Mission Learning Center

2:37:41 PM EDT

{NOTE: Scroll down about four entries to read who the speakers will be at the       Lewisville (Texas) Sound Doctrine and Practice Workshop - 2008}

Loy Mitchell emailed me after the Missionary Retrat and Workshop was over with some ideas for the NEXT one. Me Too!! I am really looking ahead to the 'next one.'

What a great retreat it was. We are having fun, and enjoying fellowship - meals and otherwise - and ingesting the great words of the speakers..but, brethren, this has to be a little like the 'koinenia' of heaven, don't you think? Christians will surely be able to fellowship there and talk of things about God and any/all of His 'everlasting things.'

I wrote Loy back that I hope there are 'workshops' in Heaven, and the reason I do is because I want to have the love shown and compassion felt and courtesies extended and care provided for eachother that we all experienced at Maywood last week. Sylvia and I have decided we hope we can "pair off" in heaven and also "group off" to visit as we discuss eternal - those mysterious "aionian" - things.

My best thing was that I got to visit 'old timers', expecially Gordon and Jane Hogan, with whom we worked in Lahore, Pakistan, in the mid-sixties. In fact, Gordon and I shared a cabin with Gene Gibson; and the three of us had fun talking about just enjoyable things.

And let me correct something I said earlier...Gordon Hogan is WELL OVER 5 FEET HIGH. He quickly corrected a previous estimate I made of his stature; but, whatever,    I know him on the inside....and his passion, compassion, love, courage, drive, and desire to preach and evangelize and serve God, far exceed any 'two meter' mark of stature. He is one of my favorite guys!! He is my mentor and my teacher and my role model as a missionary.

Okay...let's take all those things we heard and discussed and learned at Maywood, live them this year, and plan for the next one in 2009. God be with you all, Don Petty

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11:39:28 PM EDT

On May 1- 3 in Hamilton, Alabama, at the Maywood Christian Camp, an estimated 100 missionaries and mission-positive people will meet to give/hear lectures on different aspects of missions and church growth and activities. This Missionary Workshop and Retreat will be the second year in a row that this group has met to discuss common problems and hear reports from the field and works of these missionaries, some giving a lifetime of effort to spread the Word of the Lord.

My topic this year will be "The Visualized Church in 2008...and Beyond." I will be talking about the church in America as well as visualizing a new church in the mission field. This talk was derived from some of the things we learned in our 2006 study on the Decline of the Church Membership. It will try to leverage that information into a practical 'working' church, which indeed the Lord may have envisioned when He said, "I will build my church." It is not a passive talk, because the Lord did not establish a passive, virtually 'out of sight' organization who did not work or teach or plant other churches. His word is too clear for us to believe that.

Others on the program will speak on their specialized interests and will include the following men: Don Norwood, James Jones, Gordon Hogan, Colin McKee, Randal Matheny, Claude Lewis, Loy Mitchell, Ken Wilkey, and Jeremy Barrier. Special classes for the young at heart taught by Jeremy and Joey Barrier.

You may get information on the workshop by emailing Wayne Barrier at the following

email address: wbarrier@hiwaay.net

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12:39:08 AM EST

What an emotional year for the church and mission work. One week after a group of about a dozen of us met in late January at the World Evangelism Building in Winona, Mississippi, to plan activities for establishing the World Evangelism School of Missions in Winona, our beloved brother, J.C.Choate made his last journey en route to eternity with the Father. His work goes on for World Evangelism at the Choate Publications work at the Winona-based headquarters for printing and mission work. This work will be continued by Betty Choate, the Louis Rushmores, and the Jerry Bates. God be with all these as they reach thousands with the printed page and campaign work.

The Teachers of Missions Workshop was held in Hurst, Texas, February 22,23, where the Christian Colleges and Universities had representative speakers assemble to discuss new methods of training missionaries and establishing churches. This year it was sponsored by Harding University and directed by Monte Cox, professor at Harding. In other years this effort is sponsored by David Lipscomb University and Abilene Christian Univesity. We always have breakout groups to get more into detail of understanding of the activities going on and beginning in missionary programs of our univesities.

Then on May 1- 3 in Hamilton, Alabama, at the Maywood Christian Camp, an estimated 100 missionaries and mission-positive people will meet to give/hear lectures on different aspects of missions and church growth and activities. This Missionary Workshop and Retreat will be the second year in a row that this group has met to discuss common problems and hear reports from the field and works of these missionaries, some giving a lifetime of effort to spread the Word of the Lord.

Then we will demonstrate a Mission Learning Center on China at the Global Mission Conference at the Arlington Convention Center, in Arlington, Texas, July 23 - 26, in a missions gathering of the churches of Christ to advance domestic and global outreach. For information call 817.267.2727.

The next exciting 2008 event in our work occurs on the weekend of August 8 - 10. It is  the Lewisville (Texas) Sound Doctrine and Practice Workshop - 2008, at the Lewisville Church of Christ. (Contact phone number is 972.323.2518. We will hear 9 of the top speakers in the brotherhood deliver timely lectures for these very days and times in church history. We will give another Mission Learning Center demonstration at noon on Saturday, August 9. This demo will be on Brazil, showing one of the mission points of the Lewisville Church. Display space may be reserved by calling the church number above. (see speakers and topics on previous journal entry on this blog and look for the advertisements in the Christian Journal, Gospel Advocate, and Christian Chronicle.

In early September, at the Saturn Road Church of Christ in Garland, Texas, there will be the annual North Texas Teachers Workshop. Reach the church by phone 972.271.2444

Here is an addition to the list of mission events sent to us on Feb. 28. I am sending you an attachment announcing the French World Missions Workshop, Sept 19-21, 2008 in Castle Rock Colorado., God bless you, From Yann Opsitch, opsitch@bible.acu.edu

You might plan to attend as many of these events as possible, and gain all the nourishment they have to offer. All of it promises excitement and information about the challenge and charge to the church.

God be with you, Don Petty

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4:28:02 PM EST

Following are the Topics and Speakers for the Lewisville Sound Doctrine and Practice Workshop - 2008, which will be will be held at the Lewisville Church of Christ in Lewisville, Texas, August 8 - 10, 2008 Friday night through Sunday Worship Service ending at noon. The Entire Brotherhood is Invited.

LEWISVILLE SOUND DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE WORKSHOP - 2008

                       Topics and Speakers

"Submitting to the Absolute Authority of God" ("No other Gods") - Jeff Jenkins

"Committing It ALL to God and His Word"

              (Halfway living the Christian life will not count in Judgment) - Ralph Gilmore

"A Time to Play: A Time to Produce"

                ("Don't play marbles with diamonds") - Dennis Jones

"Seriously Learning and Teaching the Scriptures of God"

               (Learning by the Old Test; Living by the New Test.) - Ed Wharton

"Brazil 'Simulation' in Mission Learning Center"

                (Raising mission-positive children in the local congregation) - LCoC Team

"Loving (Again) the Souls of the Lost"

                ("Go into the byways and bring them in") - Eddie Cloer

"Being Active in the Mission of the Kingdom of God"

             (There is a place in the Kingdom for everyone) - Harold Taylor

"Living Under the Oversight of the Shepherds of God"

                ("They watch for our souls; Honor working inthe word") - Howard Norton

"Making Him Known to All Nations"

                 (Jesus said 'do it', and that does not leave us the choice) - Willie Franklin

"Actively Preparing to Meet God in Judgment"

                 ("When did we give you drink, water, clothes?") - Gordon Hogan

            

Lewisville Church of Christ

901 College Parkway

Lewisville, Texas, 75077-2900.

 

August 8, 9, 10, 2008

 

You may contact the church at these numbers:

Email: office@chofchrist-lewisville.org

Phone: 972-353-2568

 

PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD OF THIS WORKSHOP BY FORWARDING THIS INFORMATION TO ALL THE CHURCH MEMBERS ON YOUR EMAIL LISTS. THANKS.

 

 

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10:00:24 AM EST

PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD OF THIS WORKSHOP BY FORWARDING THIS INFORMATION TO ALL THE CHURCH MEMBERS ON YOUR EMAIL LISTS. THANKS.

A New Type of workshop will be held at the Lewisville (Texas) Church of Christ August 8, 9, 10, 2008. It is being called Sound Doctrine (and Practice) Workshop because it is addressing the 'sound doctrine' of Christ in the New Testament, and it is being called (Sound Doctrine and) Practice Workshop because it will address the practice of the church in the New Testament; thus, we will call it the Sound Doctrine and Practice Workshop - 2008. The invitation to attend is extended to the entire brotherhood. The dates we have chosen places the workshop right between the Global Mission Conference in Arlington, Texas, and the North Texas Teachers Workshop at Saturn Road Church of Christ in Garland, Texas.

It is designed for the entire membership - worship, study, missions, evangelism, personal work, serving in the leadership, ministering, visiting, helping others in the church and outside of the church. Speakers and topics with the 'program' will be announced as all details are completed.

During the weekend workshop, there will be 9 topics with 9 seasoned speakers, there will be exhibits of many brotherhood works, singing of original music written by Lewisville members, a meal at Saturday noon, and a workshop on the Mission Learning Center showing how it is done and demonstrating the method with an actual class of children in a 'simulated culture.'

The Lewisville Church of Christ was established 10 years ago and began with 200 'charter members.' That number, 10 years later, stands at near 800 members. This is being accomplished by practicing the sound doctrine being preached and taught by men adhering closely to God's word and members living as Christians. This congregation is experiencing growth at a time when the overall membership of the church in the U.S. is declining. There are reasons for that. The workshop may help you learn some of these reasons.

All members of the Lord's body are invited and encouraged to come to the workshop. It is being overseen by the elders of Lewisville, who invite all members across the country to come and hear some excellent speakers express 3rd millennium views of the church established in the first century. Don Petty 

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9:07:12 PM EDT

Mission Learning Center (MLC) interest has gained momentum over the years and workshops have been scheduled where Sylvia and I and the Webb Chapel MLC workers are working together to make the workshops more informative by including an actual "simulation" at the next two workshops. First, in Garland, Texas, at the Saturn Road Church of Christ we do a 1 1/2 hour workshop and demonstration with actual students in an MLC 'simulation of Chile.' That will be Saturday September 8. Contact Saturn Road Church (Wayne McReynolds) for details on the entire workshop.

Then, Lord willing and the creeks 'go down' in Arlington, Texas, at the Global Mission Conference next summer (2008) we will do the same type workshop, this time doing the actual simulation on China. The discussion part will be about 1 1/2 hours with the real demonstration with children studying about the culture of China and getting their Christ-centered bible lesson at the conference. Joyce Hardin at MRN has the details on this agenda and curriculum.

More is going on than the MLC workshops. It is great to note that the eldership at the Lewisville Church of Christ in Lewisville, Texas, have given approval and encouragement for an MLC to be established in the congregation there where we will teach children three years old to 8th grade to be mission-positive as a part of their bible and christian education by the members of Lewisville. We have been members at Lewisville since December 31, 2006.

In May of this year we discussed a study we made with the help of many of you in the brotherhood, on the Decline in Membership of the Church of Christ and what some Solutions would be. I actually spoke an hour on the subject to about 75 mission-minded people at the Maywood Christian Camp in Hamilton, Alabama. From that presentation we were invited to discuss the work to increase our membership at Winona, Mississippi, at the World Evangelism offices. J.C. and Betty Choate and Wayne and Janet Barrier are moving that work forward and adding help to expand and further reach the lost with, not only the printed page in books and articles and magazines and papers, but now are planning a World Evangelism School of Missions.

A planning session was held there in Winona with about 25 mission-minded people discussing the school and the ways to increase our membership here in the U.S. and abroad. Curriculum and students, ideas and operation were all under the careful and watchful eyes ofthe leaders there, the Choates and the Barriers. But I believe many good ideas were generated to help that work move forward.

Then, from all this flurry of study and brain-storming and idea-generating discussions, we approached the elders at Lewisville again and they approved a workshop next year (in 2008) to address reaching the lost and working as strong christians to do the work as set forth in the New Testament. This will encompass both missions and serving the local community with service and teaching. This is a workshop that everyone in the brotherhood will be invited to attend. It will address some of our passivity in the church and some of the things we must do to regain our momentum as New Testament christians. We have many things, topics, and speakers already in the agenda and program. We are hoping to offer something for all members...evangelists, personal workers, missionaries and good members who work to help the cause of Christ, like bringing in the stranger, clothing the naked, giving food to the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, visiting the sick, and visiting the prisoner. Sound familiar? How about reading it in Matthew 25: 34 - 40. Those are some pretty critical "commands" by Jesus.

Okay, Christian People, let's shake any passivity or defeatism and get back in the game. We have sat on the bench long enough...we are players, not spectators in this battle. Let's give it what we have. God bless you as we work to glorify Him, Don Petty

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12:03:09 AM EDT

It was an honor for me to present the Decline Study in a 45 minute presentation for 87 attendees at the Missionary Retreat at the Maywood Christian Camp in Hamilton, Alabama, May 10 - 12, 2007. My talk was one of about a dozen by speakers, seasoned missionaries, who were excited about being there telling their stories of the works they had done. The words of wisdom from these men enthused us all, and made us want to get back to our congregations and tell them what we had experienced.

The J.C.Choates and the Wayne Barriers organized and carried out the work of keeping the lectures running 'really close to schedule.' The food prepared for us during the lectures was second to none! The fellowship was unbelievably rich and rewarding to those of us who thirst for talk of missions and evangelism. The stories of conversions never grow old. The Lord and the angels of Heaven must surely delight when we teach one and he comes to Him. Then certainly He enjoys our telling others of these wonderful times and of the ones won over from Satan.

The Decline Study has been made over 2006 and early 2007. The talk was a presentation of others ideas..in fact, some 60 others. I am available to present the talk in one LONG lecture or in a series of four 30 minute talks. The shorter talk gives me longer to develop the very significant points needed to present the things well which we all learned from the study. If I can show you the "Reasons for the Decline (in our numbers of the church), the "Solutions", and "Implementation of the Solutions", I would be happy to do so.

Contact me at this phone number in Dallas, Texas. 972 - 243 - 2585 or email me at the exact address (capitol letters) <   DOSYL56@aol.com  >. God be glorified in all we do.

Thank you, Don Petty

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6:12:09 PM EDT

The Wayne Barriers and J.C. Choates are heading up a Missions Retreat in Hamilton, Alabama, May 10 - 12, 2007. Speakers will include Glover Shipp, Gordon Hogan, John Reese, Loy Mitchell, Ken Wilkey, Colin McKee, and others who have served in foreign fields. It will be held at the Maywood Christian Camp in Hamilton.

It is my privilege to discuss at the retreat the study done in 2006 regarding the "Decline of the Membership of the Church of Christ." Our membership loss from 2003 to 2006 averaged 10 members per day! I pray that disturbs you as it does me.

We will talk about what some 60 of our members wrote me in about 708 inputs regarding the "Reasons for the Decline," "Solutions to the Decline," and "Implementing Solutions to the Decline." As you can imagine, one main cause of our decline is simply that 'WE ARE NOT EVANGELIZING AS WE SHOULD!'

You may get information regarding the Missions Retreat from Wayne Barrier ( wbarrier@hiwaay.net ) or J.C.Choate ( choate@worldevangelism.org ). This represents the first retreat of this nature. Pray that it is a successful effort for the glory of God.  Don Petty

PS Please see the journal entry just before this one to see how you may get your study of the decline in three separate papers. DP

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5:02:29 PM EST

While spreading the MLC concept of teaching the church's children to grow up "mission-positve" is our primary work, we have enjoyed other projects in the year of 2006 to further outreach, evangelism, bible knowledge, and church growth in general.

You are invited to participate in some parts of that work, namely, in receiving, reading, and using four papers that have been put together since February. These four papers are the result of a "Decline Study" made from surveying some 400 evangelistic church members, and asking them why the church of Christ lost an average of 10 members per day from 2003 to 2006.

These papers may be obtained by emailing me, Don Petty at DOSYL56@aol.com and asking for me to email any one or all of them. The papers are:

"Reasons for the Decline" (in church membership) completed in the Spring of 2006.

"Solutions to the Decline" completed in the Summer of 2006.

"Implementing the Solutions" completed in the Fall of 2006.

"A One-Study Journey Through the Bible to Salvation" completed this winter (2006).

Again, any one or all of these papers may be received by email FREE from Don Petty. Simply request them as follows.."REASONS," "SOLUTIONS," "IMPLEMENTING," or "ONE-STUDY." There are no obligations in any way...no charge, nothing to buy, nothing else to do. Just request, read, use and pass them on or put them to use.

The intent simply is (1) glorify God, (2) reach the lost, (3) give tools to stop the decline of the church membership, (4) turn the growth curve of the church around - down to up.

May God bless all our efforts to save souls. In His Great and Holy Name, Don Petty

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7:34:24 PM EST

For several years I have been the 'webmaster' of the website of the Mission Learning Center of Webb Chapel Church of Christ in Farmers Branch, Texas. That changed today.

The MLC website server removed my name and screen name from the site of the MLC this afternoon (Nov. 27, 2006). Someone else at Webb Chapel will be maintaining the page now, and at this time we are not sure who it will be.

The MLC has a write up on the Webb Chapel Church of Christ page; however, does not contain pictures or news or stories about the MLC as does the website. Nonetheless, in this interim period (until someone new begins to maintain the site) the church can be contacted via the website on the home page of the MLC Website.

I personally will continue to write this blog and announce things I learn about on this site. It has been a good run, and the MLC will continue to function at the Webb Chapel church under the directorship of Lisa White, leading a team of teachers and workers who are well qualified to teach and work in the MLC to train children (age 3 to high school) to be mission-positive. Pray for the team.

Write me with any questions or comments you care to about any aspect of the MLC.

In Him, Don Petty 

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