The members of the women's Bible study class who recently finished Beth Moore's "Stepping Up: A Journey through the Psalms of Ascent" presented their banner program again last night - and this time I brought a camera.
If you came here looking for the blog for the 2008 Ukraine Mission Blog, it's over at www.IllinoisHistory.com/Ukraine.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
15 Set to Go on Ukraine Mission Trip
Eight members of Second Baptist Church in Marion are set to take off on the 2008 Ukraine Mission Trip Tuesday, July 8.
We'll be joined by two from First Baptist Church in DuQuoin, one from First Baptist Church of Andulusia, Alabama; two from Southwest Baptist Seminary and two additional family members of the seminary students (a father in one case and a son in the other).
I'm going to try to post updates along the way. Like the last time in 2006 they will be found at www.IllinoisHistory.com/Ukraine. Click on this link for the latest posts as well as links to the 2006 posts and those from my visit to Chernivtsi last fall.
If this works, you will also be able to see all of the posts listed below by their headlines. All you will need to do is click on the headline to read it. However this may not be as up-to-date as the blog itself.
We'll be joined by two from First Baptist Church in DuQuoin, one from First Baptist Church of Andulusia, Alabama; two from Southwest Baptist Seminary and two additional family members of the seminary students (a father in one case and a son in the other).
I'm going to try to post updates along the way. Like the last time in 2006 they will be found at www.IllinoisHistory.com/Ukraine. Click on this link for the latest posts as well as links to the 2006 posts and those from my visit to Chernivtsi last fall.
If this works, you will also be able to see all of the posts listed below by their headlines. All you will need to do is click on the headline to read it. However this may not be as up-to-date as the blog itself.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Scripture by Tom Fields
PSALMS 96:
Oh, sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations, his wonders among all peoples.
For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols; but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Give unto the Lord, O ye kindred of the peoples; give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; fear before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations that the Lord reigneth. The world also shall be established that it shall not be moved; he shall judge the peoples righteously.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof.
Let the field be joyful and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the forest rejoice.
Before the Lord; for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth; he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
Oh, sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations, his wonders among all peoples.
For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols; but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Give unto the Lord, O ye kindred of the peoples; give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; fear before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations that the Lord reigneth. The world also shall be established that it shall not be moved; he shall judge the peoples righteously.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof.
Let the field be joyful and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the forest rejoice.
Before the Lord; for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth; he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Sandy Gibbon's Testimony
I've been a believer, of Jesus Christ, my precious Savior, since I was nine years old. I've belonged to many churches and have been surrounded by a great many witnesses of the power of Jesus in their lives. I have heard countless testimonies of people who have lived and suffered every kind of circumstances in their lives that has drawn them to Jesus. I've seen many have life changing situations that came because of Jesus' power. They accepted by faith in the fact that He came to earth as a person, lived and ministered to people here on earth, was crucified and raised from the dead on the third day and then was here for 40 more days and left earth and lives at the right hand of God. He's not just some figure-head but He sits there and talks to His Father about you and I and wants so desperately, as does, His Father, God to be in and among us and give us a life that is abundant and free and beyond what we could imagine. No fairy tale but a real life with the purpose to love Him more as He loves us more and prepares us to live with Him in a place that He is now preparing for us for all eternity. I am one of those witness, too.
I praise God because of all He has done in my life and has placed me in a church that is not only loving but seeks to draw others to God and build those who are part of the church for that time when all those who believe that Jesus is who He says He is and that He did die, was raised and ever lives to help us in our daily lives. On that glorious day when I depart this life however it may be I will be in the presence of my dear Savior and my lovingly Heavenly Father and will sing His praises forevermore.
It is a privilege for me to be a part of Second Baptist Church and I'm thankful for a loving God who has given me a church family to love and care for me. To Him be the glory!
I praise God because of all He has done in my life and has placed me in a church that is not only loving but seeks to draw others to God and build those who are part of the church for that time when all those who believe that Jesus is who He says He is and that He did die, was raised and ever lives to help us in our daily lives. On that glorious day when I depart this life however it may be I will be in the presence of my dear Savior and my lovingly Heavenly Father and will sing His praises forevermore.
It is a privilege for me to be a part of Second Baptist Church and I'm thankful for a loving God who has given me a church family to love and care for me. To Him be the glory!
Michelle Dorris's Testimony
One of my favorite verses:
He gives strength to the weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:29-31
I like these verses because even when I feel I can not go any further God is there for me. When I put my faith in Him he will give me the strength I need to continue. Not just a small amount of strength, but enough strength to soar as an eagle.
What an awesome God we have!
He gives strength to the weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:29-31
I like these verses because even when I feel I can not go any further God is there for me. When I put my faith in Him he will give me the strength I need to continue. Not just a small amount of strength, but enough strength to soar as an eagle.
What an awesome God we have!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Laura Palmowski's Testimony
It is a wonderful privilege to write out my testimony, but at the same time, somewhat difficult in knowing where to begin.
I too was raised in a Christian family. I remember as a little girl listening to and learning Bible stories written on little cards. We attended church all through my grade school and high school years, but my father had passed away when I was in the seventh grade.
Sometimes I look back and wonder why I did not receive Christ as my personal Savior during this time, but I didn’t. it wasn’t until I was thirty-three years old that I took that step to the altar and accepted Jesus as my Savior. It was a tremendous relief because I had realized for a very, very long time that I was definitely an “unsaved” person.
During my thirties and some of my forties my personal like was stormy and turbulent. Sometimes life seemed plenty stressful.
When I first read the poem, “THE FOOTPRINT OF GOD”, it seemed to apply directly to me and I quote,
“God…you said you’d stay by me in the good times and in bad.
Why then did you leave me each time my life was sad?”
“My precious child,” God answered “When your life had pain,
I knew;
the single set of footprints was the times I carried you.”
When I look back to those years, I now understand that God was there all along and he brought me through.
I feel very grateful for these past ten years. As my spiritual maturity has grown, so have God’s blessing in all areas of my life.
My husband and I joined Second Baptist in January of 2003 and we both agree that our Sunday school class and Second Baptist in general, has really enhanced and impacted our spiritual growth.
God offers the gift of eternal life to all. Pray to Jesus, acknowledge that he died for your sins and rose from the dead. Ask him to forgive you of your sins and to be your Lord and Savior. Ask him to guide your life from now on. God made the plan of Salvation so simple that even a child understand it.
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.
Tom Hartwell's Testimony
Tom Hartwell's Testimony
As I read the words of all the testimonies posted on this site a fact was reaffirmed to me that brought me to tears.
At 308 South Russell, stands an empty building. It is an attractive place, complete with steeple, stained glass windows, many new rooms and a huge gym. It was indeed built to be a house of God, but it is just a huge, empty, building, UNTIL, these dear people step into it! Then it becomes a CHURCH, -"OUR CHURCH"! Full of people we love, people we trust, people that we are always happy to see. There are people here that we have literally trusted with the lives of our children, trusting that they will be taught about Jesus in the way that they should be taught. We trust that when our child makes a commitment to Christ that their little minds are cultivated, watered and nurtured so they will grow stronger in the ways of the Lord.
We have so many loving, talented people that it's hard to list them all. We have teachers, preachers, singers, musicians, nursery workers, cooks, laborers, encouragers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, missionaries, someone to represent almost every skill that you can think of!
Most importantly, these people are here not only because the church has something to offer them, but because they have something to offer the church! The church doesn't EXIST without talented people who WANT to work for Jesus!
You are so grateful for your salvation and for all the blessing that God bestows on you that you WANT to work for Him so other people will experience the same thing. That is EXACTLY the way God intended it to be!! What if God gave His Son to die for us, and nobody cared?!! But YOU PEOPLE CARE!!
I've seen you all cry and suffer when one of our dear friends is called home but that is only as it should be. I've seen it written..."We enter this world crying while our friends stand around us smiling. We should try to live our lives so that when we leave this world smiling our friends stand around us crying."
You guys all demonstrate that kind of love, a kind of love that all churches do not have!I have felt this love grow stronger because of these revival preparations.While I think there is no better church than this one, I think God is in the process of showing us that we have become complacent about getting lost people here to hear the message that all of you are working so hard to share. I believe we will do better at that in the future. They are not here only because they haven't been asked.
I have been a member here for almost 60 years. I think about my CHURCH often, and always with pleasure.
As I read the words of all the testimonies posted on this site a fact was reaffirmed to me that brought me to tears.
At 308 South Russell, stands an empty building. It is an attractive place, complete with steeple, stained glass windows, many new rooms and a huge gym. It was indeed built to be a house of God, but it is just a huge, empty, building, UNTIL, these dear people step into it! Then it becomes a CHURCH, -"OUR CHURCH"! Full of people we love, people we trust, people that we are always happy to see. There are people here that we have literally trusted with the lives of our children, trusting that they will be taught about Jesus in the way that they should be taught. We trust that when our child makes a commitment to Christ that their little minds are cultivated, watered and nurtured so they will grow stronger in the ways of the Lord.
We have so many loving, talented people that it's hard to list them all. We have teachers, preachers, singers, musicians, nursery workers, cooks, laborers, encouragers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, missionaries, someone to represent almost every skill that you can think of!
Most importantly, these people are here not only because the church has something to offer them, but because they have something to offer the church! The church doesn't EXIST without talented people who WANT to work for Jesus!
You are so grateful for your salvation and for all the blessing that God bestows on you that you WANT to work for Him so other people will experience the same thing. That is EXACTLY the way God intended it to be!! What if God gave His Son to die for us, and nobody cared?!! But YOU PEOPLE CARE!!
I've seen you all cry and suffer when one of our dear friends is called home but that is only as it should be. I've seen it written..."We enter this world crying while our friends stand around us smiling. We should try to live our lives so that when we leave this world smiling our friends stand around us crying."
You guys all demonstrate that kind of love, a kind of love that all churches do not have!I have felt this love grow stronger because of these revival preparations.While I think there is no better church than this one, I think God is in the process of showing us that we have become complacent about getting lost people here to hear the message that all of you are working so hard to share. I believe we will do better at that in the future. They are not here only because they haven't been asked.
I have been a member here for almost 60 years. I think about my CHURCH often, and always with pleasure.
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