A clutch play on 3rd and long

Isn't it amazing how right when you think you're going to have to back up and punt, God gives you a break-through at just the right moment? That's the way it's been with our apartment ministry at the Brownwood Apt. Phase II Community Room. Attendance has been slack as the folks who followed us over to the new building haven't been attending the on-site ministry at the apartments. In fact, it has been just my family and two kids and their mother.

However, last night, the attendance was not only higher than normal, but Jessica wound up ministering to some ladies who needed to talk. It's always good when God gives you a break-through, letting you know that he's not finished yet.

Mission: Brownwood Update

It looks like the door at Market Place might be closing. There is increased hostility from many of the residents being directed toward my wife and my children (and possibly me, but no one talks to me face to face about it), and attendance has been falling. We plan to begin having Wednesday services at the new building on Wednesday nights... but that won't likely start until August.

Awana is still going strong at Brownwood Apts Phase II, with 12 being in attendance Tuesday. We played Bible Bingo and found out the kids have been retaining their lessons and memory verses very well.

Midweek bulletin

We had 12 at Awana last night, with 5 first time guests. A couple of our core families were out for various reasons.

Beginning next Tuesday, I'll add, yet, another feature to my blog... "How-To Tuesday." Had it not been for the Macedonian Missions Conference at TBI when I was in school, I wouldn't have had a clue as to where to start in getting a mission work started. How-To Tuesday will feature observations and tips I learned the hard way, some that have been offered by those who have been there, and warnings about pitfalls that may come along the way.

AWANA update

We had 11 last night and 2 return visitors at AWANA. YAY!

Big weekend

We have Ken and Barbara Sibley coming to town this weekend. They will be bringing their program to the Market Place Apartments Friday night, the Brownwood Housing Authority Saturday night, and Grace Pointe MBM Sunday Morning.

Market Place Upswing

A number of the people in our Market Place ministry have recovered from their illnesses and are doing great. As such, we had 17 in attendance last night. Included in that number were a couple of visitors from Brady, Tex. who are helping in another ABA mission work.

Mission: Brownwood Jan 09 Report

Grace Pointe MBM Core Group Grows, Solidifies

The core group at Grace Pointe is beginning to grow, as we now have three families committed to the work. Their attendance accounted for 17 in attendance in our morning worship services on Jan. 25. The capacity for the Brownwood Apts. Phase II Community Room is 25, so we are nearing a point where we will have to move to a larger meeting place.

All three families are participating in the ministries at Grace Pointe by teaching in our mid-week youth programs, faithfully attending services and contributing financially to the work. We even have a regular visitor who is bringing friends of her own.

Things are really exciting right now at Grace Pointe MBM, as we are seeing rapid spiritual growth in our members and regular attenders, and see the potential for God to move in big ways in Brownwood.

Rocky Springs MBC Launches Building Fund for Grace Pointe

With the numeric growth, and the possibility of exceeding our capacity at the Brownwood Apts. Phase II Community Room within the next few months, the members of the mission are praying about what God would have us do next.

Our options include renting a nearby elementary school, one of the civic centers, a store front, or a vacated church building. There are currently two vacant church buildings for sale in Brownwood, one in Early (Brownwood’s suburb), and one that may soon hit the market.

While the mission is not in a financial position to rent its own facility at this moment, we are expecting that we will be able to within a few months. We also anticipate purchasing a facility within the next 18 months. With our new children’s ministries coming online, we would prefer to move into a permanent facility.

Therefore, we are asking our sister churches to come through once again for us through one-time love offerings or monthly support designated toward the Brownwood mission building fund. Please send all offerings to our sponsoring church.

Financial Report

SUPPORT RECEIVED
MBA of Texas $1,911
Muse MBC (Grapeland, TX) $200
White Rock MBC (Center, TX) $100
Salmon MBC (Elkhart, TX) $25
58th Ave MBC (Amarillo, TX) $102.30
Hickory Grove MBC (Newport, AR) $82.37
Memory Lane MBC (Palestine, TX) $50
Bassett Rd MBC (Palestine, TX) $75
Denson Springs MBC (Grapeland, TX) $50
Donna Prasatik $150
Quaker Ave MBC (Lubbock, TX) $100
Bethel MBC (Tatum, TX) $50
Rocky Springs MBC (Jacksonville, TX) $150
Wyndrock MBC (Abilene, TX) $40
East Side BC (Jacksonville, TX) $100
Nevill’s Chapel MBC (Mt. Pleasant, TX)$189.92
Hickory Grove MBC (Newport, AR) $70.83
Memorial MBC (Rusk, TX) $400
John Nickle (Rusk, TX) $25
Northcrest BC (Andrews, TX) $300

OFFERING:
Grace Pointe MBM $362

EXPENSES:
Salary $1,000
Housing $700
Health Insurance $211
Total to Missionary: $1,911

Postage $16.80
Supplies from Walmart $25.84
Outreach $59.92

LOOKING FORWARD

Grace Pointe MBM launched her AWANA program Feb. 3 with 15 in attendance. See how the program progresses in next month’s report, or log on to the Mission: Brownwood blog at www.lelandacker.blogspot.com.

Missionary Leland Acker and family will be in attendance at the Southwest Association Mission Rally at 58th Ave MBC in Amarillo in April.

Grace Pointe MBM will host the Southwest Mission Rally in July.

Mission: Brownwood will expand apartment ministries.

More praises

We had 15 tonight for our first night of Awana. I fully expect this program to take off! Canvassing efforts in Northwest Brownwood are also going well. Look for some additions soon!

Praise God

We had 11 in services this morning, this in the face of one rather large family being out with the flu, and one regular being on vacation this week.

Of those that are being faithful in their attendance, I am noticing some rapid spiritual growth. So far, things are going very well at Grace Pointe.

Awanas kick off Tuesday night.

Sunday results

We had 11 in morning worship yesterday morning, with one first-time visitor. We have a regular attender who is getting really good at bringing guests.

We also collected $260 in offerings.

Upcoming plans

Youth Bible classes continue through the end of January on Tuesday nights at the Brownwood Apts. Phase II Community Room, at which time we'll launch the Awana program.

We'll wrap up our series on the early life and ministry of Christ Jan. 25. The sermon series for February is "Extreme Home Makeover for Families." I'm considering doing the Jerusalem Priority in March.

Youth ministry walk-through

We had our first youth program tonight at Brownwood Apts. Phase II. We didn't widely publicize it because we weren't completely organized yet, plus we wanted to try out a couple of things on our own children. All that was expected to show was our core group, which got sick. So, on our first night, we only had 5 in our mid-week youth program. Watch for this number to grow in the same fashion our Sunday morning attendance did.

Good Sunday at Grace Pointe

We had 16 in morning worship today, with one first-time guest. We also collected $102 in offerings.

I preached Matthew 3:13-17, and used the occasion of Jesus being baptized by John to preach on baptism. It was a good Sunday, with good worship and fellowship. It was also nice to be back in the double digits in attendance.

Tough week

We had one family out due to illness and another out due to a family event which left us with 6 in morning services.

We are in contact with new families in hopes that some will join. Things are looking up in 2009.

Market Place Recap

I preached on Fruits Worthy of Repentance last night before a group of 12 at the Market Place apartments. I'm looking forward to my series on the book of Isaiah which begins next Wednesday night.

Catching Up

With the end of the year, I have been frantically running to renew my annual advertising contracts for KSTA radio, plus the usual holiday celebrations (both Christmas and New Year's), weekly outreach canvassing activities, dates with my wife and the preparation of sermons and Bible studies. Thus, I haven't had much blogging time lately.

It seems though, as things are calming down, so I have time to give you an update. One of our regular attendees was in Central Texas last weekend, and another family was sick, so we wound up with 8 people present for the second Sunday morning in a row. While that did shoot down my Morning Worship average for my monthly report, the truth is that I am not doing this work for the sake of filing reports.

Last week, we didn't have services at Market Place due to it being Christmas Eve. We are having services tonight, though.

Currently, we are working to bring more people into the Grace Pointe fold.

Sunday report

It's a blessing to be able to travel home and visit with family and friends for Christmas. We had one family that did just that, and some others weren't feeling well Sunday morning, which resulted in us having 8 in attendance. Still, things are moving in the right direction.

Canvassing efforts

We bought 600 door hangers that read "A New Beginning" and 300 that read "Extreme Home Makeover, Family Edition." The "Extreme Home Makeover" door hangers are for a sermon series I have coming up in February on restoring the family from Nehemiah. We'll be handing out the "New Beginning" hangers throughout the rest of December and January.

Our presence in the apartment complex is pretty interesting. We can hold services, invite people to church, but we've been cautioned against repeated door-knocking. So, we can put out these door hangers every single week.

Today, Jessica and I put out 200 door hangers at the Brownwood Apts I & II complexes, La Villita, and another nameless complex within a stone's throw of the Phase II community room.

Also, we'll begin having midweek services there on Tuesday nights (mostly Awana), as I have gotten clearance from management to use the room on Tuesdays. Management at the apartments has been really responsive, receptive and enthusiastic about our ministry, and we are glad to be able to help.

Sensational Seniors!

We had 17 in our services at Market Place tonight as I preached "Lessons Learned from the Birth of Christ" from Luke 2:1-20.

I. The Humility of Christ.
II. The Peace of Christ
III. The Proclaimation of Christ.

We've had several who have had family members who have passed away, but this has not dampened spirits at Market Place. In fact, one of the ladies there excitedly shouted, "I'm next!"

Grace Pointe on the upswing

We had 18 in attendance this morning, with all who attended last Sunday returning this Sunday. I preached from Matthew 2, my sermon was "Wise men seek Jesus." While the wise men sought Jesus in Matthew 2, all men who seek Jesus are wise men.