For a regular update of the Faith Bible Methodist Church and for pictures of our Mother's Day services visit www.faithbmc.org and click on the "Church Update" and "Picture Gallery" tabs.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Touching Base
Several of you readers out there have noted that I do not "blog" (I'm using that word assuming that it has become an actual VERB by now :-) as frequently as others. I suppose I should share with you the reasons behind the sparse posts: 1) I do not want blogging to become a time-waster 2) I'm not always sure what constiutues "blog-worthy" news (the new flower arrangement on my table is exciting to me, but I'm sure I shouldn't assume that it is to you!) 3) Since this blog is mostly about our church work, and our church is comprised of people . . . I have to be extra careful what I write about people who haven't given me permission to share information about them. So... with that being said, I am trying my best to find the perfect balance in all of these areas to have a quality weblog that is worth your time to read. :-)
Update on Rally Day and beyond:
We had a "crowd" of 16 people on the Sunday we dubbed "Rally Day." A new family of 4 came as a result of Curtis' faithful door-knocking efforts! Praise the Lord! They were back the next Sunday, and they seem to be interested in spiritual things.
This past Sunday morning, a young mother with two small children came for the first time, and Dr. Mike Williams (from Union Bible College) and part of his family were in the service. The attendance totaled out at 18--just 2 people away from our short-term goal of 20!! This past Sunday marked three months since our official opening, and (not including our first service) we have averaged between 13 and 14 in attendance.
On Sunday nights we typically have 8 people. Please help us pray that we can encourage more of our Sunday morning attenders to come back on Sunday night.
Below are some pictures from this past Sunday morning. All of them are poor quality, but I do not like to use the camera flash and make people feel conspicuous... so I have to live with what I can get (and usually what I get are blurry and poor pictures).
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Rally Day!
We are calling this coming Sunday a "rally day," and are pushing extra hard for an increase in attendance! We've had consistent contact with several people who promise to come "some Sunday," but haven't come yet. There are others who haven't made any promises, but are tender to spiritual things, and have been responsive when Curtis visits them in their homes. These are the kind of people we are hoping to see in church this Sunday! We are mailing letters to these people inviting them to visit our church this week, and we are going to follow up the letters with a visit later on this week. Please help us pray that God will bless our efforts and speak to the hearts of these people--people who need God and a godly church family! Our goal is to have at least 20 in attendance on Sunday.
On a personal note--we usually take Monday as our day to rest, and we particularly enjoyed our day of rest this week! We drove 40 minutes over to Warm Springs, GA where President Franklin Roosevelt had his vacation house (aka, The Little White House). It was in the Warm Springs pools that Pres. Roosevelt received therapy for the polio that crippled him. The president died at the Little White House after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while sitting for a portrait. The "Unfinished Painting" is on display in the museum by the house. The weather was beautiful, and we enjoyed taking in the history of the area! Click on the picture below for a glimpse of our day.
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| Warm Springs |
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Back in Business!
I'm finally able to post on our blog again! I only hope that there are still some out there who will check it. :-) So much has happened since I was last able to post....I will try to fill in the gaps.
1) I attended the Ladies' Retreat in Pell City, AL and enjoyed it very much! I most enjoyed getting to be with my mother for a few days....I have missed her SO MUCH since we moved to Columbus! It was also neat to be able to get acquainted with some ladies that I've only seen in passing before. Sometimes campmeeting is so full of "old friends" we never see that it's easy to miss making new friends! Ladies' Retreat was a nice place to do just that! The sessions were very helpful, and I went home determined to be a better person by practicing some of the things I learned.
2) Another convert! A couple of weeks ago Billy Herron, our minister of music, had a bad cold, and Curtis offered to sing the special song in the morning service. He sang "Ho! Every One that is Thirsty," and God began to settle in on the service in a very special way. Toward the end of the last verse, a lady got up from her pew and knelt at the altar in tears. Curtis asked for anyone else who was thirsty for God's help to come, and several more came to the altar. We had a wonderful time of prayer, and God's presence was real to everyone in that service. The first lady who came during the singing told us later that she had prayed to be saved while the Herrons were singing the special song a couple of weeks before! Praise the Lord! Please pray with us that our people continue to grow in the Lord! Satan is certainly fighting them!
3) Church attendance from week to week is still unpredictable. We've had as many as 18 in a service, and as few as 5 (on a Sunday night). Door-to-door calling continues, hospital visits to contacts continue, phone calls to promising prospects continue, and every other type of outreach that seems promising. We're not taking the city by storm yet, but we know that faithfulness is the key...and with God nothing is impossible!
4) We FINALLY got our church sign!!! This sign was supposed to be installed the week BEFORE our first service......it came last Thursday. We picked up the letters for the sign board on Monday, and yesterday we put up the first two messages on our new sign! We think it looks pretty sharp!
5) Thank you to everyone who sent a birthday card near or on my birthday! Curtis laughs at how excited I get over the arrival of the mail every day....and on birthdays especially! :-) It really did mean an awful lot to me to know that so many people thought of me on my birthday.
I left my cards on display for what was probably a little longer than the appropriate time....but I enjoyed them the whole time they were up! :-) Here's a picture of my "card table." Ha ha!
7) Since the last time I was able to "blog" I think I've been "tagged" at least 3 times....so I will try to quickly list the obligatory "7 little known facts about me."
1) I attended the Ladies' Retreat in Pell City, AL and enjoyed it very much! I most enjoyed getting to be with my mother for a few days....I have missed her SO MUCH since we moved to Columbus! It was also neat to be able to get acquainted with some ladies that I've only seen in passing before. Sometimes campmeeting is so full of "old friends" we never see that it's easy to miss making new friends! Ladies' Retreat was a nice place to do just that! The sessions were very helpful, and I went home determined to be a better person by practicing some of the things I learned.
2) Another convert! A couple of weeks ago Billy Herron, our minister of music, had a bad cold, and Curtis offered to sing the special song in the morning service. He sang "Ho! Every One that is Thirsty," and God began to settle in on the service in a very special way. Toward the end of the last verse, a lady got up from her pew and knelt at the altar in tears. Curtis asked for anyone else who was thirsty for God's help to come, and several more came to the altar. We had a wonderful time of prayer, and God's presence was real to everyone in that service. The first lady who came during the singing told us later that she had prayed to be saved while the Herrons were singing the special song a couple of weeks before! Praise the Lord! Please pray with us that our people continue to grow in the Lord! Satan is certainly fighting them!
3) Church attendance from week to week is still unpredictable. We've had as many as 18 in a service, and as few as 5 (on a Sunday night). Door-to-door calling continues, hospital visits to contacts continue, phone calls to promising prospects continue, and every other type of outreach that seems promising. We're not taking the city by storm yet, but we know that faithfulness is the key...and with God nothing is impossible!
4) We FINALLY got our church sign!!! This sign was supposed to be installed the week BEFORE our first service......it came last Thursday. We picked up the letters for the sign board on Monday, and yesterday we put up the first two messages on our new sign! We think it looks pretty sharp!
5) Thank you to everyone who sent a birthday card near or on my birthday! Curtis laughs at how excited I get over the arrival of the mail every day....and on birthdays especially! :-) It really did mean an awful lot to me to know that so many people thought of me on my birthday.
I left my cards on display for what was probably a little longer than the appropriate time....but I enjoyed them the whole time they were up! :-) Here's a picture of my "card table." Ha ha!
6) Last monday (10/22) we were on the campgrounds at Pell City for a work day on the new Heritage Hall Dormitory. Click on the small photo below for a few pictures of what the dorm is looking like these days (inside and out). I realize there ARE some rooms that are actually finished...it just made me feel a little "nosy" to go poking around in unopened rooms, so I don't have any pictures of those rooms. Sorry.
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| Camp Work Day 10.22.07 |
7) Since the last time I was able to "blog" I think I've been "tagged" at least 3 times....so I will try to quickly list the obligatory "7 little known facts about me."
- I prefer dill pickles over candy ANY day!
- I have enjoyed listening to preaching tapes since I was a little girl.
- On my first date with Curtis I buried my hands in my pockets because I was scared to death he might try to hold my hand! I know now he'd have been equally petrified to know I'd even THOUGHT he might do that! :-)
- My very first vehicle was a 1982 Chevy truck with a 250 engine. My dad had to attach a step for me to modestly ascend into the cab.
- I wish I could play the violin.
- In high school I wrote lots of poetry. I won 2nd in state for a poem I wrote in the Fine Arts competition.
- I grew up on a street that bore my last name, "W Hester Drive." I had great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and fellow church members who all lived with us on that street. It was a wonderful place to live! :-)
Well, after so long with no way to blog, it's nice to feel connected again. Hope you are all doing well! Let us hear from you if you have the chance! Sometimes it feels like we're far, far away from anyone we really know well....and that's not always a pleasant feeling. :-} We have enjoyed and appreciated so much the cards and calls from those of you who have taken the time! It means an awful lot to know we're being prayed for and thought of in such nice ways! :-) God bless you all!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
More Wonderful News!
Due to the untimely death of our computer, I am typing this post at the library, and cannot upload any new pictures. :-(
However, we have some wonderful news to share! This past Sunday (9/23) Curtis preached a simple message on the theme of the Bible--the plan of redemption--and a man in his late thirties-early forties came to the altar and prayed to be saved! Praise God! This man had attended the old Bible Methodist church some when he was a boy, but has not been in church for years. He said he couldn't even remember how to pray. But God, in His mercy, helped him to follow a sinner's prayer with Curtis, and he tearfully testified to being saved after praying that prayer. He then bowed his head, and simply thanked God for saving him. We all rejoiced with him, and began singing "I'm So Glad I'm a Part of the Family of God." Please pray for this man and his wife as they begin a new life in Christ.
This past Saturday was my 22nd birthday, and my parents came down from Easley to help us celebrate. It was very special to have them here! I also want to post a big "THANK YOU" to all of you who sent birthday cards, birthday text messages, birthday online greetings, etc. :-) (Isn't it wonderful how many different ways we have to encourage people these days?!) I enjoyed reading each one, and each one meant a great deal to me!! :-)
However, we have some wonderful news to share! This past Sunday (9/23) Curtis preached a simple message on the theme of the Bible--the plan of redemption--and a man in his late thirties-early forties came to the altar and prayed to be saved! Praise God! This man had attended the old Bible Methodist church some when he was a boy, but has not been in church for years. He said he couldn't even remember how to pray. But God, in His mercy, helped him to follow a sinner's prayer with Curtis, and he tearfully testified to being saved after praying that prayer. He then bowed his head, and simply thanked God for saving him. We all rejoiced with him, and began singing "I'm So Glad I'm a Part of the Family of God." Please pray for this man and his wife as they begin a new life in Christ.
This past Saturday was my 22nd birthday, and my parents came down from Easley to help us celebrate. It was very special to have them here! I also want to post a big "THANK YOU" to all of you who sent birthday cards, birthday text messages, birthday online greetings, etc. :-) (Isn't it wonderful how many different ways we have to encourage people these days?!) I enjoyed reading each one, and each one meant a great deal to me!! :-)
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
A Different Routine
Now that we are past the first few services, we are beginning to settle into a different sort of routine. Events are a bit more predictable these days, and I'm all for that! (Can you tell I'm some what of a melancholy?? :-) We live for Sunday...as I'm sure most pastors' families do. Sundays are draining, both physically and emotionally. At this point we still aren't sure who, if anyone, will show up for church. I will be happy when that part of our lives becomes more predictable! Below is a picture of Curtis (blurry because I took it with my phone) standing at the front doors of the church on Sunday morning, mentally willing each passing car to pull into the parking lot.
Well, several someones pulled into the parking lot, and we had a wonderful service! We had fifteen people--four of whom were new this week! Then, on Monday, Curtis and I were discussing what new methods we could use to let people know about the new church, and the phone rang. It was a lady who came to our services last week, and she wondered if we might want to send some business cards with the church information for her to distribute with food in a community food drive! God works in marvelous ways! We were JUST talking about what we could do...and God sent the answer!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Our first service--crowned with God's presence!
Click on the picture below for lots of pictures of our first services:
This past Sunday was a wonderful day! It was the official opening day of the Faith Bible Methodist Church, and it was a day to remember! Seventy-five people attended the morning service, twenty-three in the evening, and together we enjoyed singing, shouting, praying, and hearing from God's Word.
Sunday morning I got to the church about 30 minutes before service was to start, and the parking lot was already filling up with vehicles! How exciting! In the end, I think there were about 18-20 people from the Alabama Conference who came to support the service; 15-20 people were there from the Billy Clemons family (some of them from Columbus and some from a little further away); and the rest were people from the Columbus area!
The first service opened with a welcome to everyone from the pastor, and then Bro. Billy Herron led the congregation in singing "All Hail the Power of Jesus Name." There was such a good spirit throughout the whole service! It was thrilling to Curtis and me to be a part of something so wonderful--the start of another church for God's kingdom!
Billy and Bekey Herron and Bro. John Parker sang "Something More" as the special song, and I couldn't help but look over at our new convert and realize how much he must identify with those words "Something more than my yesterdays . . . He gave me something worth living for!" Praise God for His faithfulness!
Curtis preached a stirring message entitled "Why We Need the Church." It was so relevant to that crowd . . . and a striking reminder of how important it is for every person to be a part of a healthy Bible-believing church! It's imperative!
After the morning service, Bro. Hedstrom came and presented a special plaque to Bro. Billy Clemons for his years of faithfulness to the old Columbus Bible Methodist Church. For years Bro. Clemons mowed the church lawn, kept up with many repairs, and otherwise oversaw the church grounds. After the presentation of the plaque, we all met outside for a ceremony to dedicate the new church steeple to Bro. Clemons. It was a meaningful time, and I was so glad that so many of his family members were able to be there to share such a special time with him.
Sunday evening we enjoyed having Bro. and Sis. Ingram, and Kathy and Kandice Clark from the Stanton Bible Methodist Church in the service. Billy, Bekey, and Kaitlyn Herron sang "His Eye is On the Sparrow" with "Consider the Lilies" for the special song. Curtis preached a wonderful expository sermon on spiritual light, and God met with us again! I'm very encouraged! We realize that we may not have 75 people every Sunday morning, but if God continues to meet with us like He did this past Sunday, I'm convinced that the Faith Bible Methodist Church will be all that HE intends for it to be, and that's all we could ever hope for! Our promise verse is Romans 15:13 "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." It is only through the power of the Holy Ghost that we can hope to accomplish anything....and it is through His power that we "abound in hope" to accomplish much for His kingdom!!!
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Here are some pictures of the Saturday night BEFORE our first service. What a hectic and exhausting day!
If, on the Saturday night before your very first service, a scene like this doesn't grip your heart with anxiety . . . well, I just don't know what WOULD! These men (in an effort to help) TORE THE PIANO APART!!!!
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| 1st Sunday |
This past Sunday was a wonderful day! It was the official opening day of the Faith Bible Methodist Church, and it was a day to remember! Seventy-five people attended the morning service, twenty-three in the evening, and together we enjoyed singing, shouting, praying, and hearing from God's Word.
Sunday morning I got to the church about 30 minutes before service was to start, and the parking lot was already filling up with vehicles! How exciting! In the end, I think there were about 18-20 people from the Alabama Conference who came to support the service; 15-20 people were there from the Billy Clemons family (some of them from Columbus and some from a little further away); and the rest were people from the Columbus area!
The first service opened with a welcome to everyone from the pastor, and then Bro. Billy Herron led the congregation in singing "All Hail the Power of Jesus Name." There was such a good spirit throughout the whole service! It was thrilling to Curtis and me to be a part of something so wonderful--the start of another church for God's kingdom!
Billy and Bekey Herron and Bro. John Parker sang "Something More" as the special song, and I couldn't help but look over at our new convert and realize how much he must identify with those words "Something more than my yesterdays . . . He gave me something worth living for!" Praise God for His faithfulness!
Curtis preached a stirring message entitled "Why We Need the Church." It was so relevant to that crowd . . . and a striking reminder of how important it is for every person to be a part of a healthy Bible-believing church! It's imperative!
After the morning service, Bro. Hedstrom came and presented a special plaque to Bro. Billy Clemons for his years of faithfulness to the old Columbus Bible Methodist Church. For years Bro. Clemons mowed the church lawn, kept up with many repairs, and otherwise oversaw the church grounds. After the presentation of the plaque, we all met outside for a ceremony to dedicate the new church steeple to Bro. Clemons. It was a meaningful time, and I was so glad that so many of his family members were able to be there to share such a special time with him.
Sunday evening we enjoyed having Bro. and Sis. Ingram, and Kathy and Kandice Clark from the Stanton Bible Methodist Church in the service. Billy, Bekey, and Kaitlyn Herron sang "His Eye is On the Sparrow" with "Consider the Lilies" for the special song. Curtis preached a wonderful expository sermon on spiritual light, and God met with us again! I'm very encouraged! We realize that we may not have 75 people every Sunday morning, but if God continues to meet with us like He did this past Sunday, I'm convinced that the Faith Bible Methodist Church will be all that HE intends for it to be, and that's all we could ever hope for! Our promise verse is Romans 15:13 "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." It is only through the power of the Holy Ghost that we can hope to accomplish anything....and it is through His power that we "abound in hope" to accomplish much for His kingdom!!!
_______________________________________________
Here are some pictures of the Saturday night BEFORE our first service. What a hectic and exhausting day!
If, on the Saturday night before your very first service, a scene like this doesn't grip your heart with anxiety . . . well, I just don't know what WOULD! These men (in an effort to help) TORE THE PIANO APART!!!!
Thankfully, the process went smoothly, and the piano worked better AFTER they put it back together! Whew!!!
Pretty impressive, huh?! Well, I didn't NEED to be impressed this way...but I guess it all worked out just fine. :-} (By the way...I do think there was a logical reason why it was necessary to tear the piano apart and put it back together again . . . I'm just not sure I KNOW what that reason was!)
Rehearsal time:
Click on the "play" button below for a snippet of their practice time.
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