by Wayne Guinn
It was exciting to be in Texas in January with our church planting school. Let me share a perspective from one of our speakers, John Arnold, of Library Baptist Church in Finleyville, PA.
This year’s church planter’s school was held in conjunction with the Texas BBF pastors’ fellowship meeting. The Texas fellowship was a good venue. It was an exciting and well-attended gathering, which added another dimension to the church planter’s school.
In route to the NCPO school I had the privilege to speak in Don Ledbetter’s church in Georgetown, TX, and Mike (Moose) Marcellus’s church in south Austin. This was my first time to speak at Moose’s church. It is a “preacher factory.” Young men are continually surrendering to ministry. Texas is so blessed with many fine pastors and churches. I look forward to meeting the new church planters each year as they are so hungry to assimilate the information and inspiration the speakers provide. To see their faith is a blessing.
David Douthitt, a soon-to-be-married 24 year old, was the planter I was most familiar with. His pastor, Bryan Kelly, of Uniontown, PA, was offered a building by a church that had dissolved. Pastor Kelly stepped out by faith and took on the project by placing one of his young preacher boys, David Douthitt, as pastor of the newly formed New Life Baptist Church.
David and I were sitting together at the Tuesday evening session of the fellowship meeting and as the speaker asked us to turn in our Bibles, I saw the cover on David’s worn out Bible fall to the floor, and that is where it stayed for the rest of the meeting as David used the rest of his Bible to turn from reference to reference. At the end of the message he asked, “Can we pray together?” I said, “Sure.” And we headed to the Riverwalk.
We talked about his new church and the place that prayer could play in his ministry. He was especially excited to see all the other church planters his age. I was touched as I saw this young pastor pray unashamedly for God’s direction and his blessing on the other church planters.
The first NCPO school was held in 2005 and I have had the privilege to participate in each one of them. We are going to be working closely with David as he works in the most needy field of Dunbar, PA. I find it ironic that this is a small town in which my father spent some of his growing-up years.
I’m cherishing the site of David’s worn-out Bible. I think it is a good sign of a life guided by God’s Word. It bodes well for his future ministry.
John Arnold