Many VBS Salvation Decisions (Jun 15, 2009)
Grace Baptist Church has just concluded its annual Bible School with numbers taking a significant jump. It has been four or five years since we have had numbers of this magnitude, and we praise the Lord for it. The auditorium was busting with children. Buses were filled to their capacity. And most importantly, 78 children prayed to receive Christ as personal Savior in the counseling center. Let me share three significant stories with you.
Let's begin with Sophia Powell, the five-year-old daughter of our associate pastor. Sophia and her mother invited a neighborhood boy to VBS. Sophia took it upon herself to pray that the boy would respond favorably to the invitation. While she was in the very act of praying, the doorbell rang. It was the little boy saying that he would come. Early in the week, this boy came down to the counseling center but did not fully understand. On Thursday, however, the light broke through, and this boy prayed to receive Christ. Amen! It all happened because God answered the prayer of a little girl. I don't know about you, but I want to be on Sophia's prayer list.
The second story is about Aaron Lumpkin. Aaron is the middle son of Travis and Tina Lumpkin, two great members of our church. On Thursday night, Aaron fell under conviction and came to the counseling center for salvation. He was led to the Lord, and Travis had the privilege of doing the follow up work. It was obvious to all that Aaron meant business, and it was my privilege to plunge him beneath baptismal waters yesterday and welcome him into the membership of Grace Baptist Church. What a privilege to see our church kids embrace the faith of their parents! VBS is not just for bus kids!
And then finally, let me tell you the story of Jabari Drain. Jabari has been riding our bus for several years now. He has been a handful to say the least. But during VBS, he trusted Christ as Savior, and you could tell the difference in him yesterday at church. It was like he was a new kid. It was my privilege to baptize him yesterday. Thank God for the difference He can make in the life of a kid!
On Thursday afternoon, Karen and I traveled to Lake Oconee where we were privileged to conduct the annual couples retreat for Pastor Nolan Jackson and the Belmont Baptist Church. The Lord blessed and the sessions were well received. It was my privilege to experience very warm hospitality and establish new friendships.
In the next couple of weeks we will be having several missionaries present themselves for support at Grace Baptist Church. Branson Jennings going to Niger, Seth Acree going to Ghana, and Jason Christiansen going to Egypt will be here. We have never had missionaries in any of these countries, and we are excited about the prospects of expanding our missionary outreach. We are especially excited about Seth and Melissa Acree, because we will be their sending church.
Please pray for our teenagers as they leave later this morning for Venture of Faith Camp in Valdosta. Pray that God will use His Word to make life-changing decisions in their hearts.
Don't forget that our annual God and Country Picnic at the North Forty will take place on Saturday, July 4 at 10:00 AM and will last until 2:00 PM. A Mission of Men prayer breakfast will take place at Shoney's this Saturday to discuss the preparations necessary for this event.
I have received numerous emails this week in response to my prayer request in the last Grace Update. Thank you for your prayers. We are trusting that this issue will be resolved in the next week or two. Don't stop praying for me!