April 13 at Toxaway Baptist

Liz and I had a great time with the people of Toxaway Baptist church (Westminster, S.C.) this past weekend. I met their pastor, Chris Connally, at a "BAD DOG" meeting this past February. I should explain that "BADDOG" means "Brothers always discussing doctrines of grace," referring to three pastors who meet together regularly for fellowship and encouragement.

Liz and I found that the Westminster area is beautiful. When we arrived, we found an attractive building with a beautiful group of brothers and sisters. In the photo below, the smaller, detached, white building behind the sanctuary is the original building which was built in the latter half of the 1800s.

In spite of a slight delay because of a road detour not noted on Map Quest, Liz and I arrived only a few minutes before SS began. Liz gave her testimony in the SS right before I told the church about our mission. The people were very attentive and asked good questions following the presentation. Chris also allowed me to preach in the morning and evening services. In the AM service I preached from Matthew 11:28ff on the essence of the gospel. That night I preached on how Christians should carry out their evangelistic mission in a hostile culture in light of the letter to Titus. I found that this group of believers was easy to preach to because they desired to hear what God says.

The people at Toxaway treated us like royalty. They were friendly and welcoming to us. Chris and his family took us out to eat for lunch and then allowed us to stay in the church's fellowship hall. He and his wife had stocked the hall with snacks and drinks and told us to make ourselves at home. We are very grateful for their hospitality and thank God for the generosity of his people. Below is a photo of Liz talking with a new found friend. Liz and the ladies really hit it off. (I liked the men as well!) The last photo is of Brother Chris and his family. Again, Liz and I extend a big thank you to the Connallys and the people of Toxaway Baptist Church.