Harvest Offering

I hope this letter finds you and your family doing well and that you have had an amazing summer making memories with your friends and family. It is hard to believe that summer 2023 is coming to a close. My prayer is that you found some time to rest and reflect on the many blessings God has bestowed on each one of us. Speaking of reflecting, we too, as your leadership, have been reflecting on the many answered prayers during our spring and summer seasons as a church body. This is a lengthy update, to say the least, but we have had prayers answered that have been a matter of prayer since the conception of Trinity Baptist Church. We wanted to share with you the blessings that we have received and experienced since the last update. Hold on, you are about to be blown away at the goodness of God. Because of you and your faithful giving to the body of Christ, we have been able to:  Hold our first annual “Seek Him” Conference where over 1,000 were in attendance and 15 souls accepted Christ as their Savior.  Our Youth Prayer Revival in February is what sparked and fueled the Seek Him Conference. To say we are proud of our youth would be a huge understatement. We had close to 1,800 to attend and we had 52 saved by the mighty hand of God, out of the pits of hell.  We had 51 attend ARISE in Sevierville, Tennessee in July. At ARISE there were five professions of faith, two surrendered to the call to preach and two were called into the mission field of Christian Counseling, and five rededicated their life to the Lord.  We were able to serve our community, as our Kingdom Builders Mission Team have built two ramps for those in need. Due to this service to our community, our church was recognized and received a thank you letter from Congressman, Ralph Norman.  We continue to serve our foreign mission in El Salvador with funds for fuel for the truck that was donated to them. This has been a huge help to get those less fortunate to the church services on a weekly basis.  The church offices have now been moved to their new location, have been fully furnished, and have already been put to much use through daily administration, counseling and multiple meetings.  We had a very successful summer camp. This was an endeavor to get the word out to our community that Trinity Baptist is here to serve our community. We cut the cost of camp to give our community affordable, safe, and a fun place to bring their children to where they could receive the word of God, love, and make new friends for years to come. Our summer camp staff was AMAZING. We served over 100 children this past summer and several of the families have already signed their little ones up for our Freedom Early Learning Center, serving ages 1-5.  Speaking of Freedom Early Learning Center, our pre-school will open Tuesday September 5. Help us spread the word and let your friends and family know we are here for them if they need education care this school year. We are beginning half day, 8-12, but praying we will be full day by January. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Lindsey Barber.  We have installed a new heating and air conditioning unit, which was much needed in the Family Life Center. Our former unit had been here for 25 years, we could no longer get parts for repairs, thus the new unit had to be purchased. One of the greatest ministries here at Trinity, is our Bible College, Trinity Bible Institute. The Bible College has grown by leaps and bounds this year, here are a few updates for TBI:  Total enrollment for the fall semester closed at 480 students.  TBI serves 10 states through onsite and online campuses.  TBI launched a new satellite campus: First Freewill Baptist Church of Hayesville, NC. They have already enrolled 43 students on campus and many others online.  One of Pastor Ricky’s life-long, heart’s desires was a Prison Ministry. Oh, how the Lord has blessed and answered prayers. TBI launched “Beyond Bars” Prison Education Program at the Kershaw Correctional Institution in Kershaw, SC. They will have weekly class instruction via video along with student homework booklets.  Beyond Bars completed a summer “Christian Growth” education course with 50 inmates participating. From this program 24 inmates were selected to start the TBI program in the fall.  Pastor Ricky, along with several other of our Pastoral Staff ministered (in person) to the men on Sunday, August 13 where 16 inmates gave their life to Christ. As always, our greatest of all blessings, through your faithful giving, is sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This year, so far:  98 souls have come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.  37 souls have followed Christ in believer’s baptism. We are so excited about what the Lord has planned for us throughout the remainder of the year. FAR Ladies Conference, “Be Still and Know”, is just around the corner, September 23. This will be a very special time together as our guest speakers and singers have been covered in prayer and invitations have been sent. Pray the Holy Spirit indwells our sanctuary and draws every lady that steps through that door, closer to Him, and deeper into His Holy Word. Lord willing, we will be hosting our first ever Christmas outreach for our community, “The Wonder of Christmas”. The event planning started back in January, and in just a few short months we will see the fruits of our labor. Please be in prayer as to where you could serve. We will need a lot of volunteers for this special event. Also, many of our members will be experiencing Israel for the first time in November. We are excited for all those that will be able to take part in this life-changing pilgrimage with our Pastor and Mrs. Robin. There will be a lot of celebrating as the end of the year approaches with our Thanksgiving Service and Christmas fellowships. Please mark your calendar as soon as the dates for these events are posted. As you can see, Trinity is busy about the Father’s business. This would never be possible if it were not for you and your giving. Every event, activity, etc…takes funds. Those funds come from those of you that give so faithfully. It is still true, one-third of the church body carries the entire financial load, the volunteer load, etc…We need each and every one of you. We need lost souls, Pastor’s vision, and the call of Christ to serve, to matter to each and every one of us. Jesus is coming, we don’t have long. Let us be found faithful. Our giving, as of August 18 th , is almost $50,000 below our budget. When we do not meet budget, something WILL and DOES go lacking. EVERY SINGLE MINISTRY matters, but more than that, EVERY SINGLE LOST SOUL matters. We all wish we could do ministry for free, but inflation hits the church too. For an example fellowships, the food we serve, prices have gone up a good 10-20%, stamps, office supplies, the power bill, everything has increased substantially. Will you please prayerfully consider giving a special gift. We would like to take up a special, sacrificial gift, Sunday, November 12 th , it will be our “Harvest Day Offering”. A sacrificial gift amount will be different for every single person but give up something that week to bring into the storehouse on Sunday, November 12, 2023. Skip Bojangles one morning for breakfast and give that amount, skip eating out one Friday night, bring that amount. Skip ordering pizza or coffee, bring that amount. The amount does not have to be large; it just needs to be a “sacrifice” for you. Remember the scripture, Genesis 30:30, For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming; and now when shall I provide for mine own house also? Little is much, when God is in it. Just pray, seek His will, and let’s stand back and watch what God does through the obedience of His people on this special “Harvest Day”. If you are not a faithful tither, you are missing the greatest blessing that words cannot even begin to describe. Who tithes and who does not tithe is kept totally private. However, I stand in awe of those that tithe when they “can’t afford to” and watch the faithfulness of God on their lives. I could share miracle after miracle of God’s faithfulness. The miracles are so “extreme” that you probably wouldn’t believe it, even if I did share. Are tithers favored over non-tithers, no, God loves us all the same, BUT, there are definitely blessings that your storehouse will not be able to contain when you give God His commanded portion, Malachi 3:10, Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” In other words, try Him, test Him, let Him prove his almighty faithfulness to you. You will never find him unfaithful, never. I appreciate you taking the time to read this update. I pray this will bless you reading it, as it has blessed me preparing it for you. What a spring and summer. To God be the glory, great things, He hath done. We, the Finance Team, love and appreciate you all and pray God’s mighty blessings on you and your family as we enter the holiday season. God bless you. Sincerely, Mr. Donnie Helms, Treasurer Trinity Baptist Church