October 2009 Monthly Letter

WOW! What a fantastic finale at Friendship United Methodist Church on October 18th!

The sermon's title: The Great Place of Grace. FUMC was "the" great place to be.

Fifty seven of our Partners in Upbuilding Ministries who attended, witnessed it. All were treated to "hearing" the wind (same word as Spirit) blow during the worship service!

Jesus said, "The wind (Spirit) blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound…" John 3:8. At the close of the sermon, our Partners heard 42 persons indicate that they had prayed to receive Jesus as God's gift of Grace and as their personal Savior! They were born anew! For the Spirit blew! It was an awesome and unforgettable experience!

It was also a personal blessing for me to have in attendance my wife Evie, Joshua, and Ethan, who at 9 years old was celebrating his own 2nd spiritual birthday on the 15th. He assisted me with a visual aid and then heard the responses of so many responding to the call of Christ!

I asked Todd, who had attended the sessions for Family, Men, and Couples and who had prayed at the worship service two questions: "What led you to pray?" and "Was that really your first time?"

He answered: "I felt the Holy Spirit drawing my heart like a magnet". And: "Yes! It was the first time!"

Not only did the Lord's graciousness extend to the congregation, but also to UpBuilding Ministries. The free-will offering was 12 times greater than any other previous offering in the Ministries' 20 year history!

Even the visual aids were 3 times greater than usual. They were

1. A jumper cable symbolizing Regeneration by the Holy Spirit,

2. A personalized autographed baseball bat to my from a Dodger friend, Orel Hershiser, symbolizing the difference of one knowing Jesus as a Fan or as a Personal Friend, and,

3. a gift of a Bible to Carolyn Rand-no relation-(who headed the entire Weekend) with her name printed on the cover symbolizing when we receive God's Gift of Grace we are Regenerated, we become His personal Child, and our Names are written in His Book of Life. Alleluia and Amen!