 Tear This Wall Down!
Our church anniversary, Vacation Bible School in August, and our Ladies Conference in September convinced us we were ready for an expansion. These events were uncomfortably hot and crowded, while our Sunday nights were reaching 80 percent capacity. It was time to make a move; it was time to tear down some walls.
The leaders of our church put together a comprehensive plan for expansion that included knocking out some walls, adding another platform for the choir, moving the platform for the preaching, building a sound booth, adding a 60,000BTU capacity air-conditioner, adding more seats, hanging video projectors, adding a laptop, re-carpeting platforms, and other odds and ends. The budget was almost $6,000US. To the credit of our people, all of the money needed for expansion was in the general account of the church! God has richly blessed our people as they have given of their tithes and offerings in faithful stewardship to Him. In mid-September, the leadership team presented this to the church and it was unanimously passed in a secret vote, which, when the result was announced, sparked a joyous outburst and mini-song service in praise to God's goodness.
We are thankful that our church was able to pay for this expansion out of its own account and believe it is another important step in the "DNA" of the church becoming a significant church with the ability to impact a nation. Already, people are talking about the need to buy a piece of land and build our own building. Our cup is running over, our storehouses are full (well they were until we had to expand) and the walls have come tumbling down once again! To God be the glory!
Above: Juan, a member of the boys home, gets in on the action of taking out the walls. |
Ladies Conference:
A Spiritual Pedicure
It happened over a month ago, so why are we still talking about it? Because women in cities spread out over the Dominican are still talking about it!
The Ladies Conference was our church's 4th annual. This year, with the help of a committee of ladies from our church in San Pedro, we were able to hold Pre-registration. Our church receptionist had her hands full with phone calls, registration forms, and workshop descriptions. By Friday afternoon, before the conference, we had 109 women pre-registered. Total (according to kitchen reports) we had over 140 women at the conference!
Our workshops included health and medical topics, along with different crafts and ministry workshops. We also offered workshops on divorce recovery and the "Five Love Languages." Most importantly, the praise time and the general sessions were a time of renewal and encouragement, as this year's speaker, Ruth Hess from Cedarville University, offered us a "Spiritual Pedicure."
We are grateful to the ladies from Cedarville and Chesapeake, Va., who sacrificially gave their time and money in order to partner alongside our church for this special conference.
Above: The ladies quartet prepares the heart for Ruth Hess' stirring challenges. |
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Property Payoff Near $30,000 
On Thursday, September 20, Daystar Baptist Missions had its first silent auction to raise money for the payoff of the 46 acres of land. Praise the Lord that nearly $13,000 was raised, bringing the payoff to about $31,000.
Meanwhile, the concrete wall continues to go up around the property and site plans are being drawn up for the infrastructure and first few structures. We still must complete the wall before we can begin building. Each one foot section costs about $25. One property line is almost completely finished, but we must still lay the footer and block on the other three property lines.
Would you pray about coming and helping to build part of the wall? Would you consider donating to either the property payoff or the construction of the wall?
Perhaps you would just like to come and see things for yourself, see what God is really doing through this ministry and dream with us.
This vision is much bigger than any of us but as we depend on the Lord, we see His working in people's hearts and lives to join them to this significant vision. God is doing a special work at a special time. We would love to share with you the many ways you could get involved and make a significant impact. Email us at team.dr@dbmi.org |
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| You Don't Want to Miss Our Upcoming Constant Contact! |
| In our next Constant Contact, we will feature our church's upcoming missions trip to Peru. We are seeking to take 6-10 of our very best (discipled and faithfully serving), in order to enlarge our world vision as a church. For the most part, this is unheard of in Dominican churches. "It's the Americans who do missions and plant churches," or so the thinking has been for the last 50 years. Well, we think differently as a church. In the next edition, you'll learn about the group going and hear some touching testimonies of our people stepping out in faith to save money for this trip, why this is a vital step in the DNA of a significant church and how you can partner with us in this SIGNIFICANT investment in our people. What a privelege it will be to see our best go to a foreign culture and catch a greater glimpse of the harvest field. In the meantime, if you simply cannot wait for the details (and we hope some of you cannot), please email us to get the scoop! |
| Thank you |
| Again, we want to thank you for your prayers and support. We serve some of the greatest people in the world. It is so exciting to share life and ministry with them and see them begin to embrace God's vision for this country and world, through the local church! Thank you for being a part and dreaming with us! |
| Contact Information |
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team.dr@dbmi.org
Team Dominican Republic is made up of: Gary and Allison Hale, Doug and Paula Hodges, Chad and Wendy Justice, Miguel and Noemi Mercedes, Priscilla Boley, Bethany Melrose and Randy Smith, plus you and a growing church of Dominicans who love the Lord and are serving Him in their city! |
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Greetings!
