News from the Pastor

The Names of God

Adult Wednesday night Bible study: Beginning January 4, at 6:00 pm in the fellowship hall, the Adult Bible Study will focus on the names of God that will help you experience Him in fresh and deeper ways. By exploring the names of God and of Jesus as they are revealed in the Old and New Testaments, you will come face-to-face with the God of Scripture - a God who is utterly holy, powerful, surprising, merciful, and loving. Each week's study includes:

  • Background information to help you understand the name
  • A key Scripture passage in which the name appears
  • A series of questions for deeper study
  • A list of Scripture passages for further reflection
If you are not involved in other Wednesday night activities, please make this midweek refresher Bible study a part of y our spiritual development.

SERMONS FOR RADICALLY CHANGED LIVES:

Sunday Mornings: Beginning in October, we will "Follow the Footsteps of Jesus" as we conduct a verse-by-verse study of the book of Luke. The book of Luke is all about Jesus! From our study, we will uncover Jesus' compassionate and passionate love for all people, including Gentiles, Samaritans, women, children, tax collectors, sinners, and others often regarded as outcasts in Israel. But most importantly, we will begin to grasp the undying love that Jesus has for us.

 

Sunday Evenings: Journey to Faith continues, as we will do a book-by-book study of the entire Bible. If you have ever wanted to study the Bible from beginning to end, then this study is for you. Each  Sunday night, we will look at a different book of the Bible, (in order from Genesis) until we complete the entire Bible.

 

Mission Report:

Our church’s medical mission team partnered with Baptist Medical Missions International (BMMI) to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of the people of the Dominican Republic.  We saw over 1,000 patients in three different cities (with hopes of planting mission churches in these new areas) and more than 265 people received Jesus Christ as their Savior. Because eyeglasses were donated, we were also able to help 300 people see more clearly so they can read their Bibles. For those that couldn’t read, we supplied MP3 players for them to listen to the Word of God. We also gave out larger MP3 players that will enable the missionaries to go into remote areas and share God’s Word to small groups. Thank you for allowing God to use you to fulfill the Great Commission!

GIMP:

GIMP stands for Go In My Place. Because of the amazing resultes of our church's medical mission trip last year to Ghana, West Africa, we are taking another medical trip this year to Dominican Republic. Just like Jesus, our church has a heart for missions. If you want to be part of the trip, please call Julie Stewart today. If you want to help others go, we are once again activating our GIMP fund. All monies received will go to spreading the gospel.

BIBLES NEEDED:
We are collecting money to send Bibles to the African village (the Bibles will be in their own native language) our mission team visited this summer. If you would like to give, please mark your offering envelope: “Bibles”. God bless and thanks!
Because of your faithful finance, support, and prayers, we have collected $5,379.00 and have bought 1,075 Bibles for them in their native language. Thank you so much for your generosity!

AUDIO BIBLES NEEDED:
 We are also collecting money to send Audio Bibles to Ghana to help start small group Bible studies for those who cannot read. These contain the New Testament and Bible teachings provided by Lifeword in their native language. With a $50 donation you send one Cross Audio Bible to Ghana and receive one (in English) as a gift, which also contains 48 hours of teaching donated by Dr. Chuck Missler. Mark your offering envelope “Audio Bible”. Thank you for your prayers!


AFRICAN MEDICAL MISSION TRIP:

Because of your prayer, support, and giving, you provided medical care to over 1,300 people who had no access to a doctor, and over 800 of those people prayed to receive Christ as their Savior. You also planted a church in this previously unreached region. To help you mentally visualize the mission trip: after a twelve hour flight, we took a six-hour bus ride to the village of Aiyinasi. We met at a school, but we had to walk up a hill to the school because our bus could not travel down the weather-worn trail. The people lined up at a registration table manned by native pastors. Unfortunately, there were more people in the line than there were hours in the day, and at the end of the trip, the line was just as long. From there, the people walked across a sandy courtyard to the screening area where they had their vital signs taken. The next stop was over to the school. In one room, the people visited one of the two doctors. In the next room, they visited with evangelists who shared the evange-cube (a dynamic visual tool that quickly captivated the hearts of the African people) with them. Their last stop in the school was the pharmacy to pick up their medicines.


The purpose of the trip was to provide medical care, the Good News of Jesus Christ, and to help plant a new church. Since we were there on a Sunday, we got to witness an authentic African Baptist worship service. It was quite lively. On that first Sunday, they had more than 100 people present. During our visit, we learned that it would take only $5,000 to buy the property and build a church. We are glad to report that we had enough funds to make this a reality.

The people were friendly and grateful. While the average family makes less than $400 a year, many of them put on their best clothes for our arrival. Dr. Ralph Izard, the director of Baptist Medical Missions International, told us that this was the best trip (and group of people) that he has had the privilege of working with on a medical mission trip.

FAITH OUTREACH:
FAITH is a non-confrontational way to witness to family and friends for Christ. Will you stand before the Heavenly Father and feel embarrassed for never telling another person about Jesus Christ? FAITH meets at 5:00pm in the foyer of the Student Center. For more information, please call Joe Hull at 903-693-4978.