The Ohio Independent Baptist, January 1994

:·: ·:·: 2 S l . ( ) h,\s hccn rccc1vcJ lt) \.V,U'd lhc ()hio W on1cn ' 1t"SH.ltl ~U)' l lnion Pn.)jcc t for th 11Ml~ <lcpartrncnt r1f fl aptis t r..1 id ~1 i. sinns • tudy guides arc ready fnr the pri nt er, so s ·nd 111 you r projec t o fferin g . Used Hymnals Available Formerly used in Cedarville College Chapel Contact : Twelve Baskets Ministries , Inc. PO Box 372, Cedarville, OH 45314 ()ur goal is . ,000. Church Pew Padding • Adds Comfort and Beauty to O ld Pe\vs • On-Site Installation • 15 Year Gua rantee • Stays in Place ... \\'i ll f\: ot Slip or Slide Like a loose Cushion • ~early 50 Color o f Fabr ic Call 1-800-232-1822 The American Pew Padding Co. 676 E. Sixth Ave . Lancaster . Ohio 43130 RUPP AGENCY, INC. pecia/i zing in church property & liabilirv insurance, with over 1.300 churches insured statewide • C hurc h • Life • Auto • Health • H ome • Disability • Bu iness • Annuities 1357 Wes t Lane Avenue Columbu . OH 43221 Call toll- free: 1-800-282-9258 or 614-486-5911 Contact Ben Rupp First Baptist Christian School FACULTY NEEDED Part-Time Spanish Teacher For more information and application send re ume to Ralph C. Duffy, Admini strator 11400 LaGrange Rd ., PO Box 929 Elyria, OH 44036 216-458-51 85 Serving Ohio State Representative Larry Fetzer 884 Knebworth Ct. Westerville, OH 43081 614-523-3666 513-766-2137 Having an Impact on Ohio Larry Fetzer State Representative S ome times, in my travel about the s tate, I come upon a minis try that is so exciting I mu t bare it with you. Such is a new ministry at Graham Road Baptist Church in Cuyahoga Falls. Pa tor Larry Engle attended a workshop at the GARBC conference taught by Bill Rudd of Mu kegon, Michigan , on pastors ' prayer partners . Pastor Engle was so moved by the pre entation tha t he took the idea home to Cuyahoga Falls . As a re ult, at Graham Road there are now 16 men committed to being prayer partners. The mini try at Graham Road began with a prayer retreat. A prayer coordina– tor works closely with the pastor, over- eeing the organization of the ministry. Each Sunday they meet for one hour before the service in the auditorium. There they spread throughout the room, praying for people who will sit in each ection, for the pas tors, music, ushers, e tc. They then move to the pas tor 's office, where they gather around the pa tor, place their hand on him, and ask God to work through him that day . The goal i to have 24 men- enough to divide into 4 teams, each taking one Sunday of the month . The men al o plan to have a team praying throughout the . . morning service . When I met with the men on Sunday morning before the service, I could sense a great urgency as they upheld their pastor and their church in prayer. Would you like to try this prayer partner plan? Either Larry Fetzer (614-523-3666) or Larry Engle · (216-928-7742) can put you in touch with some resources to help you get going. Church Planting Small ~ Stepsin ~W oneta by Pastor Gary Bragg Church Planting Task Team A fionaut Neil Armsu ong of Wapakoneta spoke these words ju t before be s tepped on the moon's surface: " ...one small step for man, one giant step for mankind ." Romans 4 :12 says Chris– tians are to walk in the step of Abraham, living by faith as Abraham did . The congregation of Harvest Baptist Church of Wapakone ta, just over two year old, is taking small steps for the Lord, and the re ults are giant steps for people who will now enter the kingdom of God becau e they accepted the gospel. Two years ago Harvest Baptist cons i ted of 23 families renting a commu– nity center (in reality, a dance ball). We bad no deacons, no Sunday chool, no articles of faith/constitution, and no money . We trusted God and followed Him in faith a Abraham did and commit– ted our lives to spreading the gospel in Wapakoneta . We now have 50 families . Not only do we have a Sunday school, we also have junior church and a Wednesday prayer night children 's program. Our leader hip con i ts of six deacons and the pastor . The article of faith and constitu– tion have been in place over one year. We now have a mi sions board, and support three missionary families . We meet in a school for our ervices (much better than the community center), and as I write this article our building committee is preparing to present to the congregation the recommendation to buy 6.4 acres in a prime location. People are getting saved and baptized, Chri tians are getting involved in ministry and Bible studies are growing. We at Harve t prai e the Lord for His bles ings and mercy . The congre– gation al o thank the people and churche who have supported us the e past two year . Steps are important, even if they are small, because our Savior makes them into giant trides if we are willing and obedient.