Success Stories: May 31, 2023

We have had another busy week in Coweta. Saturday, we ate great BBQ and then had a Bible study with a young man. Cooper visited us off and on when he was younger, but he had not been able to come back over the past four or five years. However, he recently graduated high school and has been worshiping with us for the last two weeks.

Saturday night we went through Lesson 1 of BTTB. Sunday afternoon before evening services, we finished Lesson 2. Upon completing it, we had plenty of time, and Cooper wanted to continue with Lesson 3. We had finished about half of it and then paused for evening services. The lesson was on 1 Kings 17 with the focus on trusting God in all situations, as Elijah did. When I offered an invitation, Cooper came forward and committed his life to God through the waters of baptism. You will find pictured Cooper and his dad, Dustin, who was baptized a couple of years ago.

Also, we had a visitor yesterday morning. JT is new to the area and has never been to a church of Christ. He has been visiting various places of worship, but really enjoyed the service this morning. We will study Lesson 1 of BTTB with JT Tuesday evening.

We continue to grow and are excited about what lies ahead. For years, we wanted to grow, but we never had a plan of action until we worked with HTHSOE two years ago. Since then, we have doubled in size. Through HTHSOE, we have learned how to take advantage of the opportunities God places before us. I think the biggest hurdle we had to overcome, and the one that has resulted in the most growth, was recognizing that we are not pickers. We are planters. We are waterers—not pickers. It is not up to us to decide who will or will not listen to the gospel.

Once we started mentioning the gospel to everybody that we contacted, the growth began. Two years ago, our church attendance was consistently in the upper 20’s and occasionally in the low 30’s. We now consistently run around 50. Yesterday we had 59. The proof is in the numbers. BTTB just works. We are finally letting God work through us as He has wanted to do all along, but we were standing in the way.

Congregational Reports

Glencoe church of Christ, Alabama: David Marker (elder) reports, “Sunday, we honored our graduating seniors and had a fellowship meal afterwards. It was an encouraging day, and we had some visitors present. We are finishing the delivery of our new movers’ baskets. We had some encouraging prospects from our newcomers who will soon receive compassion cards. Rob Whitacre, filling in for Brooks Boyd, preached an old-fashioned sheet sermon titled, ‘In Christ.’ It is about how to find Jesus in a world of sin and sorrow. I would encourage everyone to go to our Facebook page and listen. All his points were well articulated and easy to understand. It was a very powerful sermon that would benefit all who listen.”

Ironaton church of Christ, Alabama: Dale Harris (elder) reports, “Several of our youth, led by Cohen Davidson, Tyler Gallahar, Connor Haynes, and Logan Haynes (and several others) have been holding a worship service each Sunday afternoon at Talladega Health and Rehab. They developed a great relationship with Ms. Donna Boyd. Tonight, she studied with Cohen and then decided to be baptized! Cliff Goodwin went to Tractor Supply and bought a 150-gallon tank. We filled it so we could baptize her tonight. We had five or six workers who were so helpful. We took their names and plan to recognize them in the future to thank them for their great help!”

Winfield church of Christ, Alabama: Jerry Spann (member) reports, “Mark Posey reminded members to continue listing Ten Contacts on their bookmarks. He also asked them to pray over their lists and to let the elders know of any special needs of those on their lists. Tim Holt, an elder, led a prayer for all contacts on everyone’s list.”

Chase Park church of Christ, Huntsville, Alabama: Pat Cowden (preacher) reports, “One of our members, Peggy, is an Uber driver. A few weeks ago, she had a rider named Anna. Peggy keeps materials about the church in her car where people can see them. Anna asked Peggy questions about Christianity. She said she had just moved to Huntsville for work and has been in the US for less than four months. She was born and has lived in Egypt her whole life. She and her dad have been secular Muslims, and she has had doubts for many years about Islam. Peggy invited her to ‘come and see’ at Chase Park and she did. After Bible class, we took her to lunch (always eat) and have a scheduled Bible study with her. Since that time, she has had some things come up and has not been able to come back. Please pray that she has a truly honest and seeking heart and that she will study with us soon.”

Fayette church of Christ, Alabama: Josh Taylor (member) reports, “As we consider the lives that were given for our country’s freedom, we are so thankful for those willing to die for the sake of the country. Our evangelistic efforts are in part made possible because of those individuals. This week we will conduct Lesson 2 with one of our contacts. She has cancer and recently received a great report from her doctors. The cards that have been sent from the church that meets at Fayette have given her great confidence and comfort. Please pray that this study will prove fruitful as we sow the seed. My prayer is that God will be glorified through all efforts!”

Hatton church of Christ, Alabama: Rob Martin (elder) reports, “One of our Bible studies ended with a baptism! Attached is a picture of our new brother in Christ. We studied Back to the Bible, which is such an effective tool. On a side note, a group of our men and women went to Amory, Mississippi, to help with the tornado damage. We took a track hoe, skid steer, tractor, and several strong backs. We worked alongside our brothers and sisters from Amory church of Christ. Be in prayer for that community as we hope that this tragedy can bring more to Christ.”

Jacksonville church of Christ, Alabama: Keith Ritchie (preacher) reports, “Our elders asked me to preach on attendance. Several members who had not been coming back on Sunday nights are now attending. I will study Lesson 3 with William Whitaker this week, and he has another Bible study lined up for me. We had part of Lesson 3 last week, but I could tell William was not feeling well. He said he wanted to do the lesson so much and came to the building anyway. We will try again this week.”

Mossy Head church of Christ, Defuniak Springs, Florida (digital): Phillip Gaither (member) reports, “We finished the John 4 lessons, progressed further through the website, and handed out contact cards to the congregation.”

Lake City church of Christ, Florida: Jim Flegert (elder) reports, “Our congregation rejoiced on Tuesday with the baptism of one our long-term visitors. For many years, Sherianne has attended with her Christian husband who passed away five years ago. A husband-and-wife team paid her a visit Tuesday morning. She asked how she could become a member of the church of Christ, and they proceeded to use Does It Matter to answer her question. Sunday morning the entire congregation had the opportunity to watch a video of her baptism, and then we welcomed her into the kingdom. Last week we had our first Mission Monday with six teams participating. It was exciting to take our first step into this new evangelism program. The contacts we visited did not pan out for a Bible study, but two showed potential for the future. We are continuing to pray for all contacts and are thankful for these opportunities.”

Rabun County church of Christ, Georgia (digital): McKinley Pate (preacher) reports, “While studying Lesson 3 of BTTB, Carol stopped me as we were looking at John 14:15 and said, ‘We have to finish this later, because I need to be baptized right now.’ Carol is a home health nurse who has been taking care of two of our elderly members. We have been studying BTTB for the last three weeks while she was taking care of brother and sister Bradsher, who live with their daughter and son-in- law. The Bradshers’ daughter owns a hot tub and graciously allowed us to use it to baptize Carol into Christ for the remission of her sins. We have two opportunities for contacts at local restaurants each week. This fall I will help at the county recreation center during football season, and I hope to contact more people. Recreation football is huge in this area, so we are exploring that avenue. I have been going weekly to the county senior citizens building and eating lunch to get to know some of that age group in hopes to find ways to show compassion. We started the year with 15 members. We now have 17 due to two baptisms. We are on our way to establishing a viable and growing congregation in Rabun County.”

Beattie Road church of Christ, Albany, Georgia: Brian Howard (preacher) reports, “Jaquez Dukes came with a member two weeks in a row. He seemed excited about being asked to study. We studied three days straight and baptized him after the third study. He had a very receptive heart to the truth.”

Monroe church of Christ, Georgia (digital): Charles Harris (regional instructor) reports, “There are a few Bible studies on-going. We expect more good news to come in the weeks ahead!”

Carrollton church of Christ, Georgia: Dave Leonard (preacher) reports, “We are studying the BTTB series on Sunday mornings; we started the third lesson this week. On Sunday evenings, we are meeting to view the online instructional videos, and then we write compassion cards. We have four Bible studies in progress. The work room for our evangelism materials is looking great. We are setting up and training several teams to work as greeters and obtain contact information from our visitors.”

LaFayette church of Christ, Georgia: Jesse Teague (deacon) reports, “We had one promising response to the compassion cards. One recipient is a sister to a faithful member at Lafayette. The faithful sister reported that she knew she needed to ‘start coming to church again,’ and she said all the sweet cards from Lafayette meant a lot to her. VBS is next week, so we are door knocking this week. We plan to place more emphasis on evangelism for this VBS.”

Woodstock church of Christ, Georgia: Greg Garner (deacon) reports, “Our congregation meets on the second, third, and fourth Sunday evenings to conduct the Actively Caring Teaching Serving (ACTS) workshop (i.e. Evangelism). The Compassion Group sent 48 cards last night.  The Service Group carried out a small service act for a WCOC member.  Youth Prison Ministry is conducting 8 bible studies in Dekalb County, GA.  The Youth group is working to get bibles for the students.  WCOC is also working on getting a portable baptism pool.  WCOC has 10 Bible studies. “

Honolulu church of Christ, Hawaii: Tagiilima Esene (regional instructor) reports, “We are working the model and the model works. After prospecting a family through a meal invitation, I was able to schedule a Bible study with them (four souls). The soil is very good for the seed. One shared that they were all pleased with the fact that a preacher took the time to come to their home and study the Bible with them. While doing this is part of soul reaching, we tend to forget how meaningful it is to those who are seeking the Lord. ‘People do not care how much you know, unless they know how much you care.’”

Jerseyville church of Christ, Illinois (digital): Jake Medford (preacher) reports, “We had another positive response to the compassion cards, and a fourth soul has said she will come back to the assembly. We continue to push on and add contacts. The last House to House/Heart to Heart issue gave us three requests for the printed bookmarks by Allen Webster. These will be hand-delivered this week. We added a few new movers to the card list as well. Here is the note that was sent about the cards: ‘I am crying at all these beautiful cards. Thank you so much, Jake. I am going to start coming back to church. Will you be there tonight?’”

Beloit church of Christ, Kansas (digital): Dustin Doughtery (preacher) reports, “The congregation that I visited last month has scheduled a seminar with me in October, so we will be preparing for it. Please pray for the McPherson church of Christ. Our congregation at Beloit is preparing for a great outreach opportunity with our local county fair and upcoming VBS this summer.”

Coldwater church of Christ, Murray, Kentucky: Luke Puckett (preacher) reports, “Thanks for the website it is very helpful, and we use it. We are continuing to work with a few contacts. We have been sending cards and building relationships through calls and visits. We are working on studies with some of our teenagers who are not Christians. We pray these efforts will lead to studies and conversions.”

Parkway church of Christ, Fulton, Kentucky: Will Hester (preacher) reports, “Tuesday we hosted our Summer Youth series; on Saturday we plan to hand out Bibles at the community yard sale. It is a great opportunity to share the gospel with our friends and neighbors! As we approach the summer, we know we will have more opportunities to connect with potential contacts, and we look forward to welcoming them!”

Paintsville church of Christ, Kentucky: Zach Collins (preacher) reports, “Sunday, we held our 2023 Spring Fling. The involvement of our new converts was truly amazing! This was a wonderful opportunity to meet and greet some of our visitors. Visitors keep coming, classes keep growing, and prospects keep developing. We are excited! In addition, we are beginning to plan for our 2023 VBS. We have more participation than ever before! We appreciate all prayers for the work at Paintsville.”

Blanchard church of Christ, Louisiana: Pat Cella (elder) reports, “Some of our members attended the graduation of our former members Casey and Lauren Cella from the Southeast Institute of Biblical Studies this weekend. Others attended the Branson Lectures. But it is very encouraging that our attendance numbers continue to be high due to a large number of visitors. This is a result of our compassion cards and our members being more evangelistic minded.”

Edgewood church of Christ, Maryland (digital): Mitchell Bennett (associate minister) reports, “We currently have one Bible study in progress, and we had one baptism last month and two baptisms the month prior. These new members include our young brother Elijah Francis, our older brother Steven Christian, and our younger sister Natalie Mendoza. Yesterday was our last Sunday in our current residence and Lois Cash was baptized.  What a great way to mark our transition. We will be moving into our new building on June 18, 2023. We appreciate prayers during these changes.”

LaPlata church of Christ, Maryland (digital): Eric Sykes (regional instructor) reports, “Last week we prayed as a congregation for each of the people on our individual bookmarks. Next, we will start adding names to the compassion cards to start prospecting. Tim is presenting the “It’s Quantity…not quality…” lesson this week.

“Dave is entering into lesson 3 of Back to the Bible with his son-law. I’ll let you know how that works out.  Jaumale & Tabetha just finished lesson 2 of Back to the Bible with a couple friends.

“One of the sisters called me yesterday morning with a childhood friend who wanted to have a Bible study. He has cancer and was worried about the surgery he was scheduled to have on Thursday. He told me he was scared and wanted to be sure he was right with God. Since they were over an hour away, we used, “Does it Matter?” Via zoom…During the middle of the study he got sick and needed to stop. He asked me what he needed to do in order to be right with the Lord. So, I taught him the bare-knuckled truth about the gospel of Jesus Christ…And when I was done, he said he wanted to be baptized. But since I was over an hour away, he couldn’t wait that long to take his pain meds which put him to sleep. Prayerfully we’ll get together with him sometime today or tomorrow…before his surgery. Please keep him lifted in prayer…his name is Steve Nelson. Thank you all!!!”

Looxahoma church of Christ, Mississippi: Blake Hawkins (deacon) reports, “Looxahoma is energized after Rob was with us last week. This week we set up the evangelism table in the foyer, and the preacher began the first part of the sermon series. Card writing teams have been arranged, and we look forward to rolling everything out when the sermon series is complete.”

Iuka church of Christ, Mississippi: Robert Wimbish (elder) reports, “We have been having discussions relating to evangelism at every meeting of the church.  Lance gave another sermon from John 4 last Sunday and I taught about how to make a sinner lose sleep in Bible class.  After Lance’s lesson I covered the second part of the Prospect card and went over the list on page 105 of the workbook.  The elders/deacons/preacher will meet Sunday morning and finalize some group assignments and establish leaders for groups.  Lance will present the three lessons of the series then Mikey will present the third part of the prospect conversion to contact.  The elders and deacons are trying to encourage members at every opportunity to pray for their prospects daily.

“We had somewhere between 90 and 100 folks come to our BBQ last Saturday.  Eleven of my prospects came and four or five members brought family that were not Christians.  We had a wonderful afternoon and lots of talking and listening going on, mostly talking though I believe.  That’s going to be a difficult hurdle for most of us, listening.   My brother-in-law and my sister invited a couple to their house for supper last Thursday night and said it went well.  The couple doesn’t attend any church services regularly and seemed interested in learning more about the Lord’s church.   The couple lost their son recently and they will probably be our first concerted card recipients. She and Eddie have always been rocks and this was not the first nor probably not the 20th time they had brought strangers into their home to help them find Jesus.”

West Hwy 160 church of Christ, West Plains, Missouri (digital):
Marvin Hatley (elder) reports, “Compassion cards continue to cultivate prospects. Compassion card group two prepared another round of cards to those on our prospect list; about seventy-five cards will go out this week. One of the prospects, after returning home from long-term cancer treatment, sent a message to the caring member who sent a card. Attached is a screenshot of the contact’s expression of appreciation. This reaction has become commonplace among the majority of those receiving cards in our community. Not all of our compassion card efforts have produced Bible studies, but compassion has planted the seeds that may produce future fruit. To God be the glory in all efforts to bring God’s word to the lost.”

Fordland church of Christ, Missouri: Josh Romo (preacher) reports, “Two Bible studies will start Book 3 of Back to the Bible this week. We have three visits scheduled this week with folks who have received our compassion cards. We plan to send some invitation cards as well.”

Samford church of Christ, Steele, Missouri: Kyle Imel (deacon) reports, “Thursday, after going through the three BTTB books, Stacey put on Christ in baptism. She said she felt like a load had been lifted, and I assured her it had. Her sins had been washed away. Stacey will need lots of prayers and encouragement, so please lift her name up in prayer. We did not finish the red book, but we will do so this week. Her husband John and brother Tommy will also finish the book. They have been through the other books as well. Please pray for them to have a proper understanding of the Word. We added two new prospects to our compassion card ministry. Prayers are being answered at Samford.”

East Flushing church of Christ, New York (digital): Clarence Jenkins (preacher) reports, “We watched the Contacts: Vacation Bible Schools YouTube video. We want our VBS to be evangelistically focused. We are continuing in prayers for the contacts on our bookmarks. We have ongoing Bible studies, and our new convert classes are increasing. To God be the glory!”

Carthage church of Christ, North Carolina (digital): Randy Chambers (preacher) reports, “We had four visitors on Sunday. We use the visitor strategy to welcome them and get their information to begin the prospecting process. We had a second Bible study yesterday, using the BTTB Series. The study went well, and the person committed to Lesson 3. There were two other studies conducted using the BTTB series, and the next studies are scheduled for this week. We continue to identify our weaknesses, so we can improve in those areas.”

Linville Forest church of Christ, Kernersville, North Carolina: Steve Hare (elder) reports, “We have some good news. I am currently working with two couples. One couple is a neighbor of a man who attends our Monday night men’s class. I met them at their home and had an initial conversation about the Bible; we agreed on a lot of things. The couple came to church service on Mother’s Day. They received the services very well. The congregation treated them very kindly. They said that was the best that they have been received anywhere in a very long time. They are from the Baptist faith but have not been faithful for many years. They agreed to do the World Bible School course. They have been faithfully completing that course. The woman brought a friend the next Sunday with her. I am close to setting up a Bible study with the original prospect.

“We baptized a couple in January. The husband passed away last Friday. His name came to us through the next-door app. It is amazing where we sometimes find leads. We send cards out every week to visitors. That is how we met the second couple that I am working with now. They were friends of the first couple. The woman brought her husband Sunday. They both agreed to sign up for the World Bible School course. We will start a Bible study with them soon also, after we know each other a little better. Our House-to-House new movers work is doing great! Rick Cooper is outstanding in his work with this program. We get new leads each month, and we send out contact cards to them.

“My son Matthew is working with several of the new converts that he has brought to Christ. He is teaching them how to talk to others. Two of those new converts are studying with friends. Kelly is working with one of his neighbors. We have a few more who are reaching out also. We appreciate those who are praying for us as we move forward.”

York church of Christ, Pennsylvania: Mark Raschke (deacon) reports, “It really does seem as though an evangelism mindset is being instilled throughout the congregation. Sermons and Bible class lessons always seem to tie in with evangelism somehow. Our members are really keen on sending compassion cards, and we continue to get a few new contacts each week. We are finishing our third month of visits to those on our prospect list. We have a brother from Arkansas who has been temporarily assigned to work in York for the past few months, and he gave a fiery message on Sunday evening about the sermon Paul preached on Mars Hill, and how he preached to many but only a few responded. He will shortly return home, but he wished us well with our efforts, and we wished him well in his.”

Madison County church of Christ, Jackson, Tennessee: Steven Sprouse (preacher) reports, “We are preparing for our Friends and Family Day this Sunday. We have sent out invitations or personally invited around 80 people. Those invited were new movers or recipients of compassion cards. We had a good turnout for our Transition Tuesday.”

White Oak church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tennessee (digital): Austin Fowler (regional instructor) reports, “Yesterday was my last Sunday at White Oak until August. It has been a great few months helping them and filling their pulpit. I have seen much growth in this congregation, especially in developing a more evangelistic perspective. They are working on a few visitors and trying to get studies with those who they had to reschedule. They are sending cards to new movers this month!”

McKenzie church of Christ, Tennessee: Chance Steen (preacher) reports, “Group A met after service Sunday and received their cards for the new round of contacts this month. The elders are meeting to discuss when each one of those contacts from last month can be visited. We are slowly trying to revamp a few of the areas so that we can use this program better.”

Covington church of Christ, Tennessee: Wayne Dalrymple (elder) reports, “We had several visitors. Dustin’s mom continues to visit, as do Wayne and Claudia Moon. Carl, a new convert, had been away from services for a couple of months, but he was present Sunday and brought his landlord’s grandson with him. Brenda and her family were not there this week, but we will be reaching out to them. I will be contacting Ms. Dowdy this week to reschedule our visit. We will follow up with those we have helped with tornado relief. Because of all the money that has been donated, we have been able to help many families with insurance deductibles and other financial issues. We will try to transition into Bible studies starting this week. This Sunday, we will take up a special collection to help fund our trip to Honolulu so we can help the church there with their VBS. We are continuing to work for the Lord. We pray that He will give the increase.”

New Hope church of Christ, Middleton, Tennessee: Cole Wade (preacher) reports, “We sent out some cards to a few people who have not been well. I preached a sermon on Jesus’s baptism, shedding light on the depth of the act and of God’s activity during the act. I am setting up a study with a good friend who has visited us on a few occasions. His heart seems to be open to hearing the gospel! Prayers for us would be appreciated!”

New Union church of Christ, Manchester, Tennessee: Paul Fulks (elder) reports, “This week we had three contact cards submitted. Card Team 4 completed 53 compassion cards. Last week five members made six follow-up visits and contacts. We also assigned new mover baskets. We had two Bible Studies this past week with five others in various stages of progress. One study resulted in a baptism!”

Dellrose church of Christ, Tennessee: Mike Hovis (member) reports, “During the time Wes asked the congregation for new contacts yesterday, he reminded us that anyone graduating from high school or college this year would be a great contact. Group 2 met on Sunday before evening service to write cards. There were 14 present, and we wrote cards to seven contacts. Aleah Hovis, age 9, and her sister, Sarah Kate, 14, were among those writing cards. Their great-grandmother Ann Sanders just celebrated her 90th birthday, and she was also there writing cards. It was a good period of fellowship while working together to reach out to others. A picture of the group working is attached.”

Free Will church of Christ, Gainesboro, Tennessee (digital):  Andrew Scott (preacher) reports, “Hi Rob, wanted to let you know I will be meeting with two gospel preachers next Tuesday. They are interested in HTHSOE. They would like for me to come and train the congregation.  I don’t know when that will be, but as soon as we get it scheduled I will let you know. That way we can get their material together. Everything continues to go well for us at Freewill. We have four prospects right now that are very close to a Bible study. We also continue to make contacts each week and will start sending out House to House next month. To God be the glory!”

Schertz church of Christ, Texas: Jay Stewart (elder) reports, “It has been a few weeks since our last report, but things are going well at Schertz. Scott Springer is settling in as the new minister, and he has presented several ideas to the elders for ways to continue building the foundation of our current membership and forge ahead on our evangelism. We are in the early stages of working with the local school district’s social worker to provide necessities for those with critical needs. Brother Crowley has had two Bible studies with a family who has been visiting for the last couple of months. We are encouraged by their continued interest. Finally, we have changed our fellowship groups to give each other more exposure to other members of our Christian family.”

Southwest church of Christ, Austin, Texas: John Garza (regional instructor) reports, “In addition to our eight current studies of last week, we now have two new studies as well. This week we received 100 sets of the Believe the Bibleseries to use in our Bible camp for this summer. We want to build on the 27 baptisms from using Back to the Bible last year by making camp an evangelistic training opportunity. To God be the glory.”

Northern Oaks church of Christ, San Antonio, Texas: Mel Hutzler (elder) reports, “We have a few Bible studies going on. We just finished book two with my son’s friend. His friend is trying to get his mom to study next time. The other two studies are taking longer because they are a few weeks apart. We have a couple of members engaged in studies. With more events coming up, we hope to use them to increase evangelism.”

Bridgewater church of Christ, Katy, Texas: John Siefert (elder) reports, “Rob, we are still making progress with new members who attended the seminar and have placed membership. Also working on getting volunteers for positions and members understanding assignments.”

Midtown church of Christ, Victoria, Texas: James Cammock (deacon) reports, “Our Fundamentals of the Faith class has completed its first quarter. We covered a range of topics including The Old and New Covenants, The Person and Work of Jesus, The Organization of the Church, Worship, The Second Coming of Christ, Can a Christian Forfeit His Salvation, and How to Study the Bible. Next quarter we will focus on how to conduct a personal Bible study!”

Highway 95 church of Christ, Taylor, Texas: Benjamin Dossey (preacher) reports, “Saturday, we had our VBS meeting and then delivered new movers’ baskets. We had a great turnout for both. VBS planning is well underway. We had some good interactions and look forward to having some contacts from our new movers program visit us.”

Graceton church of Christ, Diana, Texas: Johnny Willeford (elder) reports, “Our Sunday morning lesson by Scott was very interesting. He started the training on the three lessons for the one-on-one home Bible studies using the Back to the Bible booklets. Group C had their first compassion card writing session last night. They wrote 303 cards that we will mail. Our congregation has written 711 compassion cards. The best news is that three contacts who have received cards came to Sunday services, and two came back Sunday evening. I was able to visit with one of the ladies, and she wanted me to see all the cards she has received. She wants to be restored to the church. She has not attended for several years. The other two ladies have recently lost their husbands. One man had cancer for a long time. The other lady is in her early 20’s and lost her husband in an automobile accident. We appreciate prayers for these two ladies. We will meet this week for our first Mission Monday group. Next week we will start visits to the 15 contacts who have been receiving compassion cards. We continue to enjoy the blessings that God gives us even though the world around us continues to fall. We will continue to pray for all of our brothers and sisters around the world.”

HTHSOE: Austin Fowler (regional instructor): “I did Lesson 3 with Caleb from Kenya through Zoom on Wednesday. As we went through the lesson, he began to see the truth about baptism. I used the Mark 16:16 and Acts 22:16 charts to help him see the order of salvation. He saw the truth and understood his baptism was not valid. I had reached out to East Ridge because I knew they had connections in Kenya. They put me in touch with David Marube on Monday. I told him about the situation. After Caleb said he wanted to be baptized, I called David. He went to meet Caleb on Friday. David led a two-hour study in Caleb’s home with 20 people. Eleven of them decided to be baptized. On Sunday, David went down again to help the church with worship. Six more were baptized after worship. I am thankful for David and his willingness to travel and help them. He will continue to meet with the men to help them grow. I am going to continue to meet with Caleb through Zoom as well.

“On Saturday, David Webster and I studied with Jade from Arizona. He reached out to us through Instagram, asking about the concept of ‘once saved, always saved.’ The discussion led to a Bible study. I did not talk about that concept, and he did not bring it up. We went through Lesson one. It was fantastic! In the end, he talked about how much he learned and how he loved the study’s layout. He said, ‘I did not know we were not under the Ten Commandments anymore.’ We are going to study with him again on Sunday evening.”

NOTE: These reports are from Christians and congregations enrolled in the House to House/Heart to Heart School of Evangelism. These emails are sent to teach and provoke one another to remain focused on the mission of Christ. Each week, we share several reports and highlight one with more details. We hope you enjoy reading them.

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