Travels in Late January

On Saturday, January 17, as crowds were flooding into the nation's capital for the presidential inauguration, we were making our way to a former national capital. One that, for better or for worse, did not remain a capital for long because the nation it represented did not exist for long. However, Richmond, Virginia, still preserves the "White House of the Confederacy" where President Jefferson Davis lived with his family for nearly 5 years until Confederate forces evacuated Richmond on April 2, 1865.

While we enjoyed our private drive-through tour of historic Richmond, we weren't there to see the dead stones of history. We were there to visit with two local churches, "living stones" if you want a Biblical term for church members.

Sunday morning we spent with Calvary Baptist Church of Midlothian and Pastor and Mrs. Rick Phillips (top right). I was able to teach my Uncle Dave Gambrell's Sunday School class (though they were out of town). Following the service we were hosted for lunch by Jim and Mari Byerly (bottom left). What a pleasure and spiritual encouragement just to hear their personal testimonies. CBC gave us a very generous love offering and have already taken us on for support!

Sunday evening we shared our ministry to France with the people of Faith Memorial Baptist Church in Richmond. We were very impressed with the Word-centered ministry approach of Pastor Frank Jones (with wife and son, top left) and the spirit of the small congregation. It was also an unexpected treat to run into a mentor from my college days, Greg Hoffman (with family, bottom right). We were especially moved and uplifted by the special time of prayer that Pastor Jones led at the close of the service for us and our ministry.

Last Sunday, January 25, we spent with Cornerstone Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina. Pastor Jeff Kelly is the pastor of this small church plant, just over a year old, that is seeking to reach the south side of Asheville. We were with them for their morning services, fellowship meal, and early afternoon service. We greatly appreciated their interest in our ministry and likeminded fellowship of the faith. It was also fun to discover that we had many mutual friends and experiences, and once again Ruth was surprised by running into yet another friend, Michelle, from her summers at Forest Glen Bible Camp many years ago.