HOPE MISSION TEAM prepare for Holiday Club 2012

Pictured above are members of Hope Mission Team, from Hope Church, Tupelo, MS, USA, who will be coming to assist with the annual KEC Holiday Club 2012. While we were in the USA, we were able to meet with this team and work on several facets of this project. Please pray for them as they travel and for this year's holiday club. We are praying to reach more families with the Gospel than ever before!

Empower Members' Dramatic Skit

We were thrilled to see the Empower members take part in the Sunday morning service on 03 June as they performed a dramatic skit regarding getting "stuck in sin."

STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN IN ENGLAND!!

One of our favourite performing artists of all time recently came to our hometown, Birmingham, England!!! STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN blessed us with a wonderful evening of worship and praise! We were also introduced to the young, newer band, CALEB, formed by and featuring the older son of the Chapman's, Caleb, on lead vocals and guitar, and also featuring the younger Chapman son, Will Franklin, on drums, among other instruments. What a blessing these guys are!! LOVE their music as well. (You can download some of their music at calebmusic.com.) So, it was wonderful to see that what SCC has begun is being passed onto the next generation! We carried a group from KEC to this event in nearby, Dudley, Birmingham, about a 30 minute drive from our church. The performers were passing through our area of the world as they were on their UK and European Tour. Later that weekend, they also performed at the Apollo Hammersmith in London, with Christian music legend, Michael W. Smith. On a personal note, we must confess that we feel a special attachment to Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman for several reasons. One, being their emphasis on missions. Steven released his historic CD, DECLARATION, in 2001, and as he toured later, stopping through Tupelo, MS, USA, we were so blessed to be among the audience members. His music helped to confirm the call that God had placed on our lives that He would later reveal to us, that we were to abandon all to become full-time career missionaries and become complete and true "God-Followers." The other major connection we have with the Chapman's is due to their and our international adoption experiences. In fact, their book, Shaoey and Dot, was one of our daughter, Myleea's, all-time favourite first reads. Although Myleea was adopted soon after Shaohannah, the first of the three daughters who the Chapman's adopted from China, we loved keeping up with their other two adoptions and the amazing work they have done through Show Hope, Maria's Big House of Hope, and other ministries they have established, which now provide help to suffering orphans in China. For more information on how to become involved in their work there, go to the following website: www.showhope.org Finally, there's no way that anyone could think of the Chapman family without mentioning the tragic loss of their baby girl, Maria Sue Chunxi Chapman, on May 21, 2008. The family has suffered such unimaginable grief. We have grieved with them, as so many of you have. Yet, they have chosen to give glory to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ through all that they have endured. As they have emulated, it is only by His grace that any of us can manage to get through anything so catastrophic in life. We greatly admire this entire family and their Christian leadership, which has been so clearly demonstrated through the most horrific and tragic of circumstances, as well as throughout the high points of their lives. We thank this family for their down-to-earth transparency, for the way that they have been and continue to be so "real," as they unashamedly allow the tears to flow and the praises to be sung through the same breath. Additionally, I praise God for the bravery Mary Beth Chapman has exhibited in writing her book, CHOOSING TO SEE, in which she recounts the journey of struggle and hope all of this has been to their entire family. This is definitely one of the best books I've ever read and has served as a huge inspiration to me. If you haven't read it, you are missing a HUGE blessing! You can download it from Amazon in ebook/Kindle form (like I did), or to find out more about this and the music and latest occurrences of the Chapman's lives, go to stevencurtischapman.com and/or Mary Beth's blog at marybethchapman.com. Please continue to pray for each member of this precious and truly remarkable family.

2012 Kingshurst Passion Play

The above photos are of the 2012 Kingshurst Passion Play. This event blessed us in so many ways as we saw so many of the KEC fellowship come together to work and fellowship, drawing ever closer as a family of believers. We also saw wonderful attendance as many members of the surrounding community came to witness this presentation of the Truth of God's Word presented through music, drama, and dance. To our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, be all praise, honour, and glory!

KEC Passion Play 2012 Rehearsals

Above are some pics from a recent rehearsal for the 2012 Kingshurst Passion Play. Please be in prayer for this event, and if you are in the area, please join us any evening Thursday through Sunday, 5, 6, 7, & 8 April at 7 pm nightly. We have some brand new scenes, which make this year's pageant the most exciting yet!

Empower Fun

We had a fun time making good memories with the young people who are a part of Empower Ministries last week! Games are a regular part of our meetings with this group, and on this particular evening, oreos sliding down one's face and into one's mouth just happened to be the objective of this game! They were such good sports! We had a wonderful time sharing in laughter and fellowship as we bonded with each of these precious children. Please pray for each involved with this group of young people as they learn about Jesus and His love for each of them.

DEPUTATION IN THE USA SUMMER 2012

In addition to that last post...we are now scheduling churches in the South Carolina and Northern Georgia and Northern Alabama regions, as well as in Tennessee. Please consider anyone you might know in these regions (or anywhere, of course) and send us contact info if you think they might consider partnering with us in our ministries here in the U.K. Our visits through this region are scheduled for June. Remember, we must raise our own support in order to remain on the mission field. The way our ministries here are set up, there is no way for us to take the type of longer furloughs, which most other missionaries get to observe. Therefore, it is crucial that we use this time wisely to gain partners while in the USA.

DEPUTATION IN THE USA SUMMER 2012

Thanks so much for checking out our blog! Currently, we are trying to finalise plans for the "official" Lollar Family Mission deputation this summer, and we need your help! We have had some requests from friends in the New England region of the USA-- for us to come to their church and present our mission there. From there, we will be driving south. If any of you know of churches, groups, or individuals from New England down to MS, who would be interested in learning more about our ministries here in the UK, and would possibly allow us to visit with them in the months of June or July of this year to share how to become a partner with our ministries here, we would be very grateful for the contact information. Please email us any names, numbers, emails, suggestions, ideas, or other info that you might have regarding this request. THANKS!!! Our email is lollarfamilymission@hotmail.com .