Quarterly Update from SFT - July 2011

This has been an exciting past three months for SFT Awareness.  We have come so far in working with new participants, adding new trainers to the ministry and achieving the goals we set for this
ministry.  With help and guidance from the Lord, this ministry continues to move forward in reaching out to help others by building strong and lasting relationships with participants and churches.

Currently, we are working with four participants who are aspiring to be trainers before the year is out.  One of our future trainers is located in Nashville and the other three reside in Malaysia.  We are thrilled to continue adding volunteer trainers to our staff every quarter.   Last month, Dona Drake, from Alabama, became our newest trainer.  Dona has a background in counseling and psychology.  The SFT
staff is very excited to have her join our team.  In addition to this, Janna Gonzalez, our bilingual trainer in Texas, is graduating this month with a degree in Biblical Studies from the Texas International Bible Institute.   She has been asked to present SFT Awareness to the church of Christ Spanish Seminar in Daytona, Florida, August 12th-13th.  To contact either one of these ladies for individual sessions, classes or workshops, please visit our website www.sftawareness.org.

Jimmy Hill is continuing to work on the participant workbook.  Our goal is to have this workbook completed before the end of this year, and we are looking forward to adding it to our curriculum.  It will provide participants with varrious ways to learn, retain and practice SFT training.   He and his wife just returned from Sabanilla, Costa Rica where we held a week long SFT class for the Sabanilla church of Christ.  His wife also helped organize their church’s VBS and I preached two Sundays.

Gary Washer, our program director, has been putting together an SFT Advisory Board.  This board is designed to help the SFT staff move forward in accomplishing our mission and staying on task.  The advisory board includes David Pope, our ministry’s treasurer as well as one of its most faithful and consistent supporters; Brian Coulter, elder at Highland Heights church of Christ and respected community businessman; Josh Pappas, education minister of Highland Heights who holds a degree in Biblical Studies and Brett Evans who has contributed to the ministry through valuable marketing advice and fundraising efforts.   We feel this board will help us successfully move into the future with guidance and wisdom.  

SFT Awareness continues to help people all over the world through individual sessions.  In the past two months we have worked with over 50 people in 239 individual sessions.  During these sessions, we teach participants how to remove obstacles that hinder them from developing peace-filled lives.  This year alone, we have worked with individuals in Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Alabama, Missouri, Georgia, Malaysia, Costa Rica and Ecuador. With 98% of people in our society carrying emotional pain at some point in their lives, SFT Awareness has been a shining light to thousands across our nation and the world.  We want to continue to draw people closer to Jesus Christ by teaching them how to remove the pain in their lives.  We appreciate your prayers on behalf of our endeavor to reach the world. 

Making a Difference on the Other Side of the World

 In September 2010, I started a journey to Malaysia to join my wife.  Her company transferred her to help start a new office in the city of Kuala Lumpur.  I took this opportunity to help spread God’s message of peace. Read more

SFT Awareness in the Far East

 

Many who are reading this article may not be familiar with what I have been doing over the last month.  My wife, Kimberly, and I are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which is the jewel of the Far East.  There are many mountains covered with the dark green jungle foliage.  The people here are mostly Muslim, which can create some difficulty in spreading the gospel.

Read more

Success tastes like Chili!

 

The weather was great, the chili was awesome, the music was bluegrass and everyone had a great time!  The 2nd Annual SFT Awareness Chili Cook-Off was a blast!  We had over 80 people in attendance who ate and voted for their favorite pot of chili.  During the cook-off, we raised $1,600, making it a great success.  Our goal for this fundraiser was to raise $5,000.  The funds raised will go to the publishing costs of our new Trainer’s Manual and Student Workbook.  It is not too late to donate to this ministry.  Thanks again to all who came out, ate chili and donated to this cause.  We appreciate your support and prayers as we work to help people remove depression, stress and addiction.

If you would still like to donate, please make your checks to SFT Awareness and send them to:

SFT Awareness

P.O. Box 366

LaVergne, TN 37086

Please check out pictures from this event by clicking on the link:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=559124&id=628405646

We Want Chili Cooks!

Our second annual chili cook-off is coming up on October 16th.  The cook-off will start at 4:30 p.m. at Highland Heights church of Christ in Smyrna, TN.  At this time we are looking for cooks.  Our goal is to get at least 50 cooks.  There are some changes this year in that there is a $10 entry fee, but the first place winners in each category can earn $100. The categories are mild, hot, and veggie. We are also going to give a prize for best booth decoration. Read more

Donations are Tax Deductable

When you make a charitable donation to SFT Awareness, it can be used as a tax write-off because we are an outreach ministry of the Burnett Chapel church of Christ.  If you make a donation to SFT Awareness, simply email us with you name and mailing address and we will mail you a receipt for you charitable donation.  Thank you for your continued interest and support of this ministry.

One Successful Evening

The SFT Awareness Fundraising Dinner was a great success!  We would like to thank Steven Guy for coming out and speaking at our dinner.  We also want to thank everyone who volunteered their time to prepare food, set-up and clean-up the dinner.  We raised over $2,000 and are grateful to everyone who participated.  This helped us get closer to our goal of $11,000 for this quarter.  In order to meed our goal, we still need $9,000.  If you would like to help us reach our budget, look to the right side of our home page and click “Donate”.  Also, you can send a check made out to SFT Awareness to P.O. Box 366/LaVergne, TN 37086.  Thank you for your continued support of this ministry!

Gary Washer in Nashville

Gary Washer is now working with Crieve Hall Church of Christ in Nashville, TN on Trousdale Drive off of Harding Place.  He will be available on Wednesdays and Fridays from 1:00pm until 5:00pm by appointment only.  If you would like to set up an appointment or learn more about SFT Awareness please contact us.  SFT Awareness training classes are also offered on Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm until 8:00pm in the main auditorium at the Crieve Hall Church of Christ from now through the month of May.

Check Out the Materials Page

We have updated a few of our materials on the materials page.   First, we updated the thinking error list.  Second, we have an updated version of the processing sheets.  Our goal with the new process sheets is to reword certain questions so that the sheet will be more understandable.  We welcome any comments to help us improve our products.

Jimmy Hill will have a New Location

Trainer Jimmy Hill is graduating this semester with a degree in psychology from ETSU.  Starting in January his office will be at the Highland Heights church of Christ location in Smyrna, TN.  We look forward to having him at the beginning of the year.

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