A New Church Begins

Hello Friends!

Here at last is an update from the northwest corner of the great state of Arizona where God is at work in a little church known as Kingdom of God.  I was invited by Pastor Bob Peet to join him in getting this new Seventh Day Baptist church started, so I prayed, and others prayed, with the result that I quit my job, loaded up a couple vans and moved from Boulder, CO, to Kingman, AZ, at the end of June this year.

The day I arrived the temperature hit 112, though the locals assure me that is unusually high.  Thank the Lord for air-conditioning!   Daily walks or bike rides had to be around 6 am or after 7 pm.

The first thing I helped with (housing and meals) was a concert of the touring Christian band, “Stained Glass”.  They sang at the church on July 3 to an enthusiastic crowd.  We appreciated the excellent worship music, and the testimonies of how God was transforming their lives.  We packed the little sanctuary.  We rent a building which looks like a castle and used to be a pet store, so one half is for the sanctuary and the other half is multi-purpose.

 

A few weeks later Pastor Bob took 3 of us to Freemont Street in Las Vegas for street evangelism (he's in the center of the photo).  The large IQ Test is a good way to get people’s attention and get them laughing.  Some stayed for a longer conversation and we shared the good news of the Savior.  One man told us he was glad we weren’t parading with signs and shouting condemnation at people.   We were glad no one shouted at us either!

I returned to Colorado for the annual SDB Conference in Colorado Springs in early August and taught the Way of the Master evangelism class during the week.  Three of us went to a park downtown one afternoon to pass out gospel tracts and meet people.  We had some good conversations, and prayed with a young homeless couple.   A local church was there also, doing sketch-board evangelism.

I had made a display board for Conference with pictures of the church building and activities, so people could see what we were up to.  It was Pastor Bob’s first Conference and he had a chance to meet lots of people and talk about how the church started with so many people – 100 at the first service in March and still averaging 50 to 60 weekly.   

He gives the credit to God for drawing people, but acknowledges he and others did a lot of inviting for weeks prior to starting, passing out business cards and flyers.  The local paper also published an interview with Pastor Bob and his wife, Sandee, mentioning the time the church meets, at 6 pm on Sabbath afternoon (see it here: Kingdom of God Article).  A 10:30 am service was added for those who prefer morning, but 6 pm remains the favorite.

The service is informal and lively, with a time of sharing praises and prayer requests, praying, worship through singing, and preaching the Word.  The worship band is terrific, with the special sound of a steel guitar giving it a country feel.  The children meet for children’s church during the 6 pm service.

One of Pastor Bob’s goals was to help people live for Christ 24x7, not just attend church and think they were good.  At our church, people are digging into their Bibles to find answers and stay connected to God during the week.  They are talking about Jesus to family and friends – pushing their comfort zone way out because they want to see others saved for all eternity and not bound for hell.  One lady started a ministry visiting the elderly at a nursing home each week, finding ways to show the love of Christ to them.  People are learning about keeping God’s commandments, including the Sabbath, out of gratitude for God’s salvation and goodness to us.  They are making changes to their lives as the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, and they are being freed from past addictions and bondage.  The church is doing well at following the command to “love one another” as we become family in Christ. 

In August I moved into an apartment just half a mile from the church.  I’m very grateful for a quiet, safe place to live, with friendly neighbors.  Moving away from Colorado after 26 years was a bigger adjustment than I expected, as was the change from working as a Business Analyst (IT work) to working on the staff of a church, learning about church planting as I go.  I’m thankful for the loving people of the Kingdom of God church, and for a nearby mountain park where I can hike among pine trees that remind me of home.  And I know prayers from all of you are making a major difference and I appreciate it very much.  God is taking good care of me!

Ongoing evangelism is core to this church, with regular trips to Las Vegas and to local events like the County Fair in September and the Fall Festival in October.  I’m teaching the 8-week Way of the Master course with 5 students set to finish this month.  On Halloween we’re joining a Methodist church to pass out candy and gospel tracts to children.

Please continue to pray for the church here to grow and for the people to grow spiritually.  We want to develop leaders so the reach of the church can expand further into the community, and also to help plant additional churches in Arizona.  I appreciate your prayers for me to be strong in the Lord, to learn and grow so I can pass along the lessons to other church planters eventually, and to be a blessing to all around me.   Please also pray for Pastor Bob for wisdom, as he is new to pastoring.

Thank you all for participating with me in prayer and with funding.  I’m at about one-half needed monthly support.  My long-term goal is to support myself in ministry through part-time direct selling for XANGO (nutritional supplements).  One way to support me financially is to become a customer, and see improvements in your health at the same time!  More info at www.MyMangosteen.com/Luke638.

More to come next month.  I look forward to the SDB Pacific Coast Association meetings in Riverside, CA, October 19^th, where Pastor Bob will share about the experience of planting this church.  Stay well and serve the Lord!