July 30, 2013

The remodeling of the church auditorium is in full swing. The painters, as well as those constructing the new platform, will be finished this week. The carpet was delivered yesterday, and the installation will begin next Monday. The following Monday the new pews will be installed.  Things are really starting to take shape, and we praise the Lord for those who have given sacrificially for this project. I am especially grateful for the fiscal management of my beloved predecessor, Thomas Crichton, who created the financial reserves for this beautification project.

In addition to the refurbished look of the auditorium, the Lord is blessing the atmosphere with new souls being added continually to our church body. We had three more join this week, and we are excited to see how God is working in the lives of our people.

Jenzy, one of our older teenagers, has grown exponentially over the past year. She has been instrumental in inviting her parents to church, and she was a tremendous help during the week of Vacation Bible Time. We recently baptized her, and she became an official member on Sunday.

Joining along with her were Adderlin and Rufus. Rufus is currently working on his Masters at Johnson and Wales in accounting. He is currently working for a financial institution in the Greater Providence area. He and his girlfriend have been a tremendous encouragement to this preacher. We are excited to see their spiritual growth reach a level of official commitment to this assembly.

Our annual church picnic was held at Colt State Park on Saturday. We had a good showing, and it was an enjoyable afternoon. The scenery on the east bay is absolutely breathtaking. The weather was perfect. The guys seemed to enjoy the annual touch football game. Special thanks go to our grill masters – Leo Jones, A. J. Quaite, and Nate Silva.

My daughter April and I were able to have a date downtown yesterday. Because she is interested in political science, we took a brief tour of the state capitol, and while there were able to meet Governor Chafee. He was very gracious and took time to shake our hands. We were reminded of how important it is to pray for our elected officials.

Our two oldest daughters, Ashley and Amy, each begin their teaching careers this month. Ashley will be teaching fourth grade at Temple Christian Academy in Flower Mound, Texas. She joined Temple Baptist Church last Sunday as part of her move to Dallas. We are thankful for the warm reception she has received from her new pastor, Dr. Richard Wallace, and her new boss, Principal John Edmonds.

Amy also begins her teaching career within the next few weeks at Pensacola Christian Academy after she finishes the summer working at the camps at Pensacola Christian College. She also will be teaching upper elementary, and we are thankful that the Lord has opened this door of opportunity for her at one of America’s finest Christian schools.

Please be in prayer as we follow up on the visitors that attended GRIBT on Sunday. We never run out of contacts of people who need the Lord. Your prayers and financial support do mean much to us.