Success Stories: November 16, 2022

Editor’s note: Not counting the 12 baptisms when Lima was in Israel, the Honolulu congregation has now reached 23 for the year. This is extraordinary and worthy to feature them yet again.  Their efforts now have led to the baptisms of Lima’s mom. Praise be to God! This congregation is an example to all in America and around the world.

In connection to our last report from the Bible lands, our congregation is currently putting together 12 packets to mail to the twelve souls that were baptized in the Jordan River after I shared the gospel and the purpose for baptism in a few words. Could it be that some were baptized for the remission of sins that day? Yes, there were. Could some have just done it for the Jordan River experience? Very possible. The main thing is, we have used that opportunity to gain contacts, and now we plan to follow up. Kelly Cooper is one of the women baptized that day. Please pray that our efforts to follow up will be successful.

The highlight this past week was that my mother was baptized into Christ. There comes a point, especially with our own family members, that we need to count on the church to encourage and to teach our family the gospel. I have tried in the past with my mother, only to realize that I would not be the one to teach her. I am not saying it is impossible to teach your family the gospel; I am saying that sometimes it is better for family members to hear the gospel from others.

In past years, when my mother would visit us, we would encourage her but not push the envelope. This year when she arrived in June, I decided that I would just preach the Word, live by example with my family, and count on my sisters (older ladies) in Christ to encourage my mom. After months of attending our worship services, hearing the gospel message, seeing others baptized, covering the Back to the Bible booklets with the congregation, sitting through our Ladies’ Bible class every other Thursday, and hearing the ladies encouraging her, my mom finally made the most important decision in life. She has the most influence in my family, and I pray God will use her to lead my other siblings to the Lord. There are still ongoing Bible studies by some of our members, and I am continuing with two more studies.

North Bradley church of Christ: We welcome the North Bradly church of Christ to the House to House/Heart to Heart School of Evangelism. The demographics of this congregation are promising, with four solid elders and a dedicated young preacher. They are full of zeal for soul winning. We look forward to hearing great things about their work.Old Jefferson church of Christ, Smyrna, Tennessee: We welcome the Old Jefferson church of Christ to the House to House/Heart to Heart School of Evangelism. The congregation is small and realizes that they must focus on evangelism to survive. Bob Horn (preacher) reports, “The first Sunday has many excited and others asking questions about what we are going to do. Members are planning to create a space for cards and welcome bags/baskets. Posters have been framed and are now hanging on both walls of the auditorium to remind members of our work. One lady went home and was excited about bringing information for possible contacts.”

LaPlata church of Christ, Maryland: Eric Sykes (HTHSOE graduate) reports, “Destiny studied with Evelyn Redic. Sister Redic was once my silent partner; we frequently studied and practiced conducting personal Bible studies together using Back to the Bible. This is sister Redic’s first time to study solo using Back to the Bible, and she did an amazing job. Congratulations and God bless this sister. Keep up the good work. To God be the Glory!

“Will Brown called me yesterday. He said he saw that I had graduated from the advanced level from the School of Evangelism. He asked me to listen and make comments on his presentation. He also asked me to answer questions about the program from members of his mom’s congregation, so we had a Zoom meeting. I answered their questions and gave them a few personal experiences on how I dealt with various situations. I emphasized the importance of deferring rather than debating, building a level of rapport, and having a caring attitude.  I remembered the concept: People do not care how much you care until they know you care. I answered a couple questions from the elders, and one sister asked me if I could visit and teach at their congregation. It was an awesome meeting.”

Mid-Town church of Christ, Victoria, Texas: James Cammock (deacon) reports, “We assigned coordinators for the first three areas of work: Overall Coordinator, Contact-Prospect list, and Point of Contact. On Sunday, I did an overview of the evangelism model with the brethren, reminding the congregation of the six points of success. We wanted to remind everyone of how the model works as a whole, and we emphasized the important role that each individual plays in the bigger picture. Our preacher, Brandon Starling, preached a sermon to complement the bookmarks. I explained the purpose of the bookmarks, and we handed them out to begin our first week of gathering bookmark contacts. The congregation is excited that we are beginning to implement the evangelism model!”

Fruitvale church of Christ, Texas: Carl McCann (elder/preacher) reports, “Excitement continues to grow. The completion of our evangelism table provided further exchange of ideas as to how we can help fulfill the Great Commission. Five studies have begun. We are thankful for this awakening and for the tools necessary for soul saving. All glory goes to our great God.”

Highway 95 church of Christ, Taylor, Texas: Benjamin Dossey (preacher) reports, “We have made great efforts in getting organized. We now have all coordinators in place, and last night we walked through the evangelism model presentation to make the methodology clear for everyone. We introduced contact cards yesterday and had a few personal contacts who will be transitioning to our congregational contact list.”

Central church of Christ, Martinsburg, West Virginia: Robert Veil (preacher) reports, “We officially announced the Evangelism Table today. It works out best for us to have this in a designated counter area in a prominent place in the foyer. It is not really a table, so we call it the Personal Evangelism Resource Center (PERC). We have already stocked this area with materials and will send an updated picture next week.”

Edgewood church of Christ, Maryland (digital): John Wilkie (preacher) reports, “Yesterday was our first Sunday going over BTTB. It was also an opportunity to resume our Bible class since Covid. Mitchell Bennett led class, and we had a good turnout with 28 attending. This being the first time, we did not cover as much material as I wanted. I did get posters. We now have a Latino demographic attending services, which increased from one to five. Brother Mendoza could possibly bring 20-25 Latino members to Edgewood, and we hope there is a Spanish version of BTTB. We may be on our way to being bilingual congregation. Next Sunday we start adding addresses to names on cards.”

East Flushing church of Christ, Flushing, New York (digital): Clarence Jenkins (preacher) reports, “We are praying consistently after worship for contacts on our bookmarks. There are several ongoing Back to the Bible studies, and a Does It Matter study began this week. For one study, the prospect is M.I.A. Please pray that we can resume this study. Please pray for the faithfulness of a new convert who was recently baptized. We were overjoyed to have more members worshipping with us physically at the building.”

Bona church of Christ, Missouri: Cory Orr (preacher) reports, “We finished book one of Back to the Bible and look forward to beginning book two next week. There are people from the community who continue to come to services each week and are thankful we only use the Bible. Please continue to pray for the congregation as we strive to evangelize.”

West End church of Christ, Knoxville church of Christ: Adam Wilson (member) reports, “All glory to God! I believe He is using AMC to encourage the saints and to carry out His will. The training you shared with West End has had an eternal impact on the Newport family in the last week. We reported how Jed Newport baptized his brother-in-law Tyler Keathley last Sunday. On Wednesday, Jed baptized his girlfriend, Katie Filipkowski, after she studied the BTTB series with one of our young professionals, Kristen Ward. It is particularly exciting to see our younger generation gaining confidence and experience then teaching the gospel; I can hardly wait to see the impact they have on Knoxville and the Kingdom for decades to come!”

Hatton church of Christ, Alabama: Chris Miller (preacher) reports, “We currently have 16 on our contact list with great support from our groups sending cards. This is our second group of contacts. We are currently making visits to the first group who have received cards.  I finished preaching through Back to the Bible last Sunday. So far, we have had two baptisms, and we are hopeful for more conversions in the near future.”

Aberdeen church of Christ, Maryland: Will Brown (preacher) reports, “Today we conducted online Back to the Bible training with 19 members. It was encouraging to see so many interested. We received a voicemail from one who expressed appreciation for 20 cards from the church. This person plans to attend. We are still working on our large contact list and following the process. We will distribute Thanksgiving baskets this week to the food-insecure in our community, and we will ask for Bible studies with the families. Pray for our efforts.”

North Meadville church of Christ, Pennsylvania: Bryon Shultz (preacher) reports, “We continue to send cards and deliver new movers’ baskets. It seems like the adversary is working overtime to destroy what we are doing because now we have many who are sick and some who are struggling with emotional issues. The LGBTQ movement is affecting our young people, and other issues as well. We need prayers for strength. I saved the best for last, however. We have a new brother in Christ named Robert Snyder. He obeyed the gospel on Wednesday before our first principles class after going through the Back to the Bible study!”

New Union church of Christ, Manchester, Tennessee: Paul Fultz (elder) reports, “We continue to review the bookmarks each Sunday. We pray for the individual prospects and those on our compassion card list. Members continue to do a great job of submitting contact cards. Our women formed a team and purchased materials for new mover baskets. Members volunteered to deliver seven baskets to new movers in our community. The HTH new mover program works well by providing us the names and addresses of new mowers. Card Team 2 met Sunday. Seventy-nine cards were written to be sent this week.”

Karns church of Christ, Knoxville, Tennessee: Terry Clark (elder) reports, “We are wrapping up our fall quarter utilizing the BTTB booklets as the curriculum for the middle and high school, college age, young adult, and adult Sunday classes. We are making follow-up visits to those who have received compassion cards. There are approximately 100 visits that need to be made to compassion card recipients. This month, HTH will be mailed to our community. The publication is tailored to include an article submitted by our minister, Steve Higginbotham, as well as other pertinent information about the Karns church. We have requested surplus copies to be placed on our evangelism table for use by our members to talk with friends and neighbors and to be included in newcomers’ baskets. We will follow up in a month or so with all HTH magazine recipients, starting a conversation by asking about their reaction to the publication.”

Covington church of Christ, Tennessee: Wayne Dalrymple (elder) reports, “Our youth minister, Jeff Phillips, has been studying with Tori, a school resource officer where he goes in the mornings to greet the children as they arrive. They finished book three of Back to the Bible last Thursday. She is close to salvation. Please pray her heart is soft and open. Dustin and I finished book two Sunday. He accepted everything about the church wholeheartedly, but I am a little concerned with how he will deal with baptism. Please pray for his heart as well. The last two weeks, we have had a visitor who was a hospice caregiver for a member who recently passed away. We have studied with her, but she has not made the decision to obey yet. Pray that we can reach her as well. On Monday, we met to write compassion cards to several people. May God bless our efforts.”

Greenfield church of Christ, Tennessee: Clint Monroe (elder) reports, “We are starting our second month of sending compassion cards. In November, we are focusing on members who have fallen away. The elders and group leaders continue to fine-tune our compassion card process. Next Sunday, a Friendsgiving is planned for our young people to bring a friend to church and enjoy a meal. Our prayers are focused on gaining several contacts from this effort. We continue to work on the New Movers basket delivery process, hoping to develop prospects.”

Fayette church of Christ, Alabama: Kaleb Hall (preacher) reports, “We are preparing for a holiday food drive that we will conduct this Saturday. Pre-COVID, this was one of our most successful outreach events, and it supplied many contacts. We are confident that it will succeed this year as well. I have Back to the Bible study 2 set up for this Thursday. Study 1 went great.”

Woodstock church of Christ, Georgia: Greg Garner (deacon) reports, “WCOC collected four contact cards, so we can prospect this week. Our congregation meets Sunday evenings to conduct the evangelism workshop. Last week, the compassion cards group sent 25 compassion cards. Last night, we created 29 compassion cards. The children created three pictures to go with the compassion cards. Our Service Group is in the planning stages of several projects to include the continuous project with the stage 4 cancer individual. The Visitation Group delivered coffee stations and visited eight new movers, and one plans to visit the church. The Practical Application class had eleven attendees. We have three Bible studies in progress.”

New Hope church of Christ, Middleton, Tennessee: Cole Wade (preacher) reports, “We are sending Reeves Northcutt and his family several compassion cards and also gift cards to restaurants in their area. Reeves has been at the Shepherd’s Center in Atlanta recovering from a car accident, and we expect great things from this service. We continue our new converts class while building contacts through our cookout event and meal deliveries every month. The church is doing well!”

Rogersville church of Christ, Tennessee: Ethan Tate (preacher) reports, “This week we worked with a family to provide them food, and we also worked into having a Bible study! This grew into two separate studies with two different families! We are waiting for a confirmation time. In the meanwhile, we have a Winter Festivities event this Sunday that will include plenty of warm soups, hot chocolate, desserts, and evangelism goodie bags to hand out. Please pray for these efforts along with the ones continuing to grow. We are hoping to harvest fruit soon!”

Paintsville church of Christ, Kentucky: Zach Collins (preacher) reports, “This week, we began planning our annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner! In the past, we have been able to generate contacts and visitors through this event. This is a great way to reach lost souls in our community. We are exploring how to make this as evangelistically successful as possible! Keep our efforts in your prayers.”

Canal Heights church of Christ, Demopolis, Alabama: Bryan Cook (minister) reports, “Last Saturday was a cold door-knocking day. We were missing a few of our regular door knockers, but we still managed to knock 46 doors and make 20 contacts. One of our ladies mentioned that she was surprised by how many desired our prayers. It seems there are many that are truly hurting and needing what the church offers. After months of trying, we have streamlined our card system after the door knocking to have the cards filled out and ready for Sunday morning service for the entire congregation to sign. We had an issue because some were signing too close to the address box, which could cause cards to be returned by the post office.  We realized we could draw a box around the address area. We shall see how many come back.
“Door knocking has become a joy even for us introverts. We are still focusing on setting up visits from our compassion card program. This will require more time and effort, but we are seeing the hearts softening to our congregation. We had met the Baptist minister’s wife as we were door knocking, and she stated she could see that we were always doing. I take that as a compliment. Please continue praying with and for us.”

Riverbend church of Christ, Georgia: Austin Fowler (member) reports, “Friday my grandfather, Dale, and one of the elders did book number two with Liz. The study went well, and they are looking forward to study 3. Be prayerful for study 3 and Liz as she is near to the cross. On Sunday, we added another person to our contact list. On Wednesday, one of the members asked me to reach out to her grandson. I look forward to prospecting him and getting in a Bible study with him soon. Pray for our efforts.”

Northern Oaks church of Christ, San Antonio, Texas: Mel Hutzler (elder) reports, “We had two baptisms last week and have delivered our new movers’ baskets to those who just moved into our community. We already have more names for this month as well. We added all new members to one of four evangelism groups. It is wonderful to see our congregation working together in evangelism. We are currently following up on names from our community event. We expect more baptisms in the future, and it wonderful to be engaged in Bible studies.”

Carthage church of Christ, South Carolina: Randy Chambers (preacher) reports, “We continue to receive visitors from our door knocking efforts. One member took a visitor out for lunch and scheduled a Bible study with her. We have one on-going study and three more scheduled for a future date. We are having good responses from the HTH/HTH mailings and the new movers’ program as well. Compassion cards and visitors gift bags are opening doors for building relationships with the community.”

Chase Park church of Christ, Huntsville, Alabama: Pat Cowden (preacher) reports, “We continued our study with Miss Patty who is visiting services at the nursing home. We had covered three pages of Does It Matter in the previous study. When Greg Crabtree and I arrived for our second study, she had gone over what we had previously studied and then continued through page 11. She is very interested and wants to know more. We reviewed all the verses and answered all the questions she had looked at since we had seen her the week before. Miss Patty, like me, has a lot of unlearning to do because of her various religious experiences and beliefs. I believe, as the Lord promised in Matthew 7, that if she has an honest heart and continues to ask and seek, she will find answers to her questions. At that point, my prayer is that she will give her life over to Jesus through obedience to His gospel. In addition, we had our bi-monthly meetings before and after services to send compassion cards to all our prospects and visitors. The people in the photo were preparing to send those cards this week. Please pray for open hearts and persistent workers in our Lord’s Kingdom.”

Peninsula church of Christ, Hampton, Virginia: Ben Phillips (preacher) reports, “Exciting news! We had two baptisms this past week. Quatavis and Taneka Wright were baptized into Christ this past Tuesday after studying Back to the Bible with Glenn and Mercedes Hitchcock. Taneka had visited our VBS in August. Mercedes started studying with her soon after. Taneka’s husband Quatavis then started attending and studying as well. We praise God for their obedience! There are also other studies that are being actively pursued and for which we are praying.

“We continue to make and cultivate contacts. It has been over a year since our Evangelism Seminar, so we have been spending time in Bible Class to review the approach and the materials. As we complete this process, we hope to incorporate more members and activities into our work. Our next major project is to prepare food baskets for needy families at a local elementary school. We are praying for the opportunity to feed the souls of these families as well!”

Seven Hill church of Christ, Lynchburg, Virginia (digital): Steve Clevenger (preacher) reports, “We finished the sixth evangelism video. I will be getting our evangelism table set up this week. We had another baptism last Tuesday. That makes three in the last year from studying with BTTB.  Also, we are doing a community outreach program for our young boys and girls. This past Saturday we had ten visitors who are not members of the church, including four fathers and six children. We will be having the first keepers meeting for the girls next month.”

Forestview church of Christ, Memphis, Tennessee: Tim Rowland (preacher) reports, “Forestview Church of Christ had two baptisms last Sunday as two young people gave their lives to the Lord! Joey Plemmons and Gary Jenkins decided to be baptized for the remission of their sins! Joey was baptized by her father, Michael Plemmons. Gary was baptized by Forestview’s preacher, Tim Roland. Joey’s parents, Michael and Lorie Plemmons, and her grandmother, JoAnn Jenkins, placed membership on September 18, 2022. We have been blessed with nine people placing membership this year. Our Encouragement Ministry Team continues to be active as 95 cards were sent out last week. We have several people who have been visiting long term, and we hope to develop Bible studies with them soon! God has blessed us this year!”

Southwest church of Christ, Austin, Texas: John Garza (preacher) reports, “Hello! At this time, I would like to update everyone on the current evangelism opportunities and Bible studies.
                              
“First, we will be starting the third study of Back to the Bible with Destiny Jimenez. She has already expressed a desire to be baptized, and now she will learn what it is all about. Up to this point, she has received the gospel very well. In fact, last week we learned about musical instruments, and even though she had a hard time accepting it, as we worked through it logically, she admitted that God is a specific in His Word, and we have no authority for anything else. In addition, we were able to talk about God’s call to worship him on the first day of the week, and why she should be there, and to God be the glory, she was there Sunday morning during worship. We will continue our studies Friday morning. Keep this day in your prayers as it may be her “day of salvation.”
                                                            
“Second, Luis Hernandez is currently is currently working in Canada for two weeks. We will resume our study with him after he returns, probably on November 22. Please pray for his safety as he is away.

“Third, Keith and Phyllis Seibert will begin a study of Back to the Bible, booklet 1, with Brandon and Dawn Colvin. Today is the DAY!. They will learn about our authority in religion. Please keep this study in your prayers.

“Fourth, Dee Grayson will start a study with Vicki and Rick Rodriguez tomorrow. They will study the first booklet of Back to the Bible.  We are thankful for Dee’s enthusiasm and commitment to the lost.  Please keep this study in your prayers as they begin to have the Word sown in their hearts.

Fifth, Mayra Ruiz, who works at Chick-Fil-A, recently worshiped with us after Carol Peden invited her. After a couple of vists, Mayra brought her boyfriend (I believe) Simeon Rodriguez. Mayra has loved the experience and sermons, and she has requested to be baptized, although we will need to study with her so she has the proper understanding. On the other hand, Simeon has requested a Bible study. Both are eager to learn more. With that being said, please keep them in your prayers as we set up a Bible study with them.

“Sixth, Marissa Ledesma, Matt Mendes, and Calista Cuevas worshipped with congregation Sunday morning, due to the invitation of a variety of Chick-Fil-A employees. Truly, the fields are white unto harvest, especially due to the influence of Christians in a secular workplace. I was able to speak to each one of them, and they all loved the experience and are interested in learning more. We will be pursuing their interest more in the coming days, and hopefully and prayerfully, we will be able to get a Bible study with each one of them. Please keep the work of getting to a study in your prayers.

“Seventh, Joshua Hanter shared some positive feedback last week with Weston Moses. However, Joshua has a lot of difficulties and addictions in life, which are difficult to overcome. Weston reached out to him, but Joshua has not responded. This being the case, please pray for him: his health, his safety, and hopefully, a response from him so the church can help him spiritually.

“Eighth, Kelly and Megan McKillip have been visiting for awhile with David and Gina Crouchet, and currently, we are trying to set up a study with them. Please pray for the study and for open hearts as the Seed is planted.

Additionally, last Thursday we started a class on Personal Bible Study Training. We had about 25 members attend, and they left encouraged to begin doing Bible studies. We will have this special training for several weeks!”

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.