Looking Forward to Sunday

Blogging just hasn't fit into the schedule this week. Things have been pretty busy. We've had a ton of people in and out of the hospital including some pretty major stuff. (It is amazing how these things seem to go in spurts.) Everyone seems to be doing fairly well now. Pastor Wally and I are about to head to Columbus for a surgery this morning, but it is expected to go well too.

I'm looking forward to Sunday. In the morning I will be preaching from Acts 17:11 a message titled, "How To Receive The Word of God." Sunday evening, I will be preaching from Ruth 1.

I know the city's big patriotic celebration happens Sunday evening, but I've got a plan. Come to church for the six o'clock service, then around seven, we can all just walk together from the church over to the celebration and get there just in time for the kids to play, the adults to have a pop and a coney or maybe a brat (for my southern readers, email me and I'll explain what those are), then we can watch the fireworks show from the field behind the church...

If you have password access to the prayer wall, keep a check on it through the day for medical updates on members having surgery.

Pastor Noel

What A Weekend!!!

Great weekend. What a joy it was to celebrate our 50th Anniversary as a church. I met people who had traveled from Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, and all parts of Ohio to be with us for the weekend.

Former pastor Ferguson and Hix did an outstanding job preaching in our Saturday evening service. For members and music pastors did a great job singing. Our 50th Anniversary team could not have put together a better weekend for our church.

They tell me we had nearly 400 people in worship on Saturday evening, and although I don't have the official numbers yet this morning, it seemed like we had twice that on Sunday morning.

Thanks to all who made the weekend what it was!

Pastor Noel

Current Events

Today's News Headline:

New US church leader says homosexuality no sin

I will discuss this and give a 'convention report' in our upcoming Wednesday night service.

Pastor Noel

50th Anniversary

I thank the Lord for the sweet spirit we had in our services yesterday and especially in the business meetting last night. One person made a profession of faith in the AM service, that was good news. It was great to hear Bill Marriot share about his brother and sister-in-law making a profession of faith last week. That was a real answer to prayer. I was really encouraged by the response of the church when I shared in the morning service the parking lot details that I shared in the previous blog.

Overall, it was a pretty good Sunday.

This is a busy week upcoming, especially with our 50th Anniversary Services this weekend. We will have a great time this week. I'll try to list the ministers who will be returning for the weekend in a blog later in the week.

Pray that all will go well.

Pastor Noel

P.S. For my FBC Heath readers... remember Margaret Williams' open heart surgery scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday).

Praising God for a Parking Lot

I pulled into the church this morning and finally got to see the completed parking lot. It looks so good. The water/drainage problem is solved; new striping; new parking surface for part of the lot; resealing for part of the lot...

To some this may not seem like a big deal, but it is! How long have we struggled with the drainage problems and the eye sore? How long has the poor condition of our parking lot been a bad reflection on the excellence and majesty of the Lord we serve? How long have the parking and drainage needs hung over the finances of our church like a dark cloud?

I praise God for His provision. This is an example of what God can do through His people when we are obedient and sacrificial. All total the renovation will total somewhere just under $50,000. (We will have a finacial statement available soon.) We did this, along with all of the other improvements and the welcome center, while at the same time paying about seven times more toward our indebtedness than we did in the same time last year. And we have done all this with CASH over and above our budget! Just in the past three weeks, you have contributed over $6,000 further to this project!

Thank you for your willingness; your faithfullness... and His Goodness!

Pastor Noel

Convention Finale

Great finale! Sixteen hundred person choir, Casting Crowns, and eighty-four banners!

The new president was introduced tonight. I was hoping he would say something that would indicate his heart and direction. He didn't. I am trusting and praying that he will be what our convention needs. Time will tell.

Heading home tomorrow.

Noel Dear
noel@fbcho.com
pastordear@blogspot.com

Casting Crowns

For all of you Casting Crown fans...

I am sitting in a front row seat as they do their sound check for a concert they will do in a couple hours which I will also see from the front row.

Those of you who know me well know that it was Donna's choice to sit here. I wanted to sit in the back. The last time I sat in the front row of a concert was in the early ninety's. It was an Amy Grant - Michael W somebody concert. I was a youth minister. I quit the youth ministry shortly afterwards.

Noel Dear
noel@fbcho.com
pastordear@blogspot.com

Facing the Giants

I saw a special screening of the movie today (see previous blog entry). It was a great movie. I can't wait for it to come out in theaters. Already hundreds have made professions of faith at a couple of public test screenings. It is a good witness to people of all ages, especially students and young families. It has much less of a geographical limit than Flywheel. I think people from any part of the country can relate to this movie.

Noel Dear
noel@fbcho.com
pastordear@blogspot.com

Wednesday

Not much exciting going on at the convention this morning. Tonight should be good.

This afternoon I'm going to a special pre-screening of the upcoming movie 'Facing the Giants'. Check out the web page for this movie (www.FacingTheGiants.com). It should be a great movie. It will hit theaters in September. I've seen the othe movie written and produced by the same person. That movie, Flywheel, was a great movie and a great Christian witness.

Frank Paige was elected pesident of the convention yesterday. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing. Something happened last night that made me feel better about him. I will write more when I know more.

Noel Dear
noel@fbcho.com
pastordear@blogspot.com

Grits

For all my Ohio friends, here is real Southern food...

Salmon (and we pronounce the 'L') and GRITS.

Noel Dear
noel@fbcho.com
pastordear@blogspot.com

Fred Luter

We just heard a message from Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. Very good message. We should be praying for the churches in the gulf area. Many are still unable to gather for worship.

Noel Dear
noel@fbcho.com
pastordear@blogspot.com

P.S.
Donna is fine. Nothing broken.

Good Morning

Yesterday was a good day at the Pastor's Conference. Today officially begins the Southern Baptist Convention. Right now, though, we are sitting in an urgent care clinic getting Donna's wrist x-rayed. Maybe we will make it to the convention soon. Would it be bad to just leave Donna here and swing by and pick her up tonight after the convention breaks? (I think the clinic is open until late. I would have plenty of time to go to the convention and them go out to eat with some of the pastors and still get her before they close.)

Noel Dear
noel@fbcho.com
pastordear@blogspot.com

Calvinism

The debate was o.k.. It really never got past the viewpoint level. I was hoping they would spar over Scripture verses. It was good to hear the harmony in their approaches and their common condemnation of hyper-calvinism. Mohler even used the phrase 'let them be anathamad' in reference to hyper-calvinists.

Noel Dear
noel@fbcho.com
pastordear@blogspot.com

Blogging Record

Third blog of the morning... That's a record for me.

I am waiting for a debate on Calvinism to start between Al Mohler and Paige Patterson. It should be very interesting. I'll let you know.

I am about half way finished with Ann Coulter's new book. Some of you who regularly read this blog wouldn't care for her politics, but her chapter on abortion is very insightful. Everyone should read what she says on that topic. I'll try to share some of her quotes and stats in a message soon.

I haven't seen pastor Jeff yet. He has his kids with him so they may not be out and about yet.

Noel Dear
noel@fbcho.com
pastordear@blogspot.com

Baptism Boom

Yes. You heard what you thought you heard after baptism yesterday morning. Someone fell down the baptistry stairs. It was Donna. She was helping me with the details and she fell backwards down the stairs. She is OK we think. We are praying her wrist is just spaigned (no, I can't spell) and not broke. If we end up at a Greensboro hospital, I'll let you know.

Noel Dear
noel@fbcho.com
pastordear@blogspot.com

I'm Still Here (sort of)

Things have been pretty busy around here, thus no recent blog entries lately. I'll try to make up for it this week. Donna and I are in Greensboro, NC for the Southern Baptist Convention. I should have a few minutes here and there between meetings. When I do, I'll try to update my blog.

A big thanks to pastor Wally for preaching for me last night.

Noel Dear
noel@fbcho.com
pastordear@blogspot.com