Missionary Update: The Creiglows in Brazil [December 2014]
Mike and Beverly Creiglow have served the Lord in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil together since 1971. In addition to pastoring First Baptist of Cruzeiro do Sul, Mike builds his own boats and frequently travels up and down rivers to share the Gospel with those who have never heard.
December 9, 2014
Dear Brethren,
Although I have been to several places over the past few weeks, I think I will concentrate on my last trip up the Juruá River. Let’s start out with some background.
In January 1966 the Lord called me to be a missionary. It was and has always been clear that I was to work right here in western Brazil. At the time I was only 17. On a Sunday night I made the call known to the church. On Tuesday night I preached my first sermon. Just after I turned 18 I went off to seminary in Manaus. Twice a year I would come back to Cruzeiro do Sul during school breaks. The first break I built a little wooden boat and Dad loaned me one of his motors. My first river trip was that same year and was to places beyond where Dad had been working in those first years of his ministry here.
At the time, there was a little church at a place called Campo de Santana. Dad visited them regularly. The next major village up stream is Vitória. This was my first stop on that first trip.
The full moon coming up over the Juruá river just before time for services to start.
The house that I stayed at belonged to Henrique Linhares. He was a first generation descendent of the northeasterners who came here for the rubber boom in the early 20th century. He was born at Vitória and at age 57 had never been to Cruzeiro do Sul. His wife, Dona Bastinha, (Little Sebastiana) was the local midwife. They lived in a big house made of bark floors and walls with a thatched roof.
There were no Christians (saved folks) on the entire Juruá River from that village upstream. I preached in Seu Henrique’s home twice a year from 1966 until 1978, the year I became pastor at First Baptist Church. I started preaching there 48 years ago. I played the accordion, sang hymns, prayed and preached the gospel to them for years sitting on a crude stool. The services were lit by little open flame kerosene lights. The whole village would come. Not a soul was ever saved.
In the mid 90’s we sent our first missionary to Porto Walter, which is about a hour downstream from Vitória in my fastest boat. We encouraged Mário to keep up preaching points at Campo de Santana and Vitória. A few people were saved. Then 6 years ago we sent Alexandre to Porto Walter, as Mário had moved to Cruzeiro do Sul. He sped up the pace of work at both villages. This year he led the little congregation to saw lumber and build their first building.
The new building at Vitória from the outside.
Last weekend I was there to dedicate the new building. What a difference from way back when. All the houses in the village, which has grown a lot, are made with nice sawed lumber and covered with aluminum roofing. The government put in a dirt road from Porto Walter and strung up electric through the jungle. As I stood in front of the building waiting for them to open up and turn on the lights I had a strange experience. Looking up stream and downstream there were strings of lights from LED flashlights and cell phones as people coming to church lit the paths along banks of the river. How different and strange from years ago. There were over 200 present for services on Saturday and Sunday. I preached about the timing of salvation, for obvious reasons. There were 2 people saved! What a thrill.
The new building at Vitória packed on the inside. Notice the kids sitting on the floor…they were very well behaved!
Some of the young Christians there are Sr. Henrique’s grandchildren. Some of them remember the services I held there. One of them came to me Sunday night and said. “I understand you clearly now, but back then I didn’t.” His thought was that my Portuguese has improved, but it hasn’t really. I explained to him that back then he understood the words, but not the message. Today he understands because of the Holy Spirit who opens eyes and hearts. What a comfort. What a victory at Vitória after all these years.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike and Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil 69980
mdcreig [at] hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: Sheridan & Anita Stanton in Peru [July 2014]
Sheridan and Anita Stanton have served the Lord in Peru since 1983. Their main ministry is church planting and they have helped establish churches all over the country. Sheridan also works to train pastors and Anita works with the ladies’ ministry and developing children’s material.
July 7, 2014
Dear friends,
Two accepting Christ this past month, four added by moving their membership, and two weddings, means we have been busy here at the Calvary Baptist Mission-Church! Anita works long hours every day getting Sunday School material ready for the teachers and soon they will be able to decorate their new rooms at the new building. Everyone is getting excited about getting the building finished. However, it seems that the “small stuff”, finishing touches take longer and longer. Laying tile and painting on Saturdays has become the church’s custom!
Anita and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on the 7th of June and celebrated the event by visiting the Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil. This was a trip Anita has always wanted to make and by the generosity of some dear friends it became a reality for us. We hope to be able to do something very special again in another forty years!
The Calvary Baptist Mission Church surprised us with a beautiful commemorative plate recognizing our forty years of marriage; it was a touching moment for Anita and me to feel the genuine love these dear saints of God have for us.
We were also blessed to have a visit from some dear friends, Jim and Lou Griffin from South Carolina come and spend some time with us. They helped paint at the new building and also played tennis with me. They were a delight to have and we hope they come back again sometime.
Our gracious God continues to bless the work here in Huánuco, Peru. I invest a lot of my time every day in counseling. Seeing hurting wounded souls find victory in Christ is a very rewarding experience. I enjoy counseling very much and I am always looking for better ways to share the message of “abundant, kingdom living.”
My Monday night Bible class with the local Baptist pastors, continues. At this present time I am teaching a course in “Administration of a Baptist Church.” Many times this course has led to lively discussion based on personal experiences. This has been a very effective method for training the younger preachers. Anita and I pray you all of you frequently and hope you are basking in the blessings of God’s love and grace.
Being “in Christ” by God’s grace,
Sheridan and Anita Stanton
Apartado Postal 140
Huanuco, Peru
South America
(614) 500-8823 – Internet Number
sestantonperu[at]hotmail.com – Sheridan
arstantonperu[at]gmail.com – Anita
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Missionary Update: John Mark & Judy Hatcher [June 2014]
Missionaries John Mark and Judy Hatcher have been serving the Lord in Tournefeuille, France since 1999. They define their ministry as “disciple-making.”
June 5, 2014
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Seventy years ago Americans along with others of the Allied Forces were embarking on the mission to recover Europe from the clutches of Hitler. Both Judy’s father and mine were a part of this massive operation. God used the involvement of our parents in the retaking of France to speak to our hearts about the spiritual needs of France.
In the Fall of 1997 Judy and I visited the beaches of Normandy during a trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary. This was our first trip to Europe together and we had no idea that God would ever place us here as His witnesses. During the week we spent in France, we saw no evidence of Biblical Christianity. This led us to start researching about the spiritual condition of France. It was the first of many sign posts that God used to direct us to France as missionaries.
It hardly seems possible that we have now been in France over 14 years in the service of the Lord. He has given us the opportunity to minister to French and Germans as well as many other nationalities during this time. The Good News of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, brings peace between us and God as well as between us and former human enemies. To God be the Glory.
But, make no mistake about it, we are still in a battle. However, we fight “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” And this country is certainly living in darkness. Though followers of Christ in France are a very small minority, the light of God that shines through us is “mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds”. So, we give God all the glory and seek to be used by Him.
I am encouraged by the spiritual growth in the men of our congregation. Sometimes I get impatient because we so desperately need leaders who know God’s Word and are mature in Christ. So, you can pray for God to enable me through His Spirit to be patient. The congregation in Tournefeuille is doing well and we are thankful for what is happening in the various week day Bible studies connected to this congregation. We are also delighted to see how God is working in the lives of the children and young people who participate in the Sunday School and Youth meetings.
The meetings that we hold in Mazere, one hour south of Tournefeuille, are also a cause for rejoicing. There are now nine committed believers who participate in this Bible study and they are sharing the Good News with family members and others with whom they contact.
In two days we will be having our yearly neighborhood dinner. There are a number of new families in our area and this allows us to start relationships with them. Pray that God will enable us to use these opportunities to effectively communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Your fellow laborers in France,
John and Judy
John and Judy Hatcher
4, rue d’Aspin
31170 Tournefeuille, France
JMHatcher[at]aol.com
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher on Furlough from Brazil [June 2014]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil since 1974. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
May 29, 2014
Dear Friends,
God is always so gracious and wonderful. We are all doing well; and, each new day we are glad and rejoice in our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. We continue to have great joy as we visit and renew our friendship with so many we have not seen by reason of our distance overseas.
Since we’ve been in the states we had the joy of visiting and sharing mission stories with the following churches:
- Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church – Pr. Earl Thomas
- Thompson Road Baptist Church – Pr. Dave Parks
- New Life Baptist Church – Pr. Steve Wainright
We have also been blessed as we attended services and saw old friends at: Bryan Station Baptist Church, Ashland Avenue Baptist Church, Heritage Baptist Church and in Florida: Park Ridge Baptist Church, Jordan Baptist Church, Chapel Baptist Church.
We have found a place to rent in Davenport, Florida; and we are grateful as the Lord has opened up the doors before us. That which was difficult He has made clear and easy. Thanks to our wonderful Lord and Shepherd. We appreciate all those who prayed for us as we were looking and moving.
We are in contact almost every day with our brethren in Brazil. Our family is all well and the churches continue to be blessed and grow with the adding of those saved. Final preparations are being made to help the church plant in Macapá, capital of the state of Amapá in northern Brazil to organize as a church and incorporate. Incorporation is a rather lengthy and complicated affair; but God always sees it through. It has been taking about one year to complete the governmental process.
I have a special prayer request to share: Pastor Adolfo Escote, pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Santa Etelvina, in Manaus, had retina displacement in both eyes and is in serious risk of losing most or all of his sight. Pray for God’s grace to be richly and abundantly supplied to him and his family, as well as healing from the Lord Jesus Christ.
God bless each of you; thanks for your prayer and faithful support to the work of missions. May God be your great reward. We pray for you that your remembrance and knowledge of our Lord, the only true God, may abundantly increase, that your trust and faith in him may be steadfast in all things, and that the love of the spirit may fill and overflow in your every word and action with thanksgiving to God though Jesus Christ our only Lord and Life.
Love,
Paul and Wanda
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
rphatcher[at]gmail.com
615 Key West Avenue
Davenport, Fl 33897-6300
(239)227-6551
Click here to give.
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Missionary Update: The Tates in Kenya [June 2014]
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This month I have included a picture of a rather unassuming and unimpressive room. This room is located on the edge of town in Kitale, on the second story of an unfinished and unimpressive looking building. Why have I included this picture of this small and easily forgotten room? Because I have leased it and want to use it to start the Kitale Baptist Church Planting Training Center (or some other appropriate sounding name). This room will have two main purposes as I see it.
1. Teach people, who have never received good Biblical training, about Jesus and the gospel
2. Train and model for disciples of Jesus how to start, organize, maintain and reproduce new Baptist churches in Kenya
Bro. Roger Tate has leased a small room in Kitale to serve as a church planting training center.
For those of you who talked with me or saw my video during our recent time in the States, you know this is a slight alteration to my plans. My original thinking was to open such a training center in a mud house out in a village and then pursue the above objectives there in that house. After much prayer and thoughtful consideration, we have decided instead to open a church planting training center right in town. Without wanting to bore you with details, I would like to try and explain why we think this is the better option:
- It would be centrally located and easy to find. Everyone will be able to get to it from just about anywhere close to town. It would be easy to direct people to its location whereas directing people to a “mud” house in a village would be challenging.
- We would be accessible to many more people if we were in town than we would be out in a village (where we would be accessible pretty much only to the people of that village)
- It can be small and stocked with Kenyan furniture (much like we would have stocked the “mud” house) so that it can be used exactly as we would have used a mud hut in a village to model for the students/disciples/church planters our approach to church planting
- We could do some evangelism in and around town (and encourage some of our students to do the same). People who are interested in learning a little about the Bible and what it really means to be a Christian, but who do not want to be a church planter, could come to the center where we could teach them a Basic Christianity course. Again, in town it would be much more accessible and more people could come. Even if 99.9% of these people would be coming because of what they hope to get from the missionaries, at least they would also be receiving some good Biblical teaching about what a Christian really is as opposed to what they normally hear at the majority of the national churches.
- As we come up with different kinds of community help ideas that will actually work, I think it will be much more suitable and work better in town than elsewhere.
- We could always set up satellite training centers in villages if there was need or desire to do so.
The bottom line is that using this room in town keeps intact our model and approach to teaching Kenyans how to plant churches while keeping us centrally located and easily accessible. God can use this unimposing little room to start a church planting revolution here in Kitale if He so chooses. This is what we are praying for and that God would be glorified in this place.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Emily, Amy, & Josiah)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Missionary Update: Mike & Beverly Creiglow in Brazil [December 2013]
Mike and Beverly Creiglow have served the Lord in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil together for 40 years. In addition to pastoring First Baptist of Cruzeiro do Sul, Mike builds his own boats and frequently travels up and down rivers to share the Gospel with those who have never heard.
December 2, 2013
Dear Brethren,
The first higher waters of the new rainy season have arrived. The river came up a little in early November. Hudson, Manuel and I made a visit to our work at Porto Walter. This trip had been planned a couple of months in advance, but we were not sure which boat we would go in. The Lord sent enough water for me to go in my bigger boat, one with a top on it to keep us out of the sun and rain. It was smooth sailing with no sudden encounters with stumps or sandbars.
The building was packed for all 4 services. Hudson took the boat on up river for a couple of days to visit 3 other preaching points. There were 2 professions of faith at Novo Horizonte. Meanwhile, back at Porto Walter we had 4 more saved. We also had the biggest baptism service in the history of the work there. I baptized 26 on Sunday morning. Our missionaries there are Alexandre and Rejane. They are doing a great job.
Mike Creiglow baptized 26 people at Porto Walter, the biggest baptismal service in the history of the work there.
Also, in November I visited 2 of our chapels here in town. The first visit was to Cruzeirinho. This is our work on the west side of town. They are still in their wooden building, but are to start a new brick building early next year. The other visit was to Avenida São Paulo. This is on the north side of town. They, too, are doing very well. Right now they are putting in the ceiling and soon will be putting AC in the main auditorium.
Since we are packed out on Sunday night at First Baptist Church we decided to let the chapels start having Sunday evening services. We have still had mostly capacity crowds on Sunday night. It has now been 2 months that we did this change. So far we have had just 2 services with a few empty seats in the balcony of the home church. I have gotten so used to seeing the building completely full on Sunday night over the past 20 years that this new phase seems strange and a little scary to me. Gotta fill those seats!
We have works on the North, South, East and West sides of town. Not too long ago we added 2 more chapels. One is on the other side of the Juruá River and the other on the Northeast side of town in a neighborhood called Centrinho. Both of these already have property. Miritizal, across river, has already started their building. Foundation and slab are finished.
Bro. Creiglow helped build the first truss for the church at Guajará that is currently bursting at the seams in their old building.
Bev and I went to visit the congregation at Campinas. Luiz Alberto and Alcinete take care of this work. They have had some opposition from within over the past couple of months, which I have tried to help them with. We have met a number of times to walk them through the problems. Seems to be under control. One of the original members from when the work was first started is feeling threatened now that the work is finally taking off. They have outgrown their wooden building and will be starting a big brick building soon. There were over 200 present for the Sunday night service. They had almost that many in the morning.
Last week I visited the work at Guajará 5 times. Now that there is a road there I have been able to go just to work during the day. I have been helping them with the next stage of their new building. They are bursting at the seams in their old building. This week I built the first truss for them. Their carpenter will take over from here.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. God bless you as much as He has us.
In Christ,
Mike and Beverly Creiglow
Caixa Postal 24
Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil 69980
mdcreig [at] hotmail.com
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Missionary Update: Paul & Wanda Hatcher in Brazil [June 2013]
Paul and Wanda Hatcher have been serving the Lord together in Brazil for 36 years. Paul pastors Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus, Brazil. Their main ministry is church planting.
Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
May 29, 2013
Dear Friends,
God gives some people the ability to move to a new city and preach the gospel, nurture the new believers in Christ, and in a short time, organize the body of believers into a new church. Many times the starter missionary does not enjoy the ongoing pastoral duties because his heart is burdened for another place that does not have the Gospel. Even with so great a burden, the missionary realizes he must stay until the Lord provides a pastor to lead the new flock. Missionary Raimundo Pinto and family are great starter missionaries in the city of Fortaleza in northeastern Brazil. They have been sent from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Manaus. The church plant was successful and a blessing, but Missionary Pinto was anxious to move on to a new state to begin a new church. He waited and prayed anxiously that the Lord would provide a pastor so he could move on. He was elated and grateful as the Lord answered their prayer and provided a man of God, Pastor Vilian and family. The new church invited him to become their new pastor and He accepted the call. They are working on the transition; and soon Missionary Pinto is planning to move to the city of Aracaju, in the state of Sergipe in northeastern Brazil. Needless to say, the two families are very excited to move and get started. We ask that you pray for them, especially the Pinto family, as many challenges will present themselves in this new church plant. We will rejoice as God continues to work out all the details.
John is a member at Tabernacle Baptist in Manaus and has a small farm in the jungle on the banks of the Amazon River. He is a joyful Christian and loves to talk about his faith in Jesus. As he talked about Jesus to the people living out on the river banks, several became interested and trusted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. So he would get together with them on the week end and read the Scriptures and talk about the Lord and pray together. About three weeks ago, John requested that one of the church pastors go and talk to them, as they wanted to be baptized. There are about 25 adults who have professed Jesus as Saviour. This is wonderful! Pray for them, their baptism and growth in the Lord, and the forming of a new church.
This month of May, Wanda and I are having some special time with our parents. My parents, John and Alta Hatcher, live in the southern part of Brazil, and Wanda’s mom, Mrs. Willa McGary, lives in the opposite direction: Mayfield, Kentucky. At the beginning of the month, we had a special treat with my parents and my two brothers and their wives – about a week of fellowship and thanksgiving.
The following weeks we are spending some time with Wanda’s mom visiting and caring for some of her needs. We would like to say a great big Thanks to churches and individuals for your meaningful prayer and support. Likewise, thanks to the wonderful men who serve on the board and the churches they pastor who also invest in missions through them. Your intercessions to God on our behalf bring us comfort and strength in the Lord Jesus. Your faithful financial support is laid to your account in heaven, as God brings salvation to many, which results in our rejoicing together and glorifying God. We thank God for each of you and pray that He will richly bless you.
In Christ,
Paul and Wanda Hatcher
Avenida J. Carlos Antony, 172
65063-150 Manaus
Amazonas, Brasil SA
hatcher[at]argo.com.br
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Spring Conference 2013 [Tuesday Evening]
Our 53rd Annual Spring Conference continued this evening with Scripture-soaked messages, giving honor where honor is due, and words of encouragement.
The choir from Thompson Road opened with “Ancient Words,” followed by the congregation singing “Victory in Jesus.” ♪ Pastor Doug King then led us in prayer before we sang “Loyalty to Christ.” ♪ His Gospel we’ll proclaim, throughout the world’s domain, Of loyalty, loyalty, yes, loyalty to Christ.
Pastor Mark Pyles sang “He’s All I Need” before the first message. ♪
Missionary John Hatcher, who has served 58 years in Brazil, brought the first message from the Psalms, but opened by singing a Portuguese song and all the Portuguese speakers joined in! (Something about being happy…”O yo something feliz.” Apologies from Phoebe who forgot to ask for a translation afterward.)
“I want the Scriptures to speak to you,” he said. “I’ll make my words few.”
Psalm 1 contains the perfect instructions for guiding your life as a Christian. The promises in it are overwhelming.
vs. 1- Happy is the man who walks in the right way, stands in the right place, and doesn’t sit in the wrong places.
vs. 2- 24 hours a day. Some of us our too lazy and too “busy” to meditate on God’s Word, but that’s the only thing that will last forever.
vs. 3- What a promise! Whatever I do as God’s child will prosper. God has obligated Himself to this promise if I meet the demands of the first part of the chapter.
If you want a successful life, do what He says.
“This may be the shortest sermon I’ve ever preached at a conference,” he remarked, “but the words are eternal.”
Psalm 126 shows the secret of success in a life that is going to win souls.
Our job is to win souls to the Lord and they can’t be saved without hearing that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead.
vs. 5- Another promise. Weep as you sow. We cry over the lost. We cry over their need. We cry over their destiny without Christ. It’s my job to sow the seed and weep over the lost. It’s Christ’s job to make it sprout. You have to plant the seed with care. There have been some tears, but you keep sowing.
When we have the opportunity to tell and we don’t, the blood is on our hands. We can’t pass that off.
If you want to be a soul-winner, you must understand Psalm 126.
Psalm 127– The Family
vs. 2- God works for us while we rest! He wants us to rest in Him.
vs. 3- CHILDREN are a heritage from the Lord. We often think of material possessions as a heritage, but it’s CHILDREN. “We always wanted 8 kids. We made it to 5–and if we had more like the 5 we had, we’d want at least 8.”
Psalm 128– Great Promises: When you honor Him, the family is the blessing.
The Hatchers have 5 children, 15 grandchildren, and 26 great-grandchildren. Every one of the grandchildren is serving the Lord in a special ministry. All 4 greats in France have trusted the Lord and they are trusting the rest will as well!
Psalm 127 & 128 pronounce blessings over the family. When you have godly families, you’ll have godly politicians, schoolteachers, workers, and bosses. When the family fails, all fails.
Take the Word in its simplicity.
♪ Close to Thee ♪
We had a special presentation to honor the exemplary and faithful service of four of our missionary families this evening.
- John & Alta Hatcher – 58 years in Brazil
- Harold & Marie Bratcher – 53 ½ years in Brazil
- Bobby & Betty Creiglow – 33 years in Brazil
- Harold & Ursula Draper – 32 ½ years in Brazil
They each received a plaque with their years of service and a message of thanks and 2 Timothy 2:2 at the bottom. (You can download a sample PDF here to see the text and generic design of the plaque.)
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” -2 Timothy 2:2
Pastor David Hatcher from Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, then told the story of a little seed planted by BFM. He wanted to encourage us to be faithful and to show that our work has not been in vain–that our faith in what BFM missionaries were planting was not in vain. “Sometimes you get one of those genetically modified kernels,” he said. God determines the size as He uses us.
He shared a video about the history Chapada Baptist Church that was made to “gladden our hearts.” Chapada was the first church planted in Brazil by John & Alta Hatcher in 1960. Five years ago, they had 130 members. Now it’s grown to 5000 and they have planted 20 churches in Brazil and 4 churches in other countries (Venezuela, Mozambique, Peru, and British Guyana).
What you did will have eternal rewards and you’ll only find out about most of it when you get to Heaven. You may never know the extent of the work that you’re doing–only Heaven will tell. So do not grow weary.
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” -Galatians 6:9
The seed is good seed, but there are some things we can do in planting the seed to make it more effective.
Six Things the Chapada Church has Focused On
First off, pastors need to get rid of fear. Figure out what God wants and do it regardless of what other people think. Think outside the church walls.
1) The absolute top priority of the church & the Christian is to love God above all. It’s Jesus everywhere. Jesus in your job, in your sports, in your dating, in your marriage. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
The #1 way you love God: Obey. (John 14)
Sanctification involves learning to obey and learning to hear the voice of the Spirit. It takes commitment AND passion. Learn to praise God. (Psalm 89:15)
2) It’s the joy of the Lord that is our strength.
-People need to WANT to go to church. Bring joy into your services because the JOY of the Lord is the strength of the Christian. It shouldn’t be an obligation. When we are full of joy, the burden of the Lord’s work becomes light. (Psalm 37:4)
-Study God’s Word collectively and individually. Every member is encouraged to spend 20-25 minutes per day in the Word 5 days a week. They memorize 5 or so verses a week and do Bible Study sheets. Not all 5000 do it, but 2000 do, and 2000 is better than no-thousand!
-Get people into the Word! How shall a young man keep His way pure? (Psalm 119:9) When you get people in the Word, it overflows in fruit (the best kind of fruit is souls). Stimulate the reading, studying, and memorization with rewards.
“When I was a boy, I read because my mother would let me go buy a toy as a reward at the end of a year. That got me in the habit of doing it, but that’s not why I do it now.”
-Everyone should be trained, not just the pastor.
–As people serve and invest their lives, they’ll love the church and Jesus more. Where your treasure is… (Matthew 6:21) Don’t ask what the church can do for you.
3) Apply the theology to everyday life. Don’t assume people know what to do with the Word. (Matthew 7:24) Help them put it into their tennis shoes. The Bible is the manual of life.
4) Ministry is done by volunteers. The people do the work. When you’re invested, you can’t leave. God has given us intelligence, time, and energy–we turn these in to make money and buy material things, but don’t forget to invest in and buy eternal things. The average member at Chapada gives about 8-10 hours per week to the church.
5) Focus on loving one another.
Sometimes we emphasize the wrong things. Anything that is not going to make an eternal difference is the wrong thing. Focus on the right things. (1 John 3:16) MAKE PEOPLE FEEL LOVED. (John 13:34-35) Love is the best advertisement for your church. Bring gifts for people when you come to church–cards, candy, fruit. Leave messages on their phone. Send them texts of encouragement. (Sidenote: Instead of Facebook, get your face in the Book! But if you use Facebook, use it for the Lord and to encourage one another!)
6) Our Purpose: Give people the opportunity to respond to the Gospel.
1 Corinthians 9:24-26 Speak in a language that people understand. Consider everything as a divine appointment. When you’re filling up your gas tank, it’s a divine appointment. Invite the cashier to church–tell them how Jesus died for their sins.
He challenged us to rethink our methods. We must plant the seed in an effective way. Do not be weary. Do not be discouraged. Be creative.
We closed the evening session with ♪ Lord Speak to Me ♪
Tomorrow is the final day of the conference. We hope you can join us! [Schedule]
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