July 5, 2013

This past week we ended our annual Vacation Bible School. Bus workers arrived every morning at 7:30 for a light breakfast before assuming their routes into some of the roughest neighborhoods in Providence. The Lord blessed with escalating attendance throughout the week. Historically, we have reached our peak on Wednesday, with attendance tapering off on Thursday and Friday. This year, however, we saw each day succeed the previous day with higher attendance figures.  Amen!  Our records indicate that 77 children met with individual counselors and prayed to receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior. Amen! Several more children came forward for discipleship issues, and some expressed an interest in baptism. Praise the Lord!

The fallout could be felt as there was a spike in Sunday morning attendance. The Lord blessed as we continued our series, “Four Your Consideration,” from Proverbs 30. We were able to witness two more baptisms this week as Meghan Banner and Charis Kampf made their public professions of faith. These were our 26th and 27th baptisms of year. We have now seen baptismal waters stirred 58 times since our arrival in September. Amen!

We were also privileged to have a touring group from West Coast Baptist College in attendance this week. The girls did a marvelous job singing, and the Sunday School message on prayer from Taylor Gillaspie was spot on. You can hear that message again by logging on to our website, www.gribt.com

After the Sunday evening service, we were able to have a video recap of the Vacation Bible Time week and have an icecream social in the fellowship hall. What a way to end Sunday! I only like two kinds of icecream – homemade and store-bought.

We also gave the adults an opportunity to participate in our annual penny offering. The kids during VBT week gave over $880. This year’s offering was not to defray the cost of the week, but to help a Lebanese church with their assistance of Syrian refugees fleeing due to religious persecution. The adults gave sacrificially as well, and the total offering in pennies for the week was over $1700. Amen!

Don’t forget that this upcoming Sunday, July 7, we will be celebrating God and Country Sunday. Special patriotic music is planned, and I will be preaching about the “Four Great Frontiers” of American expansion. I trust you will be able to make it.

We are happy to announce that the new blog website, www.jeffamsbaugh.com, is up and running. Please give it a look and sign up so that you can systematically receive my editorial blogs and GRIBT updates.

It has been a great privilege to have my mom and dad with us this week. We were able to celebrate the 4th with them yesterday at the home of my in-laws, John and Fran Aspray. What a privilege to have both sets of parents love and serve the Lord. Karen and I are extremely blessed.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support of this work. Pray for us as we seek to take the Gospel to the greater Providence area and around the world.

 

Serving a Greater God,

Jeff Amsbaugh