Brooks Avenue Missions - Yadkinville, NC Outreach - 24-Aug-2003 Letter
Our Shepherds: Ray Rawley Eddie Thomas Willard |
617 |
October 24, 2003
Elders/Missions Committee
Brooks Ave. Church of Christ
700 Brooks Ave.
Raleigh, NV 27607
RE: 2nd and 3rd Quarter Report
Dear Brothers,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus. We trust and pray that God is blessing your labors in His kingdom. Let me first apologize for not getting the second quarter report to you before now. Summer is the busiest time of the year for me. I kept thinking, “I’ll get that report done as soon as things settle down.” Well, you know how that is. It was well into the third quarter before things started “settling down.” By that time I thought I would just include the second quarter with the third quarter report. I hope this does not cause you any inconvenience, and again, I do apologize.
It has been an up and down year for us to date. The Sunday worship attendance
for the second quarter was 57.1, down a bit from previous quarters. We had an
unusual amount of illness in the congregation over a period of two to three
months, and in a small congregation that can significantly impact attendance
figures. There were, however, some very positive things that happened during
the second quarter. First, there were three baptisms. Two of them were a couple
that I had married about 12 years ago and studied with during that time. Circumstances
in their lives had led them to begin visiting with us again earlier in the year
and they made the decision to commit to Christ in May. The third was one of
our young teens, a young man with a surprisingly tender heart for God for someone
his age.
Also in May, we hosted our annual Small Church Workshop. This year we were blessed
with record attendance of over 50 for the workshop. It was a time filled with
strong, practical messages from the Scriptures, wonderful fellowship, and truly
inspiring worship. Many who have attended the workshop for years felt that it
was one of the best we have ever hosted.
For the third quarter, the average worship attendance increased to 64. That
can be attributed in large measure to improved health for some of our members
and an increase in visitors to our assembly. We’ve been greatly encouraged
by the people God has led to us. There was also another baptism during this
period, bringing the number to four for the year to date. During this time we
also started a Prayer Team that meets every other week that is devoted to praying
for people and issues directly related to the church here. That is in addition
to the time we already devote to corporate prayer every Wednesday night.
Over the past few months we have had a number of people struggling with intense
personal issues. Two have been struggling with substance abuse and addiction
and have sought professional help. Both are doing much better at this time,
although one of them has moved back to West Virginia to be closer to her family.
We have another family that is facing the strong possibility of financial bankruptcy
due to a failed business. Three others have lost their jobs in the past 18 months
(two of them when Sara Lee closed down its Yadkinville plant). Yet, these difficulties
have strengthened the faith of all those involved.
Financially, we have faced a struggle the past six months. Our weekly giving
has been running nearly $150 a week under budget for the year to date (*we are
about $4,000 under budget for the year, which is a very significant amount for
a church our size). It has improved in recent weeks since the elders made this
known at our quarterly family meeting, but it has still not reached budgeted
levels. Over the past few years we have been cutting back on our outside support
and had hoped to be financially self-supporting by this time, but the economic
situation of the past two years has significantly impacted our area (which relies
heavily on textiles and tobacco farming) and our church family. Therefore, we
are requesting that you continue your support of the Yadkinville church for
one more year at the current level. If you cannot help with that amount, any
amount will be deeply appreciated. We are committed to becoming self-supporting
as soon as possible and will be trimming our own budget as much as we can for
2004.
All of us here continue to be deeply grateful for the encouragement and support
of the Brooks Ave. church the past few years. You have been an instrument of
God’s grace to us. If you would like for any of us to come and meet with
the committee in upcoming weeks to discuss our needs and answer any questions,
we would be more than happy to do that! Our prayers and hearts are with your
ministry, just as we seek yours for ours.
For the church,
Dennis Conner
*Note added 1-1-04.
no information removed for privacy reasons
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