Jonathan Barber | Evangelistic Ministries

GOAL Sunday at BBC HHI

2012-01-27T15:36:00.001-06:00

Greetings from the sunny south! I have been working hard to gear up for GOAL (Gospel Outreach Advancing the Light) Sunday at Bible Baptist Church on Hilton Head Island. This Sunday, we will launch a vision for outreach that will have an outlet for anyone and everyone in the church. It will incorporate "Saturation Saturdays," and "Mission Mondays" in an effort to get the Gospel out to everyone in this area. Saturdays will consist of canvassing, door-to-door soulwinning, phone calling, and mailings. Mondays will be primarily follow-up visits. Lord willing the Netcasters Evangelistic Team will be here in a month or so for more extensive training. We are asking God to ignite this church in this new year. Please pray that folks will catch the vision!

Christmas on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

2011-12-23T14:59:00.003-06:00

Christmas Greetings! After a wonderful year of ministry on the road, we are now finishing it out at my parents place in HHI. I preached once already at Bible Baptist Church, and will preach this coming Christmas Eve and Christmas morning as well, Lord willing. Samuel is talking more than ever, and Baby Erin is getting to be quite a smiley girl! We praise the Lord for His blessings. Thank you all so much for your prayers.

Eight Day Revival Meeting--Dunbar, PA

2011-11-20T14:30:00.005-06:00

Praise the Lord for a wonderful week of meetings with Pastor Wratchford here in Dunbar, PA. God has blessed the services each night, giving me leadership and liberty in the messages I have brought to the people. It has also been great to go visiting each day with Pastor Wratchford and Pastor Childs. We have seen God grant several Divine Appointments during these times.

One such Divine Appointment came on Friday. Brother Childs and I went to visit a man only to find out he had moved. This was clearly a case of, "Wrong House; Right Person." The lady of the house invited us in. There we met a man who was literally on his death bed. He informed us that he was dying of liver disease. It was one of the saddest sights I've ever seen. There he was, clearly days away from eternity, with two bottles of liquor at his feet. He was a hard man that God had softened and prepared for the Gospel. I had the wonderful privilege of opening my Bible and declaring to him the most important message anyone could ever hear. After about 45 minutes, a man whom Satan thought he had conquered through atheism and drink bowed his head and asked Christ to be his Savior! Praise God! Isn't He Good?!!! Pray for the family. They have asked me to conduct the funeral. I told them that I would.

Praise God for the Good Old Gospel Story!

N.E.T. Clio, MI

2011-10-25T19:12:00.003-05:00

Praise the Lord for a wonderful week of Netcasters training in Clio, MI. Pastor John Flanders is in his second year here at Landmark Baptist Church. The church has been growing, and the people are being stirred about the matter of soulwinning. God gave us a good group to train. They were very diligent all week long. The Lord blessed by allowing us several Divine appointments and five souls saved out door-to-door.

On Sunday (Friend Day), several visitors came to the morning Gospel service. To the glory of God, three stepped out at the invitation for salvation. What a privilege to see God work! Pray for this growing church as they move forward into the harvest fields.

Soulwinning in Moline, IL

2011-10-25T19:04:00.002-05:00

We had a great week in Moline, Illinois! God gave us fruit for our labors as we saw three individuals trust Christ as Savior while going door-to-door. One man, a Catholic, though not immediately interested, opened up when he saw that you could know for sure according to I John 5:13 that one can have eternal life. He invited us in, closed the chat boxes on his computer screen, took out a pen and paper to take notes, and then rejoined us with a real interest. He took down the reference of every verse I quoted. At the conclusion of the Gospel presentation, he got down on his knees next to his couch and called on the Lord to save him. Praise the Lord!

One whole family that we visited on Saturday came out on Sunday for Sunday School and the AM service. God blessed the day. It is thrilling to see the Lord work week after week. Let's go get all of the ground God has given us!

"Piece of Me?"

2011-10-15T19:00:00.001-05:00

Samuel recently learned a new phrase while wrestling with his mommy: "You want a piece of me?" Yes, he now loves walking up to people and saying in a sing-song manner, "Piece of me?"

He also learned how to knock on doors, take a tract and say, "Jesus!" He had never done this in the field until last week. We went to a visit with the whole family. Samuel was so excited to knock on the door. We got inside and had a great visit. When it was time to give the man and his wife a tract, Samuel took it and walked it over to the man. We reminded him, "Samuel, what do you say?" To this he promptly turned to the man and replied, "Piece of me?"

Oh, well. We're working on it. :)

Tent Meeting!

2011-10-09T18:07:00.006-05:00

We praise the Lord for a wonderful Evangelistic Tent Meeting here in Woodridge, IL. The first two nights were geared toward preparing the church. God met with us in those first two nights. The people worked hard inviting, and we got a lot of invitations out. One 62-year-old man came out Sunday morning after having received an invitation postcard. I spoke to him before the service, and he indicated that he did not know for sure that he had eternal life. I quoted I John 5:13 and asked him if he would like to know for sure. He said, "Absolutely." I told him to listen to the message, and we would talk afterwards. I greeted another woman who came to the morning service who had just moved to the area. They both listened intently to the message. She responded immediately to the message. The gentlemen responded afterwards. Both were dealt with one-on-one, and to the glory of God, both were saved! Hallelujah!

Another salvation came on Saturday night. A little almost 6-year-old came under conviction of sin and turned to the Savior! Praise the Lord for this little one. I spoke to her afterwards. It was so sweet to see the work of the Spirit in this little life.

There were others that visited and heard the Gospel. Only the Lord knows the full impact that this tent meeting will have on the community. It was great to preach the Gospel in the open on that busy street corner. What a testimony it was to those who drove by and to those who were sitting at the stop light. It was a great week. To God be the glory!

N.E.T. Kettering, OH

2011-10-04T10:23:00.003-05:00

We just completed our first Netcasters Evangelistic Team meeting at Grace Baptist Church in Kettering, OH. The Lord gave us a good group to train throughout the week. For many, soul-winning door-to-door was brand new. Probably the most exciting thing for me was the testimonies by the graduates at the Sunday night service. It was thrilling to see how had worked in their lives during the week. They articulated truths such as dying to self, walking in the Spirit, and stepping out on faith. Praise God for His enabling grace!

We had a wonderful time. Going soul-winning 6 times in 7 days in rigorous; but rewarding too! Pray for these dear folks as they continue to launch out into the deep and let down their nets for a draught.

We head to Woodridge, IL now for a tent meeting. Please be in prayer. Thank you!

Announcing: Erin Lindy Barber

2011-09-24T12:27:00.002-05:00

We praise the Lord for the birth of our little girl, Erin Lindy Barber. Rebecca was induced at about 6:00am on Friday, September 23rd, 2011. She was born at 1:06pm after a very nice gradual labor. Everything was easier than with Samuel. Rebecca did very well. She and the baby came through wonderfully.

Erin was 9 lb. 2.2 oz. and 22 inches long. She is a healthy eater. She and Samuel will get along just fine. Samuel is absolutely smitten with his little sister. It is soooo cute to watch. He wants to hold her constantly. It's really sweet.

"Erin" means, "Ireland." "Lindy" means, "honey." We named her after my grandmother, Lindy Barber. We have committed her to the Lord for His glory!

Enjoy the pictures!

This photo album made with Smilebox

6th Anniversary!

2011-09-17T18:56:00.003-05:00

Camp Joy graciously gave Rebecca and I a free weekend in one of their Driftwood Village cabins for our anniversary. Some of our friends watched Samuel and we had a tremendous time! It was a wonderful ending to a great week of preaching! Thank you Camp Joy!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY WONDERFUL WIFE!

Preaching at Camp Joy

2011-09-14T11:05:00.006-05:00

This week we have had the privilege of preaching a school camp at Camp Joy in Whitewater, WI. It has been great. This school is largely made up of international students. There is great potential to impact the mission field this week. We had three students saved this week! There were still a couple that were not ready, but praise the Lord, even those students took obvious steps closer to the Lord this week! What a thrill it was to see the Lord work! God is so faithful!

We have stayed in one of Camp Joy's new cabins in the Driftwood Village. The cabins are beautiful. We have really enjoyed our stay. Anyone who is looking for a nice, quiet getaway should look no further. It is hard to beat the cabins of Camp Joy!

Cola-Clash Week #11 - Council Bluffs, IA

2011-08-26T22:04:00.002-05:00

What a tremendous finish to a fantastic summer! Recruiting in Council Bluffs was something that we have never seen before. Kids were everywhere! On top of that, God opened the door to recruit the three lunch periods at Abraham Lincoln High School. All total, the team was able to get 819 recruits! God was so good in opening doors to us.

We were up against football practices and football games in both major high schools, but God brought out the kids none-the-less. We had 152 teenagers out over the three nights with a high night of 103. The harvest was white. 56 teenagers professed their faith in Jesus Christ throughout the week. That is the most we have ever seen in one week of the Cola-Clash. Praise the Lord!

We thank all who prayed for us this summer. This has truly been our most bountiful summer ever. We praise God for all He has done.

For what its worth, out of the 11 Cola-Clash rallies, the final standings are as follows: Coke 6; Pepsi 5.

Week #10 - Central City, NE

2011-08-23T15:20:00.002-05:00

Upon arriving at Central City Baptist Church, it became evident very quickly that God was on the move in that church and community. Pastor Jenkins took some time with our team to tell us of one answer to prayer after the other. God had done so much for this church in providing for their building needs and spiritual needs, that it gave us great confidence that God had something great in store for the week of the Cola-Clash outreach.

Recruiting went well. We saturated the town pretty thoroughly as well as recruited inside a school lunchroom. God brought out 52 teenagers on the first night with 10 accepting Christ as their Savior. The second night was a battle. We had 65 teenagers in attendance and their spirit was tremendous! God was giving great liberty to me in preaching when a tornado warning went off and we all had to head to the basement. I have never had to stop preaching after having only dealt with sin and hell. It was very unsettling and dissatisfying to end there. But, we trusted God. Satan wanted to thwart the Gospel, but God wanted to let it simmer. The next night we saw the harvest. Praise the Lord!

One 18-year-old young man spent well over an hour in the counselling room agonizing over whether or not he would accept the Lord. The pastor and I both dealt with him, but ultimately, he decided to walk out without Christ. It is hard to let a kid like that go, but we have to be willing to entrust them to the Lord. We did, and we prayed. That night, after 11:00 when we were just finished cleaning and packing up, the young man returned. He wanted to be saved! The Holy Spirit of God had won! He drew him back, and He drew him to Himself that night! Praise God!

Week #9 - Lander, WY

2011-08-21T16:31:00.002-05:00

It was so good to be back in Lander, WY. This is the church where the pastor killed a rattlesnake the last time we were here. Well, we didn't have that kind of excitement this time (although we tried), but we did see God do other exciting things. On the first night, we saw more souls saved than the entire three nights back in '09 with 19 walking the aisle to receive Christ. God brought out a great crowd of older teenagers. This was an answer to prayer. Often times, it is easier to get the junior-highers out, but the senior-highers need it even more. We had our largest crowd on the final night. This was a huge victory. Brother Bosler preached and 3 more were saved, including a Native American young man. Several other Native Americans were saved through the week as well. God turned them from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God.

All-in-all, there were 28 teenagers saved out of the 61 that attended. It was so good to see that little fellowship hall absolutely packed with hungry hearts. Praise the Lord! We praise the Lord for Mountain View Baptist Church and the Senter family. May God richly bless their work of faith.

Cola-Clash Week #8 - Green River, WY

2011-08-08T17:10:00.005-05:00

The Cola-Clash in Green River went head-to-head with the county fair. This rarely happens, but when it does, it is always a challenge. Pastor York and I scheduled this week long before we knew anything about the fair, so we took it from the Lord, and just trusted Him to break through despite the distraction. Green River Bible Baptist Church and a sister church in Rock Springs teamed up to man a table in the fair, and saw several souls saved during the week. Praise the Lord!

We had a high night of 61 teenagers despite the fair and 25 souls saved! There was a rock concert every night of the fair. One of the groups was "Hinder." This group was definitely out to hinder people from being saved; no doubt about it. But, God answered prayer, and we still saw 74 teenagers attend over the three nights. We also saw God move a really bad thunderstorm. It rained right up until the event, and then parted right around us. Praise the Lord. Brother Bobby Bosler preached on the final night. Several young people who had been holding out all week finally broke. Almost the entire Pepsi team responded! Thank you all for your prayers.

Pastor York bought the team t-shirts the read: "Hooked On Green River"

Calling the Game

Cola-Clash Week #7 - Casper, WY

2011-08-02T12:59:00.004-05:00

The Lord blessed once again as we ministered at Calvary Baptist Church in Casper, Wyoming. There was a definite Satanic attack on the first night when several teenagers interrupted the invitation at the close of the service. I had never seen anything quite like it before. But, as usual, God's power was seen, and souls were saved to His glory. We saw 27 professions of faith in a week where Satan fought hard from start to finish. It was such a blessing to see 140 teenagers come out over the three nights. Praise the Lord.

Keep praying for us as we minister in Green River, WY this week. The county fair is going on at the same time as our Cola-Clash rallies. Pray that God would break through and bring people out.

Cola-Clash Week #6 - Castle Rock, CO

2011-07-26T18:29:00.005-05:00

Praise the Lord for a wonderful week in Castle Rock, CO! The Lord gave us 110 teenagers over the three nights with 52 professions of faith! God truly answered prayer in a mighty way.

We started off the week by climbing to the top of Castle Rock. From there, we had a spectacular view of the city. We prayed over the city, and believed God for a work for His glory. God continued to meet with us throughout the week in prayer. It was exciting to see the faith of the people in the church. They were a great help each night in the activities, food, and counselling. Everyone was greatly encouraged to see God bring in the teenagers each night. It was truly a work of God. Thank you for your prayers! Keep praying for the follow up.

Our team also had an opportunity to reach the summit of Pike's Peak. God's creation is so spectacular. Praise Him!

A Picture at the Summit

Cola-Clash Week #5 - Ulysses, KS

2011-07-19T14:22:00.003-05:00

It was great to be back at Grace Baptist Church in Ulysses, KS. When we arrived on Saturday, it was about 110 degrees and very dry. They were in the middle of a drought where they had only had 3 inches of rain in the past year-and-a-half. We prayed that God would pour water upon the thirsty and floods upon the dry ground. God did exactly that this week.

We had a church-wide prayer meeting every morning at 7:00am. It was very well attended by both adults and teens alike. Those prayer times were are the battle times. God met with us over and over throughout the week. I appreciate the intercessors that God has raise up in this church. Many battles were won on our knees this week.

Pastor Gregory asked me to preach Monday night and Tuesday night to the adults while the teens went recruiting. This was a special time. God met with us again.

The 3 rally nights were exciting as we watched the Lord bring in teen-after-teen. We had 112 over the 3 nights with 34 total profession of faith in Christ. It was another opportunity to be awed by the goodness and grace of God.

We also did some hunting. Weak stomachs beware...

Cola-Clash Week #4 - Raymore, MO

2011-07-19T12:24:00.005-05:00

Forgive the lateness of this post. We arrived in Raymore, MO looking forward to seeing a work of God in this growing church. Pastor Thomas has quite a burden for the area. It was good to pray and fellowship with him, and to catch his burden. There were several things that we prayed about that God specifically answered. One was concerning the transition from the field to the church for the preaching time. The field was at a park about 4 or 5 blocks away. We had a bus to take the teenagers back and forth, but there is always a concern in a situation like that that some kids will not make it inside. God answered prayer in this regard, and all but 3 of the 94 kids that came over the three nights made it inside. The 3 that did not come in the second night did come in the first night. So, even they heard the Gospel. God also gave us great weather. We have seen that all summer. It will rain in the morning and early afternoon, and then quit just before the Cola-Clash. God has delivered us every time. By the end of the week, we had seen over 20 young people come to Christ. Thank you for praying for us this week. God did deliver!

My wife and I stayed in a "peculiar" place, you might stay. We put up for the week at a beautiful RV park in Peculiar, MO. It was very comfortable. We praise the Lord for His goodness.

Cola-Clash Week #3 - Atchison, KS

2011-07-02T21:42:00.003-05:00

Praise the Lord for an amazing week of ministry! God did exceedingly above all that we could ask or think. It was evident that people were praying for us. Last time we were here (2009) we had a high night of 70 or so. This year, our high night was right around 130! It was incredible to watch God bring in the teenagers. Each night grew in attendance from the night before with a total of about 175 teenagers registering for the event over the three nights. We almost did not have enough room to fit them all. The spirit of the kids was energetic and exciting! The best part was watching God draw them to salvation one-by-one. There were over 50 professions of faith this past week. Praise the Lord! The weather was scorching, but God brought them out in droves nonetheless. We are praying for Carol Baptist Church. God is moving in Atchison! It was a privilege to serve alongside these dear folks. It was a privilege to pray with them. That is where the battle was won! Praise God for the victory!

Cola-Clash/VBS, Troy, OH

2011-06-27T14:42:00.004-05:00

Praise the Lord for a wonderful week at Troy Baptist Temple! We had wonderful weather despite forecasts of rain every night. We saw numerous answers to prayer throughout the week. At the end of the week, 125 teenagers had come over the three nights! 27 souls were saved in the Cola-Clash alone. Several elementary aged young people were save during the VBS as well. The Gospel still works!

Pray for us as we minister in Atchison, Kansas. Oh, that God would do it again!

Cola-Clash in Carrollton, IL

2011-06-12T21:33:00.001-05:00

We had a great first week of the Cola-Clash outreach at Believer's Baptist Church in Carrollton, IL. God gave us 50 teenagers to minister to this week, with 9 professions of faith. The spirit was great. It was really hot, but we saw the Lord intervene in the weather throughout the week. Pray for Pastor Valentin and the church there as they faithfully reach out to these young people.

We are now at Troy Baptist Temple in Troy, OH. We're off to a great start. VBS & Cola-Clash this week. Should be exciting! I'll update more later.

Cola-Clash 2011 Itinerary

2011-06-07T11:54:00.005-05:00

Praise the Lord for another to serve Him! We'll keep you updated weekly throughout the tour.

Barber's in Bemus Point, NY

2010-07-27T18:11:00.000-05:00

This photo album personalized with Smilebox

Cola-Clash Week #2 - Springfield, IL

2010-06-21T23:10:00.002-05:00

We had a tremendous week in Springfield, IL at Grace Baptist Church. Praise the Lord for a tremendous attendance all with with an average of 75 each night. On Wednesday, God definitely moved at the invitation, and over 40 teenagers responded. We weeded out a few who were not ready, but the Lord certainly brought in a harvest of souls that night. The next two night were the same attendance, but fewer decisions. However, I praise the Lord that so many got saved.

It is a glorious thing to see the teens that you personally invited come out and trust Christ as Savior. That happened a lot this week.

I'll write some more and post some pictures later.

Itinerary - Summer 2010

2010-06-09T11:42:00.004-05:00

May 30—June 5: Grace Baptist Church Moline, IL

June 6—12: Friendship Baptist Church Cedar Rapids, IA

June 13—19: Grace Baptist Church Springfield, IL

June 20—24: Heritage Baptist Church Cordova, TN

June 27—July 3: Park Meadows Baptist Church Lincoln, IL

July 4—10: Mukwonago Baptist Church Mukwonago, WI

July 11—15: Falls Baptist Church Menomonee Falls, WI

July 17—24: Dunbar Baptist Church Dunbar, PA

July 25—31: Ellery Baptist Church Bemus Point, NY

August 1—7: OPEN DUE TO CANCELLATION

August 8—21: Troy Baptist Temple Troy, OH

August 22—28: First Baptist Church New Lisbon, WI

Cola-Clash Week #1 - Cedar Rapids, IA

2010-06-09T11:15:00.008-05:00

We had a great time at Friendship Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids, IA. God wonderfully blessed our recruiting efforts allowing us to get 480+ recruits! God mightily blessed from start to finish with so many answers to prayer. All-in-all, there were 126 outside teenagers attending the Cola-Clash over the three nights, with a high night of 87 total teenagers. We praise the Lord for so many teenagers in attendance. More importantly, we thank the Lord the 29 who professed faith in Christ! The presence of the Lord was certainly felt throughout the week. We learned a lot about prevailing prayer.

2009-12-03T21:56:00.002-06:00

More Pictures of Samuel

2009-11-03T21:19:00.002-06:00

Samuel Isaac Barber

2009-11-02T20:17:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

New Truck!

2009-10-12T14:48:00.002-05:00

October Update

2009-10-12T13:21:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone. Rebecca and I are praising the Lord for His goodness in our lives. We have many things to share with you all. First off, Rebecca's pregnancy has been doing very well. The doctor has said that she no longer needs to be on bed rest! Praise the Lord! Thank you to all of you who have been praying for her and the baby. We can't wait to meet the little guy. Her due date is November 27th.

Ever since the summer tour with the BCM Evangelistic Team ended, the Lord has kept me busy with a variety of preaching opportunities. I am so grateful that the Lord has allowed me to stay busy in the ministry since coming off the road to be with Rebecca. Since I handed the fall tour over to Chris & Zoe Stoll, God has allowed me to preach at the BCM opening meetings, the Falls Baptist Academy school camp, several Falls Institute of Training opportunities, a street preaching class, a week of evangelism in Olathe, Kansas (we saw a harvest of 26 souls), and currently, I'm preaching at the Indiana Baptist College Bible Conference. On the 23rd-25th of this month I'll be preaching a few times at a youth meeting at Friendship Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Needless to say, the Lord has kept us busy. My fear in coming off the road was that I would not be as involved in evangelistic ministry. The Lord has proven otherwise. You don't have to be "on the road" to be involved in evangelistic ministry. I praise the Lord! He is so faithful.

I would appreciate prayer for this week. I preached today, and I'll be preaching on Tuesday and Wednesday as well. There was a great response already, and I know that God is moving in the hearts of these students. I am challenging them this week on the subject of public proclamation of the Gospel.

We have another praise. God has provided our family with a new truck! God had put it on our hearts to pray for a truck and trailer now that our family is expanding. We have believed that the Lord would provide, and He did. I want to say, to the glory of God, that the truck is 100% paid for--Hallelujah! God has led me personally not to go into debt at all for the truck or the trailer. With the ministry of faith that God has called us to, I cannot minister effectively if I am under a financial burden of debt. I don't want finances to determine what I can do, or where I can go. The Lord put this truck in our lap, brought in the money, and gave us peace to purchase it. It was exactly the truck that we needed, and exactly the price we could afford. Praise the Lord! Well, now that we've committed ourselves--we're looking for a trailer. If any of you know someone who is looking to sell a trailer, let me know!

Praise the Lord for His goodness. We are praying earnestly for God's direction for January - May. There are a couple of ministry opportunities that God has brought our way that we are praying about. We have a few things already lined up, but there is still much that hasn't "landed" yet. We are trusting the Lord for direction.

Thank you for your prayers. God bless you all.

The Barbers

To The Edge

2009-08-26T23:10:00.003-05:00

Picnic On A Wyoming Waterfall!

2009-08-26T17:16:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful picnic. It was refreshing.

Snake Handling?

2009-08-26T16:58:00.002-05:00

Pastor Senter killed a rattlesnake on our hike. It was pretty exciting.

Nap Time!

2009-08-26T16:46:00.002-05:00

Matt can sleep anywhere. He works hard, so we let him. He has to recharge his batteries from time-to-time. Pretty often actually. :)

2009-08-26T16:44:00.001-05:00

Cola-Clash Update

2009-07-22T10:42:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry I've not been diligent in updating the blog. Since my last post, much has happened. I've been leading the BCM Evangelistic Team this summer without my wife. After our first week, she had to leave the road due to complications with her pregnancy. The doctor has put her on bed rest for the time being until they are sure that things are getting better. It has been difficult for her to be at home while I've been on the road, but we know it is what the Lord has for us at this time. Rebecca has been able to stay with her parents in Iowa so that has been a real blessing.

We've seen several souls saved from week-to-week in our travels. God has really blessed. It has been very busy, but very rewarding. What a blessing to be able to give the Gospel week-in-week-out, and see souls saved every time. It is a real privilidge. Thank you all for your prayers for us. I still have some decisions to make regarding Rebecca. It's difficult for me to be away from her during this time. I'm trusting the Lord to show us the next steps.

BCM Evangelistic Team--Lincoln, IL

2009-06-12T15:40:00.001-05:00

The BCM Evangelistic Team hit the road last Saturday to begin our 12 week tour, conducting the "Cola-Clash" outreach in local churches across the USA. Tonight is the final night of our first week of the summer. We are at Pastor S. M. Davis' church in Lincoln, IL (Park Meadows Baptist Church). It has been a tremendous blessing to be here with these people.

Our team consists of Rebecca and I, Matthew Weber, Nick Stoll, Mary Jane Stoll, and Summer Smith. It has been exciting to see God using each one of the team members already. Each one of us took a Sunday School class, and then Pastor Davis had us provide testimonies and music for both services. We learned to flex a bit, and ended up using just about everything we had (we were only planning on one service). It was great! Pastor Davis asked me to preach both services as well. After the morning service, a young man who had moved out of his parents house to live for himself broke down and got right with God. Pastor spent a long time with him after the service to see him through to victory. Another man publically made it known after the service that the Lord wanted him to preach. Praise the Lord for these victories.

We had two great days of recruiting (we went everywhere inviting teenagers to our evening evangelistic rallies). Praise the Lord for the response. We had about 35 outside teenagers come both nights with about 65 teenagers total out each night. The Spirit worked during the Wednesday night service bringing 6 guys and 6 girls to Himself despite horrible disturbances from four rowdy teenage girls in the back row. The girls finally made a huge scene, and left the service altogether. It was a blessing in disguise because the distractions were removed allowing the Lord to draw several souls to salvation. On the second night, 2 of the 4 rowdies came back. When the invitation was given, they were the only girls to respond. Praise the Lord the were gloriously saved. One of them said later, "Ever since I left last night, I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd heard." God answers prayer, for that is exactly what we had asked of Him.

Yesterday, was a very difficult day. Rebecca, who is now 16 weeks pregnant, experienced very heavy bleeding. It was a scary time for us both. I helped the best I could, and then took her to the emergency room. Praise the Lord for the help we received. They got us in right away, and were very thorough with the ultrasound. After examination, it was found that the baby was as healthy as ever. The problem is not with the baby, it's with the placenta. Evidently, the placenta has been tearing away, which if it were to continue, would mean that Rebecca would lose the baby. The doctor, Mrs. Harmon, was a Christian. She said, "The best thing I can tell you to do is to start the prayer chain. There is nothing we can do to stop the placenta from tearing away." She then called Rebecca's Milwaukee doctor and they determined that she will have to be on bed rest for the next few weeks while things try to heal. Please pray for her. The bleeding is almost gone now, but she is still at a very critical point.

I brought Rebecca back to the house where we were staying thanking the Lord that we still had a baby, and that Rebecca was OK. From there, I made it back to the church just in time for the beginning of the rally. The Lord gave great grace and helped me to keep my focus while I preached. The Lord gave us a tremendous night of ministry. Afterwards, we received tons of help and support from the church people. Pastor Davis is about as helpful as you could ever hope for, and the people were all eager to lend a hand in any way. We praise the Lord for God's people.

Please pray for Rebecca, and pray for me as I have some key decisions to make. It looks like Rebecca will have to come off the road for a while. The Lord will give wisdom I am sure, and we covet your prayers. Pray for tonight's final rally as well (6:00pm central time). I am asking the Lord to give us another harvest.

God bless you all,

Jonathan Barber

Back in the States

2009-05-10T09:16:00.000-05:00

Hello All,

I apologize for taking so long to write this update. Much has happened since my last e-mail. Praise the Lord for bringing in the O'Gorman's support! It took longer than we had hoped, but now we can definitely see how God was in it. It worked out for the better all the way around. God allowed us to have a good overlap time as well. We were concerned that we might not be able to spend time together in Arklow because Rebecca and I needed to get back to the states. But, the Lord worked it all out, and we had about a week together with the O'Gormans. The transition was very smooth.

On Sunday, we had a "Goodbye Barbers/Welcome Back O'Gormans" service (or something like that). Praise the Lord that the service was very well attended. John-John, Mary (John-John's mom), Bridgette, Clay, Alan & Marcella, Patrick & Susanne, and several others all came to the service. We had a full house. It was so neat to see the remaining fruit of our labors in the Lord over the last few months. God truly has done it! Oriel preached the morning service, then we had a potluck dinner, and then I preached the 2 o'clock afternoon service. It was a precious time. Thank you for your prayers.

Rebecca and I are back in the states preparing for this summer's ministry with the Baptist College of Ministry Evangelistic Team. I will be leading the team this summer and fall, Lord willing. Please pray for us as we travel. I'll keep you all updated.

Please continue to pray for Arklow Baptist Church. Rebecca and I are praying about when the Lord would have us to go back over to Ireland. I believe it is a field "white unto harvest." Pray that God would send us back soon.

God bless you all!

Jonathan Barber

Extended Stay

2009-04-23T06:25:00.001-05:00

I thought that I should let you all know that due to the fact that Oriel has been delayed in getting back over here to Arklow, Rebecca and I have extended our stay here in Ireland. We have been praying that God would put things together speedily for Oriel and Heather. Things have been coming together, just not as fast as we had all hoped. Through it all we know that the Lord has a plan, and are excited to see what God wants to do here in the meantime.

Do pray for Oriel and Heather. They really need to get back as soon as possible. God has started a great work, and we are confident that He will continue it in even greater ways. Pray that every last bit of support comes in (they are very close). Pray that they will be able to purchase tickets very soon.

Thank you all for your prayers. We will keep you posted as to when we'll be leaving. Right now, we don't have return tickets purchased yet. We are waiting on the Lord to make things clear.

2009-04-18T16:45:00.001-05:00

2009-04-15T14:57:00.001-05:00

Easter Update

2009-04-14T16:18:00.003-05:00

Thank you for praying for our Grand Opening Easter service. God mightily blessed. First of all, He miraculously brought everything together for the building to be ready. At the beginning of the week, the building was still a disaster. But everyone came together, and we got it done in time. It came down to the last minute. Dermot is an incredible painter, and he spent the whole week at the church "cutting in." He did a great job. The De Paors were a HUGE help as well. Everyday giving of themselves tirelessly. A new family, the D'Agostinis helped as well. Praise the Lord for the building! I'll have pictures for you all soon.

The second blessing was also last minute. It did not work out for the O'Gormans to come as a family, but Oriel was able to come by himself. This was also down to the wire. Oriel flew in and arrived in the church building at 10:00 am on the button in time for the service to begin. We need to pray for the O'Gormans. Oriel went back to get Heather and the kids, but they have not yet been cleared by the mission board to come. The church is at the point where we desperately need them here. Will you intercede faithfully for the O'Gormans to get here ASAP?

The third blessing is that God blessed both the morning and evening services. We had one visitor (Peter McMahon) on Sunday morning (12 total in attendance). God blessed Oriel's preaching. It was a very exciting service. Sunday night we had two more first time visitors (Mary & Mary), a second time visitor (David Mates), and the visitor from the morning service (Peter McMahon)--(21 total in attendance). All of the visitors were unsaved. God blessed Oriel's preaching once again. We had good talks afterwards, but no decisions. David Mates is close to being saved. Pray for him especially.

The fourth blessing came on Monday night. We are having three nights of Evangelistic services (Mon, Tues, Wed). I preached a salvation message that also applied to believers. Peter McMahon was the only lost person there to my knowledge. Towards the end of the message I notice him getting more and more agitated. Finally, he stood up, grabbed his jacket, and left the service. Sam tried to go after him but he was running full speed down the road. Pray for Peter. He is a heavy drinker with a lot of baggage and a LOT of pride. He was spoken to after both services on Sunday, but he was full of pride. He is under conviction, and running (literally) from God. That may not seem like a "fourth blessing" but it is. We prayed for conviction.

The fifth blessing came tonight. The men from the RU Men's Home in Dublin came down and sang and gave their testimonies. IT WAS TERRIFIC! God really used them. Sam went to the clinic and invited the addicts. Clay came, and brought John-John with him. We've been working with and praying for John-John for weeks. He is one of our "addicts." It was a miracle that God brought him in. Four teenagers came in as well (Anton, Ashley, Aubrey, & Sophie--all unsaved). An elderly woman named Olive came as well with her mentally handicapped son (Allen). Well, the Lord brought the visitors and that is for sure. Sam invited the teenagers just before the service. He had passed them by, but the Spirit said, "Go back." He did, and they came. The Men from RU spoke and sang with power. The song service and testimonies were stirring. God was truly in our midst. John-John didn't know any better than to ask questions to the men as they gave their testimonies. I had to step in and promise that we'd answer his questions after the service. It was great though to see how the boys from the Home handled it. They never got thrown off.

I preached the Gospel message, and the Lord gave liberty. John-John was right with me as well as Anton. When I gave the invitation, they both raised their hands--the girls did not. I had the Men's Home close the service with Amazing Grace, and then two of the lads from the Home (Tosh & Shane) led John-John to the Lord. It was as much of a blessing for me to see those two men being used of the Lord as it was to see John-John finally accept the Lord. Praise God! Leigh De Paor took two other men from the Home and shared the Gospel with Anton. He did not get saved tonight, but God is working on him. My wife talked to Olive (the elderly lady) and found that she is already a born again Christian. She has been praying for Arklow for years. She is going to start attending our church! Praise God. The service was truly a power-house tonight. God's presence was there.

Please pray for tomorrow night. God wants to do something. Pray that visitors will come. Every one the walks through the door is a miracle.

Thank you for praying. Pray for the O'Gormans. They need to be here!

Sincerely,

Jonathan Barber
www.arklowbaptistchurch.com

Grand Opening!

2009-04-08T11:04:00.004-05:00

It has been incredibly busy the last couple of weeks. We have been busily renovating the new building in order to have it done in time for our Grand Opening Easter Services. God has been good. Thanks for praying for us. There are still several details that need to come together. We will be distributing a flyer advertising for Easter, and the Monday - Wednesday services to follow. Pray that many will come, hear the Gospel, and be saved.

There is a new website up for the church. Please visit http://www.arklowbaptistchurch.com/ for more info. Also, there is a link to the flyer we are distributing as well.

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-19T11:31:00.001-05:00

Back in Ireland

2009-03-05T13:07:00.010-06:00

Rebecca and I went back to Menomonee Falls, WI for a couple of weeks for the Holiness Conference. We had a very spiritually refreshing time with friends and family. We are thrilled to be back in Arklow, however. There is much to praise the Lord about.

First, Sam Kean has joined us for this month of March. He will be assisting in the ministry while Oriel & Heather are away. We are greatful already for the fellowship in ministry and prayer.

Secondly, we have a new building! God has graciously provided us with a tremendous building in Arklow's historic "Fishery" down by the river. Oriel and the De Paors got burdened about the building and took the matter to the Lord. The long and short of it is that God gave us favor in the eyes of the owner, who ultimately allowed us to rent in for 800 a month (he originally wanted over 2000). Also, he had not wanted to rent it at all, due to the fact that it was for sale. The Lord was obviously at work because he agreed to pay for the renovation expenses and not charge us until our "kick-off" service on April 12th! Praise the Lord! May God now fill the building He has provided.

The building has quite a history. Back in the 1890's the building was used as a schoolhouse. A Presbyterian minister, being burdened to take the Gospel to the streets, took his congregation outdoors on Sunday afternoons to the "fishery" district to preach in the open air. What is now a street used to be the courtyard of the school. The area was predominantly Catholic, resulting in quite a stir. Extra police had to brought in every Sunday to keep the peace. There is a plaque on the side of the building that gives some of the history (it leaves out the street preaching bit; we found out the real story from an Arklow history book).

Thirdly, things are going well with Alan, Marcella, and Many. We had a temendous time with them today. Keep praying for them. The Lord is working.

Thank you for your prayers, we'll keep you updated.

Christmas in Dublin

2009-01-01T04:44:00.001-06:00

A View of the House

2008-12-31T14:20:00.004-06:00

To view the slideshow at a slower speed, put your cursor over the image. Buttons will pop up that will allow you to stop the slideshow, and page through picture-by-picture at your own pace.

2008-12-23T16:58:00.002-06:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

"The War" in the West

2008-11-17T15:30:00.004-06:00

The last four weeks, Rebecca and I have been travelling with the Minutemen Team out west for a couple weeks of "The War," and two weeks of Revival meetings. Dr. Jim needed us to fill in due to a team member not being able to finish the tour. Our schedule was open, and God allowed us to go. It has been a blessing to be with the team. We did a "War" in Longmont, CO, a Revival meeting in Standing Rock, NM, another "War" in Pheonix, AZ, and are currently conducting a revival meeting in Olathe, KS. God has been blessing. Praise the Lord for good attendances every week, and several professions of faith.

Here are a few pics from the trip.

We did some hiking in the canyon at Standing Rock, NM. There was a little cave at the top of a cliff that we explored.

Several of us climbed inside. It was pretty cozy, and a lot warmer than outside.

Here's a few kitties. Unfortunately, the dog got one of them.

The Wars in Longmont and in Pheonix were both well attended. Between the two outreaches, around 40 or so teenagers came to Christ.

From here, we will head back north for Thanksgiving. Rebecca and I will be going to Iowa for a week or so. It has been a great few weeks, and a blessing, as always to serve the Lord.

Fairfield Glade, TN

2008-10-01T12:16:00.008-05:00

Rebecca's grandparents were kind enough to give us a week at their timeshare in Fairfield Glade, TN for our anniversary. We are celebrating it late since we were on the road during the month of September. The place is very nice. It is located just outside the mountains and is surrounded by walking trails and golf courses. Rebecca and I are really enjoying it. It has been a wonderful time of spiritual refreshment for us. Our time has been spent on long walks in the woods, lots of reading, and prayer. The Lord has really drawn us closer to Him in this time.

The resort was wonderful. We had a full kitchen with dish washer (that let's me off the hook), a large living room with fireplace, a dining room, an upstairs with two deluxe rooms with King-size beds and full baths. And there is my favorite, the whirlpool room. It was very nice.

The resort is close to a state park. Rebecca and I had a picnic in a nice, quiet area of the park. It was beautiful. Praise the Lord for His goodness.

We were excited to have the O'Gormans come down for a visit on their way to a meeting in Georgia. They were here Monday night, all day Tuesday, and left on Wednesday morning. The burden was to make part of our time a prayer retreat. We had some sweet times of prayer regarding our upcoming ministry together in Ireland. God stirred our faith remarkably. I can't describe what God did in that time. We were "all in one accord, in one place" seeking God's will and power. God brought us to faith about asking Him to get us there this fall--a human impossibility, but with God, a mere trifle. Luke 1:37 says, "For with God, nothing shall be impossible." We look forward to the miracles that will take place in these coming days. Please pray.

Visit to Uncle Brian

2008-09-29T16:53:00.007-05:00

We stopped in to visit Uncle Brian and Aunt Lina. We had a great time. Here are a few pictures from the visit.

Spiritual Emphasis Week at Heritage Prep, Orlando Florida

2008-09-22T13:23:00.009-05:00

We had a great week with Ledi and Harriet Walusayi at Heritage Prep School in Ordando, Florida. God gave liberty in the preaching, and the teenagers were very responsive. There were many needs in the student body, but God was faithful to convict and expose sin. Ledi has his hands full with follow-up from the decisions made. Pray for him. The inner city culture is a tough one to tackle. Discipleship is difficult because of the broken homes and rough backgrounds. However, Ledi has a burden for those kids, and is determined to see them through to victory.

I preached chapel every day. We had 9 decisions for salvation on Monday, and a few more throughout the week. Many kids dealt with sin issues.

We did two youth rallies on Wednesday and Friday nights. The Lord gave us a decent turnout and we had about five kids accept the Lord as Savior.

This is the infamous electronics store where Ledi met Harriet. The Walusayis took us around town, and of course, we had to make a stop where it all began.

International Drive attractions.

It was a great week. We are praying now that the Lord would mightily use the Walusayis as they faithfully serve the Lord.

Providence Christian School High School Retreat

2008-09-13T20:20:00.007-05:00

Rebecca and I had the opportunity to assist Providence Christian School in their High School Retreat. I preached five times over the three days to about fifty students. God blessed, and it was great week.

Here are a few pictures and comments from the retreat:

We loaded up the busses and headed to the beautiful, "Camp Gilead" near Tampa, FL.

When not preaching, I spent a lot of time in the water. It was good to "mix & mingle" with the guys. Yes, that is a water trampoline in the background. However, that was not nearly as exiting as the speed boat. We went tubing on a 3-person inflatable raft. It was awesome. One particular driver was determined to make me fall off. He hadn't shaken me yet either day. He finally got a little lucky and swung us into the biggest wave we had seen all weekend. We hit that thing and went flying. All I remember is being about 15 feet off the water, and looking down to see the other two guys flying through the air. When the driver came back around he said that I had been spinning through the air like a helicopter. It was great until I hit the water. I'm still sore.

The Lord gave liberty in preaching. God broke through on Friday night. We had a good response, a prayer meeting, and many decisions made. On Saturday, the kids gave popcorn testimonies of what the Lord had done in their hearts. Praise the Lord for the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It was a great week.

Blessings in Jacksonville, FL

2008-09-13T19:07:00.002-05:00

Rebecca and I started our Florida tour by preaching in Jacksonville, Fl. The Lord worked beyond what I was expecting. Frankly, when you only have 35 minutes to preach, and some of that is spent in preliminaries and the BCM promo, there is not a whole lot of time left for preaching. The Lord gave liberty, however, and at the invitation, several responded. A couple of girls confessed some pretty deep sin issues that may have even involved some other kids in the school. I should not have doubted what God could do. It ended up being a great service with brokenness and confession. Praise the Lord!

By the way...Rebecca and I had a HUGE answer to prayer. While visiting my parents in Hilton Head Island, SC, I stopped by a member of my dad's church to see if he could fix the AC in my car. He took a look at it and said it would probably cost between $300-800 to do it right. I left his house praying for wisdom, and ultimately said, "Well, Lord, if you don't want us to have AC, we'll make do. But it sure would be nice before we go to Florida." Well, I got a call from that brother the next day. He had a "quick-fix" he said we could try, but no guarantees. He fixed the leak, and praise the Lord, it worked! So far so good, and boy is it a blessing to have AC in Florida!

Ministering in Florida

2008-09-09T09:09:00.002-05:00

We are embarking upon a trip that will take us from Jacksonville to Tampa to Orlando to Bradenton, and then Deltona. Please pray for saftey as we travel, and that God's hand would be upon us as we minister in Christian schools. The opportunity is great.

I will endeavor to post updates of what God is doing as we travel. Thank you for praying.

A Visit to the Newly Weds!

2008-08-20T14:15:00.004-05:00

We just spent the past few days with Matt and Chelsey in Woodridge, IL. We went to Chicago for some deep dish pizza. Earlier in the day, we had a picnic in the park. We definitely enjoyed our time with them. It's good to see them settled in to their new house. God has been very good to them in bringing them to Woodridge. The people are tremendous.

We leave from here to see Chris Sanderlin and Laura Frueh get hitched. After that, it's a visit to Mom and Dad Childers before we head south for some preaching engagements in Florida.

BCM Evangelistic Team Update #10 (August 10-15)

2008-08-20T14:14:00.000-05:00

God has allowed our pioneer summer tour to come to a close after having seen many victories and answers to prayer along the way. This past week in Beaver Dam, the Lord again mightily worked. We had a total of about 80-90 teenagers over the three nights of outreach with a high night of about 73. On the first night, it was again a harvest night with 15 teenagers accepting Christ. On the second night, like we've seen so many times now, it was a battle night. There were about 16 kids the walked off at different times throughout the night. Some left during the time inside, creating quite a distraction. Four Pentecostal girls were furious with me. They also disrupted the service. The tragic thing is that they caused an unsaved lesbian girl sitting next to them to be hardened to the Gospel. She left unconverted. Despite the many attacks of Satan, God did work in hearts, and four were saved. On the final night, our numbers were down a little, but we had the right chemistry there, which is what we had prayed for specifically. God again broke through, saving about six more. Praise the Lord for what He did in Beaver Dam. There is much more to be done. Pray that the work continues. We left Beaver Dam to go back down to Woodridge, IL for a one-day youth rally on Saturday. They called it the "Cola-Clash Rematch." We had some Cola-Clash veterans attend, as well as a few first timers. I preached a "dual-pronged" message aiming at salvation for those who were lost, and growth for those who had been saved. The Lord blessed with several decisions being made as well two who responded for salvation. God was good. I preached twice on Sunday for the adults. They were very responsive as well to the leading of the Lord. I know that God is working in the church. There was a new family in attendance that got saved through the ministry of the Cola-Clash. Albert got saved first at the Cola-Clash, then his sister, then his father. They were all baptized last week. That makes it all worth it. We are grateful to the Lord for His abundant blessings upon us this summer. He was truly faithful to provide for our every need, and answer our prayers. Thank you all for praying for us. To God be the Glory, great things He has done!

BCM Evangelistic Team Update #9 (August 3-8)

2008-08-20T14:12:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your prayers for this week here in Kettering, OH. We had a tremendous week. About 90 kids came over the 3 nights with a high night of 64. Of those that came, 77 were from "outside" the church. Dr. Shaw was very encouraged with the response. There were 30 decisions over the three nights, three of which were assurance. The first night was a harvest night. 20 teenagers stepped out at the invitation. It was incredible. The second night was a battle night. It rained despite the forecast being clear, and there were many other distractions. Several kids tried to leave at key points. God was still working in hearts, the difference was that instead of softening like the night before, they were hardening. One kid responded at the invitation to be saved, and another was saved in the parking lot. About 5 kids raised their hands, but would not respond. We prayed fervently for those five. God brought them back the next night, and to my knowledge, I believe they all got saved. Eight teenagers trusted Christ on the final night. It was a huge victory! God gave liberty. During my preaching on Friday night, there was a kid on the second row that was making huge verbal distractions. When I called him down, he openly mocked me. I responded, and he came right back with another comment. God gave boldness, and I squelched his mockery publicly. Interestingly enough, that kid responded at the invitation. I dealt with him personally because I was skeptical about his sincerity. I asked him what happened and he said, "I don't know, man, but somewhere toward the end, God got a hold of me." He humbly apologized for his rudeness, and accepted Christ as his Savior. Praise the Lord for the work He has begun. May God continue to bless that the fruit would remain.

BCM Evangelistic Team Updates #6-8 (July 13 - August 1)

2008-08-20T14:04:00.003-05:00

Thank you all for praying for our team the last three weeks. God definitely moved in the Menomonee Falls VBS/Cola-Clash. Praise the Lord for Cal's salvation! We were praying for him all week. His friends are still all unsaved. We are praying for them to trust Christ as Savior very soon. It was a great week.

After the week at Falls, we joined up with the FBC youth group for a missions trip to New Mexico. The first week we saw God do a purging work in our own young people in preparation for the next week of VBS and Bible clubs. God broke through in several of the hearts of our teens, and we saw an immediate difference in the following week. We had many kids trust Christ as Savior as well as an adult man and some teens. Praise the Lord for the liberty he gave in the preached Word. Many of the teens from the youth group really got a hold of God in prayer. God used them mightily as well.

Thank you for praying for us. Keep praying for this week in Kettering, OH. Dr. Shaw is very burdened that the Lord break through this week.

BCM Evangelistic Team Update #5 (July 6-11)

2008-08-20T14:02:00.002-05:00

We just finished a fantastic Cola-Clash at Heritage Baptist Church of Dewitt, MI. Pastor Smith was a great blessing to the team, and he helped us to grow in some areas as well with his wisdom and advice. Pastor Smith told us right off the bat that we needed a miracle this week, otherwise we would only have about 10 kids show up (that's the youth group size). We prayed fervently for God to work. They have a similar situation as we do in Menomonee Falls. We have Falls and Milwaukee. They have Dewitt and Lansing. The dynamics are the same. It is easy to get the Lansing kids from the "projects" to come, but the upper-class Dewitt kids are much tougher. We made it an urgent matter of prayer. The Lord blessed recruiting mightily. We were able to recruit outside at an open air concert (we kept our distance of course for testimony's sake), and we recruited hundreds of teenagers in downtown Dewitt at a "Movie in the Park." During this time we got scores of teenagers recruited as they came and went from the park. All-in-all, we recruited about 350 kids--most of them being from Dewitt. That was a HUGE breakthrough that Pastor Smith and the church had been longing to see. We began praying the God would help the Lansing crowd not overpower the Dewitt crowd. God answered prayer, and every night was evenly balanced. There were absolutely no crowd control issues, and our Dewitt crowd increased the second night. We registered 84 teenagers (not including the youth group), and had a high night of 69 outside kids. The Lord also gave us a harvest of 31 teenagers who accepted Christ over the three days. God was so good. There are many other testimonies I could share, but you'll have to get them from the team. It was a great week.

Praise the Lord, and thanks for praying!

Jonathan Barber
BCM Evangelistic Team

BCM Evangelistic Team Update #4 (June 26 - July 4)

2008-08-20T13:59:00.002-05:00

We just finished a week of the Cola-Clash in Carrollton, IL. This is the town where we conducted the Fizz Feud in the Carrollton Public Schools. We were very burdened about this week, because it was an opportunity to go back into a town where we had seen God so mightily work, and see the work continue. Our burden for the week was "fruit that would remain." All of our prayer times with Pastor Valentin centered around this theme. On Monday night, we were surprised to see the attendance significantly lower than what we were expecting. At the first Fizz Feud we had over 80 on the final night, but now, for the first night of the Cola-Clash our attendance was in the twenties. One kid accepted Christ, but we knew that there was MUCH more that the Lord wanted to do. The attendance was predominantly younger kids. This was OK, but we were burdened to reach a broader age group than what we had on that first night. We got desperate before the Lord in prayer all the next day. The Lord truly met with our team in the prayer times the next day. On Tuesday night, attendance was up, and the Lord moved in hearts in the invitation. About 14 kids responded, 11 of which made professions of faith. We were encouraged. On the final night, the attendance went up again--Praise the Lord! Two more were saved including a kid that had been holding out all week long. We had testimonies from some of the teens. One girl gave a testimony, and then buried her CD's in the mudpit after the service. It was great to see the Holy Spirit's conviction at work. On the whole, I believe that God did answer the prayers of pastor and our team for the week. Although we didn't see the huge numbers in attendance that we had previously seen (we registered 40 teenagers teenagers this time), we did have many discipleship opportunities. I believe that many of these kids will stick. It was a tremendous week in that regard. On Thursday morning, I invited kids to meet us for "Prayer in the Square" at the gazebo in the town square. Seven kids got up early and met us at 9:00am for a prayer time. God has definitely touched hearts. Pray that Pastor and his family are able to see some of the families of these kids get saved. A breakthrough like that could radically transform the church!

Jonathan Barber
BCM Evangelistic Team

BCM Evangelistic Team Update #3 (June 22-25)

2008-08-20T13:58:00.003-05:00

Things went well in Memphis. We did a family feud style of the Cola-Clash. This is the only kind of church split that is actually a good thing. The people in the church really got into the event. They bought t-shirts, cheered, and played the games with as much or more enthusiasm than the teens. Several visitors came out over the four nights. We did not have any adults saved, but several children did come to know the Lord. Pastor Sevilla preached to the adults, I took the teens, Jake and Rick took the juniors, and Rebecca and Rachel took the primaries. Everyone got an opportunity to preach or teach all week long.

Jake and Rick had an opportunity to go out soulwinning with a man from the church the night before the Cola-Clash began. During their brief time out, the Lord allowed them to lead a mother, teenage daughter, and two children to the Lord. It was great to see the Lord work right off the bat.
Thank you for your prayers. The church was very motivated to invite friends and family out for the week. It was great to see the spirit of the church when we left. I believe they were encouraged.

Jonathan Barber
BCM Evangelistic Team

BCM Evangelistic Team Update #2 (June 15-20)

2008-08-20T13:55:00.003-05:00

The Lord has been so good to us this week in Divernon, IL. We have been thoroughly overwhelmed by what God has done here. When the Pastor and I set up this meeting, he was burdened to have us conduct the VBS in Chatham (about 15 minutes north) where they are moving their church. Chatham is booming and God has led the church to move to this area in order the meet the increasing needs of the area. The church is meeting in the community building accross from the town square in Chatham. We all knew that doing a VBS in an area where we had no base would be very challenging (there is only one elementary aged child in the church). The church canvassed before we got there, and we canvassed every day upon our arrival. God abundantly blessed the faith of this pastor and congregation.

On Sunday night, Father's Day, we had 12 children in attendance. This was incredible considering the circumstances. On Monday we went up to 18, and Tuesday we hit the 20 mark. Our high day ended up at 26 with a total of 31 registered for the week! Praise the Lord! I hate to admit it, but I wasn't expecting 30 under the circumstances. The Lord answers prayer. About half of the kids that came got saved. I don't have the exact amount, but it was a tremendous response for the week.

On Friday night, we had a closing program. The Lord again blessed by bringing out several parents. They heard the Gospel, and I trust that the Lord will water the seed. Many of the parents expressed interest in the new church. After the service, Jake Allen found some skateboarders in the street, and began to witness to them. About a half hour later, 3 of the 4 accepted Christ as Savior. It was truly a great night.

Thanks for praying!

Jonathan Barber
BCM Evangelistic Team

BCM Evangelistic Team Update #1 (June 1-13)

2008-08-20T13:38:00.004-05:00

God has been so good to us these past couple of weeks. Training week was busy and hectic, but the Lord pulled us through. We arrived in Woodridge, IL for our first week of VBS and Cola-Clash. We averaged about 65 kids during the daytime, and had about 10 decisions over the entire week. We were not able to help the church in canvassing, but they did a good job in getting the word out. A lot of the kids that came were either church kids, or kids from other churches. We wish that more lost kids had come, but praise the Lord for those who did come and get saved.
The highlight of the week was definitely the Cola-Clash. The people here were used to having only about 12 teens show up for the NBT teen outreach. The Lord blessed abundantly and we had 51 teenagers show up over the three nights with a high night of about 45. This was a HUGE blessing to the church folks. It was great fun to just watch the church people in shock. Praise the Lord! The youth group of 4 kids were really impacted by this as well. Pray for a boy named Kyle, and a girl named Melanie. They are praying about BCM. God gave us a great harvest of souls as well. Over the three nights, we had 27 professions of faith. On the final night, we had a testimony time. Kyle and Melanie gave testimonies as well as a couple of other kids who had gotten saved during the week. It was great to hear them express in their own words what the Lord had done for them. We truly had a wonderful week with multiple answers to prayer (you'll have to ask the team members for individual accounts of what God did).

Jonathan Barber
BCM Evangelistic Team