Dear Table Nation,

On New Year’s Eve, I had the honor of moving my parents to Franklin, TN from the bitter cold of the north.  As of yet, I have not convinced them that the weather in TN is any better, but we are hoping last night’s ice storm will be the end of this historical winter!  Nonetheless, getting them settled has been time consuming but a true labor of love and I rejoice daily knowing they are just a few miles down the road.

I am so excited to tell you what Jesus has been doing through The Franklin Table over the last two months!  First of all, I want to thank you for all of the donations that came in last December.  Because of your generosity, we were able to meet our budget for the first quarter.  April is now upon us and we need to not only meet our budget, which is $5500 a month, but we also need to focus on raising funds to sponsor the upcoming Within My Reach conferences.  If you have not already received information about The Franklin Table or the WMR conference, please respond to this letter or visit our website at https://thefranklintable.org [2].   I would love to connect with you!

Last week I had the privilege to speak at The Jobs for Life Global Leadership Gathering, which was completely sponsored by The FranklinTable … Thank you!  (http://www.jobsforlife.org [3])   Next week I will be meeting with churches in St Louis, MO to plan a WMR conference in cooperation with Dr. Michael Cooper, CEO and Founder of The Timothy Center. http://www.thetimothycenter.org [4]   I could not be more honored to have Dr. Cooper supporting and working with me on launching the WMR conferences.  On March 20^th, I will be the keynote speaker at the fundraiser Every Child “Meet Hope” for Bethany Christian Services in Grand Rapids, MI. http://www.bethany.org [5] .   This is yet another opportunity to share the message of orphan care, which is central to TFT.

Locally, The Franklin Table continues to carry in prayer our 32 partner ministries trusting Christ for effective outcomes.   On the coaching side of TFT, I continue to meet with directors to challenge them toward a ministry that is transformational not just transactional.  And finally, I am spending much time connecting people of influence and resources with those in the midst of the battle of ministry.  These are just some examples of how The Lord is working:  We held the first Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration and march since the home going of my dear brother, Denny Denson, six years ago.   In connection with MLK Day, Elder John Haynes and I spoke at the Christ Presbyterian Academy chapel. 

New News: We are working to build a shelter for the homeless in Williamson County and also held a luncheon to welcome former Michigan legislator, Dr. Tom Pearce, as the new Executive Director of Shepherding the Next Generation. (http://www.shepherdingthenextgeneration.org/about-us/staff [6] )  One of the things I am most excited about is my joint venture with Strong Tower Bible Church. Along with partnering in ministry with STBC, I love teaching my fourth/fifth grade boys Sunday School Class.  As I tell people, I don’t teach them, they truly teach me!  http://www.strongtowerbiblechurch.com [7] Finally, my desire and conviction over the past few months has been to pray more effectively for the ministries we represent.  In the next few weeks, I will send you updated information on how we, The Franklin Table Nation, can partner together to pray.

Please consider a financial gift to support The Franklin Table for the month of April and as always, I covet your prayer support more than you can ever imagine.  “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  James 5:16b  

Deep Love,

Scott

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