Here we Grow! (Sep 26, 2011)
Bob and Becky Ingram and I were privileged to attend the annual board meeting of the Christian Service Centers, Inc. this past week. CSC hosts its annual board meeting at various centers around the US. This year's meeting was held at the servicemen's center just outside Fort Campbell. Martha and Ernie Brockman were our marvelous hosts, and it was a great thrill to hear how God is using these varrious centers to bring souls to Christ. We were excited to report that the Freedom House in Columbus was able to see over 1500 soldiers stand to receive Christ this year. What a thrill to be involved in such a dynamic ministry. Even with the abbreviated week due to the board meeting, we were able to minister to 163 soldiers this week with 28 standing to receive Christ as Savior. Amen!
Due to the recent push for new bus workers and free pizza for all who attended, bus attendance rose back over 100 riders for the first time in a long time. Four precious bus kids prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church. We are thankful for these decisions.
Jesse Alvidrez attended Grace Baptist Church for the first time yesterday. He fell under conviction during the sermon and walked the aisle at invitation time to receive the Savior. Amen! We never get tired of the warm altar at Grace Baptist Church.
Last night, we were also able to baptize Audrey Moody, the daughter of Paul and Keri Moody. What a great thrill to see our kids accept the Lord and take their stand publicly for Him.
Using an acrostic, our fall Sunday School campaign is honoring the various "builders" of Grace. We have looked already at our bus workers and ushers. This week we honored those who are instructors in our Sunday School. Richard Miller, our Sunday School Superitendent, gave a good overview of our teachers and their responsibilities. He then told how two of our third graders were instrumental in leading another boy to the Lord at Burger King this week. Amen! Nothing gives us teachers more excitement than to see our students using the tools we have given them to be effective soul winners themselves.
This upcoming week, we will be highlighting the ladies' ministries of Grace. Be sure to be there as we honor the various hospitality teams of Grace.
Also, this coming Wednesday night, we will be introducing to our church the ministry of Dan Bergman, who will be working with Jewish people in Cleveland, Ohio. Lord willing, Dan will become the 200th missionary of Grace, a significant milestone in this ministry.
Be sure also to mark your calendars for homecoming on October 9. Our special guests will be the Daughtery sisters who will provide special music and my good friend, Dr. Richard Wallace from Dallas, Texas who will be doing the preaching. It should be a great day.
Your continued prayer and support of this ministry means much to us. Say a word of prayer for us today!
We're Setting Important Records! (Sep 19, 2011)
Thursday evening was such a special day as Grace Baptist Church saw 37 soul winners (a new record for us) hit the streets with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Bryan McDonald, our RU Director, was able to lead two souls to Christ, and Jon Pikett, our singles director, was also able to lead a ten-year-old boy to Christ. We praise the Lord for these decisions. Jon gave a very emotional testimony of his experience in last night's service. It is great to see how God is using our people to bring others into the family of God!
The Lord honors visitation, and the church grows because of it, even if the people who come on Sunday are not the ones we visit on Thursday. We are happy to announce that three precious souls made their public profession of faith yesterday as they were plunged beneath baptismal waters.
The first was Travis Finney. Travis was introduced to Christ several weeks ago on visitation by our high school supervisor Robert Nadaskay. Robert and his wife Hope were very excited when they saw Travis bow his head to receive Jesus as Savior. It was great to see Robert walk the aisle yesterday with this new convert beside him. I am happy that God rewarded their efforts by allowing them to witness the baptism of this young man.
Rosie and Peter Teachout also followed the Lord in baptism yesterday. They are the children of Peter and Joy Teachout. Joy was able to lead her son Peter to the Lord, and Rosie had accepted the Lord several years ago through a Sunday School teacher. What a joy to see these children unashamedly profess Christ publicly as they idenitified with their Savior through the ordinance of baptism.
Over 300 soldiers were ministered to this week through the Freedom House. 69 of these servicemen stood to receive Christ as Savior. Pray for Bob, Becky, and I as we attend the annual board meeting of the Christian Servicemen's Centers later this week at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Last night we were privileged to have James Scott, national representative for the Shenandoah Boys Ranch. James was the preacher the morning I trusted Christ as my personal Savior. What a great thrill to be updated on the ministries there in Cleveland, Tennessee and to hear my good friend preach again. It was a powerful message on the home.
On Wednesday night, we were able to add to Daniel and Hannah Schwalbe to our missionary family. Dan and Hannah work with the deaf in India. Hannah is the daughter of our new associate pastor, James Horton. This makes 199 missionaries supsported by Grace Baptist Church. Lord willing, we will reach the 200 level on the 28th of this month.
Our school fund raiser is in earnest. Pray that the Lord will use this event to help us make improvements in our school facilities.
The girls volleyball team, now 6-1 and undefeated in the region, takes the court tonight against Heritage Christian. We are proud of our ladies and the way that God is using them on and off the court.
This coming Sunday, our Sunday School campaign will enter its third leg as we honor our Sunday School teachers. Plan to be in attendance as we stress the importance of systematic Bible study.
Two new ladies Bible studies will begin in the month of October. Mrs. Amsbaugh will be teaching on the Control Trap, and Marilee DuFrene will be teaching on living in light of the second coming. You won't want to miss these special hours.
Your prayers and support of this ministry do mean much to us. Keep us in prayer today.
God's Revival Fire! (Sep 12, 2011)
The Lord blessed with a wonderful revival this past week. Mike Pelletier and Greg Murray brought their A game to each night, and the anointing of the Lord was felt in virtually every service. We praise the Lord for multiple decisions that were made each night.
On Tuesday evening Melody Riley and Shadonna Calloway both walked the aisle and received Christ as their personal Savior. It was our privilege to baptize both of these young ladies that night. We praise the Lord for the convicting power of His word to bring conviction to hurting souls.
On Wednesday, the Lord blessed in school chapel. Both Will Jackson and Taylor Robichaux prayed to receive Christ. I was able to baptize Will yesterday. What a joy to see this teen's entire family in attendance as he was plunged beneath baptismal waters.
On Wednesday evevning, Frank Williams, one of our paid bus drivers, came to church. Frank was under noticeable conviction when the service ended, but he was not quite willing to pull the trigger. Frank came by the office on Thursday morning, still under conviction, and prayed to receive Christ. Amen! Pray that we will be able to be involved in his discipleship.
On Thursday, Brother Pelletier preached a tremendously convicting message on hell. Numerous teens received assurance of salvation, and a host of others filled the altar vowing to be better soul winners. Ally Muller prayed to receive Christ. What a great day it was! This was perhaps the greatest chapel service that I have witnessed at GCS.
On Friday, school chapel concentrated on full time Christian service. Fifteen young people surrendered for vocational Christian service. What a great capstone to a wonderful week.
This weekend began our annual fall Sunday School campaign. This year's concentration features those who are the "builders" with God in helping Grace Baptist Church grow. The opening week began with a concentration on the bus ministry. Nathan and Ruth Shuler presented a wonderful powerpoint presentation of what bus workers do. I preached on the first bus ministry in the Bible from Mark 2, and at the conclusion of the service 17 new workers committed to help in the bus ministry. James Norton agreed to function as transportation director to help us maintain our fleet. It was a banner day.
In addition to Will Jackson's membership, we were privileged to welcome James and Jackie Horton to Grace. James is our new associate pastor who will be functioning in the areas of music and school administration. We are thankful to have him as part of our pastoral team. Do pray for him as he hits the ground running this week.
Your continued prayers mean much to us. Keep them up.
New Additions! (Sep 06, 2011)
This past Wednesday Frank Densisi, missionary to the Philippines, presented his work, and Grace voted unanimously to add Brother Densisi as our 198th missionary. Frank did a wonderful job of preaching. He definitely has a dynamic personality, and we are confident that God will use him in a mighty way. Pray for him as he finishes up his deputation and enters the island of Cebu.
We had wonderful visitation results this week. Pastor Arrowood and I were able to lead souls to Christ both on Monday and Friday. On Monday, we witnessed to Melody Riley who was discouraged because she had lost custody of her children due to some past addictions. Now that she is clean, she desires to have her kids back, but it has been a long road. We shared with her how a relationship with Christ can fill the void that exists in a lonely heart. She prayed to receive the God of all comfort. Amen!
On Friday, we had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with Tim Granthem. Tim had lost his mother in death. He is currently estranged from his father. He has lost his job and his girlfriend as well. He was at the end of his rope. By the time we were done sharing the Gospel, Tim was clinging to the old rugged cross. Pray that we will be effective in our discipleship of these two precious new converts.
Visitation attendance continues to hover near 30 per week. We are thankful for our soul winners who hit the streets consistently.
God is also using our soul winners in the marketplace. Jim Holt, who owns a car lot in town, hired a fellow by the name of Jon and has been witnessing to him consistently. Jon eventually came into Jim’s office last week and stated that he wanted to be saved. Jim was able to lead him to Christ, and that was the best deal ever made on that car lot!
Our annual revival campaign began yesterday with Evangelist Mike Pelletier. Brother Pelletier preached a wonderful message on prayer last night, and the altar was filled with people who were pledging themselves to commit to earnest prayer for revival. It was a great night.
The revival campaign continues tomorrow at 10:45 AM with high school chapel and a meeting of the Chattahooche Valley Independent Baptist Fellowship and 7:00 PM with more great preaching and tremendous music. Accompanying the Pelletiers are Greg and Heather Murray who were a tremendous help to the services yesterday through their God-glorifying music.
James and Jackie Horton will be arriving in town later this week, and we are excited to welcome them to the pastoral team of Grace Baptist Church. There is great excitement in the air about their arrival, and I am looking forward to his musical expertise and administrative ability to assist me in my heavy load.
We trust that you will enjoy your labor day, and of course as we think about the workers of America, we are reminded of Christ who accomplished all the work that was necessary for salvation. Praise the Lord that He has done a great job on our behalf.
