2024 September 2024

 July Activities: 

As our Theme for the year has been “The Church that God Builds”, we have been learning in our Sunday School classes about the Parables of Jesus from Matthew 13. We have learned that the first four Parables speak about what the Devil is Doing in the World and to the Church between Christ’s 1st Coming and his 2nd Coming. But also, in the 5^thand 6^thParables of Jesus of Matthew 13, we are Learning what the Lord is Doing during this time period, the Church Age which concerns Israel (the Jews), the Gentiles, and the Church. Sunday Evening, July 7^thLighthouse Baptist Church came over to our church and we had a Singspiration/Ice Cream-social. It was refreshing and of a good spirit. This being our 1^stSingspiration for us at Old Paths some of us volunteered to do some specials. Some with talent and ability, Some without talent and ability!!! Tammera and myself sang a song selection (And No One Left!!!), My wife and Tammera, one of our teens played their flutes, and Lauren Dornbirer, a professional, played for church our specials and also a piano special of her own. Then Lighthouse had specials and everyone in attendance gave testimonies and had some song selections to sing together as a congregation. We all enjoyed the services and then we went downstairs to eat and have Ice Cream. It Was Good!!! As we talked about in our last Newsletter in July, Gary and Regina finished up with the Baptism/Membership Classes my wife and I had with them and on Sunday July 13^thafter our morning services they were Baptized and added to the church here at Old Paths Baptist Church. Amen!!! July 8-13 two of our teens went to Bill Rice Ranch with Chippewa Lake Baptist Church. They came back with testimonies and the Lord working.   

 

August Activities: 

Wednesday evening, August 14^th the teens had a “Back to School” night downstairs. We had about 8 teens in attendance. They had, Pizza, Pop, and some Games which really brought out some talent (Ha, Ha!!!). While my son Nehemiah was upstairs with the Adults leading singing I was downstairs giving a devotion. The teens were listening and so was the Devil. It seems that when you challenge others with things of the Lord, the Devil tries harder. The Lord has been working on the men in the Church along with the Devil. Joe, one of the men in the church who is not saved, has times of being uncomfortable, seeing all of how God is working through his family and friends at church. He is faithful in coming with his daughter Tammera and his wife that have been saved, baptized, and have joined the church last November. Joe, wanting and willfully, does the church lawn and any maintenance that needs done at the church. Pray for him. One Sunday in late July, early August Gary, who just got saved, married, and baptized, got real sick at church and needed help getting out to his car. Joe was there to help him with concern in his face about Gary making it. In August after our evening services we have been going downstairs to stuff some 800 packets/door hangers with tracts, flyers about our special day, and a John and Romans for our Friends Day coming up on September 22^nd. Joe has gone from just sitting there to helping put them together. Joe, along with his daughter and his wife, has also been coming out on visitation with us to leave these packets at each door we visit. His visitation with us has gone from his just walking with us to his hanging the packets on the doors while I am on the other side of the street doing the same thing. Maybe I am reading into it too much, BUT I am Hoping, Praying, and Talking to him about his Salvation and Savior.

 

Prayer Requests: My wife and I would still like to go visit our church plant and Pastors back in Ghana West Africa, but we still need to raise the funds for that; Church Growth at Old Paths; Our son, Nehemiah as he is now at Bill Rice Ranch for their Bible institute for a least a year.

 

Bits Of Bread:     The Lord Uses Select People for Select Jobs– Through Jehu as Anointed King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel God used him to Execute God’s Judgment on Ahab’s House for killing Innocent People as Prophesied by Elijah,  he Executed the Pagan Priests and Worshippers of Baal out of Israel and much more. (II Kgs 9-10)

“Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.”– II Kgs 9:3

                                                                                                                                                

Matthew J Siekbert

 

2024 November Newsletter

 September – October Activities: 

Sunday, September 8^thwe had “Picnic In The Park Sunday”. After our Sunday morning services we went to Aumiller Park and had  our cook-out of hamburgers and hotdogs. We enjoyed playing Corn Hole as a church family, not doing too bad of a job scoring. I think it might have been my first time at actually scoring!!! Wow!!! Then we concluded with an early evening service there at the Park. After we started teaching through the Discipleship book from Paul Chappell called “Continue”, I have been trying to do one lesson a week with a few exceptions. The “Continue” book offers 14 lessons, we have completed up-through lesson 9. For Sunday School I have put on recess our lessons on the Parables of Jesus from Matthew 13 with plans to resume them once we finish with our Discipleship lessons in the “Continue” book. With most of the Church folks having their own “Continue” book it helps them in being able to actively fill-in the answers along with giving them a daily devotion for each day of the week after we have gone over that week’s lesson. This book has been good for our church folks. It has strengthened their understanding. 

Sunday, September 22^nd we had “Friend Day” at Old Paths Baptist Church. We learned about “Friendship With The Lord”: 1.TheFriends Of Jesus Are Favored  By The Lord– II Chronicles 20:7, “Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?; 2.Friends Of JesusKnow Him Personally In A Fellowship With Him– Exodus 33:11a, “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. …”; 3. The Friends Of JesusListen/ Obey What He Says– John 15:15, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”; 4.The Friends Of JesusTrust Fully In The Lord– James 2:23, “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”Sunday 

October 6^th Old Paths Celebrated their 10^th Anniversary giving out to every family in attendance a small Cutting Boards with the Church logo on them. Following the morning services we had a potluck lunch down stairs. Please be in Prayer for Old Paths Baptist Church in its growth and our Family as we do Missions In America. As mentioned previously, being involved with the Wynford School District only 3 minutes away from Old Paths Baptist Church allows me to see the dire need of an American world without God that misinterprets and takes out of context the Separation of Church and State. On Monday mornings I’ve been asked by some of the other bus drivers to head up a prayer time for the new week. One of the bus drivers that has not come before to our prayer time came just this week asking prayer for his grandson that will need kidney surgery in a few months; also, some of the kids have been opening up and seeing someone that will actually talk with them, and care enough to pray for a need that has come up. Pray as the Lord is at Work in ways we do not always understand. Thank you all who have Faithfully sent us cards and have Faithfully Supported us Prayerfully and Financially in our Missions In America!

 

Prayer Requests: Our sons traveling back home from Bill Rice Ranch Bible School, Nehemiah and Joseph; Old Paths Baptist Church work and growth; My wife and I would still like to go visit our church plant and Pastors back in Ghana West Africa. 

 

Bits Of Bread:    “Giving Thanks To God”– Psalm 100:1-5, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.” “Servethe Lord with gladness: come before his presencewith singing.” “Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

1. For the Lord is Great and Good – Psalm 95:3, “Forthe Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”; Ps 100:5

2. For We Get to Serve Him – Psalm 100:2

3. For We Get To Go into His Presence – Psalm 95:2; 100:2, 4

4. For the Lord is Merciful and Delivers us from Self-Inflicted Situations – Psalm 100:5; Jonah 2:7-9, 10

5. For the Angels in Heaven Do – Rev 7:12

Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

                                                                                                                                                                      Matthew J Siekbert

 

2024 July Newsletter

 July Activities: 

As our Theme for the year has been “The Church that God Builds”, we have been learning in our Sunday School classes about the Parables of Jesus from Matthew 13. We have learned that the first four Parables speak about what the Devil is Doing in the World and to the Church between Christ’s 1st Coming and his 2nd Coming. But also, in the 5^thand 6^thParables of Jesus of Matthew 13, we are Learning what the Lord is Doing during this time period, the Church Age which concerns Israel (the Jews), the Gentiles, and the Church. Sunday Evening, July 7^thLighthouse Baptist Church came over to our church and we had a Singspiration/Ice Cream-social. It was refreshing and of a good spirit. This being our 1^stSingspiration for us at Old Paths some of us volunteered to do some specials. Some with talent and ability, Some without talent and ability!!! Tammera and myself sang a song selection (And No One Left!!!), My wife and Tammera, one of our teens played their flutes, and Lauren Dornbirer, a professional, played for church our specials and also a piano special of her own. Then Lighthouse had specials and everyone in attendance gave testimonies and had some song selections to sing together as a congregation. We all enjoyed the services and then we went downstairs to eat and have Ice Cream. It Was Good!!! As we talked about in our last Newsletter in July, Gary and Regina finished up with the Baptism/Membership Classes my wife and I had with them and on Sunday July 13^thafter our morning services they were Baptized and added to the church here at Old Paths Baptist Church. Amen!!! July 8-13 two of our teens went to Bill Rice Ranch with Chippewa Lake Baptist Church. They came back with testimonies and the Lord working.   

August Activities: 

Wednesday evening, August 14^ththe teens had a “Back to School” night downstairs. We had about 8 teens in attendance. They had, Pizza, Pop, and some Games which really brought out some talent (Ha, Ha!!!). While my son Nehemiah was upstairs with the Adults leading singing I was downstairs giving a devotion. The teens were listening and so was the Devil. It seems that when you challenge others with things of the Lord, the Devil tries harder. The Lord has been working on the men in the Church along with the Devil. Joe, one of the men in the church who is not saved, has times of being uncomfortable, seeing all of how God is working through his family and friends at church. He is faithful in coming with his daughter Tammera and his wife that have been saved, baptized, and have joined the church last November. Joe, wanting and willfully, does the church lawn and any maintenance that needs done at the church. Pray for him. One Sunday in late July, early August Gary, who just got saved, married, and baptized, got real sick at church and needed help getting out to his car. Joe was there to help him with concern in his face about Gary making it. In August after our evening services we have been going downstairs to stuff some 800 packets/door hangers with tracts, flyers about our special day, and a John and Romans for our Friends Day coming up on September 22^nd. Joe has gone from just sitting there to helping put them together. Joe, along with his daughter and his wife, has also been coming out on visitation with us to leave these packets at each door we visit. His visitation with us has gone from his just walking with us to his hanging the packets on the doors while I am on the other side of the street doing the same thing. Maybe I am reading into it too much, BUT I am Hoping, Praying, and Talking to him about his Salvation and Savior.

 

Prayer Requests: My wife and I would still like to go visit our church plant and Pastors back in Ghana West Africa, but we still need to raise the funds for that; Church Growth at Old Paths; Our son, Nehemiah as he is now at Bill Rice Ranch for their Bible institute for a least a year.

 

Bits Of Bread:     The Lord Uses Select People for Select Jobs– Through Jehu as Anointed King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel God used him to Execute God’s Judgment on Ahab’s House for killing Innocent People as Prophesied by Elijah,  he Executed the Pagan Priests and Worshippers of Baal out of Israel and much more. (II Kgs 9-10)

“Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.”– II Kgs 9:3

                                                                                                                                                    Matthew J Siekbert