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The summer of 2005 was a wonderful time for our church.
We had a great Vacation Bible School. We thank all who helped make it the great
success it was. We also had a benefit concert at the church put on by a group out of Burlington (with our own Delmar Mullen on the Steel
Guitar) which was quite well received. We thank all who
participated and all who came to hear. We especially thank all
our ladies who made scrumptious cookies and Sloppy Joes and served the
ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry swirl). It was a great
time of fellowship and fun for all. And then the last Sunday of June
several of our church members went to the Hope Church north of Bethune
for a Southern Gospel Quartet Concert. There are many Christian
activities going on in our area, and we are pleased to be a part of it.
We want to continue to be a part of it in the future.
Vision is something that is difficult for some to come by. But some
people do have it. They can see things as they should be, and as they
can be, not just as they are at the present time. God gives to some
special people that wonderful and most precious gift.
As your Pastor, I have a vision for this church. I've spoken with some folks in our church and it is also their vision. This vision
encompasses the idea that this church will become a living force for
God. I hope that we will be able to have concerts, maybe even one a
quarter. There are Christian groups traveling who perform at various
churches across the country. Some of these have 50 choristers. They
perform and stay overnight and then travel on to their next destination.
We have had calls from various groups in the past but we couldn't
accommodate them. Now, in our new facility, we will be able to
accommodate them, and I hope we will. When this size group gets ready
to perform, they need some room and they need bathrooms for the group to get ready in a timely manner. That is one of the reasons that our new
church facility is programmed to have five bathrooms. (two of these are fully handicapped accessible, and two of these have showers, a very
necessary ingredient for traveling folks, and also for our youth when
they have lock-ins and then prepare for worship the next morning.)
Actions speak volumes. As the church, the body of Christ, our main
reason for existing is to worship the Lord our God. Our new church
building is primarily a worship center. It will have excellent
acoustics and a full, modern sound system. We hope to be able to record in audio tape, video tape, and DVD, our services. This will be nice
for funerals and weddings, as well as numerous other events. Our
shut-ins will be able to see and hear what is going on in our vibrant
church setting.
We are God's people and there are many things that we are called to do. We are called to reach the lost with the truth of God. I'd like to
see that our church building is used 7 days a week. I'd like to have an extensive library of books, and tapes, VCR and audio, books on tape,
plus many DVDs. We would have other ministries and speakers on DVD to
allow people to listen to a multitude of topics whenever they wanted to. There are many quality presentations which I would like to have
available to our people.
We are called to help the needy. Drugs and alcohol dependency are
enormous problems in our community and in surrounding communities.
Alcoholism affects all age groups from preteens up. It is an insidious
evil. There is an urgent need to meet the needs of people who are
alcohol addicted. If it be possible, I'd like to see an AA (Alcoholics
Anonymous) Group and an Alanon (for family members of an alcoholic)
Group based out of our church building. That is entirely possible.
We already have an active Youth Group "The Lighthouse Club," Men's
Group "Fishers of men," and Women's Group "Sisters in Faith." They all
have big plans to serve the Lord well. New projects are being
considered. We want to heed Jesus' call to reach out to the world with
the Gospel message.
I would like for us to consider a summer Book Reading Program for all
age groups, with special attention on our youth. We need to stimulate
young minds and help them to mature and to grow in healthy ways. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. And God forbid that we allow any soul to be lost.
I do not know all that God has planned for us, but I do know that God's plans for us are perfect. This is God's church. I continue to pray
that the church building God has in mind for us will indeed come to be
in God's own way and in God's own time. We are His servants. May we
prove faithful. When this church building is built and ready for use
this building will be dedicated to God for God's use. All the glory
will be given to God.
We are stronger now than we were before December 18. That is the day
that our old church building was completely destroyed by fire. The one
material item which survived was our church bell. It will have a
prominent place in the bell tower of our new church building. It will
symbolize the ringing out of the Good News of Jesus Christ. We are
praying more and we are depending more on God's benevolence. We
continue to seek God's leading in this entire endeavor.
I continue to think on James 4:7-8a "Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He
will come near to you." We need to continue our Bible studies and seek
all God has for us to do.
We will continue to feed the flock on the Word of God. It is life to
all who will receive it.
God will use this church, the people of God, if we are ready and
willing. God has been with us and God will continue to be with us in
this rebuilding project. Keep praying and ask God to show us the way we should go. One-day-at-a-time God will see us through this project. As
people watch us, may they see the Lord living in us. May we be
faithful to God's Word.
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