MEET HAZEL
Hazel is one of chris and rachel Baker's three children with their fourth on the way. Hazel is a sweet and affectionate 5 year old who was born with a rare genetic disorder and suffers from epilepsy. Sleep deprivation is a factor in the frequency of her seizures, and she is currently not sleeping through the night because she is able to get out of her bed. To help keep her safe at night, and hopefully reduce the frequency of her seizures her doctors have recommended purchasing a “Cubby Bed.“ this is a smart safety bed for children with special needs which she will be able to utilize for years to come. This will keep her safe and give the rest of the family peace at night. However, this bed comes with a steep price.
As a church we have the opportunity to bless and love on the baker's through praying over hazel and financially contributing to the cost of the cubby bed.
UPDATE: HAZEL has received all funds needed to get this necessary bed! We thank you church! If you still feel lead to give to the baker family and to hazel you can do so below.
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Testimonies From Our Church
Before I received Christ
I spent my life chasing (and achieving, according to the world) success, educational attainment, riches, wealth, indulgences, a same-sex relationship, early retirement, and seemingly "good" deeds. I was living a life of sin for decades; the desires of my flesh had overtaken me. My thoughts were sinful; my actions were evil; my soul was grieving.
I sought comfort in books, sermons, teachings, gatherings, rituals, and music crafted by men, but were void of the total and saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that, I stayed in the darkness of inner turmoil. I was an anxious, depressed mess who was on medication to treat these symptoms. I manifested behaviors of pride, impatience, judgment, and anger. I drank and overate to soothe my unrest. But, most gravely, my eternity with the Lord was in peril. I was living in error.
I yearned for intimate fellowship with the Lord in my many years of struggle, and I did not find it because I sought Him from my perspective, wants, and desires. I pursued social endorsements, accolades, and achievements. All of which faded fast, and they were never enough.
Meet mark - Mark Richard Ministry
God, in His immense mercy, showed me through the Scriptures that my same-sex relationship, thinking, and lifestyle were in direct opposition to the Word of God. I was convicted to the core of my very being. I needed to change through Christ, or I would reap the consequences and spend eternity separated from Him (Matthew 7:21-23).
God rescued me; He called me out of the darkness. He opened my eyes to my sin of homosexuality. God removed the scales from my eyes by diligently reading and studying His Holy Word. As a result, I have been delivered from the lies, deception, and twisted thinking that once entrapped me, believing I was gay and a gay Christian at that. He has created for good what the enemy meant for evil (Genesis 50:20). I have true peace for the first time in sixty years (Philippians 4:7). The Spirit's fruits now replace the flesh's fruits (Galatians 5:19-23). Humbly and joyfully, and according to Romans 8:17, I am now God's heir.
After Receiving Christ
When I came face to face with the reality of who Jesus is and that He is the Truth, the Life and the Way. He showed me that He is also the Judge, the ruler of righteousness. I had known Him as God and as a friend but when I asked for Truth, my world that I had known came to a screeching halt, like hitting a brick wall. My initial reaction to meeting this Jesus was met with pain and grief in finally seeing my depravity. I had built my house on a faulty foundation of a Jesus that I had created in my mind to meet MY needs and desires. In His love He looked down and saw that my foundation was crumbling and needed to be rebuilt. As He started to take down the pillars of my foundation it was so painful. I didn't eat, I couldn't sleep. I was filled with such grief. I felt my house falling around me. Physically and spiritually.
But God, Sent me His people. His children, to come alongside me and hold me up as He graciously rebuilt me from the foundation up. On days where I had no strength to stand He sent me His people to love me and to pray for me. It was so easy to see this as His punishment but in reality He loved me so much that He didn't want me to be separated from Him. If I was to die moments before I encountered Jesus I would have received a pain unlike any other forever apart from Him. He wanted me to be with Him. He wanted to know me. So i began my journey in knowing Him.
God has performed profound heart, mind, and soul work in me over the past nearly three years through His “living and active” Word, which “is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.” (Hebrews 4:12). It was a terrifying and heart-wrenching process at first because of where I was spiritually. I didn't know if I would survive. But God is faithful and just (1 John 1:9). His steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 107:1). He continues to work in me and will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
I live a life of singleness, celibacy, and 100% devotion to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. My church family is more precious than gold. My relationship with the Lord is everything. I pray for the salvation of my daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law and that He "will supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
God has given me a ministry to those identifying as gay and Christian and the LGBTQIA + churches. Reflecting on my journey and calling, I acknowledge my initial hesitations and feelings of inadequacy. The ministry, anchored in the letter "In Error to God’s Heir," boldly proclaims biblical truths about homosexuality as sexual immorality. May the Lord direct people to it, and may He open the eyes of the blind with it.
God is amazing. From the beginning, He knew that this was the work I would do for His Kingdom. Even my name reflects His hand on me from the beginning. Psalm 139:13
Mark = Warrior (of Truth and Grace)
Richard = Strong in Rule (using the Sword of the Spirit to destroy strongholds, arguments, and every lofty opinion raised against the Word of God. I Corinthians 10:4-6)
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare, and not for evil, to give you future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
To "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." Matthew 16:15 via my website, MarkRichardMinistry.com, and however and wherever else he leads me. I will "Teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you." Psalm 51: 10-13.
To God be all of the glory! Let there be not one ounce to me.
