Thanksgiving thoughts

Psalm 100:4, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto him and bless His name.”

Thanksgiving is a time set aside each year for us to let God and others know what we are thankful for.  As Christians we ought always to be thankful, not just for one day a year.  At Calais I taught through a very brief word study on “thanksgiving” and “praise” for the past 2 Wednesday nights, as I knew I would be out of town last Sunday and this week of Thanksgiving.  The word study was a very interesting one and I would encourage each of you to do the same study some day.  You’ll find that the word “thanksgiving” is found some 23+ times in scripture and the word “praise” is found some 250+ times in scripture.  There are even 4 examples such as the one above where they are found together!  As you begin to study the meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words you’ll soon realize that they closely resemble each other in definition.  God puts great emphasis on the act of being thankful and “praiseful” unto Him and others for what we have received and I think it would do us all good to be more mindful of giving thanks and offering praise.

As you gather with your family and friends this Thanksgiving day, make it a point to share with them what you are truly thankful for.  Be specific, and don’t leave God out of the picture.  For we know that all good things come from above!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastor Brandon L. Ward

Musings of a Country Pastor

It's been some time since I have updated my blog, and many things have happened since our baptismal service in August. My folks came up for a visit for the week of Labor Day, and we had a good week of spending time together, and the church continues to "continue".

As many of you may or may not already know, we began a new ministry at Calais Church back at the end of June/beginning of July. Our new ministry was in fact a bus ministry.

This new ministry has been both a challenge and blessing at the same time. Like any thing that God is using to spread His Word, the devil has been on full attack with this ministry from the get go. Our first Sunday out, we picked up 9 children/teens for the Sunday school/Morning Worship Service. VBS followed shortly on its heels, and because we were bringing in 25 children on the first night of VBS the bus decided to break down on the way back to the church after dropping everyone off. This of course follows a few other adventures with the bus already. We spent the better part of the next 2-3 weeks trying to nail down exactly what was wrong, while we also rented a 15-passenger van to run the routes in the meantime. Finally, figured out the issue and had it fixed. Then, it began to act up again the following week with a load of people on it. Fixed the new problem and wouldn't you know that after a month of good runs, and finally some new non-church members riding, something else goes wrong. Back to the shop it went this week! Loads of fun. We've also started an elective Sunday school class called "The Foundations" from Answers in Genesis. We have had good attendance for the first 2 weeks and are covering some really good material. Also, visits are going well. We are making some good contacts on our Saturday visitation and outreach program as well as having several visitors from the surrounding towns and villages in our services this past month. We have more special emphasis Sundays this Fall as well as our Fall Festival coming at the end of October. And we are in the beginning and planning stages of a small construction/renovation project which is keeping me busy along with our Trustees trying to get estimates from area contractors. All of this along with area festivals and fairs, and the occasional funeral or other opportunity to minister to others outside of our "normal" Sunday and Wednesday format. To the one who says that Pastors only work one hour a week and play golf the rest of the time, I simply want to say you may be partially right. I may only "work" about an hour a week, if i am doing it right, but I don't play golf the remainder of the time. I am busy ministering to and serving my wife, church folks and the community around me by preaching, pastoring and everything else I do in the name of the Lord and for His glory. Oh, and here is a new one I heard today: "Pastors get asked out to lunch every week, so they never have to pay for a meal." O the joys of ministering for the Lord!

Why should I get Baptized?

We are having a baptism service for a young lady in our church this Sunday. Often these services tend to bring about questions from others around such as the one which titles this post, "Why should I get baptized?" Let's look at 4 areas:

Why one gets baptized:
As an act of obedience to Jesus Christ: In Matthew 28:18-20 we find a command from Jesus Christ to "...teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost..." Here Jesus was command his disciples to go in His power and preach/teach everyone and baptize them just as he was baptized. Other passages to note include Acts 2:37-38; Acts 8:35-36; Acts10:46-47. In John 14:15 we are told by Jesus Christ that if we love him we will keep his commands.

It's a way of telling family and friends that Jesus Christ is now in your life: Baptism is simply an outward portrayal of what Christ has already accomplished in the heart. In Baptism one identifies with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection.

Why one DOESN'T get baptized:
One doesn't get baptized in order to be saved: salvation doesn't come through being baptized in water, but by grace through faith in the finished work of the cross by Jesus Christ. Rom. 3:23 tells us that we have all sinned or fallen short; Rom. 6:23 tells us that there is a penalty for that sin which is death (eternal separation from God); John 3:16 tells us that there is a present/gift for all of us called eternal life because God loved us so much that he gave his only begotten son; Rom 10:9-13 tells us that if we confess (or agree with God), believe in the gospel (death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ), and call on him we shall be saved. In John 14:6 Jesus states that he is THE way, THE truth and THE life. In John 10:9 Jesus states that he is the door. There are many other passages we could turn to, but the basic idea here is that Jesus Christ didn't say that He + anything (even baptism) was the way to salvation!

One doesn't get baptized to keep their salvation: Logically, if you can't get saved through baptism then one must ask how it can possibly keep you saved. It CAN'T! We are kept or sealed by the Holy Spirit once we are saved. It is impossible for us to do anything in and of ourselves to keep that which we received by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:7-10 tells us "For by grace are ye saved through faith,...it is a gift from God..." also see 2 Corinthians 1:21-23, Ephesians 1:12-14, Ephesians 4:30; John 10:28-30 among others.

If you aren't baptized does that mean you aren't saved? NO, see scriptures above.

What if I was baptized before I got saved? Then you need to be scripturally baptized. All through the NT you find that the conversion happens first, then the baptism not the other way around. Else how can you be identifying with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection if you haven't believed in it yet.

How old must one be before they are baptized? No age ever mentioned in scripture as a prerequisite, only salvation!

There are countless questions that could be listed here that do come up in conversation with church folks and non-church folks alike regarding baptism, but for sake of time and space we will stop here.

If you have never settled this for yourself, search the scriptures, ask God to give you direction, see your pastor and get this settled today!

May God truly continue to bless you and yours.

Steadfast in the Journey

Oftentimes, we go through special services like revivals, conferences, or even camps, and retreats hearing soul stirring preaching and being challenged by the songs and the very Word of God to make a decision, vow, or commitment to be…   But, how long do we remain steadfast in our new found journey?

In Philippians 3:14, we read, “…I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus…”  This verse, in context, is about not being high-minded and thinking you have arrived,  forgetting about the things which are past and focusing on what lies ahead, and earnestly striving to reach the goal that Jesus Christ has placed for your life which is his divine will.  And in reaching the goal, i.e. discerning the calling of God on your life (both his general will and specific will), there is much joy as in receiving a prize.

This verse doesn’t say that we should press toward the mark for a week, or maybe 2, or maybe even a month or so.  There is no time limit given here.  Today, at Calais Independent Baptist Church, we will be having a special service to commemorate and make public a very specific vow that our teens, who attended the Great Awakening Youth Conference this summer, made to God.  This vow was made about 3 weeks ago and it pains me to contemplate the prayer, the will power, and determination that has already been required to remain steadfast in their new found journey.   There were many other commitments/vows/decisions to God made that week as there have been numerous others both before and since all around the world.  The question comes down to this, Are we being steadfast in the Journey?

We can’t do it on our own.  If we make a decision, vow or commitment to God based on the genuine leading of the Holy Spirit and honest desire to discern the will of God for our individual lives, the devil will tempt us and sometimes God will test us.  Remaining steadfast in the journey requires prayer with much supplication.  It also requires staying close to God and resting in His Word.  Just like the runner in a race, without strength and endurance, we may end up injured instead of winning or even finishing the race.  As Christians, our source of strength and endurance is Jesus Christ himself.

My challenge to you all this morning is that you remain steadfast in the journey to which God has called you.

Coming closer to the times

Good afternoon,

This is the first, of hopefully many, blog update I have been able to do from the office at the church (instead of trying to remember to do one once i got home). We have finally moved a little closer to the current decade and now have high-speed wireless internet at our church here in Calais. Can't use your cell phone still (no towers close by), but you can get on the web if you need to :).

Things are getting busy as the summer swings into full bloom here at Calais. I picked the bus up today from getting repaired after breaking down during our teen trip last month, and it will go right into use beginning this Sunday morning for our weekly bus ministry! Excited that we will be kicking off a new outreach ministry for our area, the bus ministry. We are praying that many visitors, children and families, take advantage of the opportunity to catch a ride to come to church and hear the gospel. VBS is also just around the corner, as it kicks off on 7/17. Lots of last minute details to wrap up, but praising God for the volunteers already signed up and planning on breaking our attendance record since I became pastor. (for all you out there that didn't get the intended joke, I have only been pastor here at Calais for 1 yr and a month) We had 82 different children attend last year through the week, with an average of 110 counting the adults each night. This year I am challenging our people to reach a goal of 100 different children! Not just for numbers sake, but that they may be exposed to the truth of God's Word, and see what our church is like. I am praying that we will get at least one family from VBS, faithfully start attending our church, get saved serving in our church after VBS, like we did last year. It's great to set goals and strive to reach them, but it is more important to share the gospel with them that they might get saved. Pray for us as we strive to be good stewards of what God has given us at Calais and as we carry out the VBS program from AIG, Gold Rush, this year.

Also, be praying for a purity ceremony that we have scheduled for Sunday, July 17th AM where our teens can make public there vows made to God during the Great Awakening Youth Conference last month regarding remaining pure until Christian marriage.

You'ns have a great remainder of the week and make sure to share the good news with someone today!

Long Overdue Update!

It has been a very busy Spring and beginning of Summer here at Calais Church. Sorry it has been so long since the last update.

We took the teens to The Great Awakening Youth Conference at Morning Star Baptist Church June 22-24 and stopped in Kentucky at New Grace Baptist Church, Pastor Todd Lockyer and his wife Amanda were there to welcome us, to do some mission work on our way back home. Great time of fellowship, got the church cleaned up and ready for the Teens and Adults from Cornerstone Independent Baptist Church from Rocky Mount, NC to come up and do Vacation Bible School this week! The conference and mission work was great and an adventure, but God must have thought we needed even more as the bus broke down 2.5 hrs. from home. Thanks to some awesome church members who gave of their time and drove their vehicles down to shuttle our teens/leaders and the luggage back home we were all safe in bed by 1am on Sunday. Check out the video recap of the week on the church website www.calaisindependentbaptist.com under our teen ministries tab. The sermons from the conference are also available on the media tab of our website.

Lots of fun and exciting things coming up this summer. VBS is only 3 Sundays away! We are very excited to be using AIG's Gold Rush as our program this year and are looking for even more children to be impacted for the Lord. If you remember, last year we averaged about 110 each night (adult/teen workers included) and had a total of 82 different children throughout the week of VBS (many were repeat attenders during the week).

Our bus ministry kicks off, Lord willing and all repairs complete, on Sunday July 10th. Be praying that we will have good reception as we go out in the surrounding communities to pick up children and families that wouldn't otherwise be able or inclined to attend church. Pray also that the Lord will give the drivers and workers the strength, energy and endurance needed to give this ministry our best!

We have some fun services and different things planned for our Sundays during this summer and I, as pastor, am issuing monthly challenges to the church as a whole, our teens, and our children throughout the remainder of the year. May the Lord give me wisdom as I choose how to stretch and equip the flock over which he is allowing me the privilege to be under shepherd. The first teen challenge is to memorize 50 verses (from a book of 100 verses every Christian should know - received at the Conference) by 1st Sunday in August, and our church-wide challenge to be revealed this Sunday morning is 2-fold, first to read the entire New Testament by the end of July (only 8-9 chapters a day)and then to kick it off by committing to a 2 day fast from TV, XBox, and other technology that seems to crowd our time. Pastor is leading by example in this one, as well as the Teen challenge, by shutting off the Satellite service at the house (yep, it is disconnected and getting ready to be shipped back to Dish). Sometimes you just have to get radical about your Christianity ;). The children's challenge is yet to be determined. Why issue challenges to the church, well part of my task as Pastor is to disciple and equip the saints, and these challenges are a part of meeting that responsibility. Feel free to join along with us as we strive to meet and exceed these challenges.

Attendance at worship services continues to remain steady and slightly above last year's average. We have been able to add 2 missionaries so far this year, and have several more to come through on deputation. We have purchased a church bus, begun to have it painted, and have also purchased and installed A/C in our annex building wiht much appreciation from our nursery, Sunday school, Jr. Church,Chilren's Ministry, Youth Ministry and VBS workers (all who use this building and have done so with no A/C for several years).

I think God still has big plans for our little country church out here in Calais,OH. Be in prayer as we endeavor to do our best to stay in the will of God and impact our surrounding areas for the Gospel.

Appologies in advance if the next update is a little while in coming. Y'all (you'ns) have a great Summer!

Getting Back to the Basics

I’ve been really burdened lately concerning whether I, we the local church, am telling God what His church should be like instead of asking Him to show me what He wants it to be.  That’s the challenge I have been sharing with my church congregation over the last several weeks.  Trying to season everything done with the thought that we need to be seeking God’s leading on what we are to be doing, not telling Him what we are going to do.

I know, easier “typed/said’ than done.  However, it is my personal belief that if we really get back to the basics of proclaiming the gospel, sharing the message of salvation, preaching/teaching the doctrines of the Bible, going out in missions or sending others if we can’t go, and preaching the WHOLE counsel of God that the rest will take care of itself.  I believe that today’s  churches and pastors have gotten so far off track that many now follow man and not God.  SHAME ON US, SHAME ON YOU!

In Matthew 7 and Luke 6 Christ warns us that “…wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.  Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it…ye shall know them by their fruits…”

Perhaps we are in the predicament we are in because we have walked through the straight/narrow gate but are trying to walk on the wide path (not heeding or not seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit).  We have trusted Christ as Lord and Savior but refuse to give up living like the world.  Or maybe worse, we have walked through the wide gate (not saved), but trying to walk the narrow way (playing church).  God tells us in His word that we are to examine ourselves.  The trend today can be symbolized by the growing habit to ask the following question in an effort to assure someone of their salvation: “Can you remember a time in your life where you prayed…”.  It’s not the prayer that saves us, it is our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross and nothing more or less that saves us.  Perhaps a better question would be, “Can you remember a time when you realized that you have sinned (fallen short of God’s standard), that there is a penalty for that sin, that you can’t save yourself, believed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ by faith (death, burial and resurrection), confessed and repented of those sins and called on Him in faith to save you?”  Really, we can’t assure anyone of their salvation, that is up to their own selves and God.  Remember, “…ye shall know them by their fruits…”  Has there been a change in your life, if not are you being chastened or disciplined by God?  Or the fact that we want to say we worship God yet our church services sound/look/feel like the world.  The trend in many churches today is to water down the Gospel, water down the doctrines and the scriptures.  Today, many churches do what they do because that’s how they’ve always done it.  “Vain repetition” breeds loss of motive, meaning and purpose.  God is not pleased when we are satisfied to simply go through the motions/play church!  “Broad is the path that leads to destruction”, if it’s easy, comfortable, pleasing to the flesh, not confrontational and doesn’t require us to make a sacrifice or commitment then everyone will want to go that route.  But this is the route that will lead to destruction.  Christ tells us in Matthew 7 that not everyone that calls Him Lord will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.  There will be many in the last day saying that they have done great things in His name, but His response will be, “…I never knew you, depart from me ye that work iniquity…”

We need to get our own selves right with God, get busy doing the work of the ministry to which He has called each of us to, and understand that it is He that does the changing in us and others (it’s by His power alone that we will be able to change), not us.  It’s time that we get our eyes fixed on Him, get our feet fixed on the narrow path and worship the Lord Jesus Christ.  It’s time that we GET BACK TO THE BASICS.

How Deep is Your Love

As I have been studying and preparing for this morning’s sermon, as well as making sure not to forget that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, the song, “How Deep the Father’s Love for us” has been running through my mind.  The impending holiday is a day that we usually set aside to make a special show of the affection with which we should be loving our “special someone” all through the year.  It brought to mind the thought that we are to be like Christ, in all things, including in love.  Continuing on my short series about having passionate, intimate relationships with Christ and those whom we love here on earth, today we will open the Word of God and see what real Love is:  sacrificial, overwhelming, unconditional/never ending, in short completely and passionately enraptured with each other.   Just think, God was so in love with us that he freely gave his “…only begotten son…” to die on the cross for us who were lost and dying in the filth of our sins.  Christ is so in love with the Church (those of us who are saved) that He willingly laid down his life, gives grace abundantly and beyond measure, and unconditionally stands, knocking wanting to be part of everything we do (but never turning His back on us when we ignore his pleading).

As you go through today and as you celebrate Valentine’s Day with your loved ones tomorrow, remember to love as Christ loves!

Have a great Sunday as your worship and praise the Lord!

Reflections from Sunday

Good morning everyone!

I have been reading, praying, and pondering (or to make it really spiritual I guess I should say meditating :) ) regarding the lack of motivation in our churches today and the shortage of visitors joining us for worship services.  What I have been challenged to consider/correct personally, and that which I have challenged my congregation to consider/correct, is the idea of having a passionate and intimate relationship with Christ.  A book that I have been reading recently, “Igniting Passion in Your Church”, (disclaimer:  I do not accept/condone everything contained in this book, but have read with thoughtful comparison to scripture/biblical principles in mind and where there was a difference the Bible always was/is the correct standard) compared the stages of an earthly marital relationship to our relationship with Christ, as does Ephesians 5 and other passages.  The catalyst for thought is this question: “Does my life/church make others want to have a relationship with Christ?”.  If it doesn’t, maybe instead of telling others, even Christ, what church is we should be asking Christ to show us what church is so that others will want to “flirt (be interested), date (faith takes a step forward), get engaged (make a commitment), and eventually marry (faith that conquers – celebration)” Christ.

Consider whether you are passionate about your faith.  Do others want what you have, or do they see a depressed, complaining, stick in the mud (self-righteous), or pessimistic person?  If you are exhibiting the latter adjectives/emotions, then why do you think someone will accept your invitation to be in that same relationship with you?  They’ve already got that without the accountability/responsibility that they fear.  It’s time that we Christians, the Church, the Bride of Christ, get passionate about our personal relationship with Him.  Time that we wholeheartedly accept that we are His, transfer ownership to Christ, and ask Him what church is and what He wants us to do instead of carrying out our business meetings based on what WE like or want or think we need.  Christ has been locked out of the church far too long! 

New Year at Calais

Well…it has been a while since we last updated our blog.  Life has been pretty busy with both the adult and children’s cantatas and Christmas Eve Candlelight service and everything else that goes along with the wonderful time of the year, Christmas.  Sorry for the delay, but here is our latest update.

To catch you up since the last post, I guess we should begin with our Live Nativity.  This year we were able to present our live nativity in downtown Woodsfield in conjunction with their Christmas Festival.  We also had a float in their Christmas Parade that evening.  It was a great outreach opportunity as well as a privilege for our church folks to serve and minister.  We followed this activity with two more weekends of our annual live nativity in the usual spot just off the highway.  We had several stop in the check things out and get some homemade cookies and cocoa at the “Inn”.  This all led up to the weekend of December 19th, which was the weekend for both our Children’s and Adult Christmas Cantatas.  What a great job everyone did as the services went very well and we had record numbers in attendance for 2 out of the 3 services that Sunday.  We wrapped up the month of December’s special services celebrating the birth of our Savior by having a Christmas Eve Candlelight service which was attended by 55+ from our Church, their families and community.  Whew…what a wonderfully busy month in the ministry here at Calais.

New Years Eve was rather quiet as we just hung out around the house and rang the new year in by sleeping soundly in our bed :).  Just couldn’t stay up as late this year. 

Our First Sunday of 2011 at Calais was spent, after the previous week’s reflecting, reviewing and refocusing, challenging the congregation with God’s message for the future of Calais Independent Baptist Church and specifically what I felt God leading us to do for 2011.  I’m sure that we were not unlike many of your churches in doing so.  Please pray for us, as we do for you, in our prayerful efforts to challenge each other to do more this year for God and the church than we ever have before. 

As I am writing this post, we have many exciting things to look forward to, event his month!  My, Brandon’s, parents are coming up in another week and will spend an entire week here with us (which we are very excited about), I will be starting weekly Discipleship classes at the church on January 15th, Kim began our weekly Children’s ministry on Sunday nights last Sunday, I have premarital counseling sessions to get underway for a young couple in the church, and my in-laws, Kim’s parents, are talking about coming up sometime for a visit.  What an exciting time to be in the ministry and for us personally, to be in the will of God!

Hopefully won’t be as long before the next post, and it will be a shorter one (no promises though).

Have a great week/month as you strive to serve Christ faithfully in whatever capacity, and location He has called you.

Pastor Brandon and Kim Ward

I will never leave thee nor forsake thee!

What an eventful and emotional last two weeks.  I will just have to start at the beginning to fill everyone in.  Two weeks ago, Thursday, Brandon woke up having a gallbladder attack.  At the time we didn’t know that it was his gallbladder.  After 5 hours of pain I finally got Brandon in the truck and headed for the closest emergency room.  Thank God it was only 12 miles from the house.  Brandon could not stand any more pain.  He gets ushered into the emergency room and I get sent to Registration.  Word of advice, have a cheat sheet with you at all times with all information that you would need already on it so you can just hand the registrar your paper and you won’t forget any valuable information.  I was so flustered I was thankful I had it all written down. 

I sit in waiting room for a little over an hour before they roll him past me lying on a hospital bed in a hospital gown and all they say is, “We are taking him to this room on the left to run some test.”  TEST?  What kind of test?  What are you looking for?  I am really nervous by this time so I start making phone calls.  So after another 30 or so minutes they come out with him and roll him back to the emergency room.  They then come tell me I can come back and see him.  They ran an ultra-sound of his stomach and found that he had many gallstones and they were calling the on call surgeon.  We then find out that he has to have his gallbladder removed and is scheduled for the following day.  We do all the pre-op stuff and head home for the night with some really good pain pills.

Friday morning arrives and we get to the hospital around 10.  Two of our faithful church members come to sit with me during the surgery.  Praise God!  During which I get the phone call that Brandon’s Grandpa Luther is fading fast and Hospice says it will only be hours before he passes away.  Surgeon meets with me after the surgery is complete and says that it is such a good thing that we took the gallbladder out that day because it was dying and Brandon could have gotten much much worse really quick.  He snapped back from the anestesa pretty well and we were able to return home that evening.

That night we got the call that Grandpa Luther went home to be with the Lord at 12:20.  Got permission from surgeon and hit the road Saturday.  Broke the 8 hour trip into two days but with stopping every 1 to 1 1/2 hours to make Brandon walk and trying to take it easy it turned into an 11 hour trip.

Grandpa Luther’s funeral was a wonderful home going celebration!  Uncle Jim started it off with a few kind words.  Brandon and Uncle Jim sang a wonderful duet ‘There is No Secret’!  Very powerful!  Brandon then took a few moments to reflect on his granddaddy's life and what he has taught all of us!  Then Pastor Cutshaw finished the ceremony off with a great message!

The grave side was precious also!  Each daughter had a rose that they lay on their Daddy’s casket!  All the grandchildren and great grandchildren then sang “Amazing Grace”!  That also was very powerful and a tear jerker.

It was great to see family and friends!  We made it back home to Batesville, OH on Friday.  Just in time to see the snow.  It snowed a lot but never stuck to the ground.  It was beautiful and very calming.

It has been a trying two weeks but very thankful for my God who is always with me and will never leave me and has gone before me.

Calais Church Fall Festival

Well, well, well!  What a night!!!

Last night was amazing!  It was the first Fall Festival for us at Calais!  We had a final count of 90 in attendance!  What a great way to reach out to the community and have fun as a church family!  Lots of planning went into this event.  The ladies of Calais are amazing and have such a wonderful spirit!  They all stepped up to the plate and helped make the Festival a HUGE success!  There were lots of games to be enjoyed by children of all ages!  Of course there were lots and lots of bags of candy to give out as prizes.  Some adults, children at heart, dipped unto those bags also.

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Since we are Baptist, no event would be complete without food.  You know, since that’s the way Fellowship is really spelled!  Pastor and I were both introduced to Hot Chicken Sandwiches this year!  Judy, they were delish!  Man was there a lot of food to eat!  Hot Chicken Sandwiches and Sloppy Joes, 5 different soups and Hotdogs!  Not to mention all the desserts! 

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We ended the night off with a campfire and singing!  First to perform was our Junior Hand Bell Choir with “Praise Him Praise Him All Ye Little Children”.  During the campfire we had a visitor show up.  No one yet knows who the guest was.  It is definitely the talk of Calais.  This visitor would not talk, had a mask on, and sat down beside of Pastor on the hay bale for the singing.  After 15 minutes or so our guest casually gets up and walks down the road.  He, or she, obviously didn’t want anyone to know who they were because they got in their gray Jeep Liberty and backed down the road, almost hit a buggy and ran into the ditch, they turned around and continued to drive home!  If anyone knows the identity of this individual Please reveal yourself.  I am baffled and your picture made it into this blog!

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After finally coming down from our sugar rush we finally made it to bed late last night, still wondering who that person was, and thinking about all those parents who had the PLEASURE of getting those sugar high children to bed.  I think they were still bouncing off the walls this morning at church!

Thank you again Calais family for your hard work in helping making the Fall Festival a HUGE success!

Go Buckeye’s!!!!

Brandon and I had the opportunity to attend the Ohio State vs. Ohio football game last weekend!  What we didn’t realize to begin with is that the Marching Band has a Skull Session 1 1/2 hours before the game.  The Skull Session is a concert/pep rally with more than 10,000 fans attending before the game.  It is not unusual for dedicated fans to arrive up to two hours before the band.  Of course we HAD to be at that.  Especially since I am, what Brandon likes to call me, a band nerd.  I was completely amazed at how many showed up for the Skull Session!  The gymnasium was packed full as you can see below!

Ohio State has a 192 member, all brass Marching Band!  They are also known as “The Pride of the Buckeyes'!”  Their drum line is huge!  12 Snares, 4 Basses, 4 cymbals, and 4 quads!

We enjoyed the football game too!  By half-time we knew Ohio State was going to win!  They slaughtered Ohio.  I made sure to take my camera and take lots of pictures to show you’s but unfortunately if you are a football fan I only have a few pictures that actually have football players in them! :)  So, for all you football fans, here are the few pictures of the football teams.

There’s a New Name Written Down in Glory

Since our last update we had one family join Calais Church and last Sunday one of our little ones came forward to share with the congregation that she asked Jesus to come into her heart!  AMEN!!!

We are continuing to reach out to the community, working on our Fall Festival on Oct. 23, Christmas Cantata and working on next years calendar of events!  Busy, busy, busy!

We enjoyed the Summerfield Fireman’s Festival last weekend with a parade, chicken dinners and an auction!  Of course we got involved in the action.  Brandon now has the task of mounting my 2 foot tall blue star on the side of the house! 

The weather has been absolutely beautiful!  We can’t wait until the leaves start changing and fall sets in!  Also looking forward to some family visiting to see the Fall Colors around here!

New Grace Baptist Church

Last Friday we had the privilege of attending the dedication service for New Grace Baptist Church, South Portsmouth, KY!  The picture above is of Pastor (cousin) Todd and his son Haddon ringing the church bell.  It is the first time the bell has been heard in six years. 

There was an amazing turnout of support of 150+ people! 

Amanda asked Brandon if he would prepare a solo to share during the service.  And yes he is Smiling while he is singing.  It is possible choir members.  *hint *hint

Please pray for Todd, Amanda, and Haddon Lockyer and New Grace Baptist Church!  They are a wonderful family who truly have a heart for God!

Youth Retreat at Shadow Lake

Last Thursday we loaded up the two vehicles and headed off to Shadow Lake with 8 teenagers for 2 1/2 days.  You may be wondering, “Why would you do such a thing like that?”  Well, we had a wonderful time and it was a huge blessing!

Brandon organized all the activities, devotions, and schedule while he left me in charge of the food.  There were lots of activities to keep the teens busy and us also.  First thing on the agenda Thursday morning was devotions and quiet time! 

Some of the activities for the first day included soccer, swimming, volleyball in the pool, fishing, kickball, crab soccer.

Events for day two were softball, shuffleboard, basketball, putt-putt, kick the can, hide-n-go seek, and horseshoes!

There were a few team building activities involved.  First was a blind taste testing!  Most of the foods were spicy or sour! 

Then, we were paired up into groups of two.  One partner was blindfolded and not able to speak while the other had to tell you how to build a birdhouse without assisting in the construction.  Let’s just say that was really interesting!

During some of the free time the boys went fishing.  Friday night was the night assigned for the teens to cook. (Don’t worry, I bought all the food so at least I would know what they had to choose from) Since the boys caught some fish they wanted to cook that. Hmmm…Right?!?!?! And yes, those fish in the picture are as small as you think they are!  I was brave enough to try one small piece.  It was okay. Funny thing, none of the teens who caught the fish at the fish.

We both had a wonderful time with all the teens and are still trying to recoup.  We are very proud of our teens!

Whew!!! What a Weekend

It has been several, several weeks since my last update, for which I do apologize.  However, life/ministry has been busy and preparation for Ordination took much of my time especially these last few weeks.

This weekend has included many different emotions including enjoying family time with both my parents and Kim’s parents as well as Kim’s sister, Allison; stressing, relaxation, busy, FOOD, special memories and more relaxing with family.  My in-laws arrived a our home on Friday morning and we got the camper parked, leveled and hooked up shortly after.  The afternoon was spent doing some local sightseeing so they could see where we live and serve.  My parents arrived later that night and after some unwinding we all turned in.

D-Day, Saturday

Today began with cooking a big breakfast for all the family that was here, more riding around, another family meal a lunch and then I had to escape to the office to settle my mind/nerves before Ordination Council.  Saturday afternoon/evening involved many local pastors from the area and my Uncle Jim and his family as well as my cousin Amanda, her husband Todd and their son Haddon (who are planting a church in South Portsmouth, KY, kickoff service is 8-27-2010) coming to participate in my ordination council.  My nerves were shot by the time 4pm rolled around as I had stressed for so long over the unknown questions to come from these men of God who were much wiser, and had been serving and ministering much longer than I had.  Thanks to Jim’s way of making me feel comfortable and even more so due to the overwhelming support from my church family (over 35 showed up) to observe the council session, my nerves eventually calmed and following the 2hr. session I was able to breathe a sigh of relief!  And once Jim informed me that the decision was unanimous that I be ordained, I really felt the release of all the anxiety from the previous weeks and months.  Of course a true Baptist Church can’t do anything without food and this night was no exception as the great ladies of Calais graciously came through as always.

Sunday, Today -

Today was a very special day for us because of 2 reasons.  First, the afternoon service was the official Ordination Service, and secondly, today marked the First Homecoming Service for Kim and I at Calais Baptist Church.  Jay, my cousin and Jim’s son began our day with a presentation during the Sunday school hour on his mission trip and his burden for Guatemala. He did a wonderful job and I believe that he will make a great missionary.  There is no mistaking his heart, his passion and burden for missions and the people of Guatemala.  Please pray for him as he is about to begin his senior year at Appalachian Bible College and as he continues to prepare to go to Guatemala to serve full time as a missionary.  Jim brought the morning message and the spirit of God was definitely present.  The music and preaching from the service seemed to just bring out the heart of the people and God’s man.  Praise God for such a wonderful morning.  Of course, we had our Homecoming meal at the church followed by the Ordination Service.  The Ordination service included a charge to the church, brought by Pastor Todd Lockyer of New Grace Baptist Church, South Portsmouth, KY; a general message of the glory of preaching by Pastor Jeff Cox of East Sunsburry Baptist Church of Beallsville, OH; a charge to me, the Pastor, brought by Pastor Jim Brown of Vernon Forest Baptist Church in Winston Salem, NC and culminated with the laying on of hands and presentation from my deacons.  Below is a photo album from today’s events.

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This weekend has been a extremely special time for both Kim and I and we are so thankful for all that were able to come and show their support and participate with us and equally grateful for all who have been praying for us and sending words of kindness and encouragement for the past several weeks.  A huge THANK YOU to the folks at my church, Calais Baptist Church in Calais, OH for all the hard work and dedication this weekend and the strong show of support and love that you have shown to us this weekend and ever since we have been with you.  No one will ever know how special this weekend has been, especially with the family connection (Uncle Jim) being a major part of all of this.  Certainly not to be forgotten is the attendance of a very special member of our church, Cheri, who has been very sick for some time battling cancer and has not been able to attend in person for some time.  Please remember her in prayer and praise God that she was able to be a part of everything that happened this weekend, in person!

Gonna sign off for now, and hope that the next update isn’t so long overdue.  Pray for us as we are taking the teens on a camping trip this Thursday-Saturday.  Pray that God will help to build strong relationships, help everyone that is going to grow spiritually and that God will be glorified!

Faithfully and Joyfully serving Christ!

Fun Times

Well, last week we had our Vacation Bible School.  The week was busy but fun-filled.  Before the week began, I challenged them to get 80 children to come to VBS and I would shave my head.  They kept their part of the deal, so on Thursday night, parent’s night, Pastor Brandon got his head shaved:

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Along with the reward of getting my head shaved, we also rewarded the winning team with the chance to throw pies at their leaders following the Parent’s Night activities:

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Some of us adults performed a skit that was a spoof from Gilligan’s Island about how we can be saved.  Tied in really well since our VBS theme was Soul Survivors on Danger Island.

The following is a video highlighting many of the photos that were taken all through the week.  We have over 500 pictures so this is a very small sampling:

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We followed VBs with a blood drive at the church on Friday and a Youth Afterglow on Sunday night.  I was greatly encouraged that several of the children from the week of VBS wanted to be picked up to come to church on Sunday morning and we had 3 teens that were visitors Sunday night join us for our youth activity.

Many things coming up in the next several weeks: weekly Visitation and Youth Bible Study on Thursday night,  Family Picnic and Movie night at the church Saturday night as part of our series on One Flesh, One Mind, One Life: God’s design for marriage and family; my ordination council on August 14th, Homecoming services and my Ordination service on Sunday, August 15th.  I am working on a Youth Retreat/Camping trip near the end of August, as well as working with my Deacons and church members to plan out the remainder of the year!  Our choir continues to grow and is loads of fun.  I have selected our Christmas Cantata for this year and am eagerly awaiting our first practice. 

Continue to pray for Kim and me and for our church here in Calais, that God will continue to bless and keep us and that our ministry will have an impact on our community and surrounding area for Christ.  Pray for families to be added to the church and for souls to be saved.

Time for an Update

Good evening!

Guess that everyone though I had forgotten about my blog. Surprise, surprise! I didn't forget, just have gotten a little busy trying to settle into a routine. Routine, what does that word mean?

Anyway, God is good, all the time! This past week was spent getting skits prepared and planning finalized for VBS along with my usual duties as Pastor. Today was spent working with several of our church members setting up the auditorium for VBS. We'll be having church on Danger Island tomorrow. It looks really good. I think the children will be surprised.

Tomorrow will be the first Communion Service with me as Pastor here at Calais, which will be special to Kim and myself. I have been assuring everyone, including myself, that I am sure that they do have communion on an island (if there is a church)

The week ahead is very busy with Vacation Bible School through Thursday night and the community blood drive on Friday afternoon/evening at the church.

Continue to pray for our ministry here at Calais that we will be everything God wants us to be through His power. We are working to rebuild a Teen Ministry, Ladies Ministry and Men's Ministry over the next several months with patience and constantly seeking God's will, along with intensifying our visitation efforts in the community and surrounding areas. We have several children that have expressed interest in riding the van to VBS (which we are renting) and several would like to start coming to church. Please join us in praying for God's will and direction concerning a van/bus ministry as we would need to purchase a van or bus - crucial for a bus ministry, and would need someone (s) willing to be the leader (s) for this ministry.

Will try to get more pictures posed next week so that you can visualize what is going on. We will strive to take as many pictures as possible throughout the week of VBS. Looking forward to all the fun and excitement that is waiting for us.

Have a great day in church tomorrow and a wonderful week next week.

VBS Cavassing

Yes, it's time for Vacation Bible School already. This year's VBS runs from July 12th-15th. Our theme this year is Soul Survivors on Danger Island. The theme verse is Romans 8:37, "...We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." The main objective is to get the children to recognize spiritual dangers and realize that we can overcome, conquer, them with God's help. Our adventure on Danger Island will begin with a shipwreck, then carry us deep into a bat infested cave and finally climax at the base of an active Volcano! Sounds like it will be great fun, and I think the children will enjoy it too :)

This past Saturday our church canvassed the area handing out Vacation Bible School pamphlets and Gospel Tracts. It was a good time for making some more initial contacts in the are for me, the new pastor, and a great opportunity to reach out to the community and let them know that Calais Church is interested in them and their families. Please pray that many children will come to Vacation Bible School this year, that there would be souls saved as a result and that perhaps many families may be added to the church.

We already have a family who has asked that the church van begin picking up their children this Sunday for Sunday school and church each week! Though we are without a van at the moment, I told them that the pastor and his wife would be more than happy to come pick them up. The Lord has already begun to do a work. What an opportunity to minister and witness to this family!