Monday Night Visitation/Evangelism (12/22/08)

Finally! After three years of door to door ministry and sharing the gospel with those who live around us in the community of Wendell, we were stopped by police on Monday night. Apparently some lady was scared that Coop, Elizabeth and Trel (harmful group, I know) were there to do her harm.  According to the officer, there have been several complaints. She misheard Coop and thought we were from Bethlehem church, and after contacting Bethlehem and being told there was no door to door going on tonight, the police went out in full force looking for us troublesome Christians. The two policeman (one attends HBC and ID'd us as Hephzibians) took down some information, told us it was illegal to solicit in Wendell, told us to continue on with caution if we must, but only go to houses with porch lights on, and if we were to be complained on again, we will get Citations or something along those lines, a misdemeanor in the town limits of Wendell. And afterwards had the nerve to say "But keep sharing the Word!"  I have some harsh feelings towards this subject, but I will write on that on facebook later this week, as that is my personal view and not the official stance of the HBC YAM.  

     Visits, after about 20 minutes of Satan making attempts of hindering the Gospel, went very well. I suspect that is why we were being hindered, because of the success and encouragement the night would bring to all of us. Coop's group never even encountered the police, and met with 3 houses, and were invited in to talk to all of them, except of course the first one, who inevitably called the police. They would have finished early, but were told by one house that the neighbors could use some prayer, so they continued on and met some fellow Christians and enjoyed a good time of fellowship.  Another group that went out had several people that were not welcoming to the Message we had to bring, but did have one visit with a guy named David that went well, and witnessed to some kids that seemed to be receptive to the Gospel, but had it cut short by dinner. The other group had several good visits, the Gospel was shared, and we ended the night by meeting a family that goes to HBC and has for some time. Kerry, Carol, and their 2 kids (kinda kids, upper teens). It is always great meeting brothers and sisters in the Lord, and even more so when they are people who take the Lord's Supper with us. 

     Obviously, with 3 groups going out, we had a good crowd come out Monday. It was in the low 20's, with wind chill factor down in the teens. We were all well bundled (this made that run in with the law that much more frustrating, that is was really really cold).  With many of us going to Honduras this coming week, there is an immediate need for more help to go out this coming Monday.  Call Coop for further information. We meet at 6:45 on Mondays in the gravel parking lot.  Be in prayer for the trip to Honduras.  

     Come out to the Christmas Eve service Wednesday, December 24 at 8pm. It will be in the Worship Center.  Merry Christmas to all! Check out my facebook in the future days for further feelings and thoughts on our run in with the police.  -Bubba

Shai Linne- My Portion

Hopefully you are all doing well. I just wanted to add this song, because it was a definite blessing to me. Check it out.

Xmas Party

We are having a Christmas Party starting at 5:00 in the fellowship hall of the FLC. Bring a 5 dollar with elephant gift to exchange.
BD

Christmas and Martyrdom

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”-John 15:18-20

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Sleigh bells jingling, cash registers cha-chingaling; the great holiday draws near. It is the time of year to throw caution and budget to the wind. Manger scenes and savings-magazines in dominance decorate this happily-stressed land. Family-friendly hymns of the season comfort the restless souls, searching eBay relentlessly for the latest editions of the very limited robo-dogs and newest generation iPods. Oh but how much more delightful it is to give than to receive when that gift outshines that of your neighbor.[1] ‘Tis the season to jubilantly trample your fellow man with eyes on the discount laptop prize, while Samaritan’s Purse’s merry bells jin-a-ling, begging for a penny to change the world.

My attitude-of-Christmas-past has been quite bah-humbug lately.[2] I have despised Christmas’ materialism (not that I profess to be above it), the quasi-pagan origins, Santa Claus, and the unbalanced focus on Christ’s birth versus His resurrection. My response in past years has been to despise Christmas. Americans spend roughly $450 billion dollars during the holiday season, and an average of $791 per person. Consumers spend $15.8 billion of that on ornamentation (unclean water is blamed for more deaths than anything else in the world, and it is estimated that the world’s water woes can be cured for a mere $10 billion, $5 billion less than Americans spend on rooftop Rudophs and enormous Frosty Snow-globes).[3] This year however, things are a little different. God has adjusted my bah-humbug-do-nothingness into something a little more useful.

This year’s holiday woes have been more purposeful. I have been burdened to consider and pray for the saints around the world, particular those saints who are currently or have recently faced intense persecution. While Westerners gather ‘round the fire to roast chestnuts and sing cheery tunes of Christmas trees and merry bells ringing; Christians in China, India, Indonesia, North Korea, etc hide out in new-school catacombs lest they be forced to recant or die. Three weeks ago, in Nigeria, violence against Christians resulted in 100 dead. While Americans sip Eggnog and delightfully sift through festively-wrapped presents, sixty-nine Indonesian Christian families will spend Christmas homeless after their houses were destroyed by angered Muslims on Monday (December 15th, 2008). Countless other Christians face starvation and famine. Many will spend this Christmas season enduring harsh floggings by angry kidnappers rather than making known the meeting locations of their brothers and sisters. Several Christians will choose martyrdom, rather than deny Christ and recant their faith next week. In fact, while you’re unwrapping that iPod there is a reasonable chance that at least one Christian in China has a gun to his or her head. And on the 26th, when you go to the store to return that hideous sweater/scarf/etc. there is some young boy or girl being forced to watch his parents hang because he or she will not deny Christ. Why? A slave is not greater than his master. Followers of Christ will indeed suffer with Christ, for joy’s sake to the glory of God.

My request: Pray for the persecuted. Pray for the famished. Pray for the displaced. Pray for your family, your brothers and sisters across the globe, suffering for the sake of Christ. Pray that God will be glorified, and they will know His rest. Pray that their persecution will result in the spread of God’s fame to the nations. And pray for the church in the West that she will be purged of her materialism and embrace glorious joy in Christ alone.[4] Pray that when persecution comes to the Western church, that she will embrace it graciously and willingly knowing that a slave is indeed no greater than his master.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”-Hebrews 12:1-2

Truly have a Merry Christmas, remembering the glory of God.

Post by gbuff, who echoes props for Shai Linne's "Penelope Judd." Shai Linne is a poet.

[1] Elizabeth Ladd is credited for the completion this sentence
[2] This is a rather lame allusion to Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol
[3] Check out http://www.adventconspiracy.com/
[4] This is what our brothers and sisters are praying for us.

Shake Off the Dust (Part 2)

I second what BD said about Monday night being a blessing.  Our group had more of an encouraging evening (no professing Christians told us they did not want to talk about Christ around Christmas), but all in all there were more no answers than anything else. Hopefully we can revisit them next week.

   We spoke to one man who said that Christ was his savior, and when asked what he had been saved from, he couldn't answer. He then said that he did not think faith was something to be shared but appreciated what we were doing. He then said that what he had just said did not sound right (having a faith and not sharing it, sounds ridiculous when actually spoken), but that is just how he felt. I could see wheels turning while on the porch, so though the gospel was not well received, a tract was given and the conversation was respectful. I think seed was planted, and the Lord can give the growth.

    We then spoke to a deacon from a local baptist church in Wendell, and that was truly a blessing. He did tell us about other neighbors that attend his church, and you can read the report on one of them in BD's Part 1 of this article 2 posts down.  This gentleman was great though, a born again believer who came to know the Lord about 6 years ago. He prayed for us and our visits and for the Lord to go before us... to my knowledge this is the first time we've had someone pray for us and us not pray as well.

     These are the extremes we can range from on Monday nights, and we encourage others to come out with us. We had 8 people in all go out, 1 off of our all time record. It was great though. The first visit I wrote about is what I fear the bulk of our community believes. They know the answers to questions, and have been thoroughly "churched", but when you get down to the root of the faith, you come up empty. People have a knowledge of who Christ is, but do not know Christ.  They need to know Christ as God, Savior, and King, and they can only know if they are told. They must know they are sinners, and have angered a holy God, but that God has offered redemption by the blood of His Son, the Christ who lived perfectly and has died for our sins. This is not a popular view, and people may hate us for it. But if we know this and do not share it, that is pure hatred toward the very people we are not sharing it with. That is all, and that is our sole purpose of living. To love God, and live to glorify Him, and desire to see others come and share in this fantastic Life God has given to us. Grace and Peace.

    Also, No Bible study this Wednesday night. We will have church wide Christmas Caroling at 6:30 pm, followed by our annual chili and soup dinner. By all means, come out and join us! 

Storiez and Acoustic Storytime

If some of you are looking for a good CD, then I have two recommendations for you. The first CD that I would recommend is Storiez by Shai Linne. You can get this on iTunes. It is one of the most spiritually encouraging/ challenging CDs that I have ever listened to. The musician tells stories through the eyes of all kinds of people. Two songs stick out to me. First, Penelope Judd which is what Bubba calls, “The Pilgrim’s Progess in three minutes” and it is truly a blessing. The other song that sticks out is Martyrs which tells the story of several different Christian martyrs. It will bring you to tears, the good kind.

The other CD is Acoustic Storytime by Jason Gray. This is the exact opposite musically, but spiritually it is just as encouraging. The CD is interlaced with testimony and exhortation. It is a must have. This is also on iTunes.

BD

Shake off the Dust (Monday Night Evangelism Part 1)

Thank all of you who went out last night. It was truly a blessing as it always is. I there really is no where I would rather be on Monday nights than going door to door. We had 8 last night that showed up for the fun and festivities. We visited the streets around another Baptist church in Wendell. We met some really interesting people. It seems like we had about as many positive responses as negative. The negative responses are always interesting, and especially when some houses scream “Merry Christmas” and the residents seem to say, “Bah, humbug.”

 

We had one guy that refused to answer any questions, but didn’t protest to our asking them. He finally said, “I have a lot of thoughts about that, but I don’t want to talk to you about them.” The sad thing is that he did tell us he went to a local Baptist church. We had four other people who gave faith responses to questions about their faith. We prayed with three of them and they did seem encouraged by our efforts. We prayed with one about physical problems. We prayed with another about her son going off to Iraq. We prayed with another about him “in general.”

 

The last two houses we visited could find no room for the gospel. At the largest house on the street, a woman came to the door and after we introduced ourselves she slammed the door on us. At the last house, a man went out the side door while we were knocking on the front door and just starred at us and yelled, “Hey.” Not the “hey” that you would yell to a friend, but the one that parents yell at kids with their hands in the cookie jar. We introduced ourselves and the man scorned us for knocking on his door. He said, “I have a two year old, that I am trying to put to bed, and two others in there.” He gave us the angry stare, then we offered him some literature. He “politely” declined and went back into the house. We prayed as we left that the Lord would convict him of his sin, and that the Lord would draw that man to himself. I was just convinced even more of the fact that salvation is a work of God, and God alone. If it were up to us, we would never seek the Lord. Praise God that he sought us, and redeemed us by the blood of his son.

 

BD

Sunday (December 14, 2008)

With many of our college students in town and not overworked with exams and papers and everything else right now, my hope is that the Editors and Writers of the YAM blog will be able to write more often, and that people will have more time to read the things we have posted.  If you are reading this, you are helping the cause, keep up the good work, and encourage others to join in on the daily (or at least weekly) reading of the blog. Easier accessibility through Facebook soon to come, possibly. 

For those of you who missed Sunday, it was a good time of fellowship. I hear that service was pretty good (my excuse for missing this week was legitimate, as I had to drive someone to the airport at 10) and that Pastor spoke at least in part out of Luke 6. 

In announcements, we have successfully raised money for an ipod for Katie's "adopt a family" project. Thank you to all who were involved in the giving, and hopefully that family will be blessed this year, and glorify the Lord by praising Him or coming to know Him through that work.  Also, many supplies have been given for the VSP class (special needs ministry) and some money has been donated as well... but this class is a year round ministry and any further help will certainly be appreciated.  There is a list on one of the postings below this one of needed supplies. Gift cards to Michaels, Wal Mart, and Target (or cash, if necessary) are all acceptable too. Any other ideas, let me know and we can probably make it happen.  Also, check the blog (already addressed earlier). 

There was a Christmas party for the YAM Ladies and the up and coming Juniors and Seniors this past Saturday (as an attempt to bridge the transition from Youth to YA/College). There were 4 girls from youth to come, and I understand that was a blessing. 

Our Christmas party is this Saturday at 5 pm in the fellowship hall at HBC. Bring a white elephant gift (if you need clarification, contact somebody. basically, a cheap cool gift that could be useful, either for life or laughter).

Finally,  our Bible lesson was taught by Scott in Matthew 18:15 and following. This was in the Men's class, Im not really sure where the women are studying right now, but they got out of class later than we did, so I am certain it was a good lesson. There was great discussion (which is fantastic, considering that sometimes it is like pulling teeth to get us to get relevant conversation going during a lesson!), and we talked about church discipline, actions to take when you see a brother or sister living an unrepentant life in sin, and our need for unity, love, and accountability with everyone in the Church, not just our closest friends and people in our Sunday School classes. 

In one last plug, we would love to have help on Monday Night Visitation, as we do not plan to take any breaks between now and New Year's, so if possible plan to meet us in the gravel parking lot at 6:45 on Mondays. You can contact me, Coop, Gary, or Bobby (or anyone that you know and associate with Monday Nights, I just know these people give out phone numbers like they are candies. And candy is a good thing). We will be starting a new area/neighborhood tonight, so at very least your prayers are welcome. We could definitely use the help of any ladies with free Monday nights, just with us being a group predominately made up of men, it can look intimidating to a woman at home by herself if she sees only men on her porch. At very least, your prayers are welcome as we search the Lord's guidance for tonight. Be praying for the saints in our ministry, as many of us are struggling with burdens, family, sin and many other things. When any part of our body struggles, we all suffer and are affected. Grace and Peace - Bubba

Wednesday Night Bible Study

I hope this post finds you all well. Wednesday night we had a great time of Bible Study. We talked about the moral, civil and ceremonial laws in the OT, and more specifically the commands in Exodus 21-23. These commands may seem tedious to us, but they are full of wisdom that displays the heart of God. Ken taught and just impressed the need for us to not take lightly the commands that God gave in the OT. We live by grace, but that does not mean that we live recklessly. I hope you are all having a great Advent season. Remember to keep your eyes on Jesus. Those who have just finished up with exams, we are glad to have you back. See you all soon. Lord willing. No Bible Study Wednesday, only caroling. Check the website out for a time. www.hephzibah.net

BD

Monday Night Visitation/Evangelism (12/8/08)

   If asked to describe the experience on Monday night this week in one word, after careful deliberation, I would choose this word: COLD!  With temperatures down below 30 degrees F, we were all wrapped up in coats, toboggans, thermals (aka long johns), and anything else we could to keep ourselves warm. The idea of hand warmers came up, and if anyone has some to donate, that would be great. 

   Aside from the rather cold weather, the night was a blessing all in all. We had 6 people come out with us, so two groups of three. Our goal going into the night was to glorify the Lord, spread His gospel, and finish Holly Pointe, if He so willed.   One group visited several houses, for the most part having the Gospel fall on what appeared to be deaf ears.  We are not too discouraged though, knowing two things: 1. The Lord gives growth, we can only plant seed and water. See Parable of the soils. and 2. If anyone rejects us, they are not rejecting us, but Christ and the Father who have sent us. We can only brush the dust off our shoes and push forward. We had one spanish visit, one young lady who thought everyone is entitled to their opinion (to which I agree, but every action comes with a consequence, and as we all know the action of rejecting Christ and His salvation and see Him as anything less than God, the consequence is eternal death, of this ,and this alone, we are worthy.), a family of Christians who were busy, several people who would not answer the door, some who spoke to us through the door, and a young man who unfortunately did not seem excited nor interested in the gospel, and talked to us (or let us talk) for a few minutes, and was really not feeling anything we were saying.

   Then there was of course the second group. They visited one house, and had a very long conversation. They spoke to a woman who claims to be a believer, but admitted she does not really know the Bible, nor give account for why she believes anything, although she does go to church. Also she had a works based answer for salvation... This visit is exactly why there is urgent need to reach our communities. If we do not knock on doors, the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons will, and people who are "Christian" but are not deeply rooted in their beliefs, well studied in the Bible, and ready to give a reason for the faith that is within them are the very sheep these wolves feed on and bring into their cults and heresies. There is urgent need for more people to be out with us, so that we can spread the Gospel, follow up with people that are interested, and possibly disciple some where needed.

    If Mondays aren't good for you to share, contact Gary about getting involved with Thursday nights. Not sure what's been going on there, since nobody has updated the blog.

    In other news, word has it that Sunday school was good this week. Ken brought a study that went a little more in depth on what we talked about last week, undoubtably Phil gave him a hard time, and also we raised some money for Katie's Christmas project.  More to come on that. If there are updates, we will let you know.  Also remember the class supply need list for the VSP sunday school class. A post can be found a week or two ago on this page. for the supplies. Be in prayer for our ministry, including those who may have gone astray. Let us be proactive in reaching out to them, and being the Body of Christ!

First Friday, December '08

The First Friday for December turned out to be a successful one, as usual. By success, I mean there was prayer, fellowship, and a message from God's word. That is always a success, and that should always be our goal. 

Attendance was down a little bit from previous months, but that can happen and is probably expected this time of year.  With the inconsistency we've had with First Friday dates (no FF in July, for the 4th, and no FF in November for the church-wide Faith Retreat), and with this being exam week for many schools, absences will be accepted, this time! ha. 

Coop brought us the message out of 1 Peter:4, and we talked about suffering for Christ's sake, and dying to ourselves, and stepping out on faith that the Lord is faithful to provide us with all we need for His purpose. There were card games played, fellowship, and prayer on the evening. 

We should all be in prayer for our church, our ministry, and our fellow saints who are dying for the Faith and the Lord abroad, as these things are good for unity and growth within our body.  Be sure to check out the upcoming events list to the left of the postings, so that you can mark them on the calendar and plan accordingly. I am planning on starting a HBC YAM group on Facebook soon, to make the communication of events and updated posts on the blog more conveniently communicated. Grace and peace, hope all is well with everyone. Stay on top of your studies, do well on your exams, and suffer for the sake of Christ this week. You will be blessed.

Wednesday and Friday (December 5,6)

It's time for an update on this weeks events in the HBC young adult ministry. Wednesday was a blessing, as Bobby brought a word from the Lord out of Exodus. We talked about the holiness of God, and the way we often just disregard that with our lives (that was one point among many others.)  We had a few announcements, most of which were echoes of things we talked about Sunday. Katie reminded us of her Christmas project for a family in need, which you can see her desired gifts on one of the comments of Monday Night visitation/evangelism (12/1/08). That is the post directly under this one.

   Also, this is a plug for First Friday, which is today, this Friday. We will be hosting it in the fellowship hall of the Old Worship Building (downstairs, by the nursery, same building we meet in on Wednesday Nights.) It will be held tonight at 8pm, we will have free coffee, some finger desserts, and a message from God's word brought to us by Coop. Bring a friend. Grace and peace. -Bubba.

Monday Night Visitation 12/1/08 and Bonus info.

In an unprecedented event, I am going to post the 5th article on the blog in 2 days. After several weeks of  flakiness and one and two post performances, things are back on the rise in the Editing Dept. of the HBC YAM.  

  Back to the purpose, the report for Monday night visitation.  This week, instead of going door to door as we would on a normal week, we were invited over to Brenda's house for dinner (Barbara and Grady's daughter, mother of Nikki and Cassie) and a time of fellowship.   Some people had school work, prior engagements, or feeling under the weather, and some other things (but we need not get into everything!),  but we had 3 go over for the evening. Cassie was in town for Thanksgiving, and as always, our visit over at their home was a blessing. We should continue as a ministry to be in prayer both for Cassie (she is getting ready to be on phase 2 of 4 at House of Hope in Clayton, which means she can come to church on weekends.), and for Brenda and Nikki as well, just for their family to grow in the Lord and be blessed by His grace.

  Also, I write this particularly for the women, I would encourage you to befriend Cassie at some point while she is home over Christmas, if you haven't already. She should be moving back home sometime next summer (May-June, I think), and when she does she will be a member of the College/Young Adult Ministry. She loves the Lord, loves sharing the Gospel (Grady's grand-daughter loves sharing the gospel, go figure), and I think it would be a mutual blessing for anyone to bond with her and help to welcome her into our ministry (as well as the other people coming up, but with her not being at home all the time, it makes it more of an obstacle to really create a relationship there.)

    In other news, Here is a list of supplies needed for the Special Needs Ministry  -  

 1. Craft Kits- 6 of a kind

2.Pipe cleaners, multiple colors

3.Craft sticks - tongue depressors, doctor office size

4. Tempora Paint- primary colors

5. Glitter glue- gold, silver, green, red

6.White plain paper (copier paper)

7. Reusable clay- NOT playdough!

8. Wooden and clear/clean plastic shapes to paint

9. Washable markers

10. "The Jesus Storybook Bible" - just 1 copy, bye Sally Lloyd Jones, Zonderkids publish

11. Heavy construction paper

*All items are relatively inexpensive, and any donations will be greatly appreciated. Contact Bubba for more information, either by cell or facebook. I would post my cell on the blog, but that is just creepy. Grace and Peace, and God be with you all.  Be sure to read all of the posts this week. We are trying to keep up with the pace of some of the other bloggers in our ministry.

Recap of the Guys Sunday School Class on 11/30/08

It was great being with all those who came to Sunday School yesterday. It is always a joy when we get together. I wanted to summarize what we talked about, for the benefit of all who care to read it. We looked at the first passage in Matthew 18, which was the discussion of Jesus and his disciples about "who was greatest in the Kingdom." We talked about several different things. 1. We discussed the need for humility when approaching God. We are all sinners. The Bible teaches us that we all fall short of the standard that God has set, which is perfection. When we accept the free gift of salvation, we accept it as people who are in desperate need. We have nothing to offer God, and that is just the way he wants it. For us to accept the benefits and truth of the gospel, we must first understand the depths of our depravity. We have nothing to offer to God. Praise God for his free grace that cost so much to Christ! 2. Humility should be one of the defining traits of our life. We should have humility towards one another that exalts Christ. 3. Lastly, we talked about the seriousness of our sin in light of all that God has done for us. We must be willing to maime ourselves rather than fall so easily into sin. We talked about removing the things from our lives that tempt us to sin. Those were the main points. I hope that helps solidify these truths in your hearts. Keep fighting the good fight.

BD

Hanging of the Greens 11/30/08

   There has been some interest amongst HBC YAM members as to the purpose or meaning of our annual ceremony known as the "Hanging of the Greens." There is a picture taken from an LG Envy in the post just below this one taken at the Hanging of the Greens this year, 2008. 

   This was my first  experience in the tradition, so as far as history, relevance to the birth of Christ and other information will have to be individually researched by anyone interested. I can describe tonight's ceremony, and that may clear up any confusion.

  As should be expected from a Christmas related service, there was the singing of Christmas season songs. This I thoroughly enjoyed, as I really love Christmas songs. Many of them I find relevant all year long, and think it would be great to sing Hark the Herald or Emmanuel or O Little Town of Bethlehem all year round (not all the time, but randomly).   As you can see from the picture, we had a packed house, including several people in the lobby and many lining the back walls. It is always a blessing to be in that atmosphere with believers worshipping the Lord, and it only multiplies the excitement when it is with your closest friends and family of the Spirit.

In between songs and different passages (read from several places, including Isaiah, Luke, and Acts) of scripture, different ornaments and decorations were placed up on the stage of the sanctuary, candles lit around the room in window sills, and eventually a conclusion with each person holding a candle (my assumption for this was that it was to signify us being the light of the world, or Christ, who is our life, coming into the world and being the Light of the World. Sadly I missed this.)  The wreaths were hung across the stage at one point... their greenness signifies the newness of life, particularly portrayed in the birth of our Lord, and also the newness of Life given to us by the Spirit our our sovereign God.  The evergreen (Christmas tree) is a symbol of everlasting life, based on the tree being green year round, never dying with the rest of nature, staying strong and weathering the cold. This is symbolic of God's everlasting presence, and the preeminence and eternity of God our Saviour, and our eternal life given to us by His grace.

The evening was concluded with a message from Pastor Aaron. Many groups sang in the service, including the children's choir, a few solo's by various people, and several congregational songs. I am glad to see the interest that was generated about this year's ceremony, and look forward to the possibility of having a larger crowd next year. 

  In other announcements (these may be posted later, or removed if deemed irrelevant), today was a very significant day for the YAM of HBC. Last week, Brooke went forward to join the local body of Hephzibah, and this week Coop and Elizabeth announced their intentions to get married to the congregation, and asked that we all be in prayer for that, and whatever the Lord will have them do in a life of ministry together. Also, Scott and Brianna (sp?) announced that they will be leaving us within the next year or so to follow the Lord's calling in their lives to do campus ministry up in Pittsburgh, PA. May we be in prayer for all of these things as a ministry. I strongly urge us to commit time daily to prayer for our fellow saints in our body of believers at Hephzibah. We should hold one another accountable to just this. Grace and Peace, and God be with you as we go on with the week. Also, exams are coming up, so pray for guidance and that our college students will give efforts that glorify the Lord in their studies, and the Lord bless them so that they are equipped to do His work.   -Bubba

Hanging of the greens

Announcements

HERE ARE THE ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THIS WEEK:

Christmas party Dec. 20th @ 5pm @ at HBC fellowship hall. If you have the spiritual gift of decorating, just kidding, if you would like to decorate please contact Bobby 906-3947...

Bring gifts for Christmas presents for Elderly people, male and female... ASAP. They should be good for a male or female. This is for the Christmas celebration for the elderly brothers and sisters.

PRAY for a family that a young woman at church has been led to bless in a special way... if God would have you buy gifts there is a list to come.

List of supplies to buy for the Very Special People's class to come give gifts to Bubba to pass along.

FIRST FRIDAY this week 8:00 12/5

1 John 3:17-18

BD
906-3947
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Sent from the all black LG EnV2

Monday Night Visitation/Evangelism (November 24)

After weeks of procrastinating and not responsibly posting on time, things are back on schedule now. Thanks for baring with me.
That being said, this week was a blessing for all who were involved with visitation (if you read this regularly, you should notice a pattern, and I do not expect that pattern to change anytime soon.) Simply said, if you are looking for a blessing in your life, come out on a Monday Night. We had 7 involved in some way or another in visiting and sharing the Gospel this week. One of our team members had a night of personal evangelism and Bible study with a friend and did not go door to door, but any evangelsim counts as a part of the group on Mondays. The rest of us were divided into two groups of 3 (though 3 groups of 2 would reach more, we have found that the Lord seems to move best when we are grouped in 3's, and it comes down to quality over quantity.)
While both groups faced some adversity tonight, the Lord still moved. We met one woman who knew the Lord, and knows that you must know the Lord to have eternal life. After talking to her for awhile, she told us that she is terminally ill, and asked us to pray for her health to stay well, and for it to be consistently that way. After that, there were a few houses that people greeted us, talked to us, but probably went into the house or back to work and completely forgot the message we brought to the door. While it seems the Gospel fell on def ears, all we can do is toss seed and water, and trust that the Lord will give growth where he deems it necessary. The last two visits were a little better. One lady knew the Lord and was pretty excited about that (though she mentioned the phrase "good person" in her reason to get into Heaven, but faith in Christ was the cornerstone of her answer.). Just to clarify, the Gospel was shared, and though she didn't open her door (one woman inside, 3 men outside, I can't really blame her) it was a good visit. The last visit was with a Hispanic family, and though the gentleman spoke little English, our little spanish and his son as an interpreter, I think the message was clear, and we gave him a spanish tract.
The other group that went out had a remarkably similar experience. The first few visits were filled with doors that were not answered, people that were not interested, and so on and so forth. The last two houses were definately the biggest blessing for those involved. The first of the two was a man who said he didn't have time, but the Gospel was still shared, and it turned into a pretty good visit. The last house was a woman who was a solid believer and that too was a great visit.
Now is the section where I lobby for your help on Monday nights, and plug any other ministries or people I think are deserving of your time, help or interest. We can still use help on Mondays, even though I constantly boast of the numbers the Lord has blessed us with lately. Even with regular attenders not being there, we still regularly have enough to go out with two groups. We are on the verge of finishing up Holly Pointe, and will be praying for where the Lord will be leading us next, and that we will have some more faces with us. There is especially great need for women/ladies to come out with us. Many of these homes seem to be woman at home with their children (be it single moms, or husbands working late shift jobs with our struggling economy). When this happens, they are, and rightfully so, hesitant to open their doors or interact with 3 strange young men standing on their doorstep. With just the presense of a woman there, I think there would be more of an environment of welcoming in this situation. Check out the post on what is going on for the Wednesday, being that Bible study at the HBC buildings will be cancelled. Grace and peace, may you all have beautiful feet! - Bubba

Wednesday Night

Just a reminder to anyone who was not in church on Sunday and happens to check the blog regularly, this Wednesday night, there will be no Bible study at Hephzibah. The building will be closed for Thanksgiving.
As a replacement for that fellowship, there will be fellowship (and possibly Bible study, not sure) at 7:00 pm on Wednesday night (Nov. 26) at the STARBUCKS on LAKE BOONE TR. in Raleigh. If you take the outer beltline (merge/fork right onto beltline off of 64 bypass if you are coming from wendell), Lake Boone is after Glenwood avenue. Take a right onto Lake Boone, and the Starbucks is b/w a Wendy's and a Mcdonolds just to the right. Call Bubba for more info or clarification. (919) 255-0295
Peace and grace, also, is that not the most handsome kid you've ever seen in the post below this? I bet that kid grew up to really be a stud.

Bubba

Baby picture of Bubba

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Opportunity to give

Here is the list of what we need by Saturday:
Sweatshirts
SIZE NEEDED
4X 2
3X 16
2X 27
XL 18
L 22
M 20
CHILD
M 13
S 17
4T 9
3T 2
2T 6
REMEMBER: To whom much is given, MUCH is required. AND what you do for the "least of these" you have done to Jesus.

BD
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Monday Night Visitation/Evangelism (11/17/08)

Hello everyone, I hope this post finds you well. Sorry I've been so inconsistent with the posting of news on Monday night visitation lately. We've had some different things going on, and I've not been responsible in my duty of keeping you all updated. That being said, I have an incomplete report to give, as I am not totally sure what happened with all of the groups on Monday, so Ill report what I know.

     We had a good size group come out to share the Good News of our Lord, and were able to separate into 3 groups. 2 groups went door to door, and another went to visit with our brother and mentor ,(and to some, even hero), Bob Davis.  What I know of the door to door visitation is that they went okay... One group had at least one lengthy visit that kept them late, and they ended the evening with some fellowship with the Dixon family from HBC. The other group presented the gospel to some people who, at least for the time, had their hearts hardened to speaking of the Lord. The neighborhood we have been in (Holly Pointe, for those interested in praying for the community and our missions there) is heavily populated with people involved in various cults that relate themselves to Christianity. Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons (Latter Day Saints) have lived in at least 6 houses in the neighborhood, the most of any single location to my knowledge of any neighborhood we have done visitation in over the years. Be in prayer for the Lord to do a mighty work, and may it start with the hearing and doing of the Word.

     Now the visit with Bob Davis. Our brother Bob has been ill the past week or so, and on top of that his computer failed him last week as well. After having a member of our YAM fix the computer, we went over to visit with Bob and also to get his pictures, screen saver, music, devotional, and favorites (aka bookmarks) set up for him to get back online and poking on facebook and reading his devotional. He seemed to be doing well while we were there (it may have been the tylenol, but Im leaning toward the fellowship of the Spirit). His computer is all up and running, and let us be praying for his health and encouragement.

    I know we have made mention of Bob in different lessons and prayer requests, but let me take a moment to boast in the Lord and His work in Bob's life. Bob wakes up everymorning, and has David Jerimiah's devotional sent to him through email. After reading the devotional, the same website that does the devotional has a through the Bible in a year guide. Bob clicks on the audio, and reads along on the page, so he can really let the Word sink in. He does this every morning, 2 passages out of 2 different chapters. This is his 3rd or 4th time going through the Bible. This, as well as his sharing of the gospel, and commitment to prayer, make Bob one of the biggest blessings in my life. If you have not met him, I would advise you doing so. Afterwards, add him on facebook. Im almost certain he is the oldest man on there. 

   In other comments, if you haven't met Jordan Reese (and wife Carolyn (sp)), I still recommend doing so.  Thank you for reading, and if you know of somebody within the ministry that you think would be open to visitation (whether it be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, whenever) and in need of it, let us know and we'll work something out. We can always use help for us to go out sharing the gospel. If you don't like to talk, or are kind of nervous about the process, come out and just walk with us, and pray with us, and get a feel for how it works. The Lord has commanded us to make disciples. "And how shall they call on whom they have not believed? and how are they to believe in whom they have never heard? and how shall they hear without someone who preaches? And how can someone preach unless they are sent? How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news." -Romans 10   I pray you all would be burdened to have beautiful feet.    -Bubba

Delay in posts

Sorry for the delay in the posts. We should have some things updated by tomorrow night.

Great Quote

I came across this great quote about the Bible and Missions. William Cameron Townsend said, "The greatest missionary is the Bible in the mother tongue. It needs no furlough and is never considered a foreigner."
-BD

Wednesday Night Bible Study

Tonight we talked about the last 3 commandments. We discussed how the commandments are an expansion of the commands to "love God" and "love your neighbor." We also talked a little about the need for prayer that we have as a group. We have many people that really need prayer, and for many of those prayers we can be the answer if we listen to God. I just want to challenge you to spend time in prayer for your brothers and sisters at Hephzibah. Spend some time now just praying for all of us. We all need it.

I would also encourage you to read the following verses and spend some time contemplating them.
Lamentations 3:21-24 says,
"But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."

Thank God that he is the source of all our hope!
-BD

Prayer Retreat

The Prayer Retreat begins tomorrow. Make a point to attend.

For more info click:
http://www.hephzibah.net/hbc/upcoming_events

Missions and Hope (Wednesday Night Bible Study)

Wednesday night was really centered around two major things. First, we spent the majority of the time working on shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. We have participated in this for several years, and this year was no different. We wrapped and stuffed shoeboxes (some boxes were more beautiful than others). The ultimate purpose was to take part in the Great Commission.

We looked at Psalm 46 and the idea of hope. We have heard a lot about hope, but much of that discussion is not true to the Christian idea of Hope. The synopsis of all that we discussed was as follows: Though the world changes and people are crazy, the LORD is the one who brings true stability in our lives. And, the person who hopes in the LORD will never have his hopes dashed. As Christians, we should place all of our hope in the LORD, and in Him alone. Any time that we place our hope in anything other than the LORD we must pray for the faith to trust Him more.
-BD

Plans for Discipleship

On Monday night, Bobby and I did visitation a little bit differently than we would normally do. Instead of visiting houses or going door to door, there was an opportunity to hang out with some of our brothers in the Young Adult Ministry, so we took that opportunity.  

   Central Baptist Church was playing for the Championship in the Wendell Church Basketball league. I know that is alot to take in, so read it again if you need clarification. J. Liles for whatever reason is playing for another church, so we went to watch him in action. Philly was also there, so that was pretty cool. 

  While watching the game, Bobby ran into a guy that used to go to HBC, but due to some personal issues and family matters, has not been in a long time. Bobby talked to him for the better part of an hour, and they exchanged numbers and he may rejoin the fellowship, so that his soul may Rejoice with the Spirit that is within all of God's children! That made the trip over there more than worth it.

    I am going to take this opportunity to introduce an idea to the group. We are leaning towards having some kind of dinner or gathering (maybe a hunter gathering congregation) at two different locations: East Carolina, Greenville, NC, and NC State, Raleigh, NC.  The idea is to have the men at those campuses (and all campuses close to and surrounding them) come together at a local location and just hang out. While many of you may and probably do this already, some of us from HBC would like to come and just hang out, so that we may be a blessing to you and you to us. Too often we just see one another at church on Sundays, then everyone leaves and goes back to their lives, schools, etc.  We are the church, we love one another, and we need to be interacting and being involved. More to come on this topic. To God be the Glory in all things.... Be sure to read Aaron's article beneath this one on the other half of Monday Night visitation: Door to door style. Grace and Peace - Bubba

Monday Night Visitation/Evangelism (11/3/08)

  Monday night was truly a blessing. Once again, our numbers were down, but we still had 4 participating in taking the Gospel to the streets of Wendell, as well as others that were downtown praying for our state and our nation's elections. There were two groups. Aaron and Trel went door to door where we have been for several weeks in Holly Pointe (Aaron is the author of the next few paragraphs), while Bobby and myself went to do community ministry, which will be explained in another post.

    Tonight it seemed apparent that the gospel of Jesus Christ fell upon def ears and hard hearts. One man said, “who is it?” through his door, then proceed to ignore us as we left the gospel by his door. We then shared the gospel and gave a track to a seemingly reluctant lady on her way to bed. Another man told Trell and I…”I go to church”, “not interested”, “don’t need it”. Lastly, we met a mother in the middle of cooking who said we could come back another time. She received a succinct presentation and written copy of the gospel. However, her level of interest seemed questionable at best. 

      Yet, this was not all that God had for Trell and I tonight. As I was taking Trell home, he requested that we stop by a store to get a soda. I agreed, so we stopped in at the Trans II Mini Mart. While at the convenient store, we introduced ourselves to Phillip, the cashier. I explained our desire to share Jesus and proceeded to ask him what Jesus meant to him. Phillip responded by saying he was a catholic, which was superfluous to the question, so I kindly repeated it. This time he said that he believes in God and Jesus, but that he only practices his faith about 50%. I shared the fact that the demons believe and shudder (James 2:19). It takes more than an intellectual “belief”; Christ must be your LIFE (Colossians 3:1-4)! Then I shared of Christ’s disgust with lukewarm people (Rev 3:15-16). Phillip also said that there are many other beliefs and that it’s just important that you believe in something. I explained to Phillip that this popular pluralistic belief is simply false, because only Christ has paid for our sins, allowing us to have a joyous relationship with God (John 14:6). No other god even claims to take away our sins. I felt the power of God as I shared the gospel in an all but pleading fashion. After much deliberation, I plainly told Phillip that he will either deny Christ with his life and spend eternity in punishment apart from God or that he will decide to live for Christ and experience abundant and eternal life in Christ for all eternity (Matthew 25:31-46). I told him I loved him and that Lord willing I would see him again. 

      We don’t know the types of soil the gospel fell on tonight, but we know that God’s word does not return to Him void. It accomplishes the purpose for which He sent it (Isiaah 55:10-11)! And we were encouraged to simply share the gospel for the sake of the name. Please pray for Phillip and the souls of these other un-named persons!

Monday Night Visitation/Evangelism (10/26/08)

Monday night was a blessing, as it always is. Praise be to God, while our attendance was down from 9 the week before, we had 5 servants come out to share the love of our Savior.  The Lord could use one person to make His kingdom know to the world if He so chose, so 5 is a pretty solid number for Wendell, although more are always useful, and welcome.

   It is starting to get dark early, and it was rather cold, but there were some productive visits. We followed up with Chris' wife that we told we would bring HBC material to them about worship hours and sunday school, and she seemed grateful and interested to come out one week. Also we followed up with the other Chris and invited him and his son to Hallelujah Night (this friday, more info in the events section of this page, or sunday school/wednesday night). The Lord has given their family a small blessing this week, although his wife is still in Mexico...be in prayer.

  Okay, that was the visitation half of our night, now onto evangelism! We met with Alan, a believer who wants to see sinners repent and be saved by God's grace, who is also a pastor at a church in Garner. He asked that we pray for people to be spreading the gospel to the lost. There were several houses where people were clearly home and not answering, some that call themselves Christians but were watching something on TV more important than Christ. I pray the Lord break them of such thoughts and deal with them accordingly. We ended the night talking to Martha, a former attender of Hephzibah, whose children both came up through the program formerly known as Upward. Bobby and Scott used to coach her son, who is now like 6'2. Yes, they are getting old. The gospel was shared with Martha, and though she gave an answer of doing good to get to heaven, she acknowledged Christ as Savior. We may be going back there to visit, possibly with Jordan, our new Student Minister. James (the son) works and plays football and doesn't really go to church anywhere, so hopefully the gospel can lay on his heart and he will/does love the Lord and serve Him.  The other group that went out met with some people that felt they were getting to Heaven through doing good works and good things, and the gospel was shared. They also met a guy whom they may visit with again in the future. He claimed to know the gospel, but just could not believe that it was all true. After talking with our group, he asked that they pray for him to grow closer to God. Although this may not be congruent with is former statement about the gospel, it could be planted seed, and maybe the Lord is working. To God be the glory in all things. 

   This is a long article anyways, so Im going to add some pork to it. If you haven't met our new Student Minister (and his wife, Carolyn), you should introduce yourself to Jordan Reese. He is passionate about the Lord, excited about sharing the gospel (he actually approached us about joining us on Monday nights at some point), and a baller. Ha, obviously the first two are what really matter, but you should be welcoming him, it will be a blessing to you both.   Also, we can still use help on Monday nights. If you don't want to talk, you don't have to. If you want to and don't know what to say, you can read Gary's article (directly beneath this one) about how to share the gospel/the faith/your testimony.  Grace and peace, hope all is well this week. -Bubba

Sharing Your Faith

The sign at the exit of the Hephzibah parking lot says, “You are now entering your mission field.” Though most Hephzibeans agree wholeheartedly with the truth of that sign, often it proves difficult to incorporate that into everyday life. Sometimes Christians are too nervous, or too embarrassed to share their faith at work, school, or on the street. Sometimes Christians are ready and willing to share the gospel, but struggle turning the conversation to spiritual matters. Yet it is the mission and purpose of every Christian to intentionally share the good news that man can be freed from the bondage of sin through Christ who died on the cross and rose from the grave. Christians carry with them the greatest truth that has ever existed, but to deliver that truth to a doubting world is often difficult, but perhaps you can be encouraged by a few methods that will help to embolden those who are willing to share their faith.

In order to effectively share the gospel Christians must have deep compassion for those with whom they plan to share. School campuses and work places are often ideal settings for building relationships. Take the time to ask your co-workers and classmates’ questions about “who they are.” Those are the type of questions that will turn co-workers and classmates into friends. Mix questions about family and interests with questions about spiritual matters. Inevitably those questions will be returned, and you will be able to share your faith in Christ. Even if your convictions on spiritual matters do not agree with your new friend’s; your opinion will in most cases be held in higher regard than that of the person who shouts “turn or burn” on the local street corner. Building relationships is an integral part of sharing the gospel.

If you have true transforming faith in Christ, then you have one of the most effective gospel-sharing tools-your testimony. Every believer has a unique story of how God through Christ transformed a condemned-to-death-sinner into a son or daughter of Almighty God. You do not have to be a former mobster, drug addict, serial-killer, etc. in order to have a powerful testimony (however if either of those descriptions applies to you then you also have a very powerful testimony). God may have kept you from your youth, and that in and of itself is powerful. If you were four or forty when your eyes were opened to the gospel you have a great story: God saved you (a sinner) from His just wrath toward sin in Christ, and transformed you from sinner to son by grace through the Holy Spirit. Letting God’s grace speak for itself, is a powerful means by which you can share the gospel with those who you come in contact with at work, school, or the grocery store.

Sometimes Christians are led to believe that it is necessary to memorize the most popular evangelistic strategy in order to effectively share the gospel. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with evangelistic strategies, scripture itself communicates the gospel more effectively than any strategy of man. Let scripture speak for itself: John 3; Romans 3:19-26; Romans 6:1-14, Ephesians 2:1-10 and other passages clearly describe man’s sinful condition, need for a savior, provision of a savior in Christ, freedom from sin, and undeserved reward of Heaven. It is a good idea to read and reread these passages for personal edification and to gain a proper personal understanding of what exactly the gospel is (you certainly want to know what these passages are saying before you use them to share your faith). Be prepared to answer questions raised by those who you are sharing with, but do not feel as if you must be so knowledgeable that you can answer every question raised. “I don’t know” is an appropriate response to a question raised as long as you search for the answer and respond in a timely fashion.

These methods of sharing the gospel certainly do not in and of themselves entirely compensate for our inadequacies. Christians are attempting to convey the greatest truth that has ever existed which can be quite nerve-racking. The most important thing to remember when we attempt to share the gospel is that we must rely solely on the Holy Spirit to guide our words and convict the one with whom we are sharing. The Holy Spirit must do the work; we are merely the vessels He uses. He will speak, and He will convict. With that most important concept in mind we can use the, afore mentioned tools, intertwined with our love, to minister to a people desperately in need of a Savior. -GBuff

"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!"-1 Cor 9:16

Sorry this post is so long.

Wednesday Night and Lottie Moon

Wednesday night Bible study was great this week. Ken Jenkins taught on the commandment, "You shall not commit adultery." We discussed the teaching of Jesus that one who looks on another with lust has committed adultery in his heart. We also passed around a sign-up sheet for Hallelujah night.

I just wanted to share a Lottie Moon quote that has been encouraging to me. It really shows the strong faith that this godly woman had. She said, "I have a firm conviction that I am immortal til my work is done."

Monday Visitation/Evangelism 10/20/08

This past monday was truly a blessing for all who were involved. We are currently going through two neighborhoods on Monday nights: Holly Point (off of hollybrook rd) and Edgemont Estates (maybe), the trailer park next to Proline Trailers, almost right across from Hephzibah. We had 9 people come out to share the Good News of our Redeemer, which ties an all time high for us. To God be the Glory. One group met with 4 people who were open to talk about the gospel, including a 17 year old guy who was not a Christian, but was open to the possibility of Christ. Seed was planted, and we will be following up in the future. In Holly Point, we met with several people, some more open and accepting than others. We met a young family, Chris and his wife (whose name escapes me) are new to the area and looking for a church and open to visiting us at Hephzibah. We are going to be visiting them again next week with some information, so be in prayer over that if you would. We also visited with Chris and his son and had an emotional conversation there. Chris is a former attender of HBC and currently is attending Open Door Baptist church. His wife and his other son are in Mexico right now due to immigration issues and paperwork, and have been there since June and could be there until as late as April or June. He asked that we be in prayer for this tragic situation, that the Lord's will be done, and that they come home as soon as possible. Another group went out (we travelled in groups of 3), but they were still out visiting as of close to 9 on Monday, so Im assuming those visits went pretty well. We are always open to more people to help us take the Gospel to our community. Feel free to come out with us and just feel out the process. There are plenty of people who love the Lord and love to talk, and your presence there would be greatly appreciated. The more people we have going out the more options the Spirit has to move. We meet at 6:45 in the gravel parking lot by the church offices. Also, we are going down door to door through Barbee St. in Zebulon on Thursdays, meeting at 6:30 in the same place. Grace and Peace, and to God be the Glory in all things. Look forward to seeing everyone soon! - Bubba

Upcoming Events

Hallelujah Night Booth- October 31- cost very free (you can actually get free candy)
Honduras Training- November 1- mandatory for all those who are going in December
Prayer Retreat- November 7-9- cost $15
Operation Christmas Child- November 28-29- cost $30