Prayer Night

I. Another year has come and gone. Let’s take this opportunity to review the year just passed so we can appreciate what God has done through us in 1999. A number of events have taken place in the past year. While not in any specific order, the appointment of elders and deacons certainly deserve grateful attention. After 3 ½ years of being without elders and over 4 years without deacons, God provided both time and talent. Time for us to refocus on what the role of elders and deacons is and in the interim God prepared men to continue leading this congregation. Those two events alone demonstrated that our God works in this congregation and answers our prayers. Those events also demonstrate the need for us to be patient as we wait on God to complete his plans in his time.

Events from 1999

A. The Parent’s Appreciation Banquet which our young people hosted. A way to say “thank you” to moms and dads.

B. Our Family Retreat in March with Terry Cheek. Sixty braved the rain and gathered to appreciate family. This year’s retreat will be March 3–5, 2000 with Joe Brumfield as our guest speaker.

C. The Cannons returned from Japan for a furlough. It was a time of renewal for them and recommitment from us.

D. We began in earnest an attempt to build a new fellowship hall. We prayed; we pledged for three years and hopefully before the year 2000 is done we will have a new building.

E. Our teens went on the biannual Wilderness Trek and then returned in time to prepare for a VBS in Bowdon, GA. Our young people demonstrated their faith and their endurance.

F. A number of our members went on summer mission campaigns. Robin and Sally Farris and Debbie Bargo went to Honduras for a week long work campaign. The dug, toted, entertained, sweated, and demonstrated the love of Christ. Adam Hesselrode went to Australia for six weeks. He went door to door trying to share the message of Jesus. Ivan Voser returned to Switzerland for a brief time to be with family and to work with the church in Thun. And you as a congregation paid for part of their support in each of these ventures.

G. Dwight and Josephine went to Japan for three months. With Mito as their home base, they traveled around visiting congregations and Christians—teaching and encouraging wherever they went.

H. Bob Hesselrode and Mark Scott went to Japan for about 15 days to serve as our representatives and liaisons. They listened to the stories of struggle and triumph and then they told us about them. They reminded us that we are in Japan to support and encourage the spread of the gospel in a difficult place.

I. Family Festival occurred in August. Our eighth year. More people. Another opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ to our community.

J. A used van was bought to assist our International ministry and to help with transportation with our young people. Money left over after the purchase of the first van plus wise planning of our Finance Committee allowed us to purchase the van without asking for additional money from the congregation.

K. In the autumn of the year, we had a Ladies’ retreat in September and then a Men’s retreat in November. A time of spiritual renewal.

L. In October a time to say thank you to our teachers took place. This vital ministry which affects us all and which takes a small army to staff and maintain gets an official thank you every other year.

M. Then in early December the Harding University Singers came and shared the grace of God through music.

N. 1999 also marked the 25th anniversary of Dwight and Josephine’s work with us. For a quarter of a century they have served us and the church in Japan. We are thankful.

O. Dinner on the grounds. The more we have them, the more folks enjoy them.

P. In addition to these events, 1999 brought several new people to our congregation: Jason Dougherty, Amy Frizzell, Diane Pate, Tom & Wanda Sutton, Will & Elizabeth Newsom, Natalee Moon, Michael Bibb, and Emily McSwain all became members.

Q. We had three physical births in 1999. Jonathan White, Jennifer Hunt, and Eric Koeun were born.

R. We had eleven spiritual births in 1999. Spenser Baldwin, Michelle Holland, Roeun Koeun, Ashley Kuhn, Johnny and Voeun Koeun, Eric McIntyre, Amanda Bodkin, Ben Huff, Ashley Crain, and Sandy Anderson all gave their lives to the Father.

S. We also said goodbye to four precious members: Mary Jo Womack, Jewel Jones, Nancy Murphey, and LaVicie Murphey.

T. With this hurried review, we rejoice. Let’s thank God for what he has done for us this past year.

The Future

A. None of us knows what the future holds. But dreaming about the future is important. Thinking about where we might be in the future is good. I realize that I have to be careful here because what I dream of may not be what you dream of. But I also realize that sometimes seed thoughts have to be given. So I offer a series of questions for you to think about and for you to expand.

1. Hopefully in this year we will have a new fellowship hall. What are we going to do with it? How will we use it to touch our community? What will we do with it to fulfill our purpose of being the family church? Will we open it up in the afternoons after school for a place for young people to gather? Can we use it for family nights for the community? What do you envision for the new building? How can it best be used to glorify the father and fulfill our purpose in this community?

2. What will we do this year to bring someone to Christ? Is it not time for us to begin concentrating on providing opportunities for congregational efforts to touch our friends and neighbors? What about a Friend Day? What about small group Bible Studies? Is the time right for us to try one or both? Will we be prepared to follow up with our visitors by visiting them? Will we have a platoon of folks ready to visit others this year?

3. I have appreciated comments that I have heard from our elders and deacons in which there is the realization that we are mentors for those less experienced. Will we add another deacon or two within the next year or so? How about another elder? We need to be praying and encouraging the next group to step forward to continue the work of leading this congregation.

4. What will we do to reach our community? To let them know that we are interested in strengthening families? To let our community know that we are “the family church?”

5. What about our worship assemblies? Because we live in a visual world, are we ready to pay the price of a more visually oriented assembly? This doesn’t mean to give up reason or sermons, but to use modern technology to make our services visual and more interactive. It is an expensive venture, but so is building a fellowship hall. Time will tell if these dreams become reality or if the dreams you have will take hold.

6. Let’s close with a time of prayer for the future. Not just the year 2000 but for the next five years. Then we will close with a song joining us together ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

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