This Sunday we are going to begin a five-week break from Mark to study the exciting Book of Nehemiah. We will then resume our study of Mark, finishing chapter 10 before the holidays. After that, we will have some special Thanksgiving and Christmas messages, and then we will pick back up with Mark 11 in January, finishing the series on Easter Sunday!

That’s the road map. But right now I want to share with you my special passion for this new series. As you know, I often enjoy doing an Old Testament series in the Fall. It is the time on the calendar when we are looking forward to our celebration of Christ’s coming, and the Old Testament helps us prepare our hearts to celebrate his coming.

This Fall, we will do that and more. Nehemiah will serve as a wonderful help as we ask God to renew our hearts during the second phase of our capital campaign for our building renovations and additions.

Three years ago, in the Fall of 2013, we had the first part of this campaign. We called it By His Grace, For His Glory. Many of you made pledges and have been faithful to give toward our Building Fund over the course of the past three years. This Fall, those of us who have been giving will have the opportunity to step out in faith and trust God to enable us to continue to give. We also have many new members that have come to our church since that time, and this will be an opportunity for them to jump on board and be a part of this Kingdom project.

God has been so good to our church! Look around at our new facilities…He has done more than all we could ask or imagine, and He will provide what we need as we continue to pay for it.

We are calling this second phase of our campaign By His Grace, For His Glory, To The Nations. This new part emphasizes the reason we renovated and expanded our facilities – so that as more missions-loving disciples are reached here in our community, the Name of Jesus might be more glorified among the nations!

We begin this week with Nehemiah 1:1-11. Read and pray over this chapter. It is so powerful. Why is Nehemiah so burdened? How does God turn his burden into a vision? What important elements of prayer do you see in Nehemiah’s prayer? Do you see how God put Nehemiah in just the right place at just the right time? How does God want to renew your own heart?

See you this Sunday!

Dr. Thurman Hayes, Jr.