Pastor's Blog

Coley Johnson’s dad remains in the hospital.  Keep praying!

Wanda Snow, mother-in-law of our daughter, Dana, passed from this life yesterday morning.  Pray for Herbie and his family as they walk through this valley.

Miss Vinnie’s great-grandson, Case, had surgery last Thursday and was discharged on Friday although they thought he would be in the hospital for three to five days.  Praise the Lord!  Continue to pray for Case and his parents.

Bill Kendrick’s brother continues to do well but he remains in the hospital.  Pray for Bill’s brother.

Edna sent me an update on Josh Miller in Arkansas.  He had a pretty tough day yesterday and continues to need our prayers.

Good day in our services yesterday.  Prayerfully consider helping Ronnie Calvert and family through a love offering this Sunday, 1/28.

The Inspirations will be with us this Thursday, 1/25, beginning at 7:00PM.  Love offering will be received.

The weather forecasters are still saying this is going to be a wet week for the Gulf Coast.

I pray that you will have a great Monday with Jesus.

Happy forty-eighth birthday to my nephew, Josh.  Wow, two years away from fifty years!  That means his uncle is getting old.  I hope that Josh will have a great day!

Daphne arrived home safe and sound last night.  I appreciate her spending the past nine days with her sister.  They are not the sharpest two knives in the drawer (ask Kim French) but I think it was good for them to be together.

Lisa leaves this morning heading to Guatemala to spend some time with Deidra and the girls.  Pray for traveling mercies.

Katelyn Johnson sent me a message last night to share that Coley’s dad remains in the hospital.  He continues to have physical issues so please pray.

Bill Kendrick messaged me to share that his brother is doing remarkably well.  He remains in the hospital.  Bill & Debbie are grateful for the prayer support given by the church family.  Keep praying.

Witney Edwards shared yesterday that the surgery for Kaydenz is scheduled for Wednesday, April 3, in the Orlando, FL area.  Pray for Kaydenz!

I do not have an update on Miss Vinnie’s great-grandson, Case, but do ask that you continue to pray for him.

I also do not have an update on Josh Miller in Arkansas.  Keep praying!

Basketball leagues today.  Pray for this ministry.

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow!

The Inspirations will be at Friendship this Thursday, 1/25, beginning at 7:00PM.  Everyone is invited!

The weather folks say this coming week is going to be a wet one.  Much warmer, but wet.  The good news is that there is not supposed to be rain tomorrow or the following Sunday.

I pray that you will have a great Saturday with Jesus.

“I believe in the Church and in loyalty to a local church. I am not in favour of that view of the invisible church that makes one invisible at church on Sunday morning.”  (Vance Havner)

Miss Vinnie called yesterday afternoon to say that her great grandson’s surgery was over with the exception of finishing a cast.  Keep praying for Case as he recovers from this procedure.

Witney Edwards contacted me to say that the surgeon agreed to wait until April 1 to do the surgery on Kaydenz.  The surgery will take place in Orlando.  Kaydenz will be on spring break the week of 4/1 so that is the reason for the wait.  Keep praying for Kaydenz in the meanwhile.

Edna sent word to me late yesterday afternoon saying that Josh Miller had made some improvement.  Keep praying!

Keep praying for Bill’s brother and for Jason Husband.

I am praying for a couple of other folks but those are private in nature.  Join me in prayer as God knows.

Basketball leagues tonight and tomorrow.  Pray for this ministry.

Our student ministry will have a fundraiser in the very near future as they will be selling chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate covered strawberries.  Details TBA.

Regular schedule on our campus this Sunday morning and evening. Refer to the quote at the beginning of this entry.

Daphne flies home from Guatemala today.  Lisa flies to Guatemala tomorrow. Pray for traveling mercies, please.

I pray that you will have a great Friday with Jesus.

Case Brewer, great-grandson of Miss Vinnie Brewer, is having surgery in a New Orleans hospital today.  Pray, pray, pray!  (Is there a sweeter great-grandmother in the world than Miss Vinnie?  I think not!)

Kaydenz Edwards sees the heart specialist this morning at 9:00AM.  Pray!

Katelyn Johnson shared in the service last night that Coley’s dad had been taken to the hospital.  Pray for him!

Josh Miller, David’s son, remains about the same.  He is in a Little Rock, AR hospital.  Keep praying!

Bill Kendrick’s brother is improving.  They have some decisions to make going forward but are thankful for his improved condition.  Keep praying.

Jason Husband is still waiting to hear from the doctor regarding the scheduling of his radiation treatments.  Continue to pray.

One of our church members recently had surgery and it went well.  Pray for them.  (I do not know if I have the liberty to share the name)

Joey Switzer’s dad, Bobby, continues to have problems breathing.  He is on oxygen 24/7. He is home.  Pray for Bobby & Shirley.

Our attendance was down last night, as expected, but we had a good service.  God is faithful!  I am thankful for those who attended.

Forty-four is the forecasted low for tonight followed by twenty-five, twenty-four and then thirty-five.  That will basically conclude our winter and we will start looking toward spring 2024.

Regular schedule on our campus this Sunday, 1/21.  Hope to be joined by many. “I believe in the Church and in loyalty to a local church. I am not in favour of that view of the invisible church that makes one invisible at church on Sunday morning.”  (Vance Havner)

I pray that you will have a great Thursday with Jesus.

No morning service today, 1/17, due to the much colder than normal for South Mobile County.  Please pass the word to anyone else you know who normally attends this service but may not read the blog.  NO morning service today, 1/17!

Normal schedule tonight beginning at 6:30PM.

Heard word from Evangelist David Miller of Arkansas last night that his son, Josh, is not doing well following a recent surgery.  David asks that we pray for Josh.  I appreciate Edna sending Bro. David’s message to me.  Pray for Josh Miller.

Heard from Witney Edwards yesterday.  Kaydenz will see the doctor tomorrow at 9:00AM.  If all goes as they were told earlier, the surgeon’s office will call on Friday to set up surgery for Kaydenz.  Pray for Kaydenz and her parents, – Devon & Witney.

Waiting on a call from the doctor regarding Jason’s radiation treatments.  The call will most likely come this week but that is not written in concrete.  Pray for Jason.

Keep praying for Bill Kendrick’s brother who remains in the hospital.

Gary Walton continues to work toward having knee surgery.  Pray for him to continue to be able to manage the pain until time for his surgery.  Pray for Rachel too!

Kaydenz Edwards will meet with the heart specialist tomorrow morning at 9:00AM.  Pray!

Joey Swtizer’s dad saw the doctor yesterday.  I do not have an update but do ask that you keep praying for Bobby & Shirley.

The forecast nighttime lows increase a bit tonight and considerably more tomorrow night then we are supposed to drop back into the lower twenties for Friday and Saturday nights.  After that, our winter is probably over as next week is forecast to be back to much more normal temps.  I would love to be wrong on this one as I do enjoy the colder temperatures.

The Inspirations will be our guests on Thursday, 1/25, beginning at 7:00PM.  Pray, attend, invite others to join you.

I pray that you will have a great Wednesday with Jesus.

On Saturday evening, 1/13, I entered a blog regarding a baker’s dozen in an effort to secure finances to provide one sponsorship for a teaching position at the Colegio JET school on GRACE Mountain in Guatemala.  The plan was simple – get thirteen folks to agree to give five hundred dollars each, over the course of 2024, which would provide the salary for one teaching position.  It was shared that if we could reach this goal by 1/31/24 then an anonymous donor would match it which meant two teaching positions would be sponsored for 2024.

Great news – at the time of this writing, we have twenty-five folks, who have joined the baker’s dozen. We need one more to join to provide two sponsorships for 2024.  Plus, the anonymous donor has already given their sixty-five hundred dollars which means three teaching positions have now been sponsored.  Praise the Lord!  He gives the increase!

The folks who have joined the baker’s dozen have come from three states, two denominations and at least eleven churches.  Young folks and senior adults.  Married couples and single folks.  Folks who are supporters of GRACE Ministries and folks who have not supported up to this point.  What a beautiful sight!

So, the vision has been increased.  We need to provide seven more sponsorships at sixty-five hundred dollars each which equates to forty-five thousand and five hundred dollars.  That could be seven folks saying “I will sponsor a teaching position,” ninety-one folks saying “I will join the baker’s dozen,” or a combination of both.  The belief is that we will have these funds in hand or pledged by January 31, 2024, meaning we have fifteen days to make this belief a reality.

You can commit to sponsoring a teaching position by yourself ($6,500) or to join the baker’s dozen ($500) by sending me an email at tcturrentine@gmail.com.  Individuals, churches, ministries, small groups, et cetera can take part in this worthwhile effort.

How do you give?  Online you can go to shininglightabroad.com, click on the “donate now” tab, under categories click on Colegio JET school and then enter the other information – name, address, credit card, et cetera.

Or, you can make a check payable to GRACE Ministries and mail it to P.O. Box 223 Grand Bay, AL 36541.

Guatemala Relief And Compassion Effort is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization.  Employer Identification Number: 83-1849064.

Please know that no donation is too big or too small.  Please refer to my 1/13 entry.

How can you help in addition to giving?  Please share this information with others in conversation, on social media platforms, et cetera.  Join me in trusting God to provide in a miraculous way!  He can!

Major announcement – because of the much colder than normal temperatures forecast for Grand Bay tomorrow  we will NOT have our 10:00AM service tomorrow, January 17, 2024!  I am depending on our thirteen readers help get this word out!  (Dr. Rex if you will cover Hartselle and Sommer please cover east Texas for me).  Just trying to give our more seasoned church members a break!  Those folks attend faithfully regardless and I appreciate each of them!

As it stands now, we will have a regular schedule for tomorrow night beginning at 6:30PM.  I do not see that changing.  I will be here, Lord willing, regardless.

Bill Kendrick’s brother was moved into another area of the hospital yesterday.  He is doing well all things considered.  Keep praying!  Bill & Debbie are two of the most faithful folks in keeping me up to date on any situation they are aware of regardless of who the persons are.  I appreciate them for doing this!

Joey Switzer’s father (Hilda Gunter’s brother) is not doing well physically.  He is at home but is definitely in need of our prayer support.  Pray for Bobby & Shirley!

Gary Walton is taking the necessary steps in order to have knee replacement surgery.  He has battled knee problems for a long time.  Gary is a tough individual with a high pain tolerance.  Join me in praying for Gary & Rachel!

Miss Dottie Clark in Guatemala is not feeling well physically.  Please pray with me for Miss Dottie.

I appreciate those who continue to pray for Deidra, Lizzi, Sydney and Audrey.  Thankful to Tom & Shari Compagner for being there with her.  Daphne too!

The service for Miss Jean Hatcher seemed to go well yesterday.  I am very appreciative for each person who helped with the ministering to the family.  Keep praying for the Jean Hatcher family.

Want coffee from Guatemala?  Daphne is there and can bring some home.  Send your requests to her at daphnehutto@gmail.com.  You can Venmo her if that works for you.  Orders must be placed tomorrow, 1/17, no later than 5:00PM.  Specify ground or beans.

All I can say is that those Iowans are tough!

I pray that you will have a great Tuesday with Jesus.

REMEMBER – NO 10:00AM SERVICE TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, 1/17/24!

The visitation with the Jean Hatcher family will take place today in our auditorium from noon until the 1:00PM service time.  Pray for the Hatcher family.

If you are helping with the food for the Jean Hatcher family then please have it in our preschool building no later than 12:30PM today.  Thank you to Clara Broadus, Judy Whitehurst and any others who are leading this ministry.  Thank you to each person who will cook or provide the food, drinks, et cetera.

Bill Kendrick’s brother suffered a heart attack and is in the hospital.  He was in CCU but I am not sure if that is still the case.  Pray for Bill’s brother.

We were blessed with another good day in our worship services yesterday.  What a joy to see young Laney Hyatt come forward for believer’s baptism after having received Jesus as her personal Savior a couple of weeks ago.  Amen!

What a joy to see Chris & Chelsea Staup bring baby Lexie to the altar and dedicate her to the Lord!  Chris shared great words about the “why” and Chelsea had already shared those with me in an email.  Amen!

It did my heart good when a couple of folks who were first time guests in our morning service yesterday shared that they had never been so well received in any church they had attended.  Friendship family, good job!

The Inspirations will be at Friendship on Thursday, 1/25, beginning at 7:00PM.  Pray, attend and invite others to join you.  A love offering will be received.

If the weather channel website is correct, we will see twenty-nine degrees in Grand Bay tonight followed by nineteen degrees tomorrow night.  For us, that is cold.  If you are a widow, senior adult, et cetera and need us to help you in getting ready for the colder temperatures then call the church office (251) 445 5412 and we will try to assist you.

I pray that you will have a great Monday with Jesus.

I have mentioned several times in recent blog entries of my looking for a baker’s dozen.  Obviously, a baker’s dozen is thirteen.  So, I am looking for thirteen what?  Or who?  Glad you asked.

The school, Colegio JET, on GRACE Mountain in Guatemala just began a new school year for the entire school, K – 11, on Monday, January 8.  The school year will end in October of 2024.  Presently, we have twenty-one administrators/teachers employed.  The annual average salary of those twenty-one folks is sixty-five hundred dollars.

At the time of this writing, 1/13, there are eleven of these folks who have been sponsored for this year by three individuals and three churches.  So, that leaves ten more who need to be sponsored.  These sponsorships are financially crucial to Colegio JET.  Yes, God has faithfully provided every cent needed since January 2020 when Colegio JET opened the doors.  God has used individuals and churches to help fund theses salaries.  As the school grows, so does the need for more teachers which in turn means the need for more sponsors.

At some point in December, I felt the Lord impress upon my heart “the baker’s dozen!”  Was not clear exactly when to propose it but then I felt settled on 1/13 with the thirteen being the important number.

So, I am looking for thirteen folks to join my wife, Lisa, and me being a part of this baker’s dozen which means you will commit to giving five hundred dollars in 2024 to sponsor a teaching position (not a specific person).  You can give a lump sum or divide it up however you need to according to your personal budget.  I simply ask that you not use even one cent that should go to the Lord through your local church.  This is to be above and beyond those tithes and offerings.  Also, this should be in addition to any other offerings you already give to GRACE Ministries or SLAM.

I need to hear from all who will join this opportunity to let me know via email no later than January 31 (thirteen backwards), 2024.

Here is the deal – if we reach our goal of a baker’s dozen by 1/31/24 then an anonymous donor will match it meaning two teaching positions will be filled.  That deadline is in concrete as far as the matching sponsorship is concerned.

Honestly, I would be thrilled beyond measure if we could receive all ten sponsorships by 1/31/24.  Is that possible?  Yes.  With God all things are possible.

I am asking all thirteen of our blog readers to make this a matter of prayer.  Is God speaking to your heart?  Will you be at least one (you can be more than one) of the baker’s dozen?  Will you spread the word to your church, Sunday School class, Bible study group, missions organization, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, et cetera?

Pastor, I cannot give five hundred dollars but I can give some.  Perfect!  Pastor, I can sponsor a teaching position by myself.  Perfect!  Pastor, our church, missions group, et cetera can sponsor a teaching position.  Perfect!  To quote the late Miss Kittie Camp, “many hands make light work!”

I am praying that the first email will come to me before midnight on 1/13/24!  Will that be you sending it?

Nellie Jean Hatcher, age 86, a resident of Grand Bay, AL, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Saturday, January 13, 2024. She was born on March 28, 1937, to her loving parents, Floyd Ernest and Virginia Williams Ledlow. She loved her four-legged canine companions and had many puppy dog friends over the years. She also loved fishing, as well as Duke Basketball, Alabama Crimson Tide Football and her main love, Little League Baseball. She was Owner of CJ’s Par 3 Golf Course for many years and worked and retired from the US Postal Service after over 30 years of faithful service. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great great-grandmother, who will be missed by all.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Charles Cleveland Hatcher; her parents, Floyd and Virginia Ledlow; her sister, Maggie Ruth McAdory; her brothers, Ernest Ledlow, Raymond Ledlow and Willie Mason Ledlow.

She is survived by her children, Shelia (Melvin) Harris, Chuck (Jamie) Hatcher, Stan (Becky) Hatcher, Steve Hatcher and Vicki (Leslie) Adams; grandchildren, Joseph “Jody” (Kelly) Harris, Jeanna Harris, Keri (Anthony) Watters, Neely (Veronica) Hatcher, Lindsey (TJ) Vice, Marcus (Rachel) Hatcher, Ross (Betty Clair) Hatcher, Ryan (Kayla) Hatcher, Reed (Sarah) Hatcher, Bethany Alcantra, Michael (Christian) Hatcher, Holly (Ayush) Parashar, Jason (Kelly) Adams, Jacob (Alice) Adams, and Kaitlyn (Jonathan) Crawley; sister in-law, Ruby Ledlow; many great grandchildren; great great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and other friends.

Services will be held on Monday, January 15, 2024, at Friendship Baptist Church in Grand Bay, AL at 1:00 p.m. A Visitation will be held from 12 o’clock noon until service time. Interment will follow in Grand Bay Cemetery.