Wrapping Up 2009 (Dec 28, 2009)
We trust that you had a very special Christmas enjoying time with your family and friends. Karen and I are especially grateful that our two oldest girls are home from college, and we have thoroughly enjoyed our time together this holiday season. It is remarkable that another year is almost in the books, and yet we are enthusiastically excited about all that God has on the horizon for us in 2010.
Though attendance was down yesterday with many of our regulars out of town, it was refreshing to see so many visitors from as far away as Indiana and as close to home as Columbus, Georgia. The Lord gave us a good service yesterday, and several raised their hands for salvation. Several, however, did not walk the aisle and the one adult lady who did come forward was not yet ready to make her commitment to Christ. Pray for us as we follow up with these contacts. We are happy to report, however, that four precious kids prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church.
Down on the base this week, the Freedom House was able to feed 27 soldiers who were left behind a wonderful Christmas dinner. We are happy to report that 2009 allowed us to minister to 6904 soldiers with 1055 praying to receive Christ as personal Savior. What a joy it will be to report these numbers at the annual meeting of the Christian Servicemen's Centers meeting in Lawton, Oklahoma in just a couple of weeks.
All totaled this year, the ministries of Grace Baptist Church were able to see 1296 professions of faith, and sixty people stepped into our baptismal tank to identify publicly with Christ. Amen!
We were able to set yet another attendance record in Sunday School this year. This is the third year in a row we have broken this record. Last year (2008), we averaged 536 in Sunday School. This year that number climbed to 559. And while we averaged 585 in the morning worship last year, that number reached 605 this year - the first time in our history that we have averaged over 600 for morning worship. Praise the Lord!
Our missions budget continued to grow throughout 2009. We closed the year with 160 missionaries, our highest total ever. Praise the Lord!
This year we were also able to receive a clear title to the buildings at our branch church in Lumpkin, Georgia. Praise the Lord for this miracle that was given to us!
Obviously, amidst the miracles there are burdens that come to any ministry. This year we lost several key "pillars of the assembly." Patsy Durham, Edith Register, and Bernard Cheshire all went home to be with the Lord. The day after Christmas, I laid one of our church members, Charles Smith, to rest. And there is yet another funeral today. Pray that God will use these moments to help others learn of the brevity of life and the certainty of eternity.
Your prayers mean much to this ministry. Please keep them up.