Final report - 26 new souls won in Williamsburg, Virginia, Campaign

Okay, we have finished our campaign in Williamsburg, Virginia. We saw 26 obey the Gospel and one more was restored! It was the second time we had been there. We were there four years ago. We baptized 35 at that time and we were told they kept about 60% of them. While beforehand preparing for this campaign we were told that in our class on Wednesday night 10% of them were converts from that first campaign. Wow! Twenty per cent were new converts from that first campaign and those reached since it. That is why the church invited us back for another, which we just completed!!

And here they are! Your new brothers and sisters! At least, some of them. As always, some were sick when we took the picture, some had to work their jobs, but all are accounted for! Our AfterCare is well in place there!

I told Peggy that I just cannot believe the difference between the time I was first there four years ago and today; the room is full of new brothers and sisters! What a great victory celebration; what a great church!

Here’s the way the local preacher Bill Butterfield laid out the recent stats:

· 2,190 doors were knocked, an average of about 219 doors per day.

· 801 families were found at home. This represents about 1 out of every 2.5 doors were opened to us.

· 119 Gospel presentations were given. This means that 1 out of 20 doors that were knocked resulted in a Bible study. Of the number of folks found at home the number would be 1 out of 7 resulted in a Bible study.

· 146 individuals participated in those Bible studies which were led by a team mostly of We Care (Cadre) and other trained workers.

· 47 more Bible studies were set and conducted either during the campaign or are scheduled to be completed at a later date by the local workers.

· 68 families either requested us to call back again or signs were clear that a Bible study was very possible.

· 45 benevolent cases were found and met on an "as needed" basis. This represents 1 out of every 50 houses needed some type of benevolent act.

· One out of 100 doors knocked upon resulted in one or more obeying the gospel.

The main three barometers were:

1 out of every 2.5 doors knocked on found someone home

1 out of every 7 people found at home resulted in a gospel presentation

1 out of every 3 presentations resulted in someone obeying the gospel

Of course, figures tell only part of the story! What was so amazing about this campaign was that we saw31% of their members involved actually out on the street with our teams, and 90% of the local members were involved in the campaign at some level. This was only the second time that We Care had someone on every team every day of the campaign, except one afternoon. Peggy reminded me that only once had that ever happened and that was in Houston where the church numbered one thousand! One day we had enough local folk that some teams had two or three on them.

June 1 Williamsburg, VA

On Wednesday May 28, 2008, Matthew who is from Russia came into the Williamsburg Church of Christ. Matthew was walking around and Craig Suby and Alyssa Richards introduced themselves to Matthew. They sat down and went through the Gospel Presentation slowly to make sure that Matthew understood. Craig thought it best for Matthew to go home and think over what they went through. Matthew returned that Sunday morning. In the afternoon around lunch time Craig called me over to ask me to go through the gospel presentation one last time. Matthew, Anthony and I sat down in a back room to go through the gospel presentation. I went through the Gospel presentation slowly with Matthew and explained each scripture to him to make sure he understood the Gospel. Matthew was feeling cold so we went outside where it was much warmer. As the Study was coming to an end, Craig, Alyssa, and Jerry walked outside where Anthony, Matthew and Myself were sitting. Matthew read Acts 22:16 and he gave God his Answer. He obeyed the Gospel at 3:30 in the afternoon. Craig asked me if I wanted to baptize Matthew. I agreed to the question. I asked Matthew do you believe Jesus is the Son of God and is God? He said yes. Based on that confession I baptized Matthew in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit, into the death of Christ where Matthew reached the Blood of Jesus. The feeling I felt was that of an inexpressible and glorious joy of seeing one of Gods children come home. 1Pe 1:8. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 1Pe 1: for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Pr 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

Love in Christ your brother Michael Hyams

Friends Family:

During the campaign we had 25 obey the gospel. On Sunday afternoon after the campaign we had a Russian young man that had a couple of Bible studies obeyed the gospel. Mathew will be going back to Russia in a few months.

On Monday evening at 7 p.m. the Robles were married with a small ceremony. What a weekend for them, obeying the gospel on Saturday and getting married on Monday. Bill Butterfield performed the services with Sharon Brock serving as the Matron of Honor and Rafael Vega serving as the best man. Mark Jones escorted Yessica down the aisle and the church gave her away. Phillip and Cindy Harris

phil2cindy@verizon.net

Tenth Day

Family and Friends,

It has been an incredible two weeks for the church here in Williamsburg! The good that has been accomplished in bringing Jesus to the people of this community will never be fully understood this side of Heaven. We all will have to wait to see who and how many will enjoy that blessed home with our Father.

So, this is really an "incomplete" record because the task before us is ongoing and will never been fully completed as long as time as we know it exists!

Here are some interesting statistics that you can think about and work with as you wish!

[All "averages" are rounded off or approximated)

2,190 doors were knocked on between Thursday, May 22 and Saturday, May 31. That represents an

average of about 219 doors per day. Remembering that Saturdays were limited to just a morning

effort (giving everyone a chance to rest on Saturday afternoon), the least number of doors knocked on

was 167 on Friday, May 30. The largest number was on Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day).

801 families were found at home. This represents about 1 out of every 2.5 doors were opened to us.

119 Gospel presentations were given. This means that 1 out of 20 doors that were knocked on resulted

in a Bible study. Of the number of folk found at home the number would be 1 out of 7 resulted in a

Bible study.

146 individuals participated in those Bible studies which were led by a team of workers

47 more Bible studies were set and conducted either during the campaign or are scheduled to be completed at a later date by the local workers.

68 families either requested us to call back again or signs were clear that a Bible study was very possible

45 benevolent cases were found and met on an "as needed" basis. This represents 1 out of every 50

houses needed some type of benevolent act

24 persons obeyed the gospel during the twelve day period (additional one prior to May 22 and another

one since May 31). 1 out of 100 doors knocked upon resulted in one or more obeying the gospel. 17

of those obeying the gospel were women and 7 were men. The youngest was 13 and the oldest was

approximately 65.

The main three barometers are:

1 out of every 2.5 doors knocked on found someone home

1 out of every 7 people found at home resulted in a gospel presentation

1 out of every 3 gospel presentations resulted in someone obeying the gospel

The above figures do not tell the real story of how God blessed this effort. Just a few random thoughts

might help a bit:

-- Two couples were baptized uniting themselves in Christ and to each other.

-- One couple obeyed the gospel who were Hispanic, therefore, requiring some extra time and effort

before they understood the gospel and desired to obey it.

-- One mother and daughter combination obeyed the gospel

-- 52 of our own folk were involved in going out on the streets and teaching people

-- 90% of our own folk were involved in the campaign at some level, even higher if those who were only

able to devote themselves to praying for the success of the gospel

-- Several of our working folk took one week of their vacation and dedicated it to God's work

-- Over 4,000 meals were served to workers, cadre, and local guests

-- More than 70 boxes of groceries were distributed throughout the community

-- Only the second time that We Care had someone on every team everyday, except one afternoon when

one team lacked a "local" member

-- Two out of town couples delayed their departure due to scheduled Bible studies

The "personal" conversion stories are amazing and unique in themselves. The way God moved among

people to bring them in contact with the gospel was nothing short of incredible! Many of us will cherish

these "stories" for the remainder of our lives and will be the source of encouragement to continue

reaching out to our community.

-- One lady, Barbara, had been a part of a local church for 55 years and discovered that she had been

a part of a "false church" (her words) for all of those years.

-- A young man obeyed the gospel realizing that his father, a denominational preacher, would not be

happy about his decision

-- Another lady who had not left her home for ten years obeyed the gospel and has not failed getting out

her house since

-- One with an acute back problem "suffered" through the ordeal of baptism because she knew it was

what she needed and was present on "Victory Sunday" although in much pain

-- Two homeless individuals were guests at lunch one day and after studying with one of them, he

obeyed the gospel. He was present on "Victory Sunday" although had to hurry to work immediately

after lunch, but asked before leaving when the next service would be.

-- One door was knocked on with the intention of studying with the resident only to discover that the

caregiver was the one that ended up studying the Bible and obeying the gospel

-- Two of the early converts were out on the street knocking doors before the campaign was over

Well, you get the idea that we are enjoying some wonderful "conversion stories." The studies will

bring more such stories. Already, studies are being led with those who were listed as "call backs." One

of those potential studies called this morning to make sure she could reschedule the study with her

thirteen year old daughter. I will be studying with her and her daughter next Thursday at 3 o'clock.

Another study is scheduled for 9 o'clock on Saturday morning. I have a study tonight at 7 o'clock.

The campaign continues....and your help is desperately needed! God has opened up doors of

opportunity that we cannot allow to go shut! Please, let me, Jim Bishop, or Johnnie Madison know that

you want to continue being involved!

For Him,
Bill

COMES TO AMERICA TO FIND A JOB AND FINDS JESUS...

Family and Friends,

    Now, if the title for this email doesn't catch your attention then you better lie down because you have died! Seriously, the above is the story of Matthew! Where do I begin?

    On Wednesday (I believe) Matthew came wandering up our driveway here at the church building. He looked a bit confused and while I was chatting with Chuck Thompson about other areas into which we should move, I said, "I need to go see what that young man needs!" Before I could get out of the car, he had already entered the church building! Upon entering the building some of our young folk immediately latched hold of him and began building a relationship. Within an hour or so, Matthew was in a Bible study where he was being exposed for the first time in his life to the gospel. The study continued after dinner and was renewed the next day! Further study occurred his afternoon following our "victory celebration," and just a few minutes ago, we witnessed Matthew obeying the gospel for the remission of his sins.

    Matthew will be here in the states until September which give us about three full months to mentor him and help him mature into Jesus Christ! We want to prepare him for his return trip to Russia (yes, I said, "Russia!") where he can remain faithful to God. This might be a monumental task, but there is no task greater than our God, right? I am praying that there will be a band of faithful Christians meeting near his home with whom we can connect. Please, pleas, pray that this will happen!

    God does indeed help those who are searching for truth, doesn't He? We sometimes think that we "find" folk when actually it is God helping them find us! We are more of a pawn in God's plan than most of us want to admit! The problem is that often He is trying to lead us to someone and we don't pick up on the signals or we are not open to his guidance.

    Matthew is the first one to obey the gospel after the campaign has been concluded! He won't be the last! We, as a church family, have committed ourselves to work with God in sharing the gospel with as many of the 69 contacts that we have now. We have several who are completely prepared to make the gospel presentation and we will do it! We are already making plans as to how we continue the outreach that has been going on for the last twelve days! We MUST strike while the iron is hot! There are dying souls that are depending on someone sharing with them the gospel! We MUST become God's instruments of peace! Please, please, pray for this church to continue with these gospel presentations!

    Full details in a couple of days because other studies are still going on right now! WOW! God is good!

For Him,
Bill

Ninth Day

Family and Friends,



    There is a sports expression that says, "The game's not over until the fat lady sings!" Well, I don't know about the "fat lady," but I know that a campaign is not over until it is over! "Officially" the campaign pretty much ended at noon today! Many of the cadre have left for home! Others are taking this last day to enjoy the sites in our historic community! While others are going here and there! (Two cadre went to see the ocean in Virginia Beach.)

    Well, they missed numbers 24 & 25 obeying the gospel! That's right, I have just come from participating in the baptism of Yessica and Elias Robles. This young family (two children) are so sweet and so precious! The little girl and boy are beautiful children! Obviously, you can tell by their names that they have a Hispanic background! WOW! Is God directing us toward a Hispanic ministry? As in many growing communities the Hispanic population is on the increase and we are no exception! We have three brothers who are quite fluent in Spanish (something we did not have too long ago) and now we have a young family who will need some help understanding some of the principles of God! The Robles speak English, but are still much more comfortable in their native Spanish. So, here we go again! God just keeps working and working! Will He every stop? I sure hope not!

    Last night was very special as a young lady about 40 years old was restored! Kiersten had been away from the church family for two or three years having been discouraged by some enemies of the church! She came back and in her written statement confessed her own condition, but told us what she needed to be able to remain faithful. Her concluding words were, "...if you will take me back into the family, I will fight with the heart of a lion to remain faithful!" Can we ask anything else? Again, only "WOW!" comes to mind!

    I will probably be writing to you one more time to give you some of the "figures" regarding the campaign (how many doors were knocked on, number of folk at home, number of studies, number of benevolent cases, etc.) and I think you will find all of these challenging!

    All I can say that any church that does not give "door knocking" another chance is missing out on a wonderful way to reaching the lost with the loving message of God! Also, you will be amazed at the reaction of people when the GOSPEL (1Corinthians 15:1-4) is preached and not church issues! People are fed up with hearing about "churches," but are dying to hear about "Jesus!" Give the GOSPEL a chance!

    More later....probably on Monday!

For Him,
Bill

Eighth Day

Family and friends,

    I cannot believe that I did not get to write to you yesterday, but there is a reason! I began writing an update three or four times and each time I was interrupted (not really an interruption)! because another person was wanting to obey the gospel! Now there's a nice problem to have, right? I finally gave up at 10:30 last night and decided to wait until this morning!

    Let's see. In the last email report on Tuesday, the total was 13, I believe. We were waiting on Leonard Ash to come in to obey the gospel after he got off from work! Guess what? Leonard was baptized into Christ around 6 p.m. Tuesday evening...#14! Leonard is a wonderful young man whose father is a denominational preacher in Texas, I believe. Pray for him as he is concerned about letting his family know of his decision to obey the truth!

    Yesterday began with the obedience to the gospel of Amie Hurst. This is a story in itself! One of our teams was working with one of "unfaithful sisters" as a result of knocking on doors. She lived next door to Amie. Amie became interested in hearing the gospel after hearing the introduction. She is a single mother of a cutest little girl you have ever laid eyes on by the name of Mariah. Now, here is another twist! Amie lives next door to one of our newer converts (two years ago), so we have three "sisters" living side-by-side-by side. This will be a wonderful opportunity to have a small group Bible study in that neighborhood that may attract even more folk! Keep praying about this!

    Later, Quisha Picott, a caregiver here in Williamsburg, was found through knocking on doors. She studied with George and Betty Vinson and our own, Tom Little and decided that she want to obey the gospel. She got off from work fifteen minutes after the study, so the team sat in the car and waited for her to finish working. Off to the church building and into the water! Quisha (pronounced - Keesha) is so sweet and teared up as we sang "God's Family" with and to her after her obedience.

    Oh, we are not done yet! After studying with one of our elders last week, Susan Harman, finally made the decision to obey the gospel. She had been attending about three weeks and responded positively to the gospel presentation. She will be a valuable asset to the church family, I believe! Susan was baptized right before the evening preaching service, but immediately afterward, her good friend, Jennifer Christol, also obeyed the gospel. It was such a joy to see both them hug and congratulate one another! God does bring people together for His purposes!

    I thought I would be able to send this without any more of those "interruptions" (?), but, guess what? Yep, another young lady obeyed the gospel this morning after studying with Mike and Regina Boisseau. Tracy, the daughter of our own Betina Hundley, put her Lord on in baptism just a few minutes ago. Tracy is such a sweet young lady and her contribution to this family will be great! She works at Walmart and is affectionately known as "the prettiest girl that works at Walmart!" Well, at least, we all think she is!

    So, let's see...that brings the total for right now to 19 and, trust me, we are still counting! Teams are in studies at the moment and others are pending for this afternoon! Please, please, keep praying for God's will to be done in the hearts of people in our community!

For Him,
Bill

Seventh DaySeventeen now new Christians in Williamsburg Campaign! So far!
Family and friends,

    I cannot believe that I did not get to write to you yesterday, but there is a reason! I began writing an update three or four times and each time I was interrupted (not really an interruption)! because another person was wanting to obey the gospel! Now there's a nice problem to have, right? I finally gave up at 10:30 last night and decided to wait until this morning!

    Let's see. In the last email report on Tuesday, the total was 13, I believe. We were waiting on Leonard Ash to come in to obey the gospel after he got off from work! Guess what? Leonard was baptized into Christ around 6 p.m. Tuesday evening...#14! Leonard is a wonderful young man whose father is a denominational preacher in Texas, I believe. Pray for him as he is concerned about letting his family know of his decision to obey the truth!

    Yesterday began with the obedience to the gospel of Amie Hurst. This is a story in itself! One of our teams was working with one of "unfaithful sisters" as a result of knocking on doors. She lived next door to Amie. Amie became interested in hearing the gospel after hearing the introduction. She is a single mother of a cutest little girl you have ever laid eyes on by the name of Mariah. Now, here is another twist! Amie lives next door to one of our newer converts (two years ago), so we have three "sisters" living side-by-side-by side. This will be a wonderful opportunity to have a small group Bible study in that neighborhood that may attract even more folk! Keep praying about this!

    Later, Quisha Picott, a caregiver here in Williamsburg, was found through knocking on doors. She studied with George and Betty Vinson and our own, Tom Little and decided that she want to obey the gospel. She got off from work fifteen minutes after the study, so the team sat in the car and waited for her to finish working. Off to the church building and into the water! Quisha (pronounced - Keesha) is so sweet and teared up as we sang "God's Family" with and to her after her obedience.

    Oh, we are not done yet! After studying with one of our elders last week, Susan Harman, finally made the decision to obey the gospel. She had been attending about three weeks and responded positively to the gospel presentation. She will be a valuable asset to the church family, I believe! Susan was baptized right before the evening preaching service, but immediately afterward, her good friend, Jennifer Christol, also obeyed the gospel. It was such a joy to see both them hug and congratulate one another! God does bring people together for His purposes!

    I thought I would be able to send this without any more of those "interruptions" (?), but, guess what? Yep, another young lady obeyed the gospel this morning after studying with Mike and Regina Boisseau. Tracy, the daughter of our own Betina Hundley, put her Lord on in baptism just a few minutes ago. Tracy is such a sweet young lady and her contribution to this family will be great! She works at Walmart and is affectionately known as "the prettiest girl that works at Walmart!" Well, at least, we all think she is!

    So, let's see...that brings the total for right now to 19 and, trust me, we are still counting! Teams are in studies at the moment and others are pending for this afternoon! Please, please, keep praying for God's will to be done in the hearts of people in our community!



For Him,
Bill

Sixth Day

Family and Friends,

    It is 3:45 on Tuesday afternoon and we have already witnessed two obey the gospel today! This morning, Barbara Fulcron, obeyed after studying with Tommy Key and local, Jim Bishop. She is a very sweet lady and had been a part of a local church for 55 years and said she now knows she was a part of a "false religion." Not only had she been a member for 55 years, she was involved in a number of different ministries. WOW! What a confession for an older lady to make, right? She was so excited about her new found family! At the study, she made up her mind to obey the gospel and said, "I have a doctor's appointment at 1:00, so let's do it now!" And, she did!

    It was not too long after that Mickael Moore and his team brought Katie in to obey the gospel. Katie is a sweet young lady (maybe in her 20s) and she was so grateful to find a family that would welcome her into their hearts. We look forward to building a sweet and lasting relationship with Katie.

    Hey! I just got word that another team is bringing in the third person today to obey the gospel. So, I will finish this email in a few minutes! (This is so exciting and reminds the church here of the excitement of 2004's campaign! Maybe all of life should be one big campaign! Hmmm!]

    I'm back! Melissa Mass just obeyed the gospel of Christ and is now our very newest sister! Melissa is another young mother of probably 20ish with a beautiful little girl by the name of Mariah! Both the baby and Melissa seem so sweet! She is one of those persons you just fall in love with in a hurry and to see a young adult shed tears when she is being "hugged" by her newly found family is worth it all! Thank God for the ability to love others!

    Well, we are now waiting for Leonard Ashcraft to get off from work so he, too, can obey the gospel! Leonard is a single father who has attended our services occasionally, but had never obeyed the gospel! This is a good time for me to remind all of you that you should never assume that a guest is already a Christian! Ask the question! No, not "are you a member of the church," but "are you a Christian?" It is important that we tie that person to Christ as quickly as possible and this would be one way of doing just that! More later about this situation!

    So, now we stand at thirteen (13) and waiting for fourteen (14) at 5:30! If you cannot get excited about the kingdom expanding then you are missing something very, very "special!"

For Him,
Bill

Fifth DayFriends and family,

    Memorial Day is a time for reflection and remembrance! Certainly we should pause in our activities to remember solemnly those who have given their lives to protect and enhance liberty! We "salute" all who have died, been injured, or a part of a family that has experienced either!

    Also, Memorial Day will always be "special" to the church family here! Already and it is only early afternoon, two precious souls have obeyed the gospel! Early today, Damita Kelly of the Country Club apartments on Tam 'O Shanter Blvd. obey the gospel after studying with Reggie Gardner, Syble West, and Alice Madison. Shortly after lunch, Samantha Julian obeyed the gospel and it was my pleasure to assist in her obedience. Many of you know how important the Julian family is to Linda and me. That brings the number obeying the gospel to ten (10). It is glorious to watch the excitement generated by each person's obedience.

    Another exciting thing that has been happening is the response from the local church family! Every team on each day has had, at least, one local member on it. Today, we had enough local folk that some teams had two or three on them. This is incredible! Peggy West told me that only once had that ever happened and that was in Houston, TX where the church numbered one thousand! This morning we sent out nineteen (19) teams to preach the gospel and this afternoon the same type of response was enjoyed.

    Benevolence has been done throughout the week! Clothes, shoes, food, etc., have been brought in by the family here to be shared with those who have a specific need. One of the cadre, Don Brock of Kansas, is working on a car right now that belongs to someone he studied with this morning! Oh yeah, the person and her children were at lunch with us between the study and car repair! Is that exciting or what?

    Let's see, was it Jesus who said that we saw him hungry and fed him, sick and we visited him? Remember those words from Matthew 25? Evangelism is not just about teaching the gospel, it is about demonstrated the gospel, also! However, we should never get so involved in "showing" the gospel that we never get around to "teaching" it! Just read the book of ACTS again and note the number of times that someone "heard" someone "teaching" the gospel! You can't "hear" unless someone "speaks," right?

    Well, the soldiers of Christ will return from doing battle with sin and Satan in about an hour and I pray that they will bring home "trophies" of the battle! We are engaged in a war with sin and Satan and right now we are rattling Satan's cage big time! Please, please, keep praying for victory in this war! "Soldiers of Christ, ARISE!"

For Him,
Bill

Forth DayFamily and Friends,

    Even though Sunday is just a little over halfway through, we have had a great, great day! We had 212 present for our morning assembly and as importantly, six out of the eight new brothers and sisters were present for their first worship time with us! The other two were accounted for with work, etc. That's GREAT! We eagerly look forward to welcoming 30 or 40 more next Sunday!

    One of the great things that I witnessed this morning was that not a single one of the new Christians sat alone! That's right! They were surrounded by older members of the family in the same way an older brother or sister clamors around that new baby! That's the way it should be and that's the way it is going to be! I am so proud of the way the church has responded to the messages concerning our "family care" effort! We will never be satisfied to let any of these new babies to fall away! Not a single one of them! It may happen, but we will suffer deeply if it does! Our commitment is to nurture them to spiritual maturity!

    Another thing that happened this morning was "we had an engagement!" That's right...an engagement! One of couples in the cadre became engaged to be married and the question was asked at the very end of our services. Tommy Key of Amarillo, TX became the prospective groom of Bebe Jones of San Antonio, TX! Everyone is so excited for these two Christians! Both experienced the death of a spouse and the Lord brought them together through the efforts of soul-winning! Is that exciting or what?

    We are looking forward to getting back into the real purpose of our campaign tomorrow morning! We have a banquet tonight to thank the cadre and build more of a team spirit! This is always a grand evening!

    We ask that you continue to pray for our efforts and the power of the gospel to move hearts! There are hearts that are made of stone, but the "power" (dynamite) of God can break up that stony heart! Without reservations we solicit your constant prayers!

For Him,
Bill

Third DaySeven now new Christians in Williamsburg CampaignFriends and family,     Don't think that people are too busy to listen to the Word of God on Saturday! We have just come from the water after assisting Ella Mae Smith obey the gospel! Ella Mae and her daughter, Ora, were taught by cadre member, Reggie Gardner, with the assistance of Pat Little from the family here. What a glorious way to begin the weekend. Three baptized on Friday evening and one on Saturday morning! There are other studies that will be held this afternoon although, generally, we take a break on Saturday so our out of town guests can do some sightseeing, shopping, washing clothes or whatever they choose (like take a well deserved nap)!     Within less than fifty hours there have been eight obey the gospel with a combined five children. That means an increase of nearly ten percent in attendance in those same fifty hours! Guess what? We have 168 hours left during the intensive campaign! WOW! Think what that could mean to the family here in Williamsburg! Awesome, huh?     Please, please, keep praying for God to bless our planting and watering by allowing His seed to increase in the hearts of men, women, boys and girls! The church family here is open to touch the lives of anyone from anywhere! We have tried to prepare ourselves to serve those with language, cultural, and generational differences! We are a very diverse family with many, many talented people who have the heart to serve!     Like I wrote earlier...more later...MUCH MORE later!
Second Day

Six now new Christians in Williamsburg Campaign

Lou Guglielmoni (Cadre, Connecticut) brought in three more today for salvation. He and our new brother, also named Lou (Louis) got on their knees together, loving one another. Louis was in tears, telling the church how happy he was and how he needed this, his new family in Christ. What a joy! All were touch with the love of our brothers! Wow!

FRIENDS AND FAMILY,
At about 3:30 this afternoon several of us were available to witness the immersion of Luvert Harris, Christine Shields, and Linda Byrd into Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit! It was a wonderful time for all of us as we sang "God's Family" and watched the tears of several in the circle!

    Luvert fell to his knees and thanked God for such a blessing! He was joined there hands on each others shoulders by the one leading the evangelistic team that knocked on their door. The teacher assured Luvert that this church family would be there for him and the others now and forever! He told him to reach out to the church family as the church family reaches out to him!

    God is good in bringing such a remarkable harvest to recently planted seed! Only the power of God could accomplish such in the lives of people! Remember, it was Paul who said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ which is the power of God unto salvation for all of those who believe!" Amen!



    "Obeying the gospel" is becoming the phrase you are hearing more and more around this church family and is helpful in bringing people to a greater understanding of their obedience! This is a term that was used many years ago, but for some it was overshadowed by an emphasis on some aspect of obedience! We are told that we are "saved by obeying the gospel!"

    The report as of 7:15 this evening (and the day isn't over)! is seven total baptisms with six being in the last two days since the campaign really got into full swing! We all are rejoicing and preparing ourselves for greater and greater service. Throughout the building tonight small clusters of people can be found honing their skills at reaching the lost with the saving gospel. What a joy to see so many who are so interested!

    I told you last time that there would be "much more later," well, here it is! Remember, it is only 7:20 and there are studies going on as I type this email! Keep praying, brethren, that the power of God can move people to salvation!

For Him,
Bill

Bill Butterfield
227 Merrimac Trail
Williamsburg, Virginia 23185

(757) 253-5662 - Home
(757) 256-6818 - Cell

Personal blog: wonderinginwilliamsburg.blogspot.com
Three obey first day

by Bill Butterfield, minister, Williamsburg Church of Christ

At 10 o'clock last evening, God added Paul and Pat Johnson to His glorious family! After several hours of study and prayer, Bill Oden, a friend of 40 years, was privileged to baptize both Paul and Pat into Christ for the remission of their sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

    Paul and Pat live in Colonial Heritage which is the new development across from the Williamsburg Pottery. They have been here for quite awhile and both will be a great asset to the work of the church here. I told them both that I would anything I could to assist them and help the grow and Paul's response was, "We want to help you, too!" Wow! Amen!

    Folks, God is moving in and around our community and it is a glorious thing to see it happen! We are enjoying what God is doing and fully understand that it is Him doing it, not us! It is totally and completely about Him! We are nothing more that "instruments of righteousness" in His hands!

    In 2004, it was Saturday before we have our first baptism, but this year we have had three on the first full day of teaching and four during the campaign. God is good! Just think what is going to happen to this family if God continues to work for the next eleven days as He has already been working! I can only say, "Wow!"

    If you have not caught the excitement yet, check your pulse...you may be dead! This is exciting! There should not be a single Christian that is not celebrating God's marvelous love at this very moment!

    I hope you have a blessed day and I hope you will pause a time or two or three and remember our efforts for God here in Williamsburg! We are just watering, planting, but God is making His seed grow!

    Love you all!
One obeys first day of campaign in Williamsburg, Virginia

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