As a parent, our suspicions rise when our young children become silent. Often our minds wonder to scary dark places imagining all the mischief our young one is doing. So, we sneak down the hall, enter their room, only to find… them reading a book or some other quiet activity.
And so, our silence over the last two months has been good. Just as Nehemiah said to Sanballat, “And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” in Nehemiah 6:3, so we say, “It has been a great work.”
Soul-winning Kick-off
April, as we all know in WI, was an unpredictable month when it came to the weather. But we are thankful for the faithful folks at New Hope BC in Kennan who came out for our soul-winning kick-off a week after the last large snowstorm. They drove four long hours round-trip to give invitations to church in the Watersmeet, Michigan area and I know that God is working on the folks of that community. We are now beginning to see those on vacation attend our services and I am sure we will see more come from the efforts of our dear friends at New Hope.
Objectives
Many of our objectives stated in our March newsletter were met. Seth, our son and summer intern, arrived on May 12th. With his help, the help of one of our men in the church and my wife and daughters help, we were able to remove a large welcome desk in the entryway, knock down a load-bearing wall, brace the floor in the basement, put down new carpet, expand our seating, repair and paint the decks and there is more work to do. We now have seating for up to sixty and we are praying about expanding into the basement of the church for classrooms within the next year. Also, we will start a mid-week Bible study on Thursdays at 6:30pm, in which, our Pastoral intern will be teaching. It is a pilot seasonal service for the summer months to meet the needs of our congregation and visitors. So, needless to say, we are thankful for God’s blessings and all that He is doing.
In addition to the May happenings at our church, our oldest daughter Cheney was married to Fotinos at Fargo Baptist Church. We are excited for them and for what God will do in their lives as they prepare to be missionaries to Greece.
Thank You
As always, my family and I would like to thank each of you for your prayers and support. It is comforting to know that God’s people are praying for one another as laborers together with God and it is important that we lift one another up in prayer, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16b
