December 2018
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and each DBA congregation!
I’m confident that our DBA pastors and churches send good holiday wishes and cheer to their sister churches.
The holidays are a good time for ministry, and substantial ministry and outreach is taking place throughout our DBA. You have sent many backpacks to Appalachia through NAMB. You have sent Christmas cards to our troops through Operation Christmas Cards for Troops Overseas. You have sent the gospel around the globe through Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child, and still ahead, you have your cake ministry to our Baxley Children’s Home on December 6th. You gave backpacks full of blessings for outreach in Wheeler County through our family over at FBC Glenwood. Glenwood had some new families visit on Sunday after the outreach event.
Christmas is always an exciting time for missions as we receive our Lottie Moon offering and partner together through our IMB, and God has sent several of our DBA family out on mission during these holidays.
Joey Davis (El Camino and Iglesia Bautista De Cedar Crossing), Gady Youmans (Sweet Onion Christian Learning Center) and 7 others were sent to Uganda, Africa and saw many salvations.
Dannie and Gwen Williams (FBC Lyons), Scott Morrison and Traci Todd (both FBC Vidalia) just returned from Liberia, Africa where God used them to encourage and strengthen his church in Africa.
Currently, Ricky Cummings (FBC Vidalia), Scott Morrison and Joey Davis are traveling to Kantunilkin, Mexico to continue our fellowship with the church that you helped start, Vida Nueva.
Truly glorious kingdom work with which God is blessing us! I’m confident many of our churches are experiencing fruit as a result of ministry and outreach during these holidays. I encourage you to be hopeful and be bold for the kingdom of God.
Consider putting together a small group to go on a mission trip to Albany, Ga or the coast of Florida to help victims of the recent hurricane.
Georgia Baptist Convention
This year’s convention was encouraging. The leadership at our Georgia Baptist Convention were passionate. Primarily about evangelism, and praise God for that passion.
You can find footage of the convention on Facebook. Find session three of the convention at the link below. During session three, Mike Stone, Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist, delivered a very encouraging message entitled, “Convention in Crisis.†He preached from 1 Corinthians 16:5–9. The entire sermon can be viewed at the link below and begins at the 1:23 minute point in the video.
Dr. Thomas Hammonds is the new Executive Director of our state convention. Our family at First Baptist Lyons will host an opportunity for our church leaders to share their heart and ideas with Dr. Hammonds. This “listening session†will be held at FBC Lyons on January 23 from 10:30am — noon. I hope you will have the opportunity to attend and participate in a fruitful conversation with Thomas.
God is doing so much in these days. He is mighty. Let’s be strong and courageous and full of faith, hope and love as we head toward 2019.
May the Lord of glory visit you and yours this Christmas.
Bro. Billy Puckett