Newsletter — May-July 2014

from the keyboard of Dr. Ross Jutsum

 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart…” Eccl. 3:11

Wedding Bells for Lisa and Jonathan

 Younger daughter, Lisa, and her fiancé, Jonathan, have less than two weeks of service left with Samaritan’s Purse and Mission Aviation Fellowship in the DRC before they come home to Southern California and make final plans for their June 28^th wedding.  We are so pleased and excited for them – they have secured their first apartment in Pasadena CA and Jonathan will stay there for a month or so, while Lisa is at home with us making final preparations for their June wedding.  Lisa has been accepted into the Master’s program in Inter-Cultural Studies at Fuller Seminary and will begin there in August, while Jonathan will be in flight school gaining more advanced qualifications.  Family and friends are coming from far and wide (including my brother and one of my sisters and their spouses from Australia!) to join in the festivities and celebration. I am currently composing a special song for the wedding.  Please pray for the song’s birth, and for safe travel and blessed preparations for all!

Update on Heidi and Ryan and “Princess Grace Victoria!”

Tammy and I will be serving in two congregations in New York City over Mother’s Day weekend and then joining Heidi and Ryan for Heidi’s first “official” Mother’s Day – and of course, there will be four days of joyful “baby-sitting” with Grace (aka “major grand-parent spoiling!”) before we continue on to the UK for a university reunion and to serve in several London-area churches.  Heidi was recently promoted to a new role at her job with Innovations for Poverty Action and Ryan is busy teaching an undergraduate seminar at Yale, while working on his dissertation (proposal already approved…)

February-April 2014 Ministry Visits

February began with a wonderful visit to serve in 3 congregations in Barbados and Trinidad.  Then I continued with leading worship services for the Grace Communion congregations in Wilson and Raleigh NC, Bellflower CA, Cookeville, Murfreesboro and Nashville TN, Toledo OH and Eastpointe MI and a Concert of Praise at the Church of God 7^th Day in Petersburg MI.  I am so grateful to my hosts and pastors Clifton and Pearl Charles, Ken and Lana Hygh, Don Mason, Larry Dietrich, Arlen and Emma Bryant, Bob and Jan Taylor, Stuart Mahan, Ross Flynn, Dwight Dean and John Schott.

March “came in like a lion” with my only visit to snow country in OH/MI, then visits to  7^th Day Baptist Church in Miami FL and Journey Church in Miramar FL, hosted by Pastor Andy Samuel, and Pastors Charles and Keysha Taylor, and then in Phoenix and Tucson AZ, and Melbourne and Orlando FL, hosted in Arizona by Pastors Michael Wyatt-Paige and Mike Roberts, Ted and Lila Milhuff, James and Marilyn Mulladay, Steve Schantz and long-time dear friends, Lesz and Riccini Banham.

April was filled with opportunities to serve and lead worship in the Church of God 7^th Day and Grace Communion in Las Vegas NV, in Milwaukee WI with GCI and at the Good Shepherd Church of God in Cicero IL (hosted by Pastor Mark and Cherie Porter and Pastor Harry and Ruth Kall,) and with GCI in Wheeling WV (combined with New Life in Christ from Cambridge OH) and with Fountain of Life in Washington PA, hosted by dear friends Pastor Todd and Denise Crouch. The month ended with a wonderful worship celebration at GCI in Hillsdale NJ, hosted by wonderful friends and pastors, Jerry and Joan Backhus. My current worship service theme of “Our Father Sings!” is being very warmly received in this wide variety of churches and wonderful diversity of brothers and sisters in Christ’s Body!

Ministry Contact Information

Our web site is www.stateoftheheart.org  An established 501C3 California non-profit corporation, tax-deductible donations/ orders for worship CDs can be done online, or to State of the Heart Ministries, P.O. Box 56, Sierra Madre, CA  91025-0056 or by calling (626) 836-4686 (9 A.M. and 6 P.M. Pacific Time)

Ross’ Ministry Schedule – May–October 2014