The Hamilton Church has been conducting a ShareHIM series called Truth for Today; Hope for Tomorrow, and it has been a great success. So far, there have been four baptisms and one rebaptism during the series. Larry Belknap, pastor, along with Judy Fowler and Rob Liss, have shared the speaking responsibilities.
Many others have been helping as well with greeting, audiovisual and children's ministries. Each night before the meetings, team members have met for an hour to spend some time in unhurried prayer. The church members have been enormously supportive, and over 20 visitors have attended. Attendance for the series has been nearly 50 each night with a record attendance of 81 people on Sabbath morning, April 12. The meetings concluded on April 19, and the team was looking forward to four more baptisms and two more rebaptisms that day.
In March, as a way to connect with the community before the ShareHIM series began, the church held a health seminar Foods for Thought, led by Marilyn Albertson, Vicki Greathouse and Elke West. Nearly 30 people attended each Monday evening for several weeks.
These events are just two of the things the Outreach Team, formed in September 2007, are doing to reach the community. In initial meetings with key church leaders, Belknap asked them, "What do you think God wants us to do?" From that question came the answer, "We need to get serious with God in our prayer time." New commitments to prayer and a weekly meeting resulted in a strong bond between team members and a new vision statement: "Following Jesus Together." The vision is based on a discipleship curriculum of following the Sanctuary model.The Sanctuary curriculum includes health seminars as well as special Sabbath School and small-group classes offering leadership training.
Another result of the meetings was a five-year evangelism plan for two reaping series each year—a lay-led ShareHIM meeting in the spring and a pastoral or professional evangelist-led series each fall. This fall Belknap will offer a series called Mysteries of the Ancients, and speaker Jac Colon is scheduled for the fall of 2009.
Rob Liss, one of the ShareHIM speakers, was rebaptized along with his daughter Taina and his sons Steven and Isaac.
Tyler Davis was baptized April 12 during the ShareHIM meetings held at the Hamilton Church.
