Official Organ of the West Texas District Council of the Assemblies of God November, 2009

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1 W e s t T e x a s A s s e m b l i e s o f G o d M i n i s t r y... U pward in Wo rship I n ward i n Discipleship Outward i n Evangelism Tidings Official Organ of the West Texas District Council of the Assemblies of God November, 2009 PUBLISHED MONTHLY Volume LXVII Number 11 Superintendent s Report by Robert G. Slaton WHERE ARE THE NINE? Luke 17:11-19 tells about ten lepers who were healed by Jesus. Only one returned to give Him thanks (One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God.) Jesus asked him, Where are the nine? Why did this one man react differently from the other nine lepers? Leprosy was a contagious disease that worked slowly on the body until death occurred. The Mosaic Law placed certain restrictions on lepers that caused them to become outcasts in society. Numbers 5:1-3, says, (1) The LORD said to Moses, (2) Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has an infectious skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. (3) Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them. He realized that the only hope for them was for the Lord to have mercy on them. What is the difference between grace and mercy? Grace is getting what you don t deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. These lepers cried out to the Lord to have mercy on them. The healing that took place that day was an act of mercy. How rare is this now-a-days? In our time nobody deserves any bad thing that happens, everyone is good and God is the one harshly judged for any and all negative occurrences. These men are not demanding an explanation of the Son of God, Why have you allowed this horrible disease to infect us? No, they are crying out for mercy, for relief from their torments. They are begging the Lord to have compassion on them, to help them in their time of need. They had all cried for mercy in a loud voice, but only one returned to give praise in a loud voice. Why did this leper react differently from the rest? The Bible says, And when he saw that he was healed, he returned and praised God with a loud voice. He saw or perceived that the power of Christ had done a marvelous work of healing. There is a story told of a man who goes to the rabbi and complains, Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do? The rabbi answers, Take your goat into the room with you. The man was incredulous, but the rabbi insists. Do as I say and come back in a week. A week later the man comes back looking more distraught than before. We cannot stand it, he tells the rabbi. The goat is filthy. The rabbi then tells him, Go home and let the goat out. And come back in a week. A radiant man returns to the rabbi a week later, exclaiming, Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there is no goat only the nine of us. The situation was the same as at first, but now his perception had changed. He realized that he was blessed to begin with. Do we really perceive the ways that God has blessed us? Not one of us is hungry, not one of us is naked, but most importantly, if you are a Christian, you have been given everything through Christ Jesus our Lord. May God help us to cultivate a grateful heart!

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3 Secretary-Treasurer & Director of Church Ministries Glenn R. Beaver Secretary-Treasurer CREDENTIAL APPLICATIONS DEADLINE DECEMBER 31, 2009 All those who have met the qualifications for credentials and wish to apply must return the application to the district office by December 31. This is all level of credentials: Certified Minister, License, and Ordination. If you have not requested an application please contact my office for complete information. The Ordination candidates will be interviewed by the Presbytery Board on Thursday, January 21, All other applicants will be scheduled to be interviewed by the Sectional Committee in their section. I will notify these applicants as to the time and place of their interview. CREDENTIAL RENEWALS Each credentialed minister will be receiving their credential renewal in just a matter of days. If you do not receive your renewal call my office for a replacement or you may download the renewal form at gensec.ag.org. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. BIBLE INSTITUTE OF WEST TEXAS Bible Institute classes are coming to a close for this year. The schedule for 2010 is already on the district calendar. The first classes will be held on February 6, 2010 at the district office. If you or someone you know is planning to attend the classes next year, please have them contact my office as soon as possible in order to secure a registration form. I want to say thank you to all those who served as facilitators for the classes. These individuals gave of their time and experience in order to make the courses more meaningful for the students. May God bless you for your willingness to help those who are called into ministry or who wish to learn more concerning the work of the ministry. MINISTER RECORDS Reinstated: John Eddie Cain, Ordained Becky Cain, Ordained Transferred Out: John Eddie Cain (O) Pen/Florida Becky Cain (O) Pen/Florida Randall Santiago (O) Michigan MINISTER RECORDS New Pastor: Dumas, Bethel AG - Steven Villines AVAILABLE FOR MINISTRY Gene Benningfield Simon Beteta Ismael Bihl Kelly Breckenridge Harry Coons Paul DeWolfe Larry Gilliam Rick & Tori Mitchell Z.A. Myers J.C. Owen Forest Srader Todd & Angela Starnes Marcus Tanner Raymond Torres Kevin Vander-Plas BIBLE INSTITUTE OF WEST TEXAS Course for November 21, 2009 License to Preach Level: Intermediate Ministerial Internship Facilitator, Glenn R. Beaver ASSEMBLIES OF GOD TIDINGS Glenn R. Beaver, Editor West Texas Assemblies of God 5504 Wayne Avenue P.O. Box Lubbock, Texas Please notify editor of any change of address. Third class postage paid at Lubbock, Texas. Published monthly. DISTRICT OFFICIARY Robert G. Slaton Superintendent Tom Lakey Assistant Superintendent Glenn R. Beaver Secretary/Treasurer SECTIONAL PRESBYTERS Billy Nickell, Danny Williams, Neil Unwin, John Murdoch, Randall McDonald, Ben Hodge III Web site: wtaog.org wtdistag@sbcglobal.net

4 Chris and Carey Murdoch District Youth & CE Director

5 WOMEN S MINISTRIES Recently my pastor preached a message entitled, Blessed to Be a Blessing. I have thought a great deal about how blessed I am, and how because of the Lord s blessings in my life I in turn should spend my life blessing others. In the last six months I have seen the hand of blessing on the missions projects Women s Ministries has promoted. Time and time again I ve witnessed the generosity of our churches blessing others through their prayers, their time and their gifts. I find myself at times unable to adequately express my gratitude for the love that has been extended through the response to the Pleasant Hills Children s Home project, Christmas in October and the District Missions Project for the new tables. I only pray that as I have seen Women s Ministries blessed, we as a department will be a blessing to the ladies in our churches and our wonderful missionary family. Becky Nenstiel Women s Ministries Director Christmas in October Highlights Thank you for your wonderful response to Christmas in October. MEN S MINISTRIES wtxmen@sbcglobal.net 2010 National Men s Ministries Leadership Conference February 4-6, 2010 Branson, MO Who is this conference for? District LFTL and Men s Leaders Local church men s leaders Local church men s groups and individuals Pastors with a burden for ministry to men and LFTL. There will be different workshops with great information and ideas on how to be more effective in ministry to men and in giving to LFTL. We will plan to take a group from West Texas. Pastors, if you would like to attend or send a Men s leader from your church, please let me know as soon as possible. Mark Stripling Men s Ministries Director West Texas District Light for the Lost Tour 2010 We are happy to have West Texas Missionary Greg Beggs as our tour speaker coming up the first two weeks in March, We hope you will make plans to attend your sectional banquet to hear one of West Texas own share testimonies of how your LFTL dollars are making a difference around the world.

6 ... People to People... October 11 Opening Day Christian Life Brownfield Pastor John Murdoch & Christian Life in Lubbock celebrated the grand opening of the new Christian Life campus in Brownfield on October 11. Pastor Murdoch and his board members were in attendance at the Brownfield campus to show their support during the opening service of the church. Bro. Murdoch s message was simulcast back to the Christian Life church in Lubbock. Over 80 people were in attendance. A delicious barbeque lunch was served following the morning service. Richard & Starla Sessums (pictured above) will serve as the Christian Life campus pastors in Brownfield. be with the Lord October 4. He had served four terms as a State Representative and resided in Austin until his retirement several years ago. Chris Robinson s mother, Ellen McAdams passed away. The funeral celebration in her memory was October 19. Rev. Danny Trussell s wife, Tandra, passed away suddenly. The Trussells pastored in Skellytown for 12 years and had recently resigned and moved to Plano. The memorial service for Tandra was October 15 in Lubbock. Please remember these families during this time of bereavement. 85th Anniversary Celebration: Pastor L.D. Hinson, First Assembly of God, Seagraves announces that the church will celebrate the 85th Anniversary of the church on Sunday, November 1, 2009, 11:00 a.m. Former Pastor Royce Barker will be the guest speaker. After lunch being served by the church, there will be an afternoon of singing. Congratulations to Bryan Woodward, son of missionaries Steve & Sheri Woodward, and Brittany Nicole Bray who were united in marriage October 23 in Oklahoma City. Prayer Needs: Pastor Don Pryor is recovering from a 5-bypass heart surgery; Don Tanner (Lubbock) is undergoing chemo for leukemia. Jannetta Fairbanks brother, Randall Pendleton, went to WEST TEXAS DISTRICT COUNCIL OF THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD 5504 WAYNE AVENUE P.O. BOX LUBBOCK, TX NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID LUBBOCK, TX PERMIT NO. 138 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED