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2010 “It is Good to give thanks unto the Lord…” Psalm 92:1

April 2010 Volume 1 Issue 4

Let ’ s Celebrate the Good News shared, souls saved, and families encouraged !
Please enjoy the following testimonial submitted by Faith Kunze
Hoops for Him started 6 years ago as a vision of Rick and Debbie Smith who were a part of a similar
ministry in Indiana. They started the Hoops for Him ministry in 2004 with 20 teams with 187 kids ranging
from 5 years old to 16 years old. In 2010, we have 37 teams with 307 kids ranging from ages 5 to 12.
This ministry runs from January sign-ups until the middle of April. Each child receives a T-shirt, a Bible,
and a trophy for participating.
The Hoops for Him program has three goals. The first is to teach the children how to have a relationship
with Jesus Christ. The second goal is to teach the fundamental of Basketball. The third goal is to teach
sportsmanship through a Christ-like example. The games start on Friday nights at 6:00 p.m. and run on a
schedule until 9:00 p.m. On Saturdays the games start at 8:00 a.m. and run until 3:00 p.m. A devotion is
given at the beginning of every game.
A program this large requires several committed people. We have a committee of 10 who help the program
run smoothly—a BIG THANK YOU to committee members: Jeff Thompson, Randy and Julie Chilcote,
Scott Jones, Tim and Darlene Yake, Ken Gilkerson, Jim Bailey, Bob Fitz Patrick, and Bernie Bohla. We
also have over 60 other volunteers who commit hours of their personal time to present a well organized
and controlled children ’ s basketball program. The concession stand , sponsored by the Gilead
Christian School Athletic Boosters, is also greatly appreciated.
I have always loved basketball. I don ’ t think I had ever realized why God gave me a passion for
this sport until I became involved with the Hoops for Him program. I have come to enjoy and love
this program. One of my personal goals as Hoops for Him Coordinator is to see families come to
church through being involved with the program. Last year we had a Hoops for Him Sunday at the
end of the season. We invited everyone to attend Sunday worship. My heart was touched and
encouraged to know a family of four came that morning, went forward, and accept the Lord.
Seeing Fruit from this ministry helps me understand why God has given me this passion.
If you enjoy basketball and/or children please consider being a part of this ministry. You will be
blessed. —Faith Kunze, Hoops for Him Coordinator

“Let the little children come to Me and do not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of heaven.”
—Jesus Our Savior, Matthew 19:14
 A Celebration of Grace!
Testimony submitted by Bethany Burden Gilead Friends Good News! April edition, page 2

Hello, my name is Bethany Burden, or you may know me as Bethany Weaver… I have a story to tell, a testimony, a miracle of the grace of Jesus
Christ. It’s too long for the size of this newsletter, so I will be brief, and hopefully I will get to share more in detail later.

I was raised in a Christian home by parents who love the Lord. I went to Christian schools, was taught every truth, and it was engraved in my
heart. However, at 23 years old, I found myself separated from my husband, in an adulterous relationship, and on a self destructive downward
spiral that I never imagined possible. I spent from the spring of 2008 to the summer of 2009 living a life that went against everything I believed
in and everything I knew to be true. I ran from God, from my family, from my husband, and from everything pure. The details are ugly and
packed full of sin and disgust.

Sometime in the summer of 2009 I hit rock bottom. You hear people talk of this happening, but I had no idea how bad it would really get. I was
divorced, alone, completely spent in every sense of the word. I had lost everything that mattered. I was broke, without a job, a car, or home—
isolated from the people that truly loved me. I had broken the hearts of so many. I had hurt so deeply my friends, my family, the man that loved
me enough to vow his life to me, and most importantly, my Lord and Savior. So I went home. I lay in my bed at my parent’s and wept for what
felt like eternity. I had never known loneliness like this.

The miracle is this. God never gives up on us, and He surely did not give up on me. I returned to my roots, to the truth, to Jesus Christ, and to
Gilead Friends Church. Praise God for forgiveness and mercy. I reached out, cried out, begged for help, and it came in so many forms. My family
forgave me, Darla Ellyson drew alongside me, friends received me back, and my grandmother gave me a place to live. Most importantly, my
Father, God—He scooped me up and started a healing in me that I never imagined possible. I was blessed with a job and with help that I can’t
put into words.

Then the unthinkable began to happen. Vann Burden, the man whom I had walked out on, broken every promise to, and had hurt in a way I
thought was unforgiveable—forgave me. At 25, I am whole, for the first time in my life. I have been a Christian for as long as I remember, but I
have never known the Savior like I do today. As you read this publication that goes in the bulletin on Easter Sunday, Vann and I will have already
been remarried (Good Friday) here at Gilead Friends Church and a healing is taking place in us that neither of us ever imagined.

I know that many pieces of this story are missing, but I hope the message is clear. God—He is a healer, and He is more merciful than I ever gave
Him credit for. The struggle is not over; I fight every day to overcome the enemy reminding me of the past. It’s a battle, a spiritual one, but it is
well worth the fight. I am free. I am a child of the King. I guess what I want you to take away from this is that scripture is so full of promises,
all of them true. Nothing is impossible, no situation too bad, no wound too deep. My God— He can do anything. He wants you just like He
wanted me, and He waited for me to fall on my face before Him. Praise Him! Praise Him for bringing me home, and using the Body of Christ to
show me that it’s never too late. I would love to share my story with you, or hear yours if it might help you in a time of desperation. Thank you
for listening to mine! You can contact me at bethanynicole@sprint.blackberry.net
—Bethany
I leave you with this. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the
testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2-3

The Bible states in the Book of Hebrews, chapter 10 verses 35 through 38, that we must not cast
away our confidence, which is our great reward. It goes on to say that we need great
endurance in order to receive the promise of His coming. These days are intense and the
world’s pleasures are surely distracting… but intentionally remain strong, move in the offense
against the snares and entanglements, and forge ahead in faith, Church.