1. H.I.M. PICNIC AND POOL PARTY—Saturday, June 17, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
You, your family, and your friends are invited to an H.I.M. Picnic and Pool Party on Saturday, June 17, 2006 from 11 am to 3 pm in Weston, MA. We'll have the barbeque fired up and food galore. Lawn games for the kids, swimming in a beautiful outdoor pool, fellowship, and fun. There's no rain date, so think SUN! (Do you New Englanders remember the sun?? It's warm and bright and yellow and sometimes appears overhead...)

There is no charge, but we need your RSVP by Thursday noon, June 15 with the names and the number of people coming. Either send email to Info@HIMweb.org, or fill out the online RSVP form, or call 781-275-6473. Directions will be sent on receipt of your RSVP. Hope to see you there!

2. H.I.M. MARRIAGE CONFERENCE—November 3-5, 2006
For the first time, Home Improvement Ministries will offer a marriage conference in the fall, so circle November 3-5 on your calendar now and plan now to attend! The conference will be held at Eagle Mountain House, located in Jackson, New Hampshire. We’re delighted to announce that Paul and Virginia Friesen will be our speakers and Danny Oertli will be our worship leader. Danny has performed and led worship at several H.I.M. functions in the past, but if you've not been privileged to hear him before, please visit his site to get a taste of his inspiring music and his witness to God’s enduring faithfulness.

The cost for the weekend will be $290 per couple, and will include two nights lodging, breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. Dinner on both Friday and Saturday evenings will be on your own. Earlybird registrations will be accepted online. The online reservation will be available by June 1st.

Sneak Preview: A special "heads up" for Family Flyer readers: David Hegg, our speaker for H.I.M. Family Camp in 2004, will be back with us by popular demand at another H.I.M. Marriage Conference (two in one year!) being held March 30-April 1, also at the Eagle Mountain House in New Hampshire. Attend one or both—your marriage is worth it. Another idea: swap childcare with another couple and each attend one of the two conferences.

3. MARRIAGE AND MENTORING PROGRAM TO BEGIN
H.I.M. is beginning a bold new initiative to further their mission to "equip, encourage, and bring hope to churches, families, and marriages as they seek to establish and live out biblical designs for relationships." Starting this fall, Paul and Virginia will be meeting twice each month for one year with a specially chosen group of couples representing a number of New England churches. This team will gather for dinner and Biblical instruction on the centrality of marriage and family in scripture. The couples will also be taught a curriculum for Marriage and Parenting that, if they wish, could be presented in their local churches.

If you think your church leadership would be interested in participating in this program with a commitment of personnel, time, programs, and finances over a nine month period with the goal of strengthening marriages and families in your church, please contact Paul@HIMweb.org or call 781-275-6473 to request a Church Partnership program brochure.

View the Church Partnership Program Brochure Online (PDF 493KB)

4. ENGAGEMENT MATTERS—Saturday and Sunday, September 30-October 1, 2006
We hope to be ready to publish the full H.I.M. program calendar for 2006-2007 soon, but consider this advance notice of the first Engagement Matters session of the year: Saturday and Sunday, September 30 - October 1, 2006 in Weston, MA. If you have friends or family who are newly engaged or seem to be heading that way, may we suggest you consider pointing them in the direction of this wonderful weekend?

As stated here before, our best advertisers are those who have attended in the past. One such couple writes: “We can’t thank you enough for your honesty and your commitment to this course. It has helped more than you know . . . The information on how we express love differently was extremely helpful to us . . . Had it not been for you sharing about your honesty in your own relationship, I don’t know if we would have shared with each other and found the freedom you described God has for us . . . We were blessed to be there.” — Winter 2005 participant

As Paul and Virginia say, marriage is the second most important decision of life. Online registration will be available by June 1st.

5. New! MID-WINTER FAMILY GET-AWAY—Saturday–Monday, January 13–15, 2007
We are very excited to announce the first Mid-Winter Family Get-Away weekend over Martin Luther King weekend from Saturday, January 13 through Monday, January 15, 2007 at the Four Points Sheraton in Eastham, MA. This will be a wonderful long weekend to get away for fun and laughter along with other families. There will be time in the pool, time with the Bible, and times to eat and fellowship together. Details will be available soon, but save the date as we expect this weekend to fill quickly.

6. MARRIAGE PROTECTION AMENDMENT
The Marriage Protection Amendment, which supports the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman, is due to be voted on in the U.S. Senate the week of June 5. It will only pass if Americans voice their support of this God created and ordained position for the sacred union of marriage. If you have not acted yet, please exercise your rights as a citizen of this democracy and make your voice heard. The American Family Association has a webpage with more info and links to help you contact your senator.

Focus on the Family Action also has a website worth checking out, as does the Family Research Council. Both of these sites contain important information and action items. We can't afford to "sleep" through this issue, nor can we afford to minimize the long term effects of potentially losing this battle. The future of our families will be dramatically impacted by this vote. Please do your part.

7. DA VINCI CODE
Unless your head is buried in the sand (or you’re a busy mother trying to survive on 6 hours sleep or less each night!) you've surely heard of the upcoming movie based on Dan Brown's best-selling book, "The DaVinci Code," which puts forth as truth many inaccuracies and false notions about the Bible. If you or your friends have questions, we'd like you to be aware of some of the resources available to you:

June 4 : Grace Chapel will offer "Unlocking the Da Vinci Code with Lee Strobel" on Sunday Night June 4th. This is a live broadcast hosted by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg, beginning at 7pm in Grace Chapel's Fellowship Hall, 59 Worthen Road, Lexington, MA.**RESCHEDULED** due to a power outage on May 21.

Park Street Church has been offering a Sunday morning class on the Da Vinci code. Class notes are available online here

Christianity Today has a number of articles on the Da Vinci Code on their website. Read about it and find a number of links to other CT articles here.

Josh McDowell has published some resources. Order them here

McLean Bible Church in Virginia has a sermon series you can listen to online

Hank Hanegraaff, Bible Answer Man, Speaks Out on The Da Vinci Code. Read and listen online

The American Family Association has teamed with Coral Ridge Ministries to offer "The Da Vinci Delusion," a DVD that points out the errors of the "facts" presented in the The Da Vinci Code. Click here for more information and to order.

Family Life has published some resources. Click here to view them.

Let us know if you hear of other good resources and we'll consider compiling a list on our website. Email info@HIMweb.org with your suggestions.

8. ANNOUNCING: DRS. PAUL AND VIRGINIA FRIESEN!
On May 6, Paul and Virginia made our hearts swell with joy as they each took their turns on the stage to receive their Doctor of Ministry degrees from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary at the South Hamilton commencement ceremony held at Gordon College's beautiful Bennett Center. The sun was shining in the sky and celebration was in the air as hundreds came to honor the Friesens and the many other students who were receiving various theological degrees that day.

A big thank you to all of you who have supported Home Improvement Ministries in the last few years as Paul and Virginia worked so hard on these degrees. As Paul wrote in the acknowledgments section of his doctoral thesis: "I want to acknowledge the Home Improvement Ministries community that has been so supportive through this whole venture. Thanks for the encouragement, the examples, the prayer support, and the friendship." Virginia added: "We all feel so privileged to have sat under the wise and godly counsel of our two mentoring professors, Dr. Pendleton and Dr. Bradley." Both of these professors honored Paul and Virginia with their presence at a celebratory lunch following commencement.

As Paul has said, this degree is "meant for the world, not for the wall." We trust that with by God's ongoing power and provision, Paul and Virginia will continue their ministry to marriages and families even more effectively than before. We praise God for His faithfulness in allowing their work at H.I.M. to make a difference. Thanks for being part of the team!

Comments, suggestions or letters can be sent to:
Barbara Steele, Editor
email: barbara@HIMweb.org

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Home Improvement Ministries
209 Burlington Road, Suite 105
Bedford, MA 01730
781-275-6473

www.HIMweb.org