Update Spring-Summer 2013

      God continues to work in the people of Kewaunee County, and we are so privileged to be a part of His work.  We rejoice to see souls saved, and six more new Christians have been baptized!  Pastor Ray finished up three in-home discipleship courses this spring, and has begun another this month.  We are sorry to have lost a few families to job moves, and wish we could have spent more time with these new friends. We are comforted to remember that God has begun a good work in them, and will continue to perform it.  Pastor Ray and Tiffany also had the privilege of spending a number of weeks this summer leading pre-marital counseling with two couples, and look forward to working with another engaged couple this fall. 

     Our Lakeshore ladies have enjoyed spending  more time getting to know and encourage each other.  A small group attended the WFBC ladies retreat this past spring, and they have since begun a monthly Ladies Day Out involving all of the ladies at church. 

     Truth Trackers came to a close in May, and most of our regular attenders finished their memory books.  They were excited and proud to receive their hard-earned awards.  This summer we built a Truth Trackers parade float for the Trout Fest weekend in Kewaunee.  Our club kids wore their uniforms, and adults passed out candy and invitations to Truth Trackers in the fall.  Please pray for our teachers, and for attendance as we begin next week.

     Pray also for Tiffany and our kids, as they start a new adventure of homeschooling this fall.  God has led us in this direction for the time being, and we are excited to be spending more time with the family and less time on the road.  We continue to trust God in all things, as He directs and uses us to do His good work.

Winter Update

       At January's Vision Sunday service, Pastor Ray announced our year's theme: "Firmly Rooted and Growing."  In these first month's God has used discipleship and Bible study to establish the "roots" of many in our congregation, and we've seen exciting individual growth.   Although our attendance average has lagged slightly, we did set a new record of 68 this quarter. The closing of Kewaunee's nuclear power plant is beginning to affect the community, and we have already seen some families move away. We trust that God's timing will position our church to be able to reach many through this difficult time in a strongly catholic community.

       God has given a multitude of opportunities and continues to bless the ministry of His Word.  We were able to see 5 people saved over the winter through in-home Bible studies, visitation,and truth trackers. Those converts have committed to baptism and are in the process of being discipled. Please pray for their continued growth.

      

       We also held our first wedding and first funeral in the church building. A relative of Pastor Ray's passed away and the extended family asked to hold the service in Kewaunee. Ray was able to comfort the family and preach the gospel to around 50 people, opening some new doors of ministry.

       Truth Trackers has proven to be a great ministry.  After only 6 months our group averages just under 10 and has been slowly bringing new faces into the building. We
count it a privilege to be able to disciple these children and help them establish patterns of Scripture memory and daily devotions.

       God has placed a burden on the heart of one of our families to take a mission trip to Zambia to help provide bikes for national Baptist pastors who are already preaching the gospel in Zambia and DR Congo. God has been blessing their step of faith to commit to this mission endeavor and raise funds to provide bikes, manufactured
in Zambia, to put pedals under the "feet of the those who preach the gospel of peace."

If you or someone you know would like to participate in the missions endeavor, contact the church @ (920)606-6901 and ask about Faith in Motion: Bikes for God.

 

       Our little ones continue to get bigger. Now at ages 2, 4, 6, and 8, our children are active with us in ministry at the level they are able to be used. We have taken some
time during the winter months to build a pastor's study in our home to provide a regular, quiet place for Ray to study and work. Our college extension team came down to help hang drywall for this room.Thank you for your continued prayers for the church and our own family, as we continue to grow together in Christ.

January Update

       We are loving our new location and making much use of the extra space.   Ladies' Crafter's night started again for the winter, and the added space helped as we've doubled in participation.  Some of our summer attenders are "snow birds" and have migrated south until later this spring, but we've welcomed a few new families and have seen steady attendance numbers.  We were happy to have to order more chairs for the auditorium.  Our children's ministries are growing as well, with the start of Truth Trackers during Thursday night Bible Study.  With the larger auditorium, we are able to hold a full program including game time, a lesson, and snacks.  The kids are working hard to learn their verses and finish their personal devotion books, earning awards and inviting their friends.  We've had a few special nights including Bible Character Night, slipper night, and a Christmas party.  Truth Trackers has proven an excellent program for our group, as children can easily join mid-year and participate in a thorough discipleship program. 

        Much more exciting than growth in numbers, is the spiritual growth we've seen these last months.  Ray has been able to hold in-home Bible studies with four different households, and seen a number of salvation decisions!   A few people have expressed interest in baptism as well.   We are so privileged to be used of God here, and to be invited into the homes and lives of the people at Lakeshore Baptist Church.