Economic Reality

From the Pastor…

These last few weeks have been discouraging to all of us who have investments held in the stock market. We have lamented our losses and fretted over our futures. We will soon have new chief executives in our state and country, and from the tone of the campaigning, I feel confident that there will be many unhappy people – regardless of who wins the election. The only thing that seems certain in these days is that we are facing much more uncertainty.

As a result of the financial crisis, we have been forced to make some hard decisions. Because people are frightened or already in financial distress, many are not contributing to the church as they have in the past. This is reality. As a result, the church must cut our spending to the absolute minimum. We are not broke, but we are not in great shape either. Add to that the rising cost of doing business and the fact that money is not readily available from lending institutions (many churches are being denied loans for any construction), it has become necessary to suspend our capital campaign for the time being.

This does not mean that we are giving up… only that we are trying to use wise judgment in the face of a world-wide financial crisis unlike any seen in most of our lifetimes. Our capital campaign consultants believe we have made the right decision, and we all are praying that the financial climate will improve quickly, and we will be able to resume our campaign early in 2009. However, we are still actively pursuing funds for our project! Fundraising will continue. And all gifts are needed and greatly appreciated.

But the news is not all bad. First of all, some adjacent property has become available for the church to purchase. If we act quickly, we will be able to acquire enough land to solve all of our building concerns for the foreseeable future. Please prayerfully consider contributing toward this urgent need, and be present at our Quarterly Church Conference on November 12th, when we will discuss this one-time opportunity.

What’s more, I have even better news to share! You see, even though times are tough and people are hurting, we are closer yet to the return of Christ for His Bride – the Church. We are not without hope! Regardless of what the world tells us, we DO have a reason to rejoice. If we are in despair because of the current state of our world, then we are guilty of putting our faith in the wrong place to begin with. My brothers and sisters, through Jesus Christ, we are more than conquerors! I am confident that our God will complete what He has started in us and through us. Be of good cheer!

In Christian Love,

Billy Dennis

Pumpkin Patch

If you haven't picked up your fall pumpkins yet, we have a deal for you! While they last, you can pick out your pumpkin at the SCBC Pumpkin Patch. Pumpkins are just $5 each - look for the black box in which to leave your contribution. Look for the pumpkins in front of the cemetary, next to Penny Road. Tell all your friends!

Home, Sweet Home

The mission team arrived safely at Swift Creek around 3:00 pm on Friday. It was a wonderful week of ministry and fellowship. Be sure to attend our worship service on Sunday, October 12th at 11:00 am to hear from the participants and view our slide presentation.

West Virginia - Thursday

Today began with another great breakfast. Afterwards, we said goodbye to some of the members of our team who needed to get back to NC. Then Pastor Jerry took me and Lynda, Will, Lynne, Charlene, Wiley and 3 ladies from Calvary to visit a couple of shut-ins who were really isolated up in the mountains. After a wonderful visit, we returned to camp for lunch.

Jim, David & Danny replaced a porch floor this morning before returning for lunch. After lunch, David, Jim & Lynda headed back to NC. I took Wiley, Danny, Charlene, Will & Lynne up to the little village of Cass, where we shopped in the Company Store and toured the museums and saw the trains in this lovely little town that was once a thriving hub of a huge logging operation.

We then visited the National Radio Astronomy Observatory , where we took a very interesting tour. After touring the Observatory, we went back to Marlinton for dinner at the Greenbriar Grille, then returned to the retreat center.

We plan to leave for home after breakfast tomorrow.

It has been a wonderful week. We have truly been blessed and have seen visible signs that the ministry we are doing here is making a difference in people's lives. Tonight we had a waitress who was very thankful for the clothes that she and her young son received from our giveaway this week.

Pray for us as we journey home on Friday. We plan to share photos and testimonies about our trip on Sunday, October 12th.

West Virginia – Wednesday

Today we began with a great, hot breakfast. Following breakfast, Lynda, Wiley, Pat and Sharon went with Pastor Jerry to visit shut-ins. Jim, David, Bobby & Don went back to finish the home repair project – installing a shower and lavatory in the bedroom of a handicapped man. Danny, Charlene, Joe, Algaree, Will, Lynne and I went back to downtown Marlinton for the third day of the clothing giveaway. We also gave away approximately 100 bags of food. At the end of the day, we decided to donate the remaining clothes to a local thrift store. We cancelled the giveaway tomorrow because of all the rain that is expected this evening.

It rained off and on throughout the day. It was windy and cool, with the high in the upper 50’s. After we returned to the camp, it rained pretty hard until time for church.

Tonight we led worship at First Baptist Church in Huntersville. I preached; Lynne and Danny did a great job singing a nice duet; and the entire team sang a song and shared scripture. It was a great service, and the people of FBC were very appreciative for all that we have done this week.

After the service, we returned to camp and had dessert and fellowship with the other teams. Besides our 15, there are 4 from Calvary in Rocky Mount, 4 from Whitestone in Chesapeake, VA, 7 from Springfield in Nashville, TN, and 6 cooks from Rocky Mount, plus the wonderful representative from Hands on Mission, Larry Grooms. It is a great group of folks, with whom we have had an awesome time!

Tomorrow some of our group is returning to Raleigh because of other obligations, but there will be some of us doing shut-in visitation and some doing home repairs in the morning. We have the afternoon free, so our group plans to visit the National Radio Astronomy Observatory just up the road in Green Bank, WV. Afterwards, we plan to enjoy dinner out while the group from Tennessee conducts services at the men’s prison. We plan to return home after breakfast on Friday.

We will have some wonderful stories to tell when we get home!