Visitors from Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia were in attendance yesterday.  Pray for us as we follow up with those in our immediate vicinty.

We were particularly thankful to have Harold Cleveland visit Grace for the first time.  Harold was wounded while serving with the U.S. military in the Middle East.  While he was recovering, an army chaplain was able to lead Harold to Christ, but he had no place to be baptized while overseas.  Harold visited Grace for the first time yesterday for the express purpose of making his new faith in Christ public.  What a joy it was to plunge this "soldier of Christ" under the water yesterday!  He emerged from the water and gave me a bear hug, filled with joy over the cleansing that God had brought to his soul.

Karen and I traveled yesterday afternoon to Troy, Alabama where I preached last night for Pastor Chadwick Teal and God's Way Baptist Church.  This was the opening service of their annual Bible Conference.  This year's Bible Conference is a "Family Life Conference," and it was a great opportunity to minister the Word of God in two separate sessions last night.  Pray for me as I minister God's Word three more times in this special conference.

In my absence, Pastor Powell preached a powerful message on "How to Pray for Your Children."  You can listen to his sermon again by logging on to our website.

Last night, we were privileged to welcome into membership Debbie and Jimmie Norton.  Debbie and Jimmie are the proud parents of Michael Norton, a valiant ranger and member of Grace Baptist Church who recently received the Silver Star from the U.S. Army.  Michael's story will be highlighted in the next edition of the Pensacola Christian College Update.  What a great thrill to welcome Michael's parents into our membership who transferring to this area from the great state of Michigan.

Don't forget that our annual Sword of the Lord Conference is less than two weeks away.  Dr. Shelton Smith, editor of the Sword of the Lord, will be our featured speaker on March 21.  He will be joined by Dr. Paul Kingsbury on Monday and Tuesday.  Dr. Kingsbury is the pastor of North Love Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois.  North Love is the home of Reformers' Unanimous.

Also, don't forget that the annual science fair for Grace Christian School will be conducted tomorrow night at our third-quarter PTF.  You won't want to miss it.

Your continued prayers and support of this ministry mean much to us.  Keep them up.

Last Monday, Karen and I boarded a plane and flew to Los Angeles where we ministered at West Coast Baptist College, where our oldest daughter, Ashley, is a junior.  The Lord blessed with a tremendous time and we were well received by the student body.  It was exciting to spend time with my good friends Mark Rasmussen and Don Sisk.

We flew back on Tuesday and got a quick night of sleep before traveling to Pensacola to minister at PCC where our daughter Amy is a freshman.  I was privileged to speak Wednesday night at the Campus Church plus Thursday and Friday in chapel at the college.  I also had the privilege of conducting a ministerial seminar and preaching at the high school.  It was a great week.  The Hortons are always gracious hosts.

We returned to Columbus Friday afternoon.  The Lord blessed with good services Sunday.  We witnessed a baptism and several good decisions on the bus routes and in our Fort Benning Bible studies.  Amen!

This week we have already been to teacher recruitment looking for a second grade teacher, Junior High teacher, and High School math teacher.  Pray that the Lord will give us wisdom as we follow up with these impressive interviews.

Your continued support of this ministry means much to us.  Please keep us in your prayers.

Sunday night, however, attendance dipped a little.  Perhaps because of the Super Bowl, the Saints were marching out.

Wednesday night begins the most significant week in Grace Baptist Church's annual calendar.  Our nineteenth annual world missionary conference will take place.  This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Fred Moritz, General Director Emeritus of Baptist World Mission.  Missionaries on their way to Australia, Ecuador, Egypt, Grenada, Norway, and the state of Nebraska will present their works.  We expect to raise around a quarter of a million dollars for world evangelism this year.  Do pray with us that our faith promise commitments will be the highest ever.

During the Sunday morning service, we had a good number of visitors.  Pray for us as we follow up with these new contacts.

Also, two hands were raised for salvation during the invitation, but both parties failed to walk the aisle.  We will be establishing contact with both persons this week.  Pray that God will give us wisdom as we present the Gospel and that God will grant salvation to both by the end of the week.

Your prayers mean much to us.

Children are an important part of Grace Baptist Church.  This is why we run buses to underprivileged neighborhoods every Sunday.  This week another three children prayed to receive Christ as personal Savior in the counseling center of bus church.  We praise the Lord for these decisions.

We also praise the Lord for another child, Uriah Barfield, who accepted Christ in Junior Church yesterday.  His mom and dad are recent new members of our church.  We praise the Lord for Uriah's sensitivity to God's Spirit.  He followed the Lord in believer's baptism yesterday and became the newest member of Grace Baptist Church.  Amen!

In our zeal to continue to help children, the congregation of Grace Baptist Church voted to underwrite two scholarships for bus kids to attend Grace Christian School each year.  Bus kids who feel called to ministry will be our first priority.  We are hoping to train missionaries from our own ranks.  Amen again!

Yesterday was also characterized by Grace taking special offerings for disaster relief in Haiti.  Numerous children and adults have been hurt by the recent earthquake, and we wanted to do our part to hurt this struggling people.  The people of Grace opened their wallets in a great fashion.  These collected funds will be sent to BIMI who will funnel the funds to veteran missionary Don Dryden who is working closely with national pastors in Port au Prince.  In addition, we showed a missionary presentation in the evening service of Don's son and co-worker, Benji, who has been a good friend to this pastor for several years.  The church voted to add Benji to our missionary family, making him the 163rd missionary of the Grace Baptist Church family.

Bob Ingram and I were able to attend the annual board meeting of the Christian Servicemen Centers last week.  This year's meeting was held in Lawton, Oklahoma just outside of Fort Sill.  What a blessing to be able to report that 1055 servicemen stood to receive Christ last year through the Freedom House here in Columbus.  As I toured the Artillery Musuem at Fort Sill, I was reminded of the power of proper weapons.  What a blessing to pack the Gospel Gun and fire away at the demons of hell.  What a privilege to be in the Lord's Army!  We have already seen 39 soldiers stand to receive Christ this year, and we are praying that God will give us 1200 before the year is done.  Pray that God will give us one new couple to volunteer to sit the center on evenings when Bible studies are being conducted and that our two assistants to Brother Ingram will grow and assume more responsibility as new Bible studies are added to our already growing schedule.

Missions Conference is just a little over two weeks away.  Missionaries to Australia, Ecuador, Egypt, Grenada, Norway, and Nebraska will be featured.  Dr. Fred Moritz, General Director Emeritus of Baptist World Mission, will be our featured speaker.  It should be a great week!  Pray that God will grant us our largest Faith Promise commitment ever!

The boys varsity basketball team concludes their home schedule today.  Is it wrong to pray for a victory?

Anyway, do pray for the ministries of Grace Baptist Church this week as the Lord lays us upon your heart.  Your interest in this ministry means much to us.

Our associate pastor and his wife, Greg and Karen Powell, dedicated their newest arrival, Olivia Grace, to the Lord yesterday during the morning worship service.  Both sets of grandparents were in town for the occasion, and we are thrilled that God is blessing the stellar families of our church with what Dr. Jennings used to call "little chunks of heaven."

We also praise the Lord not merely for physical life, but also for spiritual life that He imparts through the new birth.  Yesterday morning, McQuetta Carter, walked the aisle to trust the Lord as her personal Savior.  She immediately followed the Lord in baptism and was back last night in church.  What a blessing to see people who are serious when they trust Christ.  Praise the Lord for the difference He makes in the lives of people.

We also saw the Lord breathe some life into our bus ministry.  Attendance figures jumped about 20 from the previous week, and three precious children prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church.  Amen!

Our Fort Benning Bible studies also were rejuvenated last week as soldiers returned from their Christmas breaks.  108 attended our various Bible studies last week with 15 of them praying to receive Christ as personal Savior.  Amen again!

Our annual leadership retreat was conducted last week where we put the finishing touches on our goals for 2010.  These goals were then presented to our congregation during last night's service.  You can listen to the entire game plan by logging on to our website and listening to last night's service.

Our theme for this year is "Route - Movin' on Down the Road."  We presented broad goals which were based on an acrostic of the word "route."  The first is riders.  We want to improve our bus ministry with more riders.  To do this, bus church will be moving to a new time, new location, targeting new areas, and soliciting new personnel.

The second goal is to reach our outlying areas.  We are aggressively recruiting an African American intern to help us provide a positive role model for the African American children of Grace Christian School and bus church.  Eventually, we will be planting a church in South Columbus with an African American pastor.  We are also targeting Fort Mitchell and Valley, Alabama, as well as Manchester, Georgia for new churches in our chapel ministry.

The third goal is concerned with the uttermost parts of the earth.  We will be aggressively expanding our missionary outreach to include 500 missionaries by the year 2030.  In addition, we will be providing scholarships for bus children to attend Grace Christian School, with a priority given to those kids who are considering the mission field.

Our fourth goal is tunes.  We want music in the car as we move on down the road.  During 2010, Grace will produce its fourth CD.  This one, however, will be an eclectic CD of various artists within our congregation.  Ed Russ, from Faith Music Mission, along with our own Greg Powell, will be working to make this a reality.

Our final goal is expansion.  The leadership team is exploring the possibility of breaking ground on a new fellowship hall and gymnasium facility within the immediate vicinity of our main campus.  Pray that God will give us wisdom and financing as we pursue these options.

We had over ten different families visit our services yesterday.  We are thankful that God keeps bringing people our way.  Pray for us as we follow up with these visitors and seek to preach the Gospel here and around the world.

Bob Ingram and I will be traveling to Lawton, Oklahoma later this week for the annual board meetings of the Christian Servicemen Centers, Inc.  Pray that we will be a blessing and an encouragement during our presentation times.

May God's richest blessings be yours as you labor in the harvest this week.  Please keep us in your prayers.

Yesterday at 9:30 AM, we began a new quarter of the Soul Winners Club.  Several new couples, an adult man, and a teenage girl all signed up for this quarter.  One of our new membrs, Phil Shuler, was loading his kids into the mini-van after church when a boy from the neighborhood came up and just started watching.  After Phil finished loading the kids, he talked to this boy about the Savior, and within a few minutes this young man was praying to receive Christ.  Amen!  As Phil was finishing up, the boy's father approached, and Phil was able to lead the father to Christ as well.  Amen again!  Pray for Phil (and us) as the discipleship begins.  Pray with us that we will be able to get them baptized soon and on the road to productive Christian living.

At 10:45 AM, the buses began to pull in.  Three buses had mechanical problems due to the chilly temperatures, but all routes were handled by the excellent flexibility of our bus workers.  We had 111 riders yesterday with six of them praying to receive Christ as personal Savior.  Amen!

At 11:00 AM, I continued our January sermon series on "Roads" from the book of Proverbs.  This Sunday we talked about Guardrails, and there were a good number of decisions at the altar.  Several people joined the church yesterday.  We thank the Lord for Jason and Cassandra Belford joining by letter from their church in South Shore, Kentucky.  Paul Nichols, also in the military, joined yesterday by statement.  Praise the Lord!

One of our most "turned around" RU families, the Allens, brought relatives to church yesterday.  Pray for us as we follow up with these local visitors.

At 6:00 PM, we were privileged to feature Paul Hostetler, missionary with BIMI to the field of Madagascar.  Paul did an excellent job of presenting misisons and his particular field.  We were excited about adding him to our missionary family - the 161st missionary of Grace Baptist Church.  Amen!  This is the first time in our 63-year history we have ever had a missionary to this field, and we are excited about having fruit in this ripe part of the world.

Do pray for the leadership team of Grace as it travels to Northeast Georgia this week for its annual retreat.  We will be laying the ground work for 2010's agenda.

Baby dedication is coming soon - January 24.  We are excited about this annual celebration of life.  More babies than ever were born in 2009, and we are excited about honoring them and their parents.

And then our world missionary conference is less than one month away.  Missionaries to Australia, Ecuador, Egypt, Grenada, Nebraska, and Norway will be with us.  Begin praying now about your financial commitment.

Thank you for your continued interest in this ministry.

There were a couple of milestones achieved yesterday.  Let me highlight a couple of them for you.  On January 1, Karen and I were able to visit a family that had been visiting the church.  A mother lives in the house with her adult children.  We were able to lead one of these children, Wanda, to the Lord.  Yesterday, Wanda walked the aisle to follow the Lord in believer's baptism.  Praise the Lord.

We were also able to baptize Jacob Ratliff yesterday.  Jacob is the son of Mike and Kelly Ratliff, our Master Club commanders.  The Ratliffs are a great asset to our church, and it was a great joy to plunge their son beneath baptismal waters and welcome him as the newest member of Grace Baptist Church.

Also joining yesterday were Bryan and Whitney Miller.  Bryan is the younger brother of Richard Miller, our Junior Department Coordinator.  Bryan and his wife Whitney moved to Columbus several months ago, and we are excited that they officially decided to make Grace their church home yesterday.  We praise the Lord for these new additions.

It was also my privilege yesterday to dedicate the son of our youth pastor.  Noah Riley Chambers was officially turned over to God.  We are thankful for the arrival of this joyful baby.  The doctors told Pastor and Mrs. Chambers that they would not be able to have children.  We are thankful that God overruled the doctors.

During the worship service yesterday, one woman raised her hand for salvation but did not come forward.  Please pray for us as we follow up on this precious lady.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will bring conviction to her soul and that we will be able to see her trust Christ as Savior in the near future.

We are off to a good start to this new year, and trust that God will continue to use us to see souls saved in Columbus and around the world.  Please continue to pray for us.

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.

The first is Latifah Foy.  Latifah came to our teen rally last Friday at Hollywood Connection.  She fell under conviction through the preaching of Evangelist Adrian Burden and was among the 43 teenagers who prayed to receive Christ that night.  Yesterday, it was my privilege to plunge Latifah beneath baptismal waters as she took her stand publicly for Christ.  Amen!

Our second baptism yesterday was the public identification of Johnny Wiggins.  Johnny was one of the many men who attended our Sunday service from the Valley Rescue Mission.  Johnny fell under conviction last week and walked the aisle to receive Christ as Savior.  What a privilege to baptize him yesterday!  There were many excited people at Grace to see these two precious souls return and take their stand publicly for Christ.

In addition to these two baptisms, we also witnessed last night the baptism of Trevor Lutsch.  Trevor accepted Christ at the conclusion of the Sunday morning service last week, and it was a privilege to baptize this young man yesterday.

Though most of the soldiers have left post, we were able to have one Bible study on base Monday night.  It was attended by 81 soldiers, fifteen of whom stood to receive Christ as Savior at the invitation.  Amen!  At a seperate service, another seven men prayed to receive Christ Monday night at the mission.  Amen again!

Derick Tyson visited Grace for the first time yesterday.  He was moved by the Holy Spirit to come forward and give his heart to Christ.  Praise the Lord!  Several others raised their hands indicating their need to receive Christ but did not pull the trigger.  Pray for us as we follow up with these contacts this week.

Last night, the sanctuary choir of Grace Baptist Church presented their annual Christmas cantata.  This thirty-five minute presentation was filled with God-glorifying music.  A special thanks to Pastor Powell and our gifted musicians who worked so hard to make it a special night.

In addition to the cantata, Mark Liedtke, our Spanish Pastor, presented the field of Belize.  He and his wife Brenda were recently approved by BIMI, and it is our privilege to be their sending church.  We officially added them to the missionary budget last night, making them the 159th missionary of Grace Baptist Church.  Praise the Lord!

As you know, God promises to bless financially the local church that is committed to missionary outreach.  As we continue to add missionaries, God continues to bring water from the rock.  Our Christian school, as is true of many Christian schools, is struggling financially in this turbulent economy.  Last week, God intervened and sent us over $12,000 of designated funds for the school from outside sources.  Amen!

Prayer has certainly made a difference this week, and we request that you continue to send God some knee-mail on our behalf.

It began on Friday evening with our annual teen rally.  We rented out Hollywood Connection, a local entertainment center here in Columbus in order that we might provide the teens in our city with unlimited roller skating, putt-putt golf, and arcade games.  Evangelist Bryan Samms, who was scheduled to be with us, had to cancel because his grandmother died, and he had to preach the funeral.  We immediately thought of Evangelist Adrian Burden who fortunately had the day open.  He traveled over from the eastern shore of North Carolina to be with us, and God certainly had His hand on this fine evangelist.  564 people were registered for this rally, and by the time the night was over 43 of these young people had prayed to receive Christ as personal Savior!  Amen!  Evangelist Burden said it was the highest number of salvation decisions he was able to have in any one single meeting.  Praise the Lord!  God used this man in a mighty way in our midst.

The rain that started on Friday night came with a vengeance on Saturday.  Our valiant bus workers boarded their buses nonetheless and brought in another 207 children for our elementary school rally.  Attendance was somewhat affected by the precipitation, but Uncle Charlie was undaunted.  This great man of God brought his "A" game.  At the conclusion of his message, 13 children went to the counseling center and were led to the Lord by our trained altar workers.  Amen!

The rain continued into Sunday, and I was not quite sure what the day would hold.  I jokingly told someone that we must be in the millennium - this is the thousand year rain!   The Daybreak Quartet never sounded better Sunday morning.  Their wonderful music help set the table for the preaching of God's Word.  Over 60 residents from the Valley Rescue Mission were in attendance and numerous visitors were in the crowd as well.  The auditorium was filled, and I was ready to preach!  The Lord blessed and nine people walked the aisle to receive Christ as personal Savior.  Amen!

One of those who prayed to receive Christ was Maria Ramirez.  Maria is the mother of Roscio Perez, one of our church members who had a new baby this week.  Maria was in town to see her new grandchild, and fell under conviction as the sermon was delivered.  What a privilege to plunge her beneath baptismal waters yesterday as she publicly identified with Christ.  She came to witness the physical birth of her grandchild on Friday, and we were able to witness her spiritual birth on Sunday.  Praise the Lord!

The Lord sent the rain away just before the morning service concluded, and we were able to feed our Sunday morning crowd with a wonderful ham dinner in an efficient manner.  What a joy to see how all the hands of Grace pitched in and reached out.  I am so blessed to be a part of this wonderful church!

And then there is the military ministry!  Bob Ingram, on what should have been a down week, was able to minister to over 200 soldiers with 15 of them standing to receive Christ as personal Savior.  Amen again!  This year our military outreach has ministered to 6775 soldiers with 1036 of them professing faith in Christ.  Can you believe the way God has used the Freedom House to reach our servicemen?  What a great privilege to watch this marvelous ministry in action week after week!

All totaled, this year's Christmas at Grace was attended by 1,440 people and 80 professions of faith were registered.  Obviously, this makes the money, the effort, and the time all worth it.  We praise God for another great year of blessings.

On top of all this, God allowed us to take on our 159th missionary on Wednesday night.  Touch Keo was brought to Atlanta from Cambodia during the war as a nine-year-old child.  Through a variety of circumstances, Touch found the Lord in Atlanta and made his way to California were he was discipled and trained for missionary service.  He is now on his way back to Cambodia to present the Gospel of Jesus to his own people.  We were privileged to add Touch, his lovely wife Debra, and their three well-behaved kids to our missionary family.  What a blessing they were to our congregation!

Also this week, we celebrated the homegoing of Brother Bernard Chesire, who had been a member of our church board for over 55 years.  Brother Chesire was saved from a life of alcohol back in mid fifties, and God changed his life completely.  There were not many dry eyes as Brother Chesire was laid to rest Wednesday afternoon.  But we are glad to report that one precious soul prayed to receive Christ during his memorial service.  Praise the Lord!

Don't forget that the Sanctuary Choir of Grace Baptist Church will present their annual Christmas cantata this Sunday night.  You won't want to miss it!

And on a personal note, please continue to pray for my dear mother as she recovers from major back surgery.  The doctor said that if mom had waited much longer for the surgery, she would have been confined to a wheel chair.  I am thankful that my wife Karen was able to travel to Ohio in order to help mom as she comes home from the hospital today.

I believe that your prayers have continued to make a life-changing impact on this ministry and this preacher.  Please keep them up.

Our bus church puppeteers were able to present the Gospel in the annual Breakfast with Santa in Phenix City.  The mayor was present, and we are thankful that God allows us every year to present the plan of salvation in this city-sponsored event.  In addition to this rally, there were two kids saved in the counseling center of bus church yesterday, and we thank the Lord for these decisions.

Though many of the soldiers are leaving base for the holidays, we were still able to minister to 147 servicemen this week with nine of them standing to receive Christ as personal Savior.  Praise the Lord!  Karen and I were able to attend the army band's annual concert in downtown Columbus yesterday.  What a joy to see our own Colonel Bryan Owens (soon to be General Owens) give the welcome to those who attended!

Last night, Timothy Ojo, veteran missionary in Nigeria, presented his work.  What a powerful message!  Our people enthusiastically voted to add the Ojo's to our missionary family.  Amen again!

Today, I travel to BIMI for the screening committee of Mark and Brenda Liedtke, who Lord willing will be accepted with that mission agency this evening.  Mark, who is our current Spanish pastor, will be going to the country of Belize to plant churches.  Pray that God will help Mark and Brenda as they go through candidate school this week.

On a personal note, pray for my mother who is scheduled for major back surgery on Wednesday.  We are trusting God that this will be the answer to the back troubles she has had for the past several years.

Don't forget that the lower elementary children of Grace Christian School will present their annual Christmas program Tuesday night.  You won't want to miss it.

And finally, be in much prayer about Christmas at Grace this weekend.  We are expecting over 1500 people with hundreds of them in need of the Savior.  Pray that our Friday night teen rally, Saturday afternoon children's rally, and Sunday morning service will all be mightily used to bring dozens of people into the family of God!

Bus attendance was down (96 riders), but the Lord got ahold of one child's heart during bus church, and that child made a trip to the counseling center to receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior.  Amen!  Our chapel in Lumpkin was slightly up in attedance, as was our base ministry.  Brother Ingram reports that nine soldiers stood to receive Christ as personal Savior this week.  Praise the Lord!  All totaled, we had 612 for Sunday School this week and 662 for the morning worship.

Several visitors were in attendance yesterday morning.  Pray for us as we follow up with them.  In addition, two people visited Grace for the first time last night.  The sermon was on "Why Does Christ Like Blood So Much?"  At the conclusion of the service, both visitors walked the aisle to receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior.  Amen!

On school front, don't forget that our annual Christmas programs begin tomorrow night.  The Upper Elementary and High School programs will be presented December 1 at 7:00 PM.  The Lower Elementary program will take place a week later at 7:00 PM.

Christmas at Grace is right around the corner.  Three big rallies are planned this year.  The teen rally, featuring Evangelist Bryan Samms, will be December 11 at 10:00 PM.  The children's rally, with Uncle Charlie, will be December 12 at 4:00 PM.  And the adult rally with the Daybreak Quartet and a free Christmas dinner will take place December 13 at 10:30 AM.  We are expecting to exceed 1500 people throughout the weekend and are trusting God for dozens of salvation decisions.  I trust you will pray with us about this most important weekend.

This coming Sunday, I will begin my annual Christmas series.  This year's sermon series is entitled "People Who Missed Christmas."  I trust that you will be in attendance all four weeks of December.  End the year right by being in the house of God!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support of this ministry.  May God's richest blessings be upon you this week.

Let's begin with the buses.  What a joy it is to see our faithful bus workers each week board these vehicles to bring children to Sunday School.  The Lord rewarded their efforts yesterday with a slight peak in bus attendance.  Six precious young people prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church.  Amen!

On Fort Benning this week, we had to battle the annual School of Americas protest.  Thousands of people come to Fort Benning each year to protest the former School of Americas, where Latin soldiers are trained in military expertise.  The protest does not really affect what goes on inside Fort Benning.  Since Bob Ingram was tied up helping police who monitor the protest, Pastor Liedtke performed the Bible studies.  216 soldiers attended this week with 40 of them standing to receive Christ as personal Savior.  Praise the Lord!

We were privileged to witness three baptisms yesterday.  The first was that of LeAnn O'Brien.  LeAnn came to us several years ago through our program which put a packet of information about Grace on every door in Columbus.  LeAnn put her daughter in our school because of that packet and started attending Grace Baptist Church.  LeAnn had many adjustments to make in her thinking because she was coming from a liberal Methodist background.  But God slowly made the changes, and yesterday LeAnn was immersed and welcomed into the membership of Grace Baptist Church.  Amen!

We also baptized two young people yesterday.  We praise the Lord for the baptisms of Sean Henry and Emily Hurst.

We had a good number of visitors yesterday, both at the main campus and at our Lumpkin sattelite.  Pray for us as we follow up on these contacts.

Don't forget that our mid-week service will be moved to Tuesday night this week because of the Thanksgiving holidays.  Be sure to join us for this special thanksgiving service.

Also, be in much prayer about our annual Christmas at Grace festivities, December 11-13.  A special youth rally will take place at Hollywood Connection.  Evangelist Bryan Samms will be our featured speaker.  We are expecting hundreds of unevangelized teens to be in this service.  On Saturday, Uncle Charlie from CBH Ministries will return to Grace to conduct our children's rally.  And Sunday will feature the Daybreak Quartet, an evangelistic message, and a free ham dinner to all who attend.  We are praying for 1500 this weekend with dozens of salvation decisions.  I trust that you will pray with us.

On the school front, our boys basketball team returned from Milton, Florida on Saturday night with a hard-fought first place finish in the Conqueror Classic Basketball Tournament.  Congratulations to coaches Joe and Joey Harmon and to all our players.  When the team came home, they presented me with a warm-up jersey (not that there is any danger of me warming up any time soon).  We play one of our toughest opponents, Mt. Area, tonight at home.

And in conclusion, just in case you didn't hear, Ohio State beat Michigan for the sixth year in a row.  The Browns?  Now that's a different story!

Speaking of fifteen-year anniversaries, I stayed over Sunday and preached for Pastor Bill Fennell in Mount Vernon, Ohio to help them celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the Mount Vernon Baptist Temple. A lady who came to witness her daughter's baptism was saved after the morning worship service in the counseling center, and several good decisions were made among Christians. Pastor Fennell has been in Mount Vernon for eight of the church's fifteen years, and he is doing a marvelous job. The church has recently purchased 20 acres of land, and it is a church on the move. It was a great privilege to be with them.

While in Ohio, Dr. Shelton Smith from the Sword of the Lord called and asked me to do a systematic column for the Sword addressing social issues and the Bible's answer for them. This new feature begins in January. Pray that the Lord will use it to be a help to those who read it.

In my absence, Pastor Powell preached the morning worship at Grace. James Taylor walked the aisle and received Christ as his personal Savior. Amen!

Pastor Chambers reported good numbers on the buses, and six precious children prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church. Amen again!

The Lord blessed again with good numbers in our military ministry. Brother Ingram reported 147 soldiers in this week's outreach with 20 of them standing to receive the Lord as personal Savior. Praise God that He is using His Word to bring about such fruit.

We were able to record 590 in attendance for Sunday School and 616 for the morning worship. We are on target to have our highest year ever. Pray that the Lord will help this ministry end this year on a high note.

Christmas at Grace is right around the corner. The dates are December 11-13. Evangelist Bryan Samms, Uncle Charlie, and the Daybreak Quartet will be with us for the weekend. You won't want to miss it.

On a personal note, it was a great privilege to stay with my godly parents during my recent trip to Ohio. Do pray for my mother who is scheduled for major back surgery on December 9. Mom has been battling severe back pain for several years, and the doctors are promising her 80% relief with this surgery. Let us pray to that end!

And as God lays this ministry upon your heart, continue to pray for us. Your prayers mean much!

The activities began on Friday evening when the Varsity Crusaders opened the defense of their state championship with a scrimmage against Fayette Christian School.  The crusaders won very handily, and we were honored to crown this year's homecoming queen during an impressive half-time ceremony.  This year's winner was Brittany Atkinson.  We thank the Lord for the marvelous testimony of this godly Christian girl.

The Varsity Crusaders returned to the floor on Saturday morning, along with the Lady Crusaders, to play the alumni who had come home for the weekend.  The Lady Crusaders were defeated by the alumni girls, but the Varsity Crusaders took care of the alumni men.  During the half time festivities, all the alumni who had returned to Columbus for the occasion were honored at center court.  In addition, we were proud to present the "Alumnus of the Year" award to Pastor Thomas Pope, from the class of 91.  Thomas pastors the Central Baptist Church here in Columbus and is a great preacher of the Word of God.  We were honored to add him as the newest member to the Mama Jo Bowers Crusader Hall of Fame.

On Sunday morning, during the morning worship service, Gayle Edmondson was honored for her thirty years of teaching service at Grace Christian School.  Mrs. Edmondson, "the consummate educator," was honored with a clock, a cash gift, and flowers.  We were also privileged to name our education building in her honor.  The Gayle Edmondson Education Center was officially dedicated yesterday with a magnificent portrait of Mrs. Edmondson being unveiled which will hang in the main lobby.  The portrait was done by our artist in residence, Pastor Mark Liedtke.  We thank the Lord for Mrs. Edmondson, who will be the longest tenured employee in the history of our ministry before the conclusion of this school year.

During the morning worship service, several good decisions were made as four new converts walked the aisle to follow the Lord in believer's baptism.  We thank the Lord for these new believers.  Following the Lord in this special ordinance were Bryan Cooke (manager of our local Penney's store) and his son Tyler, Eric Henry (saved during our recent Ron Comfort revival), and DeWitt Williams.  In addition to these we were privileged to welcome into membership Sonja Byrd and Dyamond Thornton.

During the evening service, our alumnus of the year, Thomas Pope, delivered the message.  It was a great sermon on the grace of God.  Several decisions were made at the altar, and Thomas was able to baptize his niece at the conclusion of the service.  We thank the Lord that Thomas was able to do this for Brianna, who attends our church.  Also during the evening service, Annette Byrd made her profession of faith after being led to the Lord by her daugther last week.  And Phil and Katie Shuler dedicated their new son Thaddeus to the Lord.  It was a great day!

We thank the Lord that he is continuing to use this ministry to see people saved on a weekly basis.  Another five bus kids prayed to receive Christ yesterday in the counseling center of bus church, and another twenty-one soldiers stood to receive Christ yesterday at Fort Benning.  Amen!

Don't forget that Christmas at Grace will take place in just a couple of weeks.  Uncle Charlie, Evangelist Bryan Samms, and the Daybreak Quartet will be with us for a wonderful weekend.  Plan to be attendance!

Right now we are on schedule to conclude the year with our highest Sunday School average ever.  We have broken attendance records the last two years, and it appears as if we are on target to do it for a third consecutive year.  Let's be sure to end the year on a high note to make this possible.

Your continued prayers and support of this ministry mean much to us.

From there, I drove over the Atlanta airport to catch a plane to Baltimore, Maryland, to officiate the funeral of our oldest church member, Eunice Laird. Eunice entered the presence of God at the ripe old age of 97. I drove to Rising Sun from Baltimore where the funeral was held and grabbed a motel. The Lord gave great liberty during the eulogy, and three reported salvation decisions were made, according to Eunice's daughter Dottie. Praise the Lord!

After the committal, I drove back to Baltimore and flew back into Atlanta, and quickly drove to Grace for the Wednesday night prayer service. Our associate pastor, Greg Powell, preached a very convicting message on the true nature of sanctification. Log on to our website and give it a listen. The principles if applied will revolutionize your life!

The church in order to honor our ten years of service here at Grace had given my family and my parents tickets to the Ohio State homecoming game on Saturday. So we boarded a plane again Thursday morning to fly to Ohio so that I could spend a couple of days with my parents before the game. While we were traveling, the health of my lone surviving grandparent was dwindling. We went from the airport in Columbus, Ohio straight to the hospital in Mansfield, where I made it in time to pray with Grandma, who died a half-hour after our arrival. Her passing was so sweet, and the family really seemed to bond during this difficult time.

I was especially honored that my Uncle Jerry asked me to deliver the eulogy along with the other two pastors that were officiating her service. I was thankful that we were able to get our tickets changed and stay over till Monday to be a part of this special service.

Dr. Adkins asked, since I was staying over, if I would preach Sunday morning at Mansfield Baptist Temple. It was their faith promise commitment Sunday, and giving me the pulpit on that day is like saying "sick 'em" to a bulldog. The Lord blessed with good freedom. One lady was saved in the 11:00 hour, and another lady who had robbed a church offering plate 41 years earlier repented, and returned the money to the Lord at the invitation time. She was a modern-day Zaccheus! Praise the Lord!

While I was in Ohio, Dr. Comfort arrived in Columbus safely, along with Dr. Brubaker and Evangelist Cajiuat, to do our annual church and school revival. God gave Dr. Comfort great freedom. Four were saved in the morning worship. One was baptized. One surrendered to full-time Christian service. Amen! What a blessing Dr. Comfort has been to this preacher. I got to renew friendship with him last night as I returned to Columbus.

Thanks for the many of you who have sent cards and prayers on our behalf during this time of bereavement. It is greatly appreciated.

We boarded a plane on Thursday morning and flew to Houston, where we were greeted by Johnny and Barbara Pope.  Dr. Pope has pastored the Christchurch Baptist Fellowship for nearly thirty years, and we were honored to be a part of their couples retreat in Galveston, Texas.  The theme of the retreat was centered on building marriages that "survive the storm."  I taught five different sessions on family life and felt good liberty throughout the weekend.  The Popes are some of our newer friends, but we are thankful that God has allowed our paths to cross.  They were gracious hosts throughout the retreat, and we left for home on Saturday morning feeling refreshed ourselves as a result our time with them.  We arrived home around 9:00 PM Saturday night.

The church was waiting Sunday morning with numerous gifts and words of encouragement.  The most exciting gift for me was six tickets to Ohio State's homecoming game against Minnesota this weekend at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.  Though I have been a Buckeye fan for years, I have never seen a game on the banks of the Olentangy, and I am thrilled the church made such a sacrifice to buy such good seats for the occasion.  They are also flying Karen, April, and I to Columbus a few days early so that we can spend time with my parents.  What a great gift!

Though the numerous gifts and the reception after church last night was precious, the most encouraging thing was the many expressions of thanks and heartfelt appreciation that we received from our people.  For whatever reason, this has been a somewhat discouraging year, and the numerous expressions of love provided a much-needed "gut warm."  We praise the Lord for the wonderful sheep that God has allowed me to shepherd.

On Sunday morning, it was my privilege to help Justen and Laura Alger dedicate their second son, Everett, to the Lord.  Outside of my immediate family, I have pastored Justen longer than anybody - some 17 years.  What a privilege to now be the pastor of his lovely wife and two precious boys.

In the evening service, our chapel pastor, Brian Allison, performed his first baptism.  It was especially precious because he baptized his wife, who had been struggling with her salvation.  Heather got it settled this weekend, and Brian did a great job of presenting the beauty of this God-ordained profession of faith.

Our Fort Benning Bible studies were attended by 125 soldiers this week with twelve professions of faith.  Praise the Lord!

Do pray for me as I precah at Luther Rice University tomorrow and then board a plane for Baltimore where I will be officiating the memorial service for Eunice Laird, a 97-year-old member of our church who went home to be with the Lord last week.

I'll fly back to Columbus on Wednesday to gather the family so that we can fly to Columbus on Thursday to watch the Buckeyes.  The church has arranged for us to fly back on Saturday in time for our annual revival campaign which begins this upcoming Sunday.  Do pray for Dr. Comfort and the rest of the evangelistic team as they minister to us next week.

Please continue to keep this ministry near the top of your prayer list.

On Monday evening, Karen and I received a call from one of our long-time "church members" who was doubting her salvation. She asked if Karen and I could come over that evening and help her with these plaguing doubts. It became obvious by the time our conversation was ended that Alice Wall had never truly been born again. She bowed her head that night and gave her heart to Christ. Amen! It was my privilege to baptize her Wednesday night and welcome her into the fellowship of Grace as a legitimate member.

Also on Wednesday evening, Jonathan and Shelley Calhoun joined the church. They have been attending Grace for a little while now, and John, who was in the military, was about to be deployed. He wanted to join along with his wife before his departure for duty overseas. They are a lovely couple, and I am sure they will be a great help to this ministry.

Several weeks ago, I was privileged to lead Tundra Davis through the sinner's prayer. Tundra still was struggling with her salvation and walked the aisle on October 4 to solidify her faith in Christ. It was my privilege to baptize her yesterday and welcome her as the newest member of Grace Baptist Church.

Steve Waddell and I were out soul-winning on Saturday and followed up with Christopher Freeman and Tina Jones, an engaged couple who visited Grace hoping to get their soon-to-start marriage off on the right note. We explained to them that the only way to have a truly Christian home is to have a home of Christians. We explained the plan of salvation to them, and both Christopher and Tina prayed to receive Christ. Amen! We baptized both of them yesterday.

Bus riders once again numbered over a hundred yesterday. Four precious children prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church. Praise the Lord!

Fort Benning Bible studies this week were attended by 178 soldiers with 24 of them standing to receive Christ as personal Savior. Amen! Please pray for our Freedom House Director's wife, Becky Ingram, who went to the hospital yesterday with chest pain. The doctors, thankfully, determined that she is not experiencing heart trouble. Pray that the pain medication they have given her will be effective in alleviating her discomfort. The Ingrams are a great blessing to us!

The Lord also blessed with good numbers at our sattelite church in Lumpkin, Georgia. Pastor Allison witnessed a good increase in the morning worship service, and one new visitor was present yesterday. Pray for them as they follow up. Grace of Lumpkin will be a holding a tent revival this week. Pray that the Lord will give souls and new contacts through these special meetings.

Of the visitors that attended Grace in Columbus yesterday, one family came as a direct result of our radio broadcast, A Touch of Grace. We praise the Lord for this. If you would like to know more about our radio ministry, log on to our website at www.atouchofgrace.org.

Last night we were also privileged to welcome Nathan and Ruth Ann Shuler into the membership of Grace. Nathan had been a member previously, and it was a great joy to see him return with his new wife. Pray that we will be a blessing to them. I know they will be a blessing to us.

Grace was also privileged to add John Pinnix to our missionary family last night, the 156th family supported by Grace. John and Janet, along with their six precious children, will be stationed about 50 miles north of Anchorage. From there they will use planes, boats, and snowmobiles to reach the remote regions of Alaska - towns completely removed from the road system of our 49th state. Many of these towns have no churches, and some have never even heard of Jesus. They will be working in "the bush" regions of America. John was a great blessing to our church last night, and you can listen to his sermon by logging on to our website.

Don't forget that this upcoming week we are supposed to write our government officials who are doing a good job and tell them how much we appreciate them.

Please pray for Karen and I as we travel Thursday to Galveston, Texas to minister at the couples' retreat for Christchurch Baptist Fellowship. Johnny Pope has become a good friend, and we are excited about this opportunity to minister family truth.

This upcoming Sunday, Karen and I will celebrate ten years of ministry here at Grace. Where has this decade gone? We thank the Lord for the privilege of serving week after week at one of America's great churches.

Special thanks is due to those of you who have prayed for our financial situation. Offerings were very healthy again yesterday, and the Lord is keeping this church current with all bills paid in the midst of America's econcomic turbulence. Praise the Lord for the sacrifice of His people. Please continue to pray for this vital ministry.

Dr. Paul C. Fedena, long-time pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, was our featured guest. Pastor Fedena has been saved for 53 years, preaching for 51 years, and pastoring for 43 years. The last 31 years of his pastoral career have been in the Greater Philadelphia area. Pastor Fedena preached two powerful messages yesterday, which were a tremendous help to our congregation. He was also the recipient of our prestigious "Hodges Award," given every year to the pastor who best mirrors the traits of my beloved predecessor, Walter Lee Hodges. Pastor Fedena has been mightily used of God to lead many "down and out" people to the Lord in the greater Philadelphia area. It was great to spend the weekend with him and renew fellowship with this long-time friend.

Our bus routes had decent numbers yesterday. 116 bus riders boarded our vehicles with three precious children praying to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church. God is blessing our bus ministry with some new drivers and captains who appear to have a great vision for what God can do through them. Amen!

Our military ministry on Fort Benning was attended by 123 soldiers. Ten of these stood to receive Christ as personal Savior. We praise the Lord for the consistent results of this vital ministry.

Homecoming saw a good number of visitors from the Columbus area. Pray for us as we follow up on these contacts. Visitors also were present from Alabama and Florida.

We were able to baptize two people yesterday in the morning worship. Caitlyn Clarisse, who accepted the Lord during Vacation Bible School, was baptized. We praise the Lord for her parents, Kevin and Christen Clarisse who are vital members of our church. We also baptized Jose Baquero who was saved this summer in our Master Club program. His family came to witness his baptism. Pray that we will be able to have inroads into this family.

During the morning worship, Tundra Davis walked the aisle to receive Christ as her personal Savior. Amen! Pray for us that we will be able to baptize her and enroll her in our discipleship program.

Seth and Melissa Acree, missionaries to Ghana, West Africa, and commissioned by Grace Baptist Church, moved to Columbus this week and will be moving into our missionary cottage while they are on deputation. They officially joined last night after being away to further their education. Seth was raised at Grace Baptist, and we are thankful for the call of God upon his life. Pray that God will raise the Acree support in a timely manner.

Many of you prayed for our finances last week, and we appreciate your prayers. We had a very good offering yesterday, which will help us eradicate some of our outstanding bills. Please continue to pray that our finances will stay solid in these turbulent econcomic times.

Bus riders were over a hundred yesterday with six of these precious children praying to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church. Amen! Pastor Chambers had been praying for five salvation decisions, and the Lord answered his prayer "plus one." Praise the Lord!

We ministered to over a hundred soldiers this week on post, with fourteen of them praying to receive Christ as personal Savior. Do pray for Brother Ingram, our military pastor, as he travels to a missions conference this week to present the work of the Freedom House. Pray that the Lord will provide additional funds for this vital ministry.

Later this morning, Karen and I will be traveling to Pensacola where I will be lecturing tonight to the ministerial students on "Moral Purity in the Ministry." Karen will be lecturing to the female Bible majors. Pray that God will use us tonight. We will travel back to Columbus tomorrow morning.

Don't forget that this upcoming Sunday is Homecoming. Dr. Paul Fedena will be joining us, and we will have a great time with dinner on the grounds and good preaching. You won't want to miss it.

Looking ahead, our annual revival campaign is scheduled for October 25-30. Our featured speaker will be Evangelist Ron Comfort.

As the economy continues to struggle, giving has tapered off a little at the church. Pray that God will help us to be wise stewards of the funds entrusted to us and that God's people will be sensitive to ways they can make up the slack.

Your prayers for this ministry mean much to us.

Let's begin with the homegoing celebration of Edith Register. Mrs. Register passed away Tuesday night around 10:00 AM at the age of 86. She had been a member of Grace since the Neaves administration in the 1950s. Mrs. Register, who was often referred to as the "granny of Grace," served as nursery coordinator for 28 years. She also was a frequent attender of GCS athletics, and her daughter Beth was the first registered student of Grace Christian School. The auditorium was filled on Saturday with both current and former members of Grace who had come to pay their respects to this wonderful woman. For those of you who missed it, the memorial service is available on CD. You can order one through the church office.

Yesterday we were able to see several key decisions. We begin with Sheila and Aaron Allen. The Allens came to us through our RU ministry, and through the discipleship ministry of Pastor Chambers and his key leaders, the Allens have shown phenomenal growth. They recognized that this growth has come through a caring church, and they officially united with our membership yesterday. We are thankful to have them.

We are also thankful for the opportunity to baptize Theresa Thomas yesterday. Theresa came to Grace through the witness of our singles. Theresa worked at Shoneys where several of our singles work. Jennifer Acree, Christina Pasciewitz, and Terrance Portier all encouraged Theresa to visit church. She did, and we were able to lead her to Christ in her home several weeks ago. Theresa made her commitment public yesterday through the ordinance baptism, and she enrolled as the newest member of our discipleship course. Praise the Lord! What a thrill to see Pastor Powell put in our singles a love for the lost around them!

Janette Addison was also baptized yesterday. Janette has been attending Grace for some time. Through preaching from the pulpit of Grace, and also through listening to Christian radio while she did the night shift at a local hotel, Janette realized she was not saved. She accepted the Lord as her Savior this week and public identified with Christ yesterday through baptism. Amen!

Devon Mason who received the Lloyd and Anita Berrey Scholarship to Grace Christian School fell under conviction at school camp and trusted Christ as his Savior. Amen! Devon came forward to make his public profession last night.

We ministered to a 131 soldiers at Fort Benning this past week with thirteen of them standing to receive Christ as Savior. Some came to Christ through public preaching. Others came to Christ through personal counseling. Sam Liedtke was very excited about the soldier he was able to lead to the Lord yesterday morning. What a delight to see our young preacher boys get a love for the souls of men!

Dr. David Hurst was able to report last night on his missions trip to Honduras with Bradley Edmondson and Medical Missions Outreach. What a thrill it is to see this great pediatrician in our town use his skills to bring people to the Savior in foreign lands.

Please continue to pray for the ministries of Grace Baptist Church, that God will use us to reach our community and the world for Christ.

The week between these two departures allowed me to teach through the book of Daniel at Pensacola Theological Seminary. God gave me a class of sharp students, and the days were filled with good interaction. What a joy it is to be involved in training the next generation of preachers!

During my absence on Labor Day weekend, Pastor Powell kicked off our Sunday School fall program with a message entitled, "Tune It In, and Turn It Up." You can listen to the message again by logging on to our website. In addition, Kaitlyn Welles, daughter of Gordon and Karen Welles, was baptized. The church also voted to add Robert Krzesinski, missionary to Poland, to our missionary family, bringing the total number of GBC supported missionaries to 155 - our highest total ever. Praise the Lord!

Yesterday, the Lord blessed in a tremendous way. We saw good decisions at the altar, and Cindy Scarborough followed the Lord in believer's baptism. It was my privilege to lead Cindy to the Lord several days ago. We are thankful for her willingness to take her stand publicly for Christ.

In addition, there were a good number of decisions in bus church yesterday. Eight kids accepted the Lord as personal Savior in the counseling center. And our Bible studies on post were also profitable, with seventeen soldiers standing this week to receive Christ as personal Savior. Amen!

A good number of visitors were in attendance yesterday, most of them from in town. Pray for us as we follow up on these. Also, we have seen some significant salvation decisions in recent days. Pray that we will be able to see these people follow the Lord in baptism and enter our discipleship program.

As we continue through our fall campaign, don't forget that Homecoming Sunday is October 4, and our annual revival campaign will be October 25-30. This year's featured speaker with be Evangelist Ron Comfort.

Your continued prayers and interest in this ministry means much to us. Thank you for your support.

At the conclusion of the ordination service last night, Stephen and Brooke White had their fathers come to the platform and pray a word of blessing over their ministries.  A great reception followed in Hodges Hall.  It was a banner day!

The Lord blessed with good attendance yesterday.  Sunday School attendance was 651 and morning worship was 690.  We had 106 bus riders yesterday, with three accepting the Lord in the counseling center of bus church, while 212 soldiers attended our Fort Benning Bible studies with 31 standing to receive Christ as personal Savior.  Amen!

In the morning worship service, we had a good number of decisions at the altar.  Sam Vinyard joined our church by statement yesterday, and Shelton Averett followed the Lord in believer's baptism.  Shelton had been led to the Lord by Stephen White and our associate pastor, Greg Powell.

What a privilege it is to see young ministers picking up the mantle and advancing the cause of Christ.  May their tribe increase!  And may God help me to spend the rest of my life encouraging the next generation of fundamentalists.

In my absence, Pastor Powell preached the Sunday evening and Wednesday night messages. They were very well received, and you can listen to them again by logging on to our website.

Upon my return Thursday, Karen and I visited Karen Ange, a recent visitor to Grace. We were able to take a Bible and lead Karen to a saving knowledge of the Lord. It was my privilege to plunge Karen beneath baptismal waters yesterday. Praise the Lord!

Our buses brought in 117 riders yesterday. Five of these prayed to receive the Lord in the counseling center of bus church. Amen!

Over 145 soldiers attended our Bible studies on Fort Benning this week. Eight of these stood to receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior. Amen again!

Last night we were privileged to have Jeremy Benbrooks with us. Jeremy and his wife Mattie are on their way to Togo, West Africa. They are being sent through Mikado Baptist Church, where Jeremy has been on the staff as children's pastor. Mikado is a great church in the greater Macon area. Jeremy's wife grew up in my home church, Mansfield Baptist Temple. They represented their church, BIMI, and most importantly, the Lord well. It was our privilege to add them as the 154th missionary family of Grace Baptist Church.

Our school year started well last week. This is the 31st year of Grace Christian School. The average Christian school dropped in enrollment by 33% this year. We experienced some decrease, but not as severe as the average. Pray that the Lord will send us the students He desires for us to have.

This weekend, our high school supervisor, Stephen White, will be ordained to the Gospel ministry. Dr. Johnny Pope will be joining us for the ordination and preaching all day Sunday, August 23. You won't want to miss it.

Your continued prayers for this ministry do make a difference. Please keep them coming!

Our teens arrived back in town on Friday after a tremendous missions trip in Boston. Thousands of flyers were distributed, and they were a tremendous help to a new church plant in Haverhill. Many of our teens had their lives impacted for good and for God, and they will be reporting on their work this coming Sunday night in the worship service.

Last evening, we had a special treat as the Vessels of Honor from West Coast Baptist College ministered in our worship service. These girls did a marvelous job, and Dr. Toby Weaver, dean of students, preached a convicting message. You can listen to it by logging on to our website.

We had a good day yesterday in our extension ministries. 122 bus riders boarded our vehicles yesterday, and eight of these precious children prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church. On base, 116 soldiers attended our Bible studies with 12 of these standing to receive Christ as personal Savior. Amen!

Our school teachers report for work this morning. I have numerous interviews for new students this week. Pray that God will give us a good school year.

On Wednesday, I will be traveling to Lancaster, California to preach the mid-week service at Lancaster Baptist Church. Dr. Chappell has asked me to preach on "Technological Dangers in the Ministry." My book Pay-Per-View will be made available after the evening service. Pray that God will help me to help someone who may be battling pornography.

Your prayers for this ministry mean much. Keep them up.

On Thursday of this week, I traveled to Somerville, Alabama to preach for Pastor Shane Lewis and the Somerville Baptist Church. God is doing some marvelous things in Somerville. I praise the Lord for the good spirit of this godly pastor. His people are used to preaching, and the Lord blessed us with a sweet meeting. On the way to his church, I stopped in Decatur to say hello to my good friend, Dr. Fred Moritz who is retiring from the general directorship of Baptist World Mission. We were able to spend some quality time together. It was my privilege to tour their new facilities and meet their incoming director, Dr. Bud Steadman. It was a good day all the way around!

Our young people arrived in Boston, Massachusetts for their annual missions trip early Friday morning (4:00 AM). They awoke at 11:00 AM and passed out some 700 packets. Over 2200 were passed out on Saturday, and they spent all day today ministering in a new church plant in the greater Boston area. God is blessing their trip, and we are praying that God will use this time to call some of them to the mission field.

Base Bible studies this week were attended by over 100 soldiers, and eleven of these prayed to receive Christ as personal Savior. Amen! Pray for Brother Ingram as he meets this week with Army brass about the possibility of starting two new strategic Bible studies on post.

Tomorrow, the Amsbaugh clan and the Powell clan will travel to Walkertown, North Carolina for the National Sword of the Lord Conference. Pray that God will give us safety in travel and recharge our batteries for the fall ahead.

Don't forget that school starts in two weeks. Can you believe it? Teachers report August 3, and students report August 10. Pray that God will bless with enrollment and use us this year to be a blessing to our constituents.

Pastor Powell and I were able to lead a young mother to Christ this week. Pray for us as we follow up with her.

Special thanks to those of you who prayed for Ashley's health. She is greatly improved and ready to go back to college in just a few weeks. We also have a renter for our home. God has stepped through again answering prayer in the nick of time. Praise His name!

Thanks again for your interest in this ministry.

Our Bible studies at Fort Benning were also very profitable. We saw nearly two hundred in attendance this week with dozens of soldiers standing to receive Christ as personal Savior. Praise the Lord!

On Saturday, our young people were engaged in their last major fundraiser for their missions trip to Boston. The Lord blessed, and over $1100 was raised. Please pray for our youth group as they fly Thursday to the Northeast to help in a new church plant in the greater Boston area. Pray that God will save souls, encourage the missionary pastor, and call some of our young people to the mission field.

Also on Saturday, we had a good fellowship at our sattelite church in Lumpkin. Pastor Allison put on a very good program, and it was a privilege to spend some time with our friends in Stewart County. Continue to pray that God will help this church to grow.

On Thursday, Karen and I had the privilege of traveling to Cleveland, Tennessee, where I preached for my friend Jason Grubbs at the Shenandoah Baptist Church. The Lord blessed with a wonderful meeting, and the altar was filled at invitation time. What a privilege to see the girls haven and boys ranch where hundreds of young people have had their lives turned around. In addition to spending time with Pastor and Mrs. Grubbs, Karen and I also were able to spend Friday morning with James and Thelma Scott. James is the director of the boys ranch and was the preacher who was preaching the morning I received Christ nearly 34 years ago.

After church last night, our family got to spend some quality time with the Pinnik family who are on their way to the remote regions of Alaska as missionaries. Karen and I thoroughly enjoyed our time with them, and I am certain we will have them in for a meeting in the not-too-distant future.

On Thursday of this week, I will be preaching for Pastor Shane Lewis at Somerville Baptist Church in Somerville, Alabama. Pray that God will give us a good meeting.

Don't forget that this upcoming Sunday is our annual missions Bump-Up Sunday where we re-evaluate our faith promise commitments. Pray that God will give us a good increase. We received over $5,000 in faith promise offerings yesterday. Praise the Lord!

Your prayers for and interest in this ministry mean much to us. Pray that God will give us a free witness with the many visitors who graced our church house yesterday.

The buses, though slightly down in attendance, were able to witness two precious children praying to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church. We praise the Lord for these.

In addition, base numbers were up, and Brother Ingram reports that 135 soldiers attended our Bible studies this week. Praise the Lord! Thirteen of these stood to receive Christ as personal Savior. Amen!

Our chapel attendance is holding steady. We had thirteen in attendance this week. Our congregation yesterday voted to install a brand new air conditioning unit at our satellite church. Pray that the technician will be able to install the new unit in a timely fashion.

Thanks for your prayers concerning our daughter Ashley. The doctor told us on Thursday that her gall bladder does not have to be removed, and that the medication she is on should heal her hernia and put an end to her digestive trouble. We thank all of you who prayed concerning this matter.

Many of you have also been praying that Karen and I would be able to find a renter for our house. Lord willing, the papers should be signed this week to secure a new renter for the property. We appreciate your prayers in this matter, and we ask that you continue them until this financial situation is brought to complete resolution.

Don't forget that we have a quarterly conference scheduled for this Wednesday night. Lord willing, we will be voting to add Noel Shrivnauth, veteran missionary in Guyana to our missionary family.

On Thursday night, I will be preaching for Pastor Jason Grubbs and the fine people at Shenandoah Baptist Church. Pray for traveling mercies and that God will use me to be a blessing to this church that is making a great impact in the lives of young people.

Due to the holidays, attendance was down yesterday at church, but the Spirit of God was alive and well. Eight kids trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Five people followed the Lord in believer's baptism, and there were several new additions to the church. We praise the Lord for this.

A'John, one of the bus kids who was baptized yesterday, told his mother that he would not get baptized unless she came. We had the privilege of leading A'John's mother to the Lord this week, and she not only came to witness his baptism. She was baptized right along side him. Amen!

Mrs. Carter, another one of our bus mothers, was also baptized yesterday. She was led to the Lord by two of our bus workers, Daniel Henderson and Ben Shuler. Praise the Lord for the way our bus ministry is impacting entire families. Hallelujah!

We also had the privilege of distributing watermelons and Bibles to our soldiers at Fort Benning this weekend. Several single guys from the church pitched right in to help. We once again ministered to over 100 soldiers this week with 15 praying to receive Christ as Savior. Amen!

Last night, we were privileged to hear from Jason Christensen, missionary appointee with BIO to the land of Egypt. Egypt is the largest Arab nation in the world, and Cairo, where Jason will be working, is the world's largest Arab city. We were privileged to add the Christensens to our missionary family. This will be our first missionary in Egypt, and our grand total of missionaries is now at 152 - our highest number ever. Praise the Lord!

Thank you for your continued interest in this ministry. Your prayers mean much to us. Pray for Ashley as she consults with a surgeon this week concerning her gall bladder. Thanks also for those of you who have been praying for a renter for our house. It looks like we the Lord is answering those prayers. Keep praying! And also please pray for my grandmother who had a mini-stroke on Saturday.

It was good to have my mom and dad with us this weekend. Pray for them as they travel home to Ohio today to check on grand-mom.

Bus attendance figures yesterday were very respectable for the middle of summer. Seven kids prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church. Two more bus kids that had been saved earlier were baptized yesterday. We praise the Lord for Quantavius Carter and Shannon Bonaparte making their new faith public. Quantavius had his mother in attendance yesterday to watch his baptism. Mrs. Carter was recently led to the Lord by our bus workers in her home. She promised me yesterday that she was going to stay with her new faith and that she would be faithful to church. Amen!

Every year we honor a student who came to us through the bus ministry with the Lloyd and Anita Berrey Scholarship. This gives a promising bus kid a tuition-free scholarship to Grace Christian School. We were privileged to present this award yesterday to Devin Mason. Devin is now coming to church every time the doors are open, and his zeal is uncommon. We are excited about his enrollment in our school.

On post this week, 129 soldiers attended four Bible studies. Brother Ingram reports that 23 of these stood to receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior. This week Brother Ingram begins discussion with the powers that be to get us back into the reception station at Fort Benning. If this becomes a reality, we will have a significant Saturday evening Bible study that should result in numerous salvation decisions among those who are new recruits into the Army. Also, this week we are giving out Bibles and watermelons to the soldiers to celebrate the Fourth of July. Pray that God will use this to help us lead some of them to Christ.

We have moved our RU meetings to Thursday night, and attendance has been greatly benefited. Our numbers jumped by 13 this week. Praise the Lord!

Last night at church, Seth Acree, missionary appointee with BIMI, presented the field of Ghana, West Africa. Seth was raised at Grace Baptist Church and called to preach here. It was our privilege, not only to take the Acrees on for support, but also to assume responsibilities as their sending church. Seth did a marvelous job preaching from Isaiah 6, and there were a good number of decisions at the altar. Seth and Melissa Acree are now the 150th missionary supported by Grace, and this ties the highest number of missionaries we have ever had. This coming week as we vote to support Jason Christenson to Egypt, we will reach our highest level ever. Amen!

Don't forget that our annual missions bump-up Sunday is July 26. Pat Creed will be with us again, and we are excited about watching our missions budget grow yet another step as people "bump-up" their faith promise commitments. Pray what God would have you do.

This coming Saturday, we will have our annual God and Country picnic at the North 40. The picnic will get started at 10:00 AM, and we will start serving lunch around 11:30 AM. Everything should be done by 2:00. On Sunday, the choir has a special patriotic package planned. The color guard of GBC will "present the colors," and I will begin a new three-part sermon series entitled "Sweet Land of Liberty." I hope you will be a part of this very special weekend.

We appreciate the prayers that many of you have offered for our daughter Ashley. The doctors discovered that she had a hernia in her stomach. We are trying now to eradicate the high levels of acid in her stomach so this hernia can heal. We will discover tomorrow the results of the study that were done on her gall bladder. Please continue to pray. Your prayers are still coveted for the unspoken personal matter that remains unresolved.

Thank you for your continued interest in this ministry. Pray for us as we follow-up with the visitors who graced our halls this week.

We witnessed good evangelistic results yesterday. Our buses brought in good, respectable numbers, and ten kids prayed to receive the Lord in the counseling center of bus church. We praise the Lord for our bus workers and the wonderful folk who work our counseling center each week.

Base numbers also returned to respectability this past week. Another nine soldiers stood to receive Christ as personal Savior at Fort Benning. We thank the Lord for these.

Two precious young people who were saved this past year followed the Lord in believer's baptism yesterday. Sophia Powell, daughter of Pastor and Mrs. Powell, made her faith public yesterday. It was her dad's privilege to plunge her beneath baptismal waters. In the evening service, Jane Shuler, daughter of Phil and Katie Shuler, followed the Lord in baptism. What a privilege it is to see these children embrace the faith of their parents publicly.

Grace Baptist Church also had the privilege of adding two new missionaries yesterday. Michael Geurink who works with the remote tribes in the Western Amazon region of Brazil was added to our missionary family. Michael and his dear family actually live in a boat on the Amazon. They are pioneering new territory in an area of the world where people have never been exposed to the Gospel. What a joy to be part of this work that is not building on another man's foundation.

In addition to the Geurinks, we were privileged to add Brenson Jennings to our missionary family. Brenson and his wife Joanna are going to Niger, West Africa where they will be working with Islamic Tuaregs from the beach head of Agadez. Niger in the middle of the Sahara desert can have temperatures as high as 145 degrees Fahrenheit. This country of 13.2 million is over 90 percent Muslim. We are excited about our first missionaries in the country of Niger.

Our teens returned from camp this week, with three of them called to full-time Christian service. They will be presenting their testimonies in our mid-week service Wednesday night.

On a personal note, many of you have sent encouraging emails and calls concerning our personal matter. Please continue to pray. Also, our daughter Ashley who has been experiencing significant digestive trouble is scheduled for yet another doctor's visit today. We are hoping that this visit to the intestinal doctor will be the beginning of her restored health. Please pray for her that she will be completely healed before going back to college this fall.

Your prayers and concern for this ministry mean much to us. Thank you for your support.

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!

The indicators for a good week are high. Our bus routes jumped by 40 riders yesterday. Doughnuts and water guns (not to mention faithful bus workers) helped with that. Two precious kids prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church. Amen!

Our series on fatherhood is pressing on. Yesterday we talked about the importance of dad being a good teacher. Last night we continued our series through the book of Hebrews with the three evidences of a changed life: moral purity, family campatibility, and doctrinal integrity. There were a good number of decisions at the altar. You can listen to these sermons by logging on to our "new and improved" website.

Continue to pray as our new radio broadcast "A Touch of Grace" is marketed to various networks and independent stations around the nation.

Our monthly service at the Valley Rescue Mission takes place this evening. Pray that God will give us souls.

Also continue to pray for our youth group as they continue to raise money for their missions trip to Boston. If you can help support a teen for this endeavor or would like to be a sponsor for one of our kids to go to camp, please be sure to let Pastor Chambers know.

At the end of this week, Karen and I will be taking a short trip to Lake Oconee to do a Couples Retreat for Nolan Jackson and the Belmont Baptist Church of Conyers, Georgia. Pray that God will help us to be a blessing to the couples there.

As we press forward, there are many decisions that have to be made concerning wetlands invasion at our North Property. We will be continuing discussions with a soil engineer this week. Pray that God will give us wisdom.

There are also several key personal decisions that I have to make this week, for which I covet your prayers. My good friend, Pastor Stephen Henderson, sent me a text message Saturday morning saying that he had spent some time praying for me in the wee hours of the morning. What an encouragement that text message was! It is good to know that you have friends who are holding you up before God's throne. If the Lord leads you to pray for me and this ministry this week, please do.

Our Christian school was able to present the Lyons with a gift so that they could take some time away.  The church presented Pastor Lyons with a sizeable gift to begin his pastoral library, and a grand reception was held after church last night to bid them God's best.  Pray for the Lyons as they finish packing this week and look for housing in Northeast Georgia.

We are thankful for the new people that God has sent to replace the responsibilities held by Brother Lyons.  Sara Hasty will serve as our new comptroller.  You can read her bio on our church web page.  Her husband Dennis, who is an assistant warden in Lumpkin, will take over the responsibilities of our discipleship director.  Mike Ratliff will become our new Master Club director, and John Rogers was voted in as the corporate secretary of our deacon board.  We praise the Lord for the willingness of these people to serve.

What a privilege it is to see people want to serve God.  Today, I travel to BIMI for the screening committee meeting for Seth and Melissa Acree.  Seth, who was raised at Grace Baptist Church and graduated from Ambassador Baptist College, is headed for the field of Ghana.  Pray for him and his sweet wife as they meet before the board of BIMI.  Grace Baptist Church will serve as their sending church.

We are also prepared to assume responsibility to be the sending church of Mark and Brenda Liedtke, who are headed to Belize.  They also were scheduled to have their screening committee meeting today with BIMI.  Last week, however, Pastor Mark broke his foot and is unable to travel.  Lord willing, the Liedtkes will be approved by BIMI in January.

We had a good week on base with our Fort Benning Bible studies.  We once again ministered to over a hundred soldiers will several standing to receive Christ as personal Savior.  Amen!

The buses were also over a hundred this week.  One of our bus riders prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center.  Praise the Lord!

During the worship service, one lady came forward to receive Christ as Savior.  She did not completely understand.  Pray for us as we follow up with her this week.

Don't forget that Vacation Bible School starts one week from tonight.  Be sure to pray that God will give us many souls as our auditorium is filled with hundreds of kids.

This Wednesday night, we are privileged to have a touring group from Pensacola Christian College.  Pray that God will give the team safety in travel and that we will be able to be a blessing to them.

Your prayers mean much to us.  Please continue to keep them up.

This past week we were also able to witness some experience the ultimate freedom - the freedom from sin.  On Wednesday night, Curtis Dixon visited our church and walked the aisle to trust Jesus Christ as personal Savior.  Amen!  In addition, we saw one precious bus kid receive Christ this week and nine soldiers stand to receive Christ at our Fort Benning Bible studies.  Praise the Lord!

We are happy to announce that James Lyons, our comptroller, was unanimously called as the next pastor of Camp Creek Baptist Church in Cornelia, Georgia.  Brother Lyons has been at our church for 21 years and has served on staff in virtually every capacity.  We are sad to see him and Ruth leave us, but we are thrilled that God has opened this door of opportunity for them.  Brother Lyons will assume pastoral responsibilities in North Georgia on June 7.

Don't forget about upcoming events at Grace.  On June 3, we will have a touring ensemble from Pensacola Christian College.  June 8 begins Vacation Bible School.  And our teens will be going to youth camp June 15-19. 

Please keep us in prayer this week as we follow up on those who have recently been saved and seek more sinners to come into the family.

On Friday morning, our annual awards chapel was conducted. Among the recipients of special recognition were Daniel Liedtke who placed first in the nation in fine arts competition for classical piano duet, Tyler Wood whose writings on the state of Georgia earned him a reception with the governor today, and Ryan Butler who was Georgia's best expository preacher. We praise the Lord for these and many others who were rewarded for excellent academic achievement.

After a concluding luncheon with our teachers, we gathered again in the auditorium of Grace for the 27th annual commencement exercises of Grace Christian School. Our featured speaker was Dr. Joel Mullenix, the vice president of Pensacola Christian College. Dr. Mullenix, a dear friend to this preacher, presented some wonderful attributes from the life of David that should characterize each graduate. It was a timely address.

Also at commencement, Dan Liedtke, who will be studying music and Bible translation at Pensacola Chrisian, delivered the valedictory address, while DeBorah Jordan was our salutatorian. Deborah also received the President's Award for exemplifying the characteristics we most desire in our graduates. Trina Lyles was given the teacher of the year award for her fantastic performance as our daycare supervisor and K-4 teacher. Ryan Butler was given the Preacher Boy of the Year Award.

On Sunday, our "teen theme" continued. I preached Sunday morning on "Teen Challenge" from the life of Daniel. The altar was filled, and you can listen to the message by logging on to our website.

Last night, our annual teen service was held. The teens provided all the choir and special music. They covered virtually every aspect of the service. Ryan Butler preached a good message on the "University of Adversity," and the night was concluded with a powerful message from our youth pastor, Brandon Chambers, on how youth pastors are "Bridge Builders." It was a great day!

Our buses were slightly up from previous weeks. Four children prayed to receive Christ as Savior in the counseling center of bus church. We have seen ten kids accept Christ in the last two weeks. Praise the Lord!

On the base this week, we ministered to 193 soldiers. 45 of these included army officers who gathered for a special prayer breakfast on Wednesday morning. What a privilege it was for me to preach on family issues to these men and women. Thanks to the Ingrams for making this possible. All totaled, we saw 16 soldiers stand to receive Christ in our various Bible studies this week. We praise the Lord for the way He is using our military ministry.

Our chapel in Lumpkin also had slightly increased attendance yesterday. We praise the Lord for this.

All totaled, we saw 613 in Sunday School yesterday with 646 for the morning worship service. Amen!

Our new national radio broadcast, A Touch of Grace, will be presented to various radio markets this week. Pray that God will give our new outreach a wide circulation.

Also, we are hopeful that our new website will be up and runing this week. Continue to log on. I think you will be impressed with the changes.

Keep praying for us. We can never have too much prayer.

Our services yesterday focused on our adult department, and specifically upon motherhood.  A good number of decisions were made at the altar.  Yesterday morning's message, "A Gift for the Oldest Mother," can be heard by logging on to our website.

Speaking of websites, our new advanced website, which will be available for all servers, should be uploaded in just a couple of days.  Keep checking us out!

The radio broadcast is also developing quickly.  We covet your prayers as we seek to find available markets for this national ministry.

A good number of visitors graced our church house yesterday.  We are thankful for these new contacts, and we covet your prayers as we seek to follow them up.

Our military ministry was attended by 159 soldiers this week.  18 of these stood to receive Christ as personal Savior.  Pray for us as the Lord opens new doors on post.  We are currently in negotiations about a Saturday night Bible study, and new opportunities at Fort Benning's reception station are also available.  We are excited about the Lord taking this ministry to a new level.  Wednesday morning I will be speaking on post at a prayer breakfast.  Pray that God will give me liberty.

Don't forget that our mid-week service will be moved to Thursday this week for GCS graduation week.  Todd Sasek, pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Great Falls, Montana, will be our special speaker.  For many years, Todd was the director of Southland Christian Camp in Ringgold, Louisiana.  We are excited about having him come.

Our 27th annual commencement exercises will be held on Friday evening.  Dr. Joel Mullenix from Pensacola Christian College will deliver the commencement address.  Dr. Mullenix has been a great friend to this preacher, and has exhibited tremendous administrative skills in helping all the GCS graduates who have chosen PCC to further their education.  We are happy that he has consented to come.

This coming Sunday will conclude our Sunday School campaign, Operation John the Baptist, as we concentrate on the Teen Department.  Our annual teen service will take place in the evening.  This Sunday is also "Picture Yourself in Sunday School."  We wil be taking our annual church picture after the morning worship service.  We just can't picture Grace Baptist Church without you being there.

Do keep us in your prayers this week.  Your support of this ministry means much to us.

Jonathan Medley, who was led to the Lord by a missionary to the Jews, has been growing in his faith.  Though he has been bombarded by Mormon influences, he has remained strong in his commitment to the Jesus of the Bible as his Messiah.  It was my privilege to plunge Jonathan beneath baptismal waters yesterday and welcome him as the newest member of Grace Baptist Church.  Amen!

The Lord is opening doors for expansion in our military ministry.  The Ingrams gained a new supporting church this week, and much discussion is in the works for a new Fort Benning Bible study on Saturday nights.  This past week we ministered again to 141 soldiers with 13 of them standing to receive Christ as personal Savior.  Praise the Lord!  I will be speaking at a special military prayer breakfast this month.  Pray that God will use me to be a blessing.

One of our bus kids, who was baptized several weeks ago, brought her mother to witness the event.  When we followed up in the home to thank the mother for visiting, we were able to lead the father to Christ.  Amen!  Pray that we will be able to disciple Anthony Douglas.

On the school front, our annual sports banquet was conducted on Friday evening with our athletic director Joey Harmon moderating the festivities.  Numerous students were presented with MVP awards and Christian character awards.  Deborah Jordan and Josh Farmer were presented with the annual Crusader Cup for the best overall female and male Crusader.

Our school year is winding down to an end.  K-5 Graduation is this Friday night.  The following night will be our annual commencement exercises with Dr. Joel Mullenix serving as graduation speaker.

Don't forget that this upcoming Sunday is Mother's Day.  Our Sunday School campaign, which concentrates on a different division of our Sunday School each week, will this week feature the adult department.  We certainly are thankful for our adult coordinator, Earl Sears, and for each of our ten adult Sunday School teachers.  In addition to featuring the adult department, we will be giving gifts to all mothers in attendance.  Don't miss it.

Thank you for your continued interest in Grace Baptist Church.  Your support means much to us.

Under the Grip of Grace,

Jeff Amsbaugh

In between the violent storms of Friday night and the torrential rains of this morning, the Lord parted the clouds and gave us a beautiful Easter weekend. What great services we had to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior. The Lord blessed with tremendous attendance figures. We had 696 in Sunday School and 787 for the morning worship. Praise the Lord for the way He is growing this ministry.

Though buses were slightly down, three bus kids (2 brothers and 1 sister) followed the Lord in believers baptism yesterday. Nijay, Nekoe, and Niagara all had been saved for about a year. But through consistent discipleship of our bus youth workers, all three children felt the need to be baptized. It was my privilege to plunge them beneath baptismal waters yesterday.

In addition to these three, it was my privilege to baptize Meagan Welles. Meagan is the daughter of Gordon and Karen Welles, two great members of our church. Meagan was led to the Lord by her father Saturday night and made that faith public yesterday morning through the ordinance of baptism. It was exciting to welcome her as the newest member of Grace Baptist Church.

On post this week, we had the privilege of ministering to 279 soldiers. Of these, 54 stood to receive the Lord as personal Savior. Bob Ingram was able to preach "in the field" on Wednesday to 125 men. God keeps opening more doors for the Freedom House, for which we praise the Lord. Pray for our assistant director, Nathan Farnsworth, who will be married this coming Saturday at Lakewood Baptist Church in Chattanooga.

A pancake breakfast was offered at our satellite church in Lumpkin. Pastor Allison reports that he had one new visitor yesterday, and the attendance continues to slowly rise in Stewart County. Praise the Lord for the faithfulness of Pastor and Mrs. Allison that is making inroads into this needy part of Georgia.

Last night the choir of Grace Baptist presented an Easter cantata entitled "In the Presence of Jehovah." It was good music, and there were several visitors in attendance to hear it. Pray for us as we follow up on these new contacts from the morning and evening services.

Offerings continue to escalate despite the supposed economic meltdown. We praise the Lord that He is not dependent upon a "stimulus package" to meet our needs.

Continue to pray for us as we seek to take the Gospel to Columbus and around the world. We were privileged to have veteran BIMI missionary Jim Daly present the field of Indonesia Wednesday night. It was our privilege to add Jim and Dawn to our missionary family, making them the 151st missionary of Grace Baptist Church.

Thank you for your interest in this ministry. We love you.

Under the Grip of Grace,
Jeff Amsbaugh

The Lord opened our annual Sword of the Lord conference with a tremendous bang yesterday. Dr. John Hamblin, despite arriving at the motel at 2:00 AM Sunday morning, was at his "A" game. Visitors from Ohio, Tennessee, Colorado, South Carolina, as well as locally, were in the church house. Sunday School attendance was 576, and morning worship was 647. It was a great day!

Now to the particulars, our Master Club kids boarded the vans early Saturday morning to depart to Pensacola for regional competition. The kids and workers all did a great job. Many ribbons were brought home. Of particular note, Tyler Wood preached his first sermon and came in second in the competition. Amen! What a thrill to see a new crop of preacher boys stepping up at Grace Baptist Church.

Our Master Club workers have been presenting the Gospel to Kateland Hickman. Over the last several weeks, the conviction had been growing. Mrs. Amsbaugh, who runs the Wednesday night bus route, was able to lead Kateland to the Lord on the way home from Master Clubs. Amen! Yesterday it was my privilege to plunge Kateland beneath baptismal waters as a testimony of her faith. Her mother came to watch. Pray as we follow up with that family.

You may recall that Patsy Durham, a long-time member of Grace, recently went home to be with the Lord. It was our privilege Tuesday to lead the twin brother of Patsy's husband to the Lord. Amen! Pray for us as we seek to disciple Harold Durham.

Travis Lumpkin, an executive at a local manufacturing plant and member of the Grace Baptist Church Soul Winner's Club, was able to lead a co-worker who had been involved in a serious accident to the Lord this week. Amen! Travis was able to testify about this remarkable soul-winning encounter last night in church and receive his soul winner's club pin. Praise the Lord!

We were also thankful for the new members that God sent our way yesterday. Tommy and Michelle Baker returned to the Columbus area from Orlando. Tommy grew up at Grace and is a graduate of GCS. Michelle grew up in Bethel Baptist in Schaumburg, Illinois. She is a great pianist. Needless to say, it was a thrill to welcome them into membership.

Also joining yesterday was Mark Jones. Mark recently moved to Columbus from Bowden, Georgia in order to have knee implant surgery. Mark has a remarkable testimony of deliverance which he would like to use in our RU ministry. We are excited that God led him to join with us.

On the base front this week, we ministered to 136 soldiers. 31 of these stood to receive Christ as personal Savior. We continue to thank the Lord for the doors of opportunity he is opening for us on post. On April 15, the Lord has granted me an opportunity to preach at a military prayer breakfast on family issues. Pray that the Lord will use me to powerfully present the Gospel.

Solid numbers were reported on our bus routes and chapel ministry yesterday. Pastor Chambers reports that one child prayed to receive Christ in the counseling center of bus church. Amen!

Please continue to pray for our Sword Conference. Dr. Smith will be joining Dr. Hamblin tonight at 7:00 PM. A special pastors fellowship is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM, and the conference will conclude Tuesday night at 7:00.

Thank you for your continued prayers and gifts to this ministry. We continue to be amazed by the hand of God who is helping us stay afloat during turbulent economic times. Your prayers and support help make this possible. Thank you!

This past week the Lord gave me the privilege of preaching two memorial services. The first was for Auria Dominguez who came to the United States for a simple knee surgery. Shortly before the surgery, our Spanish pastor, Mark Liedtke, and I were able to lead Auria to the Lord, largely thanks to the prayers of her two sisters, Hilda and Maria. Auria developed some complications and went to meet her Savior. We are thankful that God gave us her soul in the nick of time.

The other funeral was for Patsy Durham, long-time member of Grace Baptist Church. Patsy had served as teacher of our Mary-Martha Sunday School class for over 16 years. She also served as our church secretary for many years. She lived a radiant Christian life, which made her eulogy relatively easy to do. At her memorial service, five hands were raised to accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior. Pray for us as we attempt to follow up with others who were noticeably under conviction. Patsy's son, Rodney, was in church yesterday at Grace. It was a great delight to see him sitting in his mother's pew.

The Lord blessed with several in-town visitors this week. Pray for us as we follow up with them.

One of the visitors from last night service was Farid Fahim visiting from Belgium. He and his wife came with their sister-in-law Wilma, who is a member of our church. They came to hear our missionary to France, John Gribbin. Brother Gribbin preached a powerful message on the love of Christ, which can be heard by logging on to our website. Please pray that this message will bear fruit in the lives of the Fahims and that they will soon trust Christ as personal Savior.

We received another missionary report this week on Wednesday from Don Winan. He and his wife Lola have been serving in Australia for a good number of years. They are dear friends. We are excited about our own Sam Liedtke who will be traveling to Australia this summer as part of a Go Forth missions team. Pray that God will confirm His call in Sam's life.

Yesterday morning, we had a touring group from Ambassador Baptist College. Incoming President, Alton Beal, preached a powerful message during our Sunday School hour, and there was good fruit from the message. The ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Don Scovill, did a great job in the Sunday School and morning worship hours. This week I will traveling along with my wife Karen to ABC to participate in their annual board meeting. Thank you for your prayers in travel.

Yesterday morning, I finished my sermon series on the Sword of the Lord. This week we talked about The Sharp Sword from Hebrews 4:12. A teenage girl raised her hand for salvation but did not the pull the trigger. One of our bus workers, Ben Shuler, noticed her hand and followed up with her after church. He was able to lead her to Christ. Amen!

Chris Clark, a member of our Soul Winner's Club, also was able to give testimony last night that God used her to bring a soul to Christ this week. Amen again!

One child was saved in the counseling center of bus church this week. We praise the Lord for this fruit among the 130 riders who boarded our buses this week.

On the base front, we ministered to 39 soldiers this week with four of them standing to receive Christ as personal Savior. Praise the Lord!

Our satellite church in Lumpkin had 17 people in attendance this week. Five of these were first time visitors. The efforts of Pastor and Mrs. Allison are showing results. Amen! We are also happy to announce that the doctors have declared Mrs. Allison cancer free!

Daniel Henderson was able to lead his son Chase to the Lord this week. It was my privilege to baptize Chase last night and to welcome him as the newest member of Grace Baptist Church. What a great thrill to see the third generation of Hendersons coming into the faith!

Don't forget that our annual Sword of the Lord conference begins next week. Dr. John Hamblin will begin our conference on Sunday morning, March 29. Dr. Shelton Smith will be joining him on Monday and Tuesday. A special pastors' fellowship will take place Tuesday, March 31 at 10:00 AM.

During the economic meltdown, God is raising the budget at Grace Baptist Church. Giving is at an all-time high. We praise the Lord for the sacrifice of His people that is allowing us to do more than ever to reach the world with the Gospel.

Last week our new broadcast equipment was installed to launch our new half-hour weekly radio program, A Touch of Grace. Pray that God will open markets for this broadcast to be heard. In addition, we are in the process of uploading pages to our new website. Within a couple of months, you should see a greatly improved site.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support of this ministry. We could not do what we do without your support.

Under the Grip of Grace,