Audrey and Joanne really got to know each other well at the retreat.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Wow. There comes a point where this sounds redundant. And in this case, I am loving the redundancy.
We had 76!!! I am completely blown away by God continually bringing people to our doors, and this week, quite honestly, we only had a few visitors. These were almost all "home folk," which makes the number 76 even more overwhelming. In June, I sat down with my ministry team and we went through the the list of potential members, and we had approximately 80 that we knew we could target. Since then, we have focused on many of those people, but God has added even more, and in the past eight weeks we have averaged 64. Wow. Considering that in July we were barely averaging 35 and had little momentum, this is incredible. Switching to Sunday was a key in getting things moving forward, and God has just blessed us.
Since switching to Sundays on July 25th, we have:
1) Had 10 saved.
2) Had 11 baptized.
3) Had 10 families (or family units) become part of our church.
God is so good. This service was a great one, as we baptized 8 people (Cheri Cocco, Shay Bennett, Lydia Debenidictis, Chaz Trombley, Floyd & Julie Harris, and Ralph & Mary Johnson).
We also had a special time of prayer for James Smith, which was very emotional. We are so proud of our troops, and we continue to pray for them. James is returning to Afghanistan to serve our country, and our prayers are with him, as well as Candace (his wife) and his two kids (Quincy & Christopher).
On Sunday, I preached the last message in the Irresistible Evangelism series on "Sharing Our Faith." It went well, and I am glad to have finished it. Our next series is a Christmas series, "From Humbug to Hallelujah" that I will start on November 28th.
I thank God that I have the privilege of leading this group of fine people. No, they are not perfect, but they are who God has entrusted into my pastoral care. And again, to that I say, "Wow."
We had 76!!! I am completely blown away by God continually bringing people to our doors, and this week, quite honestly, we only had a few visitors. These were almost all "home folk," which makes the number 76 even more overwhelming. In June, I sat down with my ministry team and we went through the the list of potential members, and we had approximately 80 that we knew we could target. Since then, we have focused on many of those people, but God has added even more, and in the past eight weeks we have averaged 64. Wow. Considering that in July we were barely averaging 35 and had little momentum, this is incredible. Switching to Sunday was a key in getting things moving forward, and God has just blessed us.
Since switching to Sundays on July 25th, we have:
1) Had 10 saved.
2) Had 11 baptized.
3) Had 10 families (or family units) become part of our church.
God is so good. This service was a great one, as we baptized 8 people (Cheri Cocco, Shay Bennett, Lydia Debenidictis, Chaz Trombley, Floyd & Julie Harris, and Ralph & Mary Johnson).
We also had a special time of prayer for James Smith, which was very emotional. We are so proud of our troops, and we continue to pray for them. James is returning to Afghanistan to serve our country, and our prayers are with him, as well as Candace (his wife) and his two kids (Quincy & Christopher).
On Sunday, I preached the last message in the Irresistible Evangelism series on "Sharing Our Faith." It went well, and I am glad to have finished it. Our next series is a Christmas series, "From Humbug to Hallelujah" that I will start on November 28th.
I thank God that I have the privilege of leading this group of fine people. No, they are not perfect, but they are who God has entrusted into my pastoral care. And again, to that I say, "Wow."
Monday, November 08, 2004
Sunday, November 7, 2004
The Eye of the Tiger would have been a fitting theme song this morning, as today was a day of grit and victory. Let me explain...
This past week was so trying. Satan was attacking the Journey at so many angles, and I seemed to be involved in every one. It is no fun to be in a fight, but the only good thing is that the enemy made himself visible and the enemy is defeated. A spirit of gossip and hurtful words took center stage during the last half of the week, threatening to tear people from the church and cause division. But I decided, according to 2 Corinthians 2:11 that this church body should not be unaware of the devil working, so I have been "blowing the whistle" on the devil all week, speaking into people's lives and rallying them to be strong in the Lord.
I took this approach in my message on Sunday, speaking from Judges 6 and using Gideon's meager beginning to tell our people that it is "No Time to Surrender" when I sin, hurt, feel defeated, am weak, don't understand, already have the victory, or when I doubt. These are all signs that the devil is working, and God wants to do something great. If we will simply persist and get through our struggle, we will often find great victory lies just on the other side.
I felt the message hit home well, and I am praying for a renewed sense of unity and purpose. By the way, in our service we had 69 people, a new high! We could have easily had around 80, but several people were gone (Kesselrings, Karla, Kathy, Bonnie - and all the kids). God is so good, and strength and encouragement come from so many places. By the way, next Sunday it looks as if I will be baptizing between 6-9 people, so I am very excited about that.
Overall, a great day. The Spirit was present in the worship and in the message and in the people. I cannot wait for more days like this to come at The Journey!
This past week was so trying. Satan was attacking the Journey at so many angles, and I seemed to be involved in every one. It is no fun to be in a fight, but the only good thing is that the enemy made himself visible and the enemy is defeated. A spirit of gossip and hurtful words took center stage during the last half of the week, threatening to tear people from the church and cause division. But I decided, according to 2 Corinthians 2:11 that this church body should not be unaware of the devil working, so I have been "blowing the whistle" on the devil all week, speaking into people's lives and rallying them to be strong in the Lord.
I took this approach in my message on Sunday, speaking from Judges 6 and using Gideon's meager beginning to tell our people that it is "No Time to Surrender" when I sin, hurt, feel defeated, am weak, don't understand, already have the victory, or when I doubt. These are all signs that the devil is working, and God wants to do something great. If we will simply persist and get through our struggle, we will often find great victory lies just on the other side.
I felt the message hit home well, and I am praying for a renewed sense of unity and purpose. By the way, in our service we had 69 people, a new high! We could have easily had around 80, but several people were gone (Kesselrings, Karla, Kathy, Bonnie - and all the kids). God is so good, and strength and encouragement come from so many places. By the way, next Sunday it looks as if I will be baptizing between 6-9 people, so I am very excited about that.
Overall, a great day. The Spirit was present in the worship and in the message and in the people. I cannot wait for more days like this to come at The Journey!
Monday, November 01, 2004
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Roller coaster...if you ask me to give you a small description of my pastoral life, it would be that - like a roller coaster. Up and down. Side to side. Blind curves, sudden drops, gradual ascents...sometimes fun but enough to make you throw up!:)
Ok - this should be on my personal blog, but as the pastor of The Journey, it is fitting as well.
First, the Ups ...
We had the New Hampshire Church Planting meeting on Saturday down at Granite State...what a great time as we talked about what has been happening in the new churches in the area, including ours, and how God is blessing. We also encouraged and motivated our people to get involved. It was a great day.
Also, on Saturday the 30th, Chaz & Tara, Lee & Joanne went to the Group Youth Leader's Conference at Bethany Church, and they were greatly energized for the new youth ministry. I am so glad that it was good!
On Sunday, October 31st, to begin with, we had 67 - our new high attendance! We had that and at the same time had several people missing! One of these days, everyone will show up and we will hit 90 with visitors. By the way, when that happens, we will have to go to two services! I can't wait. What a great problem to have.
I preached on "5 Principles for Christian Voters," which I borrowed from the Liberty National Journal. The sermon went well, although I was definitely a little antsy because of the controversy over church and state and non-profit status. On top of that, we had several visitors, including Andy & Kim (Rod's neighbors) who were back for a 2nd time, and a couple named Scott & Catherine, and their daughter Dericka. Stevie and her kids were back, and so was Betty Smith. So I wanted to be careful and not turn anyone off to what I had to say, and at the end, I stated that I was personally voting for George Bush, although that was in no way a church endorsement. The message went fine. A little dry at times, but it is a tough issue, especially now.
I didn't give a traditional invitation, so there are no altar results to report, but I am excited about baptizing in two weeks. Off the top of my head, I should be baptizing between 5-10 people!
Ok - the Downs....
On Tuesday the 26th, a lady who has visited church a few times, called and said that her husband had left her (he was also coming). He doesn't want to work it out, and so we are going to begin helping her pick up the pieces. Not easy though. She told me today that she hasn't come the last two weeks because she was embarrassed, to which I shared with her how many people in our church have been divorced, and that we wanted to help her, and be a family to her. I am meeting with her on Wednesday.
Then I found out on Thursday that Karla is moving away. Karla is my children's director, and she recently got engaged and is moving. While I am ok with her moving, I just wish she could have accomplished more. She seemed to have been dragging lately, so I imagine a change of scenery will be good for her. On the upside, Brenda and Audrey have agreed to take over, so that is exciting!
On Sunday morning, Rod's grandmother died, and so he and Elizabeth are leaving for Cincinatti for about a week, which will be a little stressful, but it will be good. His grandmother was a Christian, but it hit Rod hard. He was definitely not ok on Sunday morning, at least not in praise team practice. It hurt to see him down and upset.
Today, Monday, Novemer 1st, I went to court with Nick (Donna's son who recently got saved) over the restraining order that his wife, Carrie (who also recently got saved) put on him. It turns out that he will only have supervised visits of his kids, and at this point, that situation just needs some major prayer. God can have the victory, but satan has had his way for so long, and they both are pawns (still) of his because they allow that snake to have the victory, and nothing is going right there. If you read this, please just pray that God will give a point of victory in here somewhere, as it is sorely needed.
I told you - a roller coaster - up and down, unexpected twists and turns. But I love what I do, I love the people I minister to and alongside, and I know God is working because otherwise satan wouldn't be fighting so hard! :)
Ok - this should be on my personal blog, but as the pastor of The Journey, it is fitting as well.
First, the Ups ...
We had the New Hampshire Church Planting meeting on Saturday down at Granite State...what a great time as we talked about what has been happening in the new churches in the area, including ours, and how God is blessing. We also encouraged and motivated our people to get involved. It was a great day.
Also, on Saturday the 30th, Chaz & Tara, Lee & Joanne went to the Group Youth Leader's Conference at Bethany Church, and they were greatly energized for the new youth ministry. I am so glad that it was good!
On Sunday, October 31st, to begin with, we had 67 - our new high attendance! We had that and at the same time had several people missing! One of these days, everyone will show up and we will hit 90 with visitors. By the way, when that happens, we will have to go to two services! I can't wait. What a great problem to have.
I preached on "5 Principles for Christian Voters," which I borrowed from the Liberty National Journal. The sermon went well, although I was definitely a little antsy because of the controversy over church and state and non-profit status. On top of that, we had several visitors, including Andy & Kim (Rod's neighbors) who were back for a 2nd time, and a couple named Scott & Catherine, and their daughter Dericka. Stevie and her kids were back, and so was Betty Smith. So I wanted to be careful and not turn anyone off to what I had to say, and at the end, I stated that I was personally voting for George Bush, although that was in no way a church endorsement. The message went fine. A little dry at times, but it is a tough issue, especially now.
I didn't give a traditional invitation, so there are no altar results to report, but I am excited about baptizing in two weeks. Off the top of my head, I should be baptizing between 5-10 people!
Ok - the Downs....
On Tuesday the 26th, a lady who has visited church a few times, called and said that her husband had left her (he was also coming). He doesn't want to work it out, and so we are going to begin helping her pick up the pieces. Not easy though. She told me today that she hasn't come the last two weeks because she was embarrassed, to which I shared with her how many people in our church have been divorced, and that we wanted to help her, and be a family to her. I am meeting with her on Wednesday.
Then I found out on Thursday that Karla is moving away. Karla is my children's director, and she recently got engaged and is moving. While I am ok with her moving, I just wish she could have accomplished more. She seemed to have been dragging lately, so I imagine a change of scenery will be good for her. On the upside, Brenda and Audrey have agreed to take over, so that is exciting!
On Sunday morning, Rod's grandmother died, and so he and Elizabeth are leaving for Cincinatti for about a week, which will be a little stressful, but it will be good. His grandmother was a Christian, but it hit Rod hard. He was definitely not ok on Sunday morning, at least not in praise team practice. It hurt to see him down and upset.
Today, Monday, Novemer 1st, I went to court with Nick (Donna's son who recently got saved) over the restraining order that his wife, Carrie (who also recently got saved) put on him. It turns out that he will only have supervised visits of his kids, and at this point, that situation just needs some major prayer. God can have the victory, but satan has had his way for so long, and they both are pawns (still) of his because they allow that snake to have the victory, and nothing is going right there. If you read this, please just pray that God will give a point of victory in here somewhere, as it is sorely needed.
I told you - a roller coaster - up and down, unexpected twists and turns. But I love what I do, I love the people I minister to and alongside, and I know God is working because otherwise satan wouldn't be fighting so hard! :)
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Sunday, October 24. 2004
I was just reading an article titled, "The Devil Goes to Church," from the magazine Pray. The very first sentence reads, "I believe the devil spends more time in church than many Christians do." He knows who we are, he refuses to let conversion happen easily, he sows seeds of hatred and bitterness in us, and he makes things go wrong. I think that if he is going to show up, we ought to count him in the attendance, but since he isn't a tither...All kidding aside, that scoundrel shows up and tries to ruin things. Recently he has been attacking the babies at The Journey - the baby Christians that is - and I am dealing alot with these attacks. It is time to turn up the prayer pressure!
This Sunday was a good Sunday. We were lower in attendance (55) than we have been, as we were missing many people. But it was a good service, especially with Julie's husband Floyd raising his hand for salvation!!! She just got saved this past week, and now he has made a commitment to God this week. Hallelujah!
So far as visitors, we had James Smith (Candace's husband) with us as he is on leave from the army (?), and he is such a great guy. I thank God for men and women like him who have given up so much to defend our country. Also back with us was Betty Smith (?), who is looking for a church here in Rochester, having come from a Congregational background. We will see what that produces. Also, Floyd's son, Floyd Jr. was visiting with us for the first time.
It was a good service as I continued preaching on Irresistible Evangelism: Life and Death on the Fairway. I talked about Jesus being a Risk-taker and a Friend-maker, using John 4, and that we should follow His example in leading others to Christ. During the sermon, I also played and sang (for only the 2nd time) the song Thank You by Ray Boltz, talking about the reward making the risk worth taking in getting to know and love others.
One other note: it has been an interesting week and a half as I have gotten more involved with Nick (Donna's son) and Carrie. She was saved in our service last week, and I was able to lead him to the Lord on Friday night - but the situation between them still is no where near good, and I am just praying for a miracle in their relationship. A miracle has happened in their hearts, and now we entrust the rest to God.
Overall, God continues to work even with satan present, and lives are being changed every week here. To God be the glory!
This Sunday was a good Sunday. We were lower in attendance (55) than we have been, as we were missing many people. But it was a good service, especially with Julie's husband Floyd raising his hand for salvation!!! She just got saved this past week, and now he has made a commitment to God this week. Hallelujah!
So far as visitors, we had James Smith (Candace's husband) with us as he is on leave from the army (?), and he is such a great guy. I thank God for men and women like him who have given up so much to defend our country. Also back with us was Betty Smith (?), who is looking for a church here in Rochester, having come from a Congregational background. We will see what that produces. Also, Floyd's son, Floyd Jr. was visiting with us for the first time.
It was a good service as I continued preaching on Irresistible Evangelism: Life and Death on the Fairway. I talked about Jesus being a Risk-taker and a Friend-maker, using John 4, and that we should follow His example in leading others to Christ. During the sermon, I also played and sang (for only the 2nd time) the song Thank You by Ray Boltz, talking about the reward making the risk worth taking in getting to know and love others.
One other note: it has been an interesting week and a half as I have gotten more involved with Nick (Donna's son) and Carrie. She was saved in our service last week, and I was able to lead him to the Lord on Friday night - but the situation between them still is no where near good, and I am just praying for a miracle in their relationship. A miracle has happened in their hearts, and now we entrust the rest to God.
Overall, God continues to work even with satan present, and lives are being changed every week here. To God be the glory!
Monday, October 18, 2004
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Um...wow. Really - wow. Maybe I am impressed too easily (although I don't think so), but I am so amazed at what God does here continually. Let's just start at the top.
To begin, we had 66!!! Our highest total ever, and that was missing several people. We could have very well reached 80!!! Someday soon - I think before the year is out. And I have to again expand our chairs - the auditorium was almost full yesterday before I dismissed the kids. What a great problem to have! :)
Now for more - a lady Brenda brought on Wednesday came again today with her husband (Julie & Floyd), and Julie got saved! Praise God. He just doesn't stop working. I had a strong gospel message as I preached on Irresistible Evangelism - Hitting One of the Tee, talking about how we can begin to impact someone and see them come to Christ. Krista said I did well, so I will take that to mean that God was working, because I was surrendered to Him.
But it gets better. Donna has been praying for her son, Nick, and daughter-in-law Carrie, who are really struggling right now and need the Lord. Carrie and Nick both came to church yesterday (!), and Carrie also got saved as well. I have been praying for her and Nick all day yesterday and today, praying that the Lord will continue to work in their lives. But Donna's prayers have been working (which is great to see as she has struggled with prayer).
Also, Brian (Brenda's husband) came yesterday, and he has been having some personal struggles. I was so glad to see him there, and I pray that we can encourage and strengthen him. Sean & Shay Bennett were with us again, as was Christie their friend, and they want to know more about membership.
I was just telling Elizabeth, the last two months we have seen some good and sustained growth, in attendance, finances, spiritual growth, and community. We have also seen many people come to Christ, and God is beginning to make us into the community that I dreamed we could become. I know struggles are ahead, and satanic opposition is there (I believe right now there is an undercurrent of some activity that will raise its head soon), but nonetheless, God gets the glory because He brings the increase.
Right now, we are riding high in New Hampshire, watching the Lord work. May His kingdom and power and glory continue to abound and grow in our little community of believers!
To begin, we had 66!!! Our highest total ever, and that was missing several people. We could have very well reached 80!!! Someday soon - I think before the year is out. And I have to again expand our chairs - the auditorium was almost full yesterday before I dismissed the kids. What a great problem to have! :)
Now for more - a lady Brenda brought on Wednesday came again today with her husband (Julie & Floyd), and Julie got saved! Praise God. He just doesn't stop working. I had a strong gospel message as I preached on Irresistible Evangelism - Hitting One of the Tee, talking about how we can begin to impact someone and see them come to Christ. Krista said I did well, so I will take that to mean that God was working, because I was surrendered to Him.
But it gets better. Donna has been praying for her son, Nick, and daughter-in-law Carrie, who are really struggling right now and need the Lord. Carrie and Nick both came to church yesterday (!), and Carrie also got saved as well. I have been praying for her and Nick all day yesterday and today, praying that the Lord will continue to work in their lives. But Donna's prayers have been working (which is great to see as she has struggled with prayer).
Also, Brian (Brenda's husband) came yesterday, and he has been having some personal struggles. I was so glad to see him there, and I pray that we can encourage and strengthen him. Sean & Shay Bennett were with us again, as was Christie their friend, and they want to know more about membership.
I was just telling Elizabeth, the last two months we have seen some good and sustained growth, in attendance, finances, spiritual growth, and community. We have also seen many people come to Christ, and God is beginning to make us into the community that I dreamed we could become. I know struggles are ahead, and satanic opposition is there (I believe right now there is an undercurrent of some activity that will raise its head soon), but nonetheless, God gets the glory because He brings the increase.
Right now, we are riding high in New Hampshire, watching the Lord work. May His kingdom and power and glory continue to abound and grow in our little community of believers!
Monday, October 11, 2004
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Whew! What an exhausting but exciting day~! From our service to the orchard to the bonfire, it was a great day!
To begin, let's look at the service. Because we no longer have Greg's sound equipment, we had to piece our old stuff together, but the sound went surprisingly well. Today, the praise team was minus Audrey, who was absent because she was attending her grandmother's wake. But the worship went very well. People were singing and were into it.
The sermon went alright as I did my second lesson in Irresistible Evangelism: Playing the Master's Course. Flo and Donna thought the golf analogies were a little too much (it's all good), so I will play that down a little next week. No one was saved, but at the end, I handed out tees (the starting point to "get in the game [of evangelism]) and prayed with people who came to the altar over specific people they knew who needed Christ ("You're not in the game if you don't have a name!"). It went well.
Also, Corey & Jill Hampton and Sean and Shea were with us again. Corey and Jill are seriously considering joining, and Sean and Shea will definitely be back again, according to Shea as they left. I am excited to see God provide more growth.
At the end of the service, the church gave us two gifts for Krista's and my one year anniversary. They gave us a memory book with comments and notes from many different church members, and they gave us a $175 gift certificate to be used to get away for a night or two. It was unexpected but so sweet. God has so blessed us with a great congregation.
One thing about the service - sickness played into our attendance today (we had 54), as Margarite, Heather, Ralph, and little Amanda Westsrate were all sick and not with us (neither was Amanda's mom, Amber). We specifically prayed for them during our prayer time.
After church, about 35 of us went down to the Applecrest Orchard down in Hampton Falls. It was a nice orchard (LOTS of people), and it was nice day to hang outside. One "funny" note: we did see the host of America's Funniest Videos, Tom Bergeron. All I can say is that TV does ALOT to make him look younger than he is.
After the orchard, we all went up to Kyle and Amber's house in Milton for a cookout and bonfire ~ it was great! They have a beautiful home, and lots of room in their yard, so many of us played two-hand touch football. My team won (7-0) on a touchdown pass from Chuck to me (please don't ask me how far I had to run to catch the ball - let's just say that when I caught the ball, I saw a sign for the state line of Maine close by!).
After all was said and done, it was a great day with great people who are blessed because of a great God!
To begin, let's look at the service. Because we no longer have Greg's sound equipment, we had to piece our old stuff together, but the sound went surprisingly well. Today, the praise team was minus Audrey, who was absent because she was attending her grandmother's wake. But the worship went very well. People were singing and were into it.
The sermon went alright as I did my second lesson in Irresistible Evangelism: Playing the Master's Course. Flo and Donna thought the golf analogies were a little too much (it's all good), so I will play that down a little next week. No one was saved, but at the end, I handed out tees (the starting point to "get in the game [of evangelism]) and prayed with people who came to the altar over specific people they knew who needed Christ ("You're not in the game if you don't have a name!"). It went well.
Also, Corey & Jill Hampton and Sean and Shea were with us again. Corey and Jill are seriously considering joining, and Sean and Shea will definitely be back again, according to Shea as they left. I am excited to see God provide more growth.
At the end of the service, the church gave us two gifts for Krista's and my one year anniversary. They gave us a memory book with comments and notes from many different church members, and they gave us a $175 gift certificate to be used to get away for a night or two. It was unexpected but so sweet. God has so blessed us with a great congregation.
One thing about the service - sickness played into our attendance today (we had 54), as Margarite, Heather, Ralph, and little Amanda Westsrate were all sick and not with us (neither was Amanda's mom, Amber). We specifically prayed for them during our prayer time.
After church, about 35 of us went down to the Applecrest Orchard down in Hampton Falls. It was a nice orchard (LOTS of people), and it was nice day to hang outside. One "funny" note: we did see the host of America's Funniest Videos, Tom Bergeron. All I can say is that TV does ALOT to make him look younger than he is.
After the orchard, we all went up to Kyle and Amber's house in Milton for a cookout and bonfire ~ it was great! They have a beautiful home, and lots of room in their yard, so many of us played two-hand touch football. My team won (7-0) on a touchdown pass from Chuck to me (please don't ask me how far I had to run to catch the ball - let's just say that when I caught the ball, I saw a sign for the state line of Maine close by!).
After all was said and done, it was a great day with great people who are blessed because of a great God!
Monday, October 04, 2004
Sunday, October 3, 2004
Another great day - another great attendance and offering - another great fellowship! Let me start out with the church service itself...
To begin, we were nervous with the music going in because Greg and Gail were not with us (and will no longer be with us - they are looking for a new church atmosphere and we wish them well). But the music went well, and I began a new series called, "Irresistible Evangelism: Playing the Master's Course." Using the example of golf, I will be spending this whole month talking about evangelism, and telling people about Jesus Christ. I am hoping that we will become a church that actively shares our faith with others.
We had 60 in service(!), and Candace Smith came forward to join us. Lee and Joann Thompson also are going to become members, and we are excited about all of them! Sue Avery joined us again today, and I hope that she will continue to come back. She is such a blessing, and a part of our family. I hope she will make us a priority.
This afternoon, we held a cook out and watched the Pats play Bufallo (Pats won!), and while the men watched football, the ladies did a craft and the kids played outside. It was a great day of worship and instruction and fellowship!
To begin, we were nervous with the music going in because Greg and Gail were not with us (and will no longer be with us - they are looking for a new church atmosphere and we wish them well). But the music went well, and I began a new series called, "Irresistible Evangelism: Playing the Master's Course." Using the example of golf, I will be spending this whole month talking about evangelism, and telling people about Jesus Christ. I am hoping that we will become a church that actively shares our faith with others.
We had 60 in service(!), and Candace Smith came forward to join us. Lee and Joann Thompson also are going to become members, and we are excited about all of them! Sue Avery joined us again today, and I hope that she will continue to come back. She is such a blessing, and a part of our family. I hope she will make us a priority.
This afternoon, we held a cook out and watched the Pats play Bufallo (Pats won!), and while the men watched football, the ladies did a craft and the kids played outside. It was a great day of worship and instruction and fellowship!
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
September 26, 2004
63! That was our attendance for today, and man, are we stoked! God continues to bring people our way, as today we have 9 visitors with us, as well as a couple named Corey and Jill who returned for the 2nd week in a row. From what I know, they recently moved from Dover to Milton and are members of Durham Evangelical Church, but I think the drive might be a little long. They are a super nice couple with a cute little baby named Abigail. We continue to pray for 10 more in 2004, and maybe they will be part of that.
Speaking of 10 more, we have almost officially reached our goal! Lee & Joanne Thompson will be joining us (along with their kids, Chelsea and Silas), and Ralph and Mary Johnson want to be baptized in November, which would mean that we would have officially hit the 10 family mark! Praise the LORD! However, we would like to replace two families that are no longer with us on our list. Maria moved to Maryland, and Jenn Granger has decided to not come any more (and we miss her so much!).
But 63 for today, which was over our previous high of 62 back on Easter. God continues to grow The Journey. I preached the last in my series of messages on Extreme Makeover: City Edition, preaching on making over our city through evangelism. I thought the sermon was great, but unfortunately, our printer paper was out, and so I didn't have handouts on a day where I really needed to. Nonetheless, I was very proud of the sermon. I liked how I prepared and delivered it (self-critiquing is ok - I know that the glory goes to the Lord and I strive to do my best to honor him!).
No one was saved today, but I think our church is really beginning to move to a higher level of commitment.
Speaking of 10 more, we have almost officially reached our goal! Lee & Joanne Thompson will be joining us (along with their kids, Chelsea and Silas), and Ralph and Mary Johnson want to be baptized in November, which would mean that we would have officially hit the 10 family mark! Praise the LORD! However, we would like to replace two families that are no longer with us on our list. Maria moved to Maryland, and Jenn Granger has decided to not come any more (and we miss her so much!).
But 63 for today, which was over our previous high of 62 back on Easter. God continues to grow The Journey. I preached the last in my series of messages on Extreme Makeover: City Edition, preaching on making over our city through evangelism. I thought the sermon was great, but unfortunately, our printer paper was out, and so I didn't have handouts on a day where I really needed to. Nonetheless, I was very proud of the sermon. I liked how I prepared and delivered it (self-critiquing is ok - I know that the glory goes to the Lord and I strive to do my best to honor him!).
No one was saved today, but I think our church is really beginning to move to a higher level of commitment.
Friday & Saturday, September 24th & 25th, 2004
Extreme Makeover hit The Journey on these two days, as so many people from our church contributed in re-doing our auditorium, closing on the rafters in the ceiling, repainting the walls and ceiling, and cleaning the upholstery on the chairs. It took our workforce 31 hours (which if I were to add up the actual man hours, it would range in the hundreds) to do the makeover, but it is so worth it! The pictures are below, and I am amazed at the transformation. There are still a few small things left to do, but overall, I praise God for giving us such wonderful workers to get this job done!
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