A Wonderful Week in the Lord

First Ladies Payton and Staples

Pastors Payton, Staples, Owens

It has truly been a blessed week for me. I started the week off running revival for the Canaan Baptist Church in Elkhart, Indiana where Dr. Theodis Hadley serves as pastor. The people of Cannan were receptive and responsive to the preaching of the gospel and I came away with another throat remedy for my continuing throat problems, papaya juice, it worked wonders, completely hoarse Wednesday, back swinging, Thursday night.

On Good Friday, I had the honor of being selected to preach with 6 other ministers for our Good Friday Services put on by our IMA here in South Bend where Rev. Keith D. Witherspoon serves as president. As a testimony to his successful leadership, this was the best attended service of this kind here in South Bend by People, Pastors and Preachers. I am sure we will need a larger location next year.

I felt I was placed in a horrible position, last on the rotation (COMING RIGHT BEHIND WITHERSPOON), but who am I to complain especially considering the President, more specifically my brother Rev. Witherspoon has done more for me than I deserve, so whatever the President wants me to do, I will do. In addition, I am new to this town and everyone has to pay your dues so all in all, it was an honor to be selected. All we talked about was "I Put it all In His Hands" Lk 23:46. The Lord saved us from Death, God be praised.

On Friday Evening, The Macedonia Family had a launch service for my brother and son of the Macedonia Family, Pastor Eugene C. Staples, Sr and family. We were honored to have Rev. Anthony Payton from the Come As You Are Community Church of Ft. Wayne, Indiana preaching for this service.

This service was a blessing indeed. We were blessed to show Macedonia that ministers are more than just people that are to be collected around you as a display of your own greatness but they should be trained, taught and then transitioned into their next assignments. Pastor Payton used the occasion and the holiday season and taught on Jn. 19:30 where he shared about CLOSURE. God be praised for the great time we had.

Pray for us as tomorrow our church will have its first sunrise service in almost 20 years, (Pray they don't vote me out after its over). We will run Sunrise service, breakfast served by the men, our children's Easter program, 10:00am service with our adult fine arts department in charge.

If the Lord says the same at 7am, we will talk about "The Emmaus Encounter", Luke 24: 13-35, The disciples:

Saw the Word Walking Toward Them

Heard the Word Delivered Unto them

Felt the Power of the Word Changing them

If the Lord also says the same at the 10:00am service we will preach on the subject, IT'S TOO HEAVY FOR ME, SO GOD MOVED IT, out of Mark 16: 1-4. Still working out the outline for that even as I type this although I have an idea, also must finish the sub points for the other sermon, so as always work to do. I pray that everyone has a great Resurrection Sunday to the glory of God.

Keep Running,

Owens