Dear Brothers,

I want to give a report on our 1st Quarter Assembly; especially for those of you unable to attend. We had wonderful fellowship with Bob Elliot and our brothers at St Anne in Desoto who hosted with a breakfast par excellence (delicious!).

Dr Justin Hiester spoke on Outreach and Evangelism to the Muslim Community. Dr. Hiester is Assistant Professor of Missions and Islamic Studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) where he supervises the mission’s program at the SWBTS Scarborough College. He became interested in evangelism to Muslims during deployment to Jordan as an Air Force pilot. He has been a Christian missionary both in Jordan and in the greater Dallas area where he has helped establish home churches to Muslim converts, similar to what was done in the 1st Christian century.

Dr. Justin Hiester

His message was based on Acts 2.5-12, Christ’s great
commission, “… and you shall be my witnesses ….” There is work enough for all
of us. The key is working together in community. Empowerment is in doing the
will of the Lord.

Brother Norton introducing Dr. Hiester

Dr. Hiester spoke about how his heart was moved to serve God in Christian outreach to the Muslim community where he has made many friends. He stressed how they are loyal

to their friends and that he feels very safe among them. His heart for sharing the Good News with them lies in Paul’s words in 1 Timothy, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1.5 NIV). Needless to say this is a lesson we all can learn regardless of where the Spirit would move us to serve. As brothers in the Brotherhood of Saint Andrew we are a vital part of the mission of the Church to bring men and youth to Christ. We resolve to do our best in study, prayer, and service. Even small steps are better than no steps.

We are looking forward to our 2nd Quarter
Assembly on Saturday 1 June with our brothers at Saint Michael and All Angels
hosting. Brother Mark Demler will speak to us about Saint Michael’s Project
Moses and how they are working with others in Dallas against human trafficking.
This is a terrible evil that we must understand better to come to grips with
how to stop it.

On a personal note I have recently returned from a
life long dream of mine to visit the Holy Land of Israel and the places where
Jesus walked and taught and was crucified and arose from the grave. It was a
great thrill to experience it and try to absorb the depth of its meaning. After
leaving I stopped in London to visit the venerable Westminster Abbey and
historical St Paul’s Cathedral which was just icing on the cake of a wonderful
adventure.

May the Lord bless you and keep you in His care ‘til
we gather together again.

John
Norton

President, Brotherhood of Saint Andrew, Dallas
Assembly