I am writing today to thank you for praying for ABR and to bring you an update on this ministry...

Your generous help is needed by June 30th! Will you stand with us?

June, 2016

Dear Friend of ABR,

I am writing today to thank you for praying for ABR and to bring you an update on this ministry.

More than ever, we ask our growing ABR family to be committed in prayer for the work the Lord has called us to do. And I am grateful for each of you who regularly pause to lift up ABR before the throne of grace. Prayer is not just important…but it is essential so that the Board and Staff of ABR are guided and guarded by the sovereign power and wisdom of our God. Thank you for praying.

Some of you receiving my letter today may not be aware of an extraordinary thing that has occurred in the life and ministry of ABR. Several months ago, the Israel Antiquities Authority approached ABR and asked if we would consider leading a new excavation at biblical Shiloh, the site of Israel's Tabernacle and a location where the Ark of the Covenant once resided. Due to the favor of God and the excellent quality of our many years of excavation and research work, the Lord has blessed us with this staggering and wonderful opportunity. Lord willing, the dig at Shiloh will begin in 2017.

Looking forward to Shiloh is exciting, but equally dramatic will be the completion of our dig at Khirbet el-Maqatir, the site we believe is biblical Ai. Our staff is currently on the ground at the site with scores of diggers who have come from all over the United States to assist on our last Spring excavation. We celebrated the discovery of the final Late Bronze fortress gate socket stone and our 1,000th coin from the site in just the past two weeks. Our last excavation at the Maqatir site will be over Christmas at the end of the year. Thank you for supporting our work at these important archaeological sites!

I also write to you today to update you as to where we stand in regards to our financial support as we close in on the end of our fiscal year on June 30. You and many others have given sacrificially to support ABR, and we are very grateful for your generosity. Our projected giving for 2016 to cover the commitments of this ministry is $120,000. Currently, we have received $80,000 with just four weeks left till the end of the fiscal year. We are asking if you would be so kind as to help us raise the additional $40,000 needed that will allow ABR to continue to operate efficiently and to close out our fiscal year in a healthy fiscal position. Thank you for considering how you can help us meet this important need at this time.

I close this brief update and appeal with a powerful Scripture from Isaiah 59:19: 'So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.' Please ask the Lord to use ABR to raise up a standard of truth against the lies of the enemy, as the word of truth is proclaimed in the halls of academia, to the worship halls of the churches, and to every home and every heart.

Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your love and support for the ongoing ministry of ABR!

All for Jesus,

Scott Lanser
ABR Director