Success Stories: July 17, 2025

Welcome, Jackson church of Christ, Missouri: We welcome the Jackson church of Christ to the House to House/Heart to Heart School of Evangelism. The congregation has a strong eldership with a very talented core membership. We will be following their work closely as they train the congregation to be soul winners.

Glencoe church of Christ, Alabama: Keith Ritchie (preacher) reports, “Glencoe church of Christ added another Bible study, now making four studies and one study to be planned. Our attendance has been good even though we have had some out of town or sick. We have an evangelistic Ladies’ Day planned, and Lord willing, we will make more contacts with that effort. Glencoe has several outreach works planned for the future besides our door knocking and transition Sundays. Continue to pray for our efforts. To God be the Glory!”

Central church of Christ, Saraland, Alabama: David Dixon (preacher) reports, “We are excited about going to Branson, Missouri, to see everyone and get refreshed, renewed, and recharged at Polishing the Pulpit! Though we will be gone for a week, the work does not stop. We had two Bible studies last week, and I believe they will lead to baptisms soon. Even if just one of them obeys the Gospel, it will put us at our goal for the year. One of our new convert couples has decided to tie the knot in August, and another has announced they are expecting a baby boy in December. Growth comes in different forms, and we are thankful for it all!”

Cedar Grove church of Christ, Andalusia, Alabama: Josh Holloway (preacher) reports, “We had a very productive time at Cedar Grove. We made several visits and conducted four Bible studies. We had a baptism last week, so we started Mrs. Karen in our new convert program. We had our first transition visits since starting the program. One resulted in a Bible study, and another set up a future study. Both of those individuals brought out the stack of cards with tears in their eyes. One lady told me she reads them every day. Another said she was going to write a letter to the congregation to let us know how much they meant to her as she struggles with her cancer treatments. We now have four or five active Bible studies going on as a congregation. Every program is officially started. Some coordinators are farther along than others, but we seem to be moving along well. This week, we emphasized benevolence. We are trying to help one of our potential prospects. Also, one of our deacons has begun the process of changing our focus of benevolence to match the evangelism model. Our coordinator for door-knocking has already set our first congregational door knocking as well. We are plugging away in the HTHSOE model, and we are excited our early success so far!”

Hartselle church of Christ, Alabama: Justin Smith (preacher) reports, “The training at Hartselle is ongoing and has been very successful. Recently, we focused on how the congregation can best welcome and engage visitors. Along with the practical training, we discussed the kind of church we want visitors to experience when they walk through our doors. These conversations were encouraging and helped everyone see how their individual actions either contribute to or take away from the impression we hope to give as the Lord’s church. Building on this momentum, we are now assembling a dedicated ‘special forces’ visitor team. We are blessed to have visitors in our assembly every week, and our prayer is that, with a more intentional plan in place, these efforts will lead to more Bible studies and more glory for God.”

Hatton church of Christ, Town Creek, Alabama: Chris Miller (preacher) reports, “We have several studies going on currently by multiple members in the congregation. Our team leaves for Coweta in about a week to assist in a campaign effort there in Oklahoma with Keno Shrum. Members continue to be hard at work, especially with new movers.”

Creekwood church of Christ, Mobile, Alabama: Tucker Presley (preacher) reports, “We’ve been very busy with VBS over the last few days, but it has been a great time! We’ve had several visitors and have collected their information. After VBS, we’ll be following up with the visitors. We currently have two Bible studies going on right now. Cards are being sent out every week to prospects. More visits need to be made for those who have come off the prospect list. Things are moving along!”

Highland Park church of Christ, Muscle Shoals, Alabama: Andrew Myham (deacon) reports, “We rejoice this week that we had one baptism. Also, a couple who had received cards attended worship with us recently. Members took them out to eat, and we will begin a Bible study soon. They asked the congregation for prayers, and we ask all who read this report to pray for them as well.”

Rison church of Christ, Arkansas: Keden Shrum (preacher) reports, “We have been studying with Julian and Samantha for the past couple of weeks, and following Sunday evening worship, we completed the third lesson of Back to the Bible. After learning God’s plan of salvation, Julian and Samantha both declared their desire to be baptized. We are thankful for this young family and look forward to watching them grow in the Lord.”

Mountain Home church of Christ, Arkansas: Joshua Adams (preacher) reports, “This past week, we had several wins to celebrate thanks to the HTHSOE strategy. First, Michael, who is a neighbor of a member, received our compassion cards, and one Sunday morning he came to service before our door-knocking team made their visit to his home. He said he was encouraged by the church’s love and wanted to meet us. He also shared that he was moved by the sermon that morning. We are hopeful for a Bible study to be scheduled soon! Next, we had our third study with George, and he decided he needed to be baptized as soon as we finished the lesson. He was baptized on Saturday and introduced to the church yesterday. He is excited to keep learning and join our New Members’ class. We wrote over 100 cards Sunday night and had an area-wide singing with nearby congregations in attendance. It was particularly encouraging to see all of our youth leading singing before the ‘grown-ups’ got up.”

Windsor church of Christ, Colorado: Lucas Stephens (member) reports, “We have one Bible study in progress with one of our contacts/prospects, and it is going well. We have had a request for a correspondence study that was sent to the local congregation. We had a separate women’s Bible class that we just started in conjunction with our auditorium adult class. We have our regularly scheduled evangelism meeting this week, where we will discuss this week’s activities.”

Margaret Street church of Christ, Milton, Florida: Troy Spradlin (preacher) reports, “We are happy to report that our Bible studies are continuing and going well! In fact, one of our sisters in Christ recently got up the courage to ask one of her family members to study Back to the Bible with her, and the answer was ‘Yes!’ We so love to see that evangelistic spirit grow among the brethren! Our current 2025 Year-to-Date Accountability Board numbers are: 190 Total Contacts received; 50 Visitors; 131 Neighbors (prospects whom we have loved and/or studied with); 60 Bible studies (total completed); 1,617 compassion cards sent; two Restorations; and 13 Baptisms.”

South Florida Ave. church of Christ, Lakeland, Florida: Steven Ford (preacher) reports, “I have been studying with a young man named David Vicente. He is 23 and has a Catholic background. He is dedicated to the Bible’s authority but confused with his history and culture being so steeped in tradition and not in scripture. We have had three studies so far and are halfway through the blue book. We will continue once we return from PTP.”

Niceville church of Christ, Florida: Joe Palmer (preacher) reports, “This week we sent out 63 cards and had two Bible studies. We are busy preparing for VBS, which started Sunday night. We are anticipating a busy week of prospecting. We have several new people involved in VBS. On Sunday, we had several returning visitors but no new visitors.”

Edgewood church of Christ, Columbus, Georgia: Mitchell Deering (deacon) reports, “Our metrics for this past week are: Visitors-15, Bible Studies Conducted-4, Compassion Cards Sent-85 this week (370 total for July), and Prospect Visits-6. We had a strong turnout this past Sunday with 15 visitors, creating several new opportunities for outreach. The compassion card ministry remains active, now totaling 370 cards sent for July. Matt is developing the follow-up team, and this week we’re putting it into action by visiting six of the prospects. Bible studies continue at a steady pace with growing engagement.  Our next steps are as follows: Complete scheduled visits and record outcomes to guide future studies and contact. Continue developing the follow-up team roles and responsibilities. Encourage members to greet and engage with new visitors to support outreach efforts.”

Lafayette church of Christ, Georgia: Jesse Teague (deacon) reports, “We had 27 souls to visit from our ‘new movers’ list. We had follow-up visits made from prior visits that were documented on our contact cards. We pray that these souls will at some point be open to hearing and studying the Gospel plan of salvation. We will continue to plant and to water—God will give the increase! We are also thankful for the information made available to us through HTHSOE to help the flood victims in Texas. The elders at Lafayette have decided to send support to the Northern Oaks church of Christ in San Antonio to help with ‘Texas Flood Relief.’ We pray that this will be able to help those in need and also to encourage faithful Christians to spread the Gospel to those who need it.”

Cartersville church of Christ, Georgia (remote): Charles Harris (regional trainer) reports, “We baptized Derek a few days ago. When I first met Derek, I could tell he only wanted to study to keep his girlfriend happy. Our studies ceased. I occasionally reached out to see how things were going. After some trials in his life, Derek reached out to me and said he wanted to study again. His approach to the studies was completely different. Never give up on a soul. We also baptized Anthony last week. He is in the local jail and has been studying through correspondence courses.”

Woodstock church of Christ, Georgia: Larkin Cook (member) reports, “We had seven non-Christian attendees at the Assistant Living devotional on Sunday. The Prison Ministry Group is working to clear two individuals to enter several RYDC facilities to assist with Bible studies. The Compassion Cards Group sent cards this week. WCOC had eleven non-Christian visitors this Sunday morning. We had seven Bible studies last week and two baptisms.”

Collinsville-Troy church of Christ, Illinois: Jason Wright (elder) reports, “We delivered nine New Movers’ baskets and made some follow-up visits over the last two weeks. We had multiple Bible studies as well.
We mailed 155 compassion cards and had a few visitors stop by. We continue our training on Sundays and keep plowing ahead. We are close to having baptisms with some of our ongoing studies. In any case, we continue to be seed sowers.”

Judah church of Christ, Indiana: Joe Moon (preacher) reports, “We attempted to visit five prospects this week. Three were not home, one was not home but his son-in-law was, and one was visited. The one who was visited acted interested in a Bible study, although one was not set up yet.”

Lincolnway church of Christ, Columbia City, Indiana: Drew Reece (preacher) reports, “We have officially started the curriculum. On Sunday, we handed out the bookmarks, and the members have started to fill them out. We are excited to get started and continue saving. We are actively working to find a solution for our lack of space. With much more growth, we will soon outgrow our building.”

Highland Village church of Christ, Bloomington, Indiana: Mark Stauffer (elder) reports, “Highland Village church of Christ has sent 42 cards in July. We have three prospects and four visitors, and we made one visit. Training this week focused on Jonah, emphasizing that the power is in the Word of God, and the power of the Word is released through our obedience.”

Paintsville church of Christ, Kentucky: Zach Collins (preacher) reports, “This past week, a Bible study was brought to us by two of our members, Donnie and Lela. The young woman, Betty, had been attending services with us over the last couple of months. She has developed a close relationship with Donnie and Lela through work. After completing a Bible study with her, along with some material from Does It Matter, she chose to obey the Gospel and become a New Testament Christian. The greatest friend anyone could ever have is the friend who leads you to the cross. Pray for her as she begins her life as a new creation in Christ!”

Madisonville church of Christ, Kentucky: Russell Kline (preacher) reports, “We had 19 visitors at church Sunday. We have two active prospects doing Bible Correspondence Courses. We sent out about 15 compassion cards.”

Central church of Christ, Paducah, Kentucky: Adam Faughn (preacher) reports, “We are rejoicing! Last Thursday evening, April King was baptized into Christ. She has been studying with two of our ladies for a long time, but their patience and her willingness to learn have resulted in the Word taking hold in her heart. She is from North Carolina, but she is here for a traveling nursing job for a couple more months. We have already found two congregations near her home in North Carolina for when she returns home. Last week, we started a study with Angela, who recently moved to our area. She went to Central when she was very young but moved away and has not been in the Lord’s church since childhood. She is thrilled to be in a Bible study. Another guest, Marilyn, agreed to a study, and we plan to start that within the next couple of weeks. She is moving and starting a new job, so please pray we are able to work around this busy time in her life and get in the Word! Good things are happening, and we praise God for them all.”

Gonzales church of Christ, Louisiana: Patrick Adkins (deacon) reports, “We had training on visiting our prospects, and we assigned a leader for that. We signed 23 more cards for a total of 66 for July and over 200 since June 1st. The teen class and middle school class are doing Back to the Bible together as well.”

Chalmette church of Christ, Louisiana: Scott Russell (member) reports, “We sent out a new round of cards to different people. No new studies were set up that I know of, but there are two that we hope to start soon. We are setting up our three-month Zoom meeting with HTHSOE to continue the training.”

La Plata church of Christ, Maryland (remote): Eric Sykes (regional trainer) reports, “Cynthia Simmons, one of the folks in our ‘Advanced Teacher Training Class’ completed Book 3 of BTTB with her former co-worker Tayloni Ricks, and we baptized her last Tuesday. My son is another member of our Advanced Teacher Training class, and he and I completed Book 3 of BTTB with my granddaughter’s co-worker, Matthew Gray. We baptized him last Wednesday. That makes our tenth baptism this year, which is two more than we had in all of 2024. My daughter-in-law Tabetha completed Book 2 of BTTB with her co-worker on Friday. They are scheduled to start Book 3 of BTTB this week. We request prayers for seeds planted in good and honest hearts so that the Gospel will be obeyed. And, yes, Tabetha is also in our Advanced Teacher Training class that meets every Tuesday. We are training on How to Close a Bible Study. We currently have four open Bible studies.

We have implemented the use of the video training series, ‘Your First 40 Days in the Wilderness’ into our new convert training program. Thus far, our new converts love it, and the training is going great. Our Wednesday night Bible study class is starting Chapter 6 of the Growing in Christ study guide. We are discussing the topic of ‘Worship.’ Our Sunday morning Bible study class is discussing Reason 18 of Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ. This chapter explains the teaching and administering of ‘scriptural baptism,’ in addition to training the congregation on the Evangelism Model. Our leadership is striving to ensure that our members are well-versed in the basic fundamentals of the faith. We appreciate all prayers as we endeavor to do the work of the Lord here in La Plata.”

Beltway church of Christ, Maryland: LeAndre Johnson (minister) reports, “We preached the second part of Lesson 2 Back to the Bible to focus specifically on worship. We started a teach-the-teacher training in our Wednesday night Bible class, starting with the survey and the first part of the Back to the Bible, Book 1. Last Sunday, July 6, we did the first part of Book 2, which focuses on the organization of the church. On Wednesday, July 2, we conducted a ‘train the trainer’ session, focusing on the easy fruit of inviting visitors to participate in a Back to the Bible study. Lastly, on Thursday, July 10, we had our first farmers’ market for the season. We collected 52 names with contact information, including name, address, email, and phone number. We will start to work the list in the near future.”

Aberdeen church of Christ, Mississippi: Jonathan Hagar (preacher) reports, “I preached the sermon on ‘Quantity, Not Quality’ along with the new visitor protocols that we will be setting in place. We had three visitors Sunday, and so the newly formed visitor team got a chance to practice what they had been learning. Two of the visitors came as a result of the door knocking team that went out this past Saturday. Our new door-knocking coordinator organized our first outing this past weekend. It was obviously a success. We wrote the compassion cards for the first time this Sunday. It was challenging; however, everyone left after writing five compassion cards to five prospects, so the main purpose was accomplished. Todd and I have two Bible studies scheduled this week.”

Iuka church of Christ, Mississippi: Sam Glover (preacher) reports, “We had a slightly slower week but we’re looking forward to opportunities that are presenting themselves. Pickwick is a popular summer destination and with that comes several visitors over the summer. Some are from outside the area, but we connect with all of them regardless. I intend to follow up on a family that had visited 2 weeks in a row, but we’re missing this past week. Cards were a tad slower as well, with three sets sent out.”

New Concord church of Christ, New Hampshire (remote): Shane Belanger (member) reports, “Our visitors from last Sunday were back this week and expressed interest in making New Concord their new church home. They are members of the church who recently moved into our area. Two new mover baskets were delivered last week, and several more will be made this week. Our ‘FBS’ (Family Bible School) is this week, and we hope to add some new contacts to our compassion card ministry. One Bible study is on-going.”

East Flushing church of Christ, New York (remote): Clarence Jenkins (preacher) reports, “Charisse was studying the Bible with the Back to the Bible booklets. Although she had not yet finished all three, she attended Sunday school this past Lord’s Day. She listened attentively during the class. We have been studying Old Testament Simplified by Rob Whitacre, up to the book of Haggai. God’s plan of salvation has been incorporated into the lessons. To the glory of God, after the class, sister Charisse stated she was ready to be baptized. She was baptized into Christ, and we then joyfully worshipped God in spirit and in truth with our new sister in the Lord. We and the angels in Heaven are rejoicing. To God be the glory! We appreciate all prayers.”

Mountain Island church of Christ, Charlotte, North Carolina: Clyde Gilbert (elder) reports, “We are continuing two Bible studies. One young lady is struggling with what she has learned, and we are praying that she will obey the Gospel soon. Another new study has been delayed, but we are hoping to begin it soon.”

Alkire Road church of Christ, Grove City, Ohio: Tony Dunnagan (member) reports, “I am working with the elders and coordinators and getting things moving along. We are in the process of training the coordinators to implement the plan. We have a meeting Thursday with the coordinators to get better organized. We had one baptism last week, and we continue to follow up on the contacts from AMC.”

East Sparta church of Christ, Magnolia, Ohio (remote): Andrew Masterson (preacher) reports, “Last week we had a baptism, and we are working with four prospects. Forty compassion cards went out. More good news is that our new baptistry is finally installed, has power, and is running.”

Sullivan Village church of Christ, Lawton, Oklahoma: Steven Hill (preacher) reports, “We have been taking out new mover baskets. We have a robust New Converts’ class. We are retaining our converts and continuing studies with them. We had a baptism last week. We had a restoration yesterday, and I had a second Bible study with a young lady. We are on track for a third study next week and possibly a baptism. Team 2 spent time writing cards yesterday after services, and we continue to add prospects and contacts to our lists.”

Owasso church of Christ, Oklahoma: David Combs (elder) reports, “In our adult Bible class, we resumed our study of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. This study had been put on hold while we went through the Back to the Bible series. The study of BTTB in a classroom setting allowed us time to cover more scripture and to give the Bible study teacher more background and a better understanding and approach to the studies. Dan preached a great sermon titled ‘The Lingering Echo of a Growing Church.’ Tim, our ‘spark plug,’ offered a prayer for the names of the people on our bookmark cards and for the continued success of our evangelistic efforts. He gave a pep talk on compassion card writing; he included thoughts on how each individual member has a part in this program by writing cards. Following our evening worship service, 16 card writers met in the annex to write 151 cards for 11 prospects to receive this week. The prospect timeline this week is as follows: one is on for Week 3, four are on for Week 2, and six are on for Week 1. We currently have four Bible studies in progress.”

Coweta church of Christ, Oklahoma: Keno Shrum (regional trainer) reports, “This week Jamie struck up a gospel conversation with a woman at a store. It led to the woman expressing great interest in visiting soon. Jamie got her contact information and plans to follow up with her after PTP. We still have compassion cards to finish mailing to a recent visitor, and then we will visit him and invite him to go to dinner.”

Cheyenne church of Christ, Oklahoma (remote): Nathan Brewer (member) reports, “We finished our 9-sermon Evangelism series Sunday morning by talking about the last three steps in the Evangelism Model: Baptisms, New Converts, and a Growing Church. Our preacher resigned and moved away a couple of months ago, so we do not have a traditional ‘located preacher’ right now. I emphasized during the sermon that the previous preacher was not directly involved in our three conversions over the last ten months—they resulted from efforts by members of the congregation. I told the brethren that the few of us who were assembled in that room could evangelize the area and grow the congregation.”

Sycamore Chapel church of Christ, Ashland City, Tennessee: Jackson Erwin (preacher) reports, “We have sent about 130 compassion cards in the last two weeks. Our attendance has been up as well! We have had a lot of visitors. We have nine prospects.”

Philadelphia church of Christ, Lebanon, Tennessee (remote): Alex Degraves (preacher) reports, “There are two studies ongoing or soon to be scheduled. We just finished our VBS, and we are hoping to reach out to some of the people who visited. We appreciate all prayers for our efforts to continue the work and bear fruit.”

Blackman church of Christ, Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Brian McCord (elder) reports, “We have not updated cards sent yet, but the count is around 30 this month so far. Seven new movers’ baskets were delivered yesterday.”

New Union church of Christ, Manchester, Tennessee: Paul Fulks (elder) reports, “We had seven visitors from our community. Our members turned in three contact cards. We sent 32 compassion cards. We made four visits and had one in our New Converts’ class.”

Cookeville church of Christ, Tennessee: Josh Kennedy (preacher) reports, “We have two studies going on that are paused due to travel. We are sending compassion cards to another person again this week, but I was told that we will be adding two more to the list soon. We sent out the list for July last Tuesday. Each coordinator is working on respective duties (buying supplies, packing baskets, and delivering baskets), and delivery will probably be going out soon.”

Rome church of Christ, Lebanon, Tennessee (remote): David Oxley reports, “We met this week for our advanced class. We are sending cards this week to three prospects. We will meet Monday night for our New Converts’ class. We have one Bible study scheduled for this week.”

Grundy Street church of Christ, Tullahoma, Tennessee: John Summers (preacher) reports, “VBS is underway. Anderson Judd preached ‘It’s Quality, Not Quantity’ in morning worship. In our Bible class, we distributed the Post Seminar Survey and explained it in detail, and then we continued to emphasize the Bookmark Card concepts, including taking the time for each of us to pray for those on our individual cards. The elders and I also met with the ladies who will be coordinating our compassion card efforts, and we are planning to start implementing that process next week, barring any unforeseen issues. The elders and I continue to meet weekly, and we are making significant progress toward more fully understanding the curriculum as well as formulating our plan for implementing it. Additionally, we have had another baptism, though the new convert chose to have a close family friend to conduct the baptism and at a location other than our building, so we have no pictures. I look forward to reporting numbers other than zeros for most of these metrics in the very near future. I am very pleased that we have already reached a third of our new conversion goals only a couple of months after the seminar and even before we get fully ramped up.”

Arlington church of Christ, Tennessee: Brandon Tibbits (preacher) reports, “We just transitioned our first prospect into a Bible study and went through Book 1. We have scheduled the second study as well! This week, we are having our first Mission Monday (on a Thursday for this one), and we will make the transition visit for several of our prospects. We are excited about that as well, and we have our next group of prospects ready for visits in two weeks. I have been a preacher for eight years and have been in sales for five years, and I have never seen something work better than the three transition questions! Trust the process!”

Stewarts Creek church of Christ, Smyrna, Tennessee: Jon McCord (member) reports, “We now have invitation cards and can begin handing them out to the congregation. By the end of the week, we will have a total of 134 compassion cards sent (total since we started). We have ten prospects now.”

Mountain Creek church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tennessee: Michael Tomshack (elder) reports, “We have welcomed a new sister in Christ into our congregation. She communicated with us early on Saturday morning, expressing her desire to be baptized. She was aware of the Elders’ quarterly planning meeting scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and inquired about the possibility of scheduling her baptism afterward. However, the elders advised her to come to the building immediately, as the elders’ meeting could be postponed. Our primary focus is her eternal life. She eagerly said, ‘I’ll be there in 15 minutes.’ She asked if she could invite a friend, who worshipped at a denomination, to witness the baptism. Of course, we said yes, which has now provided us with another potential prospect and contact.

The baptism was primarily facilitated by the power of the Gospel of Christ. Her heart was deeply touched as she realized her lost state. The evangelism process involved a welcoming team, personal guidance to the young adults’ class, the congregation’s warm welcome during her first visit and subsequent two-month visits, invitations to connect groups, and private study sessions. These factors collectively paved the way for her new life. It is important to note that the process works best when each member of the body functions as a part of the whole. Each member has a specific role, and even the simplest gestures, such as a smile and an introduction, can make a significant impact. On Sunday morning, she was introduced to the congregation and attended the evening connect group. She remained afterwards and engaged in an hour-long conversation.

She expressed her admiration for the Mountain Creek congregation compared to other churches of Christ she had visited in different parts of the country. She observed that we had a system in place to reach the lost, commencing from the beginning of her walking through the door. In essence, the power lies in the message, and each member is part of sharing that message with those who are lost.”

Ocoee Street church of Christ, Copper Hill, Tennessee: R.E. Vann (elder) reports, “A local visitor made her second visit Sunday morning. She had been receiving compassion cards for the past two weeks since her initial visit and told us that the cards brought tears to her eyes. We conducted a refresher training, utilizing ‘Tips for Evangelism: Praying for Your Contacts’ along with a lesson from Luke 10, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ We recently enrolled in the New Movers Program and assigned a coordinator; we plan to make our first visits this week. We are also making final preparations for our VBS this weekend. We are praying for new neighbors to share the Gospel and make disciples.”

McEwen church of Christ, Tennessee: John Jones (preacher) reports, “We are working out VBS contacts. Our contact card box has been empty lately, so I made a special appeal last night to refill it. Contacts are important because we cannot do anything without souls!”

Collierville church of Christ, Tennessee: Justin Evergarden (evangelist) reports, “We reviewed with the congregation why we do community events, reinforcing how each effort ties back to the core mission of evangelism. It was encouraging to see them making those connections and discussing ways to keep our focus on souls. In the upcoming week, we plan to finish Book 2 of Back to the Bible with the congregational training. At the same time, we will continue following up with the contacts we made during the 4th of July outreach event. Several promising conversations are ongoing, and we are praying that these will lead to Bible studies and open hearts. We appreciate all prayers and encouragement for this work.”

Soddy church of Christ, Tennessee: Joe Mallory (preacher) reports, “Sunday, due to many evangelistic efforts, we rejoiced with heaven when our wayward brother returned home and was restored in Christ! It was also wonderful to have some visitors from the community come and be with us during our worship assemblies. These are some of the neighbors whom we met last week in our parking lot as they enjoyed the city fireworks display. We added three of these contacts’ names to our compassion card list. Care Team 2 encouraged these new names, combined with the list we began last week, resulting in a total of 45 compassion cards written this week. Next week, we will train Care Team 3 in the process. This is a very exciting time filled with many wonderful works. We ask for prayers for us this week as many of our congregation will be at Bible camp, being strengthened by the study of God’s Word and fellowship. We are praying for those who are reaching out with the Gospel of Christ to reach the lost!”

Hillcrest church of Christ, Springfield, Tennessee: Tim Taylor (evangelist) reports, “Over the past 14 months, since our SOE enrollment, we have made 277 individual or family contacts, sent well over 1000 compassion cards, and made contact with 190 new movers. We have had 17 baptisms, 23 restorations/responses, and 17 Christians have placed membership with us.”

Birdwell Chapel church of Christ, Cottontown, Tennessee: Kerry England (elder) reports, “We heard two good evangelistic lessons Sunday! The morning sermon was ‘Making Disciples’ delivered by Jim Corner, who works with World Bible School and does mission work in Cameroon. Sunday evening’s lesson was on ‘An Atmosphere for Church Growth’ by Dale Sadler. Our compassion card ministry is continuing. We have a Bible study that is ongoing this week. Our VBS begins Sunday. It has been advertised in HTH and online. We have printed cards for members to give as invitations. A registration table is planned to make sure visitors will receive cards thanking them for coming and inviting them back.”

West Fayetteville church of Christ, Tennessee: Steve Jefferson (elder) reports, “We have been busy preparing for our annual VBS. We have invited not only our members but also many from our community. We are having classes for all ages, including adults, and we will have a meal every night. Last night’s class was ‘Jesus: Building on a Firm Foundation.’ We had 104 in attendance.”

Rivergate church of Christ, Madison, Tennessee: Doug Tooley (preacher) reports, “We had four visitors on Wednesday night and five on Sunday morning. Two were taken out to eat that I missed last Sunday. Two visits were made last week. We also had a baptism on Sunday morning after the service. Doug Delay was baptized by Austin Applegate. Austin’s parents had studied with his wife and baptized her and had been studying with Doug after her baptism. They are also studying with her teenage son.”

Chapel Hill church of Christ, Tennessee: Matt Jones (deacon) reports, “We have had six total baptisms within the past month. One was after a study that concluded. Four occurred at our church camp, with one individual not having family that is a member of the Lord’s church. Another baptism occurred among our youth after returning from camp.  We have several new converts that we are continuing to guide. We have two Bible studies ongoing. Our card-writing team has been busy sending cards to prospects. Our congregation continues to get a regular number of visitors, and the congregation has done a great job welcoming them. Overall, the church is staying busy in the work of striving to reach the lost!”

White Oak church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tennessee (remote): John McGiffin (preacher) reports, “White Oak reporting from the road. We’ve been working with the special needs man who wanted to read the Bible. He read scriptures for the first time on Sunday morning. He brought five friends to hear him read. They were from the local Jewish synagogue.  As a result of our visitor program, I will be meeting with the president of the synagogue to discuss the messianic prophecy.  We are also continuing to promote the Bible Land Museum.”

Granbury Street church of Christ, Cleburne, Texas: Ryan Cowan (deacon) reports, “We had several men met Sunday to discuss our ‘Mini AMC’ that is scheduled for September 26-28. Such activities as door knocking, the delivery of new movers’ baskets, community service, and a special visitor potluck meal are being planned. This year, the Spanish congregation that Granbury Street helps support will join us in our efforts. Our Sunday potluck and evening service will include our Spanish brethren and any contacts who wish to join us. This is an exciting effort!”

Roanoke church of Christ, Texas: Caleb Rutherford (preacher) reports, “VBS is an amazing contact creator. Although we did not receive a large number of contacts, the ones we did receive are highly qualified. A young mother and her 4-year-old daughter were present each night. They typically attend a community church here in Roanoke. One of our ladies connected with her, and she agreed to go to lunch to discuss studying the Bible. She was very receptive! Another contact is a young man who is the neighbor of some of our members. He and his two sisters came each night, and he asked me about baptism. I told him that I would love to study with him, so he plans to continue attending on Sundays and Wednesdays with our members, and I will study with him then. I am prayerful that this will open up a door to the rest of his family. VBS works in producing contacts when that is the goal. As with everything the Lord’s church does, it should be evangelistically focused! Group 2 wrote to ten prospects on Sunday evening. Our compassion card writing participation is going great! We still have other studies ongoing. We have a new study that is beginning tonight. We first sent cards to a member’s sister-in-law back in February. Ever since then, she has been trying to work out a time to study with our members. They were finally able to get something on the books for tonight. Please join us in prayer for this study!”

Bridgewater church of Christ, Katy, Texas: Doug Suggs (deacon) reports, “One of our card teams met Sunday evening to address cards to visitors and prospects. We will have our second Bible study with Catherine this Wednesday evening. Some of our members will be at Polishing the Pulpit in Branson this week. Wade Webster, our preacher, and his wife, Jennifer, will both be teaching there this week.”

Howe church of Christ, Texas: Aaron Alsbrook (preacher) reports, “We are continuing to write cards to the VBS contacts we made. We are in the preparation mode for our Back-to-School Backpack drive as well as another Clothing drive. If the Lord wills, we will make more contacts to write compassion cards to make prospects and conduct more studies.”

Southwest church of Christ, Austin, Texas: Bryce Mayfield (evangelist) reports, “We took 14 teens to Cherokee Children’s Home. During this week, we spent time in the community of San Saba cleaning out homes impacted by the flood, as well as spending time with the families at the home. This was a great week for our kids (and us) to learn about serving and showing the love of Christ to those outside the church whom this devastating flood has impacted. We also continue to have many visitors at Southwest weekly, and we believe we are close to getting more Bible studies. We are thankful for all the ongoing good work. May God be glorified in all we do!”

Wheeler church of Christ, Texas: Garrett English (preacher) reports, “I had two studies with a man last week. In the second study, we continued Book 1, but he kept wanting to debate and say the study was biased. I reassured him that his questions would be answered if we continued and that we are just looking at the Bible for the answers. We took a break for the rest of the week, so I could listen to an advanced seminar on instrumental music. It was helpful, and I am hoping to schedule a study with him this week if he will agree to go through Book 2 with me.”

Abingdon church of Christ, Virginia: Freddie Klein (evangelist) reports, “We just finished the Back to the Bible, Book 2 study with our visitor from the community, and I am currently going through Book 2 with my sister as well. There is good potential for even more studies opening up in the area. Our card groups are doing well, and members are consistently turning in contact cards—those are continuing to fuel our outreach momentum. Inge recently hosted an informational meeting for a homeschool co-op, and we had twelve families from the community attend! Once it gets going, they will meet weekly at the building, which gives us a great opportunity to connect with these families over time. We also have a school supply giveaway scheduled for the end of the month, which should bring in many more community families. We are excited about the doors these efforts are opening!”

Williamsburg church of Christ, Virginia: Jim Bishop (elder) reports, “God answers prayers in many ways. We pray for opportunities to spread the Gospel. Today, we had a visitor who visited with her mother and her four children. She had just been furloughed, along with a number of other employees, from her job for an undetermined time. She requested to speak to a couple that had invited her. To her surprise, the couple was not associated with the Williamsburg congregation. She acknowledged she had not arrived at the correct location; however, she believed God had sent her to the church she needed to attend. The family stayed for Bible study, and the children were excited about attending. Thank God for answering prayers. We presented our newest convert with a baptismal certificate and an NKJV Bible. The first time visitors’ bags were well received, along with compassion cards being mailed. Our prayers are for all those trying to survive the flooding and all those grieving for their loved ones. May God bless all those who are spreading the Gospel.”

West Side church of Christ, Salem, Virginia: Jeff Durham (elder) reports, “We had two Bible studies this week with completely different starting points. One was with a local resident who saw our building while making food deliveries in our neighborhood. They stopped by to ask if we might assist with a housing difficulty (which we were able to work out for them). We also found we had a connection with one of their family members. Another study was with a young lady who visited the building with a West Side member who was doing maintenance on our baptistry. While touring the building, they saw our Back to the Bible pamphlets in the foyer and insisted on going through one. Both studies started off well, so we are prayerful for their hearts to be ready to learn and obey God’s will for their lives.”