February 2021 Report

Thank you very much for your continued prayers and support. The ministry in Norman continues even in times of trials. I (Steve) have endured several health issues – a major surgery, covid and blood clots, but God continues to work in the ministry here. Chris is taking up a lot of the slack and continues to develop his ministry skills. Please continue to pray for him and the ministry here in Norman.

This is a copy of Chris’ monthly report:

“Then shalt thou say in thine heart, “Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? And who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone: these, where had they been?” Isaiah 49:21

As I’m contemplating the last month and what the LORD has done, I can’t help but think of this passage in Isaiah which the famous pastor of the 1800s, Charles Spurgeon helped shine some light on for me. The immediate context concerns the children of Israel, but Spurgeon applied it directly to every New Testament church, the household of God, of which we may be startled by the increase of those added to our number (especially during difficult times such as these) so that we might ask in surprise: “Who hath begotten me these?...who hath brought up these?...where had they been?”

This is my reaction as I think of our morning service this past Sunday, online services because of the historic snow storm, and preaching from my parents’ house in Broken Arrow because snow prevented travel back to Norman. I counted a Sunday congregation of at least 20 people, mostly attending online, whether from Arizona, Norman, or Nevada, where our people reside. If someone told me a year ago about our virtual “zoom church” consisting of friends and family from other states, no doubt I would have said “Who hath begotten me these? Who hath brought up these? Where had they been?”

The majority were attending online, but there were a few attending in person that day, including my friend Alyson, visiting from Florida, a pastor’s daughter who inherited from him a passion for the LORD, for the church, and for the lost, and blended her beautiful singing voice with mine as we led the worship song “The Wonderful Cross”. Along with Alyson, (Praise Jesus!), my parents were sitting there at the service and listened to the word of God preached! I have been praying for my parents for years and have never been able to connect with them spiritually, but they listened thoughtfully as I proclaimed the heart of the gospel on Valentine’s Day which is the love of Christ that kept him on the cross, bleeding, shaking, convulsing, gasping and dying for us!! Oh how great the love of God is for us through Jesus!!! To endure such pain and then bring our loved ones to behold God’s love displayed in the cross!

Concerning our friends or family, attending church online, or in person, surprisingly we ask: “Who hath begotten me these? Who hath brought up these? Where had they been?” To our joy we know that it’s the LORD and we are eager to see who the others are that he will add to our number!

Thank you for your continued support and the opportunity to serve the Lord and his people in Norman.