I was speaking with Rick from HeBrews Coffee House the other day and he was telling me about a comment that was made in class a week ago that he really appreciated. Scott was giving the weekly announcements and mentioned that he was really excited to be a part of a church where world missions was a large focus. Scott mentioned that our church could build a lot of things and buy a lot of things to make our church more comfortable and provide more activities. CBT could build another building such as a Gymnasium, Banquet Hall, or a Family Life Center. Then he said, "But our priorities are in the right place. Our priority is in reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ."

You see, recently a team from Canton Baptist Temple flew to Tanzania to dedicate the Truth Center in the small village of Katesh. This is where two families from our church (The Burkholders and The Wolf's are serving as missionaries) and one more family (The Henderson's) are preparing to serve there. Maybe this is not such a big deal to most people, but wait . . . Last Christmas, our church family received a special Christmas Missions Offering as we do every year. But this particular year $75,000 of that offering was designated as seed money to build the Truth Center in the middle of Katesh, Tanzania. The goal was met, and other churches throughout the country donated an additional $75,000 for a total of $150,000! What did this do? This money was used to build the nicest facility in the small village of Katesh. It is known as the Truth Center, which houses Truth Baptist Church, as well as a playground, medical facility, kitchen facility, and other ammenities that we take for granted here in the United States.

The Truth Center is being used to reach people for the gospel of Jesus Christ. While our team was over finishing and dedicating the building, evangelistic services were held where 16 people recieved Jesus Christ as personal Saviour! Wow! What a miracle! It is amazing to be involved in a church with a vision to reach the lost around the world. Are we concerned about Stark County? You better believe we are! There are 260,000 unchurched people in our county and we want to reach them with the gospel too. This is the goal that we work toward every day.

By the way, we do plan to build an additional building in the future. Property has already been purchased, and we are praying that God would lead us in what He would have us to build. We are saving, planning, and praying for this purpose. That's what the Neheniah Fund is all about. Is it being built as fast as we want? No. But as Scott said, our church has souls around the world as it's first priority. God has blessed our church with so much in the way of land, building, vehicles, and other material assets that it is amazing to think about. Each year, God uses the people of CBT to give nearly $700,000.00 to Worldwide Missions. None of the money stays in Canton, Ohio, it is being used to reach souls through more than 170 missionaries around the world with 20 of them being sent directly from our church. God blesses a church that is missions minded. I am so thankful to be a small part of a church like that!

Thank you Rick and Scott for reminding me of this. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!