June 7, 2026

 Sunday AM Recap

June 7, 2026

Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/2hBtMtlFUMs?si=h_7_QfMNeRAo9He9 

Pastor Jeff Spangler opened the service reminding us not to take our freedom of religion for granted and speaking about our country. 

Rachael Gilmore led worship. 

After worship, we had a message from Michael Shead, missionary in Guatemala.  As a church, we support Michael, his wife Chrisi, and their children in their ministry.  You can find out more about their missionary work here: Reach Guatemala

Michael and Chrisi have been in Guatemala for 15 years, and this is the first time their entire family has been back in the states. They have nine children, and all nine were there with them today at CCC. 

Chrisi thanked everyone for their support, and she shared that they have a public middle school near their home in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, that they have been invited into to share the Gospel and connect with people.  

Michaek showed a video about their ministry, and gave a message. 

They have been in Guatemala for 15 years.  In 2003, Michael was called to Michigan to work with a church there for 3 months of promised work, and God gave him 8 years of work.  He met his wife and did video projects in different countries. One of those countries was Guatemala, and that was when God drew his heart to be there in ministry.  

Proverbs 3:5-6 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

They were married in 2009 and had visited Guatemala, and they believed that was where God was leading them.  They shared it with a pastor in their lives, and it was one of the most discouraging conversations they had ever had.  They were very close to not going to Guatemala, but Holy Spirit told Michael “You’re going the WRONG WAY.”  They came to Kansas and visited with family and continued to seek the Lord, and they believed that this was the right time to go and do the ministry God had put in their hearts.   That conversation with the pastor caused them to seek the Lord harder and push them towards what God wanted them to do, and they are thankful for it!  

Jeremiah 29:5, 7, 11, 13-14a

5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord.

They have settled in Guatemala and have had nine children, all born there.  They have served with a Bible training center and have been involved in writing materials that have gone on to other countries and continents.  They minister to 60-70 kids that go to school close to their house, and they play at their house while they learn God’s Word.  They have a teacher in a public school that partners with them to teach God’s Word in the school!  They have books they have written to equip teachers, in multiple languages.  

They have had multiple openings in the public schools.  A few years ago, the Middle School called them with all kinds of behavior problems and asked “will you come and talk about Jesus?”  They have been able to share the Gospel openly in the school in assemblies with hundreds of students and build relationships there.  Three years ago, they decided to have a special event to bless the local teachers.  They thought that would open up opportunities to share in the schools.  They only got one invite from that event…but a few months ago, someone from the school district remembered that event, and contacted Michael for materials to teach reading and values.  Michael was able to share with him their Bible-based materials to teach the students reading and values, and they are getting ready to do a training session with the teachers using their books.  This will reach roughly 3,000 students!  

As we trust in the Lord with all our heart…things don’t always look the way we think it would…it’s better!! 

It’s important to remember the value of being present.   The average missionary stays in the field for 5 years, but they have been blessed by the Lord to sustain in their ministry for 15 years.  It has not always been easy, but God has always sustained them and they can trust in the Lord and His plan!  They’ve had all these ministries to kids, which has opened many doors to minister to families and walk with them in some of their darkest times. 

In Guatemala there are many needs…but what they need more than anything else is Jesus.  And the same is true here in Pittsburg and Southeast Kansas.  And WE are the light of Christ in these communities!  

Where the Sheads live, there is an old 16th century Catholic church with these stairs from Mayan beliefs. There are a lot of mixtures of different beliefs. In that part of town, there is a lot of spiritual darkness - a spiritual desert.  They have felt led to pray for that area.  In praying, they’ve been reminded of Joshua leading the Israelites into the Promised Land.  Joshua told them not to get ahead of the ark but to follow it because they had never been that way before.  (See Joshua 3)

As they were praying, Michael had all these ideas about what they COULD do, but the one thing he has heard from the Lord is to keep praying.  In one of those prayer walks, he saw a sign for The Power of the Holy Spirit Church.   THAT’S what the people need!  They are continuing to pray for the people, the alcoholism, the business owners benefitting from the alcoholism, for transformation across the region.  

Things don’t always go the way they thought they would or in the timing they thought it would, but they have come to learn to trust in the Lord and that they need our support in prayer!  God is using them and their ministry in ways they never expected.  When they trust in the Lord with all their hearts, God does things they never could imagine - the books they have written came out of kids knocking on their door.   It has grown from lessons he was writing for the local kids, into a book of Bible stories written in Spanish, and then in English, and then partnering with an organization in Joplin to translate the materials in Burmese to be used in Myanmar, and now it’s being translated into Kurdish, Arabic, Farsi.  

They’ve had challenges and hard things, but Jesus and His disciples had hard things too.  At one point, Jesus’s teachings became so hard that some of the followers left.  Jesus turned to His disciples and said “are you going to leave too?”  Peter responded: “where else would we go?  YOU have the Words of life!”  (See John 6)

Psalm 9:10

Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

It can be hard to trust in the Lord - but those who KNOW the Lord’s Name trust in Him.  When we spend time with the Lord, we know His name and what His voice sounds like.  

Jesus says “I am the good shepherd - my sheep know My voice.”  Many shepherds can have their sheep all together - and when one shepherd calls their sheep, the sheep know the voice of THEIR shepherd and go with him. 

Let’s know the voice of OUR shepherd! 

Trusting in God doesn’t always make sense in the natural - but we can trust in Him and His plan, and it starts with a relationship with Him.  

Michael ended his message leading a prayer of salvation and inviting any and all to join him, and then praying for Guatemala.  Pastor Jeff ended the service leading the congregation in prayer for the Shead family.