Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” -Psalm 103:1-
God is Building His Church: Let me start by stating an important fact – numbers are not everything. Numbers are not always an indication of success. However, I would rather minister to someone rather than nobody. With that being said, the past four Sundays we have seen attendance of 18, 22, 24, and 21. We have seen 15 first-time visitors in the past month. Plus, we are still meeting at 4:00 PM on a Sunday! Maybe it’s just my lack of faith but I did not expect to have this large of a group this soon. But more than the attendance, the unity and spirit in the church have been sweet. When we sing, the congregation sings out unto the Lord, there is great attention to the Word during the message, the prayer times are precious, and the fellowship has been sweet. Another blessing is that everyone enjoys working together to tear down after the service. It is an absolute joy to be a part of Keene Baptist Church!
Easter Outreach: We are working diligently in preparation for our Sunday morning launch (April 2nd) and Easter/Resurrection Sunday (April 9th). We are mindful that people will come on Easter that won’t come any other time. In preparation for Easter, we are sending out 10,000 direct door mailers to the surrounding area, we are passing out 1,000 invitation cards, we have a social media ad (which has been extremely profitable), and are encouraging the church to be a light to everyone around them. We understand that our efforts are mere loaves and fishes, nevertheless, our prayer is that God will multiply our efforts!
Baby Winston is Here: Winston Theodore was born on March 10th at 12:54 AM. He was 8-pounds and 10-ounces. Praise the Lord that both he and my wife are healthy and are doing well. Pray that we can finally get a good nights rest though!
Prayer Requests:
- Pray that God would bless my efforts in learning the guitar. We do not have a pianist so I am attempting to learn the guitar to play during the service. Acapella congregational singing is great, but having accompaniment would be better!
- Pray for our Easter outreach.
- Pray for souls to be saved.
- Pray for grace and wisdom for me as I do my best to lead this baby church.
- Pray for our upcoming Easter service/Sunday Morning launch.
In Christ and for His glory,
The Shives Family
