Revival turns longstanding rupture into reconciliation
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| Witnesses to reconciliation Two pastors –- Steve Clark (left) of New Life Baptist Church and Arthur Yount of Springs Road Baptist Church – and their congregations saw the Holy Spirit bring reconciliation to the two Hickory, N.C., churches. |
She felt torn by the bitter division at Springs Road Baptist Church in Hickory, N.C., a town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her roots ran deep at Springs Road, where her grandparents, parents and many other family members attended.
Her husband, Bill, however, felt the Lord leading them to join about 150 church members to break off from Springs Road and form their own church.
Texas church’s Hispanic neighbors receive dinner, groceries — and a Gospel invitation
COLLEYVILLE, Texas (BP)--In a scene reminiscent of the disciples’ distribution of the five loaves and two fishes in Matthew 14, an army of volunteers served hot meals and passed out sacks of groceries to more than 2,800 members of the Hispanic community late into the evening Dec. 4.
But the real miracle, ministers at the Texas church said, occurred in the sanctuary of First Baptist, Colleyville, where 138 people came forward to accept salvation in Jesus Christ after a Gospel presentation by Pastor Frank Harber.
“At the end of the service tonight we are going to give you good gifts. Your money is no good here. We are not taking up an offering and we will not accept donations,” Harber told the 800-plus families at the event. “The gift of eternal life is just like that. It is free and you would offend God if you tried to buy it.”
Missions-minded church emerges from not-so-distant past
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| Singular mission Leading the church toward God’s will is pastor Homer Murdock’s mission at Hopewell Baptist Church. “It’s not playing golf or doing other activities,” one member says. “His pleasure, his will, is being totally involved in God’s work.” Photo by Andrea Higgins |
The rural western North Carolina church, founded in 1870, had never sent its own team overseas to the mission field. With church rolls dwindling since the 1960s, it could barely meet its budget.
Indeed, the hospitable hubbub that greets visitors today is a stark contrast to the not-so-distant past, a refreshing juxtaposition to the serene historic cemetery situated in front of the bustling church.
“This church was 130 years old and dead as a doornail,” said Eugene Cole, Hopewell’s director of education. “It’s come back to life, and nobody would have expected it.”
11 and saved, it took him 1 day to reach a school pal for Jesus
MORGANTON, N.C. (BP)--After he got saved, it took Homer Murdock all of one day to lead another person to the Lord. He was 11, and he couldn’t wait to tell his best grade school bud, Sonny Smith, the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Passion: Church prays for revival, 515 make decisions
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| Harvest time Intense prayers by believers at a Tennessee church led to an awakening in which more than 500 people made decision for Christ during a span of four days.Here, evangelist Jay Lowder explains to youth the importance of Christ in each life. Photo by Lindsay Stavish |
During a revival Sept. 26-29, Thompson Station Church in Thompson Station, Tenn., tallied 515 total decisions for Christ. The breakdown included 317 professions of faith, 180 recommitments and 18 other decisions to get serious about Jesus. In the final night alone, 311 teenagers went forward during the invitation.
Jewish believer is passionate about helping Arabic churches
DETROIT (BP)--“I am a Jewish believer, and you are all Arabic, and only through Christ can we be together,” Jorge Sedaca, a Messianic Jew, told a group of Palestinian Christians. Sedaca voiced the statement in New Orleans, before he ever knew that God would send him to Michigan, home of the largest concentration of Arabic people outside the Middle East, to help reach the Muslim people there for Christ.
Passion: Reaching Middle Easterners in Detroit
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| Arabic abounds Arabic lettering on storefronts underscores the heavy concentration of Middle Easterners in the greater Detroit area – and the challenge for Christian outreach. Statewide, Middle Easterners now number more than a half-million in a total population of 10 million. Photo courtesy of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan |
“Many [Arabic families] have been here for several generations or more, since the late 1800s. They have their own newspapers, their own social clubs and their own family centers. The neighborhoods all have signs in Arabic,” Sedaca said.
The Dearborn area has the largest concentration of Arabic people outside of the Middle East. Some say they came as a result of Henry Ford’s infatuation with their culture. Ford offered them jobs and places to stay on the condition that they would teach him the ways of Islam.
Evangelist uses fans’ passion to share his passion for Christ
BRISTOL, Tenn. (BP)--In the shadow of the Bristol Motor Speedway, just across from a booth selling Dale Jr. T-shirts and down from a fried Oreo stand, Ronnie Hill was making his pitch. “Get your free chance to win a Harley! All you gotta do is listen to me for 10 minutes.”
Passion for discipleship fuels church’s men’s ministry
| Crosspointe Baptist’s Johnny Lane |
“The neat thing about my pastor is his heart is in evangelism -- and discipleship,” said McCall, a homebuilder and a leader of the men’s ministry at Crosspointe Baptist Church in Millington, Tenn. “Everything [pastor Steve Flockhart] does is fueled by evangelism first, but on top of that is training, teaching and discipling. It’s great to come in and feed on his energy for both.
Passion for evangelism: Pastor’s desire to reach the lost catalyzes church’s growth
MILLINGTON, Tenn. (BP)--Although Crosspointe Baptist Church in Millington, Tenn., opened a $10 million facility in August 2003, it already is bursting at the seams.
Baptizing 561 people and accepting 250 transfers in the first 10 months after its move propelled Sunday morning attendance past 1,700. That compares to 200 when Steve Flockhart became pastor six years ago.
Three Sunday School times and two morning worship services are needed to handle the influx. Needless to say, excitement has touched veteran members and newcomers alike.
