May 29, 2009

Well, for some people one was enough, and for others
there could never be enough. I’m talking about the crawfish, of
course. In spite of the rain, I think a great time was had by all
two weekends ago at our Strawberry Festival and Crawfish Boil.
Thanks for letting me share in all your tasty desserts, and for
letting me bring a bit of LA culture up north. They grow those
mudbugs pretty big down in the bayou, don’t they?
It was wonderful to spend time this past weekend with Jeff
Wilkins, our new RUF Campus Minister at Tennessee Tech. He
and his family should be moving to Cookeville sometime in June,
so if you didn’t get a chance to introduce yourself to them, look
for an opportunity after they arrive. They are eager to get in-
volved in the life of our church. It has been almost a year since
we have had a campus minister at Tech, and I for one am look-
ing forward to having another partner in ministry in town; I’m
sure our college students can’t wait till the Wilkins get here
either! Be praying that Jeff will be able to raise the money he
needs for his ministry here. If you have never personally sup-
ported RUF at TTU, now would be a great time to start.
This past Sunday’s officer election was the culmination of a
long process, and it was good to see God’s will made known
through your votes in favor of electing Jason Morse, Michael
Savage, and Wes Stevens to the office of deacon. These men
look forward to serving the flock in an official capacity, and un-
doubtedly they covet your prayers as they embark upon their
duties. Pray that their duty would also be their great delight; that
they would be filled with a heart of discerning compassion; that
they would have their eyes and ears attuned to the needs of the
saints; that the Lord would enable them to
“admonish the unruly, encourage the faint-
hearted, help the weak, and be patient with
everyone” (I Thessalonians 5:14); and that
their example would be contagious.
On June 14, we will have their ordination
service as a part of the morning worship ser-
vice. Ordination is the authoritative admission
of one duly called to an office in the Church
of God, accompanied with prayer and the
laying on of hands (Book of Church Order 17-2);
it is not a magic charm, but an act of govern-
ment in which the one ordained is formally
and authoritatively set apart to the Lord’s
service. We learn about ordination in the
pages of the Old and New Testaments (see
Leviticus 8; I Samuel 16; Mark 3:13-19; Acts
6:6; I Timothy 4:14; etc.). At the ordination
service, vows will be taken by the candidates,
as well as by the congregation. You will be
asked this question: Do you, the members of
this church, acknowledge and receive these broth- ers as deacons, and do you promise to yield them all that honor, en-
couragement and obedience in the Lord to which their office, according
to the Word of God and the Constitution of this Church, entitles them?
Pray that God will give us His grace to keep our vows.
As you may have noticed over the last few months, commit-
tees are up and running. We currently have five active commit-
tees: a Missions Committee (chaired by Tommy Roberts), a Fel-
lowship Committee (chaired by Jeff Enochs), a Family Ministry
Committee (chaired by Robert Row), a Finance Committee
(chaired by Jamey Farris), and a Building Committee (chaired by
Phil Wilbourn). The Session has approved an organizational chart
so that these committees will relate efficiently and effectively to
one another and to the Session and Diaconate (see below). If you
have questions or suggestions about these areas of the life and
ministry of our church, these men are your point people. They are
each excited about their particular area of ministry, and desire to
involve God’s people as best they can. I pray that God will use
these committees to facilitate our church’s ministry according to
our purpose statement, and to enable the elders and deacons to
focus less on administrative tasks and more on the hearts and lives
of individuals and families. May God use our attempts to do all
things “properly and in an orderly manner” (I Cor. 14:40) to glo-
rify His name and build kingdom of Christ.
Caleb