Tis the Season!

 I waited until after our kids Christmas play to post this update. We have been working on this program, Emmanuel, since October. This year, the kids had speaking parts, so it took a lot more work to get them ready. We had 19 kids in the play, and several of their families came to watch them perform. I was so proud of the work these kids put into their parts. It was a blessing to watch them. You can watch the live video on our church Facebook page Anchor Baptist Church. https://www.facebook.com/151833174833798/videos/2909005502747301 Please pray that some of the families will begin attending church. One young man raised his hand for salvation, but I do not believe he trusted Christ at the time.

A week ago, I held an impromptu Christmas party for the young ladies in our church. We had food and I gave them the option of playing games or watching a Christmas movie. The movie choices were Rudolph, Muppet Christmas Carol, or It's A Wonderful Life in color. They chose It's A Wonderful Life, and they loved it. It was a nice time of fellowship and fun.

We had our first snow a few days ago. Winter has come in slowly this year, and I fear that means it will be a longer one. After living in warm countries for the last few years, Maine's 9 months of cold is hard on me. I do not mind the snow, but the days of extreme cold and no snow are not my cup of tea.

Please continue to pray for our church as we try to grow the kids program and use it as a tool to reach the parents. Pray that we can get some help for our music ministry, kids ministry, and bus ministry. My dad does most of the pickups for church, and if our song leader isn't here he does the music and preaching. He also helps run the kids program on Saturdays. We do visiting on Friday afternoons. Having a another man or couple to help would be a huge blessing.

Please pray for my sister Julie whose baby is due in January but will most likely come early due to some heart issues. Please pray the baby will not need surgery. Pray for my sister Jacqueline is expecting her first baby in March. Continue to pray for my mom's health as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 I'm thankful today for parents who take a stand for truth even when it means they may face heartaches for it. 

I'm thankful for politicians who are working to try to turn our nation around even as they are vilified. 

I'm thankful for a heritage that believes in fighting to maintain the freedom the Pilgrims came in search of.

I'm thankful for my family and friends. So many have supported me  over the years.

I'm thankful for my church family, and especially the kids I get to work with and teach.

I'm thankful to live in America which is still the freest nation on earth.

A Goodly Heritage

 The start of November has been busy. My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on November 7, but we held the party on November1. One of my brothers and two of my sisters were able to come. We had a great time emphasizing the goodly heritage my parents have passed down to us. Seven children and 22 grandchildren carry on the tradition of singing and quoting Scripture as families, and all are in church. My dad has been preaching for 48 years. 

Our Christmas play is coming along. We have been practicing every Saturday, and the kids have been  memorizing their parts as well as Luke 2:1-7. Please pray that all of this will come together. Pray also that this will be the key in getting the parents into church.

Please continue to pray for our church. we have many needs for help in various areas. Pray for my dad and  mom as they continue to try to grow the people. Pray for my sister Julie's baby who is to be born in January. The baby has some birth defects including some heart issues which may require surgery. Pray for sister Jacqueline who is also expecting in March. My traveling ministry is still at a stand still, so pray that doors will open there. While I wait, I continue to work with the young people of our church and play the music.

Busy, Busy, Busy

 That is what October has been for me. Our kids program keeps me busy writing scripts, visiting the kids, and keeping track of the points they are earning. I was able to help two kids with assurance of salvation decisions last week and lead three kids to Christ. Since we started the program, we have seen 14 kids trust Christ. Please pray that the parents of these kids will come to church as well. We also need to talk with the parents about baptism for those who trusted Christ.

We have begun preparing for our Christmas play. This year, we will have some kids doing speaking parts. Please pray as we help them learn their lines. Please also pray that we can get the parents to attend the play. We may tie the play to our pirate adventures, so pray that we can work that out as well. It means a lot more work.

Our church continues to have new visitors. One young man has been attending very faithfully, and we have several other young men who want to attend, but have conflicts in their schedules. Some of these young men have trusted Christ in the last few weeks.

Please continue to pray for Maine. The people are fighting the garbage being taught in public schools including critical race theory and pornographic books which are in the schools and libraries. We are also fighting the vaccine mandates which are crippling our healthcare system due to the number of people being fired.

Please pray for all the covid things to die down including mask and vax mandates so that I can plan missions trips again. Please pray also that I can find an online job.

Making a Difference

 Wow! It has been several weeks since I've I posted on here. These have been some busy weeks for our church. Our kids program us going well, and we have about 17 regular attenders on Saturday and Sunday. We have also gained a new mother who is attending because her daughter came, and two new families because a new boy came.

About three weeks ago, I witnessed to 10 teens who all bowed their heads and prayed to receive Christ as Saviour. Please pray as we try to get these kids and their families into church.

Our Anchor Adventures program is wrapping up it's first series. The next three plays will be about salvation. Please pray that the kids who have not yet trusted Christ will do so. 

We have had as many as 52 in our morning services, and we have a regular attendance of 48-50 most Sundays. Please pray that our church will continue to grow in number as well as in spiritual growth. Covid, as with many churches, took a toll on our attenders, but  we seem to be getting most of them back for the main services.

I am still not able to travel overseas as many of the countries still have stringent covid policies, and the mandated mask and vaccines are causing airlines to lose crew members. Please pray that God will open the doors for travel again.

Remembering 9/11 and Anchor Adventures Kickoff

 Memories are funny things. One event can bring sadness and pride. I remember my grandmother calling from NY. She and Grandpa watched the Today show religiously, and it was on from beginning to end. Grandma called to tell us about the attack in NYC.  She told us Grandpa was watching and saw the second plane coming, and he said, "It's on purpose. It's an attack." What a sad day for my Grandpa who fought in World War 2 and lost a son in Vietnam.

We turned on the tv, and I stayed glued to it all day. I watched the towers fall, and I knew that someone within the US had helped plan this attack, and had aided and abetted the enemy into gaining access to entry in the US, entry with knives into the airport, and prior entry to the WTC to plant the explosives which brought the buildings down in a controlled demolition. I saw the people jump to their deaths. I saw the fire at the Pentagon, and the crash site of flight 93. For days, I heard the stories of the brave Americans who fought back, not soldiers, ordinary citizens. I read the news articles in the papers and Time magazine. The memories are etched in my mind.

I remember the feeling of unity in the nation. No one was pulling the race card, protesting against religion... Instead, everyone including dance halls, bars, clubs... were posting God Bless America and Pray for the Troops. Every color volunteer went into those buildings and brought out the bits and pieces of what was left of Americans. Not African Americans, black Americans, white Americans... Americans. American flags were everywhere.

In just 20 years, this has all changed, and the man called the president of the United States handed the same people responsible for these attacks the country of Afghanistan on a silver platter. What a slap in the face to those who died in the attacks, those who died trying to rescue the victims, and the soldiers who fought to free two countries from the grips of terrorists. 

Today, as I look back on these memories and events, I have two thoughts. First,  while we heard many testimonies of those who died who knew Jesus as Saviour, how many more did not know Him and went into a horrible eternity? Second, while I will fight to keep America free with words, and perhaps someday if necessary with actions, the only thing that will really make us free is trusting Jesus Christ as Saviour and telling others about Him.

This second thought is why we kicked off our Anchor Adventures kids program this weekend. we have spent a month preparing the decor, creating a script of adventures, and passing out flyers. The results, we had two visitors on Friday, and 10 visitors in church today. Six of the visitors today were kids.We are tired, but we know that God blessed our efforts to reach people for Christ.

We had 50 people in church today. it has been awhile since we had that many, and it was very encouraging. even with the somber beginning of our service as we remembered 9/11, the spirit among the people was uplifting. We had one visitor baptized.

Prayer Requests:

Unspoken that will require prayer for a long time. Two sisters who are pregnant, both with some health complications. Our kids program for continued growth. That more governors will join in the stand against vaccine mandates... that airlines will release their mandates and countries will open.

To Everything There is a Season...

 Summer in Maine was very different this year. It rained through most of July. August has been fairly mild, and September has opened with cooler temperatures, and changing leaves. The birds and squirles have been gorging themselves at my feeders. I think winter is going to be long and cold.

Just as there are physical seasons in our world, there are seasons in people's lives and in church ministries. Our church has gone through many changes over the last three years. Last year was especially difficult, and the changes it brought to our church and people were not all what we would have wanted. For awhile, it felt like we were having to restart the church due to those who had remained home for so long. Even now, we still have some who attend sporadically or come to only one service. I always thought the falling away would be the very liberal churches, but I am seeing once strong Christians sliding further down the slippery slope. This is not just in our church; I am seeing it in pastor's I once looked up to who have changed the Bible and doctrine. I am seeing it people who cannot let go of the past and have allowed it to control them to the point of it destroying ministries and homes. America needs revival; churches need revival, and individuals need revival.

An exciting new season is starting for our church as we kick off our kids ministry Anchor Adventures. We are having a three day kickoff beginning Friday, September 10. We have at least two new families who are interested in coming, and we have several others we are working on. Please pray this will bring not only kids to church but their parents as well.

In the past few weeks, we have seen some terrible political things which have cost American lives. My brother rode Patriot Guard for one of the soldiers killed in Afghanistan. I read a post from two missionaries I know who have been in contact with missionaries and national pastors in Afghanistan. Two Christian men were taken by the Taliban. One was crucified, and the other was dragged to death. Other stories through various Christian groups have surfaced of Americans being on the phone with Christians in Afghanistan and the those Americans could hear the gunshots as the Taliban entered the room and killed the Christians. Afghanistan is just one country in which there is political unrest and Christian targeting. Nigeria, Haiti, China, and Myanmar are also dealing with these issues.

Please pray for some very special unspoken needs in our family. Two of my sisters are pregnant, so prayers for them are appreciated. We still have need of someone to help with our youth and music. Please pray that God will do some miracles and open up travel without restrictions of any kind. I have had a request for help in China, and I would still like to fulfill my trips to England and Europe.