Calvary Missionary Biographies

David Carter
YOUTH FOR CHRIST

UPDATE - 10/13/2009

David Carter has served with Youth for Christ for many years. He presently serves as the Director for Fort Bend's Youth for Christ ministry. David has a contagious love for the Lord that has carried him through many, many years of demanding and challenging ministry among junior high and high school students. So often with youth, just "being there" for them is essential for effective ministry, and David has proven his love and commitment to young people throughout the Houston area time and time again. Many school administrators have given David the open door to do whatever he wants to do on their campuses because they trust him so much!

David is active on many school campuses leading Bible studies and developing friendships with teenagers. Many of these teens come from troubled and broken homes. David's constant, unconditional love for these kids has opened many doors for him to share the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. An exciting facet of this ministry is with the Fort Bend County Juvenile Detention Center. God has given David and his workers great favor with this agency. For over 5 years, they have been providing daily Bible studies and daily teaching services. Since 1999 Fort Bend Youth for Christ has averaged over 1000 teenagers a year making an informed decision to become followers of Jesus Christ! Youth for Christ workers have the privilege of sharing the gospel with every incarcerated teenager in Fort Bend County!

David's simple, yet powerful approach to loving and reaching the teenagers of this generation for Christ works. He is passionate and committed to what God has called him to do. As a result, students respond to David, because they know the real thing when they see it.

Please pray for:

	God's anointing and power for David and Youth for Christ to reach scores of teenagers for Christ.
	Financial provision to enable the Fort Bend Youth for Christ ministry to grow and be able to meet the needs of this community.
	Pray for more open doors in the High schools and Middle schools of Fort Bend County.

Joshua & Mandy Rushing
INTERCESSORY MISSIONARIES

UPDATE - 10/14/2009

Joshua and Mandy Ruhsing joined the International House of Prayer (IHOP - SS) in Siloam Springs, Arkansas , to serve as intercessory missionaries. IHOP - SS is a citywide, inter-denominational prayer ministry modeled after the Tabernacle of David. It is based on the reality that worship, music, and intercession flow together around God's throne (Rev. 4-5). They are currently holding around 3 meetings, 5 days a week, and are working toward 24-7 prayer and worship.

As intercessory missionaries, the Rushings are participating in and being equipped to help change the spiritual atmosphere over cities through "intercessory worship." Joshua and Mandy serve as worship leaders and teachers, sharing on the Bridegroom heart of God and the urgency of preparing for and understanding the End Times. They also train people in the “Harp and Bowl” model of uniting prayer and worship (Revelation 5:8), which was first initiated in the Kansas City House of Prayer. According to Mike Bickle, director of IHOP in Kansas City , this strategic, precedent-setting ministry provides one of the Scriptural requirements for God to release the fullness of revival. God will not move in fullness apart from night and day prayer (including times of regular fasting). The Scriptures make this abundantly clear and history testifies to this fact.

Please pray for:

God to empower, equip, and release His plans and purposes to and through the Rushing's As they serve as intercessory missionaries with IHOP.

Ana Graves
INTERVARSITY

UPDATE - 4/30/2010

Ana grew up at Calvary and learned about God’s heart for the world and for his people. She can point back to specific events while growing up at Calvary where God spoke to her and confirmed her calling to the ministry. In college she got involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and after graduating came on staff with this group at University of Texas at San Antonio. She is just now finishing her third year on staff.

One statement that challenges Ana to continue on in ministry to college students is something the former president of the United Nations, Charles Malik said: "The University is arguably the single most significant institution in the Western Civilization ... change the university and you change the world." As a Campus Minister, Ana has the opportunity to invest in the future leaders of our nation and of the world. How does she go about doing that? She teaches and trains students on what it means to follow Jesus and how to lead others to do the same. This happens through one-on-one discipleship meetings with Christians and those who don’t know Jesus yet; discipleship groups and Groups Investigating God; training students in Christian leadership on a weekly basis; teaching at conferences on scripture study, evangelism, prayer and much more; and leading mission trips to places around the world and domestically in order to challenge students to serve others and to give them opportunities to learn about making God the true Lord of their entire life.

Campus ministry is a gift and a challenge all at once. Over the past three years Ana has had the opportunity to lead four mission trips to Mexico, New Orleans, and Oakland, California. At UTSA, the fellowship has grown into a healthy group of 56 students from all kinds of different backgrounds and ethnicities, but with the common goal of growing in love for God, God’s word, and his people and his purposes in the world. A group of students is leading Bible Studies in the Greek system at UTSA. Others are forming a Hip Hop Group in order to see God’s word reach the Hip Hop community on the campus. Others are choosing to live on campus in order to invest in people in the dorms and see those places transformed for God’s glory. Ana’s desire for InterVarsity at UTSA is to see it grow into a community that exudes God’s passion for others and for the world, and that students would graduate knowing they are called to do this not only in college but for the rest of their lives.

Please pray for:

	Financial provision
	Growth for the fellowship at UTSA so that we might reach MORE of the 28,000 students on the campus
	Wisdom for me and for the student leadership team as we lead out in what it means to depend on the Lord to transform the campus for his glory’s sake
	Ana's Health

Daniel DeJesus: AN ENERGETIC EVANGELIST

UPDATE - 9/22/2009

Daniel and Marlene DeJesus are a precious family, full of faith and confidence in the Lord Jesus. They live what they say. Daniel effectively and compassionately gives away the love of Christ to those in prison, to ex-offenders who are transitioning to aftercare, and to anyone God brings into his sphere of influence. One thing about Daniel: you know that he is genuine in his love for God and others. That love is contagious. The Lord has called Daniel to serve full-time in ministering to the hurting, needy, and broken. Marlene serves as a nurse in the Texas Medical Center. Daniel and Marlene would tell you that they are blessed to be a blessing. Both are genuine servants of Christ who freely give away the rich blessings of the Lord.

Gene and René Haub
FAMILY LIFE

UPDATE - 10/2/2009

God is moving powerfully in marriages and families across our nation! Between last fall and this spring, our team has ministered into the lives, marriages and families of over 90,000 people! Much healing, many marriages saved from isolation or divorce, and many, many inspired to take their marriage to a new level of oneness in Christ.

We recently returned from Portland, ME where we had a sold out ballroom of 670 people for the weekend. It was a powerful weekend of prayer and seeing God transform lives. We praise God for 24 people who are experiencing new life in Christ and 196 others who are recommitting their marriage and family to the lordship of Jesus Christ! After the conference, it was such a joy working with our Maine volunteer team, strategizing with them on different ways to take God’s blueprints for marriage and family across the state.

The Portland conference was also a spring highlight for our team as we tested an updated version of the Weekend to Remember conference. This conference has been the cornerstone of FamilyLife’s ministry for 30 years. Although the message and principles are timeless, the delivery method has been updated to better speak into today’s culture… more interactive and shorter projects, more focused, multi-media presentations, and a powerful climax that ends with couples repeating vows to one another. It was a sacred moment as everyone stood face to face with their mate, restating their wedding vows.

After the conference one wife wrote: “We had given up hope and were ready to turn in the towel. We came anyway. I slept all the way to avoid communication (a 2-hour drive). I know people were praying for us because soon after arriving, encouragement began to fill my empty heart. How far I had allowed myself to drift from God’s truth! I was revived and so was our marriage. This is like marriage CPR.”

Another responded: “I was to the point of giving up when I headed here. I have already been through 1 divorce and my head and heart knows how much God hates divorce. I came not knowing or believing that one weekend would change anything, but praying for God to open our hearts. God taught us both a lot this weekend. I’m looking at a new beginning to our marriage and know that our only success will be with God at the center of our marriage.”

So many couples today are missing out on the thrill of oneness with each other because Christ is not the center of their marriage. The family crisis in our nation today provides a wonderful opportunity to present the beauty of the gospel message. THANK YOU seems so inadequate compared to the depth of gratitude we feel for you, our Calvary family. It is an honor to be your hands extended to couples across the nation and around the world!

Eric & Wendy Eldridge
MUPS & EDEN WOMEN'S MINISTRIES

UPDATE - 9/30/2009

Wendy and Eric Eldridge are missionaries with Mission to Unreached Peoples. Wendy is co-founder of Eden Women’s Ministries which is a ministry reaching out to prostitutes in China. Wendy is currently managing the business platform within Eden which helps former prostitutes support themselves financially after leaving prostitution. Eric is the founder of Maxsource, a business platform reaching out to young professionals in China. Eric is also the Business as Mission (BAM) Consultant and Coordinator of Strategic Initiatives with MUP’s International office in Plano, Texas.

Map to Calvary Sunday Messages Updates