This is Ross Graham reporting the December 28, 2005 edition of Home Missions Today. God is using your prayers to develop the ministries of Orthodox Presbyterian mission works across North America.
AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA—Attendance at Providence OPC in Aiken, South Carolina, has been steady with an average of 30 people per Sunday for the last five months. Organizing pastor Mark Larson reports, "We do not have an overwhelming number of visitors, but we have averaged about two per month." The pastor has just concluded a seventeen-sermon series on the distinctives of the Reformed faith during morning worship, and he just completed a series of sermons on Elijah the prophet during evening worship. The church recently began a Covenant Family Sunday School class for the families of the church. The congregation's major outreach and evangelism effort in the fall has been a home Bible study on the book of Galatians. In February of 2006, the church plans to set up a booth to distribute free water and Reformed literature at the annual reenactment of the Battle of Aiken—one of the engagements in which the Confederates prevailed during the "War Between the States." The congregation is hopeful that some of the winter snowbirds that spend their winter in Aiken (home of the world series of polo and home for thousands of race horses) will make Providence their temporary church home. Mark and his family are happy to be ministering in what many have called "the most beautiful place on earth."
BUCKSPORT, MAINE—The congregation of Penobscot Bay OPC is thankful for the Lord's mercies in 2005, including the first six months of organizing pastor Russell J. Hamilton's ministry with them. Worship attendance remains stable. A Sunday school class for very young children has been studying the Kids' Quest catechism program. All others participate in a class using G. I. Williamson's study guide on the Shorter Catechism. Pastor Hamilton has initiated a series of twice-a-month Bible studies to which students and faculty at the Maine Maritime Academy in nearby Castine are invited. Please pray that advertising in area papers will draw in visitors, that recent contacts will become faithful worshipers, and that the Lord would provide a larger worship facility for the congregation.
DALLAS (NORTHEAST), TEXAS—Faith Presbyterian Church and her pastor Chad Bond continue to give thanks for the Lord's blessings. Several new individuals have begun to attend worship regularly in recent months. The two outreach Bible studies have also welcomed some new visitors recently. During the month of November an advertisement for the OPC aired every Monday through Friday right after the broadcast of the R. C. Sproul program "Renewing Your Mind" on a major Christian radio station in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. Chad reports that he has enjoyed following up on new contacts in northeast Dallas who have expressed an interest in learning more about the OPC as a result of this ad. Pray that another membership class might begin in the near future and that regular visitors will desire to join the church.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA—Pray for safe travel and a time of rich fellowship, refreshment, learning, and encouragement as the men who began their OP church planting ministries in 2005 meet together with the Home Missions staff for the Annual Home Missions Training Conference at Pilgrim OPC in Raleigh on January 9-12.
Look for the next edition of Home Missions Today on Wednesday, January 11 or call 215/830-9424 ext. 46.
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