Welcome Fulton and Plainview church of Christ, Mississippi: This past weekend two congregations came together for the HTHSOE training and enrollment. It was a phenomenal weekend of unity and fellowship as more soldiers were trained to take the Gospel into our nation to seek and save the lost. We look forward to receiving their first reports next week!
Glencoe church of Christ, Alabama: Keith Ritchie (evangelist) reports, “The Glencoe church has started out the year working to save souls. We knocked 29 doors this Sunday afternoon and delivered several new mover’s bags. Some good contacts were made, and we are looking forward to the transition on Sunday in February. So far, in 2026, we have had 14 visitors, 8 prospects, 67 compassion cards sent, 19 visits made, and 4 incoming Bible studies. Robert Box has handed out this month’s invitation cards, and Chris Jenkins handed out the contact bookmark. Each week, Chris will stand before the congregation to check on the bookmarks for opportunities to send compassion cards or make visits. Pray for us as we continue to grow and work. To God be the glory!”
Fayette church of Christ, Alabama: Josh Taylor (deacon) reports, “Sunday we had our mission Sunday meeting. It was a good time to get back with our evangelism group after our holiday break. We made very attainable goals for our group this month, and we look forward to cultivating soil with cards. Hearts can be changed with a simple, kind word. They can start a conversation. This year, we just ask God to bless us with continued courage and to build up the brethren at Fayette. We have four contacts this month who are all dealing with health issues. We hope and pray to have an opportunity to reach out to them soon. Pray for us all! May God be glorified!”
Hatton church of Christ, Town Creek, Alabama: Chris Miller (preacher) reports, “We have begun this year with some reorganizing, and our members continue to participate. We currently have nine prospects on the card list, and we have followed up with assignments from our last meeting. We have been reviewing the weekly material sent out, which has been helpful in getting more contact names. Hopefully, more results will be available soon.”
Central church of Christ, Saraland, Alabama: David Dixon (preacher) reports, “One of our former elders led the evangelism prayer this week, and it really sent a charge through me. Our visitors from last week returned with the intention of coming again. A Bible study should be coming soon. This is the result of one of our young men inviting his lifelong best friend. It is just that easy sometimes—finally working up the courage to talk to people about their souls—and especially to those whom you have known and cared about for years. Our prayers are with every congregation enrolled in the Evangelism School!”
Petersville church of Christ, Florence, Alabama: Adam Richardson (preacher) reports, “We sent 65 compassion cards this week. We have lots to do this new year to keep the culture alive, so we are scheduling coordinator meetings to keep things moving.”
Creekwood church of Christ, Mobile, Alabama: Tucker Presley (preacher) reports, “We met last night about the new movers’ work, and baskets will be going out over the next couple of weeks. One Bible study is currently in progress. Another one is in the works, but we have had trouble aligning schedules. Compassion cards continue to be sent out every week. We have had one baptism so far this year.”
Hartselle church of Christ, Alabama: Justin Smith (preacher) reports, “This week we had one restoration and one baptism. Praise God! Currently, there are three ongoing Bible studies. Our New Movers and Visitor Bag ministry continue to be successful as the city of Hartselle is growing. We are looking forward to utilizing more of the School of Evangelism curriculum in 2026!”
Cedar Grove church of Christ, Andalusia, Alabama: Josh Halloway (preacher) reports, “Our members are all working actively in our evangelism program. This week we made around 15 transition visits. We set up a new Bible study with a prospect; she will be studying on Tuesdays. We still have around five active Bible studies weekly.”
Mountain Home church of Christ, Arkansas: Joshua Adams (preacher) reports, “Last week included several encouraging evangelistic victories for God’s church. At the top of the list is the baptism of Charlie, the daughter of one of our members. She has been contemplating baptism for some time and took the initiative to reach out to me herself. After morning services, I had the privilege of baptizing her in the presence of her biological mother and grandmother. This was no small moment, as Charlie currently lives with and is under the care of her other grandmother, whom she calls ‘Mom.’ We rejoice with Charlie in her decision to follow Christ, and her baptism also serves as a reminder that even a single act of obedience can open doors for Gospel conversations with family members we might otherwise assume are uninterested. Another encouragement has been the presence of a visitor, Cindy, who has been attending for several weeks after receiving compassion cards. She has expressed interest in “plugging in” and becoming part of the church, which has opened the door for intentional Gospel conversations. Those conversations are now on the horizon. Along those same lines, last night after services, 20 people stayed to write compassion cards, resulting in 84 cards sent out—an excellent display of collective effort and love. Finally, I have a Bible study scheduled this Thursday with a father and his two children. The children attend with their aunt and have expressed interest in baptism. The father grew up in the church but stopped attending during his teenage years due to family difficulties. Seeing his children’s growing interest in spiritual things has caused him to refocus on becoming a better example for them. I am eager to see what the Lord will do through this study. To God be the glory for open hearts, open doors, and faithful saints willing to sow the seed.”
Milestone church of Christ, Cantonment, Florida: Randy Brantley (elder) reports, “We passed out the survey sheets and had everyone fill out and return them to us before they left. We had our first meeting with elders, deacons, preacher, and administrator after morning service. Ray preached the first training lesson this evening and gave bookmarks to everyone. We are still excited to getting started with this program.”
Margaret Street church of Christ, Milton, Florida: Troy Spradlin (preacher) reports, “The saints and the angels are praising God as another precious soul has been rescued from the darkness and brought into the light! One of our youth, Audrey Harrington, obeyed the Gospel and was baptized by her dad, Dane Harrington. Today, we have one more sister-in-Christ added to the church. Our Food Pantry resumed services last week (after a holiday break) and served several dozen families in our area. They made 26 new contacts this month! Our total 2026 Accountability Board numbers are: 30 Contacts Received; two Neighbors (Prospects whom we have loved and/or studied with); 20 Compassion Cards sent; two Bible studies; one Restoration, and two Baptisms.”
Stuart church of Christ, Florida: Tom Neth (deacon) reports, “This week we continue the theme of train, train, and train. We began Sunday morning and evening, training the congregation on BTTB Book 1. Our Bible class hour had small group training for the coordinators and the visitors’ team. We had five additional visitors this Sunday and are working to set up three new Bible studies. On Sunday evening, we had our first restoration of the New Year. God is good. We have had ten visitors and two active Bible studies, with three more ready to begin. We have sent 600 cards YTD, made four visits, had five prodigals join us for worship, and one restoration.”
Niceville church of Christ, Florida: Joe Palmer (preacher) reports, “We sent 14 cards. We are busy in New Christian studies and planning for next week’s 2026 Relaunch Meeting.”
Edgewood church of Christ, Georgia: Mitchell Deering (deacon) reports, “We currently have one active prospect. We are continuing compassion card outreach with 20 additional cards planned. Visits are scheduled this week for two previous prospects, providing an opportunity to re-engage and encourage continued interest. For the month of January so far, 65 compassion cards have been sent as we work to rebuild outreach momentum at the start of the year.”
Lafayette church of Christ, Georgia: Jesse Teague (deacon) reports, “Local storms postponed our door knocking from last Saturday to this Saturday. We have 30 names on our lists to visit and let them know that God and the church of Christ in Lafayette cares about their souls. Our newest members brought two of their friends to worship on Sunday morning. They expressed interest in knowing how to be saved. Our minister discussed this with them before Bible class and set up a study after worship. After some time and study, Tia decided to obey the Gospel! Her husband Raymond may not be far behind, but he was not ready to make the decision. We thank God for His Gospel and for the zeal of our new members wanting to bring their friends.”
Warner Robins church of Christ, Georgia: Damien Walker (evangelist) reports, “So far this year, we have sent 56 cards, which averages about 28 per week. The evangelists at WRCOC, Zack Williams and Damien Walker, are in the process of planning and training together so that we can effectively implement this process. Some of our more immediate plans involve our contact-creating methods. Soon, we will begin utilizing the preaching schedule provided by HTH to preach lessons over a series of weeks that correspond with various works we are implementing. We are excited to be working together and are confident that we will see the culture and mindset shift to be an ‘evangelism machine,’ but we understand that it is a process. We appreciate prayers as we piece this all together over the next few months, teaching strategically and training the members. Our stats may be a little slow to pick up, but that should not be an issue once the congregation understands the mission and the vision!”
Gray church of Christ, Georgia (remote): Keith Dixon (preacher) reports, “Since launching our HTH Evangelism efforts on October 29 (three weeks after completing the seminar at Warner Robins), we have conducted congregation-wide training for the last two months. We have nine members who attend consistently and three more who come regularly. Of these twelve, seven are fully engaged in the work, with the other five supported by prayer and contact collection. We have six of the seven workers enrolled in the HTH app for independent study. Thus far, we have identified 24 prospect families (eight of which are prodigals), with six new prospects identified this month. We selected two mailing zones and 50 individuals (mostly prodigals) to receive HTH newsletters. We have visited or provided assistance to nine of the 18 prospects we began working with in 2025, and we have mailed over 150 cards. We have assembled visitor gifts, newcomer baskets, and small visit gifts, which, along with the cards, have been well received. Since the New Year, one of those prospects has visited, and another new prospect has visited. Both have Bible studies scheduled for this week. We have been blessed by monetary and prayer support from multiple congregations, which is very encouraging for us. We have an additional two new movers, two prodigals, and two referrals from relatives who live out of town to add to our prospect mailing list this week. We are so grateful to the Warner Robins congregation for hosting this training and for Rob and his family as they continue to train. The tools the HTH Evangelism model provides have made sharing the Gospel so easy, and we are so encouraged by the difference we feel in the possibilities for the Lord’s work in Gray, Georgia. Thank you to everyone who has had a part in this work. To God be the glory, and may His Kingdom increase.”
Cartersville church of Christ, Georgia (remote): Charles Harris (regional trainer) reports, “We have mailed 60 compassion cards to six prospects for the month. Since moving back ‘home, ‘ I have been able to reconnect with high school classmates. We have scheduled a study with one of them for this week.”
Woodstock church of Christ, Georgia: Matt Amos (preacher) reports, “In 2023, the Woodstock church of Christ (WCOC) Prison Ministry Group assisted the Snellville Church of Christ in loading the Back to the Bible study materials onto 400 Apple tablets in the Gwinnett County Jails. Since then, Gwinnett County has upgraded their communication application to Securus on the same 400 tablets. Securus supports video calls, email, photos, money transfers, and utilities. This communication upgrade is enabling the Snellville church to communicate better with the Gwinnett County inmates. To date, 30 inmates are in Bible study via Securus. Three former inmates have completed their time and are now members at SCoC. Securus is helping the church to maintain long-term contact with the inmate/student and enabling the congregation to assist the inmates in transitioning back to the community. We are hoping to expand the Bible study software to support 2200 Apple tablets in the Gwinnett County Jail. Our Prison Ministry Group is assisting the Snellville church with any technical issues, the expansion, and customer service. The group has been asked for support in providing Bible study leaders (i.e., preachers/teachers). We hope to duplicate Gwinnett’s success to other facilities. The Compassion Card Group created and sent 20 cards. WCOC had eight non-Christian visitors this past Sunday morning worship.”
Honolulu church of Christ, Hawaii: Tagiilima Esene (preacher) reports, “We already have three prospects that received a meal invitation. Two souls are currently in a Bible study and are near to the Kingdom. Our church leaders are motivated to serve and to improve on our work in the Lord. We just got back from American Samoa two weeks ago. The work in the Samoan islands definitely need strengthening. We had a lectureship in the Samoan language at the Magiagi church of Christ. This work started with the conversion of an Assembly of God preacher about three years ago. He then turned around and taught his family and some of his church members the truth. Today, the church building where the church meets in Magiagi was formerly the church building for the Assembly of God. After a week of short term mission work in the country of Samoa, we went to American Samoa where we trained the Lupelele church of Christ. They have two graduates of the Memphis School of Preaching in Lupelele (Brother Scott, and brother Jr Soli). Very few from the congregation attended the seminar. They were encouraged to start with those who are wanting to serve the Lord. Jesus started with twelve, and today we have the Lord’s church in great number. Jr and Scott are motivated to start evangelizing. I will be following their work and encouraging them. We appreciate all prayers! God bless us all this New Year.”
Collinsville-Troy church of Christ, Illinois: Jason Wright (evangelist) reports, “Reports are that the flu outbreak is the biggest in Illinois in 25 years. We had multiple studies cancelled last week due to sickness. They have been rescheduled. We were able to conduct three studies. I have a study using Book 3 scheduled with the Cherry family on Wednesday. It has been cancelled three times due to illness. We mailed out 140 compassion cards. We have cleared our accountability board. We currently have 41 prospects and eight ongoing studies. Our baptism goal is 18. We will be delivering baskets this Tuesday/Wednesday.”
Columbus church of Christ, Kansas (remote): Matt Fowler (member) reports, “We are rejoicing with our first baptism of the new year. My daughter Lydia obeyed the Gospel! We are rejoicing with her. One thing we should emphasize is that when you practice congregational evangelism and train, it greatly impacts and educates the children of members. Lydia has been a silent partner with my wife in Bible studies that she has conducted. Chris and Lara delivered some new movers’ baskets and made a good contact with a family looking for a church home. The congregation wrote some compassion cards on Sunday, and this family was included on our list.”
Beloit church of Christ, Kansas (remote): Dustin Dougherty (regional trainer) reports, “I delivered one new mover’s basket yesterday. I went to four houses, but only one person came to the door. We had a nice conversation about what brought him to Beloit, as well as some other small talk. He seemed very thankful for the spaghetti basket. We will try the others again at another time. To God be the glory.”
Spring Creek church of Christ, Hickory, Kentucky: David Morse (elder) reports, “Our Sunday was focused on worshiping our Lord as we are commanded to do, with a focus on evangelism. Our Sunday morning sermon topic was ‘Being a Barnabas,’ with the main text coming from Romans 12:6-8 about using the talents that we have been given in our evangelism efforts. We took time during the service for each member to pray for those on their bookmarks. On Sunday evening, Samuel’s lesson was focused on Matthew 11:27-29, demonstrating ‘Why We Send Compassion Cards.’ Following Sunday morning services and prior to evening services, members of our ‘White Group’ met to write compassion cards. On Wednesday of last week, our leadership group met an hour before Bible study to review our Prospect List and discuss follow-up visits. We have leaders in place for our New Movers Group and our Card Writers, and we have designated individuals to pass out bookmarks, contact cards, and invitation cards at each service. Here are our numbers for the week: Visitors: 10 (two new this week), Prospects: 32, Cards Sent: 890, Bible Studies: one; Baptisms: two. Our goal is seven.”
Central church of Christ, Paducah, Kentucky: Adam Faughn (preacher) reports, “We had two Bible studies this week; both were via video. One was with a young lady who has visited with us on Wednesday nights recently. She is supremely busy, so we had a study on video when she was available. I believe she is quite close to making a decision to be baptized. The other is with Gary, who has serious (in fact, life-threatening) health complications, so as he lay in his hospital bed Sunday night, he watched ‘What Must I Do to Be Saved?’ We are to follow up with him about questions the first part of the week, but we are praying he knows what to do. We are trying to do better about getting contacts. We got a little lax in the latter part of 2025, so we are making better efforts to get back on track with those because we know that is where our studies will come from.”
Chalmette church of Christ, Louisiana: Scott Russell (member) reports, “We have made several new movers visits over the past week (10-12) and just a few cards sent out. There is one personal Bible study currently taking place, and it sounds like it is going very well. Our baptistery is currently down for repairs. I had a phone call yesterday from one of our members asking if my swimming pool was heated. I said, no, but cold water works just as well.”
Gonzales church of Christ, Louisiana: Ben Vallery (member) reports, “We had nine visitors this past week. We signed 14 compassion cards. We currently have 12 prospects and one Bible study. Our new convert classes continue on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. We had a coordinators’ meeting to discuss a few hangups we are having with our visitation scheduling, along with Tracy Boone and his wife, Taryn, who volunteered to take Patrick’s spot as coordinators for the new mover’s baskets. We also decided that it is time for us to begin scheduling continuing education.”
Aberdeen church of Christ, Maryland: Will Brown (preacher) reports, “On Sunday, we had 15 visitors. We still have five ongoing Bible studies. We are working on setting up the class for members interested in helping with the ongoing Bible studies. We have in our plan for 2026 to bring in regional trainer Eric Sykes to refresh our evangelism program. We have already sent out two cards for the year. We continue to maintain our accountability board. We appreciate continued prayers for the success of the current Bible studies and those to come.”
La Plata church of Christ, Maryland (remote): Eric Sykes (regional trainer) reports, “This week we wrote 18 compassion cards. We had one visitor on Sunday. The sisters of our visitation team visited a couple of our widows last week and had an amazing time. One of the widows they visited joined the teams; now she is part of the group of sisters who go out to visit and check on our widows. Our Wednesday night Bible Study Class completed ‘Chapter 12 – The All-Sufficiency of the Scriptures’ in the Growing in Christ workbook. On Sunday morning, the brothers from La Plata and Waldorf congregations met to discuss the upcoming AMC. We are making great progress; registration numbers have tripled over the past week. Members are excited, and enthusiasm is growing; praise God. While we experienced many uplifting moments last week, it troubles me to share that Lorrie Harris, a new convert and childhood friend of my wife, Sandy, passed away Sunday, January 11, 2026. Sandy and Lorrie had been friends for over 50 years. Lorrie studied Back to the Bible with Sandy and was baptized while we were home in Chicago, on vacation. For the past two years, we have been conducting new convert Bible study classes with Lorrie online every Tuesday and Thursday. By the grace of God, we found a faithful congregation of the Lord’s church, the South Holland church of Christ, in South Holland, Illinois, and since September, Sister Harris has been a faithful and beloved member. She became well known for her incredible sense of humor and her care for lost souls. Though Lorrie will be deeply missed by us all, Paradise is welcoming their newest member. We ask that you join us as we keep Sister Harris’ family in our prayers during this difficult time.”
Aberdeen church of Christ, Mississippi: Jonathan Hagar (preacher) reports, “We had five visitors for services. Three were returning visitors. I scheduled a Bible study with one returning visitor. Two visitors came to the church for the first time. We gave them visitor packets and got their information so we can send them invite cards. Another visitor came to church after we finished our Bible study this past week from Lesson 1. We have several Bible studies set up for this week. I feel like the church is primed for several baptisms very soon. We request prayers that the five Bible studies scheduled for this week will go well. Members often tell me of their interactions in the community. They keep the invitation cards that we made in their purses and pockets, so they are always ready to give them out to people. Such effort is shown in the number of visitors we get. Rarely is there a Sunday that we do not have visitors.”
Iuka church of Christ, Mississippi: Sam Glover (preacher) reports, “This week, as with last week, has mainly been a matter of seeing growth from new converts and returning visitors. Nickie, whom I mentioned was baptized recently, has already been enthusiastic about participating in ladies’ classes, and she is keen on finding ways to generate interest in coming to worship and Bible studies among her friends and family. A family that has visited on and off over the past couple of months was back with us this Sunday and even stayed for our Second Sunday meal and early afternoon service. I was encouraged when I saw just how many of our members made it a point to speak to and encourage this family. One of the men of the congregation and I are starting an effort to ‘re-evangelize’ people in the area who have lapsed in attendance. We will also visit those who would attend but cannot, for whatever reason (beyond the scope of visiting shut-ins and the like). They may not be ‘new’ converts, but we have already had one family member let us know how much it has been appreciated.”
Oak Grove church of Christ, Missouri: David Wiseman (elder) reports, “We had two visitors Sunday from the community. They were good connections as they knew a few people at our congregation. We sent 50 cards last week. Our kick-off date is January 25, with a congregational meeting led by the elders that Sunday night. We have 95 percent of our coordinators selected.”
East Flushing church of Christ, New York (remote): Clarence Jenkins (preacher) reports, “After worship service, we watched the video ’New Converts: Mentoring,’ in our efforts to focus more on keeping those we reach. Our metrics thus far through January 2026 include two baptisms, eight visitors, nine Bible studies, and two in our new converts’ class. We appreciate all prayers.”
Oak Forest church of Christ, Goldsboro, North Carolina: Dennis Mays (elder) reports, “We had 11 visitors this Sunday. We now have nine Bible studies going on. We had 20 members working on compassion cards, and 85 cards are being mailed this week. On Sunday, we generated six new prospects. We began training the congregation on the use of the Bible teaching booklets after our Sunday evening service. This will continue next week. We ask for prayers that God’s Word will prick hearts and move those who are studying with us to become our brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Glendale Street church of Christ, Newton, North Carolina (remote): Dayle Taylor (minister) reports, “We have two new prospects, one being the son of our two new converts. Lee and Mandi were accompanied by their daughter and son to worship. Their son has stated interest in returning. Compassion cards will be sent to him this week. Their daughter is a returning prospect. The previously scheduled study has been hindered; however, we were assured she is ready and should begin this week. The second prospect is the daughter of a restored sister in Christ. She returned this week with her mother for a second time. Prayers are requested that these souls will develop tender hearts to yield to the call of our Lord. Transition visits will be made this week, Lord willing, to two prospects that received compassion cards. Gift bags/baskets are being assembled for this purpose. Compassion cards were sent to four individuals. There were five visitors among us this week: two returning visitors, one visiting member, and two new visitors (mentioned as new prospects above).”
East Sparta church of Christ, Magnolia, Ohio (remote): Andrew Masterson (preacher) reports, “We started two Bible studies this week. We are working on adding a third. We have some upcoming community opportunities to invite visitors. Ten compassion cards went out this week. We are looking forward to our Continued Education Workshop in three weeks!”
New Concord church of Christ, Ohio: Terry Townsend (preacher) reports, “We welcome Missy to the family of God here at New Concord. Missy has been attending for over a year now, and today (Sunday), she made a decision to obey the Lord. Her brother baptized her. He and his wife (members of the New Concord congregation) have been studying with her. One of the elders preached during the AM hour and challenged the congregation to get more involved in the work. It was a very encouraging day, and one I believe will result in many more members plugging into the evangelism model. We had several visitors in the assembly today. Cards will be sent to them this week. Our two new converts (who obeyed last week) received their Bibles and baptismal certificates today. We are starting the New Converts’ class again, so we can encourage these babes in Christ, as well as several others, to get involved. I continue to study with a gentleman who has been faithfully attending services for a couple of months now. We hope to complete Book 3 of Back to the Biblethis week. We ask for prayers that this study results in conversion.”
Alkire Road church of Christ, Grove City, Ohio: Tony Dunnagan (member) reports, “We had 12 visitors this past week. We are reaching out to five souls who are currently on our prospect list. We are sending compassion cards to till the soil of the hearts, and we will visit soon. We have already had two baptisms this year!”
Coweta church of Christ, Oklahoma: Houston Shrum (preacher) reports, “Last week, Keno and I were able to sit down for dinner and Lesson 2 of Back to the Bible with Kylie and Tim. Tim was recently restored. Kylie is his wife. We are praying she will accept the Gospel this Thursday evening when we go through Lesson 3. We have not been able to schedule a Back to the Bible study with Evan after going through Believe the Bible but are praying we can do so soon.”
York church of Christ, Pennsylvania: Mark Rashke (deacon) reports, “We were delighted that the family who had visited in December, but had left early after Bible class, came back this week and stayed for the entirety of both Bible class and worship service. We were able to obtain their contact information and will be sending them cards. Fred will be starting a New Christian class in February, and that visiting family and many others have signed up to attend. We will be having our monthly Evangelism meeting next Sunday to review our congregational surveys and discuss upcoming visits.”
St. Andrews Road church of Christ, Columbia, South Carolina: Jamie Byron (preacher) reports, “Sunday evening we continued in the preaching timeline with this subject: Prospects/Compassions Cards. A coordinator has been appointed for the compassion card process, and the congregation will have four teams of card writers. We plan to have the teams set up in the next two weeks and then begin asking for names from our bookmarks to prospect. We had one person in our New Convert’s class who has been here every week since he was baptized in November.”
New Union church of Christ, Manchester, Tennessee: Paul Fultz (elder) reports, “We had nine visitors this past week. Our members turned in four contacts to begin prospecting. We filled out 27 compassion cards. Our transition team made five visits.”
Southern Hills church of Christ, Franklin, Tennessee: Fredrick Klein (preacher) reports, “On Sunday, we had 15 visitors. We still have five ongoing Bible studies. We are working on setting up the class for members interested in helping with the ongoing Bible studies. We have in our plan for 2026 to bring in a regional trainer to refresh our evangelism program. We have already sent out two cards for the year. We continue to maintain our accountability board. We appreciate all prayers for the success of the Bible studies and those to come.”
Fayetteville church of Christ, Tennessee: Steve Jefferson (elder) reports, “We are working through some needed changes to our program. As of yesterday morning, we sent out 20 cards to two contacts. We also have one prospect in a Bible study.”
White Bluff church of Christ, Tennessee: Shamron Jackson (elder) reports, “Twenty-six people stayed to sign cards Sunday evening. We are sending out 270 cards this week. We had seven visitors. We will be making transition visits this coming Sunday afternoon. We plan to visit about 30 people. Pray for soft hearts and open minds. We are doing visitor training this Wednesday night after service. We have a fairly large group looking forward to helping in this area.”
Freewill church of Christ, Gainesboro, Tennessee (remote): Andrew Scott (preacher) reports, “We had visitors Sunday. We will be sending out compassion cards to two new prospects this week. It was so encouraging to see three of our new converts lead in the worship service. We give God the glory.”
Cookeville church of Christ, Tennessee: Joshua Kennedy (preacher) reports, “We have six or seven prospects, and two more may be added soon. We are about to send out compassion cards this week! We ask for prayers as we seek to reach and teach the lost.”
West Sparta church of Christ, Tennessee: Justin Turney (deacon) reports, “Last night we preached the sermon on conducting visits and received great feedback. As of now, we have three Bible studies, and we have sent out approximately 35 cards for the month. No visits yet, but we are about to have those set up. We are looking forward to a great year.”
Arlington church of Christ, Tennessee: Brandon Tibbits (preacher) reports, “Our new convert has brought us so many people who are interested in Bible studies! After we baptized her brother, she brought us her ex-stepmother as well as her sister to a study. She has told us she is working on bringing more! It just keeps coming. We started two Bible studies last night, and we have another ongoing—and more coming!”
Chapel Hill church of Christ, Tennessee: Matt Jones (deacon) reports, “We had some good news this past week—a new sister in Christ was added. All glory to God!! This was a result of one of several different Bible studies that we have had ongoing. We still have several other studies in progress, and all have been very positive. We continue to pray that God will work on the hearts of those who are hearing the Gospel message.”
Mountain Creek church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tennessee: Michael Tomshack (elder) reports, “Gary Massey continues his study with a young adult man. There is a strong possibility that he will be baptized by the time this is published. On Sunday, we convened our quarterly congregational meeting, which was followed by a fellowship meal. During the meeting, the elders presented the results of our quarterly planning session, which took place on Saturday, January 3, 2026. In December, the elders received the 2026 budget request from our deacons and ministers. The initial planning meeting each year establishes our resolve for the next ten, three, and one years, incorporating the budget request and our evangelism efforts both locally and internationally. Our 2026 theme is ‘Called Upward.’ Internationally, we oversee the work in Uganda’s school of preaching in collaboration with Bear Valley. Gary Massey visits the school to teach a week of their curriculum. Locally, we have set a goal of 12 baptisms and restorations for 2026. As of now, we have achieved two baptisms. We reemphasized the Prospect Cards and the Contact Cards for our weekly team card writing. Additionally, we are developing a plan to reach young adults aged 20 to 40 who are non-Christians and those who profess Christianity in name only. We have plans for implementation in 2027. As we reflect on the spiritual growth of our congregation, we observe that many spend a significant amount of time in Bible classes and worship, continuously learning the Word of God. However, we must take the next steps beyond learning to training how to minister to the next generation, and, most importantly, engaging in the battle for Christ. We humbly request prayers as we train and engage in this mission to ‘make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect’ (1 Peter 3:15 ESV). The Young Adult class held its first brainstorming meeting, outlining areas of our non-Christians and those who are not fully taught from the Bible as well as friends’ worldviews that we need to be prepared to address. We also challenged the congregation to utilize the House to House monthly publication we distribute as a means to initiate in-depth discussions on pertinent topics.”
McEwen church of Christ, Tennessee: John Jones (preacher) reports, “Great news! We had a baptism last Tuesday. Then we have had a couple of visitors to worship services. We ask for prayers regarding the lineman school; we hope the school will allow me to speak to them and to invite their new class of students to study with us. So far, they have not returned my calls. We are hoping for a New Convert class soon! I will be heading out to New Zealand for a few weeks, so I will not be able to answer weekly texts.”
Soddy Daisy church of Christ, Tennessee: Joe Mallory (preacher) reports, “We have met visitors whom we pray will turn into Bible studies. We are planning times to meet and get to know them! Care Team 2 met yesterday to write numerous compassion cards, which are being sent out this week. We have added two to our compassion list within our congregation, whom we will encourage to come home. We appreciate all prayers for these efforts as we continue to strive to teach the lost and bring back the wayward!”
Collierville church of Christ, Tennessee: Justin Evergarden (evangelist) reports, “This week we are sending out 45 cards, and we had our first visitor from the new movers’ baskets. This thrills our hearts to see parents bring their child to visit us. More details to come.”
Hillcrest church of Christ, Springfield, Tennessee: Tim Taylor (evangelist) reports, “Compassion Card Group 1 sent out 28 cards Wednesday. We continue to be blessed with numerous visitors every Sunday. Josh, one of our new convert class members, has been joining us for weekly visitations of our widows and shut-ins.”
Birdwell Chapel church of Christ, Cottontown, Tennessee: Kerry England (elder) reports, “We had four visitors for morning worship. The youth group will be helping us assemble food boxes to be distributed on Saturday, January 31. Social media is being utilized to advertise this event. We are organizing an effort for Sunday afternoon, January 24, to visit people who attended our Pancake with Santa event and other recent visitors. Compassion cards were mailed Sunday evening to five individuals.”
Rivergate church of Christ, Madison, Tennessee: Doug Tooley (preacher) reports, “We had two visitors on Wednesday night. We had six on Sunday morning and one on Sunday night. Two visits were made last week.”
Wheeler church of Christ, Texas: Garrett English (preacher) reports, “We are hosting a Widowhood Workshop with Dean Miller in two weeks, and we have been personally inviting and sending cards to all the widows and those facing losses over the last year to it. We believe this will bring in a few new contacts and provide the ability to transition to studies for those who have been prospected. I personally spoke with the Methodist preacher and invited him and his church to the workshop. I aim to study with him Book 1 of Back to the Bibleas soon as he is able.”
Howe church of Christ, Texas: Aaron Alsbrook (preacher) reports, “It is so encouraging to hear all of the great news of congregations around this nation being edified by the HTHSOE model, as well as the seven congregations enrolling. The Howe congregation has set lofty goals in front of us for 2026 as well. Our elders and deacons have been planning our upcoming fiscal year and placing realistic goals for the congregation. Those goals are naturally evangelistic and focus on growing the Lord’s church by running everything we do through the Biblical model of evangelism. We continue to write cards to our contacts and visit them with the intent of moving them into prospects and Bible studies. We have so many of our members that serve and love people by treating them as our Lord treats us.”
Eisenhower church of Christ, Odessa, Texas: Allen Weakland (elder) reports, “We are excited to inform you that we have had a number of visitors over the past two weeks. They are not only attending services on Sunday; they have also become involved in our midweek service. We request prayers that these young ladies progress from contacts to prospects. On another note, we conducted a card-signing on Sunday and sent out a number of cards to visitors, those who have sought to be placed on our sick list, and those who need to be restored. Finally, Hannah Bruton obeyed the Gospel Sunday night. She has been attending worship services for some time now, and sister Nancy Easlon, Beth Ann Easlon, and Christy Weakland have been instrumental in helping her make the great decision to put her Lord on in baptism. Hannah will join our New Convert’s class. We appreciate prayers for these young Christians who are growing in faith.”
Colleyville church of Christ, Texas: John Garza (regional trainer) reports, “We gained three additional Bible studies as well as additional sources to prospect. We are attempting to set up Bible studies with 13 young men and women at this time. In addition to that, about half of them will be playing pickleball with our young adult group on Saturday evening! The addition of Aaron Lloyd has proven to be a great blessing and addition to the work at Colleyville!”
Roanoke church of Christ, Texas: Caleb Rutherford (preacher) reports, “I am happy to report a baptism. Sarah, a daughter of one of our deacons was baptized Sunday night. We rejoice with her and her family. Our congregation had a breakfast and communication meeting on Saturday morning. AMC was discussed, and several opportunities were presented to the members. We are trying to be as prepared as possible leading up to this exciting event.”
Northern Oaks church of Christ, San Antonio, Texas: Mel Hutzler (elder) reports, “We have set up the following schedule for members to assist us with daily opportunities to seek the lost. Monday: Follow-Up Work. We will begin at 12:00 noon. Tuesday: Door-Knocking. We will begin at 12:00 noon. Wednesday: Visit Local Businesses. We will begin at 2:00 PM. Thursday: New Movers. We will begin at 12:00 noon. In addition to these, we continue to work on the model. We have several Bible studies ongoing and new convert studies as well. Our elders continue to find people who agree to studies, and our evangelists follow their lead.”
Seagoville church of Christ, Texas: Kodie Martin (evangelist) reports, “Marco preached through and finished Book 1 of Back to the Bible. He will begin Book 2 soon. The reception of both member and visitor, as well as participation, has been very positive, and we hope to use that as a starting point for outreach once we finish. We have exceeded expectations for visitors, averaging 7-10 per week (including recurring visitors). Several are prospects, one such is Emily, who will be having dinner and hopefully a study with one of the elders and his wife this evening. Another prospect (a young couple) will be meeting with a deacon and his wife. Lastly, our card-writing ministry started up again, writing 32 cards to four of our 10 prospects. We will be meeting this Wednesday again before services.”
Bridge Avenue church of Christ, Weslaco, Texas: Braulio Carvajal III (preacher) reports, “Five visitors and four prospects attended services on Wednesday and Sunday. We continue our new discipleship classes on Wednesday morning, with five in attendance, and we had seven in our Sunday morning class. In addition, we have three ongoing Bible studies. We continue to be blessed by God.”
North Jefferson church of Christ, Mt. Pleasant, Texas: Davin Whatley (evangelist) reports, “This past week, three visits were made with one resulting in a Bible study! On Friday, two members and I dropped off toys and furniture to the Williamson family, a family of five who recently lost their home to a fire. We talked with them and their children for about 45 minutes at their home. They said they really enjoyed their previous visits and the teaching at North Jefferson, and they were interested in learning more. We will be beginning Book 1 with them on Tuesday night. We are very thankful for this blessed start to 2026! Team 1 also met on Sunday and wrote compassion cards.”
Bridgewater church of Christ, Katy, Texas: Doug Suggs (deacon) reports, “Bernadette will have her second study with Wade and me on Thursday. One of our card teams met to address about 30 cards to our visitors and others needing prayer and encouragement. Some of our new converts have begun to take part in these groups.”
Williamsburg church of Christ, Virginia: Jim Bishop (elder) reports, “We are working to rejuvenate several important positions within the HTHSOE process. Several who obeyed the Gospel last year will be participating. Our compassion card team will have a new coordinator and a young couple to manage the Evangelism table. New energy will help us increase our ability to work with our contacts. We are following up with a contact who was part of a ladies’ Bible study, and we have one other potential Bible study. May God be with all those who are spreading the Gospel.”
West Side church of Christ, Salem, Virginia: Jeff Durham (elder) reports, “We introduced ‘Rooted in the Spirit’ as our theme, using Galatians 5:22-23 as the core scripture. This passage gives us foundational spiritual characteristics we should have and develop as we transform our lives from the works of the flesh that dominate worldly thinking and actions. Our Small Groups studies focused on how we can use this ‘fruit’ in our Congregational Evangelism efforts, motivating us to teach others and be examples in the community, both individually and collectively. Doing so will demonstrate how God’s word and His people can provide the hope and peace we all seek.”
Lupelele church of Christ, American Samoa: Scott Broughton (missionary): “On December 28, we started our House to House Heart to Heart School of Evangelism training sessions. This was conducted by the South Pacific Regional Trainer, Lima Esene, from the Honolulu congregation. Attendance was good each night. One thing Lima repeatedly stressed was, ‘You must eat with them. People bond over food.’ I had been asking a guy for a study for several weeks. On Friday morning, January 2, we went to breakfast. On the next Tuesday, January 6, we will have our first study, using the Back to the Bible study guides. We met again on Saturday, and we will have our second study on Tuesday, January 13. A family had been visiting us for a few weeks. On Sunday, January 11, we took them to lunch.”
Bossier City, Northwest, Louisiana: “Our group began meeting in the summer of last year. We meet on one Friday a month to continue the remote training. We began with 3 couples from the congregation gathering with the young adults of our area, which consists of several congregations in Northwest Louisiana. The number of participants has nearly doubled to almost 40 in January 2026. In the January meeting, we practiced Book 1 of BTTB. Nick Randall is a friend of Ryan Watson, one of our members. Nick has been attending the meetings and worship services since we enrolled in the school. He made the wonderful decision to obey the Gospel last Friday night after our meeting! We will continue working on contacts, prospects, and Bible studies while continuing the monthly training. We are hoping at my home congregation to enroll in the congregational plan within the year.
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