Revival in Winter Haven, Florida

This Sunday, March 27 through Wednesday evening, March 30 I will be leading revival services at the Lake Shipp Baptist Church. The Interim Pastor there is my dear friend Hilton Davis. Hilton is serving this church for the second time as their Interim Pastor, previously serving as their Interim pastor in 2007-2008. Lake Shipp is a great group of God's people who are facing a trenmendous opportunity to reach their community with the Gospel.

In October 2007 I had the honor of leading this wonderful church in revival. In that meeting we had 18 saved, baptized six and had 28 other public decisions. God poured out His Spirit with excellent crowds at each service.

Pray that God will revive us again.

Attempting to connect the dots…

Wayne
Romans 1:16

Quotable:
“Revival is a sovereign work of God that he chooses to allow us to participate in.”
~ RWB

The Greatest Challenge

What is the greatest challenge the church faces today? I am certain there are a multitude of responses to this question. Allow me to weigh in.
This week I read a guest post http://peterlumpkins.typepad.com/peter_lumpkins/ by Howell Scott on the blog of Peter Lumpkins. While this post deals with some of the controversy swirling in Southern Baptist life today (there is always controversy). It caused me to consider what I believe to be the greatest challenge the local church faces. This challenge reaches across the broad methodological, philosophical and polity diveresities of Southern Baptist life. The chasm between the nominally committed church member and the actively committed church member seems to be growing.

Those nominally committed church member attends when it is convenient, gives when there is excess, picks and chooses what he/she will support or participate in, complains when things are not done with their total agreement and too often expect nothing to ever change.

While the actively committed church member attends faithfully, gives sacrificially, participates as needed, has a positive spirit and recognizes that things are changing all the time.

The work of the church is not done by a professional clergy performing for its congregants but by a committed laity set on fire for Christ. The greatest need of the church is for the nominally committed member to become an actively committed member. When this happens the church becomes a missional force for our Savior.

By the way, I think Howell Scott has hit very close to home.

Attempting to connect the dots…

Wayne
Romans 1:16

Quotable:
“There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”
~ Unknown

Dr. David C. Hall

Wednesday evening, February 23, Ruthi’s father, Dr. David C. Hall was promoted to heaven. These past several days I have had had time to consider Dr. Hall’s impact on my life. In many ways my relationship with Dr. Hall was unique. It began when he extended a gospel invitation during a revival service and I received Christ. He baptized me and became my pastor. As my pastor he challenged me to follow Christ and nurtured within me a passion to see people saved. He led the Seminole Heights Baptist Church in Tampa, Florida to employ me on their staff and to ordain me to the ministry. He gave me Ruthi’s hand in marriage. I served as his Assistant Pastor for seven years. Then God led me to my first pastorate and I became a neighboring pastor. Not only did he preach revivals in churches where I pastored; I preached for him. On several occasions we shared the platform at evangelism conferences and simultaneous revival events. Most of what I know about the ministry and reaching people for Christ I learned serving with him. It is obvious that Dr. Hall had a tremendous influence upon my life and for that I shall be eternally grateful.

Dr. Hall’s life cast a lasting shadow across the Southern Baptist Convention in his generation. The churches he pastored averaged baptizing more than 200 people per year for more than 50 years of ministry. He was the finest local church evangelist I had the pleasure to know. He was an innovator long before church innovation was in vogue. He was an outstanding student of God’s Word reading through the Bible once every 21 days in retirement. He was an outstanding preacher and prolific writer.

While much could be said of his accomplishments, possibly his most important accomplishment will be overlooked. In each church he pastored scores of young men and women committed their life to Christian ministry and our still active serving the Lord. All across the Southern Baptist Convention there are pastors, staff members, minister’s wives, denominational workers and missionaries who trace the sense of call to ministry and/or the encouragement to follow ministry to Dr. Hall. Because of this his ministry continues even though He has gone from us. I am glad to have been one of his “preacher boys.”

Please pray for his dear wife of 67 years, Marcine, for Ruthi and the other siblings, David C. Hall, Jr., Dr. Judi Briant, Mary Sue Clark and Dr. Mark Hall as they adjust to his being gone from our presence.

Attempting to connect the dots…

Wayne
Romans 1:16

Quotable:
“Our greatest life investment is in the people we influence for Christ.”
~ RWB