Dear Church Family:

These words will be familiar to all of you:  "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.   Matthew 28: 18-20

            How seriously do you take these words of Jesus?  I believe that it is time to realize that Jesus is the head of the Church of which West Greenville Baptist is a part.  Therefore, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, action needs to be taken.  It is time to see we are experiencing a crisis of belief in our lives and the life of the fellowship.  We need to see that our relationship with God needs to be our number one priority.  God has been leading me to see that discipleship is important in the life of the Church.  Now is the time to stand for the Kingdom of God and do His work.  You are invited to join in this work.

            First, the Pastor's Council would like to invite you to join together for a plan to witness to the community of West Greenville.  We want to go door to door, introduce ourselves to our neighbors, and take a survey of families and their needs.  We will go in groups of twos and reach every home in the community.  These visits will take place on the first and third Saturdays of the month.  We will meet at the church at 11:00 a.m. and return at 1:00 p.m.  This is the same time frame that was used during the Revival and many people were at home.  You may not be able to go door to door.  We are also in need of people to pray for those going out on visitation.  We also need people to make contact by phone as we minister to those families with need.  We will begin going out the first Saturday of March (March 4). There will be two visitation teams so that you will only be needed one Saturday per month.

            Secondly, the study “Experiencing God” will be offered beginning March 20. This is a 12 week study.  We will be meeting on Monday nights from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  If we are to know what the will of God is for our lives and the life of WGBC, then we must first seek His face. The reason many of us struggle is because we fail to have a personal relationship with God.  That is the most important factor of our lives. God is interested in you as a person.  He wants to establish a line of communication with you.  Please prayerfully consider being involved in this study.  It will change your outlook but more importantly it will draw us closer to Him.

            Thirdly, there is also a life-changing opportunity for you during Sunday School.  A new Sunday School has started called "IN HIS STEPS."  We have been meeting for the last three weeks.  I want to encourage you that if you do not attend Sunday School, then, this class may be interesting to you.  The course is based on the book "In His Steps" by Charles Sheldon.  It asks the question "What Would Jesus Do?”. God is going to use this class to change our outlook and the way we approach our lives.  If you are searching and are hungry to do the will of God, then let the Holy Spirit use this time on Sunday mornings to challenge you. Our next meeting will be on February 26, 2006 in the sanctuary.  We must take the time to learn of the things of God if we are to minister in His name.

            I know that God is working.  He is working all around us if we take the time to see.  Pray about these opportunities.  We know that the heart of Jesus was about serving others and doing the Father's work.  I am reminded of Jesus standing and looking down at Jerusalem.  Tears filled His eyes and He wept for the people.  May God's Spirit bring you to the same condition.  We should look at this neighborhood through the eyes of Jesus and our spirit will grieve.  God is sounding the call to come and join Him in His work.  Will you come and join Him?  Or will you reject Him and His work?

                                                                                                                Serving with a Servant's Heart,

                                                                                                                      Rev. James Tollison, Jr.