Chapel Hill church of Christ, Tennessee: We welcome the Chapel Hill church of Christ to the House to House/Heart to Heart School of Evangelism. The training was well attended. Matt Jones did an outstanding job organizing and promoting the effort. We enjoyed several home-cooked meals. The congregation is ready to work, and we ask everyone to pray for them as they begin.
Glencoe church of Christ, Alabama: David Marker (elder) reports, “We had our holiday party this past week. We invited several folks who have recently visited and others who have been receiving Compassion Cards. We had a great night; the highlight was that we had several visitors who were our hot contacts. We are praying that this will lead to Bible studies soon. Many welcomed them; they all seemed to enjoy the good camaraderie. We have finished our deliveries to New Movers. Those efforts have had good results, and several have received compassion cards. Seeing so many getting involved and helping wherever needed is encouraging. Oftentimes, people do not like change, but we have noticed that as the year has passed, many are getting more comfortable, which shows by their participation.”
Foothills church of Christ, Searcy, Arkansas: Joshua Alexander (preacher) reports, “We had a great week of making contacts. A man from the community who had not been to church in a long time asked us to preach his wife’s funeral. Of course, we were happy to do so, and the congregation did a great job being the church. We brought food, sent Compassion Cards, and visited the family. We contacted family members who live in Searcy and have no church home. Some said that they would be worshipping with us. We visited and sent Compassion Cards to one on our prospect list. A young lady named Kimberlyn visited Wednesday. We invited her to our fall fellowship and she came. She was at our services Sunday morning and was one of the first ones there. We asked if she would be interested in learning more about the Foothills church of Christ. She said she would and wanted to do it right then. So, Sunday afternoon between services we went through Back to the Bible, Lesson 1. She was receptive and is looking forward to Book 2 next Sunday.”
Monticello church of Christ, Arkansas: Josh Walker (preacher) reports, “We have started a Bible study with a woman who has been attending due to our compassion card program and has asked for prayers that her husband and family would start to consider their spiritual well-being. Prayers are appreciated.”
Lake City church of Christ, Florida: Jim Flegert (elder) reports, “Our congregation had the opportunity to meet a young couple who visited Sunday. They came to visit due to the interest cultivated a couple of months ago by our New Mover program. That makes four new families who have been invited by our mover team. Sunday, five more contacts were made while passing out mover baskets in our community. We have been praying for more contacts, and the mover program is providing these opportunities.”
Fayetteville church of Christ, Georgia: David Gulledge (associate preacher) reports, “We took the next step and divided the congregation into four compassion card groups. Group 1 met on Sunday and sent cards to four prospects. Dave Rogers has continued to preach from the Back to the Biblebooklets.”
Woodstock church of Christ, Georgia: Greg Garner (deacon) reports, “The Compassion Card Group sent 15 cards. We had 15 in our New Convert class. We had ten visitors this week. Ten church members passed out 250 bottles of water, 100 cups of hot chocolate, and information on the church at a local community parade. We interacted with parade goers and invited them to church in hopes of creating new contacts.”
LaFayette church of Christ, Georgia: Jesse Teague (deacon) reports, “Group 1 met. About ten members fill out cards for five names. This month, we started handwriting the addresses on the envelopes to make it more personal. Several of the ladies have a digging deep Bible study each month. This month, they were discussing one of the contacts who has visited a few times. They found out that she had been walking to work and did not have winter clothes. Of course, they are working on transportation help, but they also provided some winter clothes for her. (One of our ladies works with her, so the contact/delivery was easy). She was sick this weekend and could not come to worship, but she was excited about the love shown to her. We will also be sending get-well cards. God bless our ladies and all the good work they do for the kingdom!”
Honolulu church of Christ, Hawaii: Tagiilima Esene (regional trainer) reports, “We have three ongoing Bible studies. One new convert, Peter, mentioned his sister was interested in a Bible study so Sunday, I scheduled it via Zoom. Our groups, led by our elders, continue working on each task. One group continues to door-knock our neighborhood using our new movers’ program. Another continues to write cards to local visitors. One group continues to encourage and visit our members who are shut-in and members who are in need. It is not a perfect system yet, but we are progressing in congregational evangelism efforts. One of the keys to evangelism is to have a preacher who does the work of evangelism. It is so essential for any congregation to see that the local preacher not only preaches or teaches about how to evangelize but also demonstrates that the teaching works. We are thankful that we enrolled in the school of evangelism. We appreciate all prayers as God continues to bless all those who continue His work.”
Beloit church of Christ, Kansas (remote): Dustin Dougherty (regional trainer) reports, “We had a great worship service yesterday. A young man visited us on his way back home to New Mexico. The compassion card program is off the ground; we sent multiple cards to our contacts in the last few weeks. Soon, we will begin sending cards to some members we have not seen. To God be all the glory and honor.”
Central church of Christ, Paducah, Kentucky: Adam Faughn (preacher) reports, “This past week, we were able to follow up with a couple of prospects and continue our card-writing efforts. While things are moving slowly, we believe there is progress in the hearts of some. For that, we are so grateful to God. On Sunday evening, we studied about being a good neighbor and how that helps us open doors of compassion and (hopefully) evangelism. One of our teenagers had invited a friend of hers to visit our services, and she has started a Bible study. We are grateful for that type of heart, and we pray the study goes well. We were so glad to have the mother and daughter of a family who is erring with us again Sunday night, and they stayed for a youth devotional. We are praying for restoration. Good things are happening, and to God be the glory!”
La Plata church of Christ, Maryland (remote): Eric Sykes (regional trainer) reports, “We had two visitors. We sent ten compassion cards and added one prospect to our list. We had to reschedule two Bible studies last week. Two individuals will start Lesson 2 of Back to the Bible, tomorrow, and one is scheduled for Lesson 1 on Friday. We are entering Week 2 of training our congregation on the Evangelism model. We have made a good start, and we are excited about the future.”
Southside church of Christ, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Freddie Klein (preacher) reports, “We had two studies this week with three souls. We continue to study with the Mateo couple, who are getting close to obedience to the gospel. The second study is a result of a baptism we had last month. We studied Friday night, and things went well. Sunday was a continuation of our sermon series on Joy. Our Sunday evening card group is inviting contacts we have made in the last few months to join us for a Christmas Eve lunch at the building. We hope this will be an avenue for more conversation with these contacts. We have started a new convert class, and several who were recently baptized or are thinking about baptism have joined the class. We continue to integrate evangelism training in all that we are doing.”
Iuka church of Christ, Mississippi: Robert Wimbish (elder) reports, “Another soul was baptized into Christ Wednesday morning. This new Christian was a product of good soil, indicated by a contact card, 24 handwritten compassion cards conveying love, a Mission Monday visit, several follow-up visits, completion of the Back to the Bible series, and the Word of God doing what only God’s Word can do. Our newest member is a gentle and kind man who inspires us all. We are sending out about 60 cards each week, averaging about five or six visits per week. Our prayers go up each day for HTHSOE and for all the congregations taking part in renewing the church’s zeal for evangelism.”
Samford church of Christ, Steele, Missouri: Kyle Imel (deacon) reports, “Samford has one active study and one additional study scheduled for Thursday night. We have been studying with Emma and her grandson; we had hoped to start Lesson 3 Sunday, but illness prevented that from happening. We have had two visitors who have been regulars for about a month. At least one, and hopefully both, will begin Book 1 on Thursday night.”
South Carthage Church of Christ, North Carolina (remote): Randy Chambers (preacher) reports, “We had one Bible study using BTTB 1 and two studies with prospects who have completed BTTB series but are interested in continuing our studies. We had two visitors of members who received a gift bag and were taken out for lunch, which was encouraging. We are still working on the plan and encouraging the members to be workers together with the Lord!”
Lake Milton church of Christ, Ohio (remote): Mike Bisson (preacher) reports, “We have sent cards out to fourteen families. We have delivered two newcomer bags and left door hangers on four doors. We are in the beginning stages. The congregation is excited about evangelism.”
Streetsboro church of Christ, Ohio: Ralph Price (preacher) reports, “We are starting our fourth week of sending out Compassion Cards. To date, we have sent out 457 cards. This week, we will begin visiting our first group of people who have received three weeks of cards. During Sunday services, we are working through Back to the Bible. All is going well. We have received some positive feedback from those who have been receiving cards. We ask for continued prayers for the work here in Streetsboro.”
Greenville church of Christ, Ohio: John McGiffin (preacher) reports, “Since October 1, we have had 141 contacts, eight prospects, nine Bible Studies, one baptism, and six benevolent contacts/prospects. We will start making our Transition Visits in two weeks. We have put together 22 baskets for new movers and are determining the best time to start this ministry. We completed the first lesson on Back to the Bible Sunday morning. We completed a sermon and training on the Transition Visit in the evening. Our Holiday Benevolent Giveaway is approaching. Six families are participating. We are providing meals and presents for the children. Participants must come to the building to receive the benevolence. We plan to add them to the single card list afterward until the first of the year. At that time, we will do a transition/visit. I will be happy to share my text for the sermon on Transition Visit and Training Cards. Let me know if anyone wishes to have it.”
New Concord church of Christ, Ohio: Terry Townsend (preacher) reports, “This is Week 6 of our HTHSOE training, and things are beginning to take shape! We mailed 94 cards last week, and 80 cards are ready to be mailed this week. The ladies of the congregation had a cookie exchange Saturday, and several dozen cookies were personally delivered to some of our contacts. One Bible study is currently set. Our class for new converts was delayed, but it will start the first Sunday in January.”
Coweta church of Christ, Oklahoma: Keno Shrum (regional trainer) reports, “Michael John taught the New Convert class Tuesday. Yesterday, Matt and I went through Believe the Bible with a couple. They received it well. Next weekend, we will move into Back to the Bible Lesson 1. The couple is visiting family for Christmas, so our goal is to get through the studies and then put them in touch with a congregation in their area of California. Thursday evening, I will be doing a study through Zoom with a couple in Milwaukee. I have spoken to them since they visited their family at Thanksgiving, and they are excited about the study. If any RTL readers know of a sound congregation in the Milwaukee area, please contact me at cowetacofc@gmail.com or 918-230-4613. Thank you, and I pray God blesses all who labor in His name!”
Sullivan Village church of Christ, Lawton, Oklahoma: Steven Hill (preacher) reports, “Yesterday was bittersweet for us here at Sullivan Village. We are losing a very special couple who came to us for a short while and has warmed all of our hearts. Rod and Victoria Selman have been here for several months while he completes his military training at Fort Sill. Yesterday was their last time worshipping with us before moving back to Georgia and going back to work for House to House. Rod graduates on Tuesday and has permission to invite the entire congregation to his graduation. They will start their journey back home sometime Tuesday afternoon. The elders have delegated one of the couples in the congregation to be in charge of the New Movers program. They will assemble the baskets and then distribute them. I believe 12 baskets were delivered this week, and four of them went to families with no church affiliation. Another couple is being selected to be put in charge of the visitor bags. They will be tasked with making sure we have plenty of visitor bags ready and will hand out the bags. We are getting ready to start training on how to approach first-time visitors and make them feel welcome. A team will be the primary individuals who work the foyer and make the first contact with visitors. We have three teams, and each team has leaders and co-leaders. This week, Team 3 wrote Compassion Cards. Team 1 did about 250 cards, Team 2 did closer to 300 cards, and Team 3 did almost 350 cards. We are currently writing cards to wayward members, names that have been submitted from the congregation’s bookmarks lists, and visitors. One person did not want to receive any cards, and one person thanked us for the cards and sent in a check for $100 to put toward the work. We are about to start making visits with each of those who have received cards. We are grateful to the HTHSOE for all their work in training us and transforming us into the living organism the church was designed to be. To God be all the glory!”
York church of Christ, Pennsylvania: Mark Raschke (deacon) reports, “We sent two sets of Compassion Cards. We sent one set to a family of new movers; the other set was sent to a member’s relative with health concerns. We are prayerful that some regularly attending prospects have been stirred to act finally, after a series of impactful sermons by Fred.”
Broad Top church of Christ, Pennsylvania (remote): Ed Howe (member) reports, “Our training is continuing as I delivered the message on “Quantity, not Quality” from Matthew 22:1-14, reemphasizing putting “the many” on the bookmark. We have a study with the recent converts on Wednesday. We continue to pray for their growth in the Lord.”
Union church of Christ, South Carolina (remote): Terry Hale (preacher) reports, “We are making our way this week to the doors of the ones who have received our Compassion Cards. We are training two days a week and praying for studies. We are taking one bite at a time and trusting the process. We are thankful for the prayers on our behalf with all love.”
East Ridge church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tennessee: Charles Cochran (preacher) reports, “This is a picture of a lady who has received Compassion Cards from East Ridge. She made these bags to express appreciation for all the cards she and her husband have received. She was so thankful. East Ridge continues to sow the seeds of God’s love!”
McKenzie church of Christ, Tennessee: Randy McCadams (elder) reports, “Our congregation is finishing the card mail-outs this week for the November cycle. To date, three contacts have been turned in for the upcoming month’s mail-out. We will continue to encourage the congregation in turning in names of potential souls to be reached.”
Southern Hills church of Christ, Franklin, Tennessee: Lee Glasscock (elder) reports, “Team 2 worked on Compassion Cards Sunday. We began our first class in the new Christians class with mentors attending. Garrett Bookout finished the series based on John 4 on Sunday. On Sunday night, we had training on contacts: Visitors with the training cards were passed out to the entire congregation.”
Covington church of Christ, Tennessee: Wayne Dalrymple (elder) reports, “Glen and Kyle visited again. They are erring Christians who have been visiting for several weeks. Paul and Amy visited. Paul had visited a couple of times and brought his wife with him this time. They have moved into the area from Memphis and are considering Covington as their church home. We believe they had not been faithful in attendance where they were previously. Last Wednesday, Doresha and I completed Book 2 of BTTB. Doresha is somewhat limited in understanding, but I think she understood the truth about the church. Frank is still studying with Steve and Anice, and Jeff is still attempting to study with Lisa. There are a few other prospects we are working on as well. Since the tornado that came through our city in March destroyed the buildings for the local elementary and middle schools, we have allowed them to use our building for events recently. One event will take place Tuesday. They will have a choir and band concert. We have encouraged our members to attend the event to support these children and their families. We hope to meet many who will then visit our services. We pray for God’s blessings on our efforts.”
East Main church of Christ, Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Brad Rowley (elder) reports, “We rejoice in the baptism of Andrea Emberton and her son Braden (picture attached). Andrea and Braden have been studying and had doubts about their previous baptism. After study, discussion, and prayer, they decided to be baptized for the remission of their sins. Both Andrea and Braden have joined our New Convert class. The curriculum for this class has been amazing. We have averaged approximately 10 to 12 people in class. Some of our compassion card team met Sunday evening and sent cards. We had four ongoing Bible studies and now have the new study with Braden. We had our Mission Day Sunday after the morning worship with 53 people in attendance. During Mission Day, we reviewed what is new in the HTH model. We reviewed our progress and brainstormed any concerns. Seth Ferguson discussed our next overseas mission trip to Panama and answered questions. We completed 13 follow-up visits. We delivered eight new movers’ baskets and received one new contact card. We are working on two more prospects for Bible studies. We are currently working on an invitation card, our website, and a couple of videos. To God give the glory!”
New Union church of Christ, Manchester, Tennessee: Paul Fultz (elder) reports, “We had three visitors from the community, and greeters handed out visitor bags. We will send Compassion Cards to them and visit them this week. Card Team 1 wrote 32 cards. We delivered New Mover Baskets. Members made five follow-up visits, not counting phone calls and texts. A New Convert/Bible Learner class meets every Sunday. Mission Monday Meetings are held each week. We scheduled members to make additional visits and follow-up activities. A spreadsheet tracks all evangelism activities.”
Forest Hill church of Christ, Germantown, Tennessee: Scott Cain (preacher) reports, “We have two studies that are close to the point of commitment. We had our first dinner tonight with one of Walker’s teachers from college. Tomorrow, we will have dinner with one of his classmates who has visited twice and expressed interest in our upcoming Mexico mission trip. We expect to be studying with him as soon as tomorrow night, but time will tell. Later this week, we will have dinner with another of Walker’s college classmates. Other families are in the initial stages of studies. Our training and organization continue with the congregation.”
New Hope church of Christ, Middleton, Tennessee: Cole Wade (preacher) reports, “We have a lot of people sick at our congregation, so we ask for prayers for healing! I have a Bible study scheduled for tomorrow evening with someone with questions. We ask for prayers for this person to know Jesus better. We are still sending cards and recruiting members for our New Movers work!”
Crosby church of Christ, Houston, Texas (remote): Jon Wheeler (elder) reports, “We had seven visitors—all returning for a second or third time. One family returned to services after being out for many weeks! They had received numerous cards two weeks ago from one of our Action groups. Fifteen new mover baskets were delivered on Saturday. One basket was given to a new mover sitting on her balcony and making phone calls to ask for help with her electric bill. She said she grew up in a church of Christ. We invited her to come to church and helped her monetarily and with groceries. We expect her to attend this week with her two daughters, and we will follow up with compassion cards.”
Bridgewater church of Christ, Katy, Texas: Doug Suggs (deacon) reports, “We received two new contacts to add to our prospect list. One of our teams sent cards to them and also to some members who need encouragement. Beginning the first of the year, I will have one quarter to teach BTTB and present the program. I look forward to this and pray that our Father will bless our efforts. Some of our retired men meet monthly at Cracker Barrel for breakfast. We met Monday and Mark Foreman gave the waiter one of the church’s invitation cards. He gave another invite to the cashier (Thanks to TJ Gifford for getting these for us). Others have also been sharing these cards.”
Northern Oaks church of Christ, San Antonio, Texas: Mel Hutzler (elders) reports, “We have an increase of contacts from our New Movers Program, and we need to get more members involved to cover all of them. A few members are still in Bible studies, and a couple of them hit a roadblock. Our card program continues to prospect potential Bible studies, and our New Converts Class continues to do well with several attending. We still need to make a few more changes to help things align more with the Evangelism Program we have been taught.”
Canyon Lake church of Christ, Texas (remote): Jesse Stuart and Raoul Ferris (evangelists) reports, “Despite illness, two members, Misty Ferris and Wanita Faulkner, continued with Book 2 of BTTB with a lady we met door-knocking. This lady grew up Baptist and, along the way, drifted from one charismatic faith to another. Yet by the end of Book 2, she was on board with everything. We are thankful for our trained sisters in Christ who conducted this study. We connected another couple from Canyon Lake, Ken and Gloria Burris. They will assist this lady with outside lighting for her home at night. We have learned that joint efforts from many fronts make evangelism easier, and it draws us together as we work together. Another such duo was Mike Stanfield and Jesse Stuart, who had been helping a young man with leaks in his roof. However, this young man has not yet obeyed the gospel and continues to come because of kindness and truth being taught. This week, we hope we are back on our feet as a full team. We continue to have four new convert studies who remain faithful in attendance. We have learned that additional studies with new converts must be set up right after baptism and then maintained regularly.”
Wheeler church of Christ, Texas: Garrett English (preacher) reports, “Our groups wrote and sent Compassion Cards to various community members who are sick/recovering this week; we will send again for the next three weeks. We will also continue to add to our list of prospects. I have a Bible study set for this week and another I am working to set up as soon as possible.”
Granbury Street church of Christ, Cleburne, Texas: Ryan Cowan (deacon) reports, “Card writing continues in earnest. Our members meet every Sunday to write cards. I am working hard to ensure that all who have received cards have had an in-person visit from Granbury Street. As we progress through the holidays, we look forward to a renewed vigor in 2024, focusing our efforts on reaching the lost.”
Graceton church of Christ, Diana, Texas: Johnny Willeford (elder) reports, “We encourage members to stay active with writing Compassion Cards and to keeping their contact cards list current. We are in the process of appointing a new compassion card leader. One of our couples is moving, and we need someone to step up. Our Mission Monday group will be meeting tonight to review our home visits and receive our next month’s assignments for home visits. We had one visitor Sunday, and she stayed for our First Sunday Fellowship meal. Our Mission Monday group has been inviting those that we have visited to come to our next family game night with a meal and gift swap coming up in a few weeks. Please continue to pray that our efforts to have more home Bible studies. Getting people to commit is a challenge. Group C wrote 78 Compassion Cards to 15 people on Sunday afternoon.”
Eisenhower church of Christ, Odessa, Texas: Allen Weakland (elder) reports, “God be praised! The Eisenhower congregation was blessed Sunday morning to witness the baptism of Ms. Delia into Christ. She has been attending services for several weeks and stated that she could not wait any longer. We have arranged for her to attend our new converts class Sunday. She has such a positive outlook and feels right at home. God is so amazing. Let us praise Him, for He is worthy of all our praise.”
Charles Harris (Regional Trainer): “When Covid took place in 2020, some brethren became fearful and stopped attending services. One brother at New Hope Road did that, but he returned with a penitent heart Sunday. While he was away, many of his brothers and sisters in Christ had been praying for him and trying to reach out to him. Thankfully, he has returned to serving the Lord. Never give up on a soul.”
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