HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We hope you all are having an amazing New Year. I thought I would give you a very brief update on what is happening with the Emert clan. It seems like it is hard to keep everyone updated on all that is happening as we have experienced so much of the Lord’s goodness over this season.
- Ministry – I (Jeremy) have hit the ground running being involved in the day to day ministry of Helping Florence Flourish. This is very much a learning curve, however it has been so fun to jump in and help. One of the things we realized very quickly was there was so much ministry to be done and the need for more hands to accomplish the vision that the Lord has given Chris Handley. I have had the opportunity to sit in on strategic planning sessions with our board, help to donate supplies to local elementary schools, travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to learn about a ministry called At Work on Purpose, connect with local pastors, and so much more. Many people have asked us what exactly we do as a ministry and what I will be doing. Currently I am in a learning phase and trying to take it all in, while at the same time trying to help where I can. I also had the opportunity to go on a tour of the city. Though we lived in Florence prior to moving to Zambia, this tour was eye opening as I was able to go to areas I did not spend much time in while here before. I witnessed houses that HFF has help to repair, churches that I did not even know existed, and learned things about Florence that I never knew.
“Working toward a visible demonstration of the unity of Christ’s body to bless all who come across our path.” – This is the Vision
statement for Helping Florence Flourish. Here is a link to a wonderful video that Chris put together that demonstrates well what we are all about. Check it out: Helping Florence Flourish Video
- God’s Provision – Once again we have seen the Lord work in mighty ways. We are currently living in a home in Timmonsville, SC. For those that are not living in the area, this is about 20 minutes outside of Florence. We have felt so blessed to stay in this home and are really enjoying it. The Lovell family (we are currently renting their house) will be returning from the mission field in Germany, and we will be moving out around June so that they can live in their home again. Without even asking for it the Lord provided the next house for our family. It is right down the road from First Presbyterian Church and is more than we could ever ask for. Once again we want to testify of the Lord’s unfailing faithfulness to our family and we can’t stop bragging on Him. We would begin to take any credit for the ways He has moved.
- Community – Though we miss our people in Zambia like crazy, it has been oh so good to be in a space where we are loved on so well. The boys are really enjoying the youth group at FPC Florence and are also loving playing church league basketball. We have gotten involved in a small group with some friends and are reading a book called Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer. I highly recommend you check it out. We are sharing many meals with people we love dearly. Recently my dad came to visit and he was amazed at how interconnected the body of Christ is in Florence. This is what Helping Florence Flourish is all about and we are the recipients of that. It is not uncommon to have a gathering amongst friends and have three or more churches represented in that gathering. We often laugh because I am an ordained Baptist minister, we are members of a Presbyterian church and we love mixing it up in the Pentecostal world as well. Don’t forget our good Wesleyan friends as well. Does this make us Baptipresbybaweslacostals? Who knows but we are grateful that our community spans across denominational lines, socio-economic lines, and racial lines. It’s honestly hard to compete with.
- Olivia – Olivia gets her own bullet point because she deserves it! So many people have asked how our girl is doing and we are happy to tell you she is thriving at Hope College. She has made some amazing friendships and even made the deans list in her first semester. We could not be prouder of her and enjoyed spending time with her over the holidays. It is always hard to say bye but we are at peace knowing she is thriving. She currently enjoys all of the snow. We will see how long that lasts.
- On the horizon – Pray with us as we continue to adjust back into a culture we once lived in. Some days are harder than others. Pray for us as we make decisions about school for our boys, how Courtney spends her time (she is fully teaching the boys right now and working part time for her sister, as well as praying into how she can plug in at Helping Florence Flourish), and what it looks like to live counter culturally in a very busy America. The world is changing right in front of our eyes and some days we have a hard time keeping up.
Okay that is enough for now. Thanks for taking the time to read our latest happenings. Please let us know how we can pray for you as we all work to bring the Kingdom of God to earth as it is in heaven.
Much love from the Emerts
Jeremy, Courtney, Olivia, Jude + Lincoln
jemert@helpingflorenceflourish.org
cemert@helpingflorenceflourish.org
(336) 858-3329