Missions

February 7th and February 14th - Bring Valentine's for extra Awana points!  You may bring homemade or store bought cards...every Valentine will equal 100 points!

 

T and T girls will be delivering the cards on February 14th to the nursing home across the street.  Please make sure you bring your permission slip back by the 14th so you can go!  If you don't have a permission slip, ask your leaders! 

 

T and T boys...we are cooking up a wonderful surprise...stay tuned!!!

 

All Clubbers:  don't forget to come with a verse ready to recite.  You will earn a ticket and a chance to win a cool "suitcase"!

 

See you Sunday!

No pictures!  But, glad to be home and we all arrived safely.  It was a great and rewarding week in Connecticut.  

We are doing a mission report on Sunday evening August 9 at 6:00 pm.  We will report on Connecticut, China, and the Dominican Republic.  We sent Carole Crawford to China as she was working with some school teachers to teach English to Chinese students and they were allowed to use the Bible to teach English.  Joyce Roach went with the STCH team to The Dominican Republic.  Dr. Robert Edwards, Annette Gardner, Bob and Carole Crawford, and Gains and Mary Gardner went to Naugatuck, CT.  We participated in VBS in the mornings and went to various cities in the afternoon to do prayer walks.  We met up with the George West team in Bristol, CT, where they were renovating an American Legion hall.  They were repairing restrooms and building Sunday school space.  It was wonderful to see us all in Connecticut doing our little part for Western Connecticut Baptist Association.  We discovered in Shelton a very small group of Christians that were looking to have a Bible study.  Pastor Tim Leggett, Church Planter Strategist of Western CT. Baptist Assoc., and pastor of Naugatuck Valley Community Church, is praying that a group of ladies from his church will take the lead and go to Shelton and start a Women's Bible Study.  We do not know the results of our time in VBS nor will we know our effectiveness in the prayer walks, but someone has to sow the seeds and we feel like we did just that.

 

We want to thank you and the BGCT for your support, in prayers and financial aid.  This partnership with Blanco Association and the Western Connecticut Baptist Association seems to be a "God Thing".  We were encouraged to meet fellow Christians in the Northeast.   But we were somewhat disappointed in the fact that this is the seat of American history and then to see how the people of New England have lost sight of Christian beliefs and lifestyles.  There is a great loss of evangelism in the Northeast.  Point in fact, is the Sunday we arrived was the Sunday in which one old church had its last service.   The church was founded in 1764, just years from the American Revolution of 1776.  How sad!  But, if the Christians in America do not re-establish that love affair with Jesus, we will see our United States go the way of New England.  We need to pray and pray earnestly.  Sorry for the sermon, but that was the result of our trip to Connecticut.

Well, as you can tell I was unable to make entries for Day 3 and 4 of VBS.  We had technical difficulties with the internet.  We did complete VBS today and we had a wonderful time.  I don't know of any specifice decisions, but Pastor Tim knows of some and he is going to follow-up this next week with the parents and the children.  As you can see with some of the pictures, the children had a great time and also the pastor.  For this last time assembly time, the pastor asked all the parents to come up front with their children and have them sing and do the motions of the songs for this week.  A lot of fun was had by all.  You can also see in the pictures that our group also participated in the songs and motions.  They filled up the canoe with school supplies for the church in Brazil that Nagatuck Valley Community Church sponsors.  We are working on a shared mission trip for next year with our adults and our youth.  More information will be forthcoming.  We will be leaving for home tomorrow afternoon.  We look forward to sleeping a little later for tomorrow morning.  We hope to see you all in church on Sunday morning.  We love you and thank you for your support this week.

Well, we reached the end of a very long day of VBS and prayer walking.  We originally were to only assist, but soon found out that we were in charge of stations.  Robert, Bob, & Carole were in charge of snacks and Bible stories.  Mary and I were in charge of recreation.  Annette was in charge of showing a video and having interaction with the children.  They were hoping for 70 children and had 62.  So, I look to seeing more than 70 showing up tomorrow.  We had a great day yesterday participating in English church service, Spanish church service, and finishing up with a Portuguese church service.  We went to Sheldon this afternoon and did a prayer walk around the old part of town seeking God's guidance in what ministering opportunities are available.  Keep praying for us as we continue our work here.  More updates each day.

Saturday, July 25

Well we made it.  All went well and we will be in church tomorrow morning.  In the A.M. we will be at Naugatuck Valley Community Church and then we will go to Primera Iglesia Baptista at 4:00 pm and then to Igreja Comunidade Baptista for evening worship.  We are tired but excited.  Please be in prayer for us as we minister to the people in Connecticut.

Well, we leave for Connecticut on Saturday, July 25.  We will be serving in Naugatuck for the week and returning on August 1.  We will be helping with VBS in the morning times.  They are using Goup's Crococile Dock with a Louisiana Bayou Back woods theme.  We will be using our puppets and helping with their games and Bible studies.  Dr. Robert Edwards will be sharing in the missions emphasis time.  Then in the afternoons we will be conducting community surveys and participating in prayer walks.  Our team consists of Dr. Robert Edwards, Annette Gardner, Bob and Carole Crawford, and Gains and Mary Gardner.  Please be in prayer for us as we travel and as we participate in what God wants us to do.  Pray that God will be glorified this week in Connecticut.  Hopefully, If I can get the technology correct, I will be posting pictures and short stories to the website this next week.  See you all on Sunday August 2. 

/Gains

Here are pictures from the trip. to Second Baptist Church of Bridge City, TX. This is the church that we are in partnership with that was damaged during Hurricane Ike. As one can see by the pictures, the church plant was completely destroyed on the inside due to high water (approximately 4-6 feet of tide-surge). A lot of dry-wall installation has been completed in the Sanctuary and the adult Sunday school rooms. No dry-wall is done in the children's area. The childrens' area has been sanitized, but now needs dry-wall installation and paint. Their library was completely destroyed and is in need of Christian books, reference books, or any other educational materials. The Rev. Bobby Hoffpauer was called to be the pastor in August of 2008 and Ike came in the middle of September. The church had insurance and some money in the bank. Through the insurance, the church is able to buy supplies, but is in need of volunteer laborers to help with the construction. We are putting together a strategy to help in the construction effort and in assisting them with VBS in July. Your prayers and your consideration to help in this endeavor is much appreciated by Second Baptist Church of Bridge City and by First Baptist of Rockport.

Texas Baptist Men activated all of its mobile kitchens.  Here are some pictures that Bob Crawford took while on the job in League City, Sept.15 - 22.  More pictures of the amazing mobile kitchens can be viewed here.  Thank you for your support.

First Baptist Church of Rockport sent eleven missionaries to the northern peninsula of Colombia on August 8, 2008. The group has returned with some amazing stories of God's ability to cross language and cultural lines.