June 4, 2014

The Lord blessed us with a tremendous May. The weather finally started to break, and this had a positive influence on church attendance. The bus ministry had a “Bring Your Friends & Family” push which resulted in dozens of new riders. We are thankful for Leo Jones and our dedicated bus staff.

Tony Barbosa graduated from New England School of the Bible on May 4. Dr. Jim Townsley and several faculty members joined Greater Rhode Island Baptist Temple for the commencement exercises. Dr. Townsley preached a great message and a reception was held for Tony after church. In spite of the fact that Tony is battling cancer, he finished his studies with bulldog tenacity. We are eagerly anticipating what the Lord will do in Brother Barbosa’s life. Do pray for him as he finishes up his chemotherapy treatments.

In addition to Tony, Matt Dillon graduated from Crown College of the Bible with his Bachelor of Biblical Studies in Pastoral Theology. What a great thrill it is to see men from our church studying for the ministry!

In the middle of May, I had the privilege of traveling to Heartland Baptist Bible College in Oklahoma City to be one the speakers at their annual Graduation Preaching Conference. Sam Davison and Jeff Copes were great hosts. In spite of the fact that storms rerouted my plane into Tulsa, Jamie Jett, one of the profs at Heartland, stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to pick me up. The Lord blessed the meeting as I made many new friends. I also was able to spend time with Dan Imondi, a student at Heartland from our church. We were able to celebrate his birthday while there. Pray for Dan as he works at Southland Christian Camp this summer.

GRIBT was also pleased to welcome Chuck Meade, a ministerial student at Crown College who is serving as a summer intern for us. Chuck will be involved in various educational, ministerial, and physical projects this summer. He has a wonderful servant’s heart, and we are thankful to have him with us.

I met with Pastor George Warren, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Pascoag, Rhode Island, to discuss the Christian education scene in Rhode Island. We are in the process of beginning preliminary studies as to how we can impact this market. Exciting days are ahead!  Stay tuned!

Baptismal waters were stirred twice this month. Claudine Miudo was invited to church by Francisco and Rachel Nunez. We had the privilege of leading Claudine to Christ. She publicly identified with Christ through baptism that night.

Nicholas Beard recently graduated from college. He is the son of Janet Beard, the first person I baptized after coming to Rhode Island. Many in our church have been praying for Nick’s salvation. He was under conviction and asked if he could talk to me after church this past Lord’s Day. Rand Hummel, our guest speaker was mightily used of God, and Nick didn’t wait till the appointment. He walked the aisle and trusted Christ. He followed the Lord in baptism that night.

The month was brought to summation with our First Annual Men’s Conference, A Band of Men. Nearly 300 registrants from every state in New England attended. Dr. Clarence Sexton, Dr. Jim Schettler, and Dr. Rand Hummel all brought timely messages. We are still receiving positive comments from the weekend.

Thank you for your prayers and support of this ministry. We are not making budget and things are tight this year as gifts that normally hit in the spring have not been forthcoming. If God should lead you to contribute to this shortfall, we would be honored.