St. Charles County Scene

October & November Report

Merry Christmas to all

I’ll begin this report by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!  I hope that you have a good holiday season reflecting on the blessings that God has given us in Jesus.  Just think, God loved us enough that He sent Jesus to be “of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”  (Philippians 2:7)  If nothing else, this time of year should make us appreciate this, the greatest gift of all!

A Big Blessing

Switching gears and thinking all the way back to Halloween—the day before Halloween, really—we got the privilege of baptizing one of our young men.  Destin Drake has been attending for over a year.  He had always wanted to join us, but he needed to have the Biblical qualifications first.  He was saved this past spring, and after learning about baptism he committed to it this fall.

We all made the trip to Maryland Heights for this.  Broookside MBC was kind enough to allow us to use their baptistery, as they had before.  All in all, it was a very good afternoon.

October Associations

October seems to be the month for associational meetings.  In October, the Central States Association met with El-Bethel MBC in the Kansas City area.  They took up an offering and divided it between the missionaries in the association.  Also in October, the Bethlehem association met with Datto MBC in Arkansas.  It was good to spend time with fellow pastors, see old friends and listen to good preaching.

I’m appreciative of Mark Henley who drove me to the Bethlehem Association.  Because of the medication I was on at that time, I would not have been able to go if it were not for him being my “chauffer.”

Health Update

The saga that is my health continues!  Since my last report, you can add “miscommunication” to the list of things that have happened.  At the first of November I thought that I had been diagnosed with Sjogrens Syndrome.  This is an autoimmune disease that can cause a wide range of problems, including joint-pain.  Now I have found out that I have only tested positive for it.  There is a chance that I’m in the beginning stages of it, that it will crop up later, or that the test was a fluke.  Right now, I’m in a wait-and-see period.  I’m supposed to go back to the doctor in February, and then we’ll go from there.

All of this has really impressed a couple of things on me.  First, I see how we truly are fearfully and wonderfully made.  As much as the doctors know, there is so much they do not because the human body is so complex.  But God does; He designed it!  Secondly, I see how much we really are in God’s hands.  I think that we would all be terrified to learn about the possible dangers that lurk beneath the surface of our skin.  Probably most of us are affected with something or another, but we don’t realize it until it afflicts us.  The same God who is taking care of me now is the same God who took care of me six months ago.  I just realize it more now.

I am feeling very well now … almost back to my old self.  Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for me.

Something on the Horizon

Speaking of prayers, here is something else to pray about.  We will be starting a push to expand our home Bible studies.  Both the study at my house and the study at the Lambright’s are winding down, so we will start a new series at both.  This makes a good time to try to get new faces to come.  Plus, I would like to expand to another night.  Please pray that we will be led to invite people and they will feel led to respond.

Finally, Merry Christmas

As December rolls around, it is about time to put a close on 2011.  In addition to wishing everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who has supported this work over the years.  Thank you for standing with us!  May the Lord richly bless our endeavors!

August & September Report

June & July Report

Off to Church Camp

Summer Speed-Up

Summers seem to quickly fly by, and it also seems they are getting faster every year.  It feels like yesterday that the kids were getting out of school, and now they are heading back.  Looking back at this summer, good things have happened here in O’Fallon.  Hopefully they will continue too.

ABA

After the Family Bible Festival we had in June, the next thing to come was the American Baptist Association.  We were fortunate that it was held in St. Louis this year.  That gave our people an opportunity to go to some of the meeting and see more of what the ABA is all about.  Most went, heard good preaching, and enjoyed Christian fellowship.  Mary Ann commented that it was great to meet people for the first time, yet feel like you had a long-time bond with them!

Mark helped me man the booth in the exhibit hall, which I really enjoyed the help.  We had a chance to make some good contacts and tell others what the Lord is doing here in O’Fallon.

It was great to have Bro. J.D. Garza and his family with us the Sunday before the ABA.  J.D. is a long-time friend and is a missionary in San Antonio, TX.  We enjoyed hearing him preach that Sunday and enjoyed the musical specials his family brought. 

Please pray for Bro. Garza.  When he returned from the ABA, he found out that he had been laid-off from his job.  Please pray that the Lord will provide and direct.

Church Camp

A few weeks after the ABA, we headed off to church camp.  Our number was a little lower than the past few years but the overall camp attendance was up.  We had three adults and 6 kids go.

Camp was great this year!  We had a great time of fellowship, and it seemed like it was a good time of growth for our kids.  By the way, Christian growth happened to be the theme.

KIP

Speaking of our kids growing this past year, KIP was another big part of it.  This year, our topic was on the world and worldliness.  It was a good time of learning, and I believe it was really beneficial for the kids who participated.  They got a chance to understand why things happen in the world, and why they are different.

Our attendance was good throughout the summer too.  We took weeks off for church camp and for me being on vacation, but we almost averaged 10 kids for the summer.

Great Things He Hath Done!

And now on to the news that I really enjoy reporting … we have had two people profess to be saved this summer!  One is a young man who has been coming to church, and another is one of Mckenzie’s friends.

These two were saved as a result of our kids witnessing.  Andrew witnessed to Destin one night and he accepted Christ, and Mckenzie witnessed to her friend at a sleepover.  Her friend called a few days later to say that she had believed.

Destin has asked about baptism and we are working with him.  The other young lady has never come to church.  I’m happy that the kingdom of heaven has increased, and I’m especially proud of our young people.  I think that it is great that they are wanting and willing to share their faith with others.  Please pray for these young believers as they begin their Christian lives, and for all of us to have the boldness to share Christ.  Also pray for some others we have talked to but have not professed to be saved.

The Signs Worked!

Another great thing that happened in July was our signs worked.  One Sunday morning, we had a visitor join us.  She had seen our signs along the road, and decided to stop in and see what we were about.  Thankfully, she has been coming back ever since!  We have enjoyed getting to know her and ministering to her.

May & June Report

Waiting for Arrival

May & June Report

Although it’s still June, I’m looking ahead into July.  Seeing how busy the schedule looks, I’m going to put half of June on this report and half on the July report that will come out in August.  All of that is to simply say, “You won’t be hearing from me until later!”  June’s financial report will be on July’s report as well.

450 +

Four hundred-fifty is a big number, no matter what you are trying to count.  For us, more than 450 is the number of flyers we passed out for our Family Bible Festival.  Dodging rain showers and thunderstorms, we were able to canvas three subdivisions in May.  We knocked on doors, speaking to those who were home and leaving flyers on the doorknobs for those who weren’t.  The flyers not only told of our Family Bible Festival, but also about our church.

This was a good thing for several reasons: 1)  It was a good outreach.  We were able to talk to several people about who we were, where we were, and a little of what we’re about.  This, combined with a banner we left up for the Family Bible Festival has given us some good name recognition in the community.  2)  It was also good for our members themselves.  All of our adults and almost all of our kids participated.  It got us out of our comfort zones, got us to grow spiritually, and make us more aware of the spiritual condition of those around us.  I am proud of how our members worked, and I am especially proud of our kids.  By the end, they were going up to people’s doors and doing the talking. That’s a good sign of their spiritual development!

Family Bible Festival

All of that work lead up to our Family Bible Festival that we had in conjunction with our sponsoring church.  First Baptist rolled into town on Friday night, did some sight seeing on Saturday morning, helped with the Family Bible Festival on Saturday evening, had church with us on Sunday morning, and left after lunch.  Yes, it was a busy weekend!

With all the work that we poured into canvassing, we were hoping for big numbers.  We were disappointed in that regard.  We did have 11 visitors, and we are thankful for those, but we were really hoping for more. 

All was not for naught, however.  We did have a family visit us for worship services the next morning.  Of all the events like this that we’ve had in the past, this has been the only one that has produced visitors for us the following day.  I would rather have small numbers and do some good than have big numbers and accomplish nothing.  Please pray that what we taught will affect people spiritually, and that we can continue to work with those who came.

Visitors

Speaking of visitors, May was a good month for visitors in the sense that some people came to our services after we had spent a long time inviting them.  One was one of our neighbors who has come to Bible study for many years and her daughter.  Another is a man who Mark works with who we’ve been encouraging for several months.  We thank God for the work He is doing, and we are praying that they and others will continue to be with us.

KIP on the Horizon

With the summer starting, it is time for Kids in the Park (KIP) to resume.  This year, we are going to be looking at the topic of the world and worldliness.  I am anticipating that this will be a good study for our kids as many are all entering their early teen years and will be facing more of the world’s temptations and trials.

In addition to KIP, we are looking ahead to church camp.  We hope that several of our kids’ friends will get to go with them this year.  Please pray that the Lord will use both KIP and camp to bring the lost to Him and to help His children to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ!

Thanks for your prayers and support!

April Report

Mary got to have her lamb and eat it too at our Easter breakfast.

Good Friday Tornado

The big event in Saint Louis in April (other than the start of the Cardinals) was the tornadoes that caused so much devastation on Good Friday.  Several people contacted us right away to see if everything was all right, which I appreciate.  In O’Fallon, we didn’t get any damage from the tornadoes, although earlier that week we had golf ball sized hail that damaged my truck significantly.  We are thankful that the Lord kept us safe.  Brookside MBC was almost in the path of the worst of it.  Thankfully, they didn’t receive any damage, even though the storms severely affected communities near them.

Easter—Eating and Helping

As we have done for several years, we had a potluck breakfast on Easter Sunday before church.  Taking a break from the Sermon on the Mount, we had an Easter message and lesson, and we had some special music to add to the service.  We also had a special treat: the Kesling’s came in from Kentucky for a visit.  We really enjoyed having them back for the weekend and we are praying that the Lord will bring them back to us soon.

That afternoon, several of us went to a school that Lena works at to help with the aftermath of the tornado.  Another school was damaged to the point that they couldn’t have classes there, so they were moving the students to other buildings.  We helped rearrange classrooms so they could have classes there the following day.  I told the superintendent who thanked us that helping was our way of being appreciative to the help the Lord gave us.

Group Work Update

As I mentioned in my last report, we have continued to do group work for Sunday School throughout April.  Group work is where we break off into groups instead of going off to classes and we work on a question and discussion sheet that matches the sermon that I preached. 

This has been a good way to look at the Sermon on the Mount, which has been our latest study, and how the topics presented in it relate to other passages in the New Testament.

Although, sometimes in the complexity of a study, it is easy to forget about the basic idea.  I’ve been encouraging our people to read Matthew chapters 5-7, and so one week day I asked Mckenzie if she had been reading the Sermon on the Mount.  Immediately, from the perplexed look on her face, I could tell that I would not be pleased with how the rest of the conversation would go.  “What Sermon on the Mount?” she asked. 

“The Sermon on the Mount that we’ve been studying every Sunday for the last six weeks!”  I snapped back.

“We’ve been studying the Sermon on the Mount?” she said sheepishly.  “I thought we’ve been looking at stuff in Matthew.”

Needless to say, the next Sunday I made it a point to explain that Jesus taught His disciples on a mountain side, and that passage is called the Sermon on the Mount.  (I think some others didn’t quite make the connection either.)  Whatever it is called, it is still important information for all of Jesus disciples to know.  Please pray that we will all grow in the grace and knowledge of His Word!

FBF Preparations

As I also mentioned in my last report, we are continuing to prepare for our Family Bible Fellowship coming up in June.  What is coming up next in our list of things to do is to canvas several subdivisions inviting people to it or to church.  Our goal is to pass out 400 invitations.  So far, we are getting a slow start.  Last weekend, we got rained out.  Hopefully this weekend we can really hit the streets.  Please pray that we will have success in our efforts.  We are trying to not only invite people to the Festival, but we are trying to make contact with many in the area.

Being Thankful

One thing that we have been doing this past month is making a special point to pray for churches, one each week, who contribute to us  regularly.  We do this because we want the Lord to bless these churches and because we want to be thankful of the sacrifice people make for us.  Again, thanks to everyone for their prayers and support!

February & March Report

Congratulations to Olga, who graduated from nursing school

January Report

Here We Go Again

Looking back on past reports, I’ve noticed that I’ve often commented on the weather for the January or February reports.  So why break tradition now?  After all, the weather has been similar to past years’ at this time—cold, cold, cold! 

In fact, you could say the weather has been worse this year because of three words—snow, snow, and snow!  (More words if you include sleet and ice.)  Like many people around the country, we have been hit with multiple rounds of the white stuff.  How much?  Enough that even the kids are tired of it!  

Our kids have missed so many days because of snow that I’ve lost count.  I do know that they will still be out before our Family Bible Festival that we are planning to have in June.  The last few days have been nice, however.  Hopefully, the winter weather has moved on, and we will have an early spring.  But judging by my experience of St. Louis weather, I have my doubts. 

Despite the bad weather, our attendance has held up very well on Sundays.  We had, however, to cancel several Bible studies because of it. 

Thinking of Summer 

With the mention of the Family Bible Festival, it isn’t too early to ask people to start praying for the event.  We have started planning for it, praying for the Lord to lead us in our plans.  We are still in the early stages, but we are talking about making some changes to things.  I hope and think they will be beneficial. 

New Year’s Eve Fellowship 

January started out early for us as a church—12:00:01 to be exact.  On New Year’s Eve, we all got together for our monthly fellowship at the Lambright’s house to see in the New Year.  It was a really good night.  We had good food, played some games, and just sat around and talked.  But, the best part of the night was the devotional.  After I spoke a little about using our time wisely, we all talked about things that we could be doing better in the New Year.  What was really great to hear was some of the answers our kids gave.  The things that they talked about were sounding very mature spiritually. 

Growing and Going 

Speaking of our kids, I am proud that they seem to be growing in the faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ!  All of us have had a part in this in one way or another, but Shannon and Mark have been doing a  great job teaching them in Sunday School.  Shannon has been teaching the girls lately and Mark has been “stuck” with the boys!  Both of them have been putting their God-given talents to good use, and I think that the work they are doing is vital to our church.  Please pray that they will continue to put their time and effort into it and not be discouraged! 

Speaking of growing up (on a personal note), my son Quentin turned 13 this past January.  All throughout his life, people have told me that he would be grown before I knew it.  Even though he’s not an adult yet, I better understand what they are saying!  I’m proud of Quentin and what he is accomplishing.  It is my hope as a father that he will direct his life more for the Lord as he continues to grow up, and it is my hope as a pastor that all our church kids will follow suit. 

Men’s Breakfast 

One other thing to mention about January is our Men’s Breakfasts that we have been having.  The last few have been really, really good!  Attendance has been good; the discussion has been good; even the coffee has been good (it wasn’t for a while).  The last two times we’ve been discussing Abraham’s strengths and weaknesses in his faith, and how those came about.  I’ve sown some good information.  I’m praying that it will land where it will make a difference, take root, and produce. 

Thanks again for your support, prayers and encouragement.  Please continue to lift us up throughout 2011. 

November & December Report (2010)

Merry Christmas!

I’ll start off my report by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.  Time has really flown by in 2010, and I’m looking forward to what God will accomplish in 2011.  I also want to take time to say thanks to all of the churches and individuals who help us out.  Your giving to the Lord isn’t overlooked nor unappreciated!

Bible Study Update

In my last report, I made mention about moving a Bible study to the Lambright’s house.  During the month of November, we finished the study about the overview of the Bible.  In December, we started looking at the study of “So This is Salvation.”  So far, we have had a good study and learning, although the attendance hasn’t been what we were hoping for.  There are a few people we hoped would join us, but they didn’t.  There is still a chance that they will, especially after the start of the new year.

The Bible study at my house has also seen it’s attendance suffer.  In fact, we have had to cancel it for various reasons (people traveling, sickness, etc.)  After the New Year, we will pick things back up, and I feel confident that we will have good attendance again.

Men’s Breakfast Update

Speaking of updates, we have been continuing to have our Men’s Breakfast / Bible study every other week.  Although attendance is sporadic, it still has been on the good side.  Our men have come, but we have also had others come.  These men haven’t ever been to our church services or Bible studies, so it is good to have them.  I hope that they will be interested in attending other things as well.

Outreach on the Web

A bright spot that I have noticed lately has been on the internet.  I have been recording and posting my sermons on our church site (www.fifweb.net).  I’ve been surprised that they have been downloaded 70-80 times each.  I don’t know who is listening, but I’m encouraged that someone is.  I’m also encouraged with the belief that God blesses His word, no matter where or how or to whom it is given.

On a side note, if a church is wanting to donate a good wireless microphone to a mission work, please consider us.  Upgrading the quality of recording is something that I would like to do in the near future.

When the Pastor’s away …

Speaking of things technical, I tried something new while I was gone for Thanksgiving.  I got an old sermon of mine recorded when I pastored in Corning (thanks again, Virgil), and they played that in my absence.  Things turned out very well.  After everyone getting a kick over how much I’ve changed since 1995, they really enjoyed the sermon.  They then proceeded to have a good Sunday School and worship time.  In fact it was so good that they decided to stay an extra 30 minutes!

Christmas Eats & Treats

At the first of month, Shannon had all the ladies over to our house for a Christmas dinner and ornament exchange.  She really pulled out all the stops (and my Mom’s china) to make a great night for the ladies.  She told them that she wanted to serve them out of Christian love.  I’m grateful to have a wife like that.

As the ladies were being treated, we guys took the kids to a dollar movie and out to eat pizza afterward.  It wasn’t as good as what the ladies had, but it filled us up!

Christmas Project

As we have done for the last few years, we made the Garza family our Christmas project.  Each family took one of their kids’ names and bought presents for them.  It is good to see the membership wanting to look beyond themselves and help others in God’s work.

Speaking of money, I’m grateful that the mission voted to raise my salary back in October.  The increase is shown on the financial reports.  (The reports for October and November on the PDF version of this report.)

Thanks again for all your prayers and support.  Please remember to pray for me as I try to do God’s work, and please pray for the work here!

Please Pray For

• New faces to come to church and Bible Study
• Continued attendance for the Bible Studies
• People to be saved and baptized

Averages  (Oct. & Nov.)

September (and October) Report (2010)

Traveling ‘Round

I realize that I’m getting this report later than normal.  Since it is now toward the end of October, this report will cover September and the first part of this month.  October’s financial report will come later.

One reason for the delay has been the traveling around I’ve been doing lately.  Toward the first of October I made a quick dash down to Arkansas for the Bethlehem Association.  It was good to see some old friends, even if it was for a short time.  A week later came our associational meeting, the Central States Association.  It is always good to be able to speak about what God is doing here.

Day Retreat

Backing up into September, on Labor Day weekend we had our second (what is becoming) annual day retreat.  This year, we went to a county park that we hadn’t used before.  We had two Bible lessons, ate lunch and supper, and spent the afternoon with activities, including a pretty good 4 on 4 touch football game!  The Keslings were able to come back and join us, so it was a great time of fellowship for everyone.

For the Bible lessons, I taught two lessons from John about the Vine and the branches.  The first lesson focused on producing fruit and the second focused on remaining in Jesus.  Each lesson had a breakout session so the kids and the adults could each have their own time.

These lessons, along with some sermons along the same lines, really provided a good time of spiritual growth for us.  It was almost like our own mini revival.  It is going to be something to definitely look forward to next year.

Men’s Breakfast

As I mentioned in the last report, we have been trying to start a men’s breakfast / study group.  With some of the guys that Mark, Kerry, and I know, we felt we could get a good group together.  We are meeting twice a month at a local restaurant for fellowship and looking at what the Bible teaches men to be and some examples.

Three out of the four meetings haven’t been well attended.  One meeting, however, we had nine men.  I am still hopeful that we can get things together.  The feedback that I’ve gotten is that people want to get together, but things have come up and interfered.  Please pray that this will happen.  It is my ultimate hope that this can be used to help men in their discipleship and maybe get their families in our work.

Moving Bible Study

Also in last month’s report, I mentioned about either moving the Bible study hosted at the Henley’s house to the Lambright’s, or to start a new study at the Lambright’s.  We felt like it would be a good thing to move it, even though we weren’t quite finished with the series that we are studying.

The move has been a good one so far.  The Lambright’s have several young adults staying with them, and this has been a good way to involve them in the Bible.  The discussion and participation has been great.  It has been good for me too.  Seeing people who have a desire to know what the Bible says is encouraging.

A New Addition to the Family

Saving the best for last, we were privileged to see a young lady be born a second time a few weeks ago.  Bree, who is staying with the Lambright’s, came over to my house and accepted the Lord after church.  There was something that I said in the sermon that opened up her heart, and she didn’t want to be in darkness any longer.  Praise God she is now in God’s kingdom!  Please pray that she will follow the Lord in baptism soon.

Also, please pray for one of the boys’ friends.  He has been coming to church regularly for several weeks and is wanting to be baptized.  Please pray that the Lord will open up his heart so he will understand salvation first.

Thanks again for your support and prayers.  The Lord is working here in O’Fallon.  Thank you for helping us be a part of it.

August Report (2010)

All of us posing for a picture after our Family Bible Festival

Here Come the Kids

With August here and gone, that means our kids are all back in school, studying away.  We have two who are starting Middle School this year, Mckenzie and Luke Henley.  It’s amazing how quickly they grow up.

Not only was August about kids going back to school, but it was also about kids coming to church.  During the month, we had several new kids come to church.  One even said he would have walked if his dad didn’t bring him.  We are praying that these kids will keep coming and their parents will join them.

Modern Innovation

In the middle of the month, I did something really silly on a Saturday afternoon and hurt my back.  I have a problem with a disk that occasionally gives me problems, but this was a doosey.  So, when Sunday morning rolled around, I could hardly move across the room.  (No exaggeration.)  It was too late to try to ask someone to fill in for me, so what were we going to do?  That’s where technology came in.

For the Sunday sermon, I took a DVD from First Baptist’s services and let my sponsoring pastor “fill-in” for me.  I showed my son how to hook up a DVD player to our projector, he queued it up to start with Bro. Miller’s sermon, and viola, the congregation got to hear some good preaching.

With the preaching service taken care of, my next problem was what to do about Sunday School.  With Mark teaching the Middle School boys, that left Kerry and the ladies in the class.  My plan was for Kerry to lead a discussion about the sermon and call me if they had any questions.  Kerry, however, was sick that day too.  So the ladies called me, put me on speakerphone, and away we went.  I’ve never taught Sunday School by teleconferencing before, but hey, there’s a first time for everything.

It is nice to have conveniences, especially when they can be used in the Lord’s work.  I’m also glad to see Quentin stepping up.  He was happy to  and lead the singing and make the announcements in my absence.

Good Fellowship

Toward the end of the month, Kerry and Cheryl Lambright invited everyone for a barbeque at their house.  They live by Lake St. Louis and have a boat docked at the end of their yard.  We all hopped in to get a ride, but quickly turned back.  With all of us in it, we came close to swamping it!  It was quite a sight to see all of us motoring around.  Needless to say, we got a few looks and comments as we went.  Mark said we needed to have a sign saying, “Friends in Faith Baptist Fellowship—God Keeps Us Afloat.”  I think that if we had the weight of the sign in the boat with us, we would be doing our best imitation of Peter trying to walk on the water!

One thing to come from it was that we all agreed that it would be good to spend more time together.  In the future, we are going to take turns hosting monthly fellowships at each other’s homes.

New Things on the Horizon

I’ll close this out by talking about two new things on the horizon.  One is a men’s breakfast that we are starting.  I have been going to a men’s prayer group that is stopping meeting.  Some of those men, along with some guys that Mark and Kerry know, will be meeting us for breakfast and a short devotional twice a month.  Hopefully the Lord will use this to further advance our mission work.

The other thing is the possibility of starting a new Bible study at the Lambright’s house.  We have seen that there is a possibility to get a few people together and start a new study at their house.  This is still in the planning stages, but we might be starting it sometime in October.  Please keep both of these things in your prayers.

As always, thanks for your continued support and prayers.  By the Lord’s grace, we are building a sound, Biblical church here in O’Fallon.

Please Pray For

• New people to come into this work
• Our spiritual growth & development
• Our future outreaches

Monthly Averages