College and Career Class Outing

This past Friday night our College and Career class had a class outing to go putt-putt golfing. They took on the teen department and got killed from my understanding. Ha! However, they all had fun! The picture to the right is the College and Career class, not the teen department. I was happy to hear about all from the class that came out.

We just started this class about six weeks ago. At the bottom of the stairs is Bro. Josh Looper and his wife. Bro. Looper is the teacher of the class. We started this class because of a great need to have something for young adults that are that age. We have a teen department and we have a Home and Family Class along with an older saints type of Sunday school class, but nothing for the young adults. So far the class has been a success. Please pray it will grow and the students will grow spiritually.

This past Sunday was a good day in the morning with 2 public professions of faith being made with both following the Lord in believers baptism. We had a good crowd overall and several visitors and return visitors. On Sunday night we had Brother Warren Storm and his wife with us on Sunday night. I had him preach and he did an excellent job. The altars were full at the invitation time. Bro. Storm stayed over and did some work on our bus Monday. We are glad to have the opportunity to support him.  

Summer Soul Winning 101 Update

 We have had our Summer Soul Winning 101 emphasis going on for almost a month now with one more month to go. We have yet, to break over 29 soul winners out on Thursday night, however, I am not discouraged because we have had several new comers out for soul winning. If we can create excitement for soul winning in a few new folks than I will be happy. Besides we want to create more of an appetite for soul winning 24/7. We want our people to become everyday type of soul winners here at Lincoln Baptist.

 Pictured to the left are two converts baptized this past Sunday. Both of these were won to Christ on a Friday morning a few weeks ago. We must never give up on lost souls, nor on following up on those converts. The top picture is Vinh Van Ho from Vietnam and the bottom picture is Athiang Arop from Sudan. I thank God for the opportunity to try to reach such a diverse city. Just a couple of weeks ago, we had a lawyer from the state auditor's office saved and baptized. You never know who you will have an opportunity to encounter. We reach the poor and sometimes the well to do. God loves them all. We reach people from multiple nations, working our own little world-wide mission field. We had eleven different nationalities present in our services last week. I even witnessed to an Italian last week on Saturday. The most important thing about it all though, is that we warn them all. God has given it to us as our responsibility and even our duty to do it. Please come and join us in this task. There were 29 soul winners last Thursday night for 300,000 people, that means a lot of work to do. The harvest field is ripe, let us reap it.

  

Citizenship Ceremony

Yesterday, I had the extreme privilege of attending a citizenship ceremony at the district courthouse for one of our Sunday school teachers. Claudia Gaiser, officially became a U.S. Citizen yesterday. She is pictured here with the judge that presided over the ceremony. The judge spoke very passionately about the United States flag and what it represents. I appreciate that, as I too love our nations flag.

Mrs. Gaiser and her husband are both Sunday school teachers and faithful members of our church. I am very happy to have such a fine family in our church and do not take lightly the opportunity to be their pastor. Congratulations Mrs. Gaiser on your citizenship!

As far as our Summer Soul Winning 101, we had 27 out on Thursday night and 13 trust Christ. We have been working in a few more upscale type neighborhoods the past couple of weeks which makes it a little tougher plowing. I am thankful for the faithful folks who are coming out to help us.

Saturday morning at our follow up and Sunday school visiting time we had 24 out and 4 saved. I appreciate our faithful workers and teachers. I actually require that the teachers come out visiting during that time (unless they have to physically be on the job clock somewhere) so we can go out as a group. That a way we have a unity together as teachers and bus workers. All on the same page, doing the same thing, during the same time period. I figure then the students and bus riders always know to expect that someone from Lincoln Baptist Church will be coming by on a Saturday morning. We are trying to create team concept here in our church, instead of a bunch of individuals that just go to church with one another. Somebody say, Amen! Of course those that are physically at work during that time may have to visit their class later in the day, but either way I am thankful for those that are willing to commit part of their Saturday for the ministry.

A Parent Dedication Day

We had our first week of Summer Soul Winning 101 and had 29 soul winners out Thursday night. We had an incredible 34 saved that night and finished the weekend with 50 souls saved. On Sunday we had four of them make public professions of faith in Christ. Praise God for soul winners.

Pictured to the right with me is Longa, one of my favorite little fellows. He was sporting a new pin stripe suit and I asked him for a picture. I love pin stripe suits! Longa is saved and has been coming to our church with his family for about 6 or 7 years. This is one of the reasons why we must go soul winning, is to keep reaching families like this one.

Pictured below is the Joshua Looper family. They had requested to have their two youngest children dedicated several weeks back. So we held a parent and baby dedication during the Sunday evening service. I presented the father with a red rose to be symbolic of the blood line that comes through the father and the responsibility for the spiritual leadership of the home that comes with it. I presented the mother with a yellow rose to be a symbol of the mother's love. There is something special about a mother's tender hand and loving prayers. Then I presented the two boys with white roses to be symbolic of being pure and spotless. My prayer is that these boy's souls will be pure and spotless before the Rapture comes! AMEN and AMEN!

Holiday Weekend

 This is Nay Say who asked me if he could have his picture taken with me and my wife to send to his family back in Thailand. He has been coming to our church for a long time and of course I was more than happy to have my picture taken with him. It was the Fourth of July weekend and we actually had a decent day. We had average attendance with a couple of visitors. One such visitor was Lance (pictured below) who got saved at our invitation time and then followed the Lord in Believer's Baptism. Praise God for a church that still wins them and baptizes them in the same day.

We had just returned from a six day vacation to East Texas. It was a relaxing time for our family and we enjoyed being in our old church (LBT) for the Wednesday night service. While on vacation our family was able to see seven people trust Christ as their Saviour. What a tremendous blessing it was to give out Gospel tracts and win souls along the way.

On our return trip Saturday, I was able to stop by a small Nebraska town where I would love to see our church be able to start another church some day in the not so distant future. Please pray that the Lord will allow us to start some churches in the next several years.

On Sunday night we had a patriotic service. I preached a message about our nations first independence day and the altars were full at the invitation. I was pleased to see our newest member Lance back for church that evening. I look forward to the start of our Summer Soul Winning 101 this next Thursday night as well. We are praying for 35 soul winners to come out and help us reach our city for Christ! Pray that we will be successful in accomplishing this task as many times as we can for the next two months.