Highland Park church of Christ, Muscle Shoals, Alabama: Andrew Myhan (associate preacher) reports, “Our congregation just completed the School of Evangelism seminar, and we are currently enrolled and implementing the early stages of the process. A young man named Connor Perret attended the seminar with his wife, and he decided that he would like to go through the Back to the Bible series. Two deacons did the three Bible studies with him, and on Thursday night, Connor decided to put Christ on in baptism. This is a great start to the work here at Highland Park! We covet prayers!”
Chase Park church of Christ, Huntsville, Alabama: Pat Cowden reports, “Martha Lawson passed away last month and will be missed by many people, including me. She called me in December and wanted to know if I would come to her house to hold a Bible study with her caregiver, Caroline Young. She was already hosting a lady’s Bible study on Tuesday morning, so we had to figure out a time and day that would work for her. We decided on Tuesday afternoons at 1:00, and it was a standing date.
“After finishing the Does It Matter study, Caroline was baptized, and the work started on Caroline’s husband, John. He came to the New Convert dinner three days after Caroline was baptized to check us out, and everyone made him feel so welcome. Then he started attending services, and everyone made him feel welcome; he agreed to a Bible study. After about a month or so of coming to our house for dinner (always eat) and studying Does It Matter, John was baptized into Christ.
“Why retell these stories? It all started with Miss Martha sharing her faith with someone she cared about. These studies occurred after she had recently turned 90! I am so glad I got to meet her, and I am so happy she spent the last seven months of her life helping Caroline, John, and perhaps others come to Christ. She is a great example to imitate (1 Corinthians 11:1) because she was imitating Christ. To our senior members, she is an excellent example of how to finish life strong. In addition, we have had four baptisms since our last report. We appreciate all prayers for our efforts!”
Central church of Christ, Saraland, Alabama: David Dixon (preacher) reports, “We continue to emphasize evangelism in every aspect of the work here at Central. Compassion cards have slowed into a predictable range. We may have gone slightly overboard with the compassion cards initially, which is understandable when enthusiasm runs high at the program’s outset. We have received feedback from multiple contacts. One contact has engaged in a Bible study. With school starting back and the holiday season on the horizon, it is time to start planning events with evangelism in mind. We are well on our way to meeting our baptism goal for the year!”
West Huntsville church of Christ, Alabama: Paul Owen (associate preacher) reports, “We wrote compassion cards for twelve prospects yesterday. We had cooled off on obtaining new contacts, but our recent VBS gave us seven or eight new prospects. We recently realized our new movers’ program was not effective because all the apartments that have been built up around the church building will not let us deliver welcome baskets. I contacted HTH to start sending HTH to a new postal code and new movers list where we will have greater access to our prospects.”
Petersville church of Christ, Florence, Alabama: Adam Richardson (preacher) reports, “Petersville continues to build the coordinators’ group and equip them to lead the congregation in its efforts to reach the lost. We had one baptism last week! We sent 15 compassion cards, and our first mailing of House to House Heart to Heart reached the homes around the congregation.”
Hatton church of Christ, Alabama: Chris Miller (preacher) reports, “We currently have a Back to the Bible study going that is very close to a baptism; we hope that happens this week. We are at almost two years and have seen many good changes in the atmosphere at our congregation. More and more new people are getting involved. We will review the booklets and other materials at the end of this month in a combined class to help inform new members and remind the rest of the members of how to study with the booklets.”
Jacksonville church of Christ, Alabama: Eric Scher (member) reports, “Last Sunday when I met Adrian Mitchell for the first time, though he had already come three times when I was at the AMC. I asked him if he was going to a church, and he was going to a denominational place, so that was my cue to ask him if he wanted to eat lunch at a restaurant, and he said yes. I took him to Yamato Japanese Restaurant and asked him about his interest, which was football. He plans to play at JSU. I asked him if he liked the congregation and the church of Christ. He said yes, but he was not used to acapella singing.
“I asked him if he would like to learn more about the church of Christ, and he said yes. I asked him if he would be interested in a Bible study, and he said yes, so we did Lesson 1 on Monday with Luke Simmons as my silent partner. On Tuesday, we did Lesson 2. It was just Adrian and me. Then, we did Lesson 3 today with Luke Simmons. He had a tender heart and wanted to be baptized. David Webster was there, too. We had a prayer after the baptism. I told him that after returning from my trip to Florida, we will begin the new converts studies and DVDs.”
Highway church of Christ, Benton, Arkansas: James Hutchings (member) reports, “We are sending out our baskets and writing compassion cards to those on our prospect list. So far, these efforts have resulted in five baptisms this year.”
Rison church of Christ, Arkansas: Keden Shrum (preacher) reports, “This past week, I visited a prospect who attended our VBS with his family. On Sunday morning, they joined us for worship. It was great to have them with us, and afterward, we took them to lunch. After a great visit, they said they plan to return next week. We are praying this will lead to a Bible study.
“Care Team A met Sunday and signed cards for our visitors and other people from the community who are dealing with difficult times. In total, 17 members stayed to sign cards, and we are sending cards to six people this week.
“Tonight (Monday), Chandra and I have invited a couple from the community to our house for dinner. I met the husband through visits at our local cafe, but this will be the first time our wives have spent any time together. They are great people. They currently worship with a local denomination. We look forward to building a relationship with them in hopes of getting to a Bible study.”
Lake City church of Christ, Florida: Jim Flegert (elder) reports, “Our Team 2 compassion card writers were given the opportunity to write cards to five of our contacts. We continue to pray that our efforts will be blessed as we press on with the many aspects of our congregational evangelism program.”
Niceville church of Christ, Florida: Joe Palmer (preacher) reports, “This week, we added two precious souls to the family of God. Last Sunday, a man I had known for a while walked into the worship service again. I greeted him. He had brought his grandson who wanted to be baptized. His grandson was a young boy, and I was concerned about his age. We agreed to have a study on Tuesday. I began by explaining the three ways churches practice baptism today, and we set up the study to look at what the Bible says about baptism. I presented a Gospel presentation that I have taught many times in the past. I closed by showing a chart, and we looked at Mark 16:16. I asked them, “What if a person believed but wasn’t baptized?” They said that person would not be saved. I asked, “What if a person was baptized but did not believe?” The grandfather immediately saw the connection to baptizing a non-believing child. After a short conversation both Charles and Melinda decided they needed to be baptized. We rejoice in their addition to our church family.
“On Tuesday night we had a Back to School giveaway of school supplies. This was our first ever event of this nature. We had the education area set up with supplies and backpacks. Our Sunday school teachers manned the classroom area. The young people of the congregation attended and greeted the families along with some of our members. We served about 60 youth in our area, and the left-over supplies went to some of our congregational teacher’s classroom. We feel like we have several good prospects from this event.
“This week we mailed 30 cards. On Sunday, a local Christian visited. We had three Bible studies and two baptisms.”
Carrollton church of Christ, Georgia: Danny Spain (member) reports, “We are having visitors each week and seeking to engage them to obtain contact information. We recently have had two baptisms. We appreciate all prayers.”
Bremen church of Christ, Georgia: Scott Broughton (member) reports, “We continued to have good attendance in the New Converts class this past week. Bob Staples is teaching the class this quarter. Last week there were two Bible studies in progress using the Back to the Bible study guides.
Cartersville church of Christ, Georgia (remote): Charles Harris (regional trainer), “We started our New Converts class, and it went well. We have also formed a group of mentors for our new converts. We have finally arranged studies with our Korean visitors. Our Compassion Card signings are well attended. We have many visits to make to those on our Prospect List. The work here is progressing.”
Lafayette church of Christ, Georgia: Jesse Teague (deacon) reports, “We had a sad week at Lafayette. Two of our sisters in Christ passed away. One lady had been a faithful member for many years. We hope to reach out to some of her family to help them with their grief and share the gospel. The other has only been a member a short while; she recently obeyed the gospel. We also hope to reach her family with the gospel as we comfort them. It also shows how important it is to share the gospel. Less than a year ago, this dear lady was lost, but because someone cared enough to encourage and teach her, we can see her again one day. We must keep on keeping on!”
Woodstock church of Christ, Georgia: Matt Amos (preacher) reports, “Our HTH Door Knocking campaign had eleven volunteers who knocked on forty-seven doors. Out of the forty-seven, six individuals were added to the follow-up list, and contact cards were created. Three of those six may be prospects. Two requested Bible studies; we will try to get them set up as soon as possible.
“The Prison Ministry Group conducted a Bible study at Pickens County Jail. We are working on getting Bible studies with several men there. This has the potential to get ten Bible studies. The Pre-Convert/Evangelism Class had nineteen attendees on Sunday morning. Sixteen of those were members learning how to conduct Bible studies, and three were non-Christians learning the Bible. Our Compassion Cards Group created and sent 16 cards last night. WCOC had two non-Christian visitors at our Sunday morning service. We conducted six Bible studies this last week.”
West Hammond church of Christ, Indiana: Robert Webster (preacher) reports, “We will send an additional five compassion cards tomorrow. Two of those visitors from our Giveaway Day two weeks ago turned up at our Sunday evening worship that we recently started. Two of our sisters have two studies ongoing that started last week. I have three Bible studies ongoing. Members are finding the material very useful, especially those gift cards and door hangers. We are eagerly awaiting the next issue of the HTH entitled, “Why Are We Knocking on Your Door?” since we will be going to each home to hand these out. We appreciate all prayers.”
Jerseyville church of Christ, Illinois (remote): Jake Medford (preacher) reports, “We are still working the system here in Jerseyville. We sent 87 cards last month, and we had 11 visitors whom we are prospecting. I am preparing tonight for a Bible study with an individual tomorrow that will hopefully bring forth fruit eventually. We got that contact from our Facebook page.”
Collinsville-Troy church of Christ, Illinois: Jason Wright (elder) reports, “Exciting things are happening at the local church due to an increase in evangelism. This week, we mailed 136 cards. On Sunday, we implemented the first week of our schedule change. We now have worship, class, and then 40 minutes of hands-on evangelism two Sundays a month and training the other two. We are transitioning into the prospect stage and visiting those who have received cards for three or four weeks.
“We had three visitors from the community. One is from one of the largest denominations in the area. She met one of our members in the parking lot, sat with her during worship, and later agreed to a Bible study this week. We continue to hand out new movers’ baskets and reach out to those requesting community service, such as reading and talking. We handed out three visitor’s bags and are starting to get organized and on track. It takes time! We plan to implement the invitation cards soon and continue to work on mastering the Bookmarks. Changing the culture is the greatest challenge, and we are up to it.”
Beloit church of Christ, Kansas (remote): Dustin Dougherty (regional trainer) reports, “We had an absolutely amazing last week with our VBS ‘24. We used the Apologetics Press The Name of Jesus VBS curriculum this year. We had an average of 38-44 people each night, about 20 kids and 20 adults each night. We had several in attendance each night that were not members of the church but were there and ready to learn about Jesus. We invited them all to return for worship on Sunday morning and to stay for a meal.
“A father and his two girls came to worship with us and then stayed for the fellowship meal. I am actively prospecting them, as they are warm contacts and showed interest. He had received compassion cards last year when he had a traffic accident and had injuries. During announcements, he thanked the members who sent cards. On Sunday, we also had an individual in attendance who has been away from the church for a number of years. She is having a tough time in life at the moment; we have been encouraging her to come back for a while now. During the lesson, I recapped the lessons for the week for those who were unable to attend and those who were teaching the other classes.
“I had a study on Wednesday evening with the individual who has been studying the book, Growing in Christ. Now that summer is winding down, we should be able to study more regularly. I am also still working on the Kansas directory of churches of Christ via both letters sent out and through the Facebook page of the same name. It has been enlightening and intriguing to learn that many of the surveys I received are reporting local memberships in the mid to high teens. The work here in Kansas is tough but necessary. I do go back out to Scott City, Kansas, later this month to preach for that congregation for the day. I would appreciate prayers for safe travels. To God be all the glory and honor.”
Central church of Christ, Paducah, Kentucky: Adam Faughn (preacher) reports, “We are excited because we have five Bible studies ongoing, one of which is with a young lady who we think is very close to baptism. We also have two other studies that should start this week, and we are praying for a couple of others who seem to be close to agreeing to a study. All our “regular” parts of the evangelism model (card-writing, guest bags, etc.) continue to go on, and it is encouraging to see so many members involved in various aspects of the work. To God be the glory!”
La Plata church of Christ, Maryland (remote): Eric Sykes (regional trainer) reports, “We had 13 visitors this week. All are members of the body. Nine were visiting friends and family from out of town, and four were visiting because they were looking for a new church home. The saints here at La Plata told them they need look no further; they have found a good home here. Nine folks attended our video of the week class, but due to COVID and travel, we only had a couple of folks attend the advanced teacher training class this week. Four attended the new convert training classes. Brother and Sister Bradshaw delivered four new movers’ baskets this week, for a total of 11 this month.”
East Main church of Christ, Tupelo, Mississippi: Barry Kennedy (preacher) reports, “Compassion cards are starting to yield some fruit. We were blessed to have a couple who visited us and wanted to thank us for all the cards they have received. We pray our efforts will lead to a study soon! Others have sent messages about how much they appreciate the cards and prayers. We also had a workday to get things in order for the clothing giveaway at the newly formed Ginny’s House. Contact cards are still coming in; with God’s increase, our sowing will soon see some reaping! To God be the glory!”
West Hwy 160 church of Christ, West Plains, Missouri: Marvin Hatley (elder) reports, “The efforts of the congregation continue to be an encouragement to one another. A recent benevolent effort that involved moving a widow into a new residence resulted in a large number of the congregation giving of their time, abilities, and compassion for this individual. Lord willing, a Bible study will result from the efforts given. Two Bible studies using BTTB took place this week. One prospect is in BTTB Book 2, and the other is in BTTB Book 1. The second individual had approached the congregation for benevolent assistance. This prospect has visited regularly over the last couple of months and continues to show interest in studying the Bible.”
West End Blvd church of Christ, Cape Girardeau, Missouri: Jared Scaggs (preacher) reports, “This week I am getting ready to head to PTP. Please pray for Jewel as this week will be her second lesson of Back to the Bible. We had several visitors Sunday. College classes start next week, so our college students are returning. We are looking forward to meeting some new faces among freshman who are starting at SEMO. We have ten prospects right now. We would like prayers for the Coots family as we try to set up a Bible study with the father. Their oldest daughter is the driving force for them to attend Bible classes and worship, and she is not a Christian yet either. There are so many great things happening here for the kingdom.”
East Flushing church of Christ, New York (remote): Clarence Jenkins (preacher) reports, “The visitor whom we met about a year ago is consistently coming to worship services for the third time in a row and is doing a Bible study. We now have three Bible studies, and Lord willing, another will start on Monday night. As a result of our back-to-school drive, we invited those who attended our picnic this coming Saturday. We also sent 48 compassion cards to them after worship services. Once we find out the valid addresses, we will send follow-up cards in hopes that we will advance to the prospecting stage and then to a growing church. To God be the glory! We appreciate all prayers.”
Carthage church of Christ, North Carolina (remote): Randy Chambers reports, “This past week, we continued our mailing to the two prospects. A fire destroyed the home of one prospect, and the other prospect lost a job. The one who lost a job completed a study using BTTB. She has not agreed to resume the Bible study yet, but it does sound hopeful. We are preparing the new movers’ baskets to go out this week. We had a good meeting with the congregation, focusing on improving our evangelistic efforts and overcoming the challenges we face in a rural area. We concluded with the assurance that the training and plans work when we work it. We thank God for the privilege of being one of His servants in the Kingdom!”
Cary church of Christ, North Carolina: Larry Fife (preacher) reports, “The past six weeks have been indeed a blessing as we have continued to implement our evangelism plan. In this time, we have seen five responses and celebrated one baptism. The baptism was of a young man who works with one of our members; he was baptized two weeks ago through his encouragement and diligent study. So far this year, we have sent out 1,020 compassion cards. This Sunday, we will meet to evaluate our evangelism program and make any necessary adjustments.”
New Concord church of Christ, Ohio: Terry Townsend (preacher) reports, “Three Bible studies are ongoing. Two are studying Lesson 2, and the other is on Lesson 3. A second round of compassion cards (56 total) was mailed this week. Follow-up visits to our recent compassion card recipients continue to be made. We continue to be encouraged by many from the community who visit our assemblies.”
Streetsboro church of Christ, Ohio: Ralph Price (preacher) reports, “We are busy with the work. We had two visitors yesterday. Unfortunately, they got out of the building before we could invite them to lunch. But we did get their contact information. We added them to our compassion card list and gave them visitor bags. We currently have eight people on our compassion card list. We have had several baptisms recently. We are now focusing on new converts studies.”
Cheyenne church of Christ, Oklahoma (remote): Nathan Brewer (member) reports, “For various reasons, we took a break from training yesterday. But after worship, my wife and I visited a woman in town whom we have been prospecting. We thought the time was right, so I asked the three transition questions. To our delight, she agreed to a study. Her granddaughter cared for her, and she said she would be there Tuesday evening when we returned. We will take food and hopefully have a good first study that will lead to a second study.”
Coweta church of Christ, Oklahoma: Keno Shrum (regional trainer) reports, “Jamie and I got back in town from our trip to Sint Maarten on Wednesday. Our daughter is going to school in a town a little over an hour from Coweta. The long commute each day has been hard on her. We got her a RV and rented a spot in a RV park near the school. On Thursday, we spoke with the owner of the park and filled out paperwork. He is 83 and has been married for over 60 years. When visiting with people, I am always listening for an opportunity to bring up God. So, as we were talking, he mentioned that he believes in angels. I knew that was my opportunity, so I asked him if he worships anywhere. He said not anymore. I asked him where he had worshipped. He said he was a deacon in the Baptist church for over 40 years. He said he left because he would bring up the hypocrisy he was witnessing among the other deacons whenever they would have meetings. He said he would see several buying alcoholic drinks; he heard several using foul language. He saw some going into casinos. He said he told them that they could not call themselves Christians, much less deacons, and continue to live like the rest of the world. He said the other deacons got upset and asked him to step down and no longer come to the meetings. He left the Baptist church completely and has not worshiped in many years. As he went on, I just listened and took a lot of mental notes. I told him I would like to visit with him more on the subject, and he said “Yes, come anytime.” So, after PTP, I intend to go back and see if we can get into a Bible study.
“His story is a great reminder that as Christians, we are and should be held to a higher standard. This world is not our home; therefore, we should not partake in the sinful ways of this world. Eyes are always on us, and our words, actions, and reactions reflect on God, Christ, and the church. I pray that we will be able to get the study and that he will receive the gospel.”
York church of Christ, Pennsylvania: Mark Raschke (deacon) reports, “We had our final worship services in our “old” building this week. We had sent many letters, fliers, emails, text messages, and Facebook messages to invite people to visit us. The attendance turnout was great—about 30 percent higher than usual! From the pulpit, we invited all our attendees to come hear the second part of a two-part lesson series at our new building. On a personal level, we continued to repeat the invitation. We will send all the same invitations to ask people to come again to visit us in our new building. Pray for us as we make this transition and begin to ramp up our evangelism again in our new neighborhood.”
Union church of Christ, South Carolina (remote): Terry Hale (preacher) reports, “We set up two Bible studies last week. Both were in Book 2 of Back to the Bible, and both were very interesting. As we finished Book 2, in the studies, watching the reaction to the seed from two different prospects was very educational. I could not help but think about the seed on various grounds. One seemed eager to accept the word while the other struggled. The previous teachings from others did not match the Bible, which was an evident struggle. I am so thankful to be allowed to open the Bible, watch as they read, and see the effect of the word of God on these prospects. I also enjoyed the pleasure of a visitor yesterday. We appreciate continued prayers for the work here at Union. I will be on the road for the next two weeks. The workers here will visit and continue the ten studies we are having.”
New Union church of Christ, Manchester, Tennessee: Paul Fultz (elder) reports, “We had 12 visitors from the community last week, and four contact cards were submitted for prospecting. We mailed 38 compassion cards. We currently have one Bible study ongoing. We also delivered four new mover baskets.”
McKenzie church of Christ, Tennessee: Randy McAdams (elder) reports, “We have had a good start for this week with another baptism of one of our youth. A 14-year-old young man named Kristian put Christ on at baptism. He has been encouraging his parents, who are Christians but not regular in attendance, to come to service more often, which resulted in his baptism. He has expressed excitement of getting involved in our youth group activities. Our evangelism Group 1 is starting the week by sending out cards to nine members and non-members, sharing love and prayers with them. It seems our members go in cycles when turning in names for the prayer cards, and there are particular members who will do it most often. Reminding from the pulpit also helps in generating cards.”
East Ridge church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tennessee: Charles Cochran (preacher) reports I started a Back to the Bible study tonight. Austin Fowler initially contacted this man. He is very interested, and we had a great study. We will continue. We continue to have other studies. We pray God to strengthen our work.”
Free Will church of Christ, Gainesboro, Tennessee (remote): Andrew Scott (preacher) reports, “We rejoice with Terrie Bohannon and Kim Scott as they obeyed the Gospel before services last night. We sent cards to Terrie over a year ago. I saw her on Saturday and invited her to services. She came and visited, and we went out to lunch. (Always eat!) I used the transition questions and got the Bible Study. I used Does It Matter as Terrie told me she was raised in the church of Christ. However, she had never obeyed the Gospel and was ‘saved’ in a denomination years later. When we read from Romans 6, she realized it was impossible to be saved before baptism. Kim, who served as the silent partner, listened to the Scripture, and she had doubts about her baptism at a young age. They were immediately taken to the baptistry and baptized into Christ. We will be starting the process next week with a new mover, Mark Austin, he has been visiting for a couple of weeks. The number of contacts and prospects we are having again is amazing, as the church continues to work so very hard! Congregational evangelism works! We give God the glory!”
Covington church of Christ, Tennessee: Wayne Dalrymple (elder) reports, “We rejoice that an erring brother has come home! Andrew Evans confessed sin in his life and asked for prayers and support to overcome these sins. We continue to send compassion cards to several. We hope to till the soil of the heart of a lady who is married to an erring member. She has been very much against the church. We are trying to show her love by sending cards to her dad who has just had some unexpected health issues. We pray her heart will be softened by our expressions of love and concern. I have not been able to resume the study with Travis yet, but I hope we can study soon. Emily was in class again this Sunday! She was very attentive to the lesson as we continued to go through the red booklet of BTTB.”
Hebron church of Christ, McMinnville, Tennessee: Derrick Stiles (preacher) reports, “Another great week at Hebron! Compassion Card Team C met yesterday and sent out 80 more cards. Elders and deacons met last night, and decisions were made for coordinators regarding visitor bag preparation and distribution, new mover basket preparation and distribution, and Greeters ministry. We had some new visitors yesterday and are working the program to encourage them. We continue to pray for continued success, and we look forward to PTP!”
Hillcrest church of Christ, Springfield, Tennessee: Tim Taylor (associate preacher) reports, “We are nearing completion of our summer quarter series in our Sunday adult class Bible study, focused on evangelism. We are encouraging each class member to fill out at least one contact card for an erring Christian; then we will begin sending four weeks of compassion cards. Several class members took a blank card yesterday and will complete and forward those cards to the coordinator. We ask for prayers for these souls as we begin this process.”
Stoney Creek church of Christ, Elizabethton, Tennessee: Mike Blevins (elder) reports, “We have four Bible studies in progress. We are sending cards to a couple who are unfaithful. They have been attending for the last few services. We had a new study today with Kim’s mom and sister. Kim did the study.”
Madison County church of Christ, Jackson, Tennessee: Steven Sprouse (preacher) reports, “We had a returning visitor from New Movers. We have scheduled a meal for Monday night with her and her husband. We will also visit other contacts the week.”
Celina church of Christ, Tennessee: Daniel Burton (member) reports, “We have had an encouraging week in our evangelism efforts, with several visitors attending services. Our prospect list is nearing capacity, thanks to the many names submitted by the congregation who show us how invested everyone is in reaching out to the lost. This week, we distributed invitation cards to help make it easier to invite friends, family, and neighbors. These invitation cards are highly recommended. It is something simple that every one of us can do. Our coordinator is doing a great job and coming up with many ideas for using these cards. One of our members is even taking these invitation cards to her business to include in shopping bags, ensuring that our invitation reaches even more community members. Despite some nervousness, the transition visits are now assigned and about to begin. We must remember we are sharing the good news with people. We cannot be hesitant. Where God guides, he provides. To God be the glory!”
Hillsboro church of Christ, Tennessee: Chris Sliger (member) reports, “Hillsboro is finalizing plans for our Community Dinner, which will be hosted at the church building on August 14 at 5:30 p.m. CST. The Community Event team distributed fliers to the parents of Hillsboro Elementary school children, and we have also advertised with social media, a banner in front of the building, and word-of-mouth. Members are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early so that drinks/desserts/chips can be plated and tables readied. We pray that God will make this a fruitful gathering.”
Mountain Creek church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tennessee: Michael Tomshack (elder) reports, “On Monday evening, our visitation team met to outline this month’s contacts and to review July’s contacts. As mentioned last week, we are furthering the contacts with non-Christians who attended VBS. We have a couple of long-term visitors who are not church members, and Gary Massey, elder and minister, will begin Bible studies.”
Rivergate church of Christ, Madison, Tennessee: Doug Tooley (preacher) reports, “Sunday we met in our family life center. We are painting our auditorium. Great efforts were made to make it comfortable and as close to normal as possible to help our members and put our best foot forward if we had visitors. We did have seven visitors on Sunday. One couple was taken to lunch. We also had a new couple who will place membership at our congregation on Sunday. They told me that they personally want to be an asset to the congregation. We have two Bible studies that are still ongoing. Finally, we also had two more incarcerated young ladies that were baptized through the young ladies ministry that Sue Crain leads.”
Chapel Hill church of Christ, Tennessee: Matt Jones (deacon) reports, “Overall, things are still progressing well. We continue to remind the congregation about turning in their contacts. Many contacts have been coming from our new visitors that we have each week. Several Bible studies are still ongoing or about to start. Mentors are being assigned for our recent converts and the new converts class is still ongoing.”
9th and Main church of Christ, San Angelo, Texas: Bryan Braswell (elder) reports, “Our evangelistic teams are very active. I honestly have a hard time keeping up with how many visitors we have every time the doors are open. I know we have at least five different Back to the Bible studies ongoing. The efforts have attracted the converts and their families, sons and daughters, even to the point of one family’s son coming out of a relationship with his girlfriend to now being married with three kids. Sometimes evangelism leads to restorations that surely will lead to souls being saved now in a scripturally married family. This family faithfully attends with all three young children under seven.”
Graceton church of Christ, Diana, Texas: Johnny Willeford (elder) reports, “Our Compassion Card Group C met Sunday afternoon, signing 52 cards for 10 new contacts. Three families visited with us for Sunday morning. One family had received cards from us a few months ago as new movers. We are making plans to take them for lunch on their next visit. This Friday, we will have our monthly family game night and invite our community to take part. The Mission Monday members are in the process of making home visits. We appreciate prayers as we also pray for our brothers and sisters who continue to dedicate their lives to evangelizing their communities.”
Northern Oaks church of Christ, San Antonio, Texas: Mel Hutzler (elder) reports, “I am happy to report that we had two more baptisms on Sunday. Dalin Burris was baptized Sunday evening before services. He is the boyfriend of one of our young ladies. Austin Cauley, one of our newest members, studied with Dalin and also baptized him into Christ. After services, we had another baptism. Royal decided to be baptized after studying with Joe Bentley, one of our elders. Royal was invited initially by another one of our new converts. We are happy and excited for these baptisms and will get them incorporated into our new converts class taught by one of our elders. We are thankful for the Lord’s increase, and we are sure more baptisms will come.”
Colleyville church of Christ, Texas (remote): John Garza (regional trainer) reports, “At my new work with the Colleyville congregation, one reason I accepted the position is that I have been training as an evangelist for two years. I love to teach lost souls the gospel, and I love to preach the Word of God. I am really looking forward to the future with this congregation. We have a new program to train evangelists. Those who participate will spend two years as mentors with me, focusing on evangelism and having opportunities to preach and teach often. By the end of their time here, our goal is that they will be effective evangelists. Then, we will support them for another five years, as they work with a small congregation somewhere in the United States, preferably outside the Bible belt. Our first two evangelists are Chris Wilcut and his wife, Lauralee Wilcut, and Joshua Dugan and his wife, Ashley Dugan. At the end of two years, they will be sent out as evangelists.”
Fruitvale church of Christ, Texas: Carl McCann (elder) reports, “This week, we have had several opportunities to reach out to our community because members are bringing us contacts. We assisted a couple who lost all their belongings in a house fire. Debbie Mayfield provided us with the contact. We have begun to show compassion, write cards, and pick them up for services, and Justin Maxwell, Jesse Stuart, and Debbie Maxwell were able to have two Bible studies using BTTB. Ian McCann and Wayne Melton drove them to a clothing bank at the Van church of Christ.
“We have made another contact because of our social media page, “Fruitvale Bible Study.” Raoul Ferris met him at a local coffee shop and had a two-hour conversation about many topics. The gentleman had many questions, but they were deferred. He pulled out a couple of House to House periodicals and shared his concerns with Raoul on some of the articles. They exchanged phone numbers and hope to meet again soon.
“Jesse Stuart and Don Maxwell continue working with another contact, and they returned to services. Earlier this week Ben and Nancy Duke opened their home to them for a meal and Bible study using Book 1 of BTTB. We hope to extend more community services to them.
“We had another visitor who came directly from compassion cards. He is a recent convert and widower. Next week he and the Ferris family are going out to eat. Ian McCann quickly pointed out that this new contact will need a new converts study. The Ferris’ also set up a lunch date with a frequent visitor interested in the church, but we have not been able to schedule a study. We hope this can take place this week.”
Granbury Street church of Christ, Cleburne, Texas: Ryan Cowan (deacon) reports, “Planning continues to take place for our weekend evangelism event. We have called this event our ‘mini AMC.’ Member Ella Cowan has gained two Bible studies with a past co-worker and a past contact from her doula services. As Ella is preparing to leave for college, she plans to do these studies over Zoom. Member Kaitley Cowan is studying Book 2 of BTTB with her neighbor. Member Michael Flores made a contact over the social platform ‘nextdoor.’ He identified a contact who was looking for a church. Michael offered an invite, and the contact subsequently attended services with his two children. Michael and I are anxious to begin a study with this contact as his interest grows in Bible study.”
Eisenhower church of Christ, Odessa, Texas: Allen Weakland (elder) reports, “This past Sunday brought several exciting moments to the Eisenhower congregation. First, we were informed that one of the young couples, Destiny and Armando, who have been visiting us, had accepted an invitation to study the Bible. We will use the Back to the Bible series for this study, which is exciting because when we use this method, we normally experience God giving the increase. The second moment that thrilled our souls was when Leroy and Amanda wanted to sit with us and discuss the church. However, they will not be able to do so until next week, due to a work schedule conflict. We request prayers for this young couple and their two children. To God be the glory.”
Buda-Kyle church of Christ, Texas: Ronnie Sherffius (preacher) reports, “The evangelism work at Buda-Kyle continues to move in a positive direction. Presently we have six active visits, one active Bible study, and two prospects that appear to be good soil! Additionally, we are looking at new ways of developing contacts.”
Wheeler church of Christ, Texas: Garrett English (preacher) reports, “We are working on our follow-up plans for those who attended our VBS. We want to deliver their crafts and include study materials and ask them what they think of the church of Christ. We have ordered Apologetics Press personal size Bibles for every six grader in the county. We will make it known that if they want help when they start to study the Bible, we would be glad to offer to help them.”
Bridgewater church of Christ, Katy, Texas: Doug Suggs (deacon) reports, “At Bridgewater, Wade and I are continuing to study with David who is visiting here from China. He has been to our service every week since he started coming. We are also trying to set up a Bible study with a new convert’s wife. Our Card Team 2 met last evening and addressed cards to potential prospects. We continue to have new visitors at our congregation, and we are working toward setting up Bible studies with them.”
Southwest church of Christ, Austin, Texas: Mark Speir (deacon), “We currently have six names on our prospect list. We have scheduled two Bible studies for Sunday.”
Windmill church of Christ, Texas (remote): Sean Tipton (deacon) reports, “Three seems to be our magic number for new contacts. We have three more this week. We have at least three Bible studies ongoing currently. One is with a neighbor, one is with a coworker, and the third is a long-term study. We made contact in a restaurant this week with a family of six who were discussing the importance and urgency of baptism, and then they proceeded to Google it. People are seeking. We provided them with some Scriptures and a contact if they wanted to discuss further along with a random act of kindness card. They were very friendly and appreciative. We plan to get our new converts class up and running within the next few weeks. We request prayers for the work going on here so we can be effective in reaching new souls while growing ourselves.”
West Side church of Christ, Salem, Virginia: Jeff Durham (elder) reports, “Rejoice! We have a new sister in Christ! The visitor we mentioned in last week’s update had a study with one of our ministers and obeyed the Gospel in baptism at the start of Bible class yesterday morning. She will attend our New Converts class as she starts her new life serving our Lord. We also had an encouraging lesson Sunday night about Mentoring, which will be important for her and other new Christians. We concluded our exciting day by sending 94 compassion cards.”
Chesapeake church of Christ, Virginia: Ernest Benjamin (regional trainer) reports, “We had a great day of worship yesterday. Jeremiah, the young man who recently obeyed the gospel, was present. He is a student at Norfolk State University near our home. Ty and I are committed to mentoring Jeremiah and ensuring he has the support and encouragement he needs. I will set a time for lunch with him on Campus. I am praying that his presence on that campus might open a door of opportunity. We want to have him over routinely for fellowship and study. I completed most of Book 2 of BTTB with Caleb and Nakiyah on Wednesday afternoon. That study is really going well. We will not study this week because Nakiyah is out of town, and we will be headed to PTP. We have about 30-40 members of the congregation gearing up for PTP. My studies with Kay Dolberry and Savannah were rescheduled. Savannah said she was not feeling very well. Kay Dolberry has a lot going on in her life. She is the primary caregiver for her mother and was in an accident herself recently. I am sending her flowers and organizing to send her some cards to let her know we are thinking about her and praying for her.
“Jeremiah Settle, the assistant minister here, and his wife Emily are currently studying BTTB with a couple visiting us. The husband was raised around the Lord’s church and was baptized as a child, but he is very insecure in his faith and salvation. His wife was raised primarily Catholic, but from what Jeremiah tells me, she is very good soil. They completed Book 1 on Wednesday night and Book 2 on Sunday morning.”
Peninsula church of Christ, Virginia: Ben Phillips (preacher) reports, “We are continuing to fully introduce the HTHSOE program and follow up with all the contacts from the American Mission Campaign. Fruit has already come as Yolanda Gonzalez was baptized last Tuesday. We have another study ongoing, another scheduled, and two more studies that are being scheduled this week after interest is confirmed. Lord willing, these will bear fruit unto God. The beauty of compassion shown through cards and needed help moves souls. We appreciate continued prayer for the work here and for those who have agreed to study with us.”
Williamsburg church of Christ, Virginia: Jim Bishop (elder) reports, “The building was abuzz on Saturday and Sunday about contacts. On Saturday we held our VBS that had double the children from last year. We also had an increase in the members of the church who volunteered. The VBS helped many see how our efforts within the community are noticed. Why is this important? We had a family that had moved to the area several months ago, and she and her husband brought their four children. The husband took one of the children home, and the wife asked if someone could watch her other children while she went home. Several of the ladies watched the children. She returned at the end of the event. A very unusual situation! This morning, our visitors were that lady and two of the children. She attended worship and Bible study, thanks to those brothers and sisters who provided the care she needed. We will continue to prospect and provide for their needs. Compassion card teams are forming, and we expect to send them this week. Many of the coordinators are starting to organize their areas. We had one visitor on Sunday and currently have four prospects on our list. God answers prayers and provides opportunities for us to teach.”
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