Travels in early January

The purpose of this post is to update you on some of the places we have visited in early January.

On the first Sunday of January, we spent the day in Brevard, NC, with the people of Bethany Baptist Church. I (Tim) was privileged to teach an adult Sunday School class and share our ministry during the evening service. In between those two responsibilities, we enjoyed attending the morning worship service and hearing Pastor Matt Collier preach from the Gospel of Mark. We then had a good time with the Colliers over lunch and a restful afternoon at the McKendrees before heading back to church for the evening service.

The second Sunday in January was divided between two different churches in North Carolina, one in Conover and one in Ramseur.

The morning and early afternoon were spent with Pastor and Mrs. Browning (bottom right in the collage below) and the congregation of Bethesda Baptist Church. Their regular Sunday schedule includes a morning Sunday school hour and worship service followed by a fellowship meal and an 1:30 afternoon service. We found the schedule to be very restful and conducive to fellowship and interaction. I was able to speak during the afternoon service. Ruth was surprised by running into some old friends she had known during two summers spent at Forest Glen Bible Camp in Brookfield, Nova Scotia. It was a special treat for her to visit with the Berkeys (bottom middle).

Sunday afternoon we drove two hours through beautiful North Carolinian countryside to Ramseur and Shiloh Baptist Church (founded in 1843!). Pastor Bruce and Leslie McClananan were very gracious to us, as were many others in the well-attended service. We also enjoyed visiting and discovering connections with the senior McClanahans who have served in mission work for many years.