Sunday August 31st we were back at Faith Baptist Church in Portage. Faith is pastored by Jonathan Robertson. We provided special music for the service and Carole assisted on the keyboard. I taught Sunday School and preached for the AM and afternoon services. Following the morning service we had a wonderful time of fellowship at a pot luck dinner.

Pastor Robertson has completed his 13-week Army chaplaincy training for the Wisconsin National Guard at Fort Jackson, Columbia, SC, and will be returning to his pulpit for the September 7th services. Lt. Robertson will be serving the local National Guard unit in Portage in addition to carrying on his pastoral duties at Faith Baptist Church. There is a serious need for military chaplains at this time for both active duty and guard units. The New Testament Association of Independent Baptist Churches (a national fellowship of churches) is the sending agency for Chaplain Robertson, making this ministry possible for fundamental Baptists in the military.

We should pray for safety for our troops in harms way in various fields of battle around the world. At the same time we should uphold Christians in the military, as well as godly chaplains who are faithfully ministering to those troops. They should daily be in our prayers.

Sunday August 24th we were visiting at Mountain View Baptist Church in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Pastor Mike Harrigan is the pastor of this ministry. The work was started just over six years ago by Brother Harrigan and is seeking to reach their community with the gospel. Our son Paul is currently working with the music program at Mt. View.

During the service on Sunday Pastor dedicated our son Paul and his wife Pauletta and their daughter Grace Marilyn to the Lord. Grace was born April 30, 2008. Immediately following the service the pastor baptized a young man in a steel tank in the alley behind the building.

Mountain View Baptist attendance is running in the 40s with a number of couples from the retirement community and some new families with children attending. Pastor Harrigan is working a full time job in addition to pastoring this work. Pray for a number of key requests for this baby church:
* A permanent and larger church facility
* Growth through adding committed families
* Full time support for Pastor Harrigan

Daniel and Bruce Schwalbe

An ordination council was held on Saturday August 16th at Westside Baptist Church in Janesville where Bob Logan is the pastor. The candidate was Daniel Schwalbe who is a missionary headed to India where his parents Bruce and Ruth Schwalbe have served for many years. A number of area pastors attended the questioning session and Brother Schwalbe did an excellent job of presenting his testimony and doctrine. The executive council voted unanimously to recommend ordindation to the Westside Baptist Church.

On Sunday evening August 17th the church held an ordination service for Brother Schwalbe. Special music for the service was provided by the candidate's mother, Ruth, and by Deacon Dennis O'morrow. I preached the charge to the church from Colosians 4:2-4 with a charge to faithfully uphold Daniel and Hannah in prayer as they head to the mission field. The candidate's father preached the charge to the candidate from II Timothy with a number of key challenges from that pastoral epistle. Following the charges the deacons and myself and the candidate's father laid our hands on him with Pastor Logan giving the ordination prayer. The evening concluded with a lunch in the church fellowship hall.

The Daniel Schwalbes will be going to India for six months and returning to raise support for future ministry in that country. Pray for God to give them an "open door of utterance" in that land.

Sunday, August 17th we were ministering at our newest church planting mission work at Northport Baptist Church in Racine. Pastor Caleb Schumacher is the pastor of this year old ministry. Carole provided assistance on the keyboard and we sang a special number for the service. I presented our ministry via power point and preached for the morning service. We rejoiced in seeing a full auditorium for the service.

Northport was started September 23, 2007 by Southport Baptist Church in Kenosha, pastored by Jon Jamison. Pastor Schumacher is the son-in-law to Pastor Jamison and has been working hard to see this new ministry progress in the Racine area. The Lord has blessed with a number of families from Racine who are faithfully attending and several have joined this new local church.

Pray for this local church that God would give them an open door of ministry to their community with the addition of families for this work. Brother Schumacher is teaching fulltime during the school year which limits his opportunties for ministry. We are trusting God for His wisdom and direction for the future growth and full establishment of this local church.

The first Sunday of August we were at Faith Baptist Church in Portage for their services. Pastor Jonathan Robertson is the pastor of this local ministry in Portage. Carole provided music for the services and a special number during the morning service. I taught Sunday School and presented my power point program during the morning service, as well as preaching for that service. This is a return visit for me as I pastored in Portage at Bible Baptist Church in the 1980s. It was good to see a number of families that I pastored previously.

Following the morning service the church family went to the Sunset Park in Portage for a noon picnic. We enjoyed a delicious dinner with grilled hamburgers and all the fixings. While at the park the children had a planned activity time and all participated in a time of singing, and I brought a brief challenge from the Word of God.

Pastor Robertson is currently taking his basic training for the chaplaincy in the Army National Guard in South Carolina at this time. He will be completing that training in September and returning to his ministry in Portage. There he will be able to serve the local national guard unit with chaplain services. Pray for him during the coming weeks and for his future chaplain ministry in Portage.

July 27th we were at Holmen Baptist Church for their Sunday services. Pastor Keith Habegger is the pastor of this growing church in Holmen. Carole and I provided special music during the service. I preached for both Morning and Afternoon services, as well as presenting our ministry through power point in the afternoon service.

Last year Holmen Baptist Church completed a major addition to their building providing additional auditorium space and offices, plus increasing the size of their fellowship hall. The Habeggers were taking some time off from the ministry to get away for a short time. It was a blessing to see the addition and also see the auditorium filled for the morning service. Praise the Lord for a growing church just north of the LaCrosse area.

Sunday July 20th we were ministering at West Salem Baptist Church in West Salem. Pastor Rick Sella is the pastor of this church just east of the LaCrosse area. During Sunday School I presented our ministry and taught a Bible lesson. I preached in the Morning and Evening services and we had a good crowd present for the services.

Pastor Sella and his family were taking some much needed vacation from the ministry. They have done an excellent work in West Salem with major remodeling of the church building including putting a basement under it in the past few years. Remember to continue praying for Pastor Sella's granddaughter, Emma Joy, who is in Children's Hospital in Milwaukee with a serious congenital heart problem. We thank God for this faithful pastor and local ministry as they carry out the work of Christ in West Salem, Wisconsin.

Sunday July 13th was the pastoral installation service for the new pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Kaukauna. The new pastor Mark Cline was installed to replace leaving pastor, Rob Spurgeon. I was able to combine a scheduled WFBC presentation meeting with this special service. I taught Sunday School, preached in the morning service and participated in the afternoon installation service. Carole provided music on the keyboard and we both shared special music.

For the installation service Head Deacon, Mark Mitchell officiated. Assistant Pastor Brett Shafer gave the charge to the church and I presented a charge to the new pastor. Following the service their was a reception for those attending.

Pastor Mark Cline and his wife Dianna come from a church ministry in New Jersey to Wisconsin. Two of their son are students at Northland and their oldest son is on the staff there. Also they have a son still at home. We welcome them to Wisconsin and to the Wisconsin Fellowship of Baptist Churches.

Sunday June 22nd we were ministering at Faith Baptist Church in Beloit. Pastor Dan Stertz is the pastor of this local ministry. Carole assisted with the music for the services and we provided special music as well. During the Sunday School hour I shared the ministry of the WFBC through our power point program and taught a Bible lesson. I also preached during both AM and PM services. Also during the afternoon we participated in a nursing home service with Brother Ron Hodges.

The Stertz family attended their son's wedding in the state of Washington the previous weekend and were spending some time of vacation before returning to Wisconsin. We enjoyed dinner and fellowship with the Fiedler family in the afternoon. Following the evening service we had a time of lunch and fellowship with the Hodges before returning home.

Following Pastors' Family Camp on Wednesday June 11th we stayed in the area to speak at First Baptist Church of Waupaca for the Midweek Service. Pastor Larry Gross is the pastor of this growing ministry. During the Midweek Service I shared the ministry of the WFBC through our power point presentation as well as giving a Bible lesson. The following morning we had breakfast and a time to share with the seniors of First Baptist at a local restaurant. This seniors ministry is led by former WFBC director, Dr. Leon Leeds. We enjoyed a great time of fellowship with the members of this historic church.

First Baptist Church is one of the founding member churches of the WFBC back in 1950. In fact the meeting that envisioned the fellowship and laid out its essential framework was held at First Baptist in January of 1950. Eighteen Fundamental Baptists met for two days and formed the Conservative Baptist Churches of Wisconsin. Later in 1969 due to problems within the Conservative Baptist movement, the fellowship dropped all ties with that group and changed their name to the Wisconsin Fellowship of Baptist Churches.