Success Stories: June 7, 2023

One of our members, Lindsey Cella (my daughter) has been talking to someone that she knows in North Carolina about the church. This lady’s name is Erin. We live in Louisiana, but Lindsey happened to be in Branson, Missouri, at their lectureship when Erin agreed to have a Bible study on Zoom.

Lindsey used the virtual approach by using Back to the Bible through Zoom. (HTHSOE provides a Power Point version to all enrolled congregations.) They studied Back to the Bible, covering one book each night for three nights. The study was well received, and God’s Word penetrated her heart.

At the end of the study, Erin knew what she needed to do, but was hesitant because she grew up in the Presbyterian church. Erin talked to some of her friends and family; they were somewhat hard on her and told her that she should have talked to her church leaders before engaging in a study with a “cult.” She and Lindsey discussed this, and she agreed that Lindsey simply pointed out to her what the Bible said.

Evidently, this was just the motivation that she needed. Lindsey flew from Branson to North Carolina to see Erin and continue to study. By the time she arrived, Erin had made up her mind. Lindsey tried to rent a car, but apparently 22-year-olds cannot just show up and rent a car. She called Erin, who came and picked her up. They went to the church building where the minister was waiting, and Erin was baptized into Christ.

Please pray for Erin. Almost all of her friends and family have said that they can no longer have anything to do with her because of her decision. She needs encouragement. She is being persecuted for her decision. We are asking everyone to send Compassion Cards to her at this address: Erin Clemmer, 148 Tilden DR, Lexington, NC 27295, USA.

Congregational Reports

Foristell church of Christ, Missouri: We welcome the Foristell church of Christ. We were overwhelmed with their hospitality. This was one of the friendliest congregations we have ever visited. The preacher and elders have done a superb job preparing for congregational evangelism. During our visit, they had their first Bible study. Aaron Baker (preacher) reports, “Struggling with losing her dad a year ago, Debbie Thompson reached out to us and asked about being baptized. Though she did not know what, ‘this baptism business’ means, she wanted to learn. Her father was a Christian who encouraged Debbie to study, but she never quite found the time for it until after he passed away. Now she wants to live with no regrets! The first study with Debbie went so well that her husband came up from the basement just to sit in on the discussion. Both were interested and glad to hear God’s word. Lord willing, we will have more studies in their home in the weeks to come!”

Glencoe church of Christ, Alabama: David Marker (elder) reports, “Often when someone decides to obey the gospel, or when one decides to be restored, it is the culmination of many individuals who have worked diligently with that person. We realize that, while it is our responsibility and privilege to share the gospel message, God always deserves all the credit. That very thing happened this past week. A young teenager decided to put Christ on in baptism. Then an older gentleman, who had been unfaithful for many years, decided to be restored. His tear-filled eyes said it all! Following that, a young mom who was struggling asked for the prayers of the congregation. All of these examples had studied and been encouraged by many. Through the efforts of loving brethren, we are able to make a difference and accomplish the Great Commission! To God be the Glory!”

Winfield church of Christ, Alabama: Jerry Spann (member) reports, “Mark Posey preached his first lesson from John 4. He will preach the second part next Sunday. We passed out bookmarks to those who were not present for the past two Sundays. Last Wednesday, we started our Compassion Card signing/mailing with 50 welcome/visitor cards to a newcomer. On Sunday, we presented the four Compassion Card groups to the congregation to make sure all were included. On Sunday night, Group 1 met and signed 30 get well cards to be mailed to two non-members with serious health issues. This week we will set up a new table in the front lobby for evangelism materials. Everyone is excited about starting the evangelism process.”

Fayette church of Christ, Alabama: Josh Taylor (member) reports, “I completed the second study with one of my contacts tonight. She and her husband enjoyed the study. They have a Baptist background, so this study was heavy for them. They had difficulty with the discussion of instrumental music and the name of the church. We were able to move through that discussion, and it never was argumentative. I always finish my studies by saying, “I never want you to believe anything because I said it. I want you to believe it because the Bible says it.” The contact said she would consider the issue of instrumental music further. She agreed to a third study. I appreciate all prayers.”

Highway church of Christ, Benton Arkansas: Stephen Ford (preacher) reports, “Robin Collie was invited to come to worship by one of our faithful sisters and has been attending for several months. Many times, members and elders had engaged with her, but she had not agreed to a study. We sent her many Compassion Cards. Each week, we could see that she was moved by the love received and the power of the Word. On Sunday she said, “I want to be baptized, but I am nervous about the crowd.” After worship most of the congregation had cleared out; there were only about 40 members remaining (including a couple visiting from Georgia). Once Robin was baptized, we all hugged and encouraged her. Though we did not sit and study with her, she heard multiple sermons that were directly related to the Back to the Biblematerial.”

Mossy Head church of Christ, Defuniak Springs, Florida (digital): Phillip Gaither (member) reports, “We progressed further through the website plan and will be setting up our compassion card center soon. We are getting close to our first card workday. Exciting times!”

Lake City church of Christ, Florida: Jim Flegert (elder) reports, “A majority of our members are involved in the personal writing of compassion cards. We have tweaked this area and have encouraged those members who are assigned for the week to pick cards up Sunday morning so they can write them on Sunday afternoon and bring them back Sunday evening. Because of this change, many now have become weekly card writers, which helps fill the void caused by summer vacations. It seems the comfort of their homes allows our writers to be much more personal in their messages. Our elders will meet Wednesday to discuss adding new movers to our evangelism efforts.”

Rabun County church of Christ, Tiger, Georgia (digital): McKinley Pate (preacher) reports, “Carol Dollar, a recent convert, attended, even though she lives over an hour away. We presented her with an Apologetics Press study Bible, a copy of David Pharr’s book, The Beginning of Our Confidence, and her baptismal certificate in front of the congregation after services. The members were extremely nice and supportive of her and her decision to obey the gospel. We recently took three copies of Muscle and a Shovel to the local senior citizens building and placed another copy in a book bin outside the local post office. We continue to put one foot in front of the other for the cause of Christ!”

Warner Robins church of Christ, Georgia:  Dave Dominque (elder) reports, “The Warner Robins congregation celebrates a young husband and wife who left the denominational world and were baptized into Christ this weekend. The two had been studying the BTTB series with Daniel and Katrina Stearsman for a few weeks. After they finished the third book and were on their way home, they decided that they needed to put on Christ in baptism. So, they turned around and were baptized that night. It was difficult for the wife to leave her denominational roots, but the truth of God’s word could not be denied. We praise God for their desire to know and obey Him.”

Monroe church of Christ, Georgia (digital): Charles Harris (regional instructor) reports, “For the month of June, our prospect list consists of souls whom we have not yet visited, or whom we need to visit again.  Of course, we will continue to prospect recent visitors and others that members mention. However, our prayer is that reaching out to these souls again will produce Bible studies.”

Carrollton church of Christ, Georgia: Dave Leonard (preacher) reports, “We finished the third lesson of BTTB on Sunday morning. The elders continue to emphasize the personal contact bookmarks and the need for regular transitions to prospects. We prepared more compassion cards on Sunday evening and are progressing with several Bible studies. Our VBS begins Sunday; we are looking forward to it with a greater evangelistic focus. Our stats so far include 40 prospected contacts with 1,000 Compassion Cards sent. As a result, we have five ongoing Bible studies!”

LaFayette church of Christ, Georgia: Jesse Teague (deacon) reports, “Sunday, about 14 members met to enjoy a meal and then canvas the nearby neighborhoods to hand out flyers and invite folks to our VBS that starts tonight. Group 1 met to send cards yesterday after evening worship. We continue to get positive feedback from many card recipients, and we had visitors yesterday who had received cards.  They are looking for a home congregation; I think they were Christians, I but have not confirmed. We have VBS this week, and we hope to use this evangelism tool to reach many in our area.”

Woodstock church of Christ, Georgia: Greg Garner (deacon) reports, “Last week we wrote and sent six compassion cards. We are working with two contacts right now. Our new convert class has 20 students.”

Honolulu church of Christ, Hawaii: Tagiilima Esene (regional instructor) reports, “Part of our evangelism effort is to invite people to bring their children to the Aloha Christian Camp. Last week we were at the camp teaching and encouraging the young souls to love the Lord. This week we continue to follow the model. I will have a second study with a family of four this Thursday if the Lord wills. Our church is gearing up for our VBS in July. We appreciate all prayers.”

Parkway church of Christ, Fulton, Kentucky: Will Hester (preacher) reports, “Saturday we handed out seven Bibles and nine ‘We Think You’ll Love It Here’ books! We pray that this will lead to prospects and contacts. I have begun the process of conversing with a friend of one of our members. Her name is Collette, and we ask for prayers that she will open her heart and begin a Bible study soon.”

Paintsville church of Christ, Kentucky: Zach Collins (preacher) reports, “This summer, we are focusing on breaking bread from house to house and creating opportunities to invite prospects to church functions. By spending time with one another outside of the building, we hope to create a comfortable atmosphere that will open opportunities for evangelism. We have scheduled an event for every month until October. This past weekend, we had a fish fry hosted in the home of two Christians. Our members were challenged to attend and bring a guest. At this event, we had three prospects present, and we had spiritual conversations. Let us pray that these opportunities will turn into successful Bible studies!”

LaPlata church of Christ, Maryland (digital): Eric Sykes (regional instructor) reports, “We completed Lesson 1 of Back to the Bible with Gail Malnati. She is 89. We sent her compassion cards since she recently lost her husband. The study went great; she is looking forward to lesson two. I am attaching pictures of our first official congregational compassion card writing session. Our group wrote 44 cards. Our mailing list grew from two people to eight over the past week. We now have six open Bible studies, up from three last week. Finally, Tim presented the “Quantity, not Quality” message Sunday. It went very well.”

Looxahoma church of Christ, Mississippi: Blake Hawkins (deacon) reports, “We are meeting with the preacher and elders today, still working on organizing. Part 2 of the John 4 sermon series was preached this Sunday.”

Iuka church of Christ, Mississippi: Robert Wimbish (elder) reports, “The ICOC monthly Elders/Deacons/Preacher meeting was held yesterday. Although we had many things to discuss, only one subject was addressed. We spent the entire hour on coordinating our evangelism efforts. We discussed six efforts that need members to lead and support. We spent as much time as possible before and after services communicating with members and staffing these groups, there is still much to be done. Lance gave his third lesson from John 4, and Mikey followed with the next phase of developing and transitioning contacts to prospects. Since our workshop, every public prayer has included a plea for God’s help in making us an evangelistic congregation. All adult classes focus have been shifted to evangelism. Lance will begin a series of lessons based on the Back to the Bible booklets next Sunday. We plan to meet every Wednesday either before or after class to work with the six groups being established. The Elders/Deacons/Preacher will meet at 4:00 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month. Several members have told us that they have someone who needs cards and visits NOW. I do believe we are not far removed from getting this vehicle rolling.”

Fordland church of Christ, Missouri: Josh Romo (preacher) reports, “Visits and Bible studies continue. I have a Bible study Thursday with a couple who has finished Back to the Bible. We appreciate prayers as we try to reach Beth. She has pushed back against immersion. She has a Lutheran/Catholic background.”

Samford church of Christ, Steele, Missouri: Kyle Imel (deacon) reports, “Samford is sticking to the process. We have a new study scheduled Thursday with a couple who received cards. We had a meeting yesterday to assign visits from our card ministry. Those will take place over the next few weeks.”

East Flushing church of Christ, New York (digital): Clarence Jenkins (preacher) reports, “We are grateful to God for the continuing contacts that our members are bringing to us. Glory to God, sending out compassion cards is now a normal activity after worship services every Sunday. We are looking to God to add the increase to our current Bible studies. We appreciate all prayers.”

Carthage church of Christ, North Carolina (digital): Randy Chambers (preacher) reports, “We are encouraged by the reports we receive from the brethren, and we pray and thank God for the brotherhood. We continue to have weekly Bible studies, and we are praying for the increase. We are stressing the fact that it is Congregational Evangelism, and we are equipping and encouraging everyone to be involved in the Lord’s work. We know that if we do our part, God will do His.”

Coweta church of Christ, Oklahoma: Keno Shrum (elder) reports, “We had a Bible study scheduled for last Tuesday with a visitor from the previous Sunday. However, he did not show up for the study. On his visitor’s information card, he did not include an address or phone number. I mention this example to remind readers that not every person is going to follow through. Even those who do study may not answer the Lord’s call at that time. That is the goal, but we should not be discouraged when someone does not come to a study or when someone does not obey after a study. Instead, take comfort in the fact that God has given you the strength and boldness to reach out to the lost and share the gospel with whoever will listen. We serve a living and powerful God who can change hearts and remove veils. So, keep asking for studies, and know that those who may not be ready now might eventually come around because you cared enough to ask. We have a study scheduled for Thursday with an elderly woman who has never been to the church of Christ until recently. She has been attending for the last few weeks with a family member. So please keep Linda in your prayers that the study will be fruitful!”

York church of Christ, Pennsylvania: Mark Raschke (deacon) reports, “We had our monthly visitation meeting.  We currently have six adults and two teens participating in visits. We let each other know the outcomes of previous visits. We discussed creating a document to debrief the congregation on the number of cards, gift bags, visits, studies, and baptisms that we have accomplished during the first six months since we have actively implemented the program. We will share those numbers soon.”

Madison County church of Christ, Jackson, Tennessee: Steven Sprouse (preacher) reports, “We have several ongoing Bible studies and continue to have visitors. We were able to get Internet at the building, and now we can work through the curriculum better.”

McKenzie church of Christ, Tennessee: Chance Steen (preacher) reports, “Another precious soul was added into the kingdom through obedience to Christ.  Kingsten Gibbs was baptized into Christ for the remission of his sins on May 31. Group B met for their card assignments on Sunday. The elders are restructuring a few things to better match the program so we can be more focused in our efforts.”

Covington church of Christ, Tennessee: Jeff Phillips (associate preacher) reports, “We are still working on cleanup after the tornado. We are the only volunteer organization, and certainly the only church in Tipton County, still cleaning up. We have rented a mini excavator and plan to rent a stump grinder soon to get our foot in the door. There are a lot of stumps! As a result, we are still having visitors. Some are people we have helped; others are those who witnessed our helping and wanted to know more about us. The image of the church has changed as a result of the storm and our efforts in the weeks after the Covington church of Christ became the hub for feeding first responders, relief workers, and even school children. FEMA, TEMA, and the Red Cross still send folks who need help our way. We appreciate prayers that Bible studies and conversions will come as a result of our efforts.” We are going to help the Honolulu church of Christ hold a VBS. We will scout the area around the Wahiawa congregation for an AMC-style campaign next summer. Lima and I are hoping to eventually go to all the islands with the Word.  Also, Jedidiah baptized another sergeant several weeks ago, Sergeant Griffin. We are praying his fiancé will follow suit soon! Sergeant V, on the other hand, is really struggling. Satan is sifting him like wheat, and he is feeling the pain. We ask for prayers that he, like Peter, will return to the Lord.”

New Hope church of Christ, Middleton, Tennessee: Cole Wade (preacher) reports, “Sunday, we had a new family visit us; they live just down the road. We spent a lot of time getting to know them, and we are planning to reach out soon for opportunities to spend more time with them. We have invited them to a cookout. We appreciate all prayers for this family and for our faith as we navigate this!”

New Union church of Christ, Manchester, Tennessee: Paul Fulks (elder) reports, “Our members made three new contacts this week. Card Team 1 met and completed 65 compassion cards. Four members made seven follow-up visits and contacts. We conducted a Bible study and have others in various stages. In one study, Lesson 3 convinced the student that baptism was necessary, although before the study this student had stated flatly that baptism was not necessary. We spent extra time reading Scripture and answering questions. Unfortunately, he had to leave halfway through the study due to prior commitments. He requested that we complete it this week, and he plans to bring his fiancé. I hope and pray they will both accept the gospel and be baptized this week. Our elders and preacher reached out to specific members to include them in assigning visits and follow-up.”

Hatlers Chapel church of Christ, Tennessee: Michael Tuberville (elder) reports, “With another congregation, we helped a husband and wife leave the Mennonite church to become Christians. They have four children. They all worshipped with us Sunday. We appreciate access to the congregational leadership website. We are using it to restart the evangelism work.”

Old Jefferson church of Christ, Smyrna, Tennessee: Bob Horn (preacher) reports, “This week a young man who has been attending off and on finally agreed to a study. He was trying to get his life going in the right direction. He was out of town with his family for about a month but came back to Wednesday Bible study a couple of weeks ago. I hoped he would come to church this past Wednesday, but he did not. As I was walking home, I received a call from an unknown number telling me that the young man had been found dead earlier that day.

“I learned a few things from this event. I realized that keeping the congregation informed about the studies helps them grow more attached to the individual. They are beside themselves now as we learned of his passing. I learned that a complete stranger knew the young man had been coming to our services and thought it was important enough to tell us of his death. That tells me that our light is shining in the area. The one who called as well as the family members I talked to both said that whatever influence we had with him had made a significant difference; they could see that he seemed to be in a much better mindset the last several weeks. I only wish we could have studied with him more. On a brighter side, we sent compassion cards to three contacts this week.”

Dellrose church of Christ, Tennessee: Mike Hovis (member) reports, “Wes reminded the congregation that anyone who has recently had a baby is a good candidate for compassion cards. We had a minute of silent prayer for our contacts. Group 1 sent 77 cards this week. This is VBS week, and we are hoping to make more contacts during this week.”

East Main church of Christ, Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Brad Rowley (elder) reports, “Our compassion card team wrote 107 cards. East Main had our mission trip last week in Panama. This week, we are preparing for VBS. VBS classroom helpers are getting contacts from classes. Our volunteers met last week to review old directories. They came up with five new contacts. The plan is to send cards for two weeks and then have a follow-up visit. We pray for open hearts!”

West End church of Christ, Knoxville, Tennessee: Adam Wilson (member) reports, “Megan grew up at West End, but she has been away at college for several years. While she was back in town last week, she decided to obey Christ. We could not be happier for her and her family. We appreciate all who continue to pray, ask, and study.”

Schertz church of Christ, Texas: Jay Stewart (elder) reports, “We had our first fellowship and visitors’ lunch with our new groups. It was well attended. Scott Springer set up a Bible study with a visiting couple. Stan Crowley continues to study with a family of three. They have shown interest; Stan provided new Bibles for the mother and father; they were very appreciative. We have expanded our Help Your Neighbor program with the local school system. We now provide monthly assistance to those identified as most in need. We are still working on the details to ensure there will be evangelism opportunities through these efforts.”

Southwest church of Christ, Austin, Texas: John Garza (regional instructor) reports, “On June 1, we rejoiced with Destiny Jimenez as she made the decision to be baptized for the forgiveness of her sins. Shelby Polk, a first-year student at SWSBS, described the study: ‘Lauralee and I had our study with Destiny this evening, and we went through the Does It Matter booklet. Destiny was excited to get into it, and as we went through the text, she showed us that she remembered a lot from her previous studies with John Garza. She asked a few questions that we answered in the study. She recognized the authority of the Scriptures and understood why sincerity alone is not enough to be right with God. When we read the section that asked about being saved, she became serious. She told us she knew that based on studying the Scriptures, she was not saved. We continued studying for a little longer, and then with tears in her eyes, she told us she needed to obey the gospel.’ Chris Wilcut (another first year student) took on the responsibility of baptizing her. Shelby added, “After being baptized, Destiny showed eagerness to continue studying to grow in knowledge. God’s Word is so powerful! Please keep sweet Destiny in your prayers as she begins her Christian walk.’

“Allow me a moment to praise God for the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ and the simplicity of understanding it (Romans 1:16). There is no doubt that God desires all to be saved and come to repentance, which can be seen in Destiny. Allow me a moment to praise God for the workers in the kingdom, specifically Shelby, Lauralee, and Chris (all first-year students). Truly, the fields are white for harvest (John 4:35), and it has been encouraging to see the zeal in the members at Southwest to do the work of evangelism, the future generation of evangelists. Praise God!”

Northern Oaks church of Christ, San Antonio, Texas: Mel Hutzler (elder) reports, “We have a few Bible studies in progress. We hope to complete Book 3 in one of our studies this week. We have Bible camp scheduled soon; our campers will be studying evangelism. After that, we have VBS. Summer Youth Nights are scheduled for every Friday throughout the summer. We had a large attendance for our senior banquet dinner and our graduation luncheon. We have had an increase in visitors lately, and we are working toward Bible studies with them.”

North Jefferson church of Christ, Mt. Pleasant, Texas:  Jeff Whatley and Kris Groda (preachers) reports, “Yes sir, my wife Carrie & I have been blessed to study Back to the Bible with Scott & Jena Rhyne. They have been visiting North Jefferson for months; thus, have listened to many great lessons & Bible classes with brother Kris Groda & Garth Johnson. They were baptized into Christ on 5/7/23.

“My dad, Tommy Whatley, has heard and studied with me, my wife and his grandson Davin Whatley studied with him several times over the years. He has often failed to see the urgency of being baptized for the forgiveness of sins and being added by the Lord to His blood bought church.  He was baptized in a Baptist church when he was 13 years old.  Prayerfully and patiently; the Gospel’s amazing power finally pricked his heart to do what was right in the sight of God for the remission. He obeyed the Gospel!

“In addition, we have been studying with Tony Smith. Tia got him coming to church. He is an auditory learner and we have been doing Jule Miller videos. We will study again this Wednesday night at 6 PM. Thanks brother Rob and H2H for the tools and continual focus to always press toward the goal of seeking, serving, and sharing the Gospel with others that they may know the truth and it will set them free.”

Midtown church of Christ, Victoria, Texas: James Cammock (deacon) reports, “Our summer series for adults and children begins Wednesday. One of our members works at a local private school and was able to hand out our postcard invitations to the student body. We are hoping to use this series as an opportunitiy for evangelism!”

Highway 95 church of Christ, Taylor, Texas: Benjamin Dossey (preacher) reports, “Richard has been pulled away in the middle of the study by the cares of the world and has started attending a denomination with his daughter. Please keep us and Richard in your prayers that he may see the importance of following through with godly obedience.”

Graceton church of Christ, Diana, Texas: Johnny Willeford (elder) reports, “This week we had our first Mission Monday meeting, and we will start our home visits next week. We will call on 15 contacts who have been receiving compassion cards. So far, we have sent 840 cards. Sunday, we had our fourth individual visit from compassion cards. Group A signed 129 cards after services. Scott taught his second lesson on the first booklet. Our congregation is responding well to the lessons. This week, we will ask for names from the bookmarks of those that need to be restored. We included a picture from the Mission Monday training. We ask God’s blessings on all the Lord’s churches.”

Central church of Christ, Martinsburg, West Virginia: Robert Veil (preacher) reports, “I conducted a meeting with the North Central West Virginia congregation last week and was thrilled that three precious young people were baptized on Sunday. To God be the glory! We have several private studies now in progress. Allison and Wendy continue to attend all services faithfully.”

HTHSOE: Austin Fowler (regional instructor): “Thursday through Saturday, Marlon and I finished the Evangelism Seminar at Sarchi, Costa Rica. It was a great three days with the brethren. Three more congregations came to learn more how to help reach the lost in their communities. On Friday, we helped local members follow up with contacts the church had from a previous campaign. Marlon began Back to the Bible with two ladies. I studied with Carlos and Magaly. A group of Freed Hardeman students came in March and met this couple. I went through Does It Matter? with them, and they decided to be baptized. This truly demonstrates planting, watering, and God giving the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).

“Saturday night, we began the seminar at the Alajuelita congregation. Three other congregations were present to learn about the mission of the church. It was a fantastic night! The attendance was great and there was a lot of enthusiasm that carried over to Sunday. We had two lessons as well as worship and then enjoyed lunch together. We had two more lessons of the seminar. Everyone was very interested in evangelism and how to help the church grow.”

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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