Thursday, August 13, 2015

THE MAINE THING...

It is hard to believe that our time in Maine is almost over. We have been here for four weeks and the Lord has let us be in four churches:

*New Life Baptist Church in Dover Foxcroft (Pastor David Ireland)
*Seal Cove Baptist Church in Mount Desert (Pastor Chuck Barnes)
*Bible Baptist Church in Bangor (Pastor Artie Dean)
*Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church in Prospect (Pastor Ray Hedgpath)

The Lord sure did give us some great services and sweet fellowship with His people. We have come to really love these folks in the 13 years we have been coming to Maine. They are in our hearts and we are blessed that they have also loved on us. 

Tomorrow morning the bus and car will be pulling out and heading to Hamburg, New York for the annual camp meeting at Old Time Baotist Church (Pastor Lou Guadagno). We are looking forward to seeing the folks there again as well as many of our friends from around the country. A couple of young men from New Life will be following us on the trip and Pastor Ireland and his wife are driving there separately. 

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

CORNERSTONE BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH - Prospect, Maine

Last week we had our first revival meeting at Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church in Prospect, Maine.  Pastor Ray Hedgpath started this work 14 years ago.  We have known he and his family for many years thru the meetings at New Life Baptist Church in Dover Foxcroft and last year attended their meeting with Evangelist David Evans.

The Lord really gave us a great spirit in all of the services and He helped Stacie and I as we sang special music and then me as I preached.  Pastor David Ireland from New Life and several of their people came out Friday and Saturday night.  We enjoyed our fellowship with the Hedgpaths and the church folks.  We are already looking forward to next year!

Stacie did a great job with the special music

Pastor Ray Hedgpath and Evangelist Craig Cobb

Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church - Prospect, Maine

Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church - Prospect, Maine

Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church - Prospect, Maine

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

TWO DIFFERENT CHURCHES this past Sunday

This past Sunday we had the privilege of being in two different churches...


Sunday morning - SEAL COVE BAPTIST CHURCH - Mount Desert Island, Maine
I have known Pastor Chuck Barnes for many years.  He was the pastor at Second Baptist Church in Palermo, Maine for over 23 years before turning the work over and starting a church-planting ministry in the state of Maine.  His latest work involved re-opening the Seal Cove Baptist Church.  Originally started in 1816 as the Tremont Baptist Church and later becoming Seal Cove, the church eventually disbanded about 16 years ago.  A lady in the church refused to let the building fall to decay and assumed the role of caretaker while praying God would send a man to start the church back up.  God led Bro. Barnes to be that man and they held their first service in August of last year.  There was a total of 17 in attendance yesterday morning!

Mount Desert Island is the most famous tourist attraction in the entire state of Maine with Bar Harbor on the north end.  There are only 10,000 year-round residents but over 2.5 million tourists visit annually.  Some of the wealthiest people in the entire world have homes on the Island including the Rockefellers as well as the descendents of the Vanderbilts and the Astors.  It is definitely one of the prettiest places in the country.

Pastor Barnes has a desire for the church to grow and eventually turn this work over to a man and then plant another church as God leads.  It was good to meet these folks for the first time and the Lord gave us good services for Sunday School and the morning worship hour.  We appreciate very much the invitation to come.

Seal Cove Baptist Church on Mount Desert Island, Maine

Seal Cove Baptist Church on Mount Desert Island, Maine

Seal Cove Baptist Church on Mount Desert Island, Maine

Smile and wave, boys!

Pastor Chuck Barnes and Evangelist Craig Cobb

Beautiful scene on Mount Desert Island, Maine

Mount Desert Island, Maine

Mount Desert Island, Maine

Mount Desert Island, Maine

Mount Desert Island, Maine

Mount Desert Island, Maine

Mount Desert Island, Maine

Mount Desert Island, Maine

Mount Desert Island, Maine

Mount Desert Island, Maine

Mount Desert Island, Maine


Sunday evening - BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH - Bangor, Maine
We had a great time being back at Bible Baptist Church in Bangor for their evening service.  Pastor Artie Dean, his family and several others in the church had just returned from a meeting in New Jersey and so he asked me to preach Sunday night.  Their young people always do a GREAT job with the special music and the Lord was pleased with them again and we have always found a sweet spirit in every service we have been here.  There was a very good response during the invitation and the Lord seemed to move in peoples hearts.  Stacie and I enjoyed a time of fellowship and a meal with the Deans after the service.

Please be in prayer for this church as they are looking to start the actual construction on their new building within the next few weeks, Lord willing.  God has done some miraculous things throughout the whole process over the last year and a half and He is bringing it all together now.  The goal is to have their first service sometime in December if everything falls in place.  I can not wait to see that once-vacant lot in Orono become the new home of Bible Baptist Church - praise the Lord!!!

My humble apologies to Pastor Dean and the church - our camera's battery died while on Mount Desert Island!