Friday, September 27, 2019

The Lord is at Work!

Dear Friends and Family,

As I write this update I am reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “...I will build my church; and the gates of Hades will not over power it.” It is almost daily that we the Lord building His church here at Sequim Bible Church. 

When I came on staff last December as associate Pastor the church is in turmoil.  Satan was hard at work in SBC and had won many victories.  The church had lost many members due to a lack biblical leadership and other internal problems that were not properly handled.  In addition to losing many people, there was a strong charismatic faction; a faction of some people who were very critical of the pastor and they met together in one home “bible study” that was led by the elder chairman; and a group of disgruntled people who were only here to be served.  We had an elder board chairman who was a  non-cessationist.  We had a charismatic youth pastor and another charismatic elder.  Because of this we were not able to get much of anything accomplished in our elder meetings.  We could not agree on how the church should operate, or on what we should teach, and what we should even do during a worship service.  One example..a few months ago I took it upon myself to read Scripture during the service and one of them said that scripture reading in the service was too traditional and should not be done that way, if at all.

Pastor Shane and I knew that we were in fact in a spiritual battle and we knew that this was not a battle that we can fight by ourselves.  We began to pray for the Lord to fight this fight as we knew that this battle was far beyond our capabilities.  We asked the Lord to either change the hearts of the above mentioned people or to move them out.  Within one week the Chairman of the elder board (the non-cessationist) got upset and resigned his position and their membership and left the church.  Along with them also left several people in their very critical group.  Then last month the youth pastor resigned and several more people left who were of the disgruntled group.  Then just three weeks ago the charismatic elder resigned and left the church. (Now, don't get me wrong...these were all good men, but it was not a right fit for them to be at SBC.) Suddenly, we realized that the factious and divisive group was gone. Shane said that this is the first time in 12 years that we have a united elder board.  The last elder meeting was the first time that we were totally united in all things. 

We are very encouraged to see how the Lord has been moving people out as well as bringing people in.  By my estimation we have lost about 30 people and yet the giving has not decreased.  We are also seeing many new people who have moved into the area.  We have several new couples now interested in church membership.  One couple left another church in the area because they wanted sound bible teaching.  This too is exciting because it appears that the church’s reputation is beginning to change.  The past reputation has not been good, and we are doing all we can to change that.

Three weeks ago Pastor Shane and I started a new youth group.  The previous youth group was an entertainment based evangelical outreach primarily to the local high school.  Now we have a discipleship based youth group that is designed to teach the Word to the youth of our church.  The first night we had nine kids, then 12 and last week we had 15 kids.  Some of these kids are from our church who had no desire to attend the previous youth group or its activities.
We are now working on many things that were impossible in years past.  Such as Doctrinal improvements and constitutional changes.  Needless to say, we are all quite busy.    Shane and I are are running the youth group.  Dayle is the assistant director of women’s ministry, I am heading up the new men’s ministry as well as overseeing many other ministries. But it isn’t all work and no play.

The first week of September Dayle and I hooked up our trailer and went to Klamath Falls, Oregon.  There we set up camp at the home of Bob and Tanya Morgan.  It was such a blessing to be able to spend time with them again and we were able to see many other dear friends from our church in Klamath Falls.  Then we met all the kids at the Lake of the Woods Resort.  We celebrated our 48th anniversary with all of our children and grand children.  Bob and Tanya gave us two child size kayaks for Jack and Pearl and they loved them.  Thanky you Bob and Tanya!!!





Dayle and I have the added blessing of going to the church together almost every day.  We are at the church normally three to five days a week.  This week however, we will be here six days.  Dayle is busy organizing the Women’s Fall Conference which will be Friday and Saturday.  I will be on hand to help out with electronics and anything else they may need.

Support wise we are doing ok.  Our expenses have increased due to a few vehicle and trailer repairs as well as some unexpected dental expenses to fix a broken tooth with a crown.  But we are always amazed at how the Lord always seems to meet our needs.  Health wise we couldn’t be better.  We both remain physically active with hiking and biking. (Yes, I still try to hit the trails a couple of times a week.) Dayle regularly works out with calisthenics exercise and light weights in the trailer.  She also seems to have her osteoporosis in check.

We covet your prayers for our church as we continue to rebuild Sequim Bible Church upon a firm foundation.  Pray for Pastor Shane as he still struggles with all the demands on his time.  Pray that our church will continue to be unified and to bond together as a church family should.

Also continue to pray for our 16 year old grandson, Aiden.  Aiden has Alport Syndrome and will be requiring a kidney transplant probably by the end of the year.  Aiden’s dad (Jason) and his aunt (Neeley) are both under going testing to determine if they are a match to be a kidney donor.  We pray that one of them is a match otherwise, a donor will have to be sought from the National Kidney Registry.

Also please pray for the Galli family.  This is Annie's in-laws.  Annie's mother-in-law, Rosa, has been given just 3 months as her body is riddled with cancer.  Rosa is a strong believer but her husband who is also a believer is taking this very hard.  Rosa has always been like the glue that seems to always hold everything together.

One more item of business:  I am slowly doing away with my Netzero email address.  Please use my longtime Gmail address for future correspondence: Bikerider1004@gmail.com



If you would like to assist us financially please send your donations to:

         Northwest Independent Church Extension
            P.O. Box 2225
            Sumner, WA 98390                Phone: (253) 826-7881


Wednesday, July 3, 2019

July 2019

Dear Friends and Family,

One of the things that we want to do is send out a newsletter every month.  But it’s been 2 ½ months since our last one.  That’s because we are either very busy or lazy....I think we’ll go with busy.  And busy we have been!

At the end of May we drove down to Southern California to attend my niece Madison’s high school graduation.

After a few days of helping my sister around her house we went to our old church church on Sunday, Grace Community Church. We spent the entire morning at Grace and reconnected with many long time friends.  After the day at church we drove north to our kid’s home in Sacramento where we spent the next 10 days and cared for the grand children while Stephen and Neeley went away for a 4 day trip to celebrate their tenth anniversary.  We had a good time with the kids and we did lots of bicycle riding. Our six year old grandson, Jack, rode about 225 miles with me (Shelley) on the Trail-a-Bike.
 
Dayle and Jack on just a short ride.

We returned home on June 14th driving the entire 800 miles in one day.

The ministry at Sequim Bible Church is a continuing challenge.  But what ministry isn’t?  Myself and the other two pastors are now meeting twice a week.  We are now discussing theological topics as well as working together to be like-minded in ministry.  If the three of us can be unified in direction, purpose, and method then we should be able to lead the rest. This is very exciting and encouraging...please pray for us as we work together for the Lord's glory.

Two weeks ago Pastor Shane finished his office enough to move in and I moved in to his old office.  Here is a picture of my new study.  What a joy it is to have a permanent place to work.


Dayle has jumped in with both feet.  She is the assistant women’s ministry director.  She teaches a mid week women’s Bible study, counsels women, works the welcome center on Sundays, and is one of the church librarians.  She sets up for our Sunday Evening Family bible Study and is ready to help wherever needed.  She also comes to church with me almost every day and never lacks things to do.

Last time I requested prayer for the church’s financial situation.  Finances are still tight but this last quarter we met budget.  This was very encouraging to us as we hope that we have “turned a corner.”  Many of the past problems have gone away and the overall general attitude appears to be more positive.

As far as our monthly support goes, we are still greatly lacking but we are always amazed how the Lord provides.  As of right now we are at about 33% of what is needed.

If you would like to assist us financially please send your donations to:

         Northwest Independent Church Extension
            P.O. Box 2225
            Sumner, WA 98390                Phone: (253) 826-7881

Prayer Requests:
    Please continue to pray for Sequim Bible Church.  Especially for continued unity, love, and growth among the brethren. Pray for the church’s financial situation.
    Pray for continued unity among the three pastors. 
    Pray for Shane, the senior pastor, for wisdom and time to complete all the necessary tasks in front of him (Sermon prep, Seminary courses, counseling, and more.)
    Pray for Patrick, the youth pastor: 1) his wife is about to have their second child. 2) He is having a house built, and 3) pray for his continued rehabilitation.  (Ten years ago at youth camp he broke his neck and has been recovering ever since.  He gets around on crutches and continues to improve through physical therapy although it is a very long process.)

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Campylobacter and a trip to the Hospital

Dear Family and Friends,

So much has happened since our last newsletter.  Just before we were to depart for California and the Shepherd’s Conference I got really sick.  I just thought it was a simple case of the stomach flu.  But after three days of severe diarrhea, high fever, and passing out three times we thought it might be serious so off to the Emergency Room we went.  I felt so sick I though that I was going to die.  OK, maybe I am exaggerating a bit here, but I am one of those people who never gets sick.  I was severely dehydrated, my kidneys had shut down, and my skin color was very pale.  They immediately began pumping 2 ½ liters of IV fluid into me.  It turns out that I had contracted a bacteria called campylobacter.  Campylobacteriosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria.  Most people can fight off the bacteria without any medical intervention, but not this kid.  For the next two to three weeks my energy slowly returned.  Now five weeks later, I feel normal again. We are so thankful to God that we have great insurance and good doctors.

Five days after my ER visit,  I felt well enough to drive and so we left for California 6 days later than planned (although this was God’s plan all along). We made it to Sacramento on Saturday and then on Monday I continued on south.  Dayle stayed  Stephen and Neeley in Sacramento and I continued to L.A. I stayed with our dear friends, Brian and Christine Rush for the Shepherd’s Conference as they live much closer than my sister.  As expected the conference was a wonderful time of refreshment and encouragement.

The ministry at Sequim Bible Church continues.  Since our last newsletter we have begun the FLOCKS home bible studies.  We did not get the interest as we expected but we do have two home bible studies that are going and Dayle will be starting a women’s study next month.

On April 7th, we started the Sunday Evening Family Fellowship.  This is going to be a weekly event with Music, food, fellowship and Bible study. We had 50 people in attendance on our first night and everyone seemed pretty excited about the whole thing.  I led the singing with the guitar and I am teaching a basic theology series on Who is God.  I am also team teaching an adult Sunday School class on James with my good friend Tim Smith. There are several other administrative jobs that I am working on which are all keeping me quite busy. I now have a temporary office in the church building where I spend much of my week.  One of the major tasks is the implementation of a program for first-time guests and follow-up.  I have designed a welcome package and the church secretary, Sandy, is busy doing her graphic arts magic.  The plan is to warmly greet first-time guests, have someone invite them to their home for lunch or ask them out, then either Pastor Shane or myself will deliver a plate of home made cookies  We hope to have everything finalized in a couple of weeks.
 
The church continues to have difficulties from the past that we still have to deal with.  But Pastor Shane, the elders, and I are continually working together to take care of these issues in a Biblical manner.  The church continues to have financial difficulties and we have had to make even more cuts. But we are all very blessed to see the Lord working in His church and in the hearts of His people.  The Lord said the “He will build His church” (Mt. 16:18) therefore we will remain faithful to His Word.

Personally, we are busier than we have been in many years but we love the work.  Dayle is at the church at least one full day every week and some times she is there even more.  It is such a joy to be serving the Lord together,  We don’t even mind the 25 mile drive to church every day.

Financially we have not yet even come close to what is required by our mission.  As of right now we are just under 10% of what is required.


Prayer Requests:
    Please continue to pray for Sequim Bible Church.  Especially for continued unity, love, and growth among the brethren. Pray for the church’s financial situation.
    Pray for Pastor Shane as he has much to do and not enough time in the day to do it.
    Pray for our financial support.


 If you would like to assist financially please send your donations to:
    Northwest Independent Church Extension
    P.O. Box 2225
    Sumner, WA 98390                Phone: (253) 826-7881

Shelley and Pastor Shane
Dayle serving at Sunday Evening Family Fellowship





Monday, February 18, 2019

Greetings from Snowy Port Angeles

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings from a snowy Port Angeles, WA.  Over the last week we have received over three feet of snow.  And more snow is expected soon.  It is so deep that we couldn’t get our cars out.  I even had to dig out my four wheel drive truck .  Needless to say, everyone is tired and sore from shoveling snow.

It is quite obvious that many of you have been praying for us and the ministry at Sequim Bible Church as we have seen things happen very quickly that only the Lord could have accomplished. However, there is still much that needs to be done.  Sadly, we have seen a couple of people leave but also have received several new members.  I like what we are hearing from many of the members about the way the church is going.  So we are quite encouraged.

Pastor Shane and I have been working together on many things.  I am amazed just how much he and I think alike.  It is such a joy to be working with a like-minded pastor and one that really loves his flock.  Shane is quite busy with sermon preparation, church business, a cell phone that never stops ringing, online seminary courses, and family.  Please keep him in your prayers.
   
We have been planning home Bible Study small groups which we will be calling FLOCKS (Fellowship. Leadership development, Outreach, Caring, Knowledge, and Service).  The first one begins this evening. 

We have assisted with the organization and operation of the Women’s Ministry.  Dayle is the assistant director of the leadership team.  The Biblical Counseling course has begun and both Dayle and I along with several other church members and taking it. 

We have had some delays in remodeling the senior pastor’s office due to other pressing matters, but we work on it as we can.  I hope to get him in possibly as early as next week.  But, I have said that before.

In two weeks we will be driving south.  I will be going to the Shepherd’s Conference at Grace Community Church and Dayle will be staying with Steve and Neeley in Sacramento.  I will be staying at my sister’s house for a couple of nights and then with some good friends in Santa Clarita for the conference nights.  Pastor Shane and Tim Smith will also be attending the Shepherd’s Conference but they will be flying down.

Prayer Requests:
    Please continue to pray for the ministry at Sequim Bible Church. 
    Pray for Pastor Shane.  He has much to do and needs wisdom and more hours in the day.
        Pray for additional financial support.   We have much to go before we meet our monthly goal.

 If you would like to assist financially please send your donations to:
    Northwest Independent Church Extension
    P.O. Box 2225
    Sumner, WA 98390                Phone: (253) 826-7881


Always Serving,
Shelley for both of us!

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

It's "Pastor" Shelley Once Again

We are very excited to announce that it’s "Pastor" Shelley once again. Well more accurately Associate Pastor Shelley. This last Sunday I was privileged to preach and then during the Sunday School hour the entire church met in the sanctuary to get to know and question me. After the Q and A session the elders were unanimous making it official approving me as associate pastor.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.cloversites.com/90/907d5405-86d5-4172-87ad-622a2ff23372/site-images/e35e4d4b-84f9-4cd7-a72b-41c841b1cbae.jpg
Sequim Bible Church
As far as the full extent of what my duties will be has yet to be determined. But for now I will be coordinating the small group/home Bible study program, men’s discipleship ministry as well as being involved with the counseling ministry training program. I will begin leading a home bible study beginning next week. I also hope to take some of the load off the senior pastor.

Dayle will be on the board of directors for the women’s ministry and she also is working on getting her Biblical Counseling Certification

The first task at hand is to get Pastor Shane into the senior pastor’s office. I have been busy remodeling, sanding, painting, and refinishing cabinetry. I hope to have everything finished and get him moved by the end of next week.

I will be remaining on missionary status with N.I.C.E. Assigned to Sequim Bible Church as I help Pastor Shane and the elders rebuild the church. The past year has been quite difficult for the church with a partial church split resulting in serious financial problems. The elders have said that it is like they are starting all over. There is much work to be done and we are very excited to be part of it.

The church is just 25 miles from where we live and we are very thankful that we will not have to move our trailer to another location.  We did ask the Lord for a ministry where we would not have to leave the kids.  We are truly amazed how He always takes care of us!

Please partner with us in prayer support. Specifically, please pray for unity and wisdom among the church leadership. As far as our financial support goes we still have much to go. I am confident that our great God will supply all of our needs. If you would like to assist financially please send your donations to:
    Northwest Independent Church Extension
    P.O. Box 2225
    Sumner, WA 98390                Phone: (253) 826-7881

Always Serving,
Shelley for both of us!                            www.SequimBible.com