Even though it was a long day, the team remained composed and at peace that God was in control. The accommodations at this local SBC church were nice and we thank Pastor Bob Hower and the church family for their generous hospitality!
Day 2 - what a wonderful opportunity to worship this
morning with this young church plant! The spirit of The Lord was greatly felt
and experienced through songs and the message presented by Pastor Doug Hixson!
It was also exciting to see how many young people and couples who were part of
this ministry.
After a shopping trip to Wal-Mart for our week's
supplies, we headed back to our base in Piedmont for rest and preparation for
the week's activities.
Day 3 - we began with a devotion and orientation at
Connection Church's office in downtown Spearfish. After receiving instructions,
we divided up into teams to deliver invitations to every house in the town of
Sturgis. There are approximately 6,600 residents here so there would be around
2,000 homes to visit in three days!
There are two objectives to providing block parties in
this town, known primarily for hosting the largest, annual motorcycle rally in
the world. They expect almost one million visitors during this year's rally,
their 75th celebration.One objective is to connect with residents who are immediately looking for a church home. Spearfish is only about 15 miles away so it is close enough for folks to attend services with Connection Church there.
The second objective would be to connect folks with a small group that is currently meeting in Sturgis. There has been identified a church planter for a new Connection church plant in the near future and it is important for him to connect with as many people in Sturgis as possible.
Over 800 invitations were delivered through morning and afternoon visits. It was so encouraging, for the two teams who had traveled to S.D. on mission, to be greeted so warmly by the residents of Sturgis!
The weather didn't cooperate well with the plans for the block party as it rained most of the day. However, it stopped for the two hours of the block party and we knew that even these details did not escape the mind of Christ. Those whom Christ wanted to be there came and were ministered to in a way that could not been accomplished had there been a large crowd.
Day 4 - after our daily devotions together, over 1,000
invitations were delivered through the two sessions of walking the streets of
this community. Again it was so encouraging to see the receptivity of the
residents and the many who accepted an invitation to pray for them, for many
reasons.
The weather was much better today even though there had
been a high likelihood of rain for most of the day. As a result, we registered
322 people! Connection Church Spearfish and the local small group leaders made
many meaningful contacts and fun was had by everyone!It was a joy to have to return to the nearest store twice to purchase more items for the party. We have been so blessed to have served with the wonderful folks from First Baptist Gruver, Texas, and all the folks associated with Connection Church!
Day 5 - another great start of the day as we had our
daily devotion in our church group and then a large group devotion at the park
where the block parties are being held. It was encouraging and inspiring to
hear the testimonies of team members of divine appointments that God had
provided to speak into the lives of those who are far from Him.
Not sure how many invites were passed out today as we were
trying to be sure all the homes had been visited. It has been a beautiful
picture of the body of Christ as multiple churches have come together for
Kingdom purposes!