Success Stories: September 3, 2025

Welcome, Flatwoods church of Christ, Kentucky: We want to welcome the Flatwoods congregation to the House to House/Heart to Heart School of Evangelism. Nathan Adkins (elder) reports: “We had 19 visitors.  Six were brand new. Four were there for the 3rd time.  The others were visiting from another congregation.  We distributed the post-seminar survey at the end of our morning worship.  We got 58 returned to us.  One Bible study is conducted on Sunday afternoon, with the next one scheduled for this week. One other study is set for Wednesday.”

Glencoe church of Christ, Alabama: Keith Ritchie (evangelist) reports, “Our teams knocked on doors in a different area and made several good contacts for our transition teams to follow up on. Three Bible studies are still ongoing, and we have our first lectureship beginning this Sunday. Rob and Nicole are studying with Ressa. They met her at Polishing the Pulpit. She is from Jamaica and works in Pigeon Forge. She is scheduled to do Lesson 3 of Back to the Bible this week. They have contacted Brother Dale Babinsky, preacher at the Great Smoky Mountains congregation, to join them for the final study. Pray our efforts yield fruit for the Kingdom!”

Chase Park church of Christ, Huntsville, Alabama: Pat Cowden (evangelist) reports, “Since my last report, we have had two baptisms at Chase Park. One is Christopher Smith, the coworker of Joseph Miller. Joseph has had multiple studies with friends and coworkers, and he asked Christopher if he wanted to study. At the conclusion of the study, Christopher decided to be baptized in Christ. The second baptism is RoAnn Byrd. She and her husband, Kevin, have been visiting Chase Park for quite a while. Kevin had obeyed the Gospel several years ago, and they have attended churches of Christ ever since. RoAnn has a great interest in studying the Bible and evangelism. I went to see them last week to talk about the Lord’s church and explain the uniqueness of the church that belongs to Christ. At the completion of our study, she said she needed to think and pray about the fact that she had immediately started worshipping wrongly after she was baptized about 20 years ago in a denomination. The next morning, she texted me and said, ‘Let’s do this thing!’ She is so excited about her relationship with Christ and the opportunity she has to share her faith with others. We appreciate all prayers for our evangelistic efforts at Chase Park.”

Central church of Christ, Saraland, Alabama: David Dixon (preacher) reports, “It is becoming apparent to us that our efforts can produce results both short-term and long-term. Some of the seeds we planted at least a year ago are coming back to life. In one case, we have kept constant contact with our prospect, and it is just now softening her heart. In another case, a contact I made a year ago, but whom I had not cultivated any further, reached out to me and asked about our evening services. She said she watched this week and plans to bring her family in the future. This is so invigorating to us because now we know the seed never dies. It may go dormant for a while, but we keep praying, and the Lord keeps working!”

Cedar Grove church of Christ, Andalusia, Alabama: Josh Holloway (preacher) reports, “We were able to do several other studies throughout the week. On Monday night, we continued our weekly Bible study with Nena. She is understanding so much about the Bible and the church. She has been to several denominations over the years, but she says that she has never felt so loved as she has at Cedar Grove. She thanks us over and over after every Bible study because she has been searching for truth for years, and this is the first time anyone has helped her understand. She now attends every service, has a weekly Bible study, and has said she was going to start attending our weekly Ladies’ Bible class as well. On Wednesday, we studied with Matt again. He is now in the final booklet. He understands the Bible and the church. We are moving into salvation, so we request prayers for his soul. He was in a car wreck recently, so he has to go to physical therapy, and they have to check his cognitive progression, too. He told me that his cognitive therapist completely released him because of his progress. He told me and the doctors that the weekly Bible studies, reading, and answering questions about the scriptures are helping him physically and spiritually. On Thursday, we were able to make some visits to prospects. We brought a benevolence check to one of our prospects (David and his wife, Paula) to cover some hospital bills. They have agreed to do a study in the future, but no specifics have been set. Friday, we were able to meet with some of our wayward members to try to bring them back. Also, one of our members did a study with her granddaughters. They have been going through the Back to the Bible study. The parents of the girls are divorced, and the mom has custody. Mom (who is in a denomination) did not like how much the girls were learning. Our member completed the last study about baptism with their mom present. The two young ladies, in tears, wanted to be baptized right then, but their mom would not allow it. She agreed to do it later when all of the family could be present. She is pushing the young ladies not to be a part of the church of Christ. We ask for prayers for these young ladies and the entire situation. Saturday, we had a wonderful study with Michael. He has a background in a non-denominational church, but there is much study to be done. We had him and his family over for supper on Saturday. We had a great study and will start the green booklet on Tuesday night. He texted me Sunday morning to let me know how excited he was to begin. He asked to take home the first booklet so he could read through and be prepared for Tuesday’s study. He said he cannot stop studying his Bible now. He and his family came to the service on Sunday morning and seemed excited to be there. On Sunday morning, we had Mrs. Casheria and her husband come to services. She had cancer but is currently in remission. We had reached out with compassion cards. The follow-up visit led to a Bible study. Now we are set up to do weekly studies on Thursdays. Then on Sunday, she came to worship with tears, lots of hugs, and every card she had been sent for weeks. She brought the cards and showed them to everyone she could. She wanted to tell everyone in person how much it meant to her. She wanted to meet the people who had taken the time to write her. We will try to finish the green booklet this Thursday. Please pray for this wonderful couple. They seem to be great soil! We sent out 632 cards this month. We have had our compassion card program up and running since June and have sent out over 1600 so far.

Hatton church of Christ, Town Creek, Alabama: Chris Miller (preacher) reports, “Members continue to be extremely active in inviting so many people, in addition to our normal efforts. This week, we had some visitors from the community who were invited, and we are following up with them. The one in particular I’m thinking about would have been easy to pass by, but we are ‘planters, not pickers.’ We are currently working with several great contacts.”

Creekwood church of Christ, Mobile, Alabama: Tucker Presley (preacher) reports, “We made several visits to families who came to VBS, and they went well. No Bible studies came from the visits, but we made good contacts, and some said they would return to Creekwood. We have made other visits as well. One family has visited several times, and we believe we will have an opportunity to study with them. A young man visited last night and was invited to dinner with some young adults. I believe we will see him again. We have an ongoing Bible study and continue to write compassion cards every week.”

Petersville church of Christ, Florence, Alabama: Adam Richardson (preacher) reports, “The Petersville church fed 90 players and coaches for the Central High School football team last week. We are spreading the word about our legacy Sunday this week and inviting family and friends to this special day. The auditorium class mailed 35 cards, and we have a Bible study set up on Tuesday.”

Hartselle church of Christ, Alabama: Justin Smith (preacher) reports, “The church is growing! This week, we celebrate as we had three baptisms into Christ. We also held our first public meeting for the New Movers ministry, and we had about 60 people show up to find out how they could be involved with it. Overall, we had a very encouraging week and a lot of reasons to praise God!”

Rison church of Christ, Arkansas: Keden Shrum (preacher) reports, “We had a great worship on Sunday and a fellowship meal afterwards. Several members discussed the invitation cards they have been giving out around town. On Friday evening, Chandra and I had the Besaw family over for dinner, and we were able to go through Book 1 of BTTB. They seemed to enjoy it, and we have planned to do Book 2 this week. Care Team B met on Sunday evening to sign cards for three people, and we already have two additional ones to add for next week.”

Mountain Home church of Christ, Arkansas: Joshua Adams (preacher) reports, “We held our Fifth Sunday Youth-Led Service. Every fifth Sunday, after a potluck following the morning service, we gather again at 1:00 p.m. for an afternoon service led by the young men of the congregation. They lead singing and read Scripture. Then the lesson—usually given by our youth minister—is geared toward our kids. We are thrilled that 13 young men participated in the service! Participation continues to grow, thanks to our Sunday night Bible class, B.L.A.S.T. (Bible Learning and Spiritual Training), where we use the Lads to Leaders curriculum and events to teach and give our kids opportunities to practice. We are seeing wonderful results as both our children and adults grow in their faith. Additionally, we had  13 people stay afterwards to fill out 45 compassion cards. Since we have already cycled through so many contacts, we will soon be asking the congregation again for more names—and we have no doubt they will step up as they always do!”

Margaret Street church of Christ, Milton, Florida: Troy Spradlin (preacher) reports, “Between our Summer Series and visiting missionaries, we have had many guest speakers during the past few months. Every single one has asked, ‘What are you all doing that has generated so many Bible studies and conversions?’ We tell them about the HTH School of Evangelism. There is an increasing number of people who are interested and signing up. We hope to see all the churches in this area increase their evangelism efforts so the Lord’s church will grow! Meanwhile, each week, we make a few more contacts, hold a few more Bible studies, and have a few more visitors, while continuing to send out cards. I am a firm believer that if the church does the work, the Lord will provide the increase. Our current 2025 Year-to-Date Accountability Board numbers are: 240 Total Contacts received; 65 Visitors; 170 Neighbors (Prospects to whom we have shown love and opportunities for Bible studies); 70 Bible studies (total completed); 1,846 Compassion cards sent; two Restorations; and 16 Baptisms.”

Niceville church of Christ, Florida: Joe Palmer (preacher) reports, “This week I have been working on plans for 2026. I am working with Troy Spradlin from Milton to promote the ‘40 Days in the Wilderness’ study. I hope to utilize this for both our new converts and community outreach at the beginning of the year. New Year’s is a time people begin to think about their need for change and include God in their lives. On Wednesday, the elders approved a one-day meeting with Keno Shrum. After two years, I want people to hear about this program from a voice other than my own. This will hopefully refocus and renew the energy of the church for evangelism. This week we had one Bible study. We mailed out 28 cards. I am grateful for new people stepping up and stretching themselves. I am unsure about new prospects because I was out of town celebrating 20 years of marriage.”

Lafayette church of Christ, Georgia: Jesse Teague (deacon) reports, “We have had a visitor the last two Sundays who came to us as a result of receiving House to House in the mail. He stayed for the fellowship meal and enjoyed some time with our members. He has an interest in the Bible, and we want to nourish it! We are encouraging everyone to participate in the nationwide door knocking on the 20th (we rescheduled our normal Second Saturday door knocking to the third Saturday for this). It will be here soon!”

Edgewood church of Christ, Columbus, Georgia: Mitchell Deering (deacon) reports, “We currently have seven active Bible studies, showing steady growth from last month. With 33 cards sent this week, we began building momentum for September. Our follow-up team of six brothers is now established and ready to engage in personal outreach, ensuring that prospects receive consistent contact. Although we have not had any new visitors yet this month, we are prepared with systems in place to greet, follow up, and engage with them when they do arrive. In regard to our next steps, we plan to strengthen follow-up with compassion card recipients and turn those contacts into Bible studies.”

Cartersville church of Christ, Georgia (remote): Charles Harris (regional trainer) reports, “We baptized Jaylen and Alicia this past week. Jaylen is a nephew of one of our new sisters. Another new brother joined Jaylen and me in our Bible studies. Alicia had reached out on a local Facebook group requesting someone to preach at her mother’s funeral. My wife let her know I would do it, which allowed me to get to know the family. After the service, we stayed in contact, and a couple of weeks later, Alicia visited our worship service. My wife and I began studying shortly after.”

Rabun County church of Christ, Georgia (remote): McKinley Pate (preacher) reports, “The Lord continues to bless us in Rabun County as He gives the increase with the fifth baptism this month. Jennifer Delgado obeyed the Gospel on Sunday, August 24, after studying with her uncle, who is a member of the Snellville congregation near Atlanta. Jennifer lives in Rabun County and, due to a medical condition, does not drive. However, our members have stepped up and are picking her up for services and other church events. We presented Jennifer with a new Bible and The Beginning of Your Confidence, along with a baptism certificate. We are also prospecting one contact. Our attendance is still holding steady in the mid to upper 30’s most Sundays, with the occasional 40+ when everyone is there. We have begun our fall football campaign by handing out 5-inch foam footballs with the church’s information on them during our home High School football games. At the first two games, we handed out over 90 footballs, and they have been well received. We also fed the High School band before the first home game with the help of several members of the Central church of Christ in Augusta, Georgia. What a blessing it is to have so much interest from other congregations concerning the stateside mission work in Rabun County. To God be the Glory!”

Eatonton church of Christ, Georgia (remote): Roderick Coney (minister) reports, “We just started a Bible study this week with one of our contacts. We are working on our prospect list, hoping to bring another person on board. We appreciate all prayers as we continue to fight the good fight.”

Honolulu church of Christ, Hawaii: Tagiillima Esene (regional trainer) reports, “Two souls are currently in Bible studies. We are currently prospecting several contacts at this time. Two meal invitations have been made. We now have deacons who will be serving in several specific areas. We are ready to have a ground zero meeting to help us all reset and refocus our hearts on the mission. We appreciate all prayers.”

Collinsville-Troy church of Christ, Illinois: Jason Wright (elder) reports, “We are actively seeking and saving, remembering that the many are called and the few are chosen. Jesus was spot on with that teaching. Evangelism reminds us of how much work must be done to convert one soul; it sure is worth it. We mailed 147 compassion cards. We gave out a visitor bag. We are getting a few contacts from our clothing closet. We made ten visits and delivered five New Movers’ baskets. One of our elders started booklet 3 with a recent visitor. He is noticing that the worship at his daughter’s church differs drastically from what is found in scripture. We are thankful he sees the difference and is questioning it. We also studied again with a lady we have been studying with for several months.”

Lincolnway church of Christ, Columbia City, Indiana: Drew Reece (preacher) reports, “We had another baptism this week. James Browning was baptized into Christ after studying the Bible with Tim Summers, one of the members! We have started training on Back to the Bible, and we have also started our New Convert’s class.”

Judah church of Christ, Bloomington, Indiana: Joe Moon (preacher) reports, “We sent out compassion cards this week. We had one visitor and held a Bible study. During the study, we finished the first book of Back to the Bible. It went well.”

Highland Village church of Christ, Bloomington, Indiana: Mark Stauffer (elder) reports, “We sent 15 compassion cards and made two visits. We had two visitors for worship, and one a first-time visitor. We have two prospects. Our adult Bible class and worship on the last Sunday of August were focused on the Gospel accounts and the crucifixion. Special emphasis was placed on how horrible sin is and how Christ endured great suffering to free all people from sin. Knowing Christ more intimately strengthens faith. If we appreciate His incomparable sacrifice, it instills zeal and perseverance.”

Beloit church of Christ, Kansas (remote): Dustin Dougherty (regional trainer) reports, “We had nearly 40 for worship on Sunday, which is very encouraging. We are working on creating contacts to meet local people. We ask for prayers as we reach out to the lost in Beloit.”

Columbus church of Christ, Kansas: Matt Fowler (member) reports, “In the past couple of reports, I had asked for prayer on behalf of a Bible study and also asked that we might have some visitors. Those prayers were answered in a big way! As a high school football coach, this is a particularly busy time of year for me. Back in May, a coach at a rival school and a great friend of mine, Dan, lost his son tragically to suicide. I was devastated for him and went to visit him. The church sent him compassion cards. He agreed to a Bible study. We started Back to the Bible and did the first two lessons during back-to-back weekends, one at his house and one at mine, with my junior high school-aged son serving as my silent partner. Dan lives a little over an hour away from me in Iola, so I had to do some planning for the third study. I got in contact with Del Shields, who preaches for the Iola church of Christ. He agreed to come with me for the third study. Dan thought he was saved, but as he learned the truth, he began to have some doubts. He wanted to make sure he was saved the way the Bible teaches. Del took us to the building, and Dan was baptized into Christ. He had his first Sunday worshiping with the Lord’s church the following day. This coming Friday night, Dan and I will be on opposite sidelines competing in our season opener. I will know that I have a brother in Christ on the other side of the field! We are rejoicing! Please pray for our new brother. This is our seventh baptism for the year as a result of using the evangelism model. I preached on Sunday in Columbus, and there were 25 in attendance. Three of them were visitors from the community! We have not had many visitors, except for members passing through occasionally. We got their contact information, and they stayed for our fellowship meal following the service. They said that they all came because they received House to House Heart to Heart in the mail. This was our first mailing. We are very excited! Please continue to pray for our small congregation as we strive to make a difference for the Lord.”

Central church of Christ, Paducah, Kentucky: Adam Faughn (preacher) reports, “This week, we had three studies, but all were postponed (thankfully, for legitimate reasons). We hope to jump back on them and continue to see God’s Word change lives. Each week, we send cards and welcome guests. I do not usually report those things, but we are so grateful that these things happen every week because they are the types of things that lead to the opportunities to study! To God be the glory.”

Gonzales church of Christ, Louisiana: Patrick Adkins (deacon) reports, “We have set aside Fifth Sundays as Make-up days for those that may have missed their opportunity to sign cards. We did not have anyone that indicated the need for Make-Up cards. We did send one “group card” that does not fit into the month’s category, but it is an urgent need. We have made three transition visits and are assessing our prospect list per the elders.”

Beltway church of Christ, Camp Springs, Maryland: LeAndre Johnson (preacher) reports, “We are three Sundays past our 12 weeks of preplanned sermons. We are continuing to do our T3 classes on Wednesday night, training our lead teachers. This Sunday Gavin Baker, a college sophomore, was baptized. We have one study in progress.”

La Plata church of Christ, Maryland (remote): Eric Sykes (regional trainer) reports, “We sent out 34 compassion cards this week. We had four visitors, and since this week was our Fifth Sunday fellowship meal, three of them stayed to eat and enjoy fellowship with the members. We had an amazing time, and they are now on our compassion card list. The fourth visitor was a returning visitor and the brother of one of our members. They decided to go golfing. The member is working to set up a Bible study with his brother. We have put together eight New Movers’ baskets for our door-knocking team to deliver tomorrow. We currently have seven folks on our prospect list and eight open Bible studies. We will report on our success of tomorrow’s door knocking next week. We appreciate all prayers as we strive to evangelize our community.”

Jackson church of Christ, Missouri: David Selvig (elder) reports, “On Sunday, we started Lesson 1 in the BTTB book, and the congregation was very engaged. Participation was great. We had a request for a Bible study after the evening worship, so we will schedule it soon! I am very excited to see what God has planned for us here in Jackson!”

Aberdeen church of Christ, Mississippi: Jonathan Hagar (preacher) reports, “We had a baptism Friday night! She is 64-years-old, but no one is ever too old to be a babe in Christ! I had another Bible study planned for earlier that same day, and the person asked if she could bring a friend with her who was also looking for a ‘new church.’ I love that this woman, who has visited with us several times, has been so impressed that not only is she studying with us, but she is already inviting friends to come with her! This past Sunday, we had three visitors, two of whom came all the way from California. We gave them visitor packets and got their information. The new ‘First Principles’ (New Converts) class was this past Sunday, and we had nine people join the class, including our newest member who was baptized two days before. I preached on ‘Finding Our Place in Church Growth: There is a Place for Everyone.’ I went over all the highlights of church work and what the church has built over the past couple of months because I wanted everyone to see just how active and organized the church is. I suspected that many in the church had no idea just how much the church was doing, and I was right. The same afternoon, I had several members tell me they had no idea that we were doing so much! Many came up to me after the sermon and volunteered to help out with certain places in church work that they did not even know we were doing. It was encouraging to see so many people wanting to get involved!”

Iuka church of Christ, Mississippi: Sam Glover (preacher) reports, “New Mover baskets were delivered (7 total, as previously mentioned) and follow-ups are being scheduled. Visitors are being followed up with and two sets of cards were sent last week. I am excited for our Gospel Meeting and for the upcoming door knocking. Both present exciting opportunities for connection.”

East Flushing church of Christ, New York (remote): Clarence Jenkins (preacher) reports, “On Sunday, we had eight visitors, and after worship service we watched the video ‘Tips for Evangelism: Training vs Teaching.’ Our metrics thus far for and through the month of August include six baptisms, 19 visitors, 19 prospects, seven Bible studies, two more Bible studies (Lord willing, this week), and two in a new convert study. We appreciate all prayers.”

Alkire Road church of Christ, Ohio: Tony Dunnagan (deacon) reports, “We have had another baptism. This brings our total to nine since the American Mission Campaigns two months ago. Last week, we had two additional baptisms, making a total of 11. We still have 40 prospects, and we are trying to catch up with them. We started congregational training this past Wednesday.”

New Concord church of Christ, Ohio: Terry Townsend (preacher) reports, “We had a couple of visitors Sunday, including one who has had major health issues. I plan to visit with her and her husband this week (her husband is a member). The woman we have been working with at the local nursing home continues to show much interest. We anticipate additional Bible studies with her in the coming days. She wants desperately to attend services, but due to her health conditions, that is not possible at this time because we do not have a handicapped equipped vehicle.”

Coweta church of Christ, Oklahoma: Keno Shrum (regional trainer) reports, “Saturday morning, the men of the congregation met with the elders to create a Plan of Work for 2026. More and more members are getting on board and taking active roles in evangelism. On Sunday morning, we had a family of four come from the area Community Baptist Church. They said they are looking for a new church home. We had lunch with them afterward, and they said they really enjoyed the service. They were excited about the traditional ‘feel,’ which is very different from what they have usually experienced. We noted their contact information and filled out compassion cards on Sunday evening. We will make a transitional visit when the cards are finished mailing, although they said they would definitely be back when they left.”

Owasso church of Christ, Oklahoma: David Combs (elder) reports, “In Bible class, our New Convert’s class has been through one cycle. Yesterday, we completed Lesson 2 of our second cycle on how we are to sing in worship. Following our morning services, one of our deacons led us in prayer for our evangelism efforts and for the prospects and individuals listed on our bookmark cards. Following our evening services, Team 5 met to write compassion cards. Seventeen writers wrote 166 cards for 11 prospects. The prospect timeline is as follows: two are in Week 3, three are in Week 2, and six are in Week 1. Our year-to-date numbers are: Visitors, 51; Prospects, 76; Visits made, 49; Cards sent, 2,471; Bible studies, 13; and Baptisms, 9.”

York church of Christ, Pennsylvania: Mark Rashke (deacon) reports, “Fred had a first study last Tuesday with a young man named Aden who has been worshipping with us lately. On Sunday, we had two new visitors; however, they left the service early, so we were unable to obtain their contact information. We also sent multiple compassion cards this week. Additionally, I would like to highlight the work of Georges Narbonne and the Mill Village church of Christ in Nova Scotia. Until earlier this year, Mill Village was a congregation of four women. Georges and his wife, Joan, had previously lived in the area, but they had moved away while Georges worked in the shipbuilding industry. After Georges retired, they moved back to the area. He saw the need and began preaching in the area, splitting his time between two congregations and sleeping at the church building. The women were glad to have a man to lead worship, but it was a heavy load for Georges alone. While on vacation earlier this summer, my family of five visited the area at the same time as two couples from Oklahoma. A local young couple also happened to visit on the same day, which gave the congregation an attendance of 17, with five men eligible to serve in worship! This was a huge crowd for them, and the women graciously fed lunch to all of us. After that visit, Georges has kept in touch with me and sends me updates a couple of times per week. He has no preaching education other than having attended a Christian High School. He is now taking classes through Great Lakes Bible College. Georges told me that he had almost been discouraged enough to give up prior to that Sunday, that the Lord providentially arranged for all of us to converge on that congregation. Since early June, two Christian families have moved to the area, so that there are now three men eligible to serve and two children! Despite a recent diagnosis of a serious heart condition, Georges and Joan work diligently to visit shut-ins and former members. They have had visitors from the local community and have had some Bible studies. Please pray for their work, as Georges has begun to labor to make sure that their baptistery is in good working order.”

Union church of Christ, South Carolina (remote): Kent Thompson (member) reports, “Two were in the New Convert’s class Sunday. This will be our last week for sending cards, and next week we can go visit. We are praying we can get a Bible study.”

Ocoee Street church of Christ, Tennessee:  R.E. Vann (elder) reports, “We made three encouraging contacts from our New Movers list and will begin prospecting them this week. We also had seven visitors, and two of them were first-time local visitors. One of them remarked, ‘Your congregation could not make a person feel any more welcome if they tried!’ One of our Pew Greeters took them both out to lunch. Our members are making tremendous strides in creating a loving and caring atmosphere for our visitors. Our 2025 Year-to-Date metrics are: 212 Visitors, 45 Love Our Neighbors (Prospects), 669 Compassion Cards sent, 36 Transition Visits made, three Bible Studies, four Baptisms (our goal is five), and one Restoration (our goal is nine). Keno Shrum will be conducting a refresher for us this week. Please keep Keno and his wife, Jamie, in your prayers as they travel this week. Also pray for a successful refresh!”

Cookeville church of Christ, Tennessee: Joshua Kennedy (preacher) reports, “We have three new sets of compassion cards going out this week. We finished up the last round, and I will be making a visit this week for a contact made by those. We have New Movers baskets going out this week as well. We have folks going to the local nursing home starting soon, as we try to make some contacts. We are also hopefully in the final steps of planning a possible regular door-knocking opportunity. We appreciate all prayers and encouragement!”

Covington church of Christ, Tennessee: Wayne Dalrymple (elder) reports, “Jeff had a first study last Wednesday with Conrad, one of our teenagers. Jeff’s study with Cody and Alexis is still ongoing. We had some visitors last Wednesday who were seeking financial help. I told them we always want to have a Bible study before we consider helping someone. They agreed to study after our services that evening. We only got through the first section of book one because we had to go very slowly. We wrote several cards for visitors last week as well. We appreciate prayers for God to give the increase as we plant and water the seed.”

Free Will church of Christ, Gainesboro, Tennessee (remote): Andrew Scott (preacher) reports, “I have been able to set up lunch with one of our prospects, and that meal will take place in the next couple of weeks. I hope to transition and begin Back to the Bible at that time. We continue to keep our contact list updated and seek out those who are lost or going through life events and may need compassion cards. We also continue to have visitors every Sunday. We have new brethren coming to services who are seeking the truth and have not been hearing the truth for a long time. We are thankful to God for them, as they are bringing us new contacts. Lord willing, next Sunday night, I will be preaching ‘Second Thoughts’ from the pulpit. What a wonderful tool that is, and we are looking forward to placing it in the hands of our members. May God continue to bless all evangelistic efforts!”

West Sparta church of Christ, Tennessee: Justin Turney (deacon) reports, “We finished preaching John 4 on Sunday, and we began to fill our prospect list. From the congregation, we received about six prospects. We also had one member give us a prospect, which was her grandmother, who is in the nursing home and on hospice. We hope to speak with her today about possibly conducting a Bible study ASAP. I believe we have three Bible studies scheduled for this week. It has been great seeing the excitement of the congregation, and we look forward to continuing to go each week!”

West Fayetteville church of Christ, Tennessee: Steve Jefferson (elder) reports, “We had our fifth Sunday lunch and then a 1:00 p.m. service with a few of the men from the congregation preaching. We were very thankful to have over 40 visitors. About half of these individuals had never been to West Fayetteville before, and we are grateful to add them to our contact list. Van Massey, one of our elders, has four WBS studies that were generated from Mike Hixson’s television program ‘Anchor of the Soul.’ Last week, we sent out 15 compassion cards to three contacts.”

New Union church of Christ, Manchester, Tennessee: Paul Fulks (elder) reports, “We had three visitors from our community Sunday. Our Compassion Card team composed 34 cards to be mailed throughout the week. We made five visits and worked with our new converts. We have had two baptisms this year.”

Grundy Street church of Christ, Tullahoma, Tennessee: John Summers (preacher) reports, “We had our Summer 2025 Friends and Family Day. We have been preparing for this day for weeks, and despite several of our own folks traveling and having a holiday weekend, we still had a marvelous turnout with 201 people present for Sunday morning worship. We were able to actually get cards for 45 visitors (though we probably had 80-100 visitors all told). We now must review all those cards, identify which of them legitimately can be prospected, and begin working those as prospects. We also had a former member at our event yesterday who made it known that she would like to return to our congregation and wants to place membership with us. We are ready now to resume our SOE curriculum, and the SOE curriculum leadership meeting that the elders and I will be having this week will center on moving forward with our Care Card (compassion card) program. As noted previously, we plan to start that with visitors as our first category and will be working on those from the list of visitors that we have from our Friends and Family Day cards. We understand that some of those visitors yesterday are already members of other congregations and some likely will live too far away to attend at Grundy Street regularly, but those non-members who are close by and not members of other congregations will be noted for potential prospecting. We have our Care Card teams organized, and our Care Card room is ready, so we hope to start sending Care Cards right away.”

Arlington church of Christ, Tennessee: Brandon Tibbits (preacher) reports, “I am super excited right now because the five people on our prospect list are all visitors. This week, we will be conducting our visits. Things have been picking up, and we have been having visitors for the past several Sundays, at least one a week.”

Chapel Hill church of Christ, Tennessee: Matt Jones (deacon) reports, “We rejoice in a recent decision by one of our youth to obey the Gospel. We continue to have several ongoing studies with several other prospects getting closer to the point of explaining how to be obedient to the Gospel. We pray that hearts will be open during those discussions.”

Mountain Creek church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tennessee: Michael Tomshack (elder) reports, “The Keeper sleeve of the Evangelism Process is a crucial component in deepening and strengthening the spiritual resilience of new converts, particularly for those who originate from a worldview that does not fully endorse the entirety of Scriptures and lives in 2025. As the novelty of being raised as a new creation begins to fade, former friends may serve as a comforting haven when strong connections within the congregation develop slowly due to the demands of life. We have experienced the loss of a few new converts who have lost interest in our outreach or have blocked our efforts because, in their perspective, the traditional way of life is significantly easier. We continue to include them on our prospect list for opportunities that arise, praying for their hearts to soften once again. As we engage in spiritual battles, living and teaching James 4:7-8, ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you’ (ESV), remains a central theme. In this context, submission to God is perceived as a suggestion rather than a command or a simple means of living a virtuous life. We fervently pray for wisdom, understanding, and patience as teachers. We also seek time for the lost and those who have chosen to stray from the path of righteousness, encouraging them to recognize that the narrow way is the sole path to eternal joy.”

McEwen church of Christ, Tennessee: John Jones (preacher) reports, “We have two families with strange work schedules during the week, so it has been difficult to schedule Bible studies with them. So we are using the Sunday morning Bible class hour to study. The studies are going well, and we have just made it to Book 2.”

Collierville church of Christ, Tennessee: Justin Evergarden (evangelist) reports, “We are sending cards to three people this week. We have completed the first round of evangelism training for the congregation and will be planning for additional training this week. We are also brainstorming ideas for our next community outreach and laying the foundational work for the New Movers program.”

McKenzie church of Christ, Tennessee: Randall McAdams (elder) reports, “Chance is studying with a young man and is hopeful for his obedience to the Gospel. Finally, we continue to receive random cards from some of the contacts who have received our cards, thanking us for thinking of them. This is a very encouraging note. We are thankful for all the work and encouraging emails that we receive with suggestions for maintaining this evangelism program. God bless you all.”

Soddy church of Christ, Tennessee: Joe Mallory (preacher) reports, “We were able to see the wonderful mercy of God in full display yesterday as two precious souls were washed by the blood of the Lamb! After morning services, Mia Kyle desired to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, obeying the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mia and her family were invited to VBS in June. They were on our first list for compassion cards, thanking them for coming to VBS and encouraging them to continue studying with us. Since then, they have been diligent, bringing the children to Bible school and attending services. The congregation continued to encourage this dear family as we went through the Back to the Bible sermon series. We are grateful that she has been considering the state of her soul and has recognized the need for Gospel obedience. An hour later, Logan Qualls decided to put on the Lord in baptism! Logan has been studying with his parents for the past couple of months. Logan’s father, Tommy, had the privilege of immersing Logan as the Father above transplanted him into the Kingdom of His love. We rejoice with Heaven above as both Mia and Logan begin their walk with Christ and His church!”

Philadelphia church of Christ, Lebanon, Tennessee (remote): Alex DeGraves (associate preacher) reports, “Our two studies are still on hold for the moment. We are continuously praying that they will begin again. We are sending out cards and have four names to add to our card list. However, we are waiting for one of those four to provide a last name so we can start sending cards.”

Hillcrest church of Christ, Springfield, Tennessee: Tim Taylor (evangelist) reports, “Tommy and Carolyn have moved back into the Springfield area, and it was announced yesterday that they will be working and worshipping with us at Hillcrest. Noah, who is starting his college education at Austin Peay, responded seeking restoration Sunday morning.”

Birdwell Chapel church of Christ, Cottontown, Tennessee: Kerry England (elder) reports, “We had a family visit Sunday who said they are looking for a church home. The reason they visited is that their daughter is in a band with three of our young people. They had invited them! That is exciting and encouraging to see them involved in evangelism! We continue to send compassion cards each week. In addition to these, we are mailing out special invitation cards to a BBQ later this month. They will be sent to families who attended VBS or participated in our backpack drive. Hopefully, we can connect and start to build relationships! There is one ongoing Bible study.”

Rivergate church of Christ, Madison, Tennessee: Doug Tooley (preacher) reports, “Last Wednesday closed our summer series, and we had two visitors. We had four on Sunday morning and one on Sunday night. On Wednesday night, we had two baptisms. One was a young man who grew up in our youth group, and we have all had him on our mind for a while. The other was a man who had been baptized in a denomination and, he decided he did not have the proper knowledge at the time of his first immersion.”

White Oak church of Christ, Chattanooga, Tennessee (remote): John McGiffin (preacher) reports, “Last week we held one Bible study, and we have three scheduled for this week. Our Family and Friends Day will be this Sunday. Don Blackwell will teach lessons on ‘Heaven is a Wonderful Place.’ We have handed out several hundred postcards, Facebook postings, and flyers.”

Natalia church of Christ, Texas: Jim Word (elder) reports, “Brendan Carty finished Lesson 3 of Back to the Bible and was baptized last night. One of our members set up a study for me with his cousin, Casey. The first study went well. We have the second study set up this week. I love to see the members referring contacts.”

Southwest church of Christ, Austin, Texas: Bryce Mayfield (evangelist) reports, “The congregation here at Southwest is going through change. Our minister, Cody Westbrook, is moving to Alabama to begin a new work. In this change, we are trying to use wisdom as we begin to ‘restart’ our evangelism program. I will meet with the elders tomorrow to discuss how we are going to do this. Also, our evangelism tables have been updated, welcome baskets have been made for guests, and more members are getting involved in our evangelism efforts. We have several visitors and contacts that we are prospecting for Bible studies. I’m optimistic about the progress this congregation will make as we close out this year!”

Granbury Street church of Christ, Cleburne, Texas: Ryan Cowan (deacon) reports, “On Thursday night we took the advice of John Garza, bought a $7.00 cookie and cream pie, and made a family commitment that we would give that pie to one of our prospects.  As John predicted regarding Thursday nights, we were able to connect with a contact, provide our pie and nurture a relationship.  Barry was extremely pleased with our pie and our conversation.  His granddaughter, who was not home, had visited us a few weeks ago.  We were excited to find out that Barry has a connection to Granbury Street through his late sister, Lou Baker.  Barry was so happy to see us.  We provided an invitation card with a cell phone number and a House to House publication.  No doubt Barry will share our visit with his granddaughter upon her return.  It was so encouraging to make a visit as a family.”

Bridgewater church of Christ, Katy, Texas: Doug Suggs (deacon) reports, “Wade Webster and I had our first Bible study with Bianca last Friday evening. The study went well, and we have set up another study to do the second lesson of Back to the Bible with her. One of our elders, Jim Avalos, has a study set up on Saturday with a young lady who has been attending our services. We are in the process of trying to set up a study with Sylvar, who attended one of our services a week ago. One of our members, Louvon and I are still studying with Catherine and pray that the study will continue soon. She has had some medical problems recently. Andre continues to bring us prospects as well.”

Roanoke church of Christ, Texas: Caleb Rutherford (preacher) reports, “We are in the process of scheduling transition visits, with many to make this week. We are praying that they will result in Bible studies. Group 1 wrote to three prospects. Members continue to turn in contacts. We will be participating in the national door-knocking day here soon, focusing on new movers. We are excited for that effort.”

Colleyville church of Christ, Texas: John Garza (regional trainer) reports, “Concerning our current Bible studies, Josh Hillis is studying with Aaron and Grant. Josh knows what he needs to do; he is just hesitant to make that decision. Grant is hoping to study with him soon to talk through some of his hesitations. Concerning our prospects, we are working on John and Cheri Wamsley. Please continue to pray for Cheri. She is still recovering slowly at the rehab center and is ready to get out of there. We are hopeful that they will be able to begin a Bible study when she returns to her health. Recently, we improved our new convert program. However, we have some work to do to get more contacts.”

Wheeler church of Christ, Texas: Garrett English (preacher) reports, “Three of our families delivered follow-up Bibles and materials to those who visited our VBS. The last ones will be given out this week! I wrote a personal card to each one, asking them to visit us or let us know if they have any questions. I believe this will be fruitful.”

Northern Oaks church of Christ, San Antonio, Texas: Mel Hutzler (elder) reports, “A young man named Kaden Groda moved here and will be laboring and training as an evangelist for one year with our current evangelist. We are glad to have another young person being trained in the work of evangelism. Katherine Montgomery, our congregation’s secretary, started a ‘GroupMe’ just for evangelism. This is a quick way to keep people informed and encouraged. Katherine also established a section in our bulletin specifically for evangelism. We are using both forms to emphasize training. She has been coming up with great organizational ideas to promote the work. This past Sunday was by far the best in terms of gathering information from our guests, and we worked exceptionally well as a team. This coming Sunday, we will offer ‘How to Do Follow-up Work’ training. We currently have five people to ask the follow-up questions. We are studying with four people. We have five people in the New Convert classes.”

Howe church of Christ, Texas: Aaron Alsbrook (preacher) reports, “We continue to write cards for our Back-to-School Backpack drive contacts with visits to start within the next couple of weeks. Our eldership has written an invitation letter to our new converts to attend our New Converts class, which begins on September 7. We continue to study God’s Word and mature in the faith by being more evangelistic like our Lord.”

Abingdon church of Christ, Virginia: Freddie Klein (evangelist) reports, “This week we completed our August transition visits and rejoiced in one baptism. Our accountability board has been updated to reflect the work being done. We are continuing in ongoing Bible studies and making plans to begin a New Converts class, designed to strengthen and encourage several members who have obeyed the Gospel in the past couple of years.”

Williamsburg church of Christ, Virginia: Jim Bishop (elder) reports, “This week we prepared and sent compassion cards and continued our efforts in reaching the lost. Reaching out to others with the Gospel is an intentional and persistent effort. Plus, more importantly, it is a command. This time of year, when the elders are developing the Vision and Goals for 2026. Deacons are making plans to build the ministries they serve, and this is the perfect time to be creative in involving everyone in the congregation in ways to reach the lost. We must plan to be intentional and persistent in spreading the Gospel in all our outreach and evangelism plans and efforts. We know that we have to “Go” in order to find those who are lost, pray for the lost, and pray that God will provide opportunities to come in contact with those who are lost. We can put ourselves in situations where we intentionally meet those who are lost. We have several ongoing ministries that are used; the water ministry that meets people in front of the church building offering water and snacks, providing a devotional, singing and prayer at a local assisted living facility, a reading assistant program to help us be recognized in the community and a monthly doorknocker plan or offering an invitation to eat with other members of the church family before midweek Bible study. You may not get hundreds of contacts and prospects; however, God will provide and add to His church. We pray for those working to seek and save the lost.”

West Side church of Christ, Salem, Virginia: Jeff Durham (elder) reports, “One of our teens presented our evening lesson as our young men led all aspects of our worship. His lesson focused on time, the fleeting nature of it, and the necessity of our recognizing the need to make serving God our priority. One of our deacons spoke that morning. He emphasized God’s love for us, our love for God, and our love for one another. God’s love does not come without expectations of us. Our love for Him and others should motivate us to share His plan to redeem man from his sins and be reconciled to Him through our obedience.”