Just a Reminder

• January 27—Plateau Region Leadership Meeting (sponsored by the State office of the Church of God of Prophecy in Tennessee) at the Lawrence Chapel Church starting at 6:00 p.m.

• January 28—The Women’s Ministry bible study will begins in Roy & Faye’s home. The curriculum is “A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place,” by Beth Moore.

Thoughts for today

Excitement is mounting as we prepare for a new phase of ministry in the life of New Beginnings. We were planning to meet at the building on 4th Street this evening for cleaning, etc; however, due to the fact that we couldn’t get the gas turned on by tonight, we will need to re-schedule. We will be meeting tonight on Mawila Ridge Road.

It is important to remember that it is God Who has called us together to join Him in this work, and His plan is continually unfolding. The heart of any ministry we engage in must always come from the heart of God! Our focus should not be on what we can do for people and how we can help and encourage them, but rather on how we can join God in what He has already done and is doing for them now!

In his Foreword to the book, Outreach Teams That Win: GROW, W. A. Criswell says: “Up and down every street in every city are those who are lost, families and friends and neighbors and acquaintances and fellow citizens in the communities where we ourselves are rearing our children and building our families. God Himself knew of our desperate need insomuch that He sent His only begotten Son to teach us the way of life, to die for our sins according to the Scripture, and to go before us in the evangelization of our families, of our communities, of our cities and nation, and of our whole world.”

We recognized long ago that the ministry God was calling us into would force us to leave our comfort zones. For most of us this is new territory, and it can be a little unsettling; however, our confidence is not in ourselves, but rather in God Who has called us! Remember,

“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

There is much work to be done, and there is a work for everyone. I am excited about the future and I pray the Lord will bless you and strengthen you as you continue to submit your life to His purpose.

Amir Tsarfati

Several people from New Beginnings made our way to Knoxville last night to attend a special service at Harvest Christian Fellowship where Amir Tsarfati was ministering. There was a pretty full house with people traveling from as far as Florida.

Amir was born and raised in and around Jerusalem, Israel. He became a born again Christian while a teenager after watching the Jesus film.

Amir is a Captain in the Israeli Army Reserve, he was the Vice Governor of Jericho, he is part of the negotiating team with the Palestinians, and, a tour guide in Israel. He also speaks four languages fluently, and is an International speaker on terrorism.

It was exciting to hear this man's perspective on some of the prophecies of the Old Testament relating to Israel and the end times. You can find more information about his ministry at his website, Behold Israel.

Another new beginning for New Beginnings

New Beginnings is preparing for a change in the location of our worship services. Since August '07 we have been meeting at the Sam & Zella Lawson Memorial Chapel on Mawila Ridge Road (pictured below).



Recently we were able to rent a much larger building in Crossville. As of this writing, we are planning to have our first worship service in the new location on the first Sunday in February.

The new location is within a couple blocks of three schools, a recreation park, and several youth "hang outs." I have attached a map to our new location. The address is 495 4th St., near the corner of 4th St. and Miller Ave., and across from Garrison Park.



We are deeply thankful to God for Mr. Willis Lawson who has generously granted us the use of the chapel. He has done more than we could have expected in making us to feel welcome and comfortable. We pray the Lord will continue to bless Willis abundantly for his humility and generous heart!

Visit to the Sparta Church

Sister Lisa Shaw, from New Beginnings, ministered at our church in Sparta this evening, so my parents and I drove over both to support her and our brothers and sisters in Sparta. The service was very good, and Lisa shared a powerful and encouraging Word from the Lord!

We very much appreciate Sister Verna Seager, the pastor of the church at Sparta, and her husband for the very warm welcome they extended to us. It was good, too, to see Jimmie LaFever again.

After the service, the church had a birthday cake and refreshments to honor Sister Seager's birthday. It is such a blessing when a church expresses its appreciation for their pastor.

While we were visiting and eating cake and drinking coffee, one of the ladies from the church began having chest pain. She was finally taken to the hospital. I cannot remember her name, but please join me in prayer for her.

Prayer Request

I received the following e-mail from Pastor Ken Dyer of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Knoxville:

Please be in prayer for the family of Margaret Solomon [of Knoxville]. Margaret passed away on Friday evening around 5:30 PM after a very long struggle with illnesses. The family would appreciate your prayers.

Margaret was a long time attendee of HCF until she became ill. Also, she was most instrumental in the beginning of Harvest Food Pantry and served as the coordinator for several years.

The final arrangements are being made and as soon as I know them, I will send out the details.

Ken Dyer
Pastor
Harvest Christian Fellowship

Please join me in prayer for this family!

Sad News

I am very sorry to report that I received word from Brother Boone today informing me that Mill, the young man I requested prayer for on Monday, passed away yesterday morning.

Over the years I have made several trips to Thailand and became acquainted with this family. Sam, Mill's brother, worked in the orphanage until he got married. I believe he is now pastoring one of our churches there. Just a couple years ago, another of his brothers died of drowning.

Please join me in prayer for the comfort of the Holy Spirit in this family.

Happy Anniversary

I failed to post that yesterday was Jay & Jennifer's wedding anniversary. We thank the Lord for them and pray His continued blessing in their marriage!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JAY & JENNIFER

It is no secret

The other day the tune to an old song came to my mind and I began humming it. It seemed to stay with me all day. I remembered some of the words, but had to google for the rest of them. I discovered an interesting history to the song, It Is No Secret What God Can Do. Here are the lyrics.

The chimes of time ring out the news; another day is through.
Someone slipped and fell.
Was that someone you?
You may have longed for added strength, your courage to renew.
Do not be disheartened, for I bring hope to you.

(Refrain)
IT IS NO SECRET what God can do.
What He's done for others, He'll do for you.
With arms wide open,
He'll pardon you.
IT IS NO SECRET what God can do.

There is no night, for in His light you'll never walk alone.
Always feel at home wherever you may roam.
There is no power can conquer you, while God is on your side.
Just take Him at his promise.
Don't run away and hide.
(Refrain)

You can find the history of the song here.

Urgent Request from Thailand

This morning I received an urgent prayer request from my friend, Boonyong Bureenok in Thailand. I am posting a portion of his e-mail here so you can join me in prayer for this very special and urgent request. I believe the young man Boone mentions in his e-mail is only about 16 years old.

Chip,

Happy new year to you all!

I have an urgent request! Mill, Sam's brother, one of my nephews callapsed while on his way to school. He is at the hospital, ICU now.

Sam called me again saying that doctor does not expect him to live long, only 24 hours.

Chip, we believe in the Lord of miracle, don't we? Please pray!

God bless you, my friend.
Boone
Korat, Thailand

Happy New Year

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

Pray for Pakistan

Brother McKinley posted an e-mail from our overseer in Pakistan on his blog today. With the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto yesterday, chaos spread across the country. According to the Overseer of Pakistan, "Some people say this has been done by the Christian countries and their people."

Please join me in prayer for the safety of Christians in Pakistan as they continue to minister in troubled times.

A New Blessing for New Beginnings

God is so amazing! Since August, Willis Lawson has graciously allowed us to use the Sam & Zella Lawson Memorial Chapel for our weekly worship services. It is a small building and had no air or heat. For the past several weeks we have been using a small gas heater, but it didn’t heat all that well.

A few days ago, Willis told me that he is going to have a heat/air unit installed. Work began yesterday and should be completed today!

We are so thankful for Willis. Had it not been for him, we may still be meeting in homes. While we do not want to get too comfortable where we are, neither do we want to fail to recognize the blessing of the Lord! To God be the glory!

We appreciate you very much, Willis, and pray God's richest blessings on you!

Christmas with Family

Yesterday our family got together to celebrate Christmas at my parents home. All my brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews where there, and we had a wonderful time together. The Lord has blessed me to be in a very loving and caring family, and I am thankful for my parents and my three brothers and their families.

Here are a couple of pics from our time together yesterday.

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas! I pray you will experience the joy of our Lord and Savior as you celebrate with family and friends today!

A few pics

Prayer Request

I received word today of another death via automobile accident in the Morgan County area. The victim, Eric Phillips, was the cousin to Savannah Human, whose husband was tragically killed in an automobile accident in October. Please join me in prayer for the Phillips family.

Christmas Party

We will be having a special Christmas party for our children on Wednesday, December 19. Accordingly, we will not be having services at the church on that night. The children's party will be in the home of Roy and Faye and will begin at 7 PM.

Special Thanks

New Beginnings would like to express our deep appreciation to Pastor Ken Dyer and Harvest Christian Fellowship in Knoxville for their prayers and support of our ministry here in Crossville.


Harvest Christian Fellowship is a loving, caring congregation that delights in sharing the love of our Lord and demonstrating the joy of a life with Christ. If you live in Knoxville or are just passing through, we encourage you to visit with them--you won't regret it! You can visit their website here.

A few pics from our Christmas Dinner