Brethren,
Greetings.
Peace, mercy, and grace be with you all from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
While the beginning of the year saw unseasonable warmth, we are currently in the cold grip of winter. It is a good time for productivity-- indoors!
Working with the Brethren
One of the areas of growth I desire to work upon this year is spending time with many of the brethren, especially those with whom I have not spent as much time as I would have liked. To that end we have invited many persons to share a meal with us and to engage in other activities, and while some have responded favorably, others have declined or delayed. We will continue to work and press on in this area.
Lessons and Classes
On account of the new class that we have begun, as discussed below, most of the lessons presented have been more exegetical in nature. Lessons have been preached involving Hebrews 12 and the different roles of people described by Paul in Ephesians 5-6. The lessons, as always, are available in outline and mp3 form at norwalkchurch.org.
Much work was done at the end of the year to make some changes in the Bible class curricula and establishing a good direction forward. Among the changes was the dissolution of the teenage class and covering the same material in both the Sunday morning and Wednesday evening sessions for all classes. We are working diligently to put into place a new curriculum that will provide a comprehensive plan of study for our bumper crop of small children as they develop into adulthood.
I am teaching the adult class for the first quarter, and we are discussing the major doctrinal issues that come up when presenting the Gospel. The class is mostly focused on discussion and equipping the brethren to be able to give a defense for the hope in them (1 Peter 3:15).
Another change made on account of the new Bible class setup is that the fourth Wednesday night singing was moved to the fourth Sunday night, and we began this new setup with a service in song, prayer, and Scripture reading focusing on the crucifixion. It seemed to go well.
The Tuesday night Bible studies will go through a bit of change; we will now have them every other week or so. We are spending time in the post-exilic period, studying Ezra, Haggai, Nehemiah, and Esther.
Evangelism
In addition to the standard evangelism programs involving the website and the fourth week bulletin, we knocked on doors again in early January and were able to knock on approximately 100 doors. In 2007 I intend to start up a Bible correspondence course program, involving both posters in public forums along with a section on the website, and also to spend some time writing up some tracts. The tracts will be available not only in paper form but also online, either directly on the website or through e-mail.
Current Studies
Cindy. On account of illnesses and other such matters, studies with Cindy have not been as frequent as desired; they have, however, restarted, and future opportunities for study look good. Cindy has been able to influence a family member to visit and take some interest in the truth, and we hope that we can have more progress with her.
Ben and Katie. While we have been in good e-mail contact, the late term of the pregnancy and other matters have hindered Katie in her attendance in assemblies. We keep trying to encourage her.
Debbie. While studies with Debbie have been compromised because of some surgery and testing that she has undergone, Debbie has been attending as she is able, and she has done well to help open some doors for us where she works. We are now signed up to have a small service once a month at the nursing home where she works, and there is some interest among the staff for Bible correspondence courses and/or a Bible study.
Personal News
In personal news, I am pleased to announce that Sarah and I are expecting our third child. The child is due sometime in September. We will provide more information when it is available. We appreciate all of your prayers.
Support
I would like to thank all of you for your participation in the work here in Norwalk, either through your prayers or through encouraging me or through financial support. I would like to solicit your continual prayers so that the work here may prosper.
May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirits.
Response/Feedback
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