James Hamilton
5210 Boone Road
Bryant, Arkansas 72022
(H) 501-778-5708
(C) 501-303-0465
Report James Hamilton, Benton, Arkansas
April & May 2008
I am grateful for your support, which is truly fellowship in the work of the Lord; and it represents the confidence the elders have in me as a faithful worker and teacher of God’s word. I feel honored to be supported by such a fine congregation as Trenton. My current support is:
Benton, AR Highway 5 ($1400)
Conway, AR Prince St. ($500)
Little Rock, AR Fairview Park ($500)
Bellflower, CA Rose Ave. ($520)
Perry, FL Spring Warrior ($400)
TRENTON, FL ($400)
Nashville, TN Woodland Hills ($700)
TOTAL $4420
Thanks again, and may God bless you.
Your brother,
James
April/May 2008
PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS WORK IN BENTON, AR
The church is doing very well. I stay busy with home studies just about every evening of the week. Most of these studies are with the newer Christians which are growing rapidly as newborns do. Besides these, others in the church are doing their part in teaching the new members and seeking the lost.
I am sorry to report that Laura has made a decision not to obey the gospel after several weeks of study. Adam has broken up with her because of that, and he has brought someone else to church with him. Another of the young men is also good about bringing friends to church with him, too. My studies with Jeffrey have been put on hiatus because he is working two jobs now. Matt and Selena are making great progress. They have wonderful attitudes, and they talk about huge improvements in their marriage relationship and in their children’s behavior. My studies with John and Kelly are going well. Both Matt and John are waiting on the Lord’s Table and leading prayers in the assembly. Suzie’s sister recently came to the weekly home study I have with Suzie and Shannon. We hope she will attend more often.
Some of the other young people are starting to preach some, beginning while I was in Romania. We have three young men who are scheduled to preach again this summer after doing a great job filling in for me in March. Altogether, we have nine men who could do well delivering a lesson if necessary.
We have had several visitors from the community recently. A few have come from an institutional church in a neighboring town. That group has sold their building in town and relocated far away. Some of those members are too elderly to drive to their new location and are looking for somewhere closer. Other visitors are from a congregation farther out and have become regular in attendance, but they have not yet made a decision to be considered a part of the Highway 5 congregation.
With these local visitors, the new converts, and the improvement in attendance by some who were formerly unfaithful, our average attendance has gone from about forty to about sixty. We did hit an all-time high of 67 one Sunday morning. We have run out of parking space and need to add at least a couple of pews into the auditorium. We have already doubled the size of the nursery because of all the mothers with small children. Growth brings its own set of problems, but I am happy that these are the kind of problems that we have rather than a lack of growth or lack of spirituality.
Ellen is also teaching a ladies¢ Bible class about twice a month. It looks like interest is growing in this study. Lindsey has attended all but one of the classes as well as almost every service since the birth of her baby. She and her husband rarely attended before the birth of their baby.
We are excited about the growth we are experiencing. Thank you for the support that makes it possible for me to work with the Highway 5 church of Christ in Benton, AR. Please pray that the Lord will bless our growth. May the Lord bless your labors as He has blessed ours. God bless you for your generous support.
James Hamilton