Hello!

I know what you are thinking. He has not blogged in so long, why now? That's a great question and when I find the answer, I will let you know. In the meantime I thought it would be feasible to at least try to get back in the swing of things in hopes of finding a flow. Since the last time I was here a lot has happened much of which I hope to share with you gradually. Please keep me in your prayers. My hope is to return with my first article tomorrow. Thanks in advance.

Greetings!

It's been a while since I've used this medium. I will try my best to get back in the habit. A lot has happened since my last post. Hopefully with time I will be able to fill you in on the details. Until then, I solicit your prayers and hope that you are well. Talk with you soon!

Heaven

The light of heaven is the face of Jesus

The joy of heaven is the presence of Jesus

The melody of heaven is the name of Jesus

The harmony of heaven is the praise of Jesus

The theme of heaven is the work of Jesus

The employment of heaven is the service of Jesus

The duration of heaven is the eternity of Jesus

The fullness of heaven is Jesus Himself.

What will make heaven such a special place is that for all of eternity we will enjoy the presence of Jesus. - D.L. Moody

Sunday Synopsis

Sunday was great @ GSJ. We decided to have one service and what an experience it was!

This gave us an opportunity to worship together as a church family on first Sunday which is a rare privilege.

For the past weeks our numbers have been down as is the case with many churches during the summer months. I was very pleased to see a strong showing of our membership.

Coming off a successful State Convention, we were happy to baptize four (4) young ladies who came to Christ during our Youth Session.

Thank God for the guests who graced us with their presence. It’s always good to have people join us for any and all our services.

The choir was very inspirational and uplifting with their singing. They were probably happier than anyone that we chose to have one service.

I was able to resume my current preaching series from the gospel of John. The series is entitled “Signs of the Savior.” My sermon focused on the fourth sign recorded by John in chapter 6:1-13 which I labeled “So Much With So Little.”

We were blessed to receive two additional people in the church with one being a candidate for baptism and the other a parent of two of the aforementioned young ladies.

Again I reiterate, it was a great day to be at GSJ.

The time is fast approaching for our annual outside ‘Tent Service’ which will be held on August 21. This is one of our evangelistic opportunities to canvas the neighborhood to win people to Christ. A picnic will follow. I can’t wait.  Hope you will join us. Details are forthcoming. Take care.

IMBSC Annual Session

The Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church along with the Northwestern District Association eagerly anticipates the opportunity to host the 154^th Annual Session of the Indiana Missionary Baptist State Convention. The session will be held July 30 – August 3, 2011 @ GSJ. Our Theme this year is "Foundation: What Are You Building?" taken from I Corinthians 3:9-13.

The following is a rough outline of what will take place:

Sat, July 30	Youth Session 8:30am – 1:30pm	Workshops “The Dirt on Sex” and “Interviewing- Dress for Success” Presenters: Dr. Bruce Rose - Second Baptist – Bloomington and Mrs. Ruby Smith – New Salem Baptist - Indianapolis
Sat, July 30	Brotherhood Auxiliary 9:30 am	Guest   Pastor Sam Frison- Pilgrim Rest - Elkhart
Sat, July 30	Music Department	9am– 2pm
Sun, July 31	Pre-Convention Musical	6pm
Mon, Aug. 1	Parent Body Session 9am	Guest   Pastor Douglas Tate, Jr. – Psalms Baptist, Indianapolis
Mon-Tues, August 1-2	Nurses Auxiliary 1pm	Guest   Pastor Steven Barnes – New Testament – South Bend
Mon, Aug 1	Welcome/Host Night 7pm	GSJ Mime/Choir
Tues, Aug 2	Parent Body Session 9am	Guest   Pastor Barney Lewis – New Peter’s Rock – South Bend
Tues-Wed, August 2-3	Ushers Auxiliary 1pm	Guest   Pastor Lee Montgomery – Antioch Baptist – South Bend
Tues-Wed, August 2-3	Women’s Home & Foreign Mission – 1pm	Guest   Dr. Kenneth B. Ladd - Evansville
Tues, Aug 2	Lott Carey Mission Night 7pm	Special Guest Pastor William J. Wyne – Second Baptist – Battle Creek, MI
Wednesday, Aug 3	Parent Body Session 7pm	Presidential Sermon Dr. Wayne L. Moore – Convention President – Pastor, Olivet Baptist - Indianapolis

I solicit your prayers for this meeting and for myself as I will serve as Host Pastor, District Moderator and First Vice President. Stop by if you can. God Bless.

Help for the Leader

But you should select from all the people able men, God fearing, trustworthy and hating bribes. Place them over the people as officials of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens... they can bring you every important case but judge every minor case themselves. In this way you will lighten your load and they will bear it with you. - Exodus 18:21-23

The following is an excerpt from a book I recently purchased and placed into my library. The author’s transliteration of Exodus 18 was very insightful to me.  Hope you enjoy!

 One day Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came up over a sand dune and looked down on a long line of people. It was an interesting group, and it was apparent that all were not happy wanderers. Fights, arguments, discord and disenchantment would be good words to describe this group of Israelites. Every once in a while a person would just get discouraged and leave the line.

Jethro noted that at the head of the line was his son-in-law, sitting under a tent listening to the various people who made their way to him. So he went down to see what was going on. “Mo,” he said, “what’s going on here?” “Well, honored father-in-law,” Moses responded, “God made me these people’s leader. They have disputes, and I am here to listen to them and settle the problems. I sit here day in and day out listening to all these gripes, solving personal and marital problems, and trying to explain theological issues.” Jethro was astonished. Had not Moses read Drucker during his years in the Pharaoh’s palace? In the kind words of a father-in-law, Jethro responded; “You’re crazy!” Having expressed his true sentiment, he went on to explain, “If you keep this up, you are going to experience burnout in ministry. What will become of my daughter if you go over the deep end? But worse yet, what will become of the people? God has made you their leader. If you are not able to lead because of fatigue, then they will suffer, and God’s purpose for them will not be achieved.” Now Jethro was a Midianite priest, which made him a leader. Good leaders know you do not pose a problem without providing a resolution. So he told Moses, “Select some men who are prominent in the nation. Look for quality men who are moral in character and righteous in virtue. Place them in charge of portions of the nation. Don’t overwhelm them. Assign the most capable person to groups of one thousand, then give them two lieutenants who can lead five hundred each of that group. Keep dividing the group into smaller units with leaders of each subgroup of one hundred, fifty, ten, or whatever. Now each subgroup leader is to be responsible to the leader above him. Let these various leaders solve problems at their level. If they can’t solve the problem, then they have someone over them whom they can take it to. That way you can reserve your decision-making responsibilities for the biggies—responding only to the issues that the leaders of the thousands bring to you or issues to which God directs you. Now if you listen to my sage advice, not only will it be easier for you, but you will develop some leaders as well.”

Robert Welch; Church Administration: Creating Efficiency for Effective Ministry, p 2

Sunday Summary

Today was a great day @GSJ. I woke up more refreshed than I’ve been in a long time. Saturdays are usually difficult for me as far as going to sleep is concerned. Fortunate for me, I was able to get to bed earlier than normal which helped a great deal.

I arrived at church eager to continue our current preaching series “Signs of the Savior” with a message entitled “The Quest for Wholeness” taken from John 5:1-9. The message was well received in both services and two were added to the church.  Praise God!!

In the afternoon, we traveled to Benton Harbor, Michigan to fellowship with Pastor James Childs and Progressive Baptist Church on the occasion of their 65^th Church Anniversary. My heart was warmed by the hospitality of Progressive as they eagerly anticipated our arrival. They were very friendly and they fed us well. There was a sweet spirit in this church and the service was hot from the very beginning.

 I was overwhelmed by the response of our congregation as many of them decided to join us. The selections by our choir were very inspirational and uplifting as they had been most of the day. When preaching time came, I was lead to preach a passage from Nehemiah 4:1-6. The title of the message was “So Built We the Wall.” Turns out it was exactly what they needed and the response was very favorable.

Thank God for the area pastors who came by to show their support.  A few of them I became acquainted with through our National Convention. When they learned I was in town, they took time out of their busy schedules to worship with us. I appreciate their kindness.

As I retire for the evening, I pray that the Lord would refresh me for the work ahead this week. There are a few loose ends that we must take care of in anticipation of our State Annual Session which will be held @ GSJ, July 30- August 3. Pray for us as we host this great session and if you are in the area, stop by. God Bless!!