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.