| Reaching the Lost- Success Stories
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Editor’s Note: You may be rural and small, but you may still execute the Great Commission. Brother Vince has worked hard to train the members of Bergman to become soul winners. This has been a cultural change that takes patience, persistence, and prayer. The results have been phenomenal. For all those who think we are too small, too old, too rural, please read this update and ask, “Why not us?”
Featured Congregation: Bergman church o
How to Grow a Small Rural Church
Written by Vince Stewart
What happens when you are not sure if your baptism is valid? Teaching is always the answer. Stacy Williams questioned her baptism because she was baptized at a very young age. On October 1, her husband Rick baptized her to make sure she did it correctly. Then it was announced in our church group chat, and I think that helped motivate Judy Branch to be baptized, since she had been thinking the past few weeks that her baptism from the Baptist church was not scriptural. The next day, October 2, she texted me while I was at the chicken barns working to ask if I had time to do a baptism. I said, “I always have time to do a baptism.” Thirty minutes later, we met at the church building, and she was baptized into Christ. We have these two baptisms so far for the month of October.
Visits: We made two transitional visits. First, my wife and I visited with Aaron and Julie Anderson, who had lost their teen-age son. Recently, they had started attending the Baptist church, and Aaron said he planned to be baptized next Friday. We had just finished sending them compassion cards, and they paid off (as I informed the congregation of that later that evening). They were very grateful for the cards and agreed to do a Bible study with us. We met at noon on October 1 for lunch and a Bible study at our house. They were already very comfortable meeting at our house, and they knew Rick and Caffie Moore from our congregation, whom I invited to join us for comfort for Aaron and Julie as well as support for Tiffany and me, and for training on how to conduct BTTB Bible studies.
The second transitional visit was with two siblings (adults) who had lost their mother. They were thankful for the compassion cards we sent them, but they were not interested in a Bible study or an invitation to visit us at this time. It went well because we know them personally, but I know we are the only church that has reached out to them.
Visitors: We have had two new couples (four people) visit us. One couple agreed to a study, but they have a hectic work schedule. This couple came from a Pentecostal church and is very interested in the church of Christ.
The other couple came for the first time yesterday, in both the morning and the afternoon. They are members of the church and moved here from Idaho. We showed them much love and gave them a gift bag and contact card. Starting this week, we will prospect two more new movers. We are also doing a Gospel Meeting right now with Brother Kevin Rhoads on ‘Authentic Discipleship’.
Congregational Reports
Mammoth Spring church of Christ, Arkansas: We want to welcome the Mammoth Spring church of Christ to the House to House/Heart to Heart School of Evangelism. The congregation had been well prepared by their elders and preacher, with high attendance and a willingness to learn and serve. They have a lot of potential to grow.
Glencoe church of Christ, Alabama: Keith Ritchie (evangelist) reports, “Fall has arrived, and opportunities for making contacts have arrived as well. Glencoe will be hosting our Fall Festival outreach in a few weeks. We usually make 65+ contacts; then work begins on prospecting the few. Fall also means cooler weather, perfect weather for door knocking and delivering new-mover baskets/bags. High school football games present a perfect venue to hand out church invitation cards! Opportunities are plentiful; let us go and do our part in broadening the borders of the kingdom. To God be the glory!”
Petersville church of Christ, Florence, Alabama: Adam Richardson (preacher) reports, “Petersville sent 16 compassion cards last week and had a meeting to plan how our Trunk or Treat this month can be evangelistic.”
Hatton church of Christ, Town Creek, Alabama: Chris Miller (preacher) reports, “We had our mission meal yesterday and made our assignments for the month. We continue to have a great group of willing participants and great conversations about visits and setting up studies. We also had one individual at worship yesterday whom we have been working on for a while; hopefully, we will schedule a study very soon.”
Creekwood church of Christ, Mobile, Alabama: Tucker Presley (preacher) reports, “We have our second Bible study tonight with a family who has been visiting us. They are very receptive to the Word! We are continuing to push our Trunk-or-Treat event in a couple of weeks. We expect a large turnout from the community. New movers’ work and compassion cards continue as well.”
Cedar Grove church of Christ, Andalusia, Alabama: Joshua Holloway (preacher) reports, “We continued with our regular Bible studies this week, along with the ongoing outreach efforts of our visitation team and card ministry. This week we will be sending out 85 cards. Our grand total is 6,612.”
70 West church of Christ, Hot Springs, Arkansas: Josh Romo (preacher) reports, “I preached the sermon on compassion cards yesterday evening. At the end of worship, we took out our bookmarks and began getting names for our prospect list. We will begin writing cards to nine prospects on Sunday. We have compiled six teams, and everyone seems to be eager to get started!”
Washington Avenue church of Christ, Jonesboro, Arkansas: Parker Pribble (member) reports, “Preparations are in full swing for our upcoming Gospel Meeting, which will take place in one week. We are excited for the evangelism opportunities that come with it. Before his Sunday morning lesson, Austin always leads the congregation in a prayer for the names on our bookmarks. This week, he made an encouraging comment that several members have reported to him on their own efforts to evangelize the names on their bookmarks. We are thankful for all the efforts being made by each of our members to bring people to Christ. Following the evening service, Card Team 1 met and filled out 64 cards for six prospects. Our visitation team made four total visits this past week: two first-time transition visits, one follow-up from a previous transition visit, and one restoration visit. We also had three visitors attend services this week. One was a gentleman who had visited previously, while the other two were passing through from out of town.”
Mountain Home church of Christ, Arkansas: Joshua Adams (preacher) reports, “This past week in evangelism has been all about working through the many little pieces of the HTHSOE model. We are continuing to follow up with contacts gained through our local county fair, and we are excited as we prepare for the upcoming Health Fair & Expo, where we will have another opportunity to make contacts for our Compassion Card ministry. We have also had multiple Bible studies, and we are hopeful that, as a result, we may soon see someone restored and placing membership. New mover baskets are continuing to go out, and we are seeing encouraging success with people willing to receive cards through that effort as well. I am so proud of the church in Mountain Home. We have lost members, and some of our brothers and sisters are facing medical diagnoses, surgeries, and procedures. Yet despite all the challenges we are facing, we continue to press on! I am grateful to see the church continuing to work, reach out, and serve faithfully.”
Northside church of Christ, Harrison, Arkansas: Larry Keener (elder) reports, “Northside in Harrison has one Bible study ongoing. Our transition team met and planned new visits. Cards continue to be sent each week. We currently have 11 prospects. To God’s glory.”
Harrisburg church of Christ, Arkansas: Mark Weston (elder) reports, “I was sitting at home Friday morning when a friend of mine, Tom, who has been visiting for some time and with whom we have been studying, called me and asked me for some help. Apparently, a single lady had showed up at his house. She had been thrown out of her home and had been wandering around in the pouring rain. She knocked on his door, completely soaked, with a bag in her hand. She needed help. He immediately called a lady in our congregation who had been instrumental in bringing him to us, and she went out to assist him. They provided dry clothing while her wet clothes went into the dryer. They called me to see if the church could do anything to help. I told them absolutely, and Tunene and I headed their way. After talking with all of them for a while, we decided that the church could provide a warm meal and pay for a motel for a couple of nights while she got her thoughts together and made some plans. At least that would keep her out of the rain for a couple of days. We did that, and hopefully, with the conversations we were able to have with her, we gave her some things to think about. We had hoped she would attend services yesterday, but we certainly did not put any restrictions on the assistance that we offered her. I do pray that she will make adjustments in her life and allow God to direct her steps. It was certainly a great experience for Tom to see how just small acts of love can make a difference, not only in her life, but in how it made him feel as well. I know that this experience will show him what sharing the love of Christ with those in need can do. On Sunday, we had a guest speaker, Cody Michael with Project Unify. He did a wonderful job as always, and one of our sisters in Christ came forward asking for prayers for strength. She recently lost her husband and life has just become difficult on another level. I pray that we can all be there to support her in her walk. On Sunday night, our Compassion Team Two met and signed 45 cards to mail out this week. Our cards continue to motivate us all. It certainly is encouraging to get together and fellowship while we write these cards.”
Warrington church of Christ, Pensacola, Florida: Twayne Mobley (member) reports, “Progress continues smoothly as we work through the introductory phase. During this week’s Sunday service, Chris Pinney brought the lessons gained by a study of the Parable of the Talents, and we distributed the Evangelism Seminar Questionnaire. We had 63 in attendance and collected 45 completed forms, most showing a very high level of interest. We continue our introductory training and have visited with coordinators from other local churches that are one year and two years farther along. They offered advice and suggestions that will be very useful. We continue to pray that our Lord will bless our efforts to tell others about Jesus.”
Concord Street church of Christ, Orlando, Florida: Billy Dickson (evangelist) reports, “Please join us in praying for the Bible studies currently taking place at Concord Street. Please pray that those who are studying will have open hearts, and that these studies will lead to obedience to the Gospel. Pray also for those conducting the studies, that they will have wisdom, patience, and boldness as they teach. We are grateful for the doors God continues to open, and we ask for continued prayers for the work of evangelism at Concord Street.”
Oceanside church of Christ, Atlantic Beach, Florida: Wesley Green (chairman) reports, “Oceanside continues to make progress. We have cleaned out our resource room and set up shelves to organize the compassion cards. Kristen and Beth have been organizing all the cards. We are training more door and pew greeters; role-playing is key to getting members out of their comfort zone and building their confidence. The next phase will be the transitional visit training. The foyer has been cleaned up, and the women are progressively decorating it.”
Milestone church of Christ, Cantonment, Florida: Randy Brantley (elder) reports, “We had four visitors yesterday. One man who has been attending services again for the last two months was restored. He said he has attended more in the last two months than in the last 45 years. He said he is still finding notes his mother left for him in her house, wanting him to do the right thing. She was a long-time faithful servant of God who passed away several years ago. It just goes to show that patience can go a long way; never give up on anyone.”
Niceville church of Christ, Florida: Joe Palmer (preacher) reports, “This week we had the third week of our ‘Unashamed’ evangelism training class, and we talked about how to invite a prospect to agree to a Bible study. We sent out 16 cards and had two Bible studies. We had no new visitors this week, but we had several returning ones. We had several visits and interactions with prospects. We may have a shelter for women start attending on Wednesday night. A young man returned to do community service, and he is interested in returning to church. A homeless lady is studying the Bible with another lady. The fields are white.”
Margaret Street church of Christ, Milton, Florida: Troy Spradlin (preacher) reports, “One of the mothers of one of our youth approached me recently with the exciting news that her daughter is asking questions about salvation! She wanted to make sure she was handling her questions well and asked for a little extra guidance, as well as help with a possible Bible study. It is always exciting to see our young people begin to put things together that they hear and learn from the Bible about what it means to follow Jesus! Our current total 2026 Accountability Board numbers are: 273 Contacts Received; 208 Neighbors (Prospects); 1,059 Compassion Cards sent; 44 Bible studies; two Restorations; and 13 Baptisms.”
Stuart church of Christ, Florida: Tom Neth (member) reports, “One of the encouraging things we are seeing from our compassion card ministry is that sometimes the encouragement comes back to us. This week, our congregation was encouraged to receive cards and notes from some of the people we have been writing to. Week after week, our members faithfully write cards to encourage people, to let them know we are praying for them, and to remind them that someone cares. Receiving responses from some of those people was a nice reminder that those simple efforts are making a difference. We continue to write compassion cards each week, greet our visitors, follow up with contacts, and look for opportunities to move from a simple connection to a relationship and eventually a Bible study. We currently have two active Bible studies and have been blessed with 18 baptisms year to date. Not every card results in a Bible study, and not every conversation produces an immediate response. But each one is an opportunity to plant a seed, encourage someone, and demonstrate the love of Christ. This week, getting a few cards back was a welcome reminder to keep planting.”
Woodstock church of Christ, Georgia: Matt Amos (preacher) reports, “The Woodstock church of Christ (WCOC) had seven non-Christians in attendance for the Living Assistant Facility’s worship devotion. The Prison Ministry Group was able to get one person cleared and is working on getting others cleared. The HTH Door Knocking Group is working on submitting contact cards for processing. The Compassion group sent out nine compassion cards. For Sunday morning worship, we had nine visitors. We conducted six Bible studies last week.”
Cumming church of Christ, Georgia: Murphy O’Brien (member) reports, “Last week there were no new contacts, bringing the total for the year to 66. No new visitor information was collected, so the yearly total remains at 19. We made one visitor follow-up last week, and we have followed up with 60 visitors so far this year. We sent 32 cards last week, bringing the yearly total to 724. There are currently 14 prospects. One Bible study was held last week, bringing the year-to-date total to 50; there were no baptisms last week, leaving the yearly total at one.”
Cartersville church of Christ, Georgia (remote): Charles Harris (regional trainer) reports, “We had two restorations this past week. Bible studies are being scheduled with contacts from our recent Family and Friends Day. Another student has enrolled in the HTHSOE Student Program this past week.”
Gray church of Christ, Georgia (remote): Keith Dixon (preacher) reports, “We sent out 25 cards, and we have one contact. We are still working on increasing the numbers here; it is a continuation of keep doing what we hope will work. We have not lost hope. To God be the glory.”
Harrisburg church of Christ, Illinois: Doug Berry (minister) reports, “We have been following up on cards sent out to people whom we met while door-knocking with Keno Shrum. We have had some good initial responses. I have never received a negative response from anyone who received our cards. Everyone loves them! We are preparing for our upcoming Gospel Meeting. We will have a festival here in Harrisburg the day before our meeting starts. We will have a booth to invite people to our meeting. We also hope to find many new contacts! We are always looking for more contacts!”
Collinsville-Troy church of Christ, Illinois: Jason Wright (evangelist) reports, “We mailed 24 contact cards. We conducted five Bible studies. One is an ongoing study with a teen who is Catholic. Two of our teens went to AMC Roanoke. They are conducting the study. The young lady knows the Catholic church is not the Lord’s church and wants to be baptized. We have to make sure her parents are good with it. Her dad returns home this week. We are praying for good results later this week. We made 21 new movers basket visits with ten being delivered. We made two contacts. I have five studies scheduled for this week. In September, we conducted 17 studies and had two baptisms. Our food giveaway is Saturday. This is a big contact-creator for us. May God be glorified.”
Flatwoods church of Christ, Kentucky (remote): Nathan Adkins (elder) reports, “Praise the Lord! We had a sister restored yesterday morning. She fell away many years ago. We have been visiting her and encouraging her with cards for several months now. That makes three restorations this year. One of our brothers is on Lesson 2 of Back to the Bible with one of his friends. We sent out eight cards yesterday. We visited today to set up a Bible study for next week. Lots of good things are happening at the Flatwoods congregation.”
Beloit church of Christ, Kansas (remote): Dustin Doughtery (regional trainer) reports, “We finished our annual three-day Gospel Meeting yesterday. We had 44 in attendance yesterday, with 16 of that number being visitors. We had 24 total visitors among the three days, most of them driving between one and three hours to be with us. It is great to spend time with other Christians, to enjoy each other’s company, and to hear great Gospel preaching. Here in north central Kansas, it is great to bring a small slice of what we get to experience at PTP. To God be the glory.”
15th Street church of Christ, Ottawa, Kansas (remote): Brady Altic (associate minister) reports, “We made it through Lesson B of Believe the Bible with Bret and Jordan. I think it is going well! We are scheduled to do Lesson C on the 16th, and we hope to start the study with Back to the Bible after that. Clayton has been studying with a couple, and he is scheduled to do Lesson 3 sometime next week. We ask for prayers for this study; they have had trouble getting back for Lesson 3 due to scheduling issues. New movers baskets are put together and ready to be handed out to the addresses we received from HTH on the 7th and 11th. We request prayers for our congregation to stay steadfast in this work for the Lord. Thank you, brothers and sisters, in Christ.”
Columbus church of Christ, Kansas (remote): Matt Fowler (member) reports, “We wrote our first set of compassion cards for the month. We are praying for doors to open for the Gospel in the midst of some recent losses in our surrounding communities. We are praying for all your efforts, brethren. The reports are an encouragement.”
Gonzales Church of Christ, Louisiana: Ben Vallery (member) reports, “We started off the month of October with 21 cards this week. Our list for this month is comprised mostly of contacts made during the recent door-knocking event. We’ll continue reaching out to these in love in hopes of having them visit with us soon. Our new converts classes continue on Sundays and Wednesdays. We appreciate prayers for several ongoing Bible studies.”
Carriage Oaks church of Christ, Shreveport, Louisiana: Andrew Wynne (preacher) reports, “It is Fall Break in the Bossier City area, and we had a number of our members out today. We still had a great day. We had at least six visitors, including one that I have been studying with for a couple of months. I am optimistic; he is close to obeying the Gospel. After our evening worship service, one of our deacons conducted an ongoing study he has been having with a young man for several weeks. It went well, and things continue to move forward. Another deacon made accountability boards to keep the numbers in front of us. Compassion cards continue to be the weekly norm. We appreciate all prayers for our efforts.”
La Plata church of Christ, Maryland: Eric Sykes (regional trainer) reports, “We had another encouraging and productive week of evangelism at the La Plata church of Christ. The saints wrote 101 compassion cards, and we were blessed to welcome eight visitors. Two of our visitors, a husband and wife who own a local restaurant, moved to the area from New York City two years ago. They have been visiting congregations in the area as they search for a church home. During a visit to their restaurant, one of our sisters gave them an invitation card and invited them to worship with us. They joined us for worship this week and truly enjoyed the service. They said they plan to return next week and would like to learn more about our congregation. We request prayers in that regard. We also had a young man attend Sunday morning worship who had come to our Wednesday night Bible study a couple of weeks ago. We started lesson one of BTTB, and he said that he would like to complete the study. Prayerfully, we can arrange a time to study with him one day this week as we work around his new work schedule. Our transition visits team also delivered two transition gifts last week. In addition, a sister from a sister congregation asked if we could show her how to close a study. We will begin that class later this week. We currently have several Bible studies open. We appreciate all prayers as we work to share the Gospel with folks in our community. God bless!”
Waldorf church of Christ, Maryland: Joseph Day (member) reports, “Today was a tremendous day for the Lord. The first day of our Spanish worship service attendance was 48!! Total visitors in the building today was 54. Lots of work to do this coming week with English and Spanish compassion cards and follow-up.”
Aberdeen church of Christ, Mississippi: Jonathan Hagar (preacher) reports, “We had triple digits this Sunday, which in a town with less than 5,000 people is really good. I am proud of the work and growth the church has shown this past year. We had four visitors this past Sunday, which is great. All of them were returning visitors. We will be sending cards of encouragement and further invitations to them. We are still writing compassion cards, but as of now, we are going back through some of our old cards and sending holiday cards to people. The New Converts’ class continues to do well; we have several that enjoy going and growing. The church is getting ready for the Fall Festival on October 18. It is one of our biggest community events. We got so many contact cards from last year’s Fall Festival. We need to recruit new people to help our community event coordinator because it was too much for him to handle alone last time; he did not get half as many as he could have. We are currently taking an ad out on Facebook, hanging up flyers around town, and printing handout cards for the members to give to their friends and neighbors.”
Fulton church of Christ, Mississippi: Richard Comer (member) reports, “We are sending about 15 cards this week. We had one visitor, but it was a second visit. Trunk or Treat is planned for Sunday. We had one baptism. This is from a correspondence course by a sister in the Jackson, Mississippi, area. The individual is currently in the local jail. She contacted us to see if someone could baptize him. After I spoke with the sheriff and jailer to arrange a time, he was baptized. I will be talking to a preacher from another congregation regarding the possibility of having Bible studies at the local jail, and maybe worship services as well.”
Oak Grove church of Christ, Missouri: David Wiseman (elder) reports, “We have increased our compassion cards. The last two weeks we have sent 246 compassion cards and 49 new mover cards. We continue to have visitors almost every week. This last Sunday, we had ten visitors. One family lived one block from our building. Our attendance has been very consistent, with our highest numbers in years. We have also begun our New Converts’ class, and this is off to a good start.”
Concord church of Christ, New Hampshire (remote): Terry Hale (member), “We have two studies continuing, and two contacts ready for transition into studies. We appreciate prayers as we continue training.”
Glendale Street church of Christ, Newton, North Carolina (remote): Dayle Taylor (minister) reports, “Prospects: We were blessed to welcome two returning visitors for Sunday morning worship. Additionally, studies in Does It Matter?continue with a prospect who completed BTTB and requested additional study. New Converts / Restored Members: One of our new converts, who had been absent for several consecutive Sundays, returned for morning worship but did not attend Bible study. Two others have again been absent for consecutive Sundays. We request prayers that these young babes in Christ will become steadfast and not be drawn away by the cares of this world. We remain in contact with them, encouraging and strengthening them as we guide them to see Jesus, and to grow in Christ. Another new convert has been ill and unable to attend for several weeks. Members continue to care for and encourage this individual through calls and visits. One restored member continues to attend faithfully and grow in knowledge. This member is also encouraging her husband to attend when home and not away for work. Two other restored members attended worship, including one who is recovering from a serious illness. We took the opportunity to encourage and strengthen them in their walk with Christ.”
Goldsboro church of Christ, North Carolina: Dennis Mays (elder) reports, “This Sunday we had four visitors, and two of them asked to begin Bible studies. One of them asked to go with some of our folks who were going to deliver a new-mover basket in our serve activity after our evening worship service. We said yes, and this person was very excited to participate. He is also excited to begin his Bible study. We are praying for these two new Bible studies. This Sunday evening, we had our first service meetings after our shorter worship service. We met with our community group, and they began planning our Trunk-n-Treat and Fall Festival event for October 30 here at the church building. We will invite community family groups to bring their children, enjoy the event, and have an evening meal with us. We also had two service groups take new mover’s baskets out and deliver them. Our Compassion Card group also met and wrote 108 cards. It seems like our congregation is happy to be involved in working together and serving others and being able to be busy doing evangelism activities.”
Barnes church of Christ, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: John Bellah (member) reports, “On Sunday, we took time to pray for those on our bookmarks that we would like to reach, and we made a request for the congregation to bring more contacts to begin prospecting. We also had a return visitor from last week. We are looking forward to Keno Shrum coming later this month to help us get through some of our bottlenecks and give us further training.”
Guymon church of Christ, Oklahoma: David Henderson (elder) reports, “What a great day to be a Christian! At the Guymon church, we had six visitors; we sent 25 cards, made two visits, and have eight prospects. For September, we had two baptisms, and we are at nine for the year. We are planning door-knocking and a Fall Festival designed to let people see inside the building; hopefully, they will also see a better way of serving our Lord.”
Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Goodwell, Oklahoma: Raoul Ferris (evangelist) reports, “We were given a big reason to rejoice. This last Thursday, we were able to begin Book 2 with Shawn. He was only able to study for 20 minutes because of an appointment, but after our study, he requested to study twice a week. That was a huge encouragement for us. We also fed 63 for our college meal. Each person was given a ‘WVBS’ teaching card. We are hoping to change it up each week and offer HTH magazine, teaching cards, and other easy handouts. Isaiah Sprouse gave our devotional during the meal. He provided a logical, style-based apologetic to ‘Why believe God created instead of evolution?’ His 3-minute presentation was well received, and many people were commenting on his thoughts. Others thanked him. I was very encouraged to be in the audience and witness this moment. We also assisted and trained the Beaver church of Christ in Beaver, Oklahoma. We are slowly moving forward. We also recognize the need for better organization and communication as we gain traction.”
Grove church of Christ, Oklahoma: Juan Jarmillo (preacher) reports, “This past week was unfortunate. Schedules did not line up, so we could not do the Bible study that we had planned for Saturday. Lord willing, we will do it this Saturday. Last week, we sent 50 compassion cards out; this week, we are having a make-up week for those who did not write compassion cards last week. We are strongly enforcing that every member (from youngest to oldest, every man and woman) needs to write a compassion card. On another note, we are planning to set up our greeting group very soon, Lord willing! We are praying for all evangelism efforts around the world, especially in our congregation!”
Alkire Road church of Christ, Grove City, Ohio: Tony Dunnagan (member) reports, “We had three visitors from the community and received three contact cards. We sent 81 compassion cards, and we are preparing for our October 25, 2026, first ‘Impact Sunday.’ We are working on obtaining a couple of Bible studies for two prospects.”
Owasso church of Christ, Oklahoma: David Combs (elder) reports, “Sunday was the first Sunday of the month, so it was time to pass out ‘invite cards’ to all members. Brother Tim Bowman gave us some encouragement on using invitation cards and compassion cards along with transition visits to build relationships with prospects. This week we have one new prospect and one new visitor, and 15 card writers produced 31 cards.”
York church of Christ, Pennsylvania: Mark Rashke (deacon) reports, “This week in York, we had guest speaker, Larry De Long, who told us about the evangelistic work that a team has been doing in Jamaica. We sent cards to recent visitors, had our monthly evangelism meeting, discussed the follow-up visits that we need to make, and ate a fellowship meal together. In the evening, we had one couple return to visit us.”
Saint Andrews Road church of Christ, Columbia, South Carolina: Jamie Byrom (minister) reports, “This past Lord’s Day we welcomed a new sister in Christ! Kelly was baptized Sunday evening after we finished studying the third booklet of Back to the Bible. We began the study at the beginning of last week in the first two booklets. Her husband was baptized about three months ago, and he has been encouraging her. Our transition visit teams met Sunday afternoon, and we dispersed and made eight transition visits, being able to speak with four.”
White Knoll church of Christ, Lexington, South Carolina: James Reynolds (member) reports, “We rejoice in that this past Sunday Michael Watts, a young man I have been studying with, was baptized into Christ. Thank you for the prayers; we know that the fervent prayer of the righteous avails much.”
East Main church of Christ, Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Brad Rowley (elder) reports, “We rejoice in the baptism of Kelvin and Matthew on September 16 from our prison ministry. Our prison ministry is going strong, with an average attendance of seven men attending our weekly Bible study. We rejoiced in Ben Bricker’s baptism on September 23. We received 30 new contacts in September. The majority of our contacts came from our community outreach dinner. Our compassion card teams wrote 118 cards during the month. We constantly receive positive feedback from our card ministry. We had two new and 29 ongoing Bible studies during the month. We delivered nine new movers’ baskets. Our community outreach dinner was a success; more members were involved than in any other outreach activity in the past. Our digital ministry played an important role in advertising for our community outreach. Instead of asking for contact information, we asked each visitor if he or she had any prayer requests. We received 26 prayer requests! September Mission Day was focused on going out to their homes and praying with each of them. Our Sunday night service was dedicated to a prayer service for these folks. We had 15 men leading prayers during our Sunday night prayer service. Several of the folks who came to our dinner attended our prayer meeting. We have some Bible studies set up because of the prayer requests. To God be the glory!”
Soddy church of Christ, Tennessee: Joe Mallory (preacher) reports, “We are thankful for the opportunity to preach Christ and seek and save the lost. This week, we continue our focus on transition meetings and initial contacts. We are reaching out via compassion cards and phone calls. We also had great opportunities this week to meet together on Tuesday evening during our fall series at Soddy and to attend the Spiritual Sword Lectureship! Praise God for our ability to hear truth through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Care Team 1 will send out about 40 compassion cards this week. We appreciate all prayers for the souls in the Soddy Daisy community and our friends and family.”
West Sparta church of Christ, Tennessee: Justin Turney (deacon) reports, “At our community event this Saturday, we will offer the opportunity to sign up for free AP study Bibles. We hope to make many new prospects and create many Bible study opportunities!”
Hillcrest church of Christ, Springfield, Tennessee: Tim Taylor (evangelist) reports, “A precious soul was added to the Lord’s body! David has been visiting with us for worship and Bible study the past few weeks. He was baptized into Christ on Thursday! We are thrilled to have him as a brother at Hillcrest, and we look forward to working and worshiping with him going forward. We anticipate another great turnout for our Trunk & Treat event, and we plan to set up a table among the trunks to give away Bibles and offer Bible studies to guests from the community.”
Southern Hills church of Christ, Franklin, Tennessee: Freddie Klein (preacher) reports, “Several members recently met with a representative from World Bible School (WBS) as we continue planning and strengthening our outreach efforts. We learned more about the Bible correspondence courses they offer and are considering how these resources might support our evangelism efforts. For this year’s Fall Fest, several members have been selected to serve as full-time engagement members. Their primary role will be to interact with guests, get to know visitors and their families, and look for opportunities to build genuine relationships that can continue beyond the event. We are also encouraged by a recent example of this happening naturally. This Sunday, one of our regular visitors brought a family member to our worship service. We are thankful to see our visitors becoming comfortable enough to invite others, and we want to continue building on those relationships.”
Collierville church of Christ, Tennessee: Justin Evergarden (evangelist) reports, “Here is an update on the evangelism work at Collierville. We reorganized the accountability board in the evangelism room to make it much easier for everyone to see where we are and what we are accomplishing. Our year-to-date numbers currently stand at 74 new prospects, 982 compassion cards sent, 48 new visitors, seven visits made, 87 new movers baskets delivered, and nine new Bible studies started. For this past week, we added two new prospects, worked with three prospects, sent 15 cards, and had two new visitors. One of the things I am especially encouraged about continues to be our work with Jonathan and Latanya. There is a strong likelihood that we will move into a third Bible study with them, and the relationship and spiritual conversations continue to develop in a very positive direction. We are continuing to work our other prospects as well and trying to keep the congregation focused on turning contacts into actual personal work and Bible studies. Overall, I am encouraged by the direction of the program. The new board should also help us maintain better visibility and accountability as we continue pushing the work forward.”
White Bluff church of Christ, Tennessee: Shamron Jackson (elder) reports, “We wrote 130 cards to go out this week. We pray we are softening hearts and opening minds. We had around 20 visitors. One was taken to lunch. We are planning a more Fall Festival-type trunk-or-treat with food and games. We are hoping to generate several contacts from this event, and to help us become more involved with the community.”
Chapel Hill church of Christ, Tennessee: Matt Jones (deacon) reports, “We are continuing to pray for the Bible studies that are ongoing among our congregation and some we pray will be started soon. We recently had a visit from a missionary that we support from India. He spoke to the congregation about working to tell the truth to those that are lost. All areas are continuing to do their part to reach the lost.”
Mountain Creek church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tennessee: Michael Tomshack (elder) reports, “During this past weekend’s quarterly planning session, the elders reviewed our evangelism strategy. We achieved our annual target of 12 baptisms and restorations ahead of schedule; nevertheless, we remain committed to exceeding this objective. One young single mother has begun attending our Sunday Bible class and a monthly Connect Group meeting with her two small children. As she gains new insights, she has expressed curiosity and openness to further learning. Her irregular schedule and frequent travel have made consistent one-on-one study challenging; therefore, we are using technology to provide focused instruction in the interim. The congregation’s welcoming atmosphere has been instrumental in her continued engagement. All members play a vital role in this process, regardless of how modest they may perceive their contribution to be. Lord willing, our studies will continue, leading to her addition to the body of Christ.”
Rivergate church of Christ, Madison, Tennessee: Doug Tooley (preacher) reports, “We had three visitors on Wednesday night. On Sunday morning, we had seven visitors. On Sunday night, we had three. Two of the visitors Sunday night were back from Sunday morning. We happened to be talking about the Doctrine of Salvation and conversions in Acts. I talked with them a good bit after service, and they said they were interested in studying more. On Wednesday night, one man come forward for prayers.”
Cookeville church of Christ, Tennessee: Daniel Burton (deacon) reports, “We are currently reaching out to eight prospects to encourage them. We are sending around 40 cards each week, and participation from the congregation has been excellent. Soon we will make some visits with a few of these prospects. We appreciate all prayers as we look for opportunities to encourage them. The cards, conversations, visits, and personal invitations all play an instrumental part.”
Seagoville church of Christ, Texas: Koide Martin (evangelist) reports, “We are blessed and happy to have Keno and Jamie here with us at Seagoville for continued education, especially since we have many new members who need to hear the entire process. We are already thinking about how we can improve and what we need to do going forward. There is still work going on; we have made another prospect list and will begin compassion cards next Sunday. Also, we have had several young families and prospects visit, which we pray will lead to something good for the Lord’s kingdom.”
Stratford church of Christ, Texas: Chad Theis (coordinator) reports, “This past week, we were blessed with 14 visitors. We were also thankful for the opportunity to conduct one Bible study as we continue seeking to reach the lost.”
Roanoke church of Christ, Texas: Cleatus Copeland (elder) reports, “Sunday was another awesome day as we gained a new sister in Christ. Kay Lambert was baptized at the conclusion of our morning worship period. We met Kay during our recent AMC event. She started attending our Bible classes and worship services consistently after AMC. After a point, she agreed to a Bible study. The Bible study utilized Back to the Bible. We rejoice with Sister Kay and the awesome decision she made. We appreciate all prayers as she begins her Christian walk. We wrote another 450 cards after the evening worship period, and we will start transition visits next weekend. We offer a huge thank you to Cheri and Mike for the hard work they do each week preparing the card packets for the team to write, and then following up by mailing them during the week. We continue to have a significant number of visitors each week (19 yesterday). We have several ongoing Bible studies and prayerful meetings, with others starting in the near future. October 10 is the annual Celebrate Roanoke, and we will have a 10×20 booth where we will engage with the community and visitors at the event. We will offer cool water, prayers as requested, Bibles to those interested, and invites to our services. Our goal is to gather additional contacts for future follow-up.”
Bridge Avenue church of Christ, Weslaco, Texas: Braulio Carvajal (evangelist) reports, “We had four visitors this last week. We continue to have good attendance in our New Converts’ classes, and we have three ongoing Bible studies. In September, we had close to 20 new visitors at our congregation. We have been blessed.”
Eisenhower church of Christ, Odessa, Texas: Allen Weakland (elder) reports, “As we enter into the month of October, the Eisenhower congregation is in full mode as we prep for our Fall Festival. This is one of several outreach efforts in our community, and it seems that it has become our most effective in reaching out to the lost. This endeavor has been blessed by our Creator due to the number of contacts that have been made and how they have turned into prospects, which in turn allowed us to have Bible studies that resulted in conversions. This effort has also seen out-of-duty members being restored to the Lord. On another note, we have been studying with a young man named Tommy. As a result of that study, Tommy was baptized into our Lord Sunday night after evening services. We rejoice with him, his parents, and his grandparents. May God be praised, and may we be grateful to our Creator, who has displayed His goodness by being patient with all of us as He provides us time to learn of Him and respond to loving obedience.”
Big Spring church of Christ, Texas: Jesse Stuart (preacher) reports, “This week demonstrated how several parts of the evangelism model are beginning to work together. Contacts produced through House to House Heart to Heart, the Howard College outreach, personal referrals, daily prayer outreach at Sonic, and congregational follow-up have developed into Bible studies and consistent worship attendance. We also began practical training for our Compassion Card ministry with both the high school class and the congregation. Bible Studies Produced Through House to House: Ruth. Andy and Diana Hill completed Book 1 of Back to the Bible with Ruth. This study began after Ruth received HTH/HTH and asked to receive the publication more often. When she was invited to participate in a personal Bible study, she enthusiastically accepted. Ray and Donna Stephenson. Chris Rosenbaum, one of our deacons, and Andy studied with Ray and Donna after they saw the advertisement in HTH/HTH for our Bible class at Howard College. Carlon Baker, one of our elders’ wives, supported the outreach by preparing cookies for the class. Lester Lang. Andy and Chris Rosenbaum also studied with Lester. This opportunity developed through HTH/HTH and a personal contact made by one of our elders’ wives while she was visiting Lester’s neighbor, who had asked to receive the publication more frequently. Howard College Outreach: Onyx. Andy studied with Onyx through the Howard College Connect Group after the College Baptist Group referred Onyx to him. Andy continues to apply the seven principles of personal evangelism practiced by Jesus, allowing relationships and spiritual opportunities to develop naturally into Bible studies. Reagan Foley and Family. Reagan Foley and her four children continue to attend every Sunday morning Bible class, Sunday morning worship, Sunday evening worship, and Wednesday evening Bible class. One of our elders’ wives invited Reagan to study the Bible, and Reagan gladly accepted. They plan to begin the study this coming week. Sonic Prayer Outreach: We continue visiting Sonic each day and asking the employees how we can pray for them. This consistent outreach has already helped produce two Bible-study opportunities, one with Reagan and another with Catalina. Compassion Card Training: High School class. The High School class received hands-on instruction in how to write compassion cards. The photographs accompanying this report show the classroom setup used for the activity. Congregational training. We conducted our first Bible class lesson on beginning the Compassion Card ministry. A television was installed in one of our classrooms, and we watched selected lessons from Rob Whitacre explaining compassion cards and how to make the ministry practical. The class concluded with a question-and-answer period so members could better understand their part in the work. Overall Assessment: The congregation is moving from training into active participation. House to House Heart to Heart is generating contacts, personal relationships are producing Bible studies, Reagan’s family is attending faithfully, and members are learning how to use compassion cards as a practical tool for follow-up. We are encouraged to see multiple parts of the evangelism model working together and creating genuine opportunities to teach the Gospel.”
Burkburnett church of Christ, Texas: Jamie Beller (preacher) reports, “We conducted our Clothes Closet and served 20 families. During the clothes closet, we made contacts and engaged some in discussion about the Back to the BibleSurvey. On Sunday, October 4, 2026, we had three visitors from the community. Our Bible class focused on Reaching the Lost: What Does It Mean to Be Lost.The Sunday morning sermon was on ‘You Can Be Saved.’ Our Wednesday men’s class is focused on training others to teach while also addressing leadership and evangelism. Bible studies: 3, Contacts: 30, Prospects: 15, Cards Sent: 45. These include cards to visitors, congregations, and the bereaved.”
Lake Country church of Christ, Burnet, Texas: Alex Simmons (preacher) reports, “This past week Keith Shaver was baptized into Christ! After studying with one of our deacons, Kody, his wife, Hannah, and one of our members, Travis, for a few weeks, Keith made the decision to obey the Gospel. The congregation was certainly excited as this was our first baptism since the initial seminar. I believe this conversion is just what the congregation needed to continue to push us forward in this effort. We are going to be working through our New Converts’ class with Keith over the next several months. That being said, we are excited and encouraged to see him grow, as we all need to be doing! On another note, two weeks ago we had a congregational door-knocking. The response in Burnet was amazing! We gained several contacts and are beginning the prospecting phase. We pray that in the next few weeks we will encounter some receptive hearts who are seeking the truth! From now until March, we have a goal of three more baptisms. We believe it is attainable, and we are actively looking for those souls who might respond.”
Vidor church of Christ, Texas: Johnie Scaggs (preacher) reports, “We preached last Sunday part one of the three parts on John, and it was very well received. One of my elders will be preaching part two and part three this coming Sunday and the following Sunday due to my being out of town. Also, one of our members, Brother Will, and Sister Morgan have a Bible study set up with a couple this coming Friday, so please pray for that. We also have our banners up, and things are progressing forward. Be sure to keep us in your prayers as we work toward evangelizing the community in Vidor. We have sent our cards to two families who have attended and are moving forward with those contacts.”
Northern Oaks church of Christ, San Antonio, Texas: Rob McNicol (elder) reports, “We will be door-knocking on October 10 in preparation for our Gospel Meeting with Kevin Cauley on October 18-21: ‘Transforming into the Image of Christ.’ Before the door-knocking, we well train our door knockers.”
Bridgewater church of Christ, Katy, Texas: Doug Suggs (deacon) reports, “On Monday, I began to study with Skip, using Back to the Bible. He came to our Sunday morning service last week and again this past Sunday. My wife and I invited him out to eat lunch. One of our elders and his family was at the restaurant we went to, so we all ate together. After lunch, I asked Skip if he would be interested in studying the Bible, and he agreed. We did the first lesson using Back to the Bible, and we will do our second one next week. We also had Blake, a visiting student from Southwest Preaching School, as our speaker on Sunday, since our preacher, Wade Webster, was out of town at the Spiritual Sword Lectureship in Tennessee. Also, one of our Compassion Card teams sent out cards to visitors and others who need encouragement. We sent out about 30 cards.”
North Jefferson church of Christ, Mt Pleasant, Texas: Davin Whatley (associate minister) reports: “Reach Team 2 wrote cards on Sunday. It was a disappointing week for me, as Nathali, Zamya, and Joe were all unable to study this week. Nathali and Joe want to meet in the future, but it seems Zamya does not want to study. We found out our visitor last week, Barbara, is a member of the church and we hope she places membership with us. I am working to facilitate transition visits, but the work is proving difficult. Please keep our work in your prayers. We have a gospel meeting beginning next Sunday and we are encouraging our congregation to invite friends, family, and people in the community (coworkers, waiters/waitresses, etc.).”
Whitehouse church of Christ, Texas: Cody Stewart (evangelist) reports, “This past Sunday, we spent part of the afternoon door-knocking in nearby neighborhoods to promote our upcoming Fall Festival and our Friends & Family Day. We also asked if we could pray for anyone in the area. This will be the first of four afternoons that we will knock doors for these events. Twelve volunteers from our congregation participated; we knocked on 54 doors, spoke with 18 different families, held prayers with two individuals who were struggling, and added one of the contacts we made to our Compassion List. After returning to the building, one of our four compassion card writing teams met and wrote 84 cards in total to send to those currently on our Compassion List. One young woman in our youth created a new box for our members to turn in contact cards for collection. During the evening service, Kris gave the first lesson on the training to use the Back to the Bible booklets. We currently have four ongoing Bible studies.”
Colleyville church of Christ, Texas: John Garza (regional trainer) reports, “Things did not go according to plan last week. As the devil always does, he made time to reconsider the Gospel. However, this is more in connection with the repentance and getting married. Right now, the young couple has a few days to wait for all the proper documentation. Hopefully, that will be taken care of this week, and they can get married and finish the final study. Other than that, we have multiple studies taking place. In one of last week’s studies, we learned that she was already a Christian, but she is very weak. She is beginning the new convert work. Things continue to look very positive at Colleyville.”
Abingdon church of Christ, Virginia: David Dixon (preacher) reports, “This week at Abingdon, Team 1 met to write cards. We prepared 60 cards to go out to six different contacts. We know that this effort is working because the ladies we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, who were so impressed with the number of cards they received, were back this week. Hopefully, a Bible study will be in the near future with them. We have a congregational breakfast this Saturday, and then on the 31st we are hosting a Fall Festival. In November, we will have a coat giveaway. We will report on these events as they get closer.”
Williamsburg church of Christ, Virginia: Jim Bishop (elder) reports, “This week, the Williamsburg church of Christ continues with one Bible study with a young man who is a relative of a church member. The young man continues to attend worship and Bible study classes. We also look for opportunities to follow up with prospects and their needs. This week was the fifth week of the month, and on Wednesday night we had singing and prayers. Four men of the congregation lifted up those who are lost, the spiritual growth of God’s church, the youth, and those teaching God’s Word. We are also looking forward to our Lectureship on October 24, 2026. We have been blessed to have the following brothers to speak: Brad Harrub, Ben Phillips, Chris Abbott, and Jacob Brunjes. The Lectureship: The Way of the Servant-King, Emulating Christ Love will be held at the church building. Please see our website, Williamsburgcoc.org, for more information. This will be a great opportunity to invite local residents to attend. We pray for all those who are seeking to save the lost. May God bless your efforts!”
West Side church of Christ, Salem, Virginia: Jeff Durham (elder) reports, “We continue having visitors from our community. Yesterday, one person came back for a second visit. She said she appreciated the cards she received in the mail. Our members have been very welcoming to her, as they are with all our guests. We are prayerful that this leads to a Bible study. Speaking of which, several studies continue. We are encouraged by their desire to know what the Bible says about these important matters. One can see their understanding build; they are questioning what they have been taught in the past. They see the inconsistencies of those teachings when compared with the Bible.”
Note: These reports are from Christians and congregations enrolled in the House to House/Heart to Heart School of Evangelism. We send these emails 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.
*To view our HTH workers’ speaking appointments, go to
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