St. John Baptist Church

The young girl in the center of this picture was saved and baptized recently at our church. Today the young man on the left side wanted to speak with me after the services. It seems he has also trusted in Jesus Christ as his savior and wants to be baptized. He came forward during the invitation after the sermon tonight and joined the church. We will baptize him soon. It is always exciting to see the lost turning from their sins to seek and receive God's forgiveness and mercy.

Some good friends of ours who are members of the church in Hewitt came to visit in our services today. They are the ones who fixed the seats on our church bus. I gave them a copy of our latest church directory. The directory contains a page of pictures of our bus before and after the seats were redone. We are so thankful for them and their hard work. We hope to have that bus back on the road picking up kids again soon.

After our morning services we had a quick lunch and went to visit with one of our shut-ins. We had a good visit there and were sent home with a sack full of Japanese persimmons. I tried one when we got home and it was really good. Janie and I attended a special women's day service at St. John Baptist Church in Hillsboro. A friend of ours had invited us to hear her speak at this special event. We went to St. John's about 3:00 and there was a boy sitting on the back steps of the building near where we parked. He got up and followed us into the building. We chose to sit on the back pew because we thought we might have to leave before the service was over. The boy sat with us on the pew. No one there seemed to know the boy. He never said a word. We were asked by the Pastor to move to the front pew. It was as if the church would be mistreating us to have us sit on the back pew. We moved to the front and listened to some music from the sound system that took possession of my foot and leg causing them to keep time. The church building was very small and old. There was a choir loft and a piano, a small pulpit, and a deacon's bench on each side at the front. The service began with three ladies leading what was called a devotional. The oldest of the three ladies spoke the words to the song and then the other two led the congregation in singing the words the elder had spoken. The congregation sang with all their heart. It was amazing to see and hear such enthusiasm in a worship service. The lead singer in the choir was outstanding! She sang a song I had never heard before and the words were very moving. A visiting choir took the loft and sang two songs. This choir also sang as if the Lord were present in the room. They truly sang with everything that was within them. The first of the two ladies to speak was our friend, Annette. She did a wonderful job putting forth a message from the book of Esther. The second lady to speak also did a wonderful job. She told some of her life's story and I thought as she drew near the end that she ought to write an autobiography. I was asked to speak a few words and did. Janie was asked to speak and she did. It was uplifting to be in a service where people truly seemed excited about their God and so full of joy. If they ever have revival services there I plan to attend. I sat there wishing I could preach to that crowd. It was a breath of fresh air indeed. The cares of this world have choked a lot of Christians. They have been robbed by the world of their joy. I pray that revival would come to the people of God and that His house would be filled again as in days of old with joyful heartfelt praise. We had to leave before the service was over and the boy which had followed us inside got up and followed us out. I shook his hand and told him I was glad that he had come with us to church. God bless you.