Super Missions Sunday!

Missionary Stuart Brown and some of our CFA family

Carpeting the Fellowship Hall

Carpeting the new platform

Great launch to our Missions Convention today!

We had two great services with missionary guests @ CFA. One represents a new church plant yet to be launched in 2009 in Paris, France and the other one represented a children's home in Jamaica. Two different missionaries, but two men sharing the same passion to take this gospel everywhere and to everyone!

This is the greatest week on our church calendar. WE LOVE MISSIONS! We love to interact with missionaries. We love to support missionaries. We love to take on new missionaries at each missions convention. We love to share the gospel with the world! Thrilled that our church was recognized for our missions giving by the Indiana District and placed 1st Place in our division.

We are looking forward to next weekend where we will host the Missions Banquet in our newly restored fellowship hall. It has been four long months since the Flood of '08, but we will be ready to gather our fellowship in this new space and promote the cause of missions around the world. Plus, we will support a local church with our Cash Offering Project that was affected by the flood as well. We have chosen to follow the call of our Master and Lord to give unto others!

Three things on a personal note:

- My wife returned from a week of visiting family in Arkansas. When I returned home from church tonight there she was. Great to have her back home!

- My middle son celebrated his 17th birthday today. Happy Birthday Trenton! We love you.

- My church celebrated Pastor Appreciation Sunday with a card shower today. It was very sweet and thoughtful to be remembered in the midst of all the busyness!

As I promised, I captured a few pictures of the new pews that were installed in the sanctuary this past week. Everyone was happy to have our pews and sanctuary back to normal! Thank you Jesus!

Anticipating a great week! Love to all.

Bam...bam...bam!!!

Looks like a pew graveyard...but they're just ready for a resurrection!!

Lots of parts to assemble for just one pew!!

Before (destroyed by the flood)

After (replaced by our neighbors)

Fence looks beautiful!

The church was alive with activity and focused prayer today!

After dropping off all three kids for school this morning I arrived at the church to discover the carpet guys waiting outside to get into the church. (Now that's a switch...normally I've had to beg, plead and raise my voice to get the carpet guys even to show up...and normally not until after Noon!) This new team of four men came to work and work they did. In fact, they finished the job of carpeting the fellowship hall, overflow room, storage area, closet and library room. Plus they even put up all the cove base too! This new team has been dubbed the "A Team!" Remember them? These guys will get 'er done. They did a fantastic job with all the seams, cut outs, etc.! Bam. Thank you Jesus!!

Then two guys showed up to install new glass in our entry way from Tenth Street. Wasn't expecting them because I had been told they were supposed to come next Wednesday. Well away they went and finished that task. Bam...bam! Wow...another blessing Lord. Thank you!

Then the painter showed up to finish his tasks in these areas as well. In fact, he was kinda bumping into the carpet guys...so I think he's coming back tomorrow to finish up all his work in these spaces. Bam...bam...bam!

Then my custodian was working feverishly to completely clean the sanctuary pews from dust, screws, pew material scraps, etc., from the two guys that finished up the pew installation last evening! Martha and Josh did an awesome job getting things ready for our prayer meeting tonight and our Missions Convention opening service on Sunday! (You can't see the finished pew pics until Sunday night...I want it to be a surprise for our CFA family to see firsthand!)

Then another added bonus occurred today. Remember the fence row that lies between our parking lot and the golf course maintenance building? Well, they replaced it with a new chain link fence! It looks wonderful...as compared to the 45 degree leaning rusted tower of twisted metal that remained from the Flood of '08! Bam...bam...bam! Thank you Jesus for this new replacement fence that borders your property. What a blessing!

Then, as if that wasn't enough, we received a generous check from a church down in Florida in the mail call today. Bam...bam! This on top of everything that happened today. TODAY WAS A GREAT DAY!

Tonight we had our Missions Prayer Concert in the sanctuary with all the new pews. Everybody loved how they looked. Very contemporary and very sharp. We are very proud of how this project turned out. Thanks again Lord. You just blessed my socks off today big-time.

My daughter and I, (since we were the only ones left in our home), worked in my office after dinner unpacking boxes and boxes of my things that have been stored since the flood. Lots of cleaning...lots of placement on my new bookshelves...lots of work...but it's all good! Love how it all looks now. First class...first rate!

I'm missing my wife. She's visiting her family down in Arkansas and comes home on Sunday night. Wonder if I can get the house back into tip-top Tammy shape. You gotta know my wife...she's very particular when it comes to her home!

Have a great weekend! We start our Annual Missions Convention this Sunday. It's our greatest week of the year.

Lots of love.

We got pews!

The shipment of our new pews arrived today!

We witnessed another busy day of rebuilding activity @ CFA. As we get nearer to the date of our Missions Banquet more and more tasks are being completed. The banquet will be the first event in our newly renovated fellowship hall! We can't wait till we celebrate that day with our dedicated missionaries and the great people of Columbus First Assembly!

The electricians were in today and continued working on specific projects around the facility. Listen to this: Our electrician had to rewire some outdated wiring and found that the possibility of a real fire hazard existed with exposed wires. In fact, the insulation on the wire had already been burned up. Thank you Lord for pointing the electrician in the direction of this faulty and dangerous wiring set-up!

The contractors were in today and installed a new wood door in the sanctuary, as well as a double door unit for our new storage closet in the fellowship hall. Plus the new plywood stage was completed with glue and nailing the top boards down.

We also received the clearances from both fire and city officials to occupy the next phase of our regional worship center. Very happy to gain occupancy of this large and spacious ministry area.

The new bookcases for my office were delivered and installed today. Thank you Jesus...I can now start unloading my 15 or so boxes of books and things that were cluttering up my new office!

Plus, the truck and trailer carrying our newly built church pews arrived today from Missouri. The guys unloaded the trailer piece by piece and are beginning to assemble each pew for installation and anchoring in the new couple of days. We WILL have new pews for the start of our World Missions Convention this Sunday! Thank you Jesus!

Yesterday the first of the carpet went down in the fellowship hall, but once again we've got more issues with the carpet company. Their pledge: they promise to be done by Friday! Don't forget all the problems we went through for the sanctuary wing...

Yesterday I received a large check from a dynamic church in Missouri. The Lord continues to use people, pastors and churches to send contributions for our Flood Fund. The need for our overall gifts once again totals $350,000. That's what we'll need to rebuild DEBT FREE. Listen, our hope is in Jehovah-Jireh...maker of heaven and earth...not the U.S. Congress! Little by little we are seeing the miracle unfold before our eyes.

We also received a sizable gift through our website online giving feature. If you would like to help us get back into the 2/3 of our unfinished facilities that lie damaged by the Flood of '08 you can go to our website @ www.columbusfirstassembly.org. Thanks for caring enough to send your gift quickly and carefully! May the Lord bless you abundantly in return!

Enjoyed a fun mid-week service tonight. Put our group into teams and gave them the CFA Missions Convention Quiz. We remembered lots of great highlights in years leading up to this one. Thank the Lord for growth in each successive year!

We have another busy day tomorrow and the rest of this week. Gotta get ready for the greatest week on our church calendar...the Annual Missions Convention!

Much love to all.

Army of Compassion!

Tonight we brought an army of compassion over to another flooded out church!

It was an amazing display of Christian love and service towards our neighbor church...Seventh Street Church of God. We promoted this volunteer service event that coincides with our Fall Missions Convention. Our church wanted to bless this local congregation that is just three blocks away from our church campus at 10th & Iowa Streets. Scenes inside their buildings are reminiscent of what it looked like in ours: exposed stud walls, new drywalled areas, mudded areas, concrete floors, a platform that is down to the plywood sheets, etc., etc.!

We had a strong group of 20 energetic workers that showed up to work. Plus we were thrilled to have the men's group from Attica A/G serving alongside with us. It was an awesome night! We made a big difference in the work that our volunteers accomplished both inside the church and outside with the landscaping side as well! The Kingdom of God was advanced through willing hearts and lives this evening.

While we were working outside two LDS missionaries on bicycles stopped to see if they could help. Guess what I did? I put them to work. And they worked hard with their white shirts and clipped ties too. When they were finished I had our group stop and pray for them. It was a powerful time where we held hands in a large circle and prayed over them. Touch them Lord Jesus!

Back at our regional worship center we also rejoiced in a historic moment in the rebuilding of the 2/3 of our facilities that remains to be finished. The electric guys were back today and when I checked on them mid-morning...guess what?...the lights were on!! Not a big deal maybe for you, but when you've been without power for almost 4 months...THAT'S A BIG DEAL FOR US! I was ecstatic to see the fellowship hall lights on...WOW! Thank you Jesus! Little by little we move forward and possess more of the unfinished land that must be claimed.

It's going to be a great weekend. May you look up and rejoice in your Redeemer. Our Redeemer LIVES. Praise the name of the Lord.

Love to all!

Hooking up to the power!

Painter painting...

New storage area...

Before...

After.

New exit lights...

New electrical panels.

Ashlyn and her daddy!

Not bad for my first shot in over a year!!

Watch out Tiger Woods!

Our new little friend along for the ride...

That was a short visit!!

Today our electricians came to work on our electrical panels in the basement and also the fellowship hall!

For almost four months we have been without power in the fellowship hall. The Flood of 2008 drowned the two panels in the basement and consequently power was cut off. Remember when I was about to pull my hair out when the circuit breakers kept turning the power off to our command center? This happened because we had a string of extension cords coming out of the fellowship hall area and plugging in to the new sanctuary wing.

This morning I was excited to see Tracy and Brian get started on restoring power to portions of our unused and unfinished ministry facilities in that part of the buildings. The two panels were replaced in the basement mechanical room and new electric lines were run to the new storage area that is adjacent to our new platform in the fellowship hall. Once again...signs of progress puts a big smile on my face! Tracy told me that he will be finished with this project tomorrow evening. I can't wait to turn on a light switch in this area or plug in a tape player in a newly restored outlet. Sounds a little funny...but when you've been in my shoes it will make you shout to have power available once again!!

Painting in the three soon to be occupied areas (fellowship hall, overflow room, library and new storage space) should be finished up either tomorrow or Saturday. Then my sound guy will be coming to finish his work on the new sound design for our new stage. Then the carpet installers are set to come early next week to lay down the carpet! Wow...this has been an amazing transformation for these ministry areas from what they used to be before the flood! Thank you Lord for the improvements we were able to make!

Since my daughter had a half day of school today I thought I would surprise her with a trip to the golf course for 18 holes. She really enjoys playing with her daddy and we have a great time when we get the chance. This is the first time in over a year that I got out the clubs!! We invited Terry to play with us and we all had an enjoyable afternoon. We even had some great shots...plus lots of duffers too!! What do you expect? It's golf!!

Tomorrow night we are scheduled to go over and help Seventh Street Church of God. We have a good-sized group to bring some encouragement and assistance to their flooded-out church.

Our church was recently featured on K-LOVE, a Christian radio station. You can find the interview and story, "Back After The Flood," at their website: K-LOVE. (You will click on the next page link to Only on K-LOVE...it will be on that next page!)

One more thing: This past Tuesday while I was conducting our staff meeting we had a surprise visit from an A/G missionary who was driving through on his way to Louisville. He felt the Lord told him to stop and encourage me with his visit and also write out a check for our Flood Fund. Now when was the last time you had a missionary do that for you? A sign that God is with us and meeting our needs!

You can join the growing team of individuals and churches who are helping us to get back into our complete regional worship center facilities. Click on the online giving link @ www.columbusfirstassembly.org Thanks in advance for your gift of support!

Going to enjoy the rest of my half day off...hard to take a full day anymore these days!

Love to all.

Drop me a line...send me an email...leave a comment. I love to hear from you...all over the country and around the world!!