Rev. Robert Vanden Bosch Executive Director

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year

Wishing You a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!!!

Christmas 2009

Dear Friends:

We wish you and your family a Merry Christmas. It is always a wonderful time of the year when our eyes focus on the Savior, who loved us, and gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. My prayer is that God will bless you this Christmas with a real sense of His presence in your life.

Thank you for all your help and support during the past year—both financial and prayer support. It has been an extremely busy year as God continually opens the doors to present the work of our ministries. During this past year, I have been privileged to share what God has been doing through Concerned Christian Ministries and Concerned Christian Americans in 60 different churches, speaking 107 times in various churches and other functions, driven over 39,000 miles, and spent over 100 nights on the road.

Because of the pressure on the legislature to pass civil unions (HB 2234, SB 1716), the first time ever introduction of same-sex marriage (HB 176, SB 2468), and the Illinois Reproductive Health and Access Act (HB 2354) this has been an extremely strenuous year in lobbying. At the end of the spring legislative session, the homosexual community pressed for passage of civil unions, amending SB 1716 to become civil unions legislation, with 14 lobbyists working to pass the legislation.

Thankfully, God has given us success in bottling up the ERA again, in stopping the same-sex marriage bill, the same-sex civil unions bill, legislation giving same-sex domestic partner death benefits to the state workers union and the teachers unions, and legislation allowing people to change their sex on their birth certificates by overseas sex-change surgery.

We also worked with the pro-life organizations to stop legislation that would allow the state insurance program to cover contraceptives, including Plan B contraceptives, and to stop the Reproductive Health and Access Act. All of these things take time and effort, often requiring working well past midnight to prepare for the next day of lobbying.

This does not happen in a vacuum. While some talk about the “culture war” in American, we are in a spiritual battle for the heart and soul of our nation. The devil is doing all he can to take away a free nation and a future in which our children and grandchildren will have the right to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience.

On the federal level, President Obama has overturned the Mexico City Policy, and is now providing funding for the United Nations Population Fund, which supports the one-child policy of China. Hate crimes legislation has been passed as part of the Defense Authorization bill. He is also encouraging the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which will normalize for society what God considers to be sin.

In spite of the discouraging circumstances, there is great joy in doing the work God has called me to do. Even though I love my work, it cannot be done successfully without raising the funds to do the work without hesitating because of a lack of funds. For that reason, I am asking for your consideration of monthly financial support or a one-time gift this Christmas.

If you would like to support our lobbying efforts, you can make out a check to Concerned Christian Americans—which is a non-profit organization, but is not a 501 (c)(3) organization, and is therefore not tax deductible. If you would like to make a tax deductible gift, you can make your check out to Concerned Christian Ministries, which is a recognized 501 (c)(3) organization. Concerned Christian Ministries is an education organization, designed to reach out to churches, pastors, and the Christian community, educating them about the responsibilities God has given us.

Thank you to those of you who have recently sent financial support—and to those of you who have already given sacrificially this year. We have not set a specified amount for our fund-raising efforts, but we would like to raise enough funds to ensure that we will be able to spend money when and where it is needed to properly do the work of lobbying the legislature and educating the Christian community on what is happening in the General Assembly.

I know that this is a time of financial insecurity, and yet many of you have continued to give faithfully. If you cannot afford to give because of changes in your financial status, please remember pray for us. If you can give, please do not substitute money for prayer. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Pray that I will keep my eyes upon Christ, and that He will give me favor in both His eyes and the eyes of the legislators.

For this reason, I would ask you to prayerfully consider a gift this Christmas to Concerned Christian Americans (not tax deductible) for lobbying or to Concerned Christian Ministries (tax deductible) for educating the Christian community. Thank you for your prayerful consideration.

Other steps you can take to help our ministry:

· Pray for our legislature and governor. The heart of the king (governor/legislator) is in the hand of the Lord, “as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

· Pray for Christians to realize their responsibility in this government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

· Pray for the courts and judges, where many decisions are now being made regarding the issues of life and marriage.

· Pray that we can continue to stop the civil-unions legislation, which has now been endorsed by the Illinois State Bar Association.

· Pray that the courts will approve the Parental Notification Act of 1995, so it can finally be implemented in Illinois.

· Encourage your church to support the ministry of Concerned Christian Americans.

May God richly bless you and your family in the year 2010! We cherish your prayers and appreciate your faithfulness and love for the Lord.

In His Service,

Rev. Bob Vanden Bosch

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