Tuesday, July 29, 2008

State of the Ministry

I want to thank everyone for a tremendous State of the Ministry Meeting on Sunday Night.

Concerning Sunday morning: Mary Ruffin (who had health issues during the service) is doing well at home. They have not determined why she was fainting. Please pray as she undergoes several weeks of tests.

It is good to have the Pritt's back from vacation. I'm sure you all enjoyed the teen's presentation from the Mission's Trip. I still don't know why you shouldn't take the girl's hairspray, but I believe them.

Well, take care and let's gear up for a great VBS. We need all Lighthousers to have their children there each night. Let's make it a tremendous time for our children and the children of our community.

PW

Saturday, July 12, 2008

I take no responsibility

May it be known, I take no official responsibility for this song from our "lyrical fan".

What a great way to wrap up the softball season-winning the Championship!
It truly has been an exciting ride. Just had to compose on final song as we end the season. (To be sung to the tune of "Victory in Jesus")

I heard about a ball-team
From Lighthouse Baptist Church
'Twas their first year out to have a team In the Fundamental Softball League

I heard about their playing
And how their fans kept saying
If we keep the faith and play real hard
We'll get the victory!

Oh victory in the playoffs
How sweet it is to savor
Each moment that we played and cheered
With our Lighthouse family

The seasons o'er and we'll miss it
How the fans did cheer with each hit
Thank you, Lord, for our victory
Our season sure was fun!

Suzanne

Building

We had a very special men's prayer meeting today where we were challenged from Hebrews 11 to endure in faith until this building is built.

I am more excited than ever about getting the building up. The Lord keeps sending us new people to encourage us that this project is not an option, it is a need. Have you met the Baker family? the Ed Hall family? these are some newer faces that you need to incorporate into your life.

We have a building offering coming up in August that I ask you to begin saving and praying for. Let's make this a big offering! I am considering releasing a Music CD of the "best" of Lighthouse specials for those who give a certain level. We have been thinking about this CD for sometime, but didn't have the right avenue. Perhaps this is it. I don't believe we could sell them because of many copyright laws on songs, but we may be able to give them for a certain level of gift toward the building. I will confer with the great Pastor Pritt and get back to you.

PW

Friday, July 11, 2008

We are Division Champions

There are no words to express the amazing season of growing from barely a team to becoming the Champions of our softball division. We swept Cornerstone 10-0 and won the second game by one point. That made Lighthouse officially the Champions of Division C in the Fundamental Softball League...Amazing.

Tonight's game was a buffet of entertainment. The highlight was the solid defense by LBC with some absolutely amazing catches. I will repeat what I can remember. Taylor had one of the first amazing snags in Left field with a long stretch. Eric Jones had an ESPN dive, catch, and roll in center field. Mark Baranowski pulled down a screaming line drive from third base...but far greater than all was Brian Mensch's catch that we will coin from now on as "the claw". The pressure was on Brian as he had been punished with a 2 out obstruction play for "waking up" the 3rd baseman. The next inning (I believe) a long fly was hit foul to his position in right field. Brian overran the ball and it actually dropped behind him. When he realized he could not catch it with his glove, Brian sacrificed himself and caught it barehanded with his right hand. It was a most spectacular play and the fans went wild (including, I assume, Mr. Green who came to the game dressed as a cow.)

The offense played a solid game with consistent singles mixed with doubles. The consistent hacking paid off with run after run.

When the final out was made, LBC went wild as the Division Champions. Unbelievable.

Many thanks to the multitudes of fans that came to watch us play. The clappers, cheers, cow, wave, etc. were wonderful. You didn't think we could do it, did you Butchy? What a great time of fellowship that certainly glorified the Lord. "How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."

We will have a grand presentation of the Trophy either this Sunday or next.

Praise the Lord for His blessings on Lighthouse!

Inspired Fan

The following was written after Thursday night's game by an excited fan. See her name below:

"I was inspired by this evening's game to compose a song, which is to be sung to the tune of 'Onward Christian Soldiers'."

Onward Lighthouse ball-team
Marching to playoffs
We can be the champions
If we avoid a loss

Two more games before us
Win them-YES, must we!
Hitting, fielding, scoring
We must do all three!

Onward Lighthouse ball-team
Let's go and win two more
Win or lose we'll praise YOU
It's Your glory we play for!

Do you think Pastor Pritt could assemble the choir together tomorrow night to sing this?? (You know I'm just joking, don't you?)

Suzanne

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Lighthouse Advances to Finals

The Deacon's Heart
by Brian M.

On Thursday evening, the Lighthouse softball team advanced to the final round of the Division "C" playoffs with a 6-4 victory over GRPC Blue.

Solid defensive play kept scoring to a minimum, with Mark Baranowski turning in several exceptional plays at third base. Catcher Jeff Beebe gunned down a runner attempting to advance from 2nd to 3rd, and Stan Smith anchored the infield at 1st, pulling in everything thrown in his direction. Taylor Stierley and Jeremy Anderson continued to make exciting plays in the outfield, despite the setting sun that plagued them for most of the game.

The offense put up some runs early with strong hitting and smart base running, but the crushing blow came from Pastor Witmer's inside-the-park, 2 run homerun off of the fence in left-center field. (Apparently facial hair does make you hit the ball farther.)

The excitement continues on Friday evening with the final round of play-off games pitting Lighthouse against CUMC at Middletown Baptist Church at 6:16pm and 7:30pm. Come out and see if Pastor Witmer can continue his homerun hitting heroics.

Letter to Mayor Wright

The following is a letter to Mayor Wright, mayor of Hickory, NC where two soulwinners were arrested on July 4th for peacefully handing out tracts in a public area during a City Event called "Hickory Live".

Edmund Burke said, ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing.’

Dear Mayor Wright,

I am a Pastor in Newark, Delaware that has heard of your town’s terrible decision to arrest Jesse and Matthew Boyd. It is interesting that you use the phrase “we have to keep the peace” when interviewed by Richard Gould. On the first Christmas Morning, the Angels said that Jesus coming was “Peace on Earth”. The Boyd’s were bringing Peace to Hickory Alive.

You would have imprisoned the Apostle Paul for breaking the peace, wouldn’t you?

Please know that our church will be praying against you and Hickory until you apologize and totally exonerate the Boyd Brothers. This situation could impact the wonderful freedoms of evangelizing Christians everywhere. Please follow the heart of your own father and do the right thing for America and the courageous Boyd brothers.

Pastor Tobe Witmer
Lighthouse Baptist Church

Soulwinners Arrested

Good morning folks -

On July 4th, two brothers (the Boyds) were arrested in Hickory, North Carolina for passing out tracts at a City Event. The Christian Law Association, who we support, are representing these brothers. They are from a Full Gospel church that we certainly wouldn't fellowship with, but they were handing out simple gospel tracts. Our liberties are being stolen before our eyes in America. If they can arrest soulwinners in the Bible Belt, they can certainly charge us in Delaware with crimes of evangelism. I have written a letter to the Mayor of Hickory, and the Newspaper (www.hickoryrecord.com) I would encourage you to do the same. The Mayor's father is a Fundamental Preacher. I have told him our church will be praying for the city to drop all charges of trespassing against these young men and to publicly apologize. Here is a link to their story and video that they took on their cell phones of being handcuffed and arrested. If Christians don't make some noise, this case will be precedent for our future.

http://web.mac.com/jboydfpgm/FPGM_2008_Travel_Blog/FPGM/Entries/2008/6/27_Arrested_in_Hickory____.html