And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
—Mark 10:27
May 22, 2017
Did you know that our God has a sense of humor? I look back at the times that I have told the Lord that I would never pastor again when He called me into the evangelism ministry and now I laugh. I laugh, because God has called me again to pastor a church. When we think that it is impossible for us to fulfill a calling or a ministry in our lives, the Lord proves otherwise. Relying on the Lord to work through us and realizing that we can do nothing without Him is the key to success; fulfilling that role without Him is what creates that impossibility.
God’s Goodness
Since our last update, we will be at 100 % of our needed support in June. I am thankful to each of the churches that have graciously supported us through prayer and financial giving. New Hope Baptist Church graciously gave us a $1,500 love offering this month, raising us to nearly $5,000. These funds were another confirmation on what God wants to do in this needy area.
A Building!
This past Saturday we walked through a building that will meet our needs. Located in Land O Lakes, it is a beautiful and well-kept building that was formerly a realtor firm.
Comprising of just over 1,100 square feet, not including the insulated basement, vaulted ceiling in entryway, kitchenette, five acres of land, three large noticeable highway signs, and a comfortable seating capacity of 50-60 people, it is sufficient for our needs as a church-plant. It is in a very noticeable location on Highway 45 that runs between Eagle River, Conover, Land O Lakes, WI and Watersmeet, MI; the property lines sit on the WI and MI border. It is also a 17-minute drive from the town of Phelps where we live. The building has two office spaces and four cubicles that will need to be removed, in other words, three to four non-load bearing walls. The owner is willing to allow us to remove the walls, repaint the exterior/interior, keep as much furniture as we need and modify as necessary while renting it for $900 a month with a future option to buy. In addition, the roof will be re-shingled by the owner this year. The building is in excellent condition and has maintained that “New Smell”.
After the announcement of the start of this church in December, I have spent hours looking for a suitable building. In Phelps alone, I approached
7-8 building owners and school, looked at three in Eagle River, four in Conover, four in Land O Lakes and considered starting services in my home. Unfortunately, it had been a difficult task to find a suitable building or willing owners, but God has eliminated all others and opened the door to this building in Land O Lakes. We are now excited to get started on the wall removal and general aesthetic renovations!
The Need
We are currently in need of your continued support, not just prayerfully or financially, but physically through laborers. We will announce the Grand Opening date as soon as the building and other preparations are ready. We need folks who are willing to give us a couple of Saturdays to tear down walls, patch and texture these walls and ceiling, repair carpet where walls have been removed, paint, clean-up, and any other work as needed. If you are willing to come up on Saturdays between the dates of June 10th, 17th, or 24th or dates into July for these repairs, it would be greatly appreciated. You can contact me, (please note the NEW phone number in the contacts link), to sign up for these workdays. Also, we will need some churches to help with soul-winning in the near future, please let us know if you are able to help in this area as well. Also, we are working on a “Needs List” and we will be sending this out to churches very soon, please keep an eye out for it in the near future.
Waiting
It is difficult to wait patiently. During these months of planning, preparing and waiting on God for the perfect time and location for Northern Lakes Baptist Church, we have been busy with the evangelism ministry. I am thankful for the opportunity to recently visit these churches: Lighthouse Baptist Church in Antigo; Pastor John Saas, New Hope Baptist Church in Kennan; Pastor Jonn Morrow, Grace Baptist Church in Wakefield, MI; Pastor Matthew Minier, and Victory Baptist Church in Oshkosh: Pastor Richard Wilson.
Prayer Requests
Our main prayer requests are for laborers to help with the building prep and soul-winning, God’s continued provision and power and for the Lord to continue to prepare the hearts of folks in our area to reach with this new church.We have some interest expressed from folks in the area and now it is the simple matter of starting the services.
As always, my family and I would like to thank each of you for your prayers and support. It is always a joy to serve the Lord with each of you in our different fields of ministry! May the Lord bless your year of 2017 as we labor together for the Lord.
And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. 
