Update | The Overflow

Feb 21 2010

Update

Tampa Bay Area Men’s Retreat This Week

Airiel and I still have a few days of vacation left, and we’re packing up to leave for Tampa in the morning. We’re spending a couple of days visiting family, then on Wednesday my dad is flying in from Arkansas. While Airiel and the kids hang out with my in-laws who nearly all live in that area (letting their other grandmamas and grandpapas spoil them), he and I will be teaching at the Bay Area Church of Christ Men’s Retreat Thursday-Sunday, and I’m pumped!

I love teaching people who are serious about applying the Word (the brothers at Bay Area most certainly are), and also love teaching alongside my dad. We haven’t co-taught anything for a while, but we have great chemistry when speaking together and love spending time with one another in general. I have no doubt I’ll leave this retreat fired up, and no doubt many others will join me.

Here are the topics we’re dealing with:

Reals Sins & Real Struggles
Real Evangelism & the Real Gospel
How Does the Gospel Intersect With Everyday Life?
Taking God & the Gospel of Grace Seriously

Focused breakout groups will be utilized after each lesson allowing the men to really dig in to what we’re teaching, and we’re praying this time is transformative.

I’m planning to take my digital recorder with me, and I’ll throw these lesson recordings on the web when I get home for anyone interested in listening.

I’m worn out right now – we just had a house full of college students hit the road after a great Bible study on the cross here.

Bedtime … Tampa, see you tomorrow!

Tagged Bay Area Church of Christ, bay area men's retreat, Jim Woodell, Wes Woodell

Jan 25 2010

7 Comments

Baptism, Campus Ministry, Evangelism, Missional Living, Outreach, San Francisco Ministry Plant, Update

April’s baptism – college ministry plant in San Francisco going well :)

Remember Sonia – the girl who had a car wreck in front of our church building only to end up becoming a Christian (read all about that here)? Well, she introduced us to a friend – meet April:

April came with Sonia to the college group’s Bible class yesterday morning at Lake Merced where she expressed interest in being baptized.

“Do you guys do baptisms here?”

“Well, as a matter of fact we do.”

Airiel and I had everyone over to our house for lunch after church services as we do every week, and April hung out and studied the Bible with us for a couple of hours. In the end, she decided to commit her life to following Jesus.

April is an eighteen year old single mom with a beautiful little boy who enjoys playing with Naomi and Conrad. We had a great time with them yesterday, and look forward to more in the future.

Wes with April right after her baptism.

In the three years leading up to our move to SF, Airiel and I prayed almost every night for the Lord to send people to us here whose hearts were prepared to receive Him, and He’s answering that prayer affirmatively. April’s is the sixth baptism we’ve had in our college ministry in the last little bit, and we’re anticipating more. Praise God!

All of these new people have plugged into the college ministry and larger church body sticking with us with the exception of one. We’re retaining just about everyone, building community, and continuing to disciple them.

The college ministry plant in San Francisco is bearing fruit, and it’s all God! 🙂

Tagged Baptism, Campus Ministry, college ministry, Lake Merced Church of Christ

Jan 14 2010

3 Comments

Baptism, San Francisco Ministry Plant, Update

Another Baptism Last Night – Congrats to Genny

Excited for Genny – another member of the Lake Merced Church of Christ college group baptized into Christ on January 13, 2010. 🙂

After the baptism our group went out to eat at a local restaurant where a waitress carrying a drink tray spilled nearly the entire thing on Jodie, and a few minutes later a waiter spilled a bowl of salsa on Nathaniel. What are the odds?!?

So in addition to Genny’s baptism at the church, we had two more baptisms at the restaurant. I guess you could say we had three baptisms last night, and two of them were hilarious. Ha!

Anyway, we’re all very excited about Genny. Congrats again! Hers is the fifth baptism we’ve had in the college ministry since late June.

Tagged lake merced church, Lake Merced Church of Christ