New Year's is Just Around the Corner (Dec 27, 2011)
We anticipated that a good number of folk would be out of town for Christmas, and others would not come simply because it was Christmas. The dismal, rainy weather did not encourage our pessimism. But when the Sunday service started at 10:30 AM, we were pleasantly surprised. O ye of little faith!
There was a sweet spirit in the church house, both in the morning and in the evening services. Visitors from out of town graced our church plant throughout the week. It was great to have the Stephen Henderson family from Manhattan, Kansas and the Bradley Edmondson family from Ashland, Ohio. Both of these preachers are being used by God in a mighty way. Rob and Jennifer Allen were also in attendance. It was a joy to see them. What a thrill to know that Grace Baptist Church was where these ministries all got started!
Some of our missionaries were also off the deputation trail for the holidays. We were excited to see the David Wilt family, missionaries to Staten Island; the Seth Acree family, missionaries to Ghana, West Africa; and the Mark Liedtke family, missionaries to Belize. God is bringing all of their support in at a good clip, and we are thankful that they will be at their respective fields of service in the not-too-distant future.
We were also thankful to see some of our newer married couples in attendance. Zach and Jessica Newman were in attendance last night, taking a break from their studies at Crown College. Gregory and Jennifer Miller were in attendance, just back from their honeymoon. And Kristina Keyes, home for the holidays from her job at Grace Baptist College in Gaylord, Michigan, received her engagement ring this weekend from Michael Lenhart. We are thankful that God has brought a godly, Christian man into her life.
The Freedom House served lunch yesterday to 45 soldiers. The total attendance, including support staff, was around 60. We thank Bob and Becky Ingram, as well as Ray and Sue Kingsbury, for their hard work in making this event possible. One soldier with tears in his eyes stated that the meal made him feel right at home. Amen!
Several of our bus workers decided to take Christmas to our bus church family on Saturday. Nathan and Ruth Ann Shuler, Ben and Hilary Shuler, and April Amsbaugh delivered goodies to the bus kids and spent nearly five hours of visitation stopping to play at each house and spend quality time with our bus children. It was a day that brought to tears to this pastor's eyes. We thank God for these dedicated servants.
At the conclusion of our candle light service last night, we celebrated the Lord's Supper. It was also my privilege to baptize Michaela and Lauren Norton, daughters of Michael and Joanna Norton. What a thrill to see the children of our church accept the Lord for themselves and identify with the Savior through the ordinance of baptism.
I also baptized Laura Westlake last night. Laura recently started attending our church after she was restored to her husband Chris. Christ is making a big difference in this family. Their growth is significant. It is my privilege to spend discipleship time with Chris every Monday. He is getting into the Word. His family has been restored. And his son came to church last night to witness Laura's baptism. Amen! It was a great thrill to welcome Laura as the newest member of Grace Baptist Church.
A great week is on the horizon. Baron Howerton will be reporting on the work in Romania on Wednesday night, and our annual vision night will take place on December 31 at 7:00 PM. You will not want to miss this special service as we outline the goals for the upcoming year. Plan to be there!
Karen and I broke with tradition this year and opened our presents on Christmas Eve so that time with the girls would not distract from the significance of Sunday. It was great to have all three girls home. We are thankful that our girls want to serve the Lord. From the Amsbaugh home to yours, we wish you a prosperous New Year.
The Holidays Bring Blessings (Dec 19, 2011)
When the angels appeared to the Judean shepherds announcing the birth of the Messiah, they described their message as "good tidings of great joy." We, like the angels, deliver a wonderful message that brings joy to the hearts of men. It is exciting to be a part of the delivery team.
On Thursday, I had the privilege of leading Brent and Elizabeth to the Lord in my office. How exciting to see this young couple pray to receive Christ. Pray for us as we enter them on the road of discipleship. We are praying that they will follow the Lord in baptism soon.
We also were privileged to witness the salvation of James and Carlo recently. James, who was invited by Allen Allison, walked the aisle at the conclusion of one of our Wednesday night services, and Carlo was saved on Thursday night visitation. Each have been assigned a discipleship mentor, and we are praying that they will both profess their faith in Christ through baptism soon. It is great to see God continue His soul-saving work!
We saw three precious children pray to receive Christ yesterday in the counseling center of bus church. We are thankful for these decisions.
This past week marked the end of our Fort Benning Bible studies. We were able to minister to 173 soldiers. The Freedom House will be having a special Christmas lunch for the few soldiers who remain over the holidays. Pray that God will Bob and Becky Ingram in this event to bring servicemen to Christ.
The adult Choir presented "The Journey of Christmas" last night. God used the cantata in a mighty way. It contained a very powerful message.
Don't forget that we will be having a special service on Christmas morning at 10:30. There will be no Sunday School, but the morning service will be extended. A special Christmas night service will take place at 6:00 PM.
The new deacons for 2012 will have their annual planning session tonight and tomorrow. We will be presenting the theme for 2012 to the church in a special New Year's Eve Service at 7:00 PM. Pray that God will give our pastors and deacons wisdom and unity as we meet these next two days.
I am happy to announce that my brother-in-law, Steve, was able to have all of his kidney cancer removed in his surgery over the weekend. The doctors were able to save two-thirds of his kidney, and he was home and able to sleep in his own bed on Sunday night. We praise the Lord for answered prayers.
Do pray for Carla Bullington who is battling severe sinus infection and strep in the Medical Center. Also pray for Marjorie Holt, as she undergoes her final reconstruction surgery on Wednesday.
Karen and I wish you all a very blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
God has Blessed Christmas at Grace (Dec 13, 2011)
Christmas at Grace is in the books, and the Lord blessed with multiple decisions of faith. The people of Grace worked hard. Our featured guests did an outstanding job, and the Lord rewarded with fruit.
Let's begin with the teen rally on Friday night. Adrian Burden joined us for Friday evening, and the fellowship hall was packed with teenagers. After some enjoyable activities, we moved to the auditorium and Brother Burden preached a tremendous message on Proverbs 29:1. At the conclusion of the service, eight teens came forward to receive Christ as personal Savior. Amen!
Ed Dunlop joined us for the children's rally on Saturday afternoon. A good number of kids came, and we had a good supply of help on hand. Brother Dunlop preached on 2 Corinthians 8:9 and eight children prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center at the conclusion of the message. Praise the Lord!
Brother Dunlop stayed over to preach for children's church on Sunday morning. The deacons arrived early to get the serving lines ready. Valley Rescue Mission brought a couple of dozen men to the service. I preached from Luke 1:67-79 and three people repeated the sinner's prayer to receive Christ. Brother Ed reported that one more child was dealt with for salvation in junior church.
The music was great all day as Scott Roberts delivered 7 great vocal selections. George Eleazer did a masterful job on the trumpet. And the sanctuary choir was at its "A" game. Much appreciation goes to Curt Alger as well who flew in from Virginia to do the cooking for the ham dinner that we served to the community. All totaled, we ministered to 1062 people with 26 professions of faith. We appreciate the hard work of our people who made this all possible.
On Thursday, we had a moving experience as the upper elementary and high school presented their respective Christmas plays. The upper elementary did "The Richest Family in Town," while the High School presented "Christmas at Home." The gospel was clearly presented, and our actors and musicians did a wonderful job. It was a convicting night.
On Wednesday, Arlan Davis presented his ministry to work with the military in New Jersey. We voted to add the Davises to our missionary budget, making them the 205th missionary of Grace Baptist Church. Amen!
Our varsity boys basketball team won the 21st annual Heritage Christian Invitational Tournament over the weekend. Congratulations to Coach Harmon and our team. The Lady Crusaders took third place.
Ed Dunlop preached a marvelous message on guarding the castle last night. I am sure you will want to visit our website to listen to it. It was a very convicting message, and the altar was filled with parents vowing to keep a closer vigil on things at home. Amen!
At the conclusion of last night's service, we dedicated our 2012 deacon fellowship to the Lord. We are thankful for Justen Alger, Don Edmondson, Daniel Henderson, Denny Henderson, Ray Kingsbury, Richard Miller, Mike Ratliff, John Rogers, and Phil Shuler for their willingness to serve.
Don't forget about the annual Christmas cantata that will be presented this coming Sunday night at 6:00 PM. On Sunday, the 25th, we will have one morning service at 10:30. Our annual deacons' planning session is coming up a week from today, and the final plans for 2012 will be presented to the congregation on a special vision night on December 31 at 7:00 PM.
What a privilege to work in the harvest! Pray for us this week as the Lord lays us upon your heart.
It's Christmas Time! (Dec 07, 2011)
It is hard to believe, but Christmas at Grace 2012 is just a few days away. Things begin this coming Friday at 9:00 PM with our iTeens rally. Games, prizes, and free giveaways such as an ipad and ipad touch will be on the docket. Pastor Arrowood has put together a fantastic program, and we are excited that Adrian Burden will be returning to Grace to preach to our teens at this special event.
On Saturday, Ed Dunlop will be the featured speaker at 4:00 PM. Ed is one of the best children's evangelists in our nation, and we are excited that he will be returning to our campus for a great day of activity. Two children's bicycles will be given away to the several hundred children on hand. Ed will be staying over on Sunday and preaching for our children's church, as well as preaching in the evening service. You won't want to miss it.
On Sunday, we will have one morning service at 10:30 AM. Scott Roberts from PCC and Rejoice in the Lord television will be our featured musician. We will also be blessed by the trumpet playing of George Eleazar, a member of the Army Band right here at Fort Benning. A special ham dinner will be served to all who are in attendance. We are asking God for 1000-1300 people this weekend. Please pray with us.
The Freedom House is continuing to manifest rich fruit. We ministered to 378 soldiers this week with 68 of them standing to receive Christ as personal Savior. We will be having a special luncheon for servicemen who will not be able to get away for Christmas. Pray that God will give us souls through the holidays. We are so thankful for Bob and Becky Ingram and their commitment to our soldiers.
Attendance at our chapels and on our buses was respectable yesterday. We praise the Lord for the one child and three teens who were saved through the bus ministry this past weekend.
Karen and I were able to lead a young man to the Lord on Thursday night after our lower elementary school Christmas play. He was in attendance for church yesterday. Pray that we will able to disciple Carlo and get him to announce his faith through baptism soon.
We were privileged to hand Felicia King her discipleship certificate last night. We had the privilege of leading Felicia to the Lord several months ago. She has been a sponge, soaking up every nugget of the Word of God. Amen! We are thankful for Dennis and Sara Hasty who oversee our discipleship classes.
On the school front, the varsity boys and girls have been successful in all their home games this season. I trust that you will make plans to attend the upper elementary and high school Christmas play this Thursday night at 7:00 PM.
On a personal note, I will be traveling to BIMI later this afternoon for the semi-annual board meeting. Pray that God will give us wisdom as we meet concerning matters of world evangelism.
On Wednesday night, Arlan Davis will present his future work with the military. He will be ministering at Fort Dix. Arlan was called to the mission field during a conference that I preached in Florida. I am excited that he has stayed with it. It will be exciting to add the Davises to our missionary family.
Don't forget that the Sanctuary Choir will present their annual Christmas cantata on December 18. Be sure to invite your friends and relatives.
On a final note, this week I will celebrate my 47th birthday. I am thankful for my godly parents, my precious family, and my divine call. Your friendship to this preacher means much.
