Hello Folks,
Last night I met about a dozen men here at the church building and we began moving all the material for the drama set into the building. We finished by about 7:15 p.m. and over the next few nights the set will be assembled and our sanctuary will be transformed into a set that has a 1st century A.D. feel to it. I cannot express the joy I have when I watch the people of this congregation get together to accomplish something for the Kingdom. It is a pleasure for me to get to fellowship with our men as we labor together. I want to thank all of them for their willingness to be here and help.
This pastor Sunday we had a baby dedication service and saw 7 children dedicated to the Lords use and had those parents give themselves to raise their chidlren in a godly fashion. On top of that there were numerous family members who sat in our pews who would not have been here if it were not for that speical service. They participated in our worship and who knows what will happen in their lives for Christ.
I also preached on making disciples. As part of the altar service I asked people who wanted to be discipled or who wanted to learn how to make disciples to meet me on the platform. I had a total of 15 people tell me that they wanted to be involved in this process. Now I need yoru prayers so I can make sure I follow up on these individauls in an appropriate manner.
We also had a wonderful orchestra play for our worship. Pastor Dale and Pastor Anita have worked very hard to make this possible. Who knows what the future holds for us where this orchestra is concerned. I look forward to the day when this will be part of our worship every Sunday for the glory of God.
Have a great day,
Pastor H. G. Rudd
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Hello Folks,
I just received a summary for the total number of books checked out of our library for the month of January of 2011 and it was 614. That included all ages and all types of books. It appears that many of those who attend here are utilizing our library for various nees. I would like to thank Heidi Deyton for all her good work in obtaining books and making them available for the use of any who want to use it.
I have been reading the book "The Essential Church" by Thom and Sam Rainer. This book deals with the question of why so many young people leave the congregation between ages 18-22. The title of the book gives us a basic idea for this and it is that the church is not an essential part of their lives. I wonder if that is also true for those of all ages? I watch as some people slowly allow their spiritual lives to evaporate--it disappears and sometimes no one even knows it. If you have any ideas as to what can be done to help address those issues please feel free to write them down and get them to me. I would like to be able to help make a difference in the lives of our young adults as well as people of all ages.
Jerlee Ottinger is currently in Haiti helping to lead a work camp of 25 people from South Carolina. What a joy it is to watch our folks from our congregation pour their lives into missions work. We also have Raymond and Dereda Shelton who pour so much into the work in Nicaragua and have led numerous work camps there. We are very blessed to be allowed to share in ministry with them. Pray for them as they give of themselves for the Kingdom of God.
May He bless you all.
Pastor H. G. Rudd
I just received a summary for the total number of books checked out of our library for the month of January of 2011 and it was 614. That included all ages and all types of books. It appears that many of those who attend here are utilizing our library for various nees. I would like to thank Heidi Deyton for all her good work in obtaining books and making them available for the use of any who want to use it.
I have been reading the book "The Essential Church" by Thom and Sam Rainer. This book deals with the question of why so many young people leave the congregation between ages 18-22. The title of the book gives us a basic idea for this and it is that the church is not an essential part of their lives. I wonder if that is also true for those of all ages? I watch as some people slowly allow their spiritual lives to evaporate--it disappears and sometimes no one even knows it. If you have any ideas as to what can be done to help address those issues please feel free to write them down and get them to me. I would like to be able to help make a difference in the lives of our young adults as well as people of all ages.
Jerlee Ottinger is currently in Haiti helping to lead a work camp of 25 people from South Carolina. What a joy it is to watch our folks from our congregation pour their lives into missions work. We also have Raymond and Dereda Shelton who pour so much into the work in Nicaragua and have led numerous work camps there. We are very blessed to be allowed to share in ministry with them. Pray for them as they give of themselves for the Kingdom of God.
May He bless you all.
Pastor H. G. Rudd
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Hello Folks,
As I write this blog we have had two nights of our winter campmeeting already go by. The preaching has been o the subject of revival with Darryl Allen being used by God to present the truths that surround revival to us. He has been preaching out of 2 Chron 7:14 and Rev 2:1-7. One point that he has concentrated on is that revival is for the church! That means you and I may need to have our hearts renewed so God can do what He desires in us and among us! I ask you to pray that God would continue to speak through our brother so we can become more like Jesus.
Mick Gilliam from Anderson, In has been our worship leader and he has done a wonderful job. In the Sunday p.m. worship he led the choir in an arrangement of Victory in Jesus that was absolutely amazing. The song spoke to my heart and, I believe, to the hearts of others who were there. The speical singing has been very good and the overall spirit of things has been very good.
If you are in the area there are two more nights of worship and I would encourage you to be there! Our area congregations get together twice a year in camp meeting and I hope that you will live out the message of unity by being with us. It is really hard to tell folks that we are One Church when we do not want to be together.
On Feb. 20 we will be having a baby dedication and we have about 7 families signed up to participate. If you want to participate in this please be in my office on Feb. 13 so I can over some issues with you. If you cannot be there then please let me know and we will work something out. This is a marvelous time when families are making commitments to dedicate themselves to raise their children in the manner that is God pleasing and will help their children grow up knowing about the Savior so that as some point they will turn to the Savior.
I pray that your week is filled with the wonders of Jesus. May He bless you all.
Yours In Christ,
Pastor H. G. Rudd
As I write this blog we have had two nights of our winter campmeeting already go by. The preaching has been o the subject of revival with Darryl Allen being used by God to present the truths that surround revival to us. He has been preaching out of 2 Chron 7:14 and Rev 2:1-7. One point that he has concentrated on is that revival is for the church! That means you and I may need to have our hearts renewed so God can do what He desires in us and among us! I ask you to pray that God would continue to speak through our brother so we can become more like Jesus.
Mick Gilliam from Anderson, In has been our worship leader and he has done a wonderful job. In the Sunday p.m. worship he led the choir in an arrangement of Victory in Jesus that was absolutely amazing. The song spoke to my heart and, I believe, to the hearts of others who were there. The speical singing has been very good and the overall spirit of things has been very good.
If you are in the area there are two more nights of worship and I would encourage you to be there! Our area congregations get together twice a year in camp meeting and I hope that you will live out the message of unity by being with us. It is really hard to tell folks that we are One Church when we do not want to be together.
On Feb. 20 we will be having a baby dedication and we have about 7 families signed up to participate. If you want to participate in this please be in my office on Feb. 13 so I can over some issues with you. If you cannot be there then please let me know and we will work something out. This is a marvelous time when families are making commitments to dedicate themselves to raise their children in the manner that is God pleasing and will help their children grow up knowing about the Savior so that as some point they will turn to the Savior.
I pray that your week is filled with the wonders of Jesus. May He bless you all.
Yours In Christ,
Pastor H. G. Rudd
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Hello Folks,
The weather has been really nice here in East Tennessee and I for one have been enjoying it. Of course, I would be happy if the tempature never got below 60 degrees. The cold tempatures here have effected everyone by doubling and, in some cases, tripling our heat bills. That has been difficult for many folks and this warm weather has been a big help.
Our worship in both the a.m. and p.m. this past Sunday was really good, at least from my perspective. We had a number of new folks here and the Spirit moved in hearts. I wonder sometimes how to measure whether we were "successful" with what takes place. Most of the time it is a matter of whether anyone comes to the altar and how I "feel" about what happened. Could it be that much more takes place in the pew without anyone ever moving out of their seat? Could it be that I "feel" good but that no one else does? Those are some of the questions that I have. Maybe it is more an age issue for me. I am 59 and getting older so could it be that I am wondering if I have invested my life correctly? Let me simply say that spending over 30 years a pastor has been something I would not change even though I have had times when I did not get it done right. It has been my privilege to see people have life changing encounters with the Savior and that has been amazing.
This past Sunday I had a man come to me and say that he wanted to grow in Jesus and wanted his family to do better at it than he had done. This had a profound impact upon me! How do I help people like that to grow in Jesus. I told him that I would contact him about working together to learn what it meant to grow in Christ. I have that to do this week. Others came to me for other issues Sunday but that man's desire moved my heart! Pray that God use me to help that individual to grow in Christ.
H. G. Rudd
The weather has been really nice here in East Tennessee and I for one have been enjoying it. Of course, I would be happy if the tempature never got below 60 degrees. The cold tempatures here have effected everyone by doubling and, in some cases, tripling our heat bills. That has been difficult for many folks and this warm weather has been a big help.
Our worship in both the a.m. and p.m. this past Sunday was really good, at least from my perspective. We had a number of new folks here and the Spirit moved in hearts. I wonder sometimes how to measure whether we were "successful" with what takes place. Most of the time it is a matter of whether anyone comes to the altar and how I "feel" about what happened. Could it be that much more takes place in the pew without anyone ever moving out of their seat? Could it be that I "feel" good but that no one else does? Those are some of the questions that I have. Maybe it is more an age issue for me. I am 59 and getting older so could it be that I am wondering if I have invested my life correctly? Let me simply say that spending over 30 years a pastor has been something I would not change even though I have had times when I did not get it done right. It has been my privilege to see people have life changing encounters with the Savior and that has been amazing.
This past Sunday I had a man come to me and say that he wanted to grow in Jesus and wanted his family to do better at it than he had done. This had a profound impact upon me! How do I help people like that to grow in Jesus. I told him that I would contact him about working together to learn what it meant to grow in Christ. I have that to do this week. Others came to me for other issues Sunday but that man's desire moved my heart! Pray that God use me to help that individual to grow in Christ.
H. G. Rudd
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)