I’m away in Warm Springs, Virginia, on a study/planning retreat. One of the areas I’ve been studying is the book of Revelation. It is an enormously encouraging book, revealing a hopeful, eternal perspective that has historically sustained the church during times of adversity. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to study Revelation in depth early next year.
Liz and I are staying in a house with several units that a family kindly makes available to pastors for retreats at a very nominal cost. It’s a peaceful and beautiful area, and also has the benefit of being mid-way between Roanoke and Franklin. This affords Liz and I the opportunity to spend time with these churches on consecutive Sundays. But when I’m away I always miss being with you, especially as we gather on Sundays. May God richly bless you as you encounter Him this week!
With care,
Gene
Written by Remie Verougstraete
During my first few weeks as a summer intern at Kingsway, I was welcomed to the office with all the kindness and care that you would expect from your church staff, by having my desk pranked and half of my lunch stolen. After being assured that this was a sign of affection, I was able to settle in and Matthew got me started on my summer reading list, which was heavy on theologically rich christian classics like Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”
My work varies from week to week, but pretty regularly includes making progress on my book list, studying different issues in scripture and asking lots of questions, whether it’s to a pastor about church doctrine, or to a receptionist about how the phones work. As an intern, I’m not given total responsibility over any specific “sphere” of the church, but rather I get to come alongside and play a support role in different ministries that go on over the summer. For example, I was given the job of helping to administrate a portion of the worship team banquet earlier this summer, and I’ve been able to participate in a weekly study of the book, “Just Do Something” with Matthew and some dudes from the church. I also spent time developing and conducting a “good neighbor” survey for the neighborhood behind our building, which gave me a chance to interact with folks and see what they think about “the church down the street.”
Overall, this internship has been a humbling taste of how God’s power and grace make service for Him an experience of rich blessing and encouragement to our own souls. I thank God for His kindness and for this church. Thanks for your support, and God bless you all.
Dear KingsWay
What a joy it was to be together on Sunday as Tiffany and I and the team were sent out to Fredericksburg. 
Joyful. And tearful. We will miss you so much. We’ve made so many wonderful friends, experienced so much care from you, and had such a meaningful time of equipping that leaving really is bittersweet. As Gene reminded us on Sunday, mission has a cost.
But it’s also a privilege! Thanks for your joy in releasing us, equipping us, and sending us to this new area. We go as a part of you. Somehow, through your efforts and care for us, Jesus will reach the lost. The God of history has chosen to use your labors to reach people in Fredericksburg! I trust you feel the sense of awe that he allows us to participate in his plan. What a gracious God we serve!
With gratitude for these past months and anticipation for the future,
Ken & Tiffany
PS We are only an hour up the road! (Yes, that’s a hint!!!)
Please pray for us this coming Monday through Wednesday as we attend Sovereign Grace Ministries’ Pastors Conference. Each of KingsWay’s pastors will be traveling with our spouse to Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD where the three day conference will be held.
The theme of the conference is “The Pastor’s Priorities”. We will be ministered to during main sessions and seminars, as well as fellowship and reunions with friends and fellow pastors. If you want to learn more about the conference you can visit Sovereign Grace’s site. Pray that God would help each of us to receive exactly what God desires to speak to us for both our personal growth and edification, as well as for the building and strengthening of KingsWay.
In addition to the regular conference schedule Gene and Liz will be traveling up a day early to meet with the Sovereign Grace leadership team and staying a day later to have some extended time with the other senior pastors in our region. Please pray that these meeting would be fruitful and encouraging to each pastor and wife in attendance as well.
Our prayer for this time is that we will come home better equipped to serve the church that we love!
This post was written by: Sandy Wilda
It was a joy having Carolyn McCulley join all the women of KingsWay for the Radical Womanhood Conference last weekend! Carolyn is the author of Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World.
Throughout the weekend, Carolyn presented a historical overview of feminism as it relates to the Church and to biblical truth. She wove in her own personal journey from feminism to faith and offered practical encouragement to women making the same journey.
This workshop equipped the ladies in understanding how to graciously and effectively apply the gospel to the prevailing worldview in our culture. Knowing the history of feminism and its absorption into our culture is helpful for realizing how radical it is to living today according to God’s Word!
But the weekend was not “all work and no play”! The ladies enjoyed a “Construct Your Own Dessert” following the meeting on Friday night, and they kicked off Saturday morning with a pancake breakfast! Delilah - AKA Prize Girl - joined the ladies at different points throughout the weekend, spreading joy through her gift of giving! All in all, it was a memorable weekend.
Carolyn’s messages are now available online
Friday Evening: Men Are Not the Problem
Saturday Morning Part 1: Home Sweet Home
Saturday Morning Part 2: The Mommy Wars
NEXT is a conference this May 23-26 in Baltimore with a passion for transferring the gospel to the next generation. Like New Attitude before it, NEXT’s primary goal is to connect attendees with Jesus Christ Himself, as well as His work on their behalf.
Where NEXT diverges a bit from New Attitude’s game plan is in who is being encouraged to attend. NEXT is not limited to a particular age group or marital status but open to all who desire to know Jesus better and share Him with others, whether you are 18, 35, or 60.
Get lots more info about NEXT, including conference rates and registration, at thisisnext.org.
KingsWay has a limited block of rooms near the convention center that will be available only till the end of this month. The cost is $440 per room for the 3 nights of the conference (for up to 4 people depending on the room chosen). The Baltimore Marriott also has a $24/day parking fee that the NEXT staff is trying to get waived/reduced but no guarantees on that! If you are interested in purchasing a room (by yourself or with a couple friends), contact Riette at the church office before March 29th for more information.
The new children’s ministry wing is completed. The cross is standing tall outside the front of the building. The kitchen has doubled in size. The seminar room has expanded to hold 50% more people. Storage space has more than doubled. The parking is scheduled to be paved next month. Well, I guess we are not quite finished but we are 95% there.
Expanded foyer Children’s Ministry Wing
God has been so good in providing all that we need, when we needed it. Every classroom is being used, the seminar room already has events scheduled in it, and the various ministry teams and events are filling up our extra storage space. The reason God has given us a building is to fill it and use it and as I look at all that is happening we are being faithful to do just that.
Expanded Kitchen Expanded Kitchen View 2
God’s provision through your faithful giving has provided for the initial cost for this expansion. When we first sought God on whether we should move forward on this project we were overwhelmed by the finances that came in and the pledges that this church made. We continue to trust in the provision of our father to take care of the rest as we now look to paying off the loan and seeking God for further needs that we have!
Expanded Seminar Room
Check out this video by John Piper, where he addresses the believer’s response to the current economic downturn. It has a very similar feel to our current “Adopted!” message series, and I trust will be an encouragement to your soul!
One of CNN’s lead stories today was “Heading to Church for Money Advice“, an article about a growing number of churches offering Financial Peace University and other money management courses and workshops.
Curious about how they covered the news? Click the CNN logo for the story.
Curious about the affect the Financial Peace course is having here? Ask someone in your community group what they are learning and seeking to apply. Want to share your own experience? Let us know how God is using it in your life or marriage!
OK, so a cross in the yard doesn’t make us any more of a church than we have been for the last 20 years without one, (after all the church is people, a body, a family - not a building or a meeting), but hopefully it will serve to identify our peculiar building as a church’s building more readily and help partially answer the question, “So exactly what kind of church are you?” to those driving onto our property.
