Great Weekend with Pastor Owens and Pastor Domelle

Teaching on soul winning Saturday morning

I spent this past weekend with two churches. First church was Liberty Baptist Church in Wichita, Kansas. This church is led by Pastor Jason Owens. This church was actually my second supporting church when I started deputation, but the pastor had asked me to come back to teach and motivate his people to be better and more inspired soul winners. I appreciate this church which has a great missions emphasis and desires to see their home town reached as well. I enjoyed spending time with them all day Saturday. The Lord blessed our time. 

Pastor Jason Owens

On Sunday morning, I taught the pastors Sunday school class while the pastor then preached a great message during the morning service. The pastor told me it was a blessing to have us come and help their church in the matter of soul winning! I then drove to Bethany, Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon for my evening meeting.

Pastor Allen Domelle

I spent Sunday evening at Maranatha Baptist Church in Bethany, Oklahoma. This church is led by Pastor Allen Domelle who has been here for about 8 months. I have known Pastor Domelle for several years, he has been a great evangelist for a long time as well as being known for his online publication "The Old Paths Journal." He was also recently the President of my old Bible college in Longview, Texas.

Pastor Domelle preaching Sunday evening

God blessed our time there that evening as we greatly enjoyed touring his buildings and getting to meet his people. Then he had me present our mission in the service and show our video. It was also a blessing to hear Pastor Domelle preach about the subject of not resigning to being mediocre. Many folks were stirred as the altars filled up during the invitation time. Then Pastor Domelle told us the best news of all when he announced that their church was taking us on for support. This is the reason we travel is to find partners so we can win souls in Thailand. Praise the Lord for this.

Nice new chairs

The Wednesday before we came found us in cold and snowy Lincoln. It was warm inside though and we were enjoying the new padded chairs in the church auditorium. I was also glad to have a convert make a profession of faith in Christ that night. Moira who had been attending St. Francis Catholic church came forward to make a profession of faith in Christ that evening at the service. Praise the Lord for another Catholic finding Christ as their Saviour! Looking forward to more meetings in Oklahoma!

Soul winning bus on Thursday night

  

The Big Heart Conference

Pastor Tony Greene and Dr. Jeff Fugate

This past week I was at Knoxville Baptist Tabernacle in Knoxville, Tennessee to be a guest speaker along with Dr. Jeff Fugate for their Big Heart Conference. This church is led by Pastor Tony Greene and is 68 years old, he has been here for over eleven years. During their conference they were celebrating 58 years in the bus ministry. Speaking of the bus ministry, we met Brother Bill Whitehead who is a 83 year old bus captain and has been in the bus ministry 54 years! Praise God for that kind of dedication!!!

Bro. Bill Whitehead

On Saturday I gave a soul winning and bus ministry charge before going out onto the streets for the day. This church has been a lighthouse in the inner city area of Knoxville since its inception 68 years ago. Dr. Bob Bevington started this church and Pastor Tony Greene continues to carry on its legacy!

Soul Winning Bus

We loaded up onto a bus to go soul winning. This particular morning was a cold one with the temperature at 27 degrees but the real feel around 16 degrees. We went into some of the apartment areas close to the church. My wife and her partner met an African family from Sierra Leone. She was able to sit down in their living room and lead the mom and all the children to Christ after a thorough Gospel presentation. She also signed them up for the bus route in that area. Praise God for a church who reaches those unable to get themselves to church.

Family from Sierra Leone

Then in the afternoon we went out on the bus again to go soul winning some more. This time we went to a different apartment area. I was able to meet a lady name Sherry whose husband is dying from cancer. Sherry said she was unsure of her eternity and I was able to present the Gospel to her. After a thorough presentation Sherry bowed her head and asked Christ to save her with tears in her eyes. She asked us to pray for her husband John, both for his cancer and his salvation. She told me he is not saved, but doesn't think he will listen... yet. 

Some of the new riders at church!

On Sunday morning the family from Sierra Leone rode on the bus except for the mother who told my wife she wasn't feeling well. We were thankful to have the kids come and my wife asked them afterwards if they had a good time and would like to come again. They said they had a great time and would like to come next week.

Pastor Greene preaching Sunday morning

I taught the adults and teenagers in Sunday school and then presented the  ministry to Thailand during the morning service time before Pastor Greene preached the morning message. At the invitation time my wife led Kaya to Christ at the altar after she walked the aisle. She had actually attend the Christian school at the church when she was a young child. However, Kaya has been away from church for a long time and felt convicted at the invitation time of her need to be saved. Praise God that Kaya settled the issue on this day. 

Kaya and my wife

Kaya had wanted to follow the Lord in believer's baptism but the baptismal service had already been closed out and the people being dismissed so she came back Sunday night and followed the Lord in believer's baptism. She also attend some of the other services of the conference. I preached the Sunday evening message and hearts seemed stirred during the invitation time with several coming forward.

Kaya getting baptized Sunday night

Monday evening Dr. Fugate preached the message and many were stirred. Then Tuesday morning during the senior citizen service I presented the ministry again. Every Tuesday morning they have a preaching service for the elderly folks and senior citizens who can't get out at night. There was actually a great crowd of folks attending this service. Many are members of their church here and some are not. It is a fantastic ministry because many places have senior citizen centers where the folks come and play bingo or something.... and then they feed them lunch. Here they come and get Bible preaching and they then feed them lunch. I thought it was an awesome ministry idea!!!

Dr. Fugate preaching Monday evening.

On Monday evening I went on the radio with Pastor Greene for the Revival of the Air Broadcast I gave my testimony for all of Knoxville to hear, that was listening anyway... Then on Wednesday evening I had the opportunity to preach on the radio before going out door knocking with the church for an hour then followed by the evening service. I preached the message that night also and many were stirred again. God really blessed our meeting here and it was a great opportunity to be a part of this exciting ministry for several days.

   

Meeting Up With My Old neighbor in Charlotte, North Carolina

Pastor Gary Berry and Pastor Terry Hunter

This past weekend I was at Liberty Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. This church was started 42 years ago by Dr. Gary Berry who is still the pastor. Praise God for that kind of longevity. There is something to say for one man being the leader of a church for that many years! The Spanish church is led by Pastor Terry Hunter. He has been with Dr. Berry for about 19 years. Brother Hunter used to be my next door neighbor when I lived in Longview, Texas. It was great spending the weekend with him.

Bus Director showing how to get a sign up

On Saturday we attended the bus meeting. Pastor Berry spoke briefly and then the bus director; Brother John Norris took over the meeting. Brother Norris has been in the bus ministry in this church for 35 years. Wow! Praise God!!! Brother Norris gave some good instructions to the workers about how to go after some new sign ups.

This family trusted Christ on Saturday

My wife and I went out visiting and door knocking with Brother Hunter since we would be spending Sunday morning presenting in the Spanish church. I was amazed at how good Brother Hunter speaks Spanish. He didn't speak it when we were neighbors. While out door knocking my wife and I ran across a family. The husband was at work, but we were able to speak to the wife her sister and the children. The children spoke good English so my wife was using them as a translator to talk to the older folks, but then Brother Hunter came around the corner so we introduced him and allowed him to sit down and go over the Gospel with them in Spanish. Fifteen minutes later they made a decision to bow their heads and trust Christ! Praise the Lord!!! Please pray for the husband and dad to be reached, because the family will follow the him! 

Julio Garcia (song leader) and his dad

On Sunday morning I spoke to the Spanish church in Sunday school about missions while my wife gave testimony in Mrs. Cathy Berry's ladies Sunday school class. Then I preached the morning service in the Spanish church as well. It was a blessing to meet the folks that Brother Hunter works with every week. It was his song leader Julio's birthday today and he turned 20 years old. He did a good job leading the singing. After the service we got a picture with him and his father. The church also decided to take us on for support. Praise the Lord for a partnership with Iglesia Bautista Libertad. (They support their missionaries separate from the English side of the church.)

That evening I had opportunity to present our ministry in the English service and I preached the evening message as well. We enjoyed the service much and the people were extremely kind. It was a good group to preach to as the crowd gets excited and the men know how to shout amen! The pastor told us that he would be bringing us up before the church for potential support.

Calvary Baptist Church in Union Grove, NC

The Wednesday before this weekend we didn't have a scheduled meeting but we did drop into Calvary Baptist Church in Union Grove, North Carolina. This church is led by Pastor Stephen Pope. He is doing a great job and they had a full house. He called me up to give a testimony and he scheduled me for a meeting to present the work more completely to his church later this year. It was a blessing to be with them. Please pray for us as we travel to Tennessee for several meetings.