To receive the Mudges' prayer mails and newsletters, or to contact them by email for any reason, please send a message to Shaw or Julie, which goes directly to them, through the Diocesan clerical directory webpages for priests.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Scripture Prayer

Psalm 31:34

I trust in You, O Lord; I say “You are my God.”

Father God, we thank You that You are our God and You are so trustworthy. We trust in You to guide Father Shaw and Mother Julie Mudge in all that they do. Be with them at the Cursillo teaming; be with them as they give a missionary talk at Zion Church in Morris; and be with them in their travels to Belize. Make very clear to them, Lord, the work that You want them to do. Fill them to overflowing with the love of Jesus and the power of your Holy Spirit. And Lord, we put Lydia into your loving arms. Be with her as she rests and reflects this summer in Maine. Amen.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Prayer Mail June 25

Dear praying partners,
This is our weekly public prayer mail.

This week's update:

1) Lydia has her driver's test this week, and after that, we get her launched for the summer.

2) To see what Julie and I have been up to lately, regarding our missions work, visit: https://sites.google.com/site/onlineanglicancampus/

3) We had a great time at St. Michael's in Colonie this morning.

Prayer requests:

1) For our missionary presentation at Zion Church in Morris this coming Sunday.

2) For our part in the upcoming Albany Couples' Cursillo weekend in August. The first teaming is this coming Saturday.

3) Pray for our online learning planning-meeting in Belize in July, not only about the program in Belize but also about the potential plans for the wider program in the Province of the West Indies, Tanzania, and the Diocese of Albany.

4) Pray for safe and timely travel, and a good experience on the ground during our planning visit to Belize.

Thank you for praying for us. Your prayers are very important us, and I pray for you every day.

God bless you,
In Christ,
Shaw+, and on behalf of Julie+
SAMS missionaries, as well as missionaries of the Diocese of Albany

Scripture Prayer June 23

Psalm 90: 12, 14, 16-17

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Lord, we pray for hearts of wisdom for Father Shaw and Mother Julie Mudge. May each of their days be lived for your glory. Continue to guide them to the work that you intend for them to do. May your glorious power be known to their children, Ruth, Hannah and Lydia, and to all their spiritual children to whom they will minister. May your favor be upon them as they dedicate their work to You.

We pray Lord for Lydia as she prepares for her driver’s test. Keep her calm and let her show that she has mastered all the skills needed. Continue to be with Father Shaw and Mother Julie as they get ready for their trip to Belize. Lord, protect them and provide for them. Let them have the prayer support and the financial support that they need.

Amen.

Prayer Mail June 19

Dear praying partners,
This is our weekly public prayer mail.

This week in review:

1) Julie and I had a great 31st wedding anniversary on Wednesday, and I enjoyed the Father's day lunch, Sunday.

2) Bp. Philip of Belize has asked me to take part in a wider conversation about online education in the Province of the West Indies, particularly between Belize, Jamaica, and Barbados. As to Belize, we plan to start our first course in September. As to our part the wider discussion across the West Indies, that plan is in the process of unfolding.

3) The diocese in Tanzania is subdividing into two dioceses; our conversation about online theological education continues and plans to resume after safari season airfare prices come down in September. Necessary online equipment modifications are planned for around the turn of the year.

4) The Diocese of Belize is in the process of buying study bibles for the students in our courses.

Prayer requests:

1) For our part in the service at St. Michael's in Colonie this coming Sunday.

2) For our part in the upcoming Albany Couples' Cursillo weekend in August, including the teaming meetings beforehand. I am an Assistant Spiritual Director and Julie is the Music Team Leader. Please pray for the others who are leading the weekend, for the candidates, and that the Holy Spirit would touch the lives of the couples who He wants on the weekend.

3) Pray for our online learning planning-meeting in Belize in July, not only about the program in Belize but also about the plans for the wider program in the Province of the West Indies.

4) Pray for the decisions about course content, appropriate software, the location of appropriate servers for this global online program, integration with existing diocesan programs, and the design of the courses, taking into account the diverse experience, schedules, and Internet capabilities of students, not only in Belize, but also across the wider program in the Caribbean. Pray that the Holy Spirit would guide us to a good balance of student/faculty interaction as well as appropriate course availability.

5) Pray for safe and timely travel, and a good experience on the ground during our planning visit to Belize. It is hurricane season.

6) For the students in the dioceses involved, and our meetings with them and with the leadership of Belize as well as the planned inter-diocesan meeting, particularly that we set up the kind of appropriate curriculum that the Holy Spirit wants students to learn from, that we do all to the glory of God, and that we would all be "disciples making disciples."

7) Pray for Lydia has she prepares to take her driver's license test on Monday the 25th of June. Pray that she would pass the test. (It would be really helpful for her summer plans if she had a driver's license.)

8) Pray for the Tanzanian program, for their diocesan division, and the integration of their online program with the online plans in Belize, Jamaica, and Barbados. Our conversations with interested participants now extend latitudinally over 1,900 miles across just the Caribbean, and over 8,000 miles from San Ignacio, Belize to Kasulu, Tanzania.

9) Pray about the equipment upgrade progress in Tanzania.

10) Pray about the incorporation of potential participants in the Diocese of Albany. People in our diocese have begun to express an interest in taking courses we are planning to offer.

11) Prayer for discernment, provision, and guidance for our life as a whole. We anticipate that the online programs will start taking up to about 50 hours a week to prepare for, beginning in August, and up to 50 hours a week once we would begin teaching in September.

12) For the people from the Diocese of Albany who are venturing on a short-term mission trip which arrives in Belize in July, shortly after we come back to the US from Belize. They will be seeing some of the same people whom we will have seen, and staying in one of the areas in which we will have been staying. Pray for protection for all the missionaries on the trips, and that the Holy Spirit would mightily transform lives in Belize because of them.

Thank you for praying for us. Your prayers are very important us, and I pray for you every day.

God bless you,
In Christ,
Shaw+, and on behalf of Julie+
SAMS missionaries, as well as missionaries of the Diocese of Albany

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Scripture Prayer

Romans 8: 28

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

In this season of Pentecost, Lord, we pray for a new infilling of the Holy Spirit for Fr. Shaw and Mother Julie Mudge, their mission team and their intercessors. Thank You for this gift of the Holy Spirit that gives such power to do your work, Lord. We thank You for the guidance and for the assurance that our work is what You would have us do.

And we know that all things work together for good for Fr. Shaw and Mother Julie. You Lord knew all along where You wanted them to work and what You wanted them to do.

We thank You for the surprises that come each day. Thank You for the opportunities in Belize and Tanzania. Thank You for the new opportunity to talk about on-line theological education with people from Jamaica and Barbados.

Lord, we ask your protection for Father Shaw and Mother Julie when they travel to Belize. Keep them safe from typhoons and may Your Holy Spirit guide them so that they may better discern your perfect plan for them.

We pray that Lydia passes her driving test and has a great summer in Maine. Thank You Lord, for answers to our prayers. Amen.

Friday, June 15, 2012

June 2012 Newsletter

New! Mission to the West Indies.

As we mentioned last month, every day seems to be a new adventure for us. This past week was not an exception to that observation.

Background: Diocesan Convention 2012. Julie and I had a great time at the diocesan convention in the Diocese of Albany (June 8-10). We had the opportunity to meet with supporters, both financial supporters as well as prayer supporters. We met with lots of other people, as well. We answered questions.

Here are some of the answers to questions that were most frequently asked at Convention:

What we are doing is the only theological education for the entire Diocese of Belize at the moment (and Bishop Philip of Belize has opened it to any interested lay person in the diocese, not just people in the ordination process). Belize is a country where quite a lot of people only have an 8th grade education.

As far as I know, we are the only theological instructors for the entire Diocese of Belize. Belize had been facing a lot of graying clergy with no one in the diocesan ordination process.

We came along at the right moment, just as the Commission on Ministry was beginning to gear up again. In March, I believe that there were no actual candidates for the ordination process. Now, in part because our online opportunity has been given the green light, I think there are about 12 candidates.

The online program would be in English. But we may also be ground-breaking, by making materials available in Spanish as we can.

New! Province of the West Indies: The big news this week, as of Tuesday, June 12, is that Bishop Philip has asked Shaw to be part of a conversation about online theological education between the dioceses of Jamaica, Barbados, and Belize (all of the Province of the West Indies), during our visit to Belize in July. (Please pray for us: it will be typhoon season when we visit.)

Through our prayermails and newsletters, you have been watching the step by step progression of the online program, thus far. God's timing.


Bishop Philip of the Diocese of Belize, con permiso.

Our upcoming visits.
Our upcoming plans for July include:

July 1: Zion Church, Morris.
Early July: planning meetings in Belize.
July 22: St. Peter's, Albany.
July 29: Christ Church, Cooperstown.

Ways to support us.

After the July planning meeting, it may take us about 50 hours each week to develop and implement a good online program. Your prayers and financial support make this happen.

Please make checks out to: "SAMS", and put "Mudge" in the memo space. The mailing address is: SAMS, P. O. Box 399, Ambridge, PA 15003-0399.

God bless you,

Shaw+ and Julie+
Bishop Philip of Belize

Monday, June 11, 2012

Prayer Mail

Dear praying friends,
This is our weekly public prayer mail.

We enjoyed our diocesan convention. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us. It was a blessing to catch up with the people at convention who have been receiving these prayer mails.

We enjoyed the workshop that Julie and I led, and for the opportunity to pray as a couple at the healing service. I also enjoyed Julie and Hannah's part of the Diocesan music team, and I enjoyed catching up with friends from South America, Africa, Ireland, and across North America.

I have posted some photos from convention on my Facebook page. The Facebook has a rather lengthy webpage address, but if you would like to see the photos, please cut and paste this email address:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151019971111942.477841.629731941&type=1&l=4624b03c87

Answers to frequently asked questions at Diocese Convention:

1) Our main missionary focus is online ministry to Belize as missionaries of SAMS and the Diocese of Albany. We have an important planning meeting set up for early July in Belize about this. Once the plan is finalized (we have a draft form prepared), the missionary work would begin in September.

Getting the program ready from July to September would mean a lot of hours per week (perhaps about 50 or so), and once we are teaching in September, there would be a lot of hours involved with our teaching phase each week (my guess is somewhere from 20 to 50 hours a week per course), as well as additional hours per week needed for continued program deployment.

This means that we need continued financial support through SAMS as our main source of income, to make it all possible. Please keep this important matter in your prayers.

2) This plan for our missionary work to the Diocese of Belize makes it possible for us to subsequently extend our online teaching ministry to Tanzania and to the Diocese of Albany. Please keep these plans in your prayers.

3) Our teaching in Belize would be done in English with supplemental materials in Spanish, according to plan. Please keep these plans in your prayers.

4) If I understand the situation correctly, Julie and I are the theological college educators for the Diocese of Belize, via online ministry from the US to Belize. Without us, there may not be a theological college program. Please keep the Diocese of Belize, the potential students, and what the Lord is calling us to do, in your prayers.

Prayer requests:

1) This coming weekend we will be preaching at Trinity, Potsdam, as part of our missionary presentation. Please pray that we would preach with boldness and joy, and that the Holy Spirit would use our message to transform lives.

2) Pray for Lydia has she prepares to take her driver's license test near the end of June, and that she would pass the test. (It would be really helpful for her summer plans if she had a driver's license.)

3) Prayer for discernment, provision, and guidance for our life as a whole.

Thank you for praying for us. Your prayers are very important us, and I pray for you every day.

God bless you,
In Christ,
Shaw+, and on behalf of Julie+

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Scripture Prayer

Psalm 50:23

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God.

We give you thanks, Lord, for Father Shaw and Mother Julie Mudge and for their mission work which brings glory to You. Continue to be with them, Lord, in all their planning. May your Holy Spirit inspire them as they give a workshop at the Diocesan Convention and make some final plans for their short term trip to Belize in July.

We ask for every blessing during the Diocesan Convention: blessings of reunions with old friends; blessings of chance meetings with those who have an encouraging word or a means of offering help; blessings of being filled to overflowing with the power of your Holy Spirit.

We ask all of this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Prayer Mail

Dear praying friends,

This is our weekly public prayer mail.

Well, it's done. We've purchased tickets for our Belize missionary site visit in July. Wow. A new adventure!

Thanksgivings:

1) Julie and I talked about our missions activity at St. James in Ausable Forks, this past Sunday. Julie preached. She is a good preacher.

2) I conferred with Dcn. Jill Stellman who handles on-line activity for the diocese of Albany, and our conversation confirms that Julie and I have done a good job in our online plans, taking advantage of the current technology available.

3) I also had a moment with Fr. Peter Schofield of the Commission on Ministry for the Diocese of Albany, and there may be an opportunity to offer some folks in the Diocese of Albany course material that we are preparing for our mission work in Belize. One step at a time.

4) Lydia is in the final stages of her driver's license process. The week she has been mastering the secrets of parallel parking. A test has been scheduled for later this month, unless there is a vacancy before then.

5) The Rev. Hannah Mudge has a birthday this week. May it be blessed.

Prayer requests:

1) This coming weekend we will be at Diocesan Convention. If you are trying to catch up with us, we plan a display booth and will also be teaching a workshop ("Sharing the Good News: Mission Field Dos and Don'ts"), at 2:30 pm, June 8 (Convention Friday), Jelinek 1A.

It could be a very important workshop to help someone prepare for mission trips. We will highlight how to introduce yourself in East African contexts (which is not a bad way to do it, around the world, even in the Diocese of Albany), and talk briefly on Cultural Adjusting, the importance of having a Support Team/Prayer Team, and the reality of Spiritual Warfare. We will have a handout with pages of helpful website links as well.

So, if you can make it, we will be glad to see you. We pray that the Holy Spirit will bring those who are supposed to be there.

3) Continued prayer about implementing plans to teach theological college classes on-line, from the US to students in Tanzania and Belize, and the potential to expand elsewhere.

4) Prayer for discernment, provision, and guidance for our life as a whole.

Thank you for praying for us. Your prayers are very important us, and I pray for you every day.

God bless you,
In Christ,
Shaw+, and on behalf of Julie+

A Prayer from Liv Hicks

Father, Thank You for the Mudges, we continue to ask for Your wisdom for them in glorifying You and in Your ministry that You give them to do, which includes teaching, pastoring, traveling. We ask for Your understanding for every moment, we ask for Your council when things get confused or the enemy attacks. We ask for Your power to overcome any interference, we ask for Your knowledge to continue to do Your will and to go where You want them to go and minister where You want them to minister. We ask for a continued fear of You and Your awesome abilities, and we ask for Your joy, in Shaw, Julie, Lydia, Hannah and Ruth, as they walk with You. Thank You for their gifts, for Julie's preaching, for Shaw's reports, and give Lydia good driving skills, and a kind instructor, help her pass her driving test, and keep her safe. In Christ we pray. Amen