Sunday Summary 12.26 - Snow Day!

Last night, the weather forecast was for 70% chance of snow. "Should we cancel the church services or not?" was the question. Every other time we've canceled, the snow didn't come or the roads were clear. This morning we awoke to find several inches of snow on the ground and it was still falling. I drove to church and the roads were wet, but really fine and no ice. So, I figured if a Florida boy could manage it, we would still offer the service for those who would choose to come. Realizing that it takes about 2,000 gallons of water to baptize a Baptist and only 2 drops of rain to keep them home from church... I didn't know what to expect; but we had a great crowd!

The day started with a surprise 25th wedding reception for my wife and I. Our girls worked with Stacie to invite the church family to come celebrate with us. The number of people that came out early on a snowy day, the cards, and the gifts made us feel so loved. Thank you to everyone who attended.

During the morning service, there were about 150 people present and it was a different "feel," but it was neat to see so many people brave the elements to come worship the Lord. After church, we had a great snowball fight that included almost everyone. Jacob got snow packed in his ear by a side shot... Joey was hit in the back of the head... Scott and the Curry family displayed their experience in snowball throwing... Dan was holding his snowball under some water (is that legal?)... Philip and Mayelin were enjoying snow after returning from FL... Jake locked his parents out of the van... and when I threw a snowball at David, he moved and let it hit his wife (oops).

We had a great family day celebrating, worshipping, and playing together. For those who couldn't make it, you were missed and we hope to see you next Sunday.

Christmas Eve Service

Our annual Christmas Eve service has become one of my favorite services and seems to be growing each year. This year, approximately 350 people joined us for this special service which included both traditional and spiritual Christmas carols, our Kidz Praiz choir, children's handbell choir, the reading of the Christmas story, and communion. We had many guests and it was exciting to see so many of our folks bringing their family members and using this service as the launch to their Christmas celebration.

I brought a brief devotion prior to communion reminding everyone about what we are celebrating and how long the world had waited for God's promised Gift. While we remember and celebrate Jesus' birth annually; there was approximately a 4,000 year waiting period from the first prophecy until Jesus arrived. Just imagine the excitement of the people who had been hearing, anticipating, and anxiously waiting for the Messiah to come. I hope we celebrate Christmas with the same enthusiasm and don't lose Jesus somewhere amongst the wrapping paper, Christmas leftovers, or football games.

25th Anniversary

It's hard to believe, but today, Flora and I celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary! December 20, 1985 we were married at Belmont Baptist Church just outside Atlanta, GA. It was the little church that my wife attended during college, but it has since grown and relocated to a beautiful new building right on I-20. The old building was destroyed, but the memories remain. Flora made her dress, our friends hosted the reception, and another friend took our pictures (the same pictures that our kids laugh at and ask who is standing with mom). Dr. Jack Baskin performed the ceremony and our family and friends were all present. We didn't spend a lot of money (we didn't have a lot of money), but we both loved the Lord, loved each other, and dreamed of the plans that God had for us.

Twenty-five years later... seems like the blink of an eye and I better understand what James meant in James 4:14 when he said "your life is but a vapor that appears for a little while then vanishes away." Our three babies are now beautiful young ladies who love the Lord and we could not be any more proud of. God has blessed us far beyond what we ever imagined and we are still serving Him. Who knows what the next 25 years might hold, but I hope and pray they are as wonderful as the first 25.

9th Annual - Home for Christmas 12.12.10

This was our 9th year to offer this special service in conjunction with Hines, Norton, and Young & Young funeral homes. This was the 2nd year that Life Care Hospice participated. Together, we all reached out to those families in our community who had loved ones pass away during 2010. For the first time, I too was on that list. My grandmother passed this year at the age of 95 and it will be our first Christmas without her. The service took on a whole new meaning for me and was an encouragement to the 80+ guests that were present.

This is one of my favorite services of the year as people come together and build bridges across racial, social, economic, and denominational lines to display the love of Christ to those who are hurting. You see, while some are celebrating at Christmas... others are grieving. To show them that we care... to embrace and encourage them... to remind them of the hope found in Christ... and to help them see their loved one sitting at Jesus feet and celebrating His birthday in His presence is priceless!

I preached on "Frequently Asked Questions About Heaven" and God blessed us with 11 people praying for salvation, 8 renewing their commitment to Christ, 3 desiring information about church membership, and 2 expressing their interest in being baptized. Following the message, we read the names of the deceased, gave beautiful ornaments to the families, and prayed for them. After we dismissed, people stood around weeping, embracing, and encouraging for nearly 30 minutes. It was a good day to be in God's house, and to experience what true ministry is all about.

Hanging of the Greens

While visiting FBC Jacksonville, I heard this statement, "As the church grows larger, it must also grow smaller." With that in mind, we tried something new this year in decorating our church for Christmas. We reverted back to idea of everyone taking responsibility for decorating and turned it into a church fellowship.

Our men carried all of the decorations down from the storage area. Several of our ladies came early to do the things that a group could not do and to organize everything for those who would participate. We started the service with Christmas carols, sharing testimonies of Christmas memories, and the reading of the Christmas story. We paused to enjoy refreshments in the main lobby and to fellowship together. Folks really enjoyed that time together.

We then began to decorate. Families hung wreaths from the balcony, placed ornaments on the Christmas trees, set out nativity displays, etc. People stood around and enjoyed each other's company for nearly an hour after the decorating was complete. It was a good time and one that we will certainly do again next year!

Sunday Summary - 11.28.10

What a great day we enjoyed today! On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the attendance is usually down a little, but not today! This morning, I preached on "Receiving God's Blessings" and tied it to the story of Jacob wrestling with God. We live in a day when everyone expects "instant" blessings and almost feels "entitled" to them. We don't have to obey, respect, or honor God; He's viewed as nothing more than a cosmic vending machine that we go to when we want something.

Some considerations regarding Jacob's wrestling match with God:

• He wouldn't let go of God. Jacob wrestled all night, until he received a blessing. Blessing aren't usually instantaneous.
• He paid a price. Jacob was crippled during the event. Do we want God's blessings so much that we are willing to lose something along the way?
• He was changed by the event -- Jacob became Israel, the deceiver became the God-wrestler. Are we willing to lose our identity and become a sold-out Christ-follower?

God used this message and smiled on us today with 2 baptisms, 2 new members, and several recommitting their lives to Christ.

7th Annual - Carolina vs. Clemson Day

It happened again in 2010... Carolina vs. Clemson Day at Emmanuel Baptist Church!

• There were tailgate parties at 9:30am on the parking lots. Tents were setup, tailgates were down, breakfast foods were abundant, and footballs were being tossed back and forth.
• There was a sea of orange on one side of the church and a sea of garnet on the other. It was a church division for the right reasons and all in fun.
• There were decorations, streamers, banners, balloons, painted faces, and more.
• There was Adrian Despres, the chaplain for the Carolina Gamecocks!
• There were 600+ people present!
• There was an amazing Spirit-filled message about Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness and all who looked to it were healed.
• There were 8 people who looked to Jesus and found healing for their souls.
• There were more who recommitted themselves back to God.

Carolina vs. Clemson Day is just a tool to give people an excuse to invite their friends to church. Did you? Was an eternal destiny changed because of your effort? I'm still rejoicing with those who filled pews with family, friends, and co-workers. I'm thanking God for the lady who sent us the names of 20+ people she and her husband wanted to invite and wanted us to pray for. I'm still thanking God for what He is doing through Emmanuel Baptist Church!

Trunk or Treat Report

Say what you will, but when nearly 2,500 people hold out their hand to receive a gospel tract... I call that a small miracle! That's what happened last Sunday night at our 8th annual Trunk-or-Treat event. Over 1400 pounds of candy, over 100 volunteers, 42 trunks, inflatables, pony rides, a Christmas bus, and of course concessions were all part of this event.

Information cards were being filled out by everyone, until we said, "Let's make it optional and only ask those interested in receiving more information about Emmanuel Baptist Church or Emmanuel Christian School to fill out a card." We had over 200 people express an interest in our church and over 300 who expressed interest in our school.

One man who had been to several events around town said, you definitely have the biggest crowed, then added... "People have come to know that Emmanuel does things right." That was a tremendous compliment and reminds us that "If it bears His name, it deserves our best."

Thanks to all who were praying, helping, and contributing in any way toward this event. Now the real work begins as we try to followup with each of these who requested more information.

Does Celebrating Halloween Send You to Hell?

The greatest opposition I've faced since moving to Hartsville has been from preachers and radical religious nuts who put opinion above Scripture. It's been quiet recently, but my phone rang yesterday and I received a voicemail from a pastor who informed me that I was going to hell (along with our church and many other churches) for celebrating Halloween.

Eight years ago, Emmanuel hosted Hartsville's first Trunk-or-Treat event. This year, there are 10-12 other churches in our community hosting similar events around Halloween. Ours takes place on Oct. 31, as we invite families to come to a safe environment, get candy, enjoy inflatable rides, carnival games, ponies, and concessions. We ask that there be no scary or evil costumes. We use this event to share the gospel and to gather names of those who might be looking for a church home. In years past, our crowds have averaged 1,200-1,300 people coming through in 1.5 hours. Remember, we minister in a city of 8,000+/-. Gospel tracts are handed out to every person present. It is a very positive event that has been appreciated and embraced by our community. It's a community outreach event, and an alternative to Halloween, not a celebration of it.

In spite of the success of the event, a preacher stated that a person goes to hell for celebrating Halloween. Is that true? Absolutely not. Sadly, in this day and time, you can't even believe everything a preacher tells you. Denominational teachings, opinions, and personal preferences have replaced solid Bible preaching. Rest assured that the only thing that keeps a person out of heaven is refusing to recognize that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven, His blood paid the penalty for our sin, and He is Lord of all.

Certainly, our church does NOT endorse the evil aspects of Halloween; but we DO endorse using every opportunity to share God's love with others. How about you? When was the last time you told someone about Jesus?

Judgement House - Sunday #2

Another amazing night at Judgement House! We had over 800+ people walk through tonight, and 108 of those made decisions for salvation. Our grand total was 2,475 people walking through in 4 nights. Of those, 256 made decisions for salvation and many others recommitted their lives to Christ. The night started slow and 3 of the first 4 groups walked out without one person making any type of decision, so we ramped up the prayer efforts and God answered!

Now the real work begins, as we follow-up with all of those decisions. Phone calls, mail outs, and visits to each one. We are partnering with the local churches who brought groups to accomplish this task. it's their job to follow-up on those who came with their groups. Our goal is not to build our church from other churches, but rather to build a partnership of churches working together to make disciples.

A special thanks to the Judgement House team... eight years and running! (They are definitely invited back next year and there are more Pecan pies where those came from.) Our thanks also goes to all those volunteers who arrived today at 4:00pm to serve and then stayed until after midnight resetting everything for school. We have an incredible church family!

Finally, a special thanks to our two amazing ministry assistants who spent their monumental birthdays serving God by serving others! Happy birthday Anna & Stacie!

Judgement House - Saturday #2

UNBELIEVABLE! We had 604 people walk through JH last night. 70 of those made first time decisions for salvation and a couple of dozen recommitted their lives to Christ. When given opportunity to respond to the invitation, one ENTIRE group exited the room to speak with a counselor!

It's been interesting as 2 of our church members and another relative of a church member have passed during JH. In addition, I truly believe we had a demon possessed man tour JH last night. He was very disruptive during the presentation of the Gospel and wrote some "crazy" things on the testimony board. Thank God, that even that man heard about the love of God.

Keep praying... one more night to go. So far, we've had 1,641 people tour JH. Should go over 2,000 tonight.

Judgement House 2010

Judgement House has become an annual event at Emmanuel. This is our 8th year hosting this event. Our first Youth/Children's Pastor, Kevin Matias, stepped out on a limb to try something that stretched our church; but has become one of our favorite events. Our current, Youth/College Pastor, Justin Facenda, has brought annual improvements to JH and it continues to grow. This year, we are hosting it over 2 weekends and had over 1000+ people walk through in the first 2 nights. The reservations for this next weekend are even more full and should result in our largest crowd ever!

Last weekend, we saw 77 people make first-time decisions for salvation. In addition, there were 20+ who recommitted their lives to Christ. In addition to the story line, each participant hears a closing that draws the story together and leads them to examine their own lives. Those who make decisions are dealt with one-on-one to make sure they understand. One of my favorite parts is that each person who makes a decision writes a brief testimony. It exciting and encouraging to read these heartfelt decisions.

So, please pray for our staff of over 100+ people serving as actors, tour guides, counselors, registration, security, nursery workers, lighting, sound, runners, consessions, and more! For more information on JH, visit http://www.judgementhouse.org.

I'll keep you posted on this weekend's results.

Sunday Summary 9.26

In the last two Sundays, we have had 3 people baptized and the Lord added 8 new members to our church family. We also have 3 more adults that have indicated their interest in baptism and another 4 who will soon be joining the church. Two of those are new believers!

On Sunday mornings, I've been preaching a new series entitled, "Who Cares?" It goes along with the billboards we have posted in our community and also our website, www.ebc-cares.com. People are being reminded of what "real" caring means and how we as the Church, must care for those around us. They are also realizing that you can't serve God, while sitting on the sidelines. By the way... what ministry are you involved in?

It's been good seeing God move in the hearts of our people, as they have been volunteering to serve in various ministries. We need all the volunteers and help we can get with Judgement House and Trunk-or-Treat coming up. I'll keep you posted on how God uses our volunteers!

Bible Doctrine Class

I started a new Life Group 2 weeks ago and it has been amazing! The class is "Bible Doctrine 101." While doctrine doesn't sound very exciting, the crowd is growing and those present are excited about having a "safe place" to ask those Bible questions that have bewildered them for years.

The class consists of various age groups, new believers, not-so-new believers, regular church-goers, occasional church-goers, and more. We started by introducing the basics of the Bible (sections, divisions, Library mentality, authors, etc.) It appears the simplicity of the subject matter has been well received, and I think the excitement will only grow as we begin to study the doctrines and watch the lights come on for new believers.

The purpose of the class is to help people gain a firm foundation for their faith. CNN recently had a survey of religious questions on their website. Sadly, atheists and agnostics answered the questions about religion more accurately than those who claimed to be "religious." Even more sadly, the survey revealed that Southerners (specifically in the Bible belt), knew the LEAST about religion.

Maybe if preachers would preach more Bible and less opinion, people would know more about the Bible. Can you imagine what the church would be like if people actually knew their Bibles, lived its teachings, and had a foundation upon which to build a biblical worldview! I CAN, so I'm teaching a class on Bible doctrine; since you can't live what you believe, until you know what you believe.

Friend Day - 9.12.10

Last Sunday was AWESOME! Whether you called it "Friend Day," "National Back to Church Sunday," or as the old-timers used to call it... "Round-up Sunday;" it was a GREAT day!

Many of our church members invited their friends and family members to attend with them. One of our newest evangelist and her 2 friends (who recently trusted Christ), had two pews of people with them! We had 2 baptized, 3 prayed to receive Christ, 3 more requested info on how to start a relationship with God, 4 recommitted their lives to Christ, and many first-time guests were in attendance! As we started following-up on our guests, another lady invited Christ to be her Lord and Savior on Monday night!

Friend Day also served as a great reminder (to me) that it is "not my our might, nor by our power; but by His Spirit" that God convicts hearts and builds His Church. On Friday night, our family went to visit our daughter in VA and on one of our biggest Sundays of the year, I left my sermon notes laying in the hotel lobby as we drove off. Imagine my surprise on Saturday night as I went to look over my sermon one more time. So, I was at the church at 6:00am on Sunday morning praying and recreating. The experience was a teachable moment reminding me to depend on God and trust Him for the results.

Thank you to all who prepared our facilities, made coffee, served donuts, cleaned up, greeted, had a part in the service, etc. Also, a special thanks to everyone who cared enough to invite a guest to attend with them. God rewarded your efforts!

Sunday Summary 9.10.10

Last Sunday, was exciting as 2 people were baptized and 2 joined the church. We concluded the sermon series regarding the process for making disciples. Our 4-step process for making disciples at EBC is:

• Share
• Connect
• Serve
• Disciple Others

Following the morning service, I had the sweetest conversation with a couple who was convicted about inviting their friends to do everything, except come to church. They made a prayer list and e-mailed it to me. We have joined them in praying. Others filled out cards asking us to pray for their friends and relatives who need to start a relationship with God.

Now that we've talked about making disciples --- let's DO IT!

Sunday Summary 8.29.10

Yesterday was another GREAT day at Emmanuel. We started our morning service with a child being baptized and ended our service with a young mother being saved! Folks were kneeling at the altar and many others knelt at their pews. God met with us today!

The Children of the World international children's choir (sponsored by World Help) ministered in our morning service. The group consisted of 16 children from the Philippines, Nepal, and Uganda. They stayed in the homes of our church members, performed during the Chonda Pierce concert, and then during our morning service. The kids stole our hearts, as we were reminded of how God has blessed the USA and how we can be a blessing to others by showing God's love in meeting their needs. The World Help Director for Africa was our guest preacher and his message tied in with exactly what I have been preaching for several months -- Serving!

Last night, we enjoyed a Night of Praise as God spoke through the vocalists and musicians in our church. I was encouraged that so many new people were involved. A special thanks to each one who ministered, and to Brian G. for coordinating this effort. Our future Worship Pastor and his wife were visiting, so it gave them a great opportunity to see the talent God has blessed us with. Joey even joined in with a solo last night.

It's been an EXTREMELY busy weekend, but it was worth it all. Again, thanks to all the volunteers who helped us accommodate our guests and make the events of this weekend possible. Thanks to God for giving people the vision to build such a large building in such a small community... and then bringing the people to fill it!

Comedian Chonda Pierce

Christian comedian, Chonda Pierce, performed last night at Emmanuel to a "sell-out crowd." Chonda ministers to people by sharing love, laughter, and the joy of the Lord. Last night's effort was a fundraiser and to help us raise awareness for the prolife, Carolina Family Planning Centers! Visit their website at www.CarolinaFamilyPlanning.org. In addition, we had the Children of the World, an international children's choir perform during the intermission. They stole the hearts of the people. You can find out more about the children's choir and World Help ministry at www.WorldHelp.net.

Chonda's transparency about her own struggles, connected with many folks. In addition, her honesty about the ridiculous (and hilarious) behavior of "church people" in the name of God... may have helped a few Pharisees see themselves in a new light. Hopefully some churches will be different today, because a few people are different today.

A special thanks to all of our volunteers who collected tickets, greeted, served as ushers, sold merchandise, worked security, helped advertise, cooked, transported, etc. A strength of EBC is the number of people who are willing to serve! A special thanks to our staff, who take every event at EBC very personally and see it as an opportunity to reach people.

Emmanuel Christian School

Emmanuel Christian School is well underway for the 2010-11 school year. In spite of the economy and several schools closing or eliminating upper grades, ECS is going strong! We are within 2 students of last year's enrollment and some who left to try other schools have already returned.

Some highlights for this year include:

• Addition of a Director of Development
• Implementation of our Accelerated Reader program
• Implementation of our new Promethean board
• Addition of a third class of 3 year olds
• Addition of new desks for several of our classes

For more information, visit our website at www.ecscrusaders.com.

WHO CARES?

This fall, we want our community to know how much the people of Emmanuel Baptist Church care about them. So, we've created a website that in approx. 4 minutes shows gives a glimpse of EBC in pictures. Check it out at www.ebc-cares.com.

Tell your friends about the site. We had almost 500 hits in the first week!

Sunday Summary 8.22.10

Yesterday was AMAZING as people have now officially returned from vacation and the church attendance was back up! Thanks to Heather for coordinating our music as we wait for the arrival of Joey Colson. Thanks to the band, praise teams, and choir for your patience! There is a genuine spirit of unity and cooperation among our worship ministry team, and it is so refreshing.

In our morning service, I preached for the fifth week on "Serving." This is the third step in the disciple making process adopted by our church. I ran through many Scripture passages where Jesus taught His disciples about serving. Our study revealed the following:

• If you want to be great... you must serve.
• If you want to hold a place of honor... you must serve.
• If you want to make a difference... you must serve.
• If you want to be like Jesus... you must serve.

We concluded the service with the story of Jesus washing the disples' feet. Think about it... the Creator washed the feet of His creation. We spoke of the "Power of the Towel" and laid small towels across our altar and asked those desire to become servants for our Lord to take one of those towels and place it in a prominent spot where it would remind them to serve Him.

During our evening service, Cindy Faile, our missionary to Mali, Africa gave a report of her work. Cindy has been a missionary for 25 years and felt God's call on her life at 11 years old. She is an amazing lady and doing an amazing work.

Sunday Summary 8.1.10 - TEAM work

This morning, I preached on teamwork in the local church and within the Body of Christ. Interestingly enough, today our team shined through! I left at 6:30 this morning to pickup our pianist in Florence, Mike was repairing a gutter that was pulled off the building by the heavy rain, Heather filled a vital gap in coordinating our music, Michael filled an instrumental gap, Justin was setting up rooms that didn't get reset after our carpets were cleaned, Sherman was delivering bulletins and reports, David was preparing E-Street, Dan and George were here early making sure our A/V was ready, Juanita always comes in early to prepare our nurseries, and there were so many others in various areas.

In addition, this week we had an army of people handing out gospel tracts! I'm restocking our supply weekly. Ann had family with her today and has had guests with her for the last several weeks. Tammy & Heather saw their friend saved last week and baptized this morning. Alisha had family and friends present to watch her special day. Savannah was baptized, and the Baker family joined the church. Tonight, our Belize Missions Team gave their report and it was obvious that their efforts made an eternal impact.

God has blessed us with a great TEAM. Our members are ministers and our staff are equippers! In the last three weeks, we've had 8 new members join our team (and 3 more next week), some older members getting off the bench and back in the game, and so many faithful members continue to serve weekly!

Praise God for what He is doing at Emmanuel!

Book Recommendation

I came across a good book recently that I'm recommending to our church, and thought you might be interested. It is, "Christian Atheist - Believing in God, but living as though He doesn't exist," by Craig Groeshel. Don't read it if desire to continue living a mediocre Christian life.

Taking It (VBS) to the Streets!

I have some great memories from Vacation Bible School (VBS) as a kid. Arts, crafts, games, Bible lessons, and yes... the snacks. Someone recently said that he remembered making an ash tray in VBS... must have been a deacon's child. :-) Sadly for some, the role of VBS has diminished into an inexpensive summer childcare program with parents strategically dropping off their children at a different VBS each week. This year at Emmanuel, we decided to try something different.

Kudos to Pastor David and all of our volunteers for taking VBS off campus and into the local community! This has made a tremendous impact and even the skeptics within our church have confessed their change of heart. It's not easy carrying supplies, food, sound systems, etc. back and forth daily; but TODAY, our VBS team ministered to over 80 children in our community and saw 26 of those children come to Christ! Now that's exciting!

What Happened to Common Sense in America?

Why are those patriotic Americans who are outraged by recent anti-American displays being labeled as intolerant, racists, hatemongers, etc.? Could it be that plain old common sense is not as common as it used to be in America? Consider the examples that follow:

• On July 4, 2010, the day America celebrated her Independence, Mexican flags were flown and prayers offered up in Spanish in the city of Hyrum, Utah. While there is nothing wrong with the Mexican flag or the Spanish language, there is something terribly wrong and offensive about the timing of such displays during an Independence Day parade. That showed a terrible lack of common sense.
  
• At Ground Zero in New York City, a mosque is being proposed. Those speaking out with patriotic concerns, and/or with respect for the 9/11 victims and their families are being branded as predjudice, intolerant and racists. Such comments reveal poor judgment, a lack of sensitivity, too much effort to be politically correct, and a terrible lack of common sense.


• Muslim Day has been hosted annually at Six Flags since 2000. This year, the celebration will be held on September 12 -- the 9/11 weekend! According to a report on Fox News, the group setting up the event (ICNA - Islamic Circle of North America) is suspected of contributing financially to the 9/11 attacks, has anti-American sentiment posted on their website, and is known to have contributed financially to Hamas. So, why are those opposing Muslim Day at Six Flags being labeled intolerant? It sounds like their concerns are simply a display of common sense.


• Giving illegal aliens the same benefits as tax paying citizens is ludicrous. This kind of stupidity enrages hardworking Americans. Let's help them file the paperwork to become legal, then let them work for the American dream. Giving free benefits to illegals makes as much sense as paying unemployed people almost as much to stay home, as they would make working for two years. Simple common sense will tell you that unemployment is going to rise under those conditions.

Common sense reminds me that I had no part in selecting my place of birth, but I am proud and blessed to be an American. I thank God for the freedoms that I enjoy and for those who fought for them. While America is hated by some, common sense reminds us that we are a nation that others will risk everything to be part of. Many Haitians and Cubans risked everything, on small boats and homemade rafts just for a chance to live in America. Mexicans cross our borders daily for the chance at a better life. Jamaicans, Guatemalans, Puerto Ricans, and so many others "choose" to live in the USA. In fact, common sense reminds me that my ancestors, like most of your ancestors, "chose" to live here and can be traced back through the lines of Ellis Island.

I am proud to be an American and agree with Aaron Tippin ..."I pledge allegiance to this flag, and if that bothers you, well that's too bad." Common sense tells us that no one is forced to live in the USA and the door of freedom swings both ways.

Spiritual Decisions -- Cause for Celebration!

Spiritual Decisions never get old and we are excited that God's Spirit has been moving in our congregation over the past several weeks. Allow me to share some spiritual blessings...

• Three weeks ago, we had two children make decisions for salvation.
• Two weeks ago, a family of four was baptized and joined our church family.
• Last week, we had two adults saved.
• This week, my wife got to lead a young lady to Christ. That young lady and another young girl are scheduled to be baptized next Sunday.
• During the month of July, our folks have had a renewed interest in sharing their faith and have handed out nearly 5,000 Gospel tracts. They are taking the first step in making disciples (sharing) seriously!
• Our church family also developed a prayer list by writing down the names of those they want to see saved, come back to Christ, or come back to church.

In addition, God has been bringing many new families into our services. One visiting mother asked one of our deacons, "Are the people of your church real, and will they really accept me?" Another young lady said, "I've wanted to be saved for a long time, but I just couldn't get everything right in my life." There are so many hurting people looking for The Answer -- Jesus Christ! God is still doing amazing things when we talk more about Jesus and less about us!

Smokey Mountain Vacation

What a week we had! Our oldest daughter was in NC on vacation with her college roommate, our middle daughter was in Belize, Central America on a missions trip, and we enjoyed some time in the mountains with our youngest daughter. Just a few weeks ago, she reminded me that I never took her on her 9 year old trip -- she is now 13. That was something we did with our other girls to celebrate their reaching the 1/2 way point of their life under our roof. (It's also a good reminder to us of how fast the time flies and to make the most of it.)

After much deliberation, she chose a trip to Tennessee as recommended by some friends of ours. In just four days, we spent time in Pigeon Forge, then Gatlinburg. We enjoyed the roller coasters at Dollywood, took a zip line tour 175' in the air, went horseback riding through the mountains, rode inner tubes down a river with mild rapids, rode a chair lift, went alpine sledding, played mini-golf, and even rode a water slide. It was GREAT! Our thirteen year old had to make all the decisions (well most of them) since it was her special trip. Hated to come home, but the fun and money had to run out at some point. My special thanks to David and Steve for preaching Sunday so I could just focus on having fun with the family.

If you are still developing traditions with your children, I'd recommend some sort of special celebrations or trips as your kids reach certain ages and/or landmarks along their journey to adulthood.

Sunday Summary 7.11.10

Yesterday was a GREAT day at Emmanuel. Our crowd was back up as many had returned from vacation, we had many guests in our services, and we had a great response at the invitation!

For months, we've been discussing the purpose of the Church, the purpose of our local congregation, the strategy to accomplish that purpose, goals, mission, and other elements that corporate America realize are essential; but the church considers optional. Too many churches meet weekly, but really have no way (other than numbers) to guage their success and effectiveness within their local community. We want to measure our success by our effectiveness in making disciples (Mt. 28:19).

So, during our morning services, I've been preaching an "educational" series on the process for making disciples. During June, I preached on the first step in the process -- Sharing. If we don't share our faith, how will others hear of God's love and begin a relationship with Him? The problem is that too many hear, receive, then park on the Share level.

In July, our sermon series has focused on the 2nd step in the disciple making process -- Connecting. We need to connect people to Jesus, to the church, to other believers, to small groups, to ministries, etc. Today, I focused on "why" we need to help people get connected. It was God Who said, "It is not good for man to be alone..." So, why do so many believers function with an independent mindset, instead of an interdependent mindset? If we truly realized how much we need each other, churches would naturally grow. We concluded our service with people going to others and telling them how much they need them, and taking time to pray for each other. I literally had to wait to close the service, because people were embracing and praying all around the room.

Last night, our guest preacher was Paul Coward, Jr.; a man who grew up at EBC & ECS and is now teaching in Christian school in VA. Paul used the failures of King Saul and the challenge of Paul to encourage us to "get it" as we obey and submit our lives to God... which is our reasonable act of worship!

Fireworks Festival 2010

The 7th annual Hartsville Family Fireworks Festival was held on Friday, July 2. It is a partnership between EBC and the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce. This year was amazing. The preparation for the event usually takes one partial week and one full week. Our staff and church volunteers usually carry the load; but this year, we had help from 160 teens and adults from Maryland who stayed in our gym as they were building houses for Habitat for Humanity. With their help, we were able to do far more than we ever could have done alone and our campus looks as good as it ever has.

This year, we added a full carnival to the Fireworks Festival. In addition, we had a car show sponsored by Koss Motorsports, inflatables section sponsored by Pleasant Valley Stables, stage provided by the City of Hartsville, entertainment provided by Lesa Hudson and Band, and Carolina Pines provided a tent for shade, and approximately 40 food/craft vendors were on hand. We once again had our eating contests and our Senator, Gerald Malloy, was our Master of Ceremonies! Senator Malloy has been out here every year since we started and has been instrumental in helping us with funding in years past.

This event would not have been possible without the major sponsors: Fitness World, LifeCare Hospice, Raceway Automotive Group, and Sonoco. Others businesses also contributed to help underwrite the event. Hilex Poly, Edward Jones (Joe Thomas), and Jackson Family Chiropractic provided carnival tickets for children from New Vision and the Billie Hardee Home for Boys.

This was definitely the largest crowd we have ever had and cars were parked for more than a mile down each of the major roadways approaching our campus! In fact, one parking area that usually closes at 9:00pm, was full at 7:45pm this year!

This event has now become one of the largest fireworks display in the Pee Dee and is a great example of what can be accomplished when groups across a community work together!

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAD A PART IN MAKING THIS HAPPEN!

AWOL During Busy Few Weeks

The past several weeks have been extra busy, so I apologize for not keeping up with my blog. It was surprising how many people commented... I didn't realize that many were reading.

Over the past several weeks, I made three brief trips to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to see my 95 year old grandmother. I flew down, then drove down twice with the family. The trips were brief, but it allowed us the opportunity to spend some time with her prior to her passing. We returned yesterday from her funeral services. She was amazing and I'll tell you more about her in another post.

In addition, we were busy preparing for the 7th annual Hartsville Family Fireworks Festival that is held on our campus, I covered extra Hospice visits in the absence of the full-time chaplain, been busy interviewing music candidates, plus carrying out the regular duties of a pastor. Contrary to popular opinion... pastors do work more than one day per week.

So accept my apologies for not posting and I'll try to get back on track.

ECS Graduation - Class of 2010

Last Saturday, Emmanuel Christian School hosted its 35th commencement ceremony. Among those graduating was my middle daughter, Bethany. It's always an honor to participate in graduation as the President of ECS, but even more special to have a part in my daughter's graduation; and to have her grandparents, aunts, and uncle present.

This year, we had a tremendous group of graduates, of which 100% plan to attend colleges in the fall including College of Charleston, Liberty University, Pensacola Christian College, Florence-Darlington Tech, USC, and Clemson. Some wonder if our students are prepared for life when they leave ECS... you decide. ECS alumni are now pastors, missionaries, teachers, college professors, cardiologists, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, NICU nurses, dentists, hygienists, mental health professionals, journalists, forestry managers, business owners, and more. Some are currently training to be Christian workers, doctors, anesthetists, and lawyers. A local attorney hired an ECS student last summer and was so impressed that he enrolled his son at ECS. Another ECS alumnus recently graduated in the top 10 of her class of nearly 2,000 at Clemson! We are VERY proud of our students and alumni.

We have many new and exciting things in store for 2010-2011 at ECS. Our enrollment is strong, our future is bright, and we remain focused on teaching the mind and training the heart. We've hired a new Director of Development, attained Licensed status for our preschool, and will be implementing the Accelerated Reader program. We're doing some summer renovations and already planning for another exciting years.

In closing, I remind you again that ECS is a Christian School, not a private school. Our academics are now very strong as evidenced by our SAT scores being only 4 points behind the top-rated magnet school in our area; so in 2010-2011 much more emphasis will be placed on spiritual development and the making of disciples. Please continue to pray for our faculty and students.

Baccalaureate 5.23.10

This morning, we honored the 2010 graduates affiliated with our church family. Fifteen students walked down our aisle in cap and gown as their pictures were shown on the screens. Our Student Ministries Pastor read a brief bio of each student. My wife and I had the privilege of greeting each one, and handing them a gift. Just past us were the youth leaders who had invested their lives into these students. Some students had been here for a long time and others were new to our ministry, but we were so glad to have a part in the life of each one.

Rather than preaching a specific baccalaureate sermon, I chose instead to continue with our series on "Making Disciples." The first step in making a disciple is sharing our faith and seeing a person enter into a relationship with God. Each of these graduates needs to be a disciple and be making disciples via whatever career path they choose to enter into. Their highest calling is to serve God with their life.

Tonight's service was entitled, "When Bad Things Happen to God's People." It's not a matter of if, but when. I encouraged our folks to realize that God will often allow these things for the purpose of Punishment, to Prepare us for something, or to Purify us in order to make us more like Christ. The bottom-line is that we need to focus on how we handle adversity, rather than why it occurred.

Innovate Church Conference

This week, I had the privilege of taking our pastoral staff to the Innovate Church conference hosted by Thomas Road Baptist Church. It was awesome! The line-up of speakers included Jonathan Falwell, Jim Cymbala, Ed Stetzer, Mark Batterson, Egun Caner, Brian Bloye, Jack Graham, and Chuck Swindoll. That is an all-star line-up all in one conference!

The theme was "Refuel" and it did just that for me. It is rare that a pastor gets to go anywhere and just sit back and soak in some great Bible teaching. The topics were pertinent and much of what I've been preaching at our church over the past 7.5 years. In addition, it affirmed to our staff that we are headed in the right direction. It was good for us to spend some time away from the church and get refueled together.

Read more about the Refuel conference at www.innovatechurch.us

Sunday Summary 5.16.10

Yesterday, I started preaching through some things that our staff and deacons began discussing during our recent retreat. I started by laying some ground work for measuring success in the local church. Too many simply look at numbers to gauge success, but I've found that drawing a crowd and building a church are usualy two different things and each decade had its own "bag of tricks." In the 70's & 80's, churches swallowed goldfish, cut off ties, and ran busses. In the 90's, the seeker driven mentality told us to camouflage Christ, until we had them hooked. In this new millenium, we focus on music and the concert mentality. Nothing wrong with drawing crowds and anything alive and healthy should be growing. In June, we will be removing our attendance numbers from the Sunday bulletin and move away from the numbers equal success mentality.

Based on Matt 28:19-20, we've determined that the measure of success in a church is whether or not the church is making disciples. Are people being saved, connected, serving, and learning to disciple others? If not, then a crowd of 20,000 is a large crowd, but it's not a successful church. We've developed a process for producing disciples and that will be the focus of my sermon series in the days ahead.

Last night, I focused on the topic of divorce and remarriage. Statistics now tell us that "Christian" homes are experiencing more divorces than those outside the church. My focus passage was 1 Cor. 7, but I also used many others. Bottom-line... unless your spouse died, was unfaithful, or deserted you because of your Christian faith; you should remain married and work out your differences. Scripture is clear that God hates divorce!

If you were the victim of the items mentioned above, you are free to remarry. If you were the offender, you are to remain unmarried or be reconciled. True repentance will lead you to restore your marriage... if your former spouse is still alive, and has not remarried. There are many different views on this, but I believe mine is biblical. Too bad there isn't room to expound in a blog. Remember, some of the best counseling comes by sitting under good preaching.... so be faithful in the services.

Mothers Day, 5.9.10

Mother's Day is always interesting around EBC. The median age of our church is coming down, so we have more families that travel to be with mom each year. So, while it is not a "big attendance" day, it is a very special day. We started the service with a video of "momisms." They were great and brought back many memories, like what mom taught us about religion... "You better pray that comes out of the carpet," or what she taught us about time travel... "I'll knock you into next week."

Like most churches, we always give away awards to a variety of mothers. Most churches recognize the oldest mother, mother with most children, etc. At EBC, we make it fun! Last year, we recognized the mom who killed the biggest buck (deer) with ammunition or their car. This year, we recognized the mom who has accumulated the most traffic tickets, the mom with the most friends on Facebook, the 15th mom to text in, the mom whose child could convince us that she deserved an award, and the mom who had been married the longest... to the same man! Congratulations Ms. Hoffman on 67 years!

A highlight of the service was to show the picture of the first baby born with the help of the Carolina Family Planning Centers and then interviews with two of the moms and several of the volunteers. It obviously struck a cord, because our folks took 75 baby bottles to use as coin banks between now and Father's Day to benefit the CFPC.

We gave away tote bags to the moms and we gave them encouragement by looking at four moms in the Scriptures: Jacobed- the example of protection, Hannah- the example of prayer, Eunice- the example of teaching, and Mary- the example of persistence. We prayed for those who desire to be mothers, but are struggling with infertility. We closed the service by encouraging all of our ladies to be mentors to other women. IT WAS A GREAT MORNING!

Since so many local churches don't hold a service on Mother's Day evening, we started hosting a local concert. Last night, we hosted Lumber River and had a great crowd! It's a good reminder that people like all types of music and we need to minister to all types of people.

Why is a "spiritual" Worship Leader so hard to find?

Worship leaders appear to be "a dime a dozen" these days, but "spiritual" worship leaders have become difficult to find. We posted our church's open position twice on church staffing websites and received over 150 resume's each time. Sadly, most candidates had a shady past, were unhappy where they were, had been released from their previous position, had no experience, received an unfavorable reference, etc. Out of all the resume's we received, we only seriously considered about 12 of them each time. There are some good worship leaders out there, but most of them are already involved in a church, and the others seem scarce.

I've talked to numerous pastors who have experienced the same difficulty in finding "spiritually minded" worship leaders. Our search started when our last full-time worship leader engaged in adultery. Sadly, this seems to be the norm among worship pastors, rather than the exception. The church in which I grew up experienced this same situation 30 years ago. One of the churches in which I served had the same experience... with several worship leaders. In another church, the male worship leader ran off... with a man. Sounds unbelievable, but pastors across the country are sharing the same sad stories -- it appears to be an epidemic!

What happened to the days of the music "minister?" What ever happened to leading people into God's presence, rather than whipping them into an empty emotional frenzy? What happened to those who served in the background, rather than today's prima donnas who love to be in the spotlight? What happened to using music to prepare people for preaching, rather than making music the main event? What happened to those worship leaders who were godly examples... soul winners... true ministers?

How do we change the trend? How do we repair the damage imposed on onlookers? How do we teach people to trust "spiritual" leaders again? Something MUST be done! My suggestion is that we start by focusing on God as the object of our worship; rather than worshipping worship.

By the way, our church is still looking for a spiritual worship leader. Interestingly, the best worship leader we've had in my 7 1/2 years at EBC was a layperson, a lady that God brought into our congregation. She understood the importance of balancing styles, emphasized spiritual lyrics, loved people, and developed others. She was humble, and anything but a prima donna. She would move over to play the piano and allow others to lead publicly, she would share the responsibility of leading our choir, and she understood that her role was "ministry" through music. We brought her onto our staff and thought that would be a long-term relationship, but God had other plans and relocated her family to Myrtle Beach. So... we're looking, again, and praying that God will send us a true "minister" of music, who can truly lead people into authentic God-focused worship.

How does a church measure success?

We recently surveyed our congregation regarding how they defined success in a church. The question received a wide variety of responses. Most of our members gave the same responses I would expect to hear in most churches. Most gage their success by attendance numbers. So, consider the following:

- If a church grows from 200 to 1,000; but all their growth comes by members transferring from other churches... are they successful?

- If the church attendance drops by hundreds in one week, but on that Sunday someone is saved... is that success?

- If a church doesn't grow at all for 10 years, but during that time 2 dozen people commit their lives to serve God in a vocational capacity... is that success?

There are a thousand scenarios and just as many opinions; BUT there is a very simple way to measure success. Stop and ask, "Is your church making disciples?" Are people being saved, baptized, growing, and going? Is the church developing fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ? Simply seeing people saved, but never growing any further, is certainly NOT success; neither is growth by stealing people from other congregations. Success is developing disciples who can disciple others.

EBC will soon be implementing a new process for developing disciples. It includes the following four steps: Share, Connect, Serve, and Disciple. We realize that every member is at one of these stages and their needs differ at each stage. At the first stage, the person needs Christ for salvation or needs to return to a right relationship with the Lord. At the second stage, they need to connect with the church and other believers by attending services, Sunday School, special classes, building friendships, etc. At the third stage, members begin to minister to others. Level three people no longer hold the mentality of "what's in it for me," but instead ask, "what can I do for others?" Finally, those in stage four will begin to reproduce themselves in others by making disciples.

So, success can be measured by moving people through the process of developing disciples, resulting in -- disciples of Jesus Christ, who are discipling others. So, which one of the four levels are you at in the process? ... Okay... now go back and answer that question honestly. :-)

The Church's Response to Homosexuality

I'm sure some of you have preconceived notions about what this post will sound like. I hope you're wrong. I preached on this topic last Sunday night in my sermon series "Biblical Ethics in an Unbiblical World." With several Christian singers "coming out" in recent years: Ray Boltz, Kirk Talley, Jennifer Knapp, etc.; with the development of homosexual friendly churches; with the political and religious ruckous surrounding this topic... I felt like I needed to address it. The basis of my sermon was "What is the church to do?"

I personally believe that Christians point out homosexuality because it is a relatively "safe" sin to attack. Since the majority of Christians won't ever participate in homosexuality, it makes them feel somewhat safe to rant against it. No mistake, I did call it sin and won't debate that point, since the Bible is so clear about it in both the Old AND NEW Testaments. In addition, the Bible is the only absolute truth, so I refuse to be drawn into debates based around moral relativism. By the way, it is easy to find someone (including a preacher) who will agree with your opinion, but that doesn't change absolute truth.

So, what did I preach? I preached intolerance... for every sin. I shared that we should not tolerate gossip, discord, gluttony, or any other sin in our lives. True Christ-followers should be broken-hearted over ANY sin, and quickly drawn toward repentance. You shouldn't try to justify gossip, neither should you try to justify homosexuality. The fact is that God abhors all sin... even the socially acceptable sins. Realizing our sinful condition makes us more appreciative of God's forgiveness and grace. It also makes us more tolerant, loving, and patient toward others who are caught up in a variety of sins.

I preached that we should gain our identity in Christ, rather than being identified by what sin we are struggling with. We examined whether homosexuality was a condition or a choice. Finally, I reminded our church that we need to preach God's model of one man and one woman for a lifetime. God's plan was established in Genesis, and reiterated in both the Old and New Testaments. While some will argue that grace eliminated the OT Law, I remind you that grace always exceeded the expectations of the Law. The only thing that changed was the motivation..

So what do we do? The church needs to love those who are caught up in homosexuality. We need to accept them where they are and love them to where God wants them to be. We need to realize that nasty comments or antagonistic confrontations will only fuel the fire; it won't result in change. We need to see the plank in our own eye. We need to be as bothered by our own personal sin, as we are about the sins of others.

So, I dare you to look at your own sin, with the same distain that some of you look at the sin of homosexuality. I dare you to honestly ask God if He is okay with your sin? Sadly, some reading this post will miss the whole point and fail to recogize their own sin struggles.

Sunday Summary 5.2.10

For the past two Sundays, I've had our staff pastors preaching. I believe it is good for our congregation to get to hear them, it is good for them to be able to share what God has placed on their heart, and it is good for me to be able to show my support by sitting there while they are preaching or having the confidence to let them fill the pulpit while I am away. We have a great staff and I am truly honored to be able to work beside them.

Yesterday, David (our children's pastor), preached about having a joy filled life. He did a wonderful job and the message truly challenged our church. As he preached, anyone with children quickly realized how blessed we are to have David working with our children.

God has also been blessing our church with spiritual decisions. Last Sunday, a mother and her two daughters joined our church family. During this week, a man trusted Christ as his Savior. This morning, a child and his uncle were baptized. The uncle was saved during Team Impact at EBC. Praise the Lord!

We are so blessed to see God's Spirit moving in our church. I hope we never get used to or overly familiar with watching people make spiritual decisions.

Why Do You Attend The Church You Do?

Let me continue to challenge your thinking as it pertains to "nursery" style churches and "Army" building churches...

Tomorrow morning, people across our nation will attend church services. Some of them are already dreading it. I know this, because I hear people in our "culturally Christian" community constantly berating their church, pastor, deacons, choir members, other churches, etc. I talk with pastors in our community (and in other states) who are broken hearted because of the infantile behavior within their congregations. People know the Scriptures, but fail to apply them. These pastors feel like babysitters, rather than spiritual leaders. Sadly, this appears to the be the norm, rather than the exception.

Such common behavior prompts me to ask a few questions:
1) Is berating other believers helping or hurting the cause of Christ?
2) Do "Christians" understand that their negative comments may keep some from salvation?
3) Do people who gossip, sow discord, and divide the body; really think they can also worship?
4) Do those who attend churches as martyrs, really think that is a spiritual act of service?
5) Would we allow on a sports team, what we allow in the local church?

Some people in our area do crazy (and sinful) things under the guise of being 'spiritual.' The majority of believers simply laugh at them and call them crazy, but my heart breaks as they play the game of religion and worship the god of self. They are harming the body of Christ and such behavior certainly does not please a holy God.

So tomorrow morning, evaluate "why" you attend the church you do. If your answer begins with "God," then you're probably in the right place and probably for the right reason. If God led you to that church, and is using you to encourage others, exercise your spiritual gifts, lead some to Christ, and bring others to spiritual maturity; then stay put and keep serving Him!

On the other hand, if your answer contains the words "I," "my," "me," "mine," or anything similar... you only have a couple of options:
1) Repent of your self-centeredness, and rejoin your team.
2) Go find a church where they will worship you, appreciate you, sing your favorite songs, and avoid preaching against your sins. Hey... they might even let you choose the service start times, set the thermostats, and give less in the offering.

Remember: Setting up a nursery is all about keeping the infants comfortable; but building an army is hard work, it's uncomfortable, and it focuses on the needs of others. So... what type of church are you looking for?

The Church: Spiritual Nursery or Army?

I was recently reading a book and came across this question, "Is the purpose of the church to create a spiritual nursery, or a spiritual army?" That's a great question and how a church answers it will determine its philosophy of ministry.

For example, the "nursery" philosophy looks inward, focuses on comfort, and is characterized by convenience. These spiritual infants scream when their personal needs are not met, and bicker constantly among themselves. Believers in "nursery" churches say soul winning is important, but they never lead a person to Christ. They say prayer is important, but they don't show up for prayer meetings. They fail to see their own spiritual needs, but can clearly point out the faults of others. They are probably very religious, but full of hypocrisy. They hope everyone else is hearing the message the pastor is preaching, but don't think it applies to them. The pastor of a "nursery" church is expected to make every hospital visit and be available at every member's beckoned call. His time is consumed with wiping noses, cleaning up messes, correcting those who are too immature to practice personal discipline. etc. Is this really why God established His Church... to pacify spiritual infants?

On the other hand, the church that sees itself in the business of building a spiritual army is just the opposite. The "army" style church is united and knows its God-given purpose is to train soldiers. The "army" style church looks outward, and realizes the urgency of their search and rescue mission. It builds the troops by identifying prospective soldiers then recruiting, training, and motivating them for service. Each soldier knows his duty, engages in the battle, and disregards his own comfort. There is no time to sit in worship of the past or to relax and watch the officers perform. Those in the "army" style church realize they are in a war and they desperately need each other. The pastor of an "army" style church focuses on the objective, provides direction, trains the trainers, motivates the troops, and leads them into battle for the souls of men and to defeat the enemy.

Our church leaders agreed that EBC must focus our efforts on building a spiritual army for our Lord. We are engaged in spiritual warfare, not childcare. Our anthem is "Onward Christian Soldiers." The Apostle Paul told us to put on our armor. Matthew 28:19-20 records our marching orders and from Acts 1:8, we have derived our four year plan. We are marching into battle! Can we count on you?

Staff Retreat

Following our Deacon retreat, our pastoral staff (and their spouses) spent time away on Monday - Wednesday. It is amazing how much more can be accomplished by getting away from our normal environments. It was also nice to interact with each other outside the parameters of the normal church "business."

Our pastors discussed the church survey questions, and covered many of the same topics the deacons did. We used the deacons' input to launch the conversations to the next level. It was a good level-set for all of us and reassured that we are all aiming at the same targets. It also reminded us of how necessary it is to repeat some basic items to our congregation for the sake of maintaining unity. The church is a "team" and all of the coaches and players must clearly understand the objectives and have the same goals in mind.

Much of our discussion, evaluation, and planning focused on our:
Mission - Exalt the Lord, Equip Believers, and Evangelize the World.
Purpose - To make disciples, who can disciple others
Process - Share, Connect, Serve, Disciple

Other discussion focused on our goals, dreams, target group, service formats, outreach opportunities, what makes EBC distinct, needs in our community that no church is addressing, strategic planning committee, and more! So, buckle your seat belt and hang on; because there are some exciting days ahead for Emmanuel Baptist Church!

Deacon retreat

This past weekend, the deacons and I did something that we have talked about for a long time.... we left town and spent time talking, planning, and praying. There is nothing like getting away from the daily grind, turning off the TV, and just focusing on spiritual things. We have some godly men and I value their insights pertaining to our church and its ministries.

Since January, we had been surveying our people by inserting questions into our weekly bulletins. Our desire was to solicit the church's input, regarding various aspects of our church and its ministries. We are currently developing our 3, 5, and 10 year plans for EBC, and wanted our congregation's input.

Before we could discuss plans for the future, we needed to do an honest assessment of where we are as a church. What are our strengths, weaknesses, goals, and vision? Do we have a clearly defined purpose? Do we have a clearly defined target? What have we done well? What can we do better? How do we measure success?

This process of evaluation and assessment provided topics for deep thought and lengthy conversations. It also fostered some great ideas and an opportunity to refocus on what we are trying to accomplish as a church. The bottom-line... this was time well spent with the godly leaders God has raised up in our church, and all agreed we need to make this an annual event.

Pregnancy Center Banquet

Last night, the Carolina Family Planning Centers hosted their 1st annual fundraising banquet and auction. Pam Tebow, mother of Tim Tebow, was the key speaker. This was definitely a "God-thing" as one lady told me that her center has tried to book Pam for 4 years and we got her after only having been open for 4 months. In addition, it was following the pro-life Super Bowl commercial and the NFL draft that takes place next week. She was definitely a "draw."

The music was provided by the "One Focus Trio," the event was held at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Darlington, and underwritten by our event sponsors Agape Hospice and Nucor. We also thank our many other sponsors for their financial support and the donated auction items. Overall, the event raised approximately $20,000, which will be used to purchase curriculum, instructional models, pregnancy tests, and more.

The highlight of the night was the video taped testimonies shared by new moms who had been assisted by the CFPC. To see the faces of the women and babies that we have touched made a great impact! Since opening our doors in January, we have already had a part in 4 children being born and parents being educated in basic parenting skills.

Our thanks goes out to all of the many volunteers, from various churches, who worked to make this event possible. The CFPC now have offices open in Hartsville and Darlington. Our next office will be open in Marion. Churches and volunteers are already being recruited in that area. If you would like more info about the CFPC, please visit our website at www.CarolinaFamilyPlanning.org.

Religion and Politics...

Christians SHOULD be involved in politics! Seems too many people have believed the lie, "Separation of Church and State" as it has been fed to us over the past several decades. The original intent was NOT to keep the church out of the government, but rather to keep the government out of the church!

I don't care if you are Democrat, Republican, Tea Party, coffee drinker, or sand bagger --if you are a Christian, your worldview and biblical beliefs should override all party lines! Christ-followers should be voting according to biblical truths and values, not according to a political party. Some say Christians have no place in politics -- I DISAGREE! The Constitution, our legal system, the inscriptions in Washington, and more -- ALL prove that America was founded as a Christian nation! So, Christians should be actively involved in politics, running for office, and exercising their right to vote.

Too many professing Christians are worried about being "politically correct." Others are just ignorant on the issues. The recent health care issue was a great example. There was no question that health care needed to be fixed, but how could ANY believer vote for health care reform that opened the door for abortion? The Bible teaches that God hates murder and specifically in Prov. 6, it mentions "those who shed innocent blood." During the Health Care vote, the United Methodist Church was listed in support of the bill. How could any Christian, much less an entire denomination, offer support to a political issue that stands in contradiction to biblical instruction?

In the early 1980's, the Moral Majority brought Bible believing people together (across denominational lines), and encouraged people to vote in line with biblical teachings. That movement made an impact on our nation! Who will rise up to unite the body of Christ on political matters now that Jerry Falwell, D. James Kennedy, and other godly men have passed off the scene? If God did raise someone up, I wonder how many "professing" Christians would attack that person because he or she is not of their denomination, they worship differently, they use a different Bible version, has read books by authors they don't approve of, or attended a church growth conference they think is "satanic." We can't even get along with each other... how are we supposed to stand united against our common adversary? (1 Peter 5:8)

I encourage true Christ-followers to put God first, put your differences aside, and start working to make America once again, "One Nation Under God."

Sunday Summary 3.28.10

Yesterday, we celebrated Palm Sunday. We read of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, then focused on the phrase, "It is Finished." What a statement. It meant, the suffering was ended, Satan was defeated, and salvation was complete! We concluded the morning service by observing communion together.

Last evening, our choir and instrumentalists presented the musical, "3:16, Numbers of Hope." The message was crystal clear and they did a great job. Travis, thanks for your leadership. As I was talking to someone today, they said that they had never been part of a more talented choir. The choir will be performing several of those songs this Sunday during our Easter service.

We concluded our membership class today. A total of 14 people have recently or will soon make the decision to unite with our church family, and we have several baptisms lined up over the next couple of Sundays. I heard of a young man who was baptized in another local church Sunday as a result of Team Impact event. It's good to hear those stories, too!

Can't wait for Easter! That is like Super Bowl Sunday for the Christians! This week will be busy in planning for the big event. We kick-off with a pancake breakfast for the whole church and a celebration service to follow.

8th Annual EGGstravaganza

This morning, EBC hosted its 8th annual community Easter egg hunt. It's neat when you start a great tradition and people call you each year asking when it is going to be. This event bridges ethic and economic gaps across our community and seems to be a lot of fun for everyone. We were taking good notes on Saturday and are already thinking of ways to make this Bigger and Better for next year.

Literally hundreds of children, plus parents and grandparents joined us for the day. The story of Easter was presented appropriately to each age group, and we gave away 130 prizes, including bicycles and many other "fun" toys to those who found the special prize eggs. Finding the special eggs was a daunting task among the 12,000 eggs that were distributed across our campus, but every child went home with at least a bag of candy.

The highlight of the day was the parents' egg hunt. Last year, we gave away a Wii game system, this year, we gave away two $100 cash prizes. The parents were almost more fun to watch than the kids. Congratulations to Scott and Carie for finding the winning eggs!

Thanks to Pastor David, our staff, and the dozens of volunteers that takes to pull off such a large event and to do it well. The involvement of our church family is what makes EBC so special.

Racism

I just started a new Sunday night series entitled, "Biblical Ethics in an Unbiblical World." Our first topic was racism. In the Deep South, it is alive and well. Sadly, the most segregated places that I've noticed are the churches. People work, shop, and play together; but they do not worship together. Thank God we've broken through that barrier in our school, and we're working toward it in our church.

Let me share a few points from last Sunday night:
1) I want to thank my friend, Senator Gerald Malloy, for having a part in our service and sharing his thoughts on racism in Darlington County. Gerald keeps encouraging me to swap pulpits with some of the black preachers in our community and I hope to do so soon.

2) God only created one race -- the human race. Gen. 1:26-27 says both male and female (not red, yellow, black, or white) were created in God's image.

3) God gave instructions for people to care for foreigners. (Lev. 19:33-34) Jonah preached in Ninevah, Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman, Philip baptized the Ethopian, and Paul carried the Gospel to the Gentiles. God loves all people.

4) We know that King Solomon had a black wife. (Song of Solomon 1:5-6)

5) God did prohibit interracial marriage (Gen 28:6), but not due to skin color. This mandate was to protect His people from worshipping the gods of those outside of Israel. Notice His fury when they did (Num. 25:1-5).

6) While man focuses on skin color, God focuses on the heart. Sadly, many believers are more worried about skin color than doctrinal purity. Too many professing Christians are marrying unbelievers. Others marry "believers," but then attend churches of unsound doctrine. I could actually make a better case against interdenominational marriage than I can about interracial marriage.

7) Having said all of that, there are still many bridges to cross in America (especially in the Deep South), so many who choose an interracial marriage will encounter opposition.

Men's Breakfast

This morning, our men truly encouraged the heart of their pastor. We have a monthly men's prayer breakfast for the purposes of provoking thought, fellowship, sharing, and prayer. Last month we opened the discussion to the topic of what keeps men from sharing their faith. Today, we discussed the major issues that Christian men are facing. Breakfast was good and the conversation was excellent. We had 20 men participating!

It's also been exciting to see small accountability groups springing up within our church family. Men are gathering in groups of 4, meeting for breakfast, studying, sharing, praying, and holding one another accountable in their daily lives. You can drive through Hartsville and see small groups of men sitting in restaurants at 6:00 - 6:30am. Another group meets in the evenings. I encourage all of our men to be part of an accountability group. Prov. 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."

Forgiveness & New Members (3.14.10)

Yesterday was a good day at EBC. Attendance was strong, many guests were present, and the altar response was good. I started a new series pertaining to "The Last Words of Christ." Today we examined His statement, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." We looked at mankind's need for God's forgiveness, and also man's need to forgive one another. Sadly there is a growing trend of unforgiveness in today's churches. Professing Christians say they believe the Bible, but tend to ignore the passages they don't like. For instance, Matt 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." If we really believed the Bible, we would be practicing forgiveness.

We also started a new members class today. Believing that over 50% of professing church-goers are not true believers, I am committed to making sure we guard the door of the church. We had 14 people present and talked about our church's history, core values, salvation, baptism, and communion. We're condensing 4 weeks of material into just 3. It will be a challenge, but the folks seem very eager.

Sunday Summary 3.7.10 (Ministry Fair)

What a day and where do I start? During our LIFE Group hour, we hosted a ministry fair. Nearly 40 display booths were set up in our Fellowship Hall, ministry leaders were present to answer questions, and our folks were given the opportunity to sign-up to serve in the ministries of their choice. At EBC, we expect our members to be ministers. Thanks to all who took time and exhausted your creativity to make the booths look so special. We are already planning to make this ministry fair a regular event.

I've been sick for a few days and today, I felt physically worse today than I've ever felt on a Sunday. God gave me the strength to preach, and it was a good reminder that I have to be dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit. I preached from Matt 5 about Christ-followers being salt and light, challenging our church to get out of the salt shaker and into the world. We seem to focus too much on the presentation of the container, quantity of salt, and how our salt compares to others; rather than the effects that salt can have on a lost world. Believers should constantly be creating a thirst for the Living Water found in Jesus Christ.

In the evening service, Dr. Long gave a report from his recent trip wo Haiti with an SBC Disaster Relief Team, then we continued our study in Francis Chan's book, "Crazy Love" with the "Profile of the Obsessed." Are you obsessed with Jesus or are you just a casual follower?

Today, and over the past two weeks, God has been blessing our services! In addition to the results from Team Impact, we have seen 5 men saved through our basketball league and 5 families have joined EBC. This past week, I sent out 35 letters to families who recently joined or have been attending our services regularly. The letters were invitations to join our next membership class which begins next Sunday, March 14. Praise God for His blessings!

Team Impact 2.28

This has been an exciting and action packed week at EBC as we have hosted Team Impact. http://www.team-impact.com/ This group of men is using feats of strength to draw crowds and preach the gospel. They use a different technique for evangelism, but preach the same solid message of God's love! This week, the team did presentations in assemblies that touched eight different area schools, followed by evangelistic events every night at our church, which resulted in approximately 3,000 people in attendance at the evening events, 183 making decisions for salvation, 60 recommitting their lives to Christ, and others who would have never attended a church service hearing the Gospel!

The team was crushing bricks, bending steel rods, bench pressing telephone poles, blowing up hot water bottles, breaking baseball bats, and more! They had smoke, fire, and a truck load of enthusiasm! (The fire on stage was a bit exciting... since our church burned down twice previously.) I'm sure not everyone was happy with this type of event being held in the church building, but "Isn't this what the church is about... reaching out to "lost" people and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ?" Fishing for men means we have to use a variety of bait.

The volunteers from our church were absolutely amazing! They served as stage crew; sound & lighting technicians; supply gatherers; meal, accommodation, and transportation providers; merchandise managers; ushers; greeters; decision counselors; and more! Justin and David did a great job coordinating the event! The rest of our staff (Team "Low Impact") pitched in wherever they were needed. It's amazing what God can do, when His people work together for a common purpose! Praise God for using us to reach people with the gospel.

Sunday Summary 2.21.10

Yesterday was a GREAT day at EBC! First off, the heat worked. We've had the coldest winter in years, and trouble with our heaters for nearly 8 weeks. I actually got hot and took my jacket off. From the spiritual perspective, our song lyrics were all taken straight from Scripture; Lisa knocked it out of the park with her special "Heal the Wounds, but Leave the Scar;" the altar response was strong, and God's Spirit was definitely moving.

Our crowd response was better than I've seen in a long time! Many came to pray during the altar call. One dear lady joined our church family. I know of 8 families ready to join EBC and will be offering a membership class in March. Last night, people were sharing testimonies of those who had been saved, giving testimonies as to why they love Jesus, and a family who is moving shared what EBC had meant in their lives.

I spent both services yesterday preaching from Matthew 24. We looked at signs of the times and how to do ministry in the last days. The world is changing and ministry must change. The challenges are mounting, people are being easily deceived pertaining to spiritual things, doctrine is being placed on the shelf, people are refusing to accept the absolutes of Scripture, tolerance is replacing holiness, and the Bride of Christ seems to have forgotten about preparations for the appearing of the Bridegroom. I felt God was leading me to preach a wakeup call to our local congregation yesterday, and I believe many got it!

3rd Grade Awakening

Today, during her Bible lesson, one of our ECS teachers was telling her third grade class about the prophecy emphasis at EBC yesterday. One student expressed his interest in knowing for sure that he would spend eternity in Heaven, then another, and then another. After the lesson was over, 14 of the 16 students in her class came up to her desk expressing their desire to make sure they had a right relationship with God. Twelve of the fourteen students accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, two rededicated their lives to Christ, and the other two were already confident of their salvation. PRAISE THE LORD!

This is a great reminder of "why" we have a Christian school. Our goal is to glorify God by providing students a Christ-centered, Bible-based education, by influencing them for salvation, by instructing them in values for Godly living, and by providing a program of academic and extra-curricular excellence.” Any school can make an academic impact, but Emmanuel CHRISTIAN School is making an eternal impact!

Sunday Summary 2.14.10 (Jimmy DeYoung)

Yesterday was "Prophecy Sunday" at Emmanuel with Dr. Jimmy DeYoung. Dr. DeYoung is a 70 year old prophecy teacher and journalist who travels the country and the world educating the Body of Christ of the future events foretold in God's prophetic Word. His goal is to equip Christians with the knowledge and understanding of what God's Word says will happen someday soon, so that they can make better decisions today.

Dr. DeYoung is seen on the Day of Discovery and the John Ankerberg television programs, heard on a radio broadcast consisting of over 1,500 stations, is a noted conference speaker, and is also an author. His best seller, "Ready to Rebuild," is a documentary on the building of the Third Temple. Jimmy continues to monitor the most current events as they unfold in the Middle East and compares these current events to the prophetic truth of God's Word.

The day was full of biblical exhortation, and even some strong opinions. He covered more information in a few hours than some prophecy conferences cover in days. He jokingly described his presentation as trying to get a drink from a fire hose. If you desire to know more about Dr. DeYoung and his ministry, please visit his website at www.jimmydeyoung.com.

Sunday Summary 2.7.10 (Local Mission Fair)

Today was a very special day at Emmanuel Baptist Church as we hosted our first-ever, "Local Missions Fair." Since our 2010 theme is "Reach Your Street," we are doing all we can to help connect our church family with opportunities for service and evangelism across our community. Eight different local ministries were invited in to promote their ministry from the pulpit and also via display booths that were setup in our main lobby. At the end of the day, many of our folks had signed up as volunteers and people were connected with ministries for which they were wired.

The ministries we featured today were:
Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) of Coker College
Carolina Family Planning Centers (Pro-life, crisis pregnancy intervention)
Christmas in April (Repairing homes for the elderly)
Free Medical Clinics (Medical assistance)
Hartsville Interfaith Ministries (Benevolence assistance)
Hospice (Volunteer recruiting for Life Care Hospice)
Raceway Ministries (Ministry at the Darlington Speedway)
Recovery Ministries (Support for those overcoming addictions)

Crisis Pregnancy Fundraiser

This past Saturday was the Spaghetti Supper Fundraiser for the Carolina Family Planning Centers. We had a few bills due and God just keeps providing every step of the way. The Board chose to host this dinner only 2.5 weeks from the actual serving date. They pulled it off with the help of dozens of volunteers and many generous donations.

It was a good thing we pre-sold the tickets, as it was the worst weather day we have had this entire winter. Rain, sleet, and dropping temperatures were against us, but we still served approximately 700 plates and God provided the funds needed for our insurance, new signs, and several other items. This is definitely a non-profit ministry; but more importantly, a faith-based ministry!

Thank you to the cooks, servers, runners, donation solicitors, ticket sellers, etc. from various churches of various denominations across our community. I won't name names, because I will accidentally leave someone out. WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!

Sunday Summary 1.31.10

Not too much to report today, as our electricity was out all day Saturday and Progress Energy told us that it was projected to be restored by 6:00pm on Sunday night, Jan. 31. For this reason, we canceled our morning services since no electricity means no heat. Some churches canceled due to "loss of power." I pray that is never the situation at Emmanuel.

We did hold our first Leadership Summit on Sunday night for the sake of casting vision and training our church leadership. Everyone brought a pot of soup or chili - You know Baptists have to have food at any gathering! We had over 60 leaders show up for the training. My thanks to everyone who invests his/her life in leading others spiritually. This is going to be a quarterly event at EBC as we equip leaders to equip and lead others.

Business Person of the Year

Last month, I was approached by one of our church members who asked, "Would you mind if I nominated you for the Business Person of the Year Award?" Quite surprised, I told him that I would be honored and it would be quite a statement for any pastor to be recognized in such fashion. Not expecting anything further, I was shocked to receive that award last night at the annual banquet of the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce.

Someone immediately joked about preachers only working one day per week, but I quickly guarded my 1.5 day's per week, since we still have a midweek service. Another said, "I didn't know the church was a business," to which I replied, "It was Jesus who first said that He must be about His Father's business." :-) While God has blessed our church tremendously, he has also given me opportunities to reach into our community as a Hospice Chaplain, Chairman for two new Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Board member for a faith-based initiative, serving as a Board member of the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce for 5 years, and more. You see, this award had more to do with community involvement and service, than it did with just our church.

Realizing the basis of this award, I find it somewhat humorous that a pastor would be given such a prestigious award for just simply doing what ALL pastors are supposed to be doing-- getting involved, ministering to, and impacting his community! Sadly too many churches limit their pastors to holding hands and wiping the noses of members. Our church family has caught the bigger vision and allows me the privilege of ministering both internally and externally. EBC is reaching beyond our walls and impacting eternity! So, this award really belongs to our entire church! Thank you EBC for allowing me to serve and represent you. This award belongs to all of us!

Vision Sunday Revelations

Prov. 29:18 states, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." I've also heard it said that "Where there is no vision, the people will find another parrish." Vision is the ability to see what God wants to do through our church. It is our mission possible, should we choose to accept it. If we decline, we simply become another dead church satisfied with status quo.

In preparing the message for our Vision Sunday, several truths were revealed to me:

• The economy has hit us HARD! In 2008-2009, we lost 170 people due mostly to deaths, out of state relocations. That was 28% of our church and we are in a small community.
• God brought us 130 new members in the past two years and we have gained over 100 of the 170 that we lost.
• Over 200 people were saved through EBC's efforts last year!
• Our offerings have remained strong.
• God blessed us beyond what we can humanly explain. Our debt has decreased by $800,000, our missions giving has increased annually, and our school enrollment continues to grow -- even during a recession!

So, what does all of that have to do with "vision?" EVERYTHING! It was as though God said look what I've been doing while you were worrying about a few disgruntled people. (If they leave... I'll replace them.) Look what I've been doing while you've been worrying about the budget. (I've given you more than you even realized.) Look what I've been doing while you were worrying about the school enrollment. (I've been bringing new students in monthly.) Look what I (God) have been doing! Remember, it's My church and I promised to build it.

WOW! I felt as though God was telling me to go refill my squirt guns and resume my position in the assault against hell! I hadn't had that feeling in quite a while. It was as though God said, "Here's My vision... Catch it!" I caught it... He's working... and I've joined Him!

What about you? Are you ready to refill your squirt guns? God is working... let's join Him!

Are you what you claim to be?

If I stood in my garage and said I was a car, would I be one? The obvious answer is "no." If a person stands in the church and says he is a Christian, does that mean he is one? Again, "no." Claiming to be and actually being are two different things.

I regularly hear people who attend churches say they are Christians, but their lifestyle and/or habits suggest otherwise. If a group of people gathers in a sanctuary on a Sunday morning, does that make them a church? A church (ekklesia) is a called out assembly as well as the redeemed of all ages, set apart unto God, and following Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. So, again I ask, if a group of people gather in sanctuary and "say" they are a church, does that make them one? The answer is "no."

Following this line of thinking would cause us to make the deduction that every Sunday, churches are filled with people who call themselves Christians, but they are not. Billy Graham once said, "The American church is the greatest mission field in all the world." Listen to the words of Matt 7:21-23 NIV, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"

As we begin this New Year, I challenge those who claim to know Christ to evaluate your walk and see if it bears witness to your claim. The Bible says in 1 John 2:44, "The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." An honest evaluation could save your life -- for eternity!

Christmas All Year Long

In 1994, Larnelle Harris released a project entitled "Christmas All Year Long." The feature track was entitled "All Year Long" and made an impression on me that has lasted far more than a year. A few of the lines were as follow: "I stretched high to store the stockings and trim in the attic for another year. We were busily packing our Christmas away, while singing a carol we knew, when I heard my son in innocence inquire, Do we store away Jesus too?"

What a great question, "Did you store away Jesus with your Christmas decorations?" It's been two weeks since Christmas. Many have traveled, put away decorations, celebrated the New Year, and returned to jobs and school. As we return to our busy schedules, have we also returned to the way we were before Christmas? Christmas is the season of love, giving, and focusing on God's gift of love that He wrapped in Jesus. Why does that have to end with the month of December?

I suggest that for the believer, Christmas should be celebrated all year long! While we may only decorate during the month of December, we should celebrate Jesus every day throughout the year! Don't pack Him away with the decorations. Don't forget about Him until you set your nativity pieces up next year. Don't treat people differently in January than you did in December -- send cards to friends, express appreciation, let people know you care, participate in church services, point people to Jesus, and live in a way that shows God how much you appreciate His Gift -- all year long!