Twenty Baptisms this year, with several more in Bible studies

God has greatly blessed us as a church this year with many new converts. We have had 20 baptisms, with 13 of these coming from the community. These have included lower and middle class, white and African-American, people who have been law-abiding and those who have turned their lives around, people with health and those suffering from major illness. I am excited not only about reaching people in the community, but about reaching people of different backgrounds and ethnicities. God is at work!

Yesterday I told you about a young mother whom Becki had visited who was interested in studying. Last night, I went with Becki to meet her, and this visit went great. She invited us in, and was very open and friendly. We will begin studying with her next week, going through The Story of Redemption. http://www.storyofredemption.com/ I am thrilled! Seeing people come to know God and learn of his great love for them is one of the great joys of my life. Almost everyone who goes through this study, which tells the story of God's love for us, decides to follow Christ and is baptized.

We have several others who are in study right now as well, and others that we are seeking to set up. We will also invite those that we are helping in our Children's Outreach Ministry at Thanksgiving and Christmas to participate in a Bible study. There are 27 families that we are helping, with 101 children, so this represents a great opportunity.

Please be praying for these efforts! We want to show people that we care about them in every way--financially, emotionally, and spiritually. Will you do this for us? We believe in the power of prayer!