Brethren,
The Cool Springs PBC in Danville, GA was blessed to hold her annual meeting this past weekend, and it was a highly uplifting time in the house of God. With all the grievous things happening in the world today, this time of refreshing was needful for the body, and we feel like pressing on a while longer. The church invited two new faces – Elders Mark Richards and Jerry Anstey – to preach this weekend, and though neither of them had preached at Cool Springs or even in the state of Georgia before, they left as two new friends to the church and no longer new faces. Brother Jerry is the pastor of Golden Gate PBC in Fremont, CA, while Brother Mark is the pastor of Littlevine PBC in Austin, TX. It was a sacrifice for these brethren to leave their families to spend this much time with us, but it was a sacrifice not in vain.
Different meetings have different personalities, and while some are shouting affairs, others are quieter. This meeting could be best described as serene and peaceful. One of the major themes threaded throughout the weekend was that of peace, and the Spirit dwelt among us with such a feeling. Surely we have been blessed to go forward in green pastures drinking from the still waters. Though we had to come apart from the world for a while, we were filled while engaged in worship and left with baskets of fragments for nourishment and meat for days to come. Lord willing, we will also host our Fellowship Meeting next month, and this weekend has already hastened our anticipation and expectation of a Spirit-filled time then as well. Please rejoice with us and pray for us when at a throne of grace.
Wednesday Night:
Communion- the church was blessed to kick off the meeting with communion and feet washing, and she is also blessed with a number of ministers in her membership. We rejoiced together in this service with Elders Frank King, Dan Bryant, and Franklin Bryant handling the commensurate parts.
Thursday Night:
Prayer: Elder Garry Hall
Preaching: Elder Jerry Anstey – “Our Position and Purpose” Brother Jerry extolled our position and response from I Peter 1. We are children of God, made so by His work, and should therefore, be lively and engaged in our service and conduct to the King.
Preaching: Elder Mark Richards – “The End of our Faith” Brother Mark tied into Brother Jerry’s comments and went further in I Peter 1 talking about what the end of our faith is, and what a blessing and benefit it brings to us.
Prayer: Elder Marty Smith
Friday Night:
Prayer: Elder Michael Hataway
Preaching: Elder Mark Richards – “Scene of the 5,000” Brother Mark talked about Christ’s feeding of the 5,000 with many rich and beautiful events tied into that one scene. We today can rejoice like they did then when the Lord blesses us similarly.
Preaching: Elder Jerry Anstey – “He is Our God” Brother Jerry talked about Jehoshaphat’s prayer from II Chronicles 20. Today, our prayers should echo Jehoshaphat’s as God is our God just as He was Jehoshaphat’s God.
Prayer: Lic. Richard James
Saturday Morning:
Prayer: Elder Dan Bryant
Preaching: Elder Jerry Anstey – “Memorials and the River Jordan” Brother Jerry described the memorials given during the children of Israel’s crossing over Jordan into Canaan’s Land. These rich pictures and testimonies are seen today in our testimonies when we acknowledge similar blessings in our lives.
Prayer: Brother Andy Miles
Saturday Night:
Prayer: Elder Ric Stewart
Preaching: Elder Mark Richards – “Essential and Necessary/Nonessential and Unnecessary” Brother Mark talked from Hebrews 9 and 10 showing activities that used to be necessary in the past but are no longer necessary now or into the future. He further described the great momentous event that brought about this shift of necessity.
Prayer: Elder Philip Conley
Sunday Morning:
Prayer: Brother Ronnie Howell
Preaching: Elder Mark Richards –“Withhold Not Love” Brother Mark compared Proverbs 3:27 with the 3 types of love found in I John 4: God’s love to us, our love to God, and our love to one another. All three areas can be seen through this proverb. It is implemented in God’s case, and should be implemented in ours.
Preaching: Elder Jerry Anstey – “Friends of God” Brother Jerry hearkened back to a portion of Jehoshaphat’s prayer in II Chronicles 20:7. He focused on friendship, and what being a friend of God meant and should look like.
Prayer: Brother Caleb Howell
Sunday Night:
Prayer: Elder Bill Torrence
Preaching: Elder Philip Conley – “Mt Zion” after comments from Bro Bill about the “us” of Scripture to whom the promises were given, Brother Philip extolled Mt Zion from Psalm 48. Surely, Mt Zion has been evident throughout the meeting, and may her courts be among us with the Almighty in the midst even unto death.
Prayer: Lic. Win Kuck
Our thanks to all who made this meeting what it is. We thank God most of all for His loving Spirit that He was gracious to send. We thank those who laboured in prayer, effort, tears, and toil to supply the needs of those among us. Whether the service would be deemed by man to be big or small, it was indeed a blessing that God will not overlook. He is faithful to remember and reward such labours of love, and the rewards for the effort have already begun in what we received. We pray that more and more would be added in the coming days to His honour and glory and to the edification of the body. Lord willing, the sermons will be put on the website (coolspringspbc.org).
In Hope,
Bro Philip