Thankful for Family and our Church

This Thursday we will observe Thanksgiving. With Aarika home from college and Aaron and Michelle are with us, Cathy and I are looking forward to a great Thanksgiving with our family. God has blessed us so much with a great family. This Thanksgiving I hope you would look back and see the things you have been blessed with.

As I look back, I am also thankful for my church family. Cathy and I have been blessed to be your Pastor for the last 15 years. We have seen many wonderful things happen in our church in the last 15 years. I am thankful for the staff we have at our church. Preston Long has been a blessing working with our Youth and being a great friend to me. Tara Sherrod has brought so many wonderful things to our Music Program here at First Baptist Church. Jackie Moody our church secretary has been with us several years and she keeps things running smoothly in our office and I am thankful. Ginger Marinell our Pre-School Director has been a blessing as she works with our Pre-schoolers and those Pre-Schoolers have been a blessing to us.

I’m also thankful for our new education building that the Lord allowed us to build. I know building this building was a step of faith but it has been a blessing to see what God is doing with this building and how it has brought people closer to the Lord. In our new education building our pre-school ministry uses part of it during the week. We have Sunday School, G.A.’s, R.A.’s, Mission Friends, and Choir Rehearsals in there every week. We have been able to do Judgement House in the new building and it was a blessing because of the abundant space. Other groups from the community have uses our education building, Relay for Life, Wedding Receptions, Fidlers and many more.


In the last three years friends and members of First Baptist Church have given $648,000 to our Stewardship Campaign. We have used this money to pay our monthly note of $13,000 and on Sunday, December 5th our first campaign will come to an end. We still need your support with our payment on our education building. That is why we will be starting a new campaign in 2011 to help with paying the debt on this education building that God is using to reach new people for Christ.

I just want to say thanks to everyone who has prayed for and has given money to pay the note on our education building. I know that many people in our church have sacrificed in giving and I am thankful and the Lord knows your commitment. Continue to pray for the work of this church and its regular ministry that is supported with your tithes and our education building.

Bible Training For Church Leaders

This past week I flew to Atlanta, Georgia to attend a teacher training workshop for Bible Training For Pastors and Church Leaders. I have been teaching the BTCP in Panama for the last several years but always wanted to attend the official training. My training in this material was a great experience and I am praying how we can use this material in our church and other places.

I believe Godly people are looking for a way to rightly interpret and apply the truths that are found in the Bible. Bible Training for Church Leaders is a five course curriculum offered in a local church setting. Class times can be arranged to suit the students' schedules. By meeting three hours once-a-week on a selected night, the five courses can be completed in just over two years.

The core courses are Bible Study Methods, Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, Bible Doctrine Survey and Personal and Corporate Spiritual Life.

I ask that you would pray with me about starting these courses in our church in March 2011. I will be sharing more about these courses in the coming months.