How Do I Give Financially?

I'm so glad you asked. Since we will be asking our church planting teams to at least raise some support, I have also agreed to (with God's help) raise my own support. This is a time consuming and challenging ordeal. To date I have raised 1/3rd of my support. So the pressure is on.

We need monthly financial supporters who believe that our efforts to reach lost people are a good and eternally valued thing. As a mission district leader it is my charge to recruit to start 30 churches in the next 6 years. Can you imagine the harvest potential of this?

Would you pray about making a monthly or yearly financial commitment? Large and small gifts become great gifts in the hands of God.

If you will pray and if God speaks to you about this and if you say yes to what God is speaking to you about -please email us with the good news: bcarder@centurytel.net

Please send your tax deductible gifts to:
Midwest District Missionary Church
C/O Rick Yaussi, Treasurer
23157 W 117th Street North
Burton, Kansas 67020

Please mark your memo K.C. or S.L. Church Planting

By faith, I'm asking God to raise up new financial partners to complete the need.

Bob Carder :)

FINAL PRAYER LETTER OF 2005

Dear friends,

I'm writing all of you together to wish you all very Happy and safe New Year. For me,the 05 year was filled with variety. While we had some huge challenges we also had some incredibly wonderful things happen this year. I am grateful to God for His faithfullness.

If you would have told me in January of 05 that by January of 06 that we would be living in the St. Louis metro region, I would not have believed you. It's interesting how God brings us to those places and stages in life. Since we settled the ownership issue a long time ago when God called we said yes to moving yet again. We are here by faith and it feels more like home everyday.

My greatest challenge is twofold. Where are the people who will lead this multiplication movement and who are the people God wants to partner with us financially? I'm not sure which is harder to find, those church planters or my financial partners - as we must raise our own financial support. I do know it is not a problem for God and I'm continuing to trust that the Lord of the Harvest will send workers and those who will financially support those in the harvest fields of the midwest.

PLEASE PRAY as my days are filled with fundraising, recruiting, building a network of leaders here in St. Louis and many hours are spent in prayerful and careful planning as we develope our strategy to build disciples and start 30 churches in the next 6 years in Kansas City and St. Louis. By far this is the most challenging as I realize that this will only happen as God blesses and works through obedient servants who say yes to Him.

I dream of authentic New Testament communities filled with mature, Spirit-filled believers who are consumed with Great Commandment hearts and sold out to Great Commission priorities. Can you imagine a church community that is transparent and authentic where believers and unbelievers can gather and have needs met? Can you imagine a church community where people love God and others without limits? Can you imagine a church community sold out for the Great Commission, even willing to give it all up for the cause of reaching lost people? I dream of a new disciplemaking system that reaches and builds disciples who reach others and in turn builds New Testament communities or churches. I long for the church to be effective in being the Church.

Pray - Pray - Pray
*For God to send workers (church planting teams) to this harvest field.
*For God to raise up more monthly financial partners for our remaining 2/3rds support.
*For God to raise up 500 committed Faith Partners who will pray daily for this ministry.
*For God to give us wisdom and a shield of protection from the enemy.
*For God to help me develop and work the multiplication strategy.
*For God to also help me as I will be coaching several Churches in Healthy Church Initiatives
here in the Midwest District and also the Northwest District.
*For God to increase my faith as I trust Him for everything.


Honored to be your Missionary to the Midwest Metro Regions,

Bob

Rev. Robert D. Carder
Mission District Leader (Midwest Region)
Missionary Church, Inc
636.698.4708 & 636.332.9311
bcarder@centurytel.net

What gift is most important at Christmas?

Besides the most important gift of Jesus I value my family. This Christmas we will all be together. Those are the special times in life. Being with family makes the difference. I'm so blessed our kids are going to be able to spend time with us this Christmas. Besides Jesus family is what is really important. I pause to give thanks for each of them. Aren't they great looking kids?

We Miss You Grandpa

This is our first Christmas without Grandpa Meyer and we want to make sure we honor his memory. We have so many wonderful memories of Grandpa giving and sharing of himself. It is appropriate to pay tribute to one who gave so much during this season of giving. He was a gentle man who was known to rattle off some poetry learned as a child. We always enjoyed those moments. Every person who has known Grandpa was somehow touched by his kindness and giving heart. Many churches received help from Grandpa and many families when in times of need received help from him as well. Our lives are richer today because of Grandpa and we will always remember him and be grateful our lives intersected with his.

Merry Christmas Grandpa Meyer! Bob & Chel

How about my whale watching 2005 pics

My 2005 Photography to warm your day

I Dream of a New Church for a New Day

I really do have a Dream. "I dream of authentic New Testament communities filled with mature, Spirit-filled believers who are consumed with Great Commandment hearts and sold out to Great Commission priorities."

The New Testament Community

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27

Nowhere in the New Testament is there any such thing as a commitment to Christ apart from a commitment to the body of Christ, His church. At the very heart of Christian experience is the dynamic of life in the New Testament church community.

We Dream of reestablishing the church as central to the life of our families and our community.

“Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread together in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” Acts 2:46-47a

In the book of Acts a new kind of community is born: the church, the radically transformed community of God’s people. It is the place where followers of Christ gather to grow in Christ-likeness, express and receive love, and through which they carry out their ministry. Community is God’s design for all followers of Christ.

We Dream of every follower of Christ in our church relationally connected to a small group of believers, growing together in Christ: supported, encouraged and accountable.

“They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer…Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need…And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2

The New Testament Church devoted themselves to just a few basic things – basic, but foundational. Their example is our model.

We Dream of a healthy, dynamic church committed to worship, discipleship, fellowship, evangelism, and ministries of compassion, and experiencing the blessing of growth and multiplication of other disciples and churches.

Great Commandment Hearts

“Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than this.” Matthew 22:37-39

With these words Jesus summed up the Christian life. A relationship with God is not performance driven! Jesus is our example for a new kind of relating to God. Love for God and love for one another is to be the generating force in the Christian life.

We Dream of every follower of Christ in our church being liberated from disheartening legalism and agonizing slavery to rule keeping so that they might freely and fully know and enjoy God, and genuinely and practically love one another.

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.”

Though there has been an attempt throughout the church age to drive a wedge between deep thought and deep feeling, passionate pursuit of God should be the norm for every believer. True spirituality combines heart and head, emotion and thought, doxology and theology.

We Dream of every follower of Christ in our church pursuing a passionate love relationship with God, one that engages both mind and the heart, in which the glory of God is magnified and the hearts of His people are satisfied.

“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you…” Galatians 4:19

Jesus not only offered eternal life to humanity but he offered a new kind of living. He called it “abundant life.” This new, transformed life was to be rich in significance, purpose and hope. Total spiritual transformation is what Paul agonized over on behalf those that followed after Christ, and is to be the aim of all believers.

We Dream of every follower of Christ in our church striving in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, to full devotion and total transformation in Christ.

Great Commission Priorities

“The Son of man has come to seek and save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10

Jesus Christ had a mission. He came to earth from heaven knowing His purpose: To glorify God by restoring mankind to a dynamic and personal relationship with God and to give them a new rich life with meaning and purpose. At the end of His ministry, He could pray to His Father, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work which you gave me to do.”

“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” John 20:21

Jesus came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, but He also came healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and giving sight to the blind. He ministered in word and deed.

We Dream of transforming the metro regions of Kansas City and St. Louis by ministering to the greatest physical, psychological and social needs of these greater communities, and overcoming the devastating effects of sin.

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19,20

Jesus had a vision not just for His own people, but also for the world. He discipled followers who became leaders- who also discipled others. His vision is for that process to spread across the world to multiply disciples, leaders and churches for Christ.

We Dream of a day when our churches actually have a farm system (a deliberate strategy) for raising up leaders from within.

We Dream of being a sending and reproducing church by raising up servants and servant leaders who are prepared to go across town, across the country, and across the world to multiply disciples, leaders and churches for Christ.

The Harvest is ripe and the needs are great in the metropolitan regions of our nation. It’s time take these territories back for God. With the help of God we will start a Disciple-Making, Church Multiplying Movement in Kansas City and St. Louis. Our goal is to have 10 churches in Kansas City metro and 20 Churches in St. Louis metro in the next six years.

*We need committed Church *Planters to join this venture.

*We need Faith Partners who pray daily for us.

*We need Financial Partners who will give regularly.

We need Ministry Partners who will join church planting teams.

*All gifts received will be tax deductible and will used for Church Planting. Please memo your gifts K.C.or S.L. and send gifts to:

Midwest District Missionary Church

C/O Rick Yaussi

25157 W. 117^th Street N

Burrton, Kansas 67020

Please contact Bob Carder, Mission District Leader for more info:

Email: bcarder@centurytel.net

Phone: 636.332.9311 & cell 636.698.4708

Address: 815 Autumn Bluff Lane, Wentzville, Mo 63385 (St. Louis metro)

Prayer Letter -New Testament Disciplemaking

Dear Faith Partners,

Greetings from the harvest fields of the midwest. With every passing day we are getting more and more settled. The longer we live here the more firm our call to reach this region for Christ. We do pray for you that you also are finding fulfillment in ministries of eternal significance.

This weekend I was privileged to hear a message on I Corinthians 13. As the pastor picked this chapter apart he concluded that the most important thing we can do with our lives is love people. Everyday we must love people enough that the love of Jesus flows through our life into their lives. Then he said, "The only thing that will last forever are the souls of people, those people need our love and our Jesus so they can share in the reality of eternal life. There is no greater investment than loving people for Jesus." Actually this is "true discipleship."

This is the reason we have packed up our lives and moved here to Missouri. We are called to make New Testament Disciples or Christ Followers. We dream of authentic New Testament communities filled with mature, Spirit-filled believers who are consumed with Great Commandment hearts and sold out to Great Commission priorities. Can you imagine such a church?

I've been reading about such a church in the book of Acts. When Jesus called us to Make Disciples He was calling us to do what He did. In Matthew 9:35-10:1 we see clearly why Jesus made disciples. He made disciples because He determined that the most effective way to reach the multitudes was to reproduce Himself through His disciples and send them out to reach others by doing the same. This is how the New Testament Church was birthed. How many professing believers and church leaders are intentionally investing their lives in others with a goal of reproducing disciples? The American church is predominantly void of the disciplemaking process (where disciples are made and expected to make other disciples), and the American church is in serious decline. What I need to tell you is there are places in the world such as Nigeria, China, Asia where disciples are still making disciples and that is the reason they have explosive growth with disciples being made and church communities being planted.

This movement we are engaging in here in the Midwest is a movement back to New Testament Disciplemaking where we make disciples who then make disciples who make disciples. If we can get the disciplemaking system in place -we will see new church communities birthed out of it. We will make disciples and those disciples will result in many churches being formed. I firmly believe the reason we are not planting more Churches is because we are not making more true disciples.

Please pray:
*That God will give us wisdom and a shield of protection.
*That God will help us to love people - the Jesus way.
*That God will lead us to the right people, at the right place, for the right time.
*That God will send a coalition of church (disciplemakers)planters to Kansas City & St. Louis.
*That people will freely invest their resources -that a spirit of giving will come over them.
*That God will give me wisdom as I continue to develope our new district disciplemaking strategy.
*That a new kind of disciplemaking/multiplying Church can be birthed.
*That we will make disciples and by making disciples -we will build church communities.
*That God will lead me to people who need to be discipled. I need to begin making a disciple.
(Rick Warren started his Saddleback ministry with one realtor who was made into a disciple).

Please check out my blogsot by opening your brouser and type: theplanter.blogspot.com (leave out the www etc.) Someone asked where I am on raising my own support so I will give you all an update. I am just over 1/3rd of the way with under 2/3rds to go. This is the most difficult part of the project. Boy it is hard to ask family and friends for personal support. Once we get the disciplemaking system in place and church communities birth out of that -resources will flow more quickly. Please keep praying for resources and people willing to risk by faith. We stepped out by faith to move here and will continue to hang out by faith as well.


Still hanging out by faith,

Bob

Rev. Robert D. Carder
Mission District Leader (Midwest Region)
Missionary Church, Inc
636.698.4708 & 636.332.9311
bcarder@centurytel.net

The back of our home in Missouri

Our view out into our back yard

Our pond also has fish

Our home in Missouri

Ministry Opportunity letter of December 15, 2005

Dear friends,

As I selected you to receiveletter it brought back fond memories of serving together in ministry. It also brought a host of emotions as I remembered special and hard times as we walked together. (I'm now happy to share this letter with my fellow bloggers as well.) As you read this letter you will find that I'm still a bit long-winded.

Our family is doing great. Our kids (Matthew & Elizabeth) and (Melissa & Matthew) are all doing very well. Matthew and Elizabeth reside in Muncie, Indiana where Matt is on staff with a evangelical United Methodist Church of 2,000+ where he is the young adult pastor. He just started his second service for young adults averaging over 300 and when the senior pastor is away he gets to preach to the entire 2,000+ congregation. Elizabeth continues to work with horses and riders with training and coaching as well as a host of other ministry involvements too numerous to name. (We are blessed that our kids married such wonderful partners.) Melissa & Matthew reside in Huntington Beach, California where Melissa is a freelance photographer doing high end weddings and other things. (Melissa travels across the US having recently been in New York and Florida for wedding photography). Matthew is a very creative graphic designer for a large firm near their home. They live one mile from ocean and can see the ocean from their kitchen window. They love it and of course they also love the Lord. We are extremely proud of our kids and their accomplishments. Michelle just finished her second degree in Interior Design and will likely get a job in that field. All we have left at home is our dog Sydney, a dog that thinks he is a human.

You may have heard, we accepted a new position with the Missionary Church, Inc as a new district leader in the Midwest District region. So we have resigned our church position and now work for our US Ministries Director and district superintendent. Actually it is more than that, it was a huge step of faith for us. We were asked to move to St. Louis (metro) to start a new district of 20 churches in the next 6 years. Along with that we have agreed to start a cluster of 10 churches in Kansas City. Now before you have a heart attack - I am recruiting the church planting teams & raising money to see this huge vision become a reality. Finding people and resources is proving to be a huge task.

Because we have limited denominational resources and because we expect our church planters to raise some of their own support, I have agreed to do this entirely by faith and must raise my entire financial support. After I accomplish that task I will help church planters with their projects.

Where do I begin? I have chosen to write a few friends who share a passion for reaching lost people. There are more than a million people in the St. Louis region alone and their are few churches. As Christianity spread across America it was with a rural focus. Many churches left the large population centers and we intend to take them back for Jesus. If we want to reverse the trend of decline among churches in America we must focus on reaching the large metropolitan centers of America. If we want to change America it must be done in the large population centers. We have accepted the challenge -a challenge that is bigger than us -a challenge that will take all of God to accomplish.

Why tell you all of this? I tell you this because you have a heart for lost people. I even suspect you are willing to bridge across denominational lines if needed to be part of something that is bigger than anything I have ever been a part of. We are creating a Multiplication System that Makes Disciples and Builds Churches while making more Disciples and Building more Churches. A huge vision indeed.

Our need is great:

1. We need people who will become Financial Partners who will give regular tax-deductible gifts of large and small amounts toward our ministry support. Of course we will also take one time or yearly gifts. If you want to make a huge kingdom investment with the resources entrusted to you -this is a Harvest opportunity. You know what the Bible says about laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven. I am only 1/3 of the way toward reaching my target. Are you interested in joining this team in personal support of our ministry?

2. We need people who will become Faith Partners in Prayer. We realize that we will never find the people for the teams we need nor will we find the financial resources we need without prayer. Every week I send an email prayer letter listing the prayer needs and the progress for that week. I have also found that there is a connection between giving and praying..(Where your treasure is -your heart is.) Some of my prayer partners cannot give at this time -but will eventually become financial partners as the Lord blesses. The Lord has led me to enlist 500 people to pray daily for this venture of taking metropolitan territory back for Jesus. Are you interested in joining this team in praying daily for our ministry?

3. We need your help in connecting other people with a heart for reaching lost people with us. We need you to share this letter with others who share a passion for investing in reaching lost souls. We need you to help share our vision and ministry challenge of opening up new territory for Christ. Are you willing to help us enlist people and resources toward this venture? All gifts will need to be sent directly to the Midwest District for proper handling etc.

Would you let me know your thoughts on these matters and your level of interest? Would you please write me back with your questions or comments.

Email: bcarder@centurytel.net

Stirring Hearts for Reaching the Lost,

Bob

Rev. Robert D. Carder

Mission District Leader (Midwest District)

Reaching St. Louis & Kansas City

Missionary Church, Inc

Prayer Letter - We are finally heading to Missouri

Dear Partners in Ministry,

Things are going quite well for us. Michelle is finally finished with her
coursework at Ivy Tech as of today. God has miraculously provided for us
during these days of transition. As of Wednesday we will finally be located
in Missouri. We will breathe a huge sigh of relief as we begin a new chapter
in our lives. We really sense your prayers for us.

These recent days have been spent recruiting church planters and
fundraising. Both aspects of my job are slow and require great amounts of
time, energy and tenacity. But the end product is what keeps us going with
changed hearts and a lives. Last week I met with my supervisor, Bob Ransom,
US Ministries Director, Missionary Church. He was very helpful and
encouraged to me to keep doing what I am doing. As we went over things I
have raised 1/3 of my monthly support with 2/3rds outstanding. This means I
need to raise another $5,000. a month in support towards my salary,
benefits, and a hefty travel budget for my church planting and Healthy
Church coaching that I do. I tell you this because I need you to pray for
me as I try to pick this up. What I need are monthly partners who give $10.
to $500. or whatever each month. Pray specifically and boldly for God to
speak to hearts and for me to be led to those individuals.

This will be my last prayer letter until I get my DSL up and running in S.L.
In the meatime, please pray for us.

Pray that God will protect us and give us wisdom.
Pray that we will begin to reach lost people for Jesus.
Pray that God will help me make the right connections in St. Louis metro.
Pray that God will continue to give us prospects for S.L. and Kansas City.
Pray that God will increase my faith as I trust him for people and financial
resources.
Pray that God will stir the hearts of planters and financial partners we
encounter.

As you pray and live for God, please share our vision with others. Should
you encounter those who want to join our ministry through prayer and
finances they are welcome. I'm also telling people who cannot give at this
time that they are welcome to give in the future as God blesses them.

Your prayers for us are the greatest gift you can give us. We need prayer
more than anything. As you pray please remain open to God's direct leading
in your life. You will be amazed how God will bless you as you invest time,
prayers, resources to the thing that matters most to God and that is lost
people. His heart sings when we do what He calls us to do -care about and
reach out to lost people. This is a great opportunity for each of us.

Blessings,

Bob



Rev. Robert D. Carder
Mission District Leader (Midwest Region)
Missionary Church, Inc
574.596.9147

Prayer Letter December 1, 2005

I'm working out of my makeshift office here at Pannera Bread in Goshen, Indiana. While I sit and sip coffee, pray for our ministry, make a few contacts, follow up on a sea of email, the snow is falling in a beautiful array of sizes and shapes! What I am saying is that I am so thankful our journey leading up to living in St. Louis metro is almost over. Michelle finishes her final classwork hopefully next Tuesday. Whew!!! Lots of driving, thinking, planning, details related to the move. The long and short of it is, we have moved into our new home and our old home sold and we closed on both a week apart. It was a true God-thing, totally God-blessed! We asked you to pray that our house would sell to the right people, at the right time for the right price. God answered and we praise the Lord and thank you greatly.

It looks like God is speaking to people as several are considering what God is asking them to give. It is always an encouragement when we get those calls or emails offering personal financial support. Praise the Lord! Every bit is appreciated as we continue down a long road with much yet to raise toward our support. I tell you this because I want to encourage you to keep praying for more financial partners. We have relocated by faith and will continue to live that way as well.

By next Wednesday we should be totally relocated in St. Louis metro. Already we have community connections and great neighborhood friendships. It's nothing for us to arrive to our new home and spend time talking with several neighbors in the driveway or sidewalks. It feels like home! It feels right in our hearts! I tell you this because you have prayed us into the St. Louis metro area.

On Monday of this week I drove around St. Louis metro praying and getting the lay of the land. What I saw was new housing developement after new housing developement. (People in transition are really open). What I saw was house after house, highways and interstates filled with people. As I drove I began to claim the territory and the lives I passed for Jesus! I didn't see many Churches for the growing size of the communities I visited. They have everything but alott of Churches. It feels right, it looks right and it seems ripe for the harvest.

Please pray:
For a shield of protection and for wisdom in the decisions to come.
For more financial partners for our support.
For more catalytic church planter leads.
For me as I meet with 5 prospects Friday and next Tuesday.
For us as we make the final plans to be permanent Missouri residents.
Please pray a special blessing over San and Wanda Moreno for offering us a place to live
during our transition in and out of Elkhart. Great meals and other things too!
Please pray for Michelle as she finishes course work and finals for her degree program.
Please pray for Michelle and her miniears as she has improved greatly thanks to God and your prayers.

Please know that I cherish our partnership and love you all very much. Have you considered a Holiday Gift for Church Planting efforts through us?

Love you,

Bob & Michelle Carder

Financial support can be directed to:
Rick Yaussi who is our District Church treasurer.
It can be ear marked Church Planting or more specifically "KC & SL Church Planting"
checks made out to "Midwest District Missionary Church"

Midwest District Missionary Church
c/o Treasurer Rick Yaussi
23157 W 117th St N
Burrton, KS 67020

Your investment in us is also an investment in souls for eternity. We will win lost people.