November/December Activities: At Old Paths we had during November National Bible Publishing Month and we did our lessons on: God’s Plan; God’s Place; God’s People; and God’s Purpose for Getting God’s Word out to the world. During the weeks of November and December we decided to take up Special Offerings for Rolls of Paper to print the Word of God on. The logical thought behind the giving of this offering in November and December was that IT WAS A WAY of Giving Thanks To God for His Word that we have as Christians, and also, IT WAS A WAY of Giving the Lord a Gift on His Birthday!!! One roll cost $800 and is to produce 400 Whole Bibles or 1,800 New Testaments. Between some guests we had on Friend Day and our church here at Old Paths we were able to raise money for 2+ rolls of paper. Praise The Lord!!! In December we had a teen Christmas gathering with a gift exchange and of course, food! We had 6 teens for this activity. It was our first and last activities for 2023. We have more planned for 2024. The ladies from our church prepared some cookies for our Caroling stops and on Wednesday evening December 13th we at Old Paths went out Christmas Caroling to some of the elderly in connection to the church. One of the families that have been coming, her Mother has cancer so we went there and it was uplifting for her Mother to see. Please pray for her, Denise is her name. Afterward we went back to the church for some cookies and hot chocolate. The ladies finished up their Bible Study for the year and also had a gift exchange after their last study together. We had a good Christmas Eve service. I Preached on “Glory To God For The Glory Of God!” and on New Year’s Eve I Preached on “A Fresh Start Being Close To God”. We had our last potluck, and in the evening observed the Lord’s supper.
Our New Theme & Our New Year: Here at Old Paths Baptist Church we had our Vision Sunday January 7th. Our theme for 2024 is: “The Church That God Builds” our theme verse is Psalm 127:1a, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it...” This Passage is associated with the Building/Construction of Solomon’s Temple. Using this passage of Scripture we want
to parallel that truth to Building Up Old Paths Baptist Church and teaching those that come and are to come that “THE CHURCH THAT GOD BUILDS has to be done GOD’s WAY shone us in GOD’s WORD or else our labor is in vain, an Empty and an Open show if God is not behind it and in How it is to be done! We are looking forward to what the Lord will do. We set the goals and plans we would like to see accomplished this year. We also set the calendar of events. Please pray for us as we will be making some painful changes, but they are right and they are needed at this time! We just started this in the last month or so that on Wednesday evenings, if
the teen girls we have come, my wife will go down stairs with them and teach them. This Wednesday evening Emily, one of the new comers told us that in December after she left one of our Wednesday evening services that she asked Christ to be her Savior! Amen! God Is At Work and I Do Not Know How it will all play out. This year we have a few engagements to learn from and to try raising more support and awareness of America as a needy mission field. Next week, January 15-19, my son Nehemiah and I will be going to a Church Planting Conference in Oklahoma and later on in the near future there are more speaking engagements that will give
opportunity to share our Church Planting and Establishing ministry here in America at Old Paths Baptist Church.
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| Emily (Left) Olivia (Right) |
Update from Ghana: I was able to talk to Pastor Prince before Christmas the family is doing well. The church has been able to accomplish putting in a platform up front in their church auditorium for the preaching. The church is growing and I got to Preach their Christmas Eve Service through a Recording of our message here, then sending it to them.
Prayer Requests & Thank Yous: Travels to a Church Planting Conference in Oklahoma; Support; For Denise and her Cancer;
More Saved; More Teens; More Folks Coming; More Joining. Thank you for your continued Prayers and Financial Support and Gifts for our family and our work at Old Paths Baptist Church.
Bits Of Bread: “And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.” – Esther 8:3
Be Committed To The Cause Of Christ – “Esther reaches across the centuries to join hands with Believers today and to say to the church: Be Committed!” - Wiersbe
Matthew J Siekbert
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