Building Expansion and Property Purchase (Aug 30, 2010)
Karen and I, along with Ashley and April, drove over to Montgomery, Alabama yesterday for the missions emphasis Sunday at Calvary Baptist Church. Pastor Spargo came to Calvary nine years ago, and the Lord has used him to help the church through a much-needed relocation. They are now located in the "up and coming" section of east Montgomery. The Lord is blessing the work. Pastor Spargo has returned the church to its more conservative foundations, and the spirit of the congregation is great. It was my privilege to speak both for the morning and evening worship services to stir the congregation toward world evangelism. Calvary currently supports over 70 missionaries. I thoroughly enjoyed my day with them.
In my absence, Pastor Powell continued his series on Colossians and Pastor Arrowood preached on a recipe for service. Both of these messages can be heard by logging on to our website.
On Wednesday night, Chris Hanks preached in the Wednesday night service. We were able to get a sneak preview of his upcoming book Morning Manna. After the service, the congregation voted to purchase both 2923 and 2925 Howard Avenue giving us much needed expansion space. We hopefully will close on these properties tomorrow.
This morning I will meet with contractors concerning the proposed expansion of our auditorium. This expansion should provide us with better lighting in the auditorium, increased lobby space, and upgraded bathrooms. Pray about this pending project.
Ashley boarded the plane this morning to return to West Coast Baptist College. It is hard to believe that this will begin her senior year. Where has the time gone? Amy begins her sophmore year at Pensacola Christian College next week.
Don't forget that our fall Sunday School campaign is just several weeks away. It begins Sunday, September 19. On the 26th, Jimmy DeYoung will be with us all day for Prophecy Sunday. October the 3rd is homecoming with the Daughtery sisters and Pastor Tom Chrichton. And then October the 10th begins our annual revival campaign with Dr. William Jeffcoat. A great fall is in store. You won't want to miss it!
Thanks for your continued interest and support of this ministry. It means much to us.
Rejoicing in the Lord's Blessings (Aug 23, 2010)
The Lord blessed with a good day yesterday after a fulfilling time at Cleveland Baptist Church and Heritage Christian School. I flew to Cleveland on Thursday morning and was able to spend an enjoyable lunch with Dr. Folger and his staff before delivering my first lecture on Getting the Devil out of the Student. Later that night, I preached at the mid-week service. Over 650 were in attendance, and the Lord blessed with good decisions at the altar. On Friday morning, I taught on Six Causes of Depression before being picked up my father. Dad and I traveled down to Mansfield, and it was great to spend time with my parents before flying back to Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. Karen and all three girls met me at the airport, and we were off to the Cheesecake Factory for a great stint of family time.
You could tell that the people of Grace were ready for church on Sunday morning. Walk-in attendance was up by nearly 50, and the Lord blessed with some good decisions at the altar. Let me highlight a few significant items.
Hanah Ellis, a relative of Jamie and Terri Snider, prayed to receive Christ this week. Jamie and Terri had her in church yesterday, and Hanah made her new faith public through the ordinance of baptism. Praise the Lord! It was our privilege to welcome her as the newest member of Grace Baptist Church. We are excited to see our own missionaries leading souls to Christ when they are "off the clock." Jamie, home this weekend from his Rock of Ages ministry, went to our county jail and was able to lead 12 inmates to Christ. Amen!
Pastor Liedtke also reports that there were six professions of faith in our Spanish department. We praise the Lord for these new Hispanic converts.
The military ministry also saw fruit for the labor this week. Bob and Becky Ingram report that 107 soldiers attended this week's Bible studies. 12 soldiers stood to receive Christ as personal Savior. Amen!
Our satellite churches in Opelika and Lumpkin experienced good numbers this weekend. We are also happy to announce that a dozen or so people from Grace traveled down to Fort Mitchell this weekend to assist Pastor Chamberlin in canvassing the town for contacts to begin our newest branch chapel. We are excited about the prospects for this ministry in a rapidly growing area near Fort Benning.
Last evening we were privileged to have Jason and Mary Ritchie, missionaries to Mongolia with BIMI, present their work. The Ritchies, now at 87% of their needed support, did a great job, and we were excited to add them to the missionary budget. We also voted to add the general fund of World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions to the budget increasing our total number of missionaries to 178. Praise the Lord!
We also experienced a wonderful Sunday morning with our annual promotion ceremonies. Many mothers have posted pictures of their children receiving certificates on Facebook. What a privilege to witness all these kids being raised in Sunday School!
Don't forget that our beloved former youth pastor, Chris Hanks, will be speaking Wednesday night in church. I am sure that you won't want to miss that.
Our Sunday School campaign which begins on September 19 is just a few weeks away. Let's be praying that God will use it to help us increase enrollment.
Thank you for your continued interest in this ministry. Your prayers and support mean much to us.
Paint and Awnings Coming Soon (Aug 16, 2010)
Yesterday, we continued our stewardship theme with the sermon Raising Cain Because You're Not Able. You can listen to the sermon again by logging on to our website. There was a good response at the altar and faith promise commitments continued to trickle in. We are now over $30,000 in additional missionary support. We praise the Lord for the faithfulness of God's people in tough economic times. This coming Sunday, we will be exposed to the ministry of Jason Ritchie, missionary to Mongolia, who, Lord willing, will be the 177th supported missionary of Grace Baptist Church.
In addition to the increased missionary giving, the congregation unanimously approved a new awning system to cover the sidewalks between our buildings. I was preaching yesterday morning about water coming from the rock, and I stated that a rock is the most unlikely resource for water. Just as I made this statement the sky opened with a heavy downpour. I immediately responded by telling the congregation that water normally comes from the sky. I jokingly added that I was praying for rain yesterday so the congregation would approve the awnings. Regardless of how it happened, the congregation did approve the motion and work should begin within a couple of weeks.
Be in prayer as I meet this morning to put the finishing touches on the purchase of two additional properties on Howard Avenue. Pray that God will give us wisdom as we seek to improve parking and build our new fellowship hall and gymnasium.
A big "thank you" goes to all of you who prayed for me to have an effective ministry at Ambassador Baptist College last week. The Lord gave me a great time with their faculty and staff. The school is continuing its great tradition under the godly leadership of Dr. Alton Beal. God has really knit our hearts together, and I am thankful for his friendship. Our own Corrie Bibb will be attending ABC in the fall, and we are thankful that she has made a good choice to further her education. Corrie is giving a piano recital tonight at Grace at 7:00 PM. If you come, I am sure you will be blessed by her proficient talent.
We are always excited to see our kids grow and develop in the faith. What a joy it was to baptized Jonathan Hurst yesterday. Jonathan is the son of David and Jennifer Hurst. David is a godly pediatrician in our town and is a tremendous asset to our church board serving as a deacon. What a joy to baptize their son yesterday! We are thankful for doctors who are concerned, not only about the bodies of children, but about their souls as well.
On Thursday of this week, I will be flying to Cleveland, Ohio to do an educational workshop for the teachers of Cleveland Christian School and preach in the Thursday night service of Cleveland Baptist Church. I am thankful for the opportunity to preach for my friend, Dr. Kevin Folger. After my workshops on Friday, I will spend the evening with my parents before flying back to Georgia on Saturday. Pray that God will give me effective ministry in the Buckeye state.
Your continued prayers and support of this ministry mean much to us. We have seen several salvation decisions in recent weeks. Pray for us that we will be able to see these new converts baptized and enrolled in our new beginners class.
Bump-Up Sunday Report (Aug 09, 2010)
Yesterday, Grace was privileged to conduct its annual "Bump Up Sunday." This is our mid-year missions booster Sunday when our people are able to re-evaluate their faith promise commitments. People who have never given to missions are able to do so without waiting until our annual missions conference in February. People who have stopped giving are challenged to re-start. And people who have given throughout the year are challenged to "bump it up" a little. I had been praying for an additional $15,000 to the missions budget. The Lord, as always, did "exceeding above all we could even ask or think." The final results yesterday, with some commitments still outstanding, totaled $29,903.12. Praise the Lord. We praise God for the timely messages from Dr. Pat Creed. God consistently uses him on our booster Sunday, and we are thankful for his willingness to come and be so mightily used of God in our midst.
The thirty-second year of Grace Christian School commenced with student body population being slightly higher than we projected. New enrollments are continuing to trickle in. We are thankful for the constituents and faculty that God has given to us.
On Friday, we were able to close on the 2927 Howard Avenue property. This is part of our on-going project to purchase ground for expanded parking and a new fellowship hall and gymnasium. Pray for us as we continue to explore property expansion in the immediate neighborhood.
This coming Sunday, we will be presenting to the congregation a plan to cover all the walkways between our various buildings so that people can move from building to building with ease during times of inclement weather. I am thankful for Ray Kingsbury and John Rogers who have worked hard on the plans for this project.
Yesterday, Bill and Sandra Lockerman were awarded certificates for completing the Soul Winner's Club 12-week course. They both did a wonderful job in their exit exams, and we are thankful for their willingness to perfect their evangelistic skills. If you are interested in next quarter's instruction, contact Denny Henderson as soon as possible. Denny has done a wonderful job with this ministry and is being used of God to lead souls to Christ on a consistent basis, his most recent convert coming this past Thursday night.
Don't forget that this coming Monday night is our annual Sunday School Teacher Prep meetings when we lay the groundwork for our annual fall Sunday School campaign. This year's theme is "Moving on Down the Road." Pray that God will help us grow our Sunday School attendance through this year's campaign.
Later this week, I will travel to Ambassador Baptist College to help them with their annual faculty meetings. Pray that God will use me to be an encouragement to the faculty and staff at this wonderful training ground for preachers.
Your prayers and financial support mean much to us. Continue to keep us in your prayers.
Back from the Sword Conference (Aug 02, 2010)
Karen and I returned from Walkertown, North Carolina on Saturday afternoon after attending the Natonal Sword of the Lord Conference at Gospel Light Baptist Church. It was great to spend time with many of our friends. God blessed in both Karen's session and my preaching time. We both felt the liberty of the Spirit and the prayers of God's people. Dr. Shelton Smith said, and I agree, that the conference had perhaps the best spirit ever. It was a great time of spiritual refreshment.
Before leaving, Karen and I had the privilege of leading Rick to the Lord. Rick was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. He is currently under aggressive chemotherapy that is taking a heavy toll. All of this motivated Rick to make sure that he was on his way to heaven. We praise God for opening his eyes. We are praying for his recovery in order that we might disciple him in the things of God.
The chairman of our deacons, Denny Henderson, was able to lead a soul to Christ Thursday night on visitation. We praise the Lord for deacons who are soul winners!
Yesterday, the Lord blessed with good numbers in spite of the fact that it was the last vacation weekend of summer. We had 570 in Sunday School and 635 for the morning worship. A good number of soldiers this week prayed to receive Christ. We are thankful for the fruit of this vibrant ministry.
Today, our teachers report at 8:00 AM to begin the 32nd year of Grace Christian School. Students report for the first day of classes on Thursday morning. Pray that God will help us be a help to the students that He sends our way.
The Academy of Arts made their annual pilgrimage to Columbus on Wednesday night. Their presentation, as always, was superb. One of our members was motivated to help them with some significant equipment needs.
Jamie and Terrie Snider, missionaries with Rock of Ages, returned their home base to Columbus and joined Grace Baptist Church. We are thrilled to have the Sniders back home with us.
Last night we were able to raise a good chunk of money to help John Pinnix, one of our missionaries in the remote regions of Alaska. As God lays him upon your heart, pray for Brother Pinnix this week that God will help him accomplish the building needs that are pressing.
Thanks so much for your continued interest in this ministry.
