Success Stories: May 3, 2023

According to Alex Simmons, at about ten o’clock last night, Jesus and Alberto obeyed the gospel of Christ. Our study began at six, and we began to work through the final study of Back to the Bible. They asked a lot of questions, but by the time we finished the book and studied some further verses, they both understood the urgency and essential nature of baptism. Although these young men are students at Texas State, they are planning to drive Southwest to worship with the brethren here.

Bryce Mayfield adds, “The Word of God is truly a powerful thing. This has been true, it is true now, and it will always be true. Last night was another example of this truth. The purpose of evangelism is to bring souls to God, but I firmly believe it is also for the encouragement of Christians. This study was not easy, but I am so thankful the Word provides the answers to doubts, excuses, and sin. These men were relieved, and their faces and attitudes expressed a joy only found in Christ. Brethren, may we continue to keep the fire burning in our hearts for the lost souls that we know.”

Bryce reported that Alex reached out to a friend from school, and that made it possible to reach him and his roommate to the Word of God. All it takes is for each one of us to reach out to our friends and family, and the blessings of teaching the gospel of Christ will follow.

We were studying the final book of Back to the Bible with a couple, and we had to talk to them about the sin of fornication because they are living together unwed. Many tears were shed. They did not react defensively; they stated that it makes sense that they would need to make this change before baptism, so they plan to elope very soon. Lord willing, with more study this week, they will be baptized with full understanding. Please pray for this couple with the brethren at Southwest.

Congregational Reports

Glencoe church of Christ, Alabama: David Marker (elder) reports, “We introduced invitation cards Sunday. Rob Whitacre did a good job explaining how to use them effectively. After his explanation, we passed out the cards to the members so they can begin using them in everyday activities. We are beginning to experience some challenges in getting contacts. We feel like this program will enhance those efforts. We also met for Transition Thursday and made assignments. We will follow up with the positive results.  Evangelism is challenging; it is like running a marathon. Seeing everyone working together is encouraging. We will continue to pray that God will bless our efforts!”

Hatton church of Christ, Alabama: Chris Miller (preacher) reports, “Visits, cards sent, and good works continue to abound this week. One of the more exciting things has been a local congregation requesting a representative to share what we are doing. It is exciting to be part of the process when local churches also learning and sharing our interest. To God be the glory.”

Central church of Christ, Monroeville, Alabama (digital): Andrew Wynn (preacher) reports, “Our new converts class is going well. We are studying Back to the Bible with a couple. They have not obeyed the gospel yet, but we are hoping and praying they will obey soon.”

Highway church of Christ, Benton, Arkansas: Steven Ford (preacher) reports, “By God’s grace we relay the good news of two souls added to Christ. Eli Blackmer was baptized on April 26, and Savannah Ford obeyed on April 27. I am especially joyful over my sweet Savannah. I am one proud papa.”

Lake City church of Christ, Florida: Jim Flegert (elder) reports, “We rejoice with the baptism of a good friend to our congregation last Saturday. Four years ago, her husband was baptized, but Sally remained determined to stick to her agnostic views. Through the efforts of several of our members over the past few years and a final push by our preacher T.J., we rejoice in her decision to become a member of God’s kingdom. This brings our total of baptisms to five for the year. Meanwhile our contact list has grown to 15, and we are a few weeks away from our first Mission Monday. We also received our second sermon covering BTTB study lesson number two.”

Monroe church of Christ, Georgia: Charles Harris (regional instructor) reports, “This afternoon my wife and I will begin studying BTTB 1 with Yvette and Brianna. They visited us for Easter. We have been card bombing them. Yesterday, they visited again and stayed for a meal. Then it was easy to schedule a Bible study. Later this week, my wife and I hope we will be studying BTTB 3 with Carolyn and Rhonda. We have met them through our Bible correspondence program.”

Beattie Road church of Christ, Albany, Georgia: Brian Howard (preacher) reports, “We had been studying with Joan Kosola, and she was baptized on Tuesday after completing the third BTTB book. Last Saturday we had a senior lunch, and Callie Rabun visited. One of our members asked if she would like to study and she said, “Yes, I have been hungry for Bible study.” We studied on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and she obeyed the gospel. Praise the Lord! It was a great week. The Lord can accomplish great things when we get to work!”

Carrollton church of Christ, Georgia: Dave Leonard (preacher) reports, “We completed the first lesson of BTTB Sunday. Every Sunday, we pray for our prospects, and continue with compassion cards. We have reached the point of planning visits to those who have been receiving cards. We are ready to start Monday meetings to this end. Enthusiasm is high and more are involved in different ways than before.”

LaFayette church of Christ, Georgia: Jessie Teague (deacon) reports, “Group 1 will meet Sunday to send compassion cards. As a follow up to last week, we sent Francis’ brother’s name to the Jasper church of Christ, and they added his name to their card list. He is mostly non-religious, but he was thankful for all the cards and prayers Lafayette sent to him after his surgery. Last week the elders put all names that have received compassion cards on the table in the foyer and asked the congregation to pick them up and make visits. All the names were picked up.”

Woodstock church of Christ, Georgia: Greg Garner (deacon) reports, “We collected a contact card to prospect this week. The compassion group sent out 25 cards. The visitation group visited and delivered six HTTH booklets. The Youth Prison Ministry had 12 boys in the class attendance and Bible study. We have four Bible studies in progress.”

Honolulu church of Christ, Hawaii: Tagiilima Esene (regional instructor) reports, “We are training members to become soul winners. Jedidiah Phillips took what he learned as a member of the Honolulu congregation and transferred his membership to Wahiawa. This provided him a congregation closer to the military base where he serves. He recently taught the gospel to one of his friends from work and baptized him into Christ. We are thankful to see the training extend to sister congregations. Jedidiah’s willingness to relocate to become a more effective soul winner teaches a lesson on priorities.”

Jerseyville church of Christ, Illinois (digital): Jake Medford (preacher) reports, “We have our card program running. We created three groups, which works better for us. We finished Lesson 2 of Back to the Bible instruction as a congregation. We are working with those in current studies. We are finishing the third lesson this coming Sunday.”

Beloit church of Christ, Kansas (digital): Dustin Doughtery (regional instructor) reports, “Yesterday was a rewarding day. I traveled south to the McPherson church of Christ and taught an overview evangelism class. Then I gave a lesson about arguments people use against baptism, specifically the thief on the cross. I appreciated the good feedback for both the class and the sermon. Yesterday’s mission was meant to gauge interest and prime the pump for a full seminar in the near future.  We will be getting together on a date to make that happen. To God be all glory and praise.”

Paintsville church of Christ, Kentucky: Zach Collins (preacher) reports, “In the last two weeks, we have had 38 responses to the invitation: 15 baptisms and 23 restorations. For many months, our congregation has labored in the fields but did not see the results we had hoped, but we remained patient. We kept sowing, prospecting, studying, and praying. During the last two weeks, God has given the increase to the seed that was sown. The congregation at Paintsville is on fire! We expect, in the near future, many more responses to the invitation since we still have many visitors who have not yet made the choice to obey the gospel. Over the course of a few days, our new converts class increased from two to 16. We appreciate prayers for the work at Paintsville as God continues to give the increase to our labor!”

Coldwater church of Christ, Murray, Kentucky: Luke Puckett (preacher) reports, “We are continuing to work the program and keep up with the online information. We are still trying to develop contacts and encourage Bible studies. We are praying much good will come from our efforts.”

Blanchard church of Christ, Louisiana: Pat Cella (elder) reports, “Our leadership team has been meeting.  We have framed our poster and ordered our table cover. Sean has been bringing the lessons suggested during the seminar, and they have been encouraging. Sunday afternoon, Sean did the introduction, using the slides provided, and we handed out the contact cards. We happened to have the largest crowd that we have had in some time, which was 46. This was encouraging. I mentioned in an earlier report that I had a long talk with a lady who called the building office, which rings on my cell phone. She assured me she would come to church on Sunday, but she did not.  During our conversation, she had mentioned that she loved playing corn hole, so I called her and told her that we missed her at services, but I wanted to tell her that we just happened to be having a get together on May 13 to grill and play corn hole (though no one at our congregation has ever played). We will see how that goes. She said she did not come to our service because we do not have music. I did not debate with her; I just suggested that she might enjoy the service if she would visit.

LaPlata church of Christ, Maryland (digital): Eric Sykes (regional instructor) reports, “Currently we have one open Bible study. My son and daughter-in-law just completed Lesson 2 of Back to the Bible with a young couple; we are getting ready to start lesson three. One of our elders is about to start Lesson 3 of Back to the Bible with his future son-in-law. We have two sisters who befriended and had several visits with Gail Malnati (a result of our compassion card ministry). Gail has been attending worship every week for over a month. I hope these ladies will be able to schedule a Bible study. We are training our congregation how to greet guests tomorrow. Next week we will start compassion card training. Everyone is so excited! To God be the glory!”

Samford church of Christ, Steele, Missouri: Kyle Imel (deacon) reports, “We started a study last Thursday with a couple. We will study the second book Thursday.  We will start a new study on Wednesday with a lady who visited recently. She showed the cards the church had sent to her and said, ‘Look at all these cards!’ Cards definitely made an impact on her, making her more open to a study. More prospecting will be done in the coming weeks from cards that we have sent.”

West Hwy 160 church of Christ, West Plains, Missouri (digital): Marvin Hatley (elder) reports, “We thank God for the blessings of this past week! Two souls were baptized into Christ, and an erring member expressed his desire to be restored. Ron, the brother of a member, agreed to a personal Bible study. He was honest and sincere as the study progressed. Ron recognized the truth and expressed his desire to be baptized after Book 3. The other new member, Kinley, was baptized into Christ on Saturday. She is the daughter of a family that is active in personal evangelism. We are so blessed to be a part of a congregation that has determined to put personal evangelism as its main priority.”

Fordland church of Christ, Missouri: Josh Romo (preacher) reports, “I began preaching through Book 3 of Back to the Bible. We had our first Seeking Sunday yesterday. We have had four visitors as a result of sending cards over the last two weeks!”

East Flushing church of Christ, New York (digital): Clarence Jenkins (preacher) reports, “We continue to pray for our contacts after worship service. We watched the Congregational Evangelism YouTube video again to remind us that evangelism is a congregational effort. There are several ongoing Bible studies. We appreciate all prayers.”

Carthage church of Christ, North Carolina (digital): Randy Chambers (preacher) reports, “We continue to invite contacts to visit and enjoy food and fellowship. We are reorganizing our HTH/HTH New Movers program to enhance our opportunity to establish contacts. Two Bible classes was taught last week using the BTTB series, and there are three scheduled this week. We thank God for the open doors to teach the gospel, and we pray for open and receptive minds during these studies. We are thankful to all that are doing the Lord’s work throughout the nation!”

Coweta church of Christ, Oklahoma: Keno Shrum (elder) reports, “Last week the 36-year-old brother of a member had a medical episode and died, but he was revived by paramedics. He was rushed to the hospital and made a full recovery. His sister has attempted Bible studies with him in the past, but he has not been receptive. Often, we have discussed the concept of watching for life-changing events that might lead to opportunities for evangelism. So yesterday, the congregation filled out compassion cards for this man, and we are going to mail them out this week. We hope that he will be open to a study.”

York church of Christ, Pennsylvania: Mark Raschke (deacon) reports, “Fred preached a sermon about finding contacts and prospects through secular jobs that he and Pam have had. It was encouraging to the rest of us who hope to do the same in our workplaces. On Wednesday nights, we are finishing a series on Believe the Bible. Members sent cards to members who have not attended in some time. Carol made some flyers to advertise our next fellowship meal, and we sent to some of our prospects.”

Madison County church of Christ, Jackson, Tennessee: Steven Sprouse (preacher) reports, “We had another visitor because of compassion cards. We currently have two Bible studies that are ongoing. The congregation is excited and loves to see our hard work making an impact.”

Rogersville church of Christ, Tennessee: Ethan Tate (preacher) reports, “These past few weeks have had some positive and hopeful beginnings to new works. We began a new evangelism class to train members who are new to the School of Evangelism process. We ask for prayers that within the ten weeks of study, we will have souls saved. We had an inquiry from a person in the community. We hope that it will turn into a positive opportunity. While we continue to labor with these opportunities, we will finalize plans to invite the community to our summer events.”

New Hope church of Christ, Middleton, Tennessee: Cole Wade (preacher) reports, “Our church is receiving so many opportunities for growth! We had a family and friends’ day yesterday with a total of 121 people present. We ate together and saw a lot of familiar faces. There were many we have not seen in a while, and we were able to be a positive influence on them. I am sending pictures.”

McKenzie church of Christ, Tennessee: Chance Steen (preacher) reports, “Group A begins this week with a new round of contacts for our card program. We have been visiting people from the last round of contacts, and they are all saying, ‘Thank you for all the cards!’ Our visitors are being added to the lists as well as receiving the visitor bags.”

White Oak church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tennessee (digital): Austin Fowler (regional instructor) reports, “I was gone yesterday to preach at a Friends and Family Day. Ron Payne’s study on Saturday was postponed, but the lady was apologetic and agreed to reschedule. She came Sunday and apologized again, but she had to work a lot this week. She is a great prospect, and I believe she truly wants to study the Bible. Ron plans to contact her later this week to set up the appointment.”

East Main church of Christ, Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Brad Rowley (elder) reports, “We rejoice in the baptism of Matt Carlson (pictured). Matt is a college student at the 214 House. He studied Back to the Bible with Brad and Gail Rowley and his girlfriend Madison Stephens. Matt had questions and needed some time. Seth Ferguson, our college minister, later worked with Matt and answered more questions. After more study, another student, Samuel Boggess, baptized Matt. There is no doubt the members of East Main and the 214 House played an important role in Matt’s obedience. Many prayed for Matt. We are thankful for the opportunity to evangelize MTSU. Seth does a great job. If you know of any seniors who plan to attend MTSU, please let them know about the 214 House Ministry at East Main. We had four Bible studies last week. Seth Ferguson will start a new Bible study this week. We met with another new member, Shelby Caldwell, on Sunday. Shelby was baptized in March and has decided to move to Murfreesboro and attend East Main. To God be the glory!”

Covington church of Christ, Tennessee: Wayne Dalrymple (elder) reports, “This week was slower as far as delivering supplies to tornado victims, but we still were helping people clean up in their yards. We also have decided to use some of the funds that have been donated to help some with insurance deductibles/down payments on rebuilding costs. We are making an impact in our community. We received several thank you cards from people we have helped. Most of them are not Christians. We will be following up on these contacts. We had several visitors again this Sunday. The Foster family visited again. Don, the father, is interested in a Bible study. Lisa, the mother, seems to be more hesitant. Hopefully, once we get going with Don, Lisa will follow suit. We also had Brenda visit with her grandchildren the past couple of weeks. They stayed after services Sunday to eat with our group that stays for lunch. One of our former elders, Frank Brown, talked with her, and I think he is close to a Bible study with her. On Monday, we continued our efforts to reach out to some of our members who have not been attending recently. We are committed to reaching the lost, both non-Christian and erring Christian alike.”

New Union church of Christ, Manchester, Tennessee: Paul Fulks (elder) reports, “This week we had five contact cards submitted. Card Team 5 completed 35 compassion cards. Last week, six members made seven follow-up visits and contacts. We had two families visit on Sunday that we have prospected. We had Bible studies on Back to the Bible, Lesson 1, with four individuals.”

West End church of Christ, Knoxville, Tennessee: Adam Wilson (member) reports, “Two more contacts were received last week for a total of 38 for the year. The congregation is adding two routes of HTH. One route will focus on the apartments next door to West End. We already received a fair bit of traffic from people who walk over, but we believe this will increase visitors. The second route is a nearby neighborhood that AMC door knocked last July. We plan to door knock there twice over the next few months as a follow up to the mailers. Please pray that we find all of those who are searching!”

Bargerton church of Christ, Lexington, Tennessee (digital): Robert Pruett (member) reports, “Our preacher gave a lesson on Jesus, the Politically Incorrect Evangelist. Everyone was given contact cards to fill out. We will be praying for and reaching out to these contacts. Our visitor bags are ready and the new mover bags will be completed soon. Our card ministry will be meeting Monday night to send cards out to the sick and those that have lost loved ones.”

Dellrose church of Christ, Tennessee: Mike Hovis (member) reports, “Jerry finished the four-lesson series he has preached each Lord’s Day since the workshop. Wes spoke to the congregation about contacts and asked if anyone had a contact who has experienced a life event. He then asked the congregation to pray for their contacts while we had 60 seconds of silence. He announced that the coordinators and area spreadsheet is on the bulletin board. He asked the congregation to sign up for specific functions. We currently have three prospects.”

Bridgewater church of Christ, Katy, Texas:  Bob Lanham (elder) reports, “Praise God! We had our first baptism on Saturday! The young man is named Michael Lopez. He has been visiting a few weeks and lives nearby. He attended the evangelism seminar last week.”

Highway 95 church of Christ, Taylor, Texas: Benjamin Dossey (preacher) reports, “We continue to plan for our upcoming VBS and work the evangelism model. We had a great start in our Bible study this past Wednesday, and we plan to continue the study this coming Wednesday evening.”

Midtown church of Christ, Victoria, Texas: James Cammock (deacon) reports, “We are happy to report a baptism that has been over ten years in the making! Dan and June have been part of the Midtown congregation for over a decade, but June had never obeyed the gospel. One of our ladies asked June if she would like to get together for a cup of coffee and a Bible study. During their first study, our church member spent time asking June where she was spiritually and assessed where to begin. The next time they met, they began going through Believe the Bible. After the third lesson, June knew that she needed to be baptized, but she was still processing everything. She was baptized early Friday morning, April 28! This was a great lesson in lovingly pursuing those who are in our pews but are not yet Christians.”

Graceton church of Christ, Gilmer, Texas: Johnny Willeford (elder) reports, “Three couples have agreed to serve as team leaders for the card writing groups. Families have been assigned to a group and have received a list of members in each group. Scott preached the second lesson from John 4 on Sunday morning and presented a lesson on the evangelism model on Sunday evening. This was a good review for the ones that attended the training and an introduction to the ones hearing it for the first time. We have purchased a cabinet for the compassion cards storage and visitors’ bags. The congregation was asked to pray for their contacts on their bookmarks. We are planning a celebration for our high school graduates next Sunday. We continue to pray for all of our brothers and sisters in Christ and their congregations, especially those who are struggling.”

Chesapeake church of Christ, Virginia: Herman Wine (elder) reports, “Cheryl came to the congregation by a recommendation from Dante. He called us and asked to greet her and sit with her during worship. We invited her to dinner and a Bible study. We conducted Lesson 1 of Back to the Bible the first week. We had dinner and conducted Lesson 2 the following Monday. We met with her at the building before Bible class Wednesday to conduct Lesson 3.  She was baptized at the beginning of Bible class. We are doing weekly follow up classes using the Jule Miller series as part of her grounding process.”

NOTE: These reports are from Christians and congregations enrolled in the House to House/Heart to Heart School of Evangelism. These emails are sent to teach and provoke one another to remain focused on the mission of Christ. Each week, we share several reports and highlight one with more details. We hope you enjoy reading them.