March 8, 2011, Christ Community Assembly of God Church, Nashville, Tennessee~

Dear Journal~

Howdy! Pastor Rick here.  Thought it was high time I updated our ongoing journal, so y'all can see what has been going on in our church family and our church as a whole.

We have concluded our 21-day fast.  God has revealed new and exciting things for our church, among them being an addition being built on our existing building (due to the rapid growth spurt we've had since Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames), new ministry opporunities for the congregation, and reaching out to even more souls for the kingdom of God.

We are going to have to get cracking on the expansion ... and the sooner, the better. We have had to hold services on Saturday night at six, so those who work on Sunday can have a chance to go to a church service.  This is on top of the three services on Sunday (two in the morning, one in the evening) and the one on Wednesday night.  Oftentimes the pews are full to near bursting, and it's allowed for some very cramped conditions.  Sometimes there are so many people here, it ends up being standing room only.

Some of the ministry opportunities we have been thinking about are geared for single adults (any age), the women of our church, men, and the infants/preschoolers.  We are also thinking of investing more time into our teen/youth ministries; we need to get more young people into church, or else they could be a lost cause forever ... and with the Lord's coming poised to happen very soon, we can't be too complacent.  We have to act on it fast, and we have to come down upon the kids in a way where the message of Christ will stick with them for a long time to come.

One of the possibilities is having a "Virtual Hell", where the horrors of hell or a life full of sin can be on display, as a way of reaching the young people down to the very foundation of their souls.  There will be people acting various scenes, and there will be scenes of suffering, prolonged pain and torture, and no chance of ever getting to Heaven unless they make the decision to accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

We might have this along with our Fall Festival; that way, even more young people can be reached with the powerful message of Christ and what can happen if you accept Him into your life.

It is exciting to see what God has in store for our church family.  I can't wait to see what happens next!

Most of our church family is doing well, but several continue to have problems, among them being unsaved family members, involvement in drugs or alcohol, people making bad decisions, loss of family members, health/healing needs, job security or employment, provision of finances, houses, or vehicles, help with groceries or other expenses (with the gas prices being the way they are, it seems more and more people are in need of prayer or assistance), and even a lost kitten who has been missing since before Christmas. (The kitten, a Ragdoll, has still yet to be found.  We can only hope for the best for the little creature.)

I and the staff are doing well, and I pray this continues. 

Well, I hate to go, but the phone is ringing with annoying persistance; I'd best answer it before the caller hangs up.  Who knows?  It might be something important!  I will write in here again; if not me, then any of the other staff members will,  Either way, you'll be kept to date about the doings in our church.  Until later, this is Pastor Rick C. Jones saying so long and God bless!

~In His Name, Pastor Rick.