I have been studying the Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy & Titus) in recent weeks and have been blessed by Paul’s counsel to Timothy and Titus. Paul emphasizes the need of sound doctrine and presents the qualifications for a Pastor and a Deacon. He instructs Timothy and Titus in the way to relate to the various age groups in the church. One of my takeaways is the freedom he gives the churches on how they “do church.” They are not told how often to meet, what time to meet, and what programs to provide for the community. Paul does not even tell them how to spend the Lord’s money. He does warn against covetousness and calls for a contented life.
We have been able to make some improvements on our church facilities, and I am confident God was fine with our expenditure of the money to replace the windows in the Education-al wing of the building. It allows us to present a nicer look as well as be more energy efficient. We were able to pay cash and continue to meet any mission and ministry obligations and opportunities. Another need we have, that I am confident the Lord would allow us to pursue, is the replacing of our current projector and the upgrade of our screen to a larger model. Our current projector “gave up the ghost” after 15 years. As you know, video is a major part of our worship service. I am glad for the video capabilities that we have been able to provide for your worship experience. Recent-ly, Roy Drake and Jim Barnwell of Memphis Audio made a presentation on a Wednesday night and answered questions we had regarding a new projector and screen. This will give us a number of capabilities in video that we did not have. The projected cost is $55,000 plus. I will be the first to agree that this is a lot of money. Yet, we are able to pay cash, maintain a healthy budget balance, and continue to meet our mission and ministry obligations and opportunities. We will entertain a motion from our sound committee on October 6, discuss this expenditure, and vote that night at the Business Meeting.
A new ministry opportunity has opened up that I am excited about. WCPC, 940 AM and 105.7 FM, based out of Tupelo, MS, has presented me the opportunity to preach weekly starting Oct. 6 on these stations from 5:00-5:30 PM on Wednesday and 2:00-2:30 P.M. on Saturday for a minimal cost. WCPC is a part of the Wilkins Radio Network based out of Spartanburg, SC. They have 40 stations on the network, and each of the stations is dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the broadcasting of Teaching and Talk programming. We are just out of the range of receiving the station in Panola County, but you can download the App “WCPC 940 am radio” on your phone and listen to the broadcast or any other Christian radio programs. Please pray God would use these broadcasts for His honor and His Glory!
Thrilled to be your Pastor,
Bro. Tommy