The Better Place News

We are excited to coordinate The March for Jesus 2011 Celebration for Jamestown, NY. God has confirmed the vision for 2011 and we would love to have you, your friends, family and church participate. Many in our community are in need of the Lord. The harvest is plentiful….Luke 10:2. All Christians are commissioned to Evangelize and this is a great time to allow God to use your time, talent and treasure. So many of you have reached out to us and are excited about helping with this event again this year. This is an inclusive event and focused on lifting up JESUS and letting the unsaved & un-churched know that JESUS SAVES! All items this year are free since this is a way to give back to the community a portion of what God has blessed us with.

We hope you will come and share your testimonies, praise songs, and prayer for the unsaved, backslidden and un-churched. I have attached a flyer to be posted in your church. The specifics follow:

What: March for Jesus 2011 Celebration

When: June 11, 2011| 12 Noon-5 p.m.

Where: Chadakoin Park (Pavillion)

Theme: Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35)

If you desire to delegate a Christian leader for this event or would like a FREE table to share your Christian Materials; please do not hesitate to reach out to us at 716.487.0057|email: march4jesus2011@aol.com. We have a limited number of tables left. While I am still studying with REHMA Bible College, we are pleased to be joined by many Pastors, Evangelist and Christians to help celebrate JESUS on this Day in the Park. If you would rather sit back; just bring your lawn chairs and your praise/worship. There will be all free food, gifts, drinks, music, testimonies, worship and praise! Minister in Training & CHIEFS Football Player; Brother James Dickey of Praise Fellowship will also share his testimony on the Bread of Life!

A special visit and testimony from Bus Howard, Actor in THE WIRE is also being finalized.

Let’s celebrate our Lord, Jesus Christ and let the unsaved know that Jesus Saves in this region. You will also be given the opportunity to tell the group about your church and please bring any flyers, hand-outs and etc you would like to share. Call or email us that you plan to attend, mark your calendars and please spread the excitement!

Blessed Regards,

Sister Tamara M. Dickey & Brother Clyde W. Dickey

716-487-0057 | march4jesus2011@aol.com

2011 Regional Concerts Of Prayer Are Off To A Good Start

The first 2011 Regional Concert of Prayer, organized by The Better Place, picked up where the Concerts left off in 2010 – literally. The last Concert of 2010 was held at Blackwell Chapel in Jamestown, NY and the first Concert of 2011 was held at the same location on the 16th of February.

As always, many congregations and denominations of the church were represented as the participants partnered with God in prayer. Rev. Steve Strand, of Peace Wesleyan Church in Falconer, introduced the first topic of prayer which was “Repentance”. Host pastor, Annette Hood, introduced the second topic which was “The Mind of Christ,” and TBP Director, Roy Miller, introduced the final movement topic which was “The Priority of Reconciliation and Unity.” Before and between each movement, worship team members from Blackwell Chapel A. M. E. Zion Church led the Concert participants in song.

Through the prayers of the saints, agreeing in the Spirit, powers of darkness in the region were undone and the Kingdom of God moved forward.

The next Concert of Prayer for the greater Jamestown area is scheduled for Wednesday evening the 6th of April at the Koinonia Christian Church in Frewsburg.

Pastors, Intercessors, Kingdom seekers:

Here is a flyer to help promote the Concert of Prayer on the 16th of February.

Please distribute this among members of your congregation this coming Sunday, spread the news to your friends and do whatever you can to get the information out.

Let’s come together as one people to seek God for our city and this region

Here follows an open letter to the people of Blackwell Chapel, A. M. E. Zion Church in Jamestown regarding their gracious hosting of the Regional Concert of Prayer on the 27th of October 2010:

Dear Saints of God,

I just have to say – in writing this time – one more big THANK YOU for opening your doors to the Church of the Jamestown area as we gathered to pray and seek God last night. Thank you to the praise team; you radiate joy! And thank you to Rev. Hood.

As I looked around the room I recognized people from Healing Word Ministries Church of God, Park Church of Sinclairville, Falconer Wesleyan Church, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and Revolutionary Life Church. And there may have been other congregations represented that I was not aware of. – The thing is; God is attracted to unity like iron to a magnet or like a bee to honey; and God was powerfully present last night.

We may never know the full measure of the effect of the prayers we prayed, but we can be certain that they were a pleasing aroma to God, that the powers of darkness were pushed back and that Jamestown is a little more blessed today with the blessings of God because of those prayers. This happened because of your faithfulness as a congregation of God’s people and because of your willing and gracious hospitality. – I am grateful to each one of you and to your Pastor, Rev. Hood.

As Concerts of Prayer are scheduled for 2011, I will be sure to let you know when and where they will be held. I look forward to seeing many of you at those gatherings.

Our Chautauqua Lake Region Men of Integrity (CLMI) – a ministry of The Better Place – brought Psychologist/Media-personality/marriage and family expert, Dr. Kevin Leman to Jamestown on Saturday the 16th of October 2010. Our CLMI leaders met for lunch with Dr. Leman at Roberto’s restaurant on Friday the 15th to go over final details for the big day. Then on Saturday they keep Dr. Leman very busy!

The Day of events began with a free breakfast for pastors and their spouses at the Falcon’s Nest in Falconer, NY. After breakfast and a time of worship – led by the CLMI band – Dr. Leman imparted an encouraging and challenging message about leadership. Of course, his message was well seasoned with humor – one of the many reasons for his great popularity as a public speaker and author.

From 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. men from throughout western NY state and western PA gathered in the downtown Jamestown Civic Center to be entertained and edified by the message Dr. Leman brought. This was also a free event. Similar to the morning format, this gathering began with a time of worship led by the CLMI band.

At 6:00 p.m. the Civic Center was filled to capacity on the main level. Over seven hundred married couples and also single adults gathered for an evening of rousing and powerful worship, special music and the unique ministry of Kevin Leman. And it was effective. There were couples who were on the road to divorce who were brought to the meeting by the Spirit of God. They left hand in hand. Other couples who were struggling in their marriages were so positively helped and encouraged by Dr. Leman that they were telling anyone who would listen to them the next day.

During the evening gathering the CLMI presented the first annual “Outstanding Service Award” to a man from the Jamestown area who models the Men of Integrity commitments. The award recipient was Mark Summers from Clymer, NY. The award was a complete surprise to Mark. His wife helped the CLMI leaders to make certain everything was in order to pull the surprise off. – Mark is the treasurer for the CLMI and also the current chairperson of The Better Place Board of Directors.

The CLMI anticipated more sponsorships than they received from area churches and businesses to cover the total cost of this grand day. As a result, this day of events generated a deficit of over two thousand dollars. Nevertheless, whatever the financial anxieties it may have produced, the leadership is grateful to God for all the good he worked through the day. Many lives will never be the same again. – Anyone who desires to help cover the deficit and position the CLMI to move forward with future events may send designated gifts to The Better Place at P.O. Box 532, Jamestown, NY 14702.