May Update
Your prayers make a difference. We?ve seen evidence of that as we?ve ministered this month in Louisiana and Illinois. What a marvelous God we serve!
In Bunkie, Louisiana, we were with Joe Hoover, a pastor who has had us in every church he?s served over the past 15 years. One of the highlights of the week was the opportunity we were given to minister in the middle school and the agricultural magnet school. The kids were incredibly attentive and responsive. There were hundreds of kids sitting in bleachers in the gym and they were hanging on every word. It was wonderful to see. The parish director of drug prevention and education said she wished I could present the program in every school in her parish. The church was thrilled with all the children learned in BibleQuest. It was a fantastic week of ministry that touched lives all over the community.
Pontiac, Illinois, is just south of Chicago. Phil Icenogle is a wonderful pastor. This is the second time we?ve had the joy of working together. From the first day of the meeting, the church was buzzing with excitement. I knew when I saw that there was a 24 hour prayer vigil in process when I arrived, that we were in for a great week. The crowds grew each night, as did the enthusiasm and excitement of the people. It turned into a community revival as we saw participation from most of the churches in town. One of our medal winners in BibleQuest was really too young to participate. His mother asked that we make an exception, and he memorized 5 Bible verses, even though he couldn?t read. You should have heard the applause from the congregation when the pastor hung that medal around his neck. And was that little boy proud. (Be sure to check out his picture in the court of honor) I also had the privilege of presenting a drama to the middle school students in this community. The principle of the school was amazed at how well behaved the kids were while I told the story of Elijah. They loved it! It will be worth it if only one kid is saved from making the mistake of giving into unhealthy peer pressure.
From Pontiac, Felicia and I headed south to Taylorville, Illinois. This was a return trip. I was there five years ago with Phil Icenogle. Rev. Bill Frazier is pastor there now and is really loved by his congregation. We had a great time with the church as we reconnected with the friends we had made when we were there before. We had some great participation from the kids in BibleQuest. They were still using the ?Songs for the Quest? CD in the children?s program, so they were really up on the songs. You wouldn?t believe how fast they could sing the Books of the Old Testament.
Thanks for your faithfulness to pray for us as we go. We have three more meetings before we leave to go to Wilmore, Kentucky for five months as ?Artist in Residence?. Please continue to pray for us as we step into this new chapter of our lives. Pray for us particularly as we seek direction for our future after the five months are over. I?m not sure that ?Wesley Putnam Ministries? will be doing ministry in exactly the same way when we start back up. Please pray that God will provide the needed finances to keep us going during these months. Pray that my heart rehab will go well. Pray that God will refresh and retool us for what lies ahead.
Be sure to stop by the guest book and leave a note. If you?d like to leave a donation you can do so right here on the web page. We are grateful for your partnership with us.