NEW LIFE OUTREACH TEAM VISITS PARKWOOD - APRIL 24th

Reaching out to the elderly citizens of our country has been one of the forgotten ministries. The word of God tells us to honor and respect those of our society who are senior and older for they are precious in the sight of God. Many old and respected Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, and elderly people are at times the forgotten of our world. In the Old Testament, Moses wrote numerous times concerning the laws of God and wrote the following concerning the elder saints:

Leviticus 19:32 (New International Version)
32 Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.

This was followed in the New Testament by teachings from Christ as well as the apostles. See the following scriptures written by both Peter and Paul below:

1 Peter 5:5 (King James Version)
5Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

1 Timothy 5 (King James Version)
1Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;

The members of New Life Church very much believe in the concept of honoring our senior citizens (see Brother Jacob left). From these wonderful saints of God come a wealth of experience, knowledge, and wisdom. As the ancient philosopher once said, “those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. I want to honor, respect, and learn as much as I can from these great warriors of the faith. We as a society do not want to have to repeat some of the hard lessons learned by those who have already been there.

It is such a pleasure to go to the Parkwood Facility in Snellville, Georgia once a month to bring joy, happiness, and the spirit of worship and praise to these people. It is good for them to be in the presence of the Lord at least once in awhile to revive their spirits. Under the direction of Ms. Cheryl Ward, many churches are allowed to bring a Christian service to the patients who want to participate. This past Saturday, the outreach team of New Life invaded Parkwood Homes armed with songs, testimonies, bright smiles, and the word of God. An audience of some forty people including the outreach team praised, worshipped, and prayed. The precious Glory of God descended for a brief moment giving the people much needed relief from the pressures of life. The following members of New Life were there to give their best for Christ: Susan Bruce, Brenda Garner, Mercer Cox, Chris Greenwood, Howard Hammond, Zach Hammond, and Scott Strawn. Jackie Self was in attendance with her father Bro. Wallace (pictured above).

The service started with prayer and a praise medley consisting of upbeat courses such as Praise Him, Bless that Wonderful Name, Jesus’ I’ll Never Forget, Coming Down, and It’s Bubbling. We heard testimonies by Susan Bruce and Brenda Garner and a great testimony by Chris Greenwood. Then Mercer Cox sang the old song “He touched Me” and Scott Strawn sang the Gaither tune “The Family of God”. Mercer and Scott sang their songs in a trio format with the help of the old gospel pioneer Bro. Wallace who grew up to be a great song leader in a West Tennessee church. Following the song service, Scott gave a message called “Remembering Joseph” bringing to light how we all have to remember that we are on a journey with Christ at the lead. We have to trust him to bring us through every trial and test and know that God will never leave us or forsake us. We ended the session with prayer for two in the congregation as Zach Hammond and Chris Greenwood went forward to lay hands on the sick. God moved in a mighty way. Thanks to all the team from New Life and to Christ for helping us have another great service and move of God! To God is the Glory!

In his service, Scott Strawn