long.

I opened my Bible up to Acts last October after He gave me two words in regards to Ireland, specifically 24-7 Prayer and “First Church of Acts.” I was in Africa at the time, and only planning to come here for a holiday, a spiritual retreat from the challenges of the Dark Continent. While I took those words to be simply to be an encouragement for any believers I came across while on holiday, it wouldn't be long after arriving that God would show me a vision of FREEDOM being released. I knew then I would be returning to pray and see God do in Ireland as He did in the first church, which brings us to this moment and the first chapter of Acts.

I was discussing this peculiar reading habit with a friend who had just returned from a conference at which the guest speaker discussed nothing, that is to say, our nothingness aside from Christ in us. The two separate topics seemed to make sense together. In the first chapter of Acts, Christ had just ascended and those first Christians were left to wait. They used scripture to direct them to replace Judas, but before casting the lots, corporately prayed. A recurring theme in these first chapters is how prayer preceded action. Prayer was in fact, the first act of Acts, but that topic alone would have me rambling for pages. So here they were, a group of social misfits who had nothing but the knowledge of Christ. It may seem that the book of Acts could`ve started with the day of Pentecost since this is considered the birth of the church, although the term isn't used until chapter five. Instead, it begins in the space between. The days between Christ`s ascension and the Holy Spirit`s descent were more than just transition. There is something integral there. The knowledge of Christ was all they had. I think this is why it has to start here; to be reminded that the knowledge of Christ is the answer. It is the message. It is the beginning...

If you speak to any of the folk in our fellowship you`ll find that we`ve all been challenged lately, seeing ourselves by the light of His day, leaving us shattered with our once favorite clothes of pride, legalism and even dysfunctional paradigms stripped off like the filthy rags they are. Painful, yes. Humiliating, yes. Heartbreaking, yes. Worthwhile, Hallelujah Yes! Because unlike the folk in Acts, we don`t have to wait for an undetermined time before we have the Holy Spirit. He is with us now, so that in that same light of His day, we can also see what`s coming, what God has in store for us, our town, this country. We`ve been pushing into prayer, we`ve been receiving answers. I think part of the reason I`ve been lingering over these chapters is because it`s where we've been together as a community. And it`s just about to get more exciting. It only took one miracle in chapter three and it`s repercussions to inspire the believer`s prayer (ch.4) in which they together prayed not for future deliverance, but the boldness to proclaim Christ and His Word despite the threats. How many miracles have we seen?

Lord let us be bold, in this day and age where governments, economies, and social mores change faster than wind direction. Let us proclaim Your NAME and Your WORD regardless of the cost. Let Your FREEDOM be loosed in this land. Let us remain in unity as believers. Help us to love indiscriminately and without reservation. They knew to leave the consideration of the threats to You, and that Your Spirit can enable us to rise to the occasion. Thank You Lord that You are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and that the prayer said then is still relevant to pray now. Let this be done in Jesus` name.
Holly Krebs

“.BE the CHANGE.” Youth outreach!

There are many great things happening at the moment in DCF, but the most noteworthy is the impact that we have seen with youth. There is no reason to say that we had much to contribute to the “.BE the CHANGE.” youth movement, because the truth is that God is moving in Ireland with the youth and doors are being opened in ways that we have not fully expected. The elements are simple; music, stories of faith, multi-media, drama and dance all in the same night! There are some Christian bands and non- Christian bands together to express relevant youth culture with an emphasis on purpose through Jesus Christ. The official description is as follows: "Having positive impact on the youth of this generation through the relevant cultural expression of music, drama, multimedia and stories of faith, pointing the way to the love and truth of Jesus Christ.

How did it start?

It all started With a Masters Commission team from South Carolina, USA consisting of 27 people and leadership from Maranatha Church and Dungarvan Christian Fellowship. We decided to do an outreach for youth in Waterford on Friday the 29^th of February. The first night saw 50 or more teens come through the doors of Maranatha Church. We had such a powerful time that we did it again on Saturday with great results and more youth. We were able to share the gospel with them and build relationships as momentum was also building. Then we decided to do another event on the 4th of April. This time we saw over 120 youth come with high expectations. What an amazing time! We all felt that it was a tremendous success and lives were touched by the bands, stories and the gospel messages shared.

You can see highlights of the event that took place on the 1^st of March on

http://www.youtube.com/bethechangeireland type in “bethechangeireland”

Or you can see recent pictures from the April 4^th event (with new video to follow) on the progressing bebo site: http://www.bebo.com/BetheC1

We are also focusing on youth in our church and will be doing a youth video series called “The Quest.”

The next .BE the CHANGE. event will be in June, date to be announced soon.

Happy ending! (see picture below)

This was actually the best choice for the parents of this cute little airborne baby, because just below the baby there were fireman that successfully caught the child! The rest of the good news is that the parents were later rescued as well and were reunited with their precious baby! What a step of faith to make the decision to let the infant child drop 4 stories into the arms of a stranger. They were faced with a choice of the baby dying from smoke inhalation or the risky fall. They made the right choice to let go but I am sure it wasn't easy. We are also faced with the challenge spiritually to make decisions that are life changing and often risky. I know there is no way to properly compare the analogy of letting your own baby drop from 4 stories with our spiritual challenges of letting go, but there are precious things that we must let go of that will enable life to continue in a purposeful way. Letting go of our hopes and dreams for example can be a difficult choice that many find impossible to let go of. They may soon realize the disappointment of a life wasted by selfishness and desire for fulfillment outside of Jesus Christ as they endeavor to find their own way . The will of God is not an elusive nebulous concept birthed somewhere up above, but rather a specific mandate to follow the Lord wherever He would lead us. What about letting go of our comforts in life to reach a lost and dying world? Hero's today are usually sports figures and movie stars, but the real hero's to me are the many men and women who give their lives to missions worldwide. Letting go is hard, but the alternative is much harder in the long run---step out on the water, take a leap of faith, and let go of what you so tightly hold on to and you will realize that what awaits you is far more precious that what used to be in our own grasp! TO RISK ALL FOR JESUS IS TO END ALL RISK!

Happy ending!

Braveheart!

--- I watched the movie Braveheart the other day and was reminded of how great a movie it really is. People love it because it defines the heart of bravery and courage, qualities that everyone admire but most find elusive! When they caught the vision, there was no thought of being outnumbered or being inferior in power, all that mattered was the cause. How we need this mindset today in the Church! If our highest goal is to sit in a pew and listen to someone talk for an hour we have greatly mistaken the cause and the mission of believers. We have the Truth of the gospel living inside us. Mankind’s eternal destination rests on the fact of their acceptance of Christ or their rejection of Him. There is a battle to be fought, a message to be proclaimed and a purpose to be walked out. The kingdom of God is of so much more value than our own countries future or condition, more important than a political position and is more real than the air we breathe! If men can lay down their lives for the cause of nations we shall certainly do the same for Jesus Christ! Let’s say to those bound by the ways of this world and caught in the snares of sin that there is…FREEDOM!