Once while working in her kitchen, Judy Boen got a vision of a Christian event in connection with the St. Louis (MO) Cardinals baseball team, of whom she had been a fan since childhood.  She wrote the Cardinals front office management about her idea.  In time they responded with an offer to meet and talk about it.  Judy invited a few others, including HHH, to join her at their Busch Stadium offices.  The result is a near two-decade tradition known as Christian Family Day (www.christianfamilyday.com) at Busch Stadium, a part of a Cardinals’ Saturday day game each summer.  The day is divided into three parts: (1) a before-the-game party with games and a Chic-fil-a meal for each in a local park for sometime 3,200 inner-city children (who are given the whole day free --  volunteers help and “love on” the children); (2) the game itself, wherein each child is given a coupon for a hot dog and a cola to enjoy during the game (efforts are made to have a one-to-five ratio of  adult supervision to children); and (3) after the game those remaining gather in the stands behind the Cardinals dugout for an on-the-field Christian concert, recognition of the children, testimonies by some Christian players (Albert Pujols, etc), and a concise Bible message of salvation by a gifted young evangelist.  An estimated 20,000 (including the inner-city children) attended in 2008.  The Cardinals seem very happy with the CFD connection, especially since their CFD won-loss record is 16 – 2!  A number of other sports venues look to www.christianfamilyday.com as a successful pattern and role model for them.  It indeed seems to be “catching on” as a combined promotional/ministry/community relations event for professional sports teams in many parts of the country.  Special Note: while a cumulative 41,000 inner-city children have received the day absolutely free through the years, the recession has also hit CFD.  Limited funds in 2009 have cut the number of children being provided for in half.  As I write, unless more CFD “last minute” support is received, only 1,500 can attend in 2009.  Each $30 provides the day for one child.  You can donate, even at the last minute, at www.christianfamilyday.com.

... is an Egyptian Coptic priest who has peacefully inspired about 500
Egyptian Muslims to convert to Christianity; something considered a crime
punishable by death in the Muslim world. For carrying out those conversions,
he was imprisoned twice while he was living in Egypt in the early 1980's and
is now living in exile outside of the country. Because of his heart for
Jesus Christ and desire to reach Muslims, he has authored about seventy
books. He has written on comparative religion (Islam and Christianity),
Church History, and theology. Major publications such as, Christianity
Today, Evangelicals Now, Life of Faith with John Stott London and The Argus
Journal have published his writings. Visit his website www.fatherzakaria.net
to read his articles. He has no copyright on his articles and videos. You
are free to use what he has written." (From www.ministrytomuslims.com
. Also see www.ministrytomuslims.com .)

Father Zakaria is the teacher on more than 250 recorded television programs
seen by satellite in much of the Islamic world. He cites Islamic sources in
estimating that 2,000,000 Muslims have come to faith in Christ, and even
more throughout the whole of Africa. Reports are that radical Is laics have
placed millions of dollars are "on his head," to be paid to anyone who kills
Father Zakaria.

Hear Father Zakaria's powerful story in his own words.

The home countries of the internationals that Jim and Doris Bounds have hosted in their home that they can remember: 

Afghanistan, Angola, Barbados, Canada, China, Cuba, Eastern Europe, Egypt, Germany, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Macao, Mexico, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zaire!!!

It began in 1970 … Jim and Doris Bounds, natives of Mississippi but living most of their adult lives in the St. Louis, MO suburb of Ferguson and its First Baptist Church, have made a lifestyle of intentionally welcoming international into their home. They with others recognized a great need, represented by the desperate needs of the wives of international (mostly graduate) students.  They could not speak English, typically didn’t know how to drive, how to shop for groceries, meet their new American neighbors, or exercise the basic functions of a new life in the USA.  They were rather helpless in their new world.  Motivated by the love of Jesus and of internationals, Friendship International (supported by the Baptist Student Union and the St. Louis Metro Baptist Association) was born in the early 1970’s.  Friendship International would meet weekly, sometimes with 200 or more in attendance.  So many internationals were coming that the fire marshal’s requirements created a need to form a second FI group, one continuing in the original location of Hanley Road Baptist and another at Third Baptist Church in St. Louis.  Doris and Jim, an engineer by profession, for nearly 40 years would provide many services that included meeting incoming internationals at the bus station and at the airport, lovingly serving and helping them in any way that they could.  (Jim cites one heartbreaking incident of which he learned that occurred years ago, fueling his motivation: an international student arrived and was taken to a room rented for his first night in St. Louis. Not being seen for a day or two, he was discovered in his room…dead.  He apparently did not know how to light the heater, turned on the gas without lighting it, thus taking his life.  Jim has never gotten over this.) Of the internationals who came to the Bounds home (sometimes in groups), all of them ate meals there and half or more of the countries represented stayed with them overnight, often for several nights.  The Bounds would not “preach” to their guests, but the question they were frequently asked was, “Why are you doing this?”  Thus came their opportunity for a direct witness for Jesus.  Many of their guests, over time, came to a saving faith in Christ. The Bounds are role models to us in so many ways, such as the recognition that most international students are never invited into an American home. Doris and Jim Bounds, as of this writing, are 83 and 86 years of age respectively, have been married 62 years.  They to this day have much joy and fulfillment in their love for and service to Jesus, to internationals, to family and friends, to church, and to each other.   

See www.haitinow.org and www.myspace.com/haitinow

Dave and Kim Brede are St. Louis Conference Ministry Directors of Family Life Today’s “Weekend to Remember” (www.weekendtoremember) – and they have done so for 21 years. Twenty-four other couples serve with them on the Ministry Team. The “Weekend to Remember” has a wonderful track record for making great marriages better … and for saving marriages that were on the road to divorce. Dave, a retired coach, uses his gifts of encouragement and motivation to give the Weekend to Remember the positive promotion it deserves. In this radio interview he speaks of the two St. Louis weekends, held in two nice St. Louis hotels with an expected attendance upwards of 2,000 … and 100,000 attending all over America throughout each single calendar year. Family Life Today is led nationally by Dennis Rainey, and is a branch of Campus Crusade for Christ. For more see www.familylife.com.

Dave Brede (Bra’ dee), retired high school athletic director, and wife Kim continue their years of co-chairing an enthusiastic St. Louis, MO, local committee, this year 22 couples, preparing for Weekend to Remember  (www.weekendtoremember.com).  Sponsored by Dennis Rainey’s Family Life Ministries (www.familylife.com), those coming have a choice of two different dates – November 13-15 and 20-22 – in nice St. Louis hotels.  How popular and how effective are the WTRs?  The “year in and year out” attendance makes a powerful statement.  All across the nation more than 100,000 attend each year!  Between 1,000 and 2,000 regularly come to the St. Louis WTR’s.  Much helpful information can be gleaned on the two websites mentioned above and by listening to Family Life’s daily broadcasts with Dennis Rainey and (Kirkwood, MO high school grad) Bob Lepine on Bott Radio Network’s St. Louis stations KSIV-FM (91.5) and AM (1320) or on the internet (www.bottradionetwork.com).  Dave Brede welcomes hearing from you at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .