Page 2 - November 2011 Newsletter

Page 2 Mission to Amish People —www.MapMinistry.org
Online testimony
Born and raised Amish, I cherish
the many good things I learned
from them. But once I got a rev-
elation of who Jesus is and what
he wants of us, I could no longer
base my hope of salvation on
following their rules. I like the
simple part of their lifestyle. I
wanted to stay with them and
serve Jesus. I didn't find the
rules too burdensome, but it is
idolatry to be the servant of the
rules.
We don't mix well with the gen-
eral society, and neither do we
mix with the Amish, as they
were quick to let us know we
can't have our faith in Jesus
while living with them. I guess
the only people we can identify
with is Jesus, and his disciples.
The world has many things to
offer us to pacify our minds, but
true peace isn't found there. I
pray for my family a lot, and so
far, four of my brothers have
joined our faith. Praise God!
—John Yoder, TX
Former Bishop and Wife Excommunicated —by Joe Keim
Wayne Chupp, a former
Bishop, and his wife, Anna
Sue, came to one of my min-
istry presentations in Three
River’s Michigan. Afterward,
we met at McDonalds, and
for three hours, Wayne
shared parts of the dark and
he a r t b r e ak i ng
journey he and
his family trav-
eled during the
process of being
excommunicated
from his leader-
ship position
and the Amish
c h u r c h — h i s
testimony was not only mov-
ing, but a reminder that legal-
ism is often brutal and heart-
less.
Bishops are generally looked
at as ones who have the most
influence and are to be rever-
enced and obeyed by young
and old; disobeying the bish-
op is automatically disobey-
ing God.
Wayne said, “when I gave my
people the option of having
open Bible studies and pray-
ers meetings, they hung on to
my arms and said, “we will
do whatever you want, just
don't leave us.” However,
other leaders within the
church felt they were losing
control of their membership
and went after Bishops in
other communities, asking
for help. In the end, these
outside Bishops agreed to
excommunicate Wayne and
his wife.
Wayne is among a growing
list of ministers who have
been excommunicated for
taking a Scriptural
stand, and for
spe ak i ng ou t
against man-made
rules and tradi-
tions as a way of
gaining favor with
God.
Please pray for the
Chupps as they seek contin-
ued direction from God. At
this time, they are meeting
with various home fellowship
groups in hopes that God
would use them for His ser-
vice.
Donor and Volunteer —by Mel and Martha Shetler
Having grown up Amish, we
both are very interested in
the MAP ministry. We are
burdened with the needs of
so many who need the gospel
message. Because of
this, we have chosen to
support the work with
our prayers and finances.
As a young boy, I (Mel)
remember hearing an
Amish deacon tell my
dad, "I don't want to
hear that you got
"saved." This raised a
question in my mind
about what that meant.
When I was 17, I was saved
after listening to a tent meet-
ing preacher, from my parked
car along the side of a road.
I, (Martha) had my salvation
experience at age 13, when I
started going to a Christian
school. We praise God for
what he has done for us and
continues to do!
We finally got to spend a
weekend at MAP and what a
special blessing that was! On
Saturday we attended the
mentoring conference. We
got lots of information and
tools for mentoring. Jesus is
the perfect model for us to
come alongside others.
And then on Sunday, we
went to the home church
where Keims attend, which
was another great experi-
ence. Then in the afternoon
we went with Joe to Lima
Ohio, where he gave a
presentation of the MAP.
Interacting with Joe and Es-
ther this weekend was a
fantastic experience!
On Monday we volun-
teered at the office; an-
other good time. Now
we are better able to spe-
cifically pray for MAP,
having met in person
people we had earlier
read about.
We are so grateful to
God for this ministry, and
would highly recommend and
encourage others to offer
support also.
Signs of the end times are all
around us, and we want to
do whatever we can to win
the lost, before Jesus comes
for his bride!
Partners of MAP: Thank You!
The ministry faced times of se-
vere opposition in 2011. But in
spite of all that happened, we
never felt alone. Not even once.
Let me explain:
Time and time again, someone
would write a short note of en-
couragement. Day after day,
God’s people send in their finan-
cial support. Week after week,
volunteers showed up at the of-
fice door to help us carry the
powerful ministry that God has
placed in our hands.
We cannot possibly put in words
how blessed we are because of
you. May the Lord reward you
richly and favor you greatly.
All donors will receive a year end
receipt. If you do not receive
yours by January 25th, please call
us at (419) 962-1515.