Hello Folks,
Ruth and I got back last Tuesday after being in Pekin, Il preaching the Tri-County Holiness Crusade. This event has been going on for over 30 years and when I pastored the congregation in Pekin we were an active part of it. It is made up of the Church of God, Nazarenes, Free Methodists and Salvation Army who share common agreement on the doctrine of a definite second work of grace called sanctification. The attendance was pretty good and it was a joy for me to be there. We got to stay with our daugher, Debby, who had me painting again, and we saw our son Bob while there. On the way there and back we stopped and spent a night with our son, James, his wife Michele, Jordyn and Alexis. So you can see this trip served a two fold purpose. There is one thing that I galdly tell you and it is that I am glad to be back home here in Greeneville, Tn.
The sermons that I preached were all holiness oriented and we had some people make their way to an altar of prayer. It would appear to me from what I see while traveling that the message of holiness is not being preached on a consistent basis. The idea of sanctification as a definite second work of grace appears to have been shuffled to the side and some never take it out to proclaim it to those who sit in the pew. What a shame it is that some of our pastors and leaders have allowed holiness to be overwhelmed with a Calvinistic attiude of sinfulness as being the common and expected lifestyle of the believer. It seems to me that we will be held acocuntable for what we do and do not preach! As Jesus said, "For unto whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required." (Luke 12:48 KJV)
Our grandchildren are quickly growing up and Ruth and I appear to be getting older. Funny how those things take place. Bailey is our oldest granddaugher at age thirteen and she must be about 5'6". Landon is our youngest grandchild and only grandson who is 4 years of age and loves to wrestle and argue. He must get all of that from his grandmother. This causes me to remember that my time left to do ministry is getting short so I ask you to pray that I will be use the time that God will allow me to have to fulfill the ministry that He has called me to do. Pray that I will be able to lead this congregation in a manner that is of benefit to the Kingdom and that will help these folks to grow in Jesus. I know that I need His help to accomplish this so please pray.
Yours In Christ,
HGRudd
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Hello Folks,
It sure has been cold and snowy here in East Tennessee. Here in Greene County the schools have closed and people are attempting to say in as much as possible. For some areas of the country 4-5 inches of snow is not that much but here it is major. This past Sunday most of the congregations in town and the county did not open. While we had worship our attendance was greatly effected with only 322 in the a.m. and 191 in the p.m. but the Holy Spirit was here and our celebration time was very meaningful. I would like to thank all those who braved the weather and the icy roads to be in worship. I realize that dangerous roads kept many home and I completely understand that but I do want to thank those who were able to be with us.
Yesterday I drove to Knoxville to pick Ruth up at the airport. She had been in Florida with 72 degree temperatures visiting with her brother. There was no problem getting over there and back as the main roads are great but when I turned on my street and attempted to drive up my driveway I almost slid into my mailbox. I had to put in 4 wheel drive low to get up to my garage. I guess today I will have to get some salt on my driveway and pray that the sun comes out to help melt it all.
I read in the Greeneville Sun on 1-7-11 about a Harold Camping who is predicting that Jesus is going to come again on May 21, 2011. This is, at least, Mr. Campings second attempt to predict his ideas of when Jesus is going to come again. It is amazing to me that people would still accept his predictions even though they have been proven wrong before yet there are folks who are anticpating this event. This is what I believe a biblical response should be. First, remember that this does not come from God because a real prophet does not get it wrong Deu 18:22. Second, live as if Jesus were going to come back today. If you do this you will prepared at all times for the Second Coming and the end of the world.
Have a great week, stay warm and be safe. May the Lord bless you all.
HGRudd
It sure has been cold and snowy here in East Tennessee. Here in Greene County the schools have closed and people are attempting to say in as much as possible. For some areas of the country 4-5 inches of snow is not that much but here it is major. This past Sunday most of the congregations in town and the county did not open. While we had worship our attendance was greatly effected with only 322 in the a.m. and 191 in the p.m. but the Holy Spirit was here and our celebration time was very meaningful. I would like to thank all those who braved the weather and the icy roads to be in worship. I realize that dangerous roads kept many home and I completely understand that but I do want to thank those who were able to be with us.
Yesterday I drove to Knoxville to pick Ruth up at the airport. She had been in Florida with 72 degree temperatures visiting with her brother. There was no problem getting over there and back as the main roads are great but when I turned on my street and attempted to drive up my driveway I almost slid into my mailbox. I had to put in 4 wheel drive low to get up to my garage. I guess today I will have to get some salt on my driveway and pray that the sun comes out to help melt it all.
I read in the Greeneville Sun on 1-7-11 about a Harold Camping who is predicting that Jesus is going to come again on May 21, 2011. This is, at least, Mr. Campings second attempt to predict his ideas of when Jesus is going to come again. It is amazing to me that people would still accept his predictions even though they have been proven wrong before yet there are folks who are anticpating this event. This is what I believe a biblical response should be. First, remember that this does not come from God because a real prophet does not get it wrong Deu 18:22. Second, live as if Jesus were going to come back today. If you do this you will prepared at all times for the Second Coming and the end of the world.
Have a great week, stay warm and be safe. May the Lord bless you all.
HGRudd
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Hello Folks,
Ruth and I got back to town on Wed. Dec. 29. We had a great time with our children and grandchildren through the Christmas holiday. Of course, my daughter Debby had me painting her living room, dining room and hallway. She tries to get all the mileage she can out of me while I am visiting and to be honest I really do not mind that. We attended a Christmas Eve worship service with our family and then went to Debby's home to celebrate our time with the family. We grilled out deer steaks, thanks to Jeff Melton, along with other foods then we ate supper. After supper we read the Christmas account and had prayer together then opened gifts. It was a great time.
After church on Sunday Dec. 26 we went to Indianapolis where James lives and spent soem time with them. On Tuesday we went to the Creation Museum near Cincinnati with James Michele and their girls. It was very interesting and informative. I would encourage all of you who would have the opportunity to take your children and grandchildren to enrich their lives.
We are now in 2011 and I look forward to what God is going to do among us. We started our New Year out by baptizing Ken Robinson. Ken is in his early thirties and recently asked Christ to forgive him and become his Savior. He asked to be baptized and we thought it would be a great event for our congregation to participate in on the first Sunday of the year. I ask you to pray that God will give us a great harvest of souls this year and also help us to make them into disciples for Jesus.
This week Ruth went to Florida with her brother Gene. He is going to stay there a while and asked that Ruth ride down with him and then she will fly back next Monday. I am glad she is going to get to be in warm weather but I sure miss her when she is gone. God has blessed me with a wonderful wife, children and grandchildren. But He has also blessed me to pastor a great congregation that gives me their love and support. In this New Year I pray that we will together fulfill the Great Commission of Christ. As our Missions Statement says: Greeneville First Church of God exists to worship God, reach the lost, make disciples, and to honor Him in all that we do. May we all do exactly that.
Pastor H. G. Rudd
Ruth and I got back to town on Wed. Dec. 29. We had a great time with our children and grandchildren through the Christmas holiday. Of course, my daughter Debby had me painting her living room, dining room and hallway. She tries to get all the mileage she can out of me while I am visiting and to be honest I really do not mind that. We attended a Christmas Eve worship service with our family and then went to Debby's home to celebrate our time with the family. We grilled out deer steaks, thanks to Jeff Melton, along with other foods then we ate supper. After supper we read the Christmas account and had prayer together then opened gifts. It was a great time.
After church on Sunday Dec. 26 we went to Indianapolis where James lives and spent soem time with them. On Tuesday we went to the Creation Museum near Cincinnati with James Michele and their girls. It was very interesting and informative. I would encourage all of you who would have the opportunity to take your children and grandchildren to enrich their lives.
We are now in 2011 and I look forward to what God is going to do among us. We started our New Year out by baptizing Ken Robinson. Ken is in his early thirties and recently asked Christ to forgive him and become his Savior. He asked to be baptized and we thought it would be a great event for our congregation to participate in on the first Sunday of the year. I ask you to pray that God will give us a great harvest of souls this year and also help us to make them into disciples for Jesus.
This week Ruth went to Florida with her brother Gene. He is going to stay there a while and asked that Ruth ride down with him and then she will fly back next Monday. I am glad she is going to get to be in warm weather but I sure miss her when she is gone. God has blessed me with a wonderful wife, children and grandchildren. But He has also blessed me to pastor a great congregation that gives me their love and support. In this New Year I pray that we will together fulfill the Great Commission of Christ. As our Missions Statement says: Greeneville First Church of God exists to worship God, reach the lost, make disciples, and to honor Him in all that we do. May we all do exactly that.
Pastor H. G. Rudd
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Hello Folks,
If you were not here this past Sunday p.m. you should have been. The church family met in the Family Life Center and had a wonderful Christmas dinner with each other. We had about 10 new folks who have started attending our congregation in the past year with us and over 200 of the rest of you. Those individuals who worked so hard to make it so successful deserve our thanks. David Dotson and his ministry team worked hard to set up, clean up, serve and do all the other things that had to be done. All of you who cooked and brought food did a wonderful job as well. Something that I noticed was the fact that many of you did all you could to get to know the newer folks to our congregation. Inspite of the cold and the snow we had a good turn out and for that I am very thankful.
Ruth and I will be going to visit our children and grandchildren in Indiana and Illinois next week and will miss being with you over next Sunday. I am thankful that you allow me the privilege of taking my vacation at this time of year so I can spend this holiday with my family. We look forward to being with them and watching them as they open gifts and enjoy the company of the entire family. I pray that you have the same opportunity this year. May you enjoy the company of those you love so dearly and may God make this Christmas season be filled with His grace in your life.
As we move toward the new year I ask you to pray that I will be able to give the leadership that is needed for our congregation. One of the great desires I have is to fulfill the will of God in my life individually and to be able to provide the direction that He wants for this congregation. I need you to pray for me so that I can hear the voice of God where this matter in particular is concerned. We must reach souls for Jesus Christ and we must develop people so they can be reproducing disciples in the Kingdom of God. The pastoral and adminstrative staff is working hard in an effort to figure out how we can best do that. The Stewards want to do the things that are needed for us to fulfill the call of God in all of our lives. We need your prayers.
May He Bless you all,
Pastor H. G. Rudd
If you were not here this past Sunday p.m. you should have been. The church family met in the Family Life Center and had a wonderful Christmas dinner with each other. We had about 10 new folks who have started attending our congregation in the past year with us and over 200 of the rest of you. Those individuals who worked so hard to make it so successful deserve our thanks. David Dotson and his ministry team worked hard to set up, clean up, serve and do all the other things that had to be done. All of you who cooked and brought food did a wonderful job as well. Something that I noticed was the fact that many of you did all you could to get to know the newer folks to our congregation. Inspite of the cold and the snow we had a good turn out and for that I am very thankful.
Ruth and I will be going to visit our children and grandchildren in Indiana and Illinois next week and will miss being with you over next Sunday. I am thankful that you allow me the privilege of taking my vacation at this time of year so I can spend this holiday with my family. We look forward to being with them and watching them as they open gifts and enjoy the company of the entire family. I pray that you have the same opportunity this year. May you enjoy the company of those you love so dearly and may God make this Christmas season be filled with His grace in your life.
As we move toward the new year I ask you to pray that I will be able to give the leadership that is needed for our congregation. One of the great desires I have is to fulfill the will of God in my life individually and to be able to provide the direction that He wants for this congregation. I need you to pray for me so that I can hear the voice of God where this matter in particular is concerned. We must reach souls for Jesus Christ and we must develop people so they can be reproducing disciples in the Kingdom of God. The pastoral and adminstrative staff is working hard in an effort to figure out how we can best do that. The Stewards want to do the things that are needed for us to fulfill the call of God in all of our lives. We need your prayers.
May He Bless you all,
Pastor H. G. Rudd
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Hello Folks,
This past week-end was very cold with some snow and our attendance showed it. Anytime East Tennessee gets just a little snow people will stay home and I have come to realize that. After having lived in Illinois for 21 years and being raised in Ohio I have been used to snow but folks around here just are not! Besides that some of the side roads around here are pretty narrow and have a lot of curves so that adds to the danger. We pastors hate to see a snowy week-end.
Sunday p.m. we had our True Love Waits ceremony where our youth who have completed about a 3 month series of training pledge themselves to sexual purity. We had about 15 youth who had never been through it and they committed themselves to being what God woud have them to be in their lives. They pledged in front of the congregation to wait until marriage to engage in sex. We always have a lot of visitors for that service and last Sunday p.m. was no exception. Anita Miller, our youth pastor, always does an excellent job in teaching the youth and in making that worship time special. Thanks to Anita for all her good work along with all of the other youth workers and counselors. What they do is of the utmost importance in the lives of those young people.
As part of the True Love Wait sermon we honored about 8 couples who were in attendance and who had been married over 50 years. We placed their wedding photo's on the screen and had them stand to be honored. I also read some of the information that we had about their lives. It was very insightful for me to look at those individuals and see how they have given their lives to each other and to the Lord through those years. God is really good and allowing us to have those kinds of role models is absolutely amazing.
May He Bless you today,
Pastor H. G. Rudd
This past week-end was very cold with some snow and our attendance showed it. Anytime East Tennessee gets just a little snow people will stay home and I have come to realize that. After having lived in Illinois for 21 years and being raised in Ohio I have been used to snow but folks around here just are not! Besides that some of the side roads around here are pretty narrow and have a lot of curves so that adds to the danger. We pastors hate to see a snowy week-end.
Sunday p.m. we had our True Love Waits ceremony where our youth who have completed about a 3 month series of training pledge themselves to sexual purity. We had about 15 youth who had never been through it and they committed themselves to being what God woud have them to be in their lives. They pledged in front of the congregation to wait until marriage to engage in sex. We always have a lot of visitors for that service and last Sunday p.m. was no exception. Anita Miller, our youth pastor, always does an excellent job in teaching the youth and in making that worship time special. Thanks to Anita for all her good work along with all of the other youth workers and counselors. What they do is of the utmost importance in the lives of those young people.
As part of the True Love Wait sermon we honored about 8 couples who were in attendance and who had been married over 50 years. We placed their wedding photo's on the screen and had them stand to be honored. I also read some of the information that we had about their lives. It was very insightful for me to look at those individuals and see how they have given their lives to each other and to the Lord through those years. God is really good and allowing us to have those kinds of role models is absolutely amazing.
May He Bless you today,
Pastor H. G. Rudd
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Hello Folks,
What a wonderful week-end we had. The attendance was good and the worship was marvelous. You should have seen the decorations that were provided by Carolyn Hartman and her team. It was my priviledge to get to interact with them a little and to watch as they poured themselves into making our sanctuary so attractive. I am thankful for all of them and their sacrifice of time and effort to make our congregation so appealing for the holidays.
Many of you are probably not aware of it but our congregation is a place where we equip and prepare men and women for ministry to the larger church family. Junior and Lori Burchell have been called by the White Pines Church of God to be their pastor, Dorthy and Keith Hall have been called by the Campground Church of God to be their Associate Pastor and, finally, John and Heidi Deyton have been called the Tacoma Church of God to be their Interim Pastor. We do not know how far reaching their ministries will be but know this you have invested yourselves into the lives of these people and your ministry is reaching beyond our walls. I wonder who will be the next ones that God will give us to prepare for ministry both here and in other locations. Some of them may be the person that sits next to you and you should be invovled in helping them grow for Jesus.
Ruth and I ate 3 different Thanksgiving dinners and had a wonderful time at the homes of our church family. I appreciate you for enabling us to be part of your lives outside of this building. What a joy it is to walk with you and to enjoy your families. God is really good to Ruth and me.
May He bless you all,
Pastor H. G. Rudd
What a wonderful week-end we had. The attendance was good and the worship was marvelous. You should have seen the decorations that were provided by Carolyn Hartman and her team. It was my priviledge to get to interact with them a little and to watch as they poured themselves into making our sanctuary so attractive. I am thankful for all of them and their sacrifice of time and effort to make our congregation so appealing for the holidays.
Many of you are probably not aware of it but our congregation is a place where we equip and prepare men and women for ministry to the larger church family. Junior and Lori Burchell have been called by the White Pines Church of God to be their pastor, Dorthy and Keith Hall have been called by the Campground Church of God to be their Associate Pastor and, finally, John and Heidi Deyton have been called the Tacoma Church of God to be their Interim Pastor. We do not know how far reaching their ministries will be but know this you have invested yourselves into the lives of these people and your ministry is reaching beyond our walls. I wonder who will be the next ones that God will give us to prepare for ministry both here and in other locations. Some of them may be the person that sits next to you and you should be invovled in helping them grow for Jesus.
Ruth and I ate 3 different Thanksgiving dinners and had a wonderful time at the homes of our church family. I appreciate you for enabling us to be part of your lives outside of this building. What a joy it is to walk with you and to enjoy your families. God is really good to Ruth and me.
May He bless you all,
Pastor H. G. Rudd
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Hello Folks,
If you were not here in our worship this past Sunday you should have been. The Lord spoke to hearts and our altars were literally filled with families. What an amazing moment it was as I saw fathers praying that they would be able to give leadership to their families as God would desire. I am thankful for the men in this congregation who have a heart to be the leader in their family that God desires them to be. I watched some fathers as they kissed their children and I saw a tenderness that moved my heart.
This week is Thanksgiving week and I pray that all of you have a wonderful time with your families. Ruth's brother is going to be visiting with us this week and we will get her mother out of the Care Facility that she is in and we will celebrate Thanksgiving dinner with a number of our friends. We will go to Gary and Kathy Collins at 11 a.m., then to Rosa Lee Jones in afternoon and about 5 p.m. we will go to Eric and Anita Millers home and celebrate with them. By the time we finish the day I will be stuffed! But I will also be thankful for all the people who love us and who I love. We was also invited to some others homes but we would have to extend Thanksgiving to Friday and Saturday to get them all in.
Ruth and I would love to be with out children but we realize that we are really blessed to have such a wonderful church family. I wonder what people do who are isolated due to their own desire or to their circumstances. I pray that I will be a little more caring toward others and hope that you will as well. May our Lord bless you as we go into this Christmas season.
Pastor H. G. Rudd
If you were not here in our worship this past Sunday you should have been. The Lord spoke to hearts and our altars were literally filled with families. What an amazing moment it was as I saw fathers praying that they would be able to give leadership to their families as God would desire. I am thankful for the men in this congregation who have a heart to be the leader in their family that God desires them to be. I watched some fathers as they kissed their children and I saw a tenderness that moved my heart.
This week is Thanksgiving week and I pray that all of you have a wonderful time with your families. Ruth's brother is going to be visiting with us this week and we will get her mother out of the Care Facility that she is in and we will celebrate Thanksgiving dinner with a number of our friends. We will go to Gary and Kathy Collins at 11 a.m., then to Rosa Lee Jones in afternoon and about 5 p.m. we will go to Eric and Anita Millers home and celebrate with them. By the time we finish the day I will be stuffed! But I will also be thankful for all the people who love us and who I love. We was also invited to some others homes but we would have to extend Thanksgiving to Friday and Saturday to get them all in.
Ruth and I would love to be with out children but we realize that we are really blessed to have such a wonderful church family. I wonder what people do who are isolated due to their own desire or to their circumstances. I pray that I will be a little more caring toward others and hope that you will as well. May our Lord bless you as we go into this Christmas season.
Pastor H. G. Rudd
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