Rogers Update 8/18/2016
August 18, 2016
Dear Praying Friends,
I have had a surprising amount of responses to our last email. I have only had one other email in our history of email updates that has generated the reaction that this last one caused. (The other email was about a teenager who was dying of cancer who eventually came to know the Lord shortly before he died.) What caused most of the responses from our prayer warriors was the conversation my granddaughter, Laurie, and I had about ministry and her desire to serve the Lord. (I started trying to reply individually to the emails that came in, but soon there were so many that I concluded I would need to respond collectively in the next update.) I now want to tell you what happen next.
After I shared with Laurie that many people were praying for her, she wanted to find a place to set up her office in my office so she can help me do ministry. This may be a little tricky, but I am working on some ideas. Next, she went to her brother who is a little younger and told him that he should come to me and ask for people to pray for him also that he would serve the Lord. Garrett immediately did so. He came up to me and said, “Grandpa, I really need people to pray for me.” When I asked why, he said, “Because I am bad sometimes, but I mostly want to serve the Lord.”
So here it is, my praying friends, is a list of my grandchildren so you can pray for all of them:
Our daughter Christy’s children:
Laurie (Almost 7 years old)
Garrett (4 years old)
Morgan (Almost 3 years old)
Our son Jeremiah’s children:
Isaiah (Almost 3 years old)
Malachi (Just born in May)
Please pray for them that they will all come to know the Lord and that they will serve God. I certainly want you to pray for health, but most important, pray for their spiritual lives that they will know God as their Lord and friend.
I spent June and July in Topeka, Kansas, serving at Bethel Baptist Church. (This was the church I had served in as Interim Pastor when I was 19, and they still wanted me to come back!) Their pastor (who had been there 30 years) retired in May and they are looking for their next pastor. I had the privilege to come in for a couple of months to help ease the transition of the pastor leaving. They have known for some time that the pastor was leaving and the pastoral search committee has been working diligently. They have narrowed down the search to a few possible applicants they are in contact with. Pray for guidance for the church as it explores God’s will. I firmly believe that not having a pastor is better than having the wrong pastor. What is interesting is I have seen churches grow even without a pastor. Bethel is one of those churches that could truly do that. What is the best situation for a church? Having the pastor God wants them to have!
While I was at Bethel, I spoke 18 times, had multiple opportunities to meet with people, attended my first professional ball game in Kansas City (watching the Royals) as a teen outing, taught 6th graders during VBS, attended multiple committee meetings (Education, Missions, Leadership, and of course Search committee), and caught three bass during a day of fishing with one of the men of the church. I also had an opportunity to speak on a Wednesday night at Calvary Baptist Church in Valley Falls, Kansas, and meet their new pastor. (This was the main church I attended in grade school and High School.) It was great to see everyone again.
I am now in Wisconsin helping Woodruff Baptist Church while their pastor and family is on a much deserved break. The people have been great and I am enjoying my time here very much. Next week I will be at Maranatha Baptist Church of Navarino, Wisconsin teaching the Biblical Relationship Conference. This will be the fourth time this year I have taught these truths from God’s word. I am very grateful for the opportunities God has given to share in this area of deep human need.
This fall I will be in churches in Illinois, Kansas, and Utah. Pray for these upcoming trips that God will work in many lives for His glory. Again, Beabea will not be traveling with me. Pray for her as she serves the Lord as a caregiver. As much as I would like Beabea to be with me, I truly believe God has put her in elderly people’s lives as they are on the edge of eternity.
From Here to Eternity, may our lives glorify God!
John
John (and Beabea) Rogers
jtrbem@gmail.com
7265 West 320 SouthRussiaville, IN 46979
Home: (765) 889-3264
Cell: (765) 753-0056
Commissioning Church: Shepherd Road Baptist Church, P.O. Box 1054, Mulberry, FL 33860
Barnabas Enrichment Ministries
P.O. Box 229
Elkhart, IN 46515-0229
(765) 667-2532
www.barnabasenrichmentministries.org
Please send all financial gifts to Barnabas Enrichment Ministries with a note designating the gift for the ministry of John & Beabea Rogers.
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