CSHC-Albany Weekend Report

Our folks, August 25, 2008

We had another good weekend, in spite of getting drenched from Tropical Storm Fay as she passed south of Albany. We had 7+ inches of rain on Saturday and were under a flash flood watch at one point. The rain came down in sheets and seriously impacted our attendance on Saturday night.

We had a wedding shower for Brian and Mindy at 5:00. We send out a special thank-you to Sis. Fay Hatcher, Sis. Nancy Collier, Sis. Kelli Miller and all of the others on their food team for the incredible decorations, cake, special table treatments and the amazing food. GREAT job, ladies!!

We held meeting at 7:00, as usual. We had internet issues so we weren't able to webcast our service - we're sorry.

We held a "Paul and Silas" meeting. (Does anyone know where that name came from?) This is when we pass out a couple of Bibles, then the preachers take the Bible with them when they leave the pulpit and pass it on to someone else, over and over until it's time to come to a close.

Our preachers were:

Sis. Chrissy Welch, Bro. Tom Lamberson, Sis. Kelly Roan, Bro. Jeff Collier, Sis. Pam Rodgers, Sis. Kelli Miller and Bro. Kevin Swift.

Sis. Diane Riggs testified and closed the meeting. Bro. Bob Reese Sr. gave a testimony at the end. We had 42 in attendance.

On Sunday morning the weather was some better - and the crowd was too. We had 60 in attendance.

Bro. Gary Collier preached. Sis. Melissa Davidson opened the service. We enjoyed testimonies from Sis. Marsha Miller and Bro. Marvin Davis before Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. closed the meeting. Bro. Johnny Mills, Bro. Bob Reese Sr., Sis. Mary Davis and Sis. LaWanna Welch all testified before we closed with prayer.

Announcements:

A) Continue to pray for Cayden Beasley, Sis. Marsha Reese, Betty Reynolds (Sis. Joanna Bunn's mother) and Emma Grace Brown.

B) We will continue our "WWJD" series on Wed. night at 7:30 p.m. Come out and enjoy!

Love,

Bro. Gary

Our folks, Aug. 18, 2008

We had a good weekend in Leesburg.

Sat. night, 8/16/08

Bro. Stan "the man from Hanahan" Jones opened the service and welcomed everyone. Sis. Ruth Camp preached on the 4th chapter of Revelation. We enjoyed testimonies from Bro. Brian Collier, Sis. Marsha Miller, Bro. Marvin Davis, Sis. LaWanna Welch, Bro. Doug Camp and Sis. Jamie Fulford before Sis. Kelli Miller made the altar call.

Bro. Gary Collier, Bro. Allen Davidson and Sis. Carolyn Mills gave short testimonies before we prayed around our altars together.

Bro. Brian Collier ran the meeting. We had 54 in attendance.

Sun. morning, 8/17/08

Sis. Chrissy Welch read from Colossians 3 and opened the service this morning. Sis. Becky Collier preached on commitment and separation from your old life. Bro. J.B. Beasley, Sis. Mildred Davidson, Bro. Kevin Swift, Bro. Bob Reese Sr. and Bro. Tom Collier all testified before Bro. Gary Collier closed and called altar call.

We had 70 in attendance.

Announcements:

A) We need to all pray for Bro. Pat Swift and for Bro. Richard Davis. Bro. Richard has a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and needs our prayers for his health.

B) There will be a wedding shower (our first-ever in CSHC Leesburg!) this next Saturday night for Bro. Brian and Sis. Mindy. It will start at 5:00 SHARP - arrive early so you won't miss it!

C) We will continue our study on "What would Jesus do?" in regard to specific things this Wed. night. It will start at 7:30.

Love,

Bro. Gary

Our folks, August 10, 2008

We had a fulfilling and spirit-filled weekend this past weekend. We had plateaued for several months before Camp Meeting in attendance. Since CM we are growing again and we are grateful to God for it.

On Sat. night we had 59 in attendance. Sis. Diane Riggs of Hanahan, S.C. preached, then Bro. Marvin Davis (who ran the meeting) opened the service for testimonies. Sis. Jennifer Miller was first and testified that she is "strongly sanctified!" Bro. Kenneth Foster, Bro. Brian Collier and Bro. Carl Foster followed Sis. Jennifer with good testimonies. Sis. Joyce Perry and Sis. Jerry Hartley testified after Bro. Gary Collier stepped out to close the service.

We held a special prayer around our altars for Emma Grace Brown and her family. It was so refreshing to see our pews empty and our aisles filled with our congregation coming down to fill the front between the altars and the first pews for this prayer. Sis. Pam Rodgers prayed, followed by Sis. Nancy Collier and Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. Many of us were wiping tears when this emotional prayer was finished. "Blessed be the tie that binds!"

Earlier on Saturday Bro. Mike Welch, Bro. Tommy Collier and Bro. Gary Collier canvassed the same trailer park where we had picked up children for our VBS in June. We visited another home as well where Kevin Reese (brother to Bobby Jr.) and his family lives.

On Sunday morning, 8/10/08, Bro. Mike Welch and Bro. Jamie Price took our church van around town and brought in 8 children to Sunday school! They ranged from age 5 to 12. Their excitement and energy took all of us to another level! I asked Mikayla, a 9 y/o girl, during lunch "What do you think of your new church?" Her eyes lit up and she said (with passion), "AWESOME!"

We had 75-80 out today. It was hard to get an exact count with so many bodies and children going and coming. Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. preached a great sermon on faith and learning to trust God for EVERYTHING in your life. Give it all to God, he said, and then let God work miracles in your life.

Sis. Barbara Miller opened the service for testimonies. She is excited about our "bus kids". Sis. Becky Collier and Bro. Johnny Mills both followed her by stepping to the pulpit at the same time! They stood there together, side by side - Bro. Johnny called it a "doubleheader." Sis. Becky testified first, then Bro. Johnny followed. Sis. Fay Hatcher testified next about how she and her sister Carolyn Mills were once "bus kids" like the ones we had out today, and how that simple beginning transformed their lives.

Sis. Nancy Collier gave an impassioned plea to our beautiful congregation. Bro. Pat Swift came down to pray to seek God's will for his life. He's been going through some things in his life and needs all of our prayers.

Thanks to everyone who filled their post this weekend... bus drivers, SS teachers, those who stood up in the meetings (Bro. J.B. Beasley stood up this morning for the first time and "loved it!", he told me later), song starters, sanctioners, those who sat with our new kids... the list goes on and on. If we all keep working God will keep growing this church for Himself.

Love,

Bro. Gary

Our folks, August 3, 2008

Man, it was good to be back home with "our folks" this weekend! It was great to be at Camp Meeting but it's also great to get back to our church with our people and continue to fulfill the purpose that God has for us in Leesburg.

We had 52 people out on Sat. night. Bro. Tommy Collier ran the meeting and got out first to greet everyone in the sanctuary and on the website. Sis. Janet Keldahl preached a good sermon on Abraham and his test from God when he was asked to offer Isaac, his son of promise, to God as a sacrifice. Bro. John Keldahl opened the service for testimonies - I love his enthusiasm! Bro. Marvin Davis was the first to get out to testify and he thanked God for being able to be back in CSHC Leesburg after a 3 week absence. We were thrilled to see Sis. Mary with him and doing so good in body and spirit. Thank you, Lord! Sis. Mildred Cox and Sis. Marsha Miller testified before Bro. Gary Collier gave the altar call and closed the service.

On Sunday morning we had 58 out. Bro. Jamie Price opened the service with a great testimony about seeking God now. "Are you ready?", he asked our entire congregation. Bro. Mike Welch preached a good sermon. Sis. Marsha Miller and Bro. Gary Collier testified before Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. gave a great, impassioned altar call. Bro. Chris Black, Bro. Allen Davidson, Sis. Carolyn Mills, Sis. Barbara Rogers and Sis. Ruth Camp all gave short testimonies. Sis. Melissa Black (Bro. Chris' wife) tearfully came to the altar and repented to God. She told us she'd been praying for forgiveness for a long time and she felt her burden of sin lifted - praise God! After we closed and ate lunch together we came back and held a second service where Sis. Melissa prayed for a long time, seeking the Holy Ghost. She looked and talked great when she finally rose from the altar. Pray for her and Bro. Chris that God will smooth out the way for them to move to Albany soon - their stated desire. They need a home congregation to raise Tyler, Brianna and Benjamin in and to grow in God themselves.

Bro. J.B. Beasley (who got sanctified on the last Sunday before Camp Meeting) gave a great, upbeat testimony in our service last Wed. night. He's a bright light for God already!

Announcements:

A) Please join our congregation in our "Journey through John" together. We signed a commitment to each other this weekend to start reading the book of St. John together, starting tomorrow (Mon., Aug. 4) at the rate of one chapter per day. There are 21 chapters so in 3 weeks time all who have commited (31 so far) will have read the entire book of John!

If you're reading this via e/mail or on our website and wish to join with us, please e/mail me and I'll add your name to our list! We want you to feel a part of our congregation, regardless of where you live.

B) The young folks will have an overnight "lock-in" this coming Fri. night in the Fellowship Hall, starting at 8:00 p.m. Send your young people and enjoy the night off!

C) We'll talk about the highlights of the first 3 chapters of St. John on Wed. night in our "Bible study/questions/answers" session. It begins at 7:30 p.m.

Love,

Bro. Gary

Our folks, July 7, 2008

We enjoyed good fellowship and services together this past weekend. Sis. Fay Hatcher's food team was in rotation and did an excellent job with both meals (as do all of our teams). We had company out in both services, which is always great.

On Sat. night we had 41 in attendance. Bro. Mike Welch opened the service, welcomed everyone and set the stage for the rest of the meeting. Bro. Stan Jones from Charleston preached for us and gave his beautiful testimony. Sis. Carmen Fennell had a friend out, David and Sis. Chrissy Welch's brother Bobby was there. Wes Furlong, married to Bonnie Bradley (niece of Sis. Nancy Collier) was in the meeting along with his oldest daughter, Alex.

Sis. Jennifer Miller and Sis. Pam Rodgers testified before Bro. Gary Collier closed the service. Sis. Traci (Reese) Bacon, Sis. Mildred Davidson, Bro. Bob Reese Sr. and Bro. Allen Davidson all testified before we closed with prayer.

On Sun. morning we had 47 in attendance. Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. ran the service. Sis. Melissa Davidson welcomed everyone before Bro. Gary Collier preached. Bro. Kevin Swift opened the service, Sis. Marsha Miller testified then Bro. Bobby stepped out to close. His sister Traci asked to testify and lemme tell you, it was incredible! She talked about hitting bottom in her life 2 years ago and how she's had to regain the trust of her family and get closer and closer to God, until she got sanctified in our church last weekend. When she finished Bobby said "The altar call has been made", added some great comments of his own and we went into prayer! Even though no one came forward I know hearts were touched and God's spirit is working with several individuals.

We're enjoying the duldrums of summer, like everyone else, with folks gone on vacation most every weekend. I'm looking forward to next weekend when (I think!) most everyone will be home and we can really have some good meetings together before we all leave for the Camp Ground for Camp Meeting the following weekend.

We'll be studying the "Personal Spiritual Checklist" in Bible study this Wed. night at 7:30.

Note: We are now webcasting Sis. Becky Collier teaching her SS class on Sunday mornings. Tune in at 10:00 at cshcl.com to hear some good teaching and Bible insights!

Love,

Bro. Gary

Our Folks, June 30, 2008

The services this past weekend were spirit-filled yet again and lives were touched in huge ways. As Brother Tom Collier said Sunday morning, "I sense revival in the air!"

Saturday evening, we had 45 in attendance, Bro. Tom ran the meeting and called on Bro. Brian Collier to preach. He read in St. Luke about the disciples answering the call of Jesus. Testimonies were heard from Sis. Becky Collier, Sis. Nancy Collier, Sis. Lauren Collier, and Sis. Kelli Miller. Sis. LaWanna Welch closed the meeting and called for prayer requests. As we were singing, Tracy (Reese) Bacon was sitting on the front bench next to her father, Bro. Bob Reese, Sr., and her sons, Reese and Chandler. Bro. Bob reached over and asked her if she wanted to be sanctified. Immediately, she got up and knelt at the altar and poured her heart out to God. Her oldest son, Reese, followed behind soon after. Both received forgiveness of sins and Tracy talked about the burden being lifted from her shoulders. She said she just wanted relief from the bad memories of sin and knew only God could take them away.

Sunday morning, we were blessed with 58 in attendance, Sis. Becky Collier ran the meeting and called on Sis. Mindy Reese to preach. She talked on the importance of being sanctified and what a difference it can make in your life. Sis. Mildred Davidson opened the meeting and talked about how we should "Brighten the Corner Where You Are." Testimonies were heard from Sis. LaWanna Welch, Sis. Ashlyn Goodman, Bro.Marvin Davis, & Br. Bob Reese, Sr. Sis. Ruth Camp got out to close the meeting and asked Tracy Bacon how she felt after getting forgiven. Tracy talked about how she wanted to be able to see her mother, Sis. Polly, in heaven one day and read the song "If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again." People were wiping tears all over the building as she read: "She used to pray that I on Jesus would rely and always walk the shining gospel way." She & Reese then knelt at the altar and received sanctification. Both looked really good as they got up and we all rejoiced with them.

While we certainly missed so many of our congregation this past weekend, we still were greatly blessed by wonderful meeting and altar services. As Uncle Ray Smith used to say, "You never miss a bad meeting!" So, folks that are out of town or haven't visited in a while, come and join us at CSHC Leesburg for a wonderful time in the Lord. Or join us on our website at cshcl.com to watch our live services every week!

Note: We are now webcasting Sis. Becky Collier's Sunday school class each Sunday. Tune in at 10:00 a.m. to listen and learn along with the "Closer To Heaven" class!

Love,

Bro. Brian

Bible School Report - June 12, 2008

I don't hardly know where to begin. We held our first-ever Bible school in Leesburg this week. Children's classes were from 6-8 every night. An adult Bible study was held in the sanctuary from 6:30-7:30 each night as well. We averaged 25 kids on most nights... and get this - TWELVE of them were children we had never met before this week! We're talking total strangers, folks, until this week.

Bro. Jamie Price preached to someone he knows from his work and she sent her daughter and her daughter's friends to ride on our van. I picked them up each night and in succession we had 3, 5, 5 and 6 from that one neighborhood alone - all new kids. Not only that but 3 of their mothers came out to the program tonight, their first-ever visit to our church.

Thanks to Bro. Mike Welch for sharing his heart back in March about this and for leading the effort. He and Sis. Chrissy worked tirelessly to make sure that this went well, and we are better today for their efforts. I can't begin to thank each one who helped in the Fellowship Hall (I'd leave some names out if I did, there were so many) but THANK YOU!!

I want to thank Sis. Nancy Collier, Bro. Bobby Reese Jr., Sis. Ruth Camp and Bro. Tommy Collier for leading/teaching our Bible studies on Mon.-Thurs. nights. We had great lessons and I thoroughly enjoyed each night as we studied God's word together.

This week has jump started our soon-to-begin Sunday School bus program. Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. picked up an average of 4-5 kids each night in addition to the ones I picked up in the church van. Tonight, the last night he had 5 and I had 8. That's 13 children who otherwise wouldn't have been there at all!

CSHC Leesburg, I'm proud of you. We worked like crazy but WE DID IT!! The program was AWESOME! The only complaint I had all week long was from Jonathan, a new 7 y/o who I picked up and took home each night. On the way home on Monday night, the first night, he asked me "How come we're not doing this on Friday night?" :-)

Y'all take it easy tomorrow night - you've earned your rest. God bless every one for every effort that you gave.

Please be out this weekend to support the meetings. Some are going to Greensboro for their annual feastmeeting and others are going on a previously planned vacation, so please come out and support Bro. Bobby and the meetings here! God will still bless, no matter the numbers, because He is faithful.

Love,

Bro. Gary

Our folks, June 2, 2008

We had a great weekend in CSHC Leesburg this past weekend. Wow!

At supper on Sat. night I felt a special feeling in the air. We had 50 or 60 for supper - more than usual - and there was a feeling of anticipation in the air. We were blessed to have Bro. Bill and Sis. Harriette Ferguson and Bro. Chad Bates visit us.

Sis. Becky Collier ran the meeting and Bro. Bill and Sis. Harriette both preached! Bro. Bill talked about how "at home" he feels in Leesburg when he comes and he read from the book of John. Sis. Harriette read in Daniel about the fiery furnace, how God delivered again, and then capped it off by reading Isaiah 43:1-3. They make a great 1-2 punch!

Bro. Chad testified with tears before Sis. Becky closed the meeting with altar call. Bro. Gil Bates and Sis. Chrissy Welch both testified at the end of meeting. We had 61 in attendance.

Following are Hunter Welch's notes from the congregation about our Sun. morning service. Sis. Ruth Camp ran the meeting. Bro. Marvin Davis opened the service with enthusiasm! He talked about how Satan tries to attach the faithful and asked for prayer for Sis. Mary's surgery this week.

Sis. Marsha Miller testified and read in Jonah. Sis. LaWanna Welch talked about Sis. Becky's SS lesson and read a scripture. Bro. Kevin Swift testified and was thankful that his cousin Barry Davidson was out and how more of his family keeps joining CSHC Leesburg. Bro. Gary Collier preached about the importance of the Holy Ghost in your life; don't mess with the Holy Ghost; his belief that God is taking this church to the next level. He made the altar call at the end. We had 63 in attendance. We were thrilled to have Michael Scott out again - he's married to Judy Childress, daughter of John & Nina Childress - and has started attending with us recently.

Thanks, Hunter!

This Wed. night we'll be covering at least 2 questions that have been raised in the past week.

1) Why do we use and study the KJV Bible instead of the NIV version?

2) Were we with God in heaven before we were born? (Read Jeremiah 1:5 - "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee...") Jesus came from heaven to earth - what about us?

Note: We are catching up on our website slowly with "Gary's Musings", "Weekend Reports" and - soon - our archived services. Also keep an eye out for updated photos in the near future!

Where, you asked?

cshcl.com

See you Wed. at 7:30!

Bro. Gary

Our folks, May 26, 2008

Our weekend was different in several ways, mostly due to our young folks visiting our Jemison congregation and not being in service with us at home. We also missed Bro. Marvin and Sis. Mary Davis who were out of town with family.

Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. ran the service on Sat. night. Bro. Bobby is a believer in encouraging our newly sanctified brothers and sisters to testify and preach and to be involved in our services. Bro. Kevin Swift opened the service and welcomed everyone, both in the congregation and on our webcast. Bro. Pat Swift preached for his very first time and did an outstanding job. He had me to set up the white board that I use in our Wed. night Bible studies and before he was through he asked me to draw a map of Atlanta showing I-75 and I-20 to illustrate a point! He talked about the camel going through the eye of the needle and that nothing is impossible with God.

Bro. Paul Copeland was our next preacher - his first time preaching in CSHC Leesburg. He read from the gospels and talked about his excitement to be part of what God is doing in CSHC Leesburg. We appreciate Bro. Paul and his steadfast support of our ministry!

After Bro. Gil Bates testified, Sis. Carmen Fennell walked up from the congregation to give her first-ever testimony over our pulpit. Sis. Carmen works with Sis. Tania Price, who invited her out to church a year or so ago. She was forgiven and sanctified at our altar months ago and faithfully attends with her son Devon.

She was literally shaking, she was so nervous, so Sis. Becky Collier and Sis. Nancy Collier flanked her on both sides as she testified. She said that love had always been what she wanted and talked about how men had often disappointed her and had even told her that she isn't realistic to want love, attention, flowers, etc. She read from her journal the entry she made on the Sun. afternoon that she was sanctified and it was beautiful! She realized in the meeting that morning that God wanted to be the love of her life! God would never let her down or disappoint her. And so that morning she gave her heart to God and she has been a blessing to all of us at CSHC Leesburg ever since.

Sis. Nancy Collier gave an altar call before we closed with prayer. There were 37 in attendance.

On Sunday morning Sis. Barbara Miller opened the service. We appreciate her enthusiasm for our church and church family. Sis. Jamie Fulford preached a heartfelt sermon about drawing closer to God and being faithful to His calling. She said she asks God every morning to show her His will for her for that day, advice that her mother gave her after she got sanctified.

Sis. Becky Collier, Bro. Johnny Mills, Sis. Carolyn Mills and Bro. Bob Reese Sr. all testified before Bro. Gary Collier closed the meeting. Bro. Went Miller testified before we all gathered together in prayer. We had 56 in attendance.

Notes:

Our topics of discussion this Wed. night will be:

1) Can a person who is sanctified/filled with the Holy Ghost fall out of grace and fellowship with God? If so, can he/she ever come back into the fullness of fellowship again?

2) Why do we use the King James Bible instead of NIV?

We have dedicated our Wed. nights for the present to answering any questions that you may have, whether you are part of our congregation OR part of our webcasts. If you have a question about CSHC - it's history, traditions or doctrine... or anything about the Bible or life situations and experiences, PLEASE forward them to me. You can e/mail me at the return address above (garybcollier@aol.com) or call me (229-854-3003) or drop a written question in our donation/suggestion box in our church foyer, if you wish. The questions we're covering are making our Wed. night Bible studies exciting and a great classroom to learn more about God.

Love,

Bro. Gary

Our folks, May 19, 2008

We had another “first” in CSHC Leesburg this weekend – our first graduation shower in our new Fellowship Hall! We met there at 5:00 on Saturday to help Melinda Price celebrate as a honor graduate of Lee County High School. Sis. Marsha Reese gave the devotion and there were several members of Melinda’s extended family out for their first visit to CSHC Leesburg.

Mark and Tonia Swift (Mark is Pat & Virginia Davidson Swift’s son) stayed for our service that night at 7:00. We were thrilled to have them with us.

Sis. Nancy Collier ran the service and opened the meeting. We enjoyed testimonies from Sis. Jamie Fulford, Bro. Brian Collier and Bro. Doug Camp. Sis. Ruth Camp preached a good evangelical sermon before she closed the service with prayer. We had 53 in attendance.

On Sun. morning Sis. Marsha Reese ran the service. Sis. Jennifer Miller opened for testimonies and read from Psalm 9:9. Bro. Kevin Swift and his mother Sis. Virginia Swift preached (their first time preaching!). Kevin said that we need to be windows that people can look through and see heaven. Virginia read from John 6. Sis. Minday Reese read in Luke 7 and talked about the 2 foundations, one on the sand and one on the rock. Sis. Melissa Davidson testified (her first testimony over the pulpit) that her favorite book is Proverbs. She also talked about Jesus on the mountain in Matthew 6.

Bro. Bob Reese and Bro. Marvin Davis testified before Sis. Kelli Miller closed. Bro. Robert Aman read a poem that he was inspired to write a few days ago. We had 58 in attendance.

Announcements:

1) The young folks will be traveling to Jemison, Alabama this weekend for fellowship with our folks there. Bro. Mike Welch and Bro. Brian Collier will be taking them. NOTE: Have your young folk(s) at the church parking lot on Sat. morning, April 24 BEFORE 9:00 a.m. The bus will leave promptly at 9:00!!

2) Our topic of discussion on Wed. night will be “What does being sanctified mean to you? How has it affected your life? How have your priorities changed?” We are expecting visitors out on Wed. night (I just hung up from talking to them) who are needing God in their life and are looking for a church family. Everyone please come out, sit as close to the front as you can and PARTICIPATE to make this Bible study lively! Our “home verses” for Wed. night will be I Corinthians 6:9-11.

3) Immediately following Bible study we will have a short congregational meeting to discuss our Bible school, scheduled for the week of June 9.

See you soon!

Bro. Gary

Our folks, May 12, 2008

We had a busy weekend here in Leesburg! Many from our congregation went to the Camp Ground for Bro. Elwood Collier Sr.'s viewing on Fri. night and his funeral on Saturday. Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. preached his first funeral (along with Bro. Buddy Hudson from Charleston) and both brothers did an outstanding job! It was great to see so many from our congregation there to support Bro. Bobby and Bro. Tom Collier. That's what "our folks" does so well - show love and support.

Here are the notes from Hunter Welch on this weekend's meetings. My comments are in red.

Sat. night, 5/10/08

We were all tired from the travelling to the Camp Ground and it showed - check out the first 3 songs we sang - all slow songs! We dedicated this meeting to the memory of Bro. Elwood Collier Sr. and there was a sweet feeling. We greatly appreciated Bro. George & Sis. Lucille Cross, Bro. Derrell & Sis. Miranda Cross, Bro. Kenneth Foster and Sis. Alice Mustin visiting us! We had 48 in attendance.

Preacher: Bro. Derrell Cross - commented on today's funeral; he and Bro. Gary talked about Albany in the summer of 2006; testifying to his friend in Atlanta; talked and read about Noah; our church

Open Meeting: Bro. Kenneth Foster - talked about serving the Lord

Testimonies: Sis. Miranda Cross - the funeral today; her dad's testimony; the fountain of the spirit; Zechariah 13:1; read a song

Bro. Kevin Swift - read the song "I'm Free" and compared it to his life

Bro. Johnny Mills - talked about laying bricks for Bro. K.V. Copeland; said the cemetery is filling up fast at the Camp Ground; you need to be ready to die

Close: Bro. Gary Collier - the webcast; I Corinthians 16:15; God will give you something to do

Short testimonies: Bro. George Cross, Sis. Jeri Hartley, Sis. Lucille Cross, Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. - thanked everyone for their support today

Prayers: Sis. Barbara Miller, Bro. Allen Davidson, Bro. Marvin Davis

Songs: Heavenly Sunlight, Sweeter Each Day, Following Jesus, If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again, Where We'll Never Grow Old, I'm Free, Someday There'll Be No Tomorrow, I'll Meet You In The Morning

Sun. morning, 5/11/08

We had 10 visitors out for Mother's Day! Jody & Gina Price (2 sons), Tony & Dana Price (2 sons) <sons and families of Sis. Joanne Bunn) and Bro. James & Sis. Betty Reynolds, the parents of Sis. Joanne. Way to get 'em out, Sis. Joanne!! It was very fitting that Sis. Marsha and Sis. Becky preached on Mother's Day 2008. Our congregation continues to grow and to come together as a family, for which we are VERY thankful. We had 70 in attendance! (Avg. attendance last 5 Sundays = 66!)

Open Meeting: Bro. Jamie Price - when Sis. Tania had surgery; read some in Proverbs 31; related it to Mother's Day

Preachers: Sis. Marsha Reese - mentioned Bro. Johnny; singing "If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again" last night; lost her mother when she was 12 years old; how Sis. Tissie Collier helped her during that time; read a scripture

Sis. Becky Collier - her spiritual birthday is today; we are nothing w/out God; read a scripture; a verse her grandmother gave her; read another scripture

Testimonies: Sis. Jennifer Miller - read I John 4:20, 21

Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. - his mother; bringing your children to church; his nephew

Close meeting: Bro. Gary Collier - Fathers are involved, mothers are commited; read 2 Timothy 1:4; story of prodigal son, mother not mentioned, she was probably praying; the greatest gift you can give your mother is to serve Jesus

Prayers: Sis. Mary Davis, Sis. Mildred Davidson, Sis. Ruth Camp

Songs: Jesus, Sweetest Name I Know; I'm Too Near; I Want To Stroll Over Heaven; In The Garden; He Lifted Me Out; The Love Of God; The Family Of God; I Surrender All

Thanks, Hunter!

Love,

Bro. Gary

Our folks, May 5, 2008

This is a report on our meetings this past weekend. Hunter's notes are in blue, my added comments are in red.

Sat. night, May 3, 2008

This was an electric meeting right from the first song! What makes one meeting so special that folks talk about it the next day? This was one of them. Bro. Kevin Swift ran his very first meeting and did an outstanding job. Folks stood in the benches with their hands in the air, praising God, while others shouted and some cried. We had 51 in attendance.

Preacher - Sis. Pam Rodgers - read a song she likes; talked about her and Stan Jones planting flowers earlier that day; read the parable of the seed; you need to keep your eyes on God

Open Meeting - Sis. Lauren Collier - flipping through John she discovered a scripture; read scripture in John 3

Testimonies - Bro. Doug Camp - read a scripture; Bro. Stan Jones - God will keep you

Bro. Marvin Davis - Priorities; if you love God don't send mixed messages with your life; his grandson Jonathan

Sis. Carolyn Mills - read from 6th chapter of I Timothy

Sis. Becky Collier - quoted a verse; read verse in the 14th chapter of Ezekiel about Job

Close Meeting - Sis. Chrissy Welch - the meetings; listening to God; read a scripture

Songs: I Never Knew Love; I'll Go Every Step of the Way, Lord; Wonderful Love; This Is Like Heaven To Me; I Want To Stroll Over Heaven; I'm A Child Of The King; O Yes, I'm A Child Of The King; My Heart Is Fixed; Sweet Hour of Prayer; I Want To Know More About My Lord

Sun. morning, May 4, 2008

There was a good feeling that carried over from our meeting on Sat. night. At the end of service Sis. Jennifer Miller (daughter of Sis. Barbara Miller) came to the altar and was forgiven of her sins. We came back after lunch and she was sanctified in a second altar/prayer service. Pray for Jennifer that she will be determined to walk close with God from this point forward. We had 67 in attendance.

Open Meeting - Bro. Tommy Collier - gave his testimony about the Leesburg church; read from 7th and 8th chapter of Romans

Testimonies - Bro. Brian Collier - coming to church is the "filling station" that keeps us ready for our daily lives; what God will do for us; Ephesians 6; Elijah; Zechariah; Psalm 5; Psalm 34

Bro. Johnny Mills - read song # 240, The Keys To The Kingdom

Preacher/Close Meeting - Bro. Gary Collier - what God has done in Leesburg; this is a church of restoration; the "Albany 7" who were faithful (Bro. Bob & Sis. Polly Reese, Bro. Allen & Sis. Mildred Davidson, Bro. Johnny & Sis. Carolyn Mills, Sis. Fay Hatcher); talked about the "necessary things" in Acts 15 to get to heaven; if you haven't got the Holy Ghost you don't have salvation; Pentecost is next Sunday; when you get the Holy Ghost you become a different person; Paul stepping out of his comfort zone; Acts 9; Acts 21

Songs: Heavenly Sunlight; Power In The Blood; Tis A Kingdom of Peace; Ring The Bells of Freedom; I'm Free; Who At My Door Is Standing; I Surrender All

Love,

Bro. Gary

Our folks, April 28, 2008

We missed some of our regulars from the Camp Ground this weekend due to the viewing and funeral for Bro. Paul Merritt Jr., but God still blessed us and we had good services, including 2 new visitors out on Sunday morning!

Here is a quick report based on notes that Hunter Welch took during both services.

Sat. night, April 26

Bro. Mike Welch ran the service. We had 44 in attendance.

Sis. Kelly Miller preached about finding your purpose in God. She read from Exodus about Moses to illustrate her message.

Sis. Lauren Collier opened the service for testimonies.

Bro. Johnny Mills testified about the power of one word in the Bible and how if other versions of the Bible are different from the King James Version that it can mislead people. He read from I Corinthians 16 in the passage about women keeping silence in the church. The next verse starts with the word "What?"

Bro. Mike Welch, Sis. Becky Collier and Bro. Doug Camp all testified before Sis. Lauren Goodman called prayer and closed the meeting.

Sun. morning, April 27

We were pleased to have Deborah Hayes and Martha Stanaland, friends of Franklin Davidson (who invited them out several months ago), to visit with us. We had 56 in attendance.

Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. preached and asked "Where is your faith today? God is the only one with all of the answers for your life."

Bro. Went Miller gave a beautiful testimony. He exhorted us to get into God's word. He talked about the love that flows freely in CSHC Leesburg and said that every church should have it.

Bro. Gary Collier read the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10. He said to do the work God has called you to do and do it unto the Lord, not unto men, because our reward comes from God. He closed the service and called prayer.

Thanks, Hunter, for your help.

We'll continue our study on Wed. night titled "CSHC - Beliefs, History and Foundation." The questions we'll start talking about include:

E) How do you join the church? What are the requirements for official membership?
F) Why isn't a collection plate passed around? How do you give money to the church? How is the money spent?

G) What is a "feastmeeting"?

See you there at 7:30!

Love,

Bro. Gary

Our folks, April 21, 2008

What a memorable weekend we just had! A group of us met together at 358 Northampton Rd. (Leesburg, GA 31763) on late Friday afternoon to help Bro. Tommy and Sis. Nancy Collier move into their new house in Lee County! We unloaded the truck in less than an hour and 9 of us went out to eat afterwards and celebrate together. Our crowd is immensely blessed to have Bro. Tommy and Sis. Nancy pick CSHC Leesburg to be their home church!

Here are the meeting reports as noted by Hunter Welch. Our weekends here are so packed and intense that it's hard for me to recall all of the details of each meeting on Monday morning. Hunter is a great help to me in his role.

Sat. night, April 19, 2008

Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. ran the service. Sis. Chrissy Welch welcomed everyone. She talked about giving all of yourself to God, read some in Jeremiah and talked about how glad she was to hear Bro. Allen Davidson preach for the first time in our new sanctuary.

Bro. Allen Davidson then wheeled forward in front of the pulpit. Bro. Brian Collier set up the portable podium in front of him and he **really** preached a beautiful sermon. I had tears in my eyes from beginning to end. Saturday was Bro. Allen and Sis. Mildred's 56th wedding anniversary (!!!!) and he was emotional and happy. He started by talking to the congregation and exhorted them to seek the Lord, to come to the altar and let God relieve you of your sins and then seek for the Holy Spirit to come live in your heart. He read most of Romans 6 and told us "You only have one shot at this life" and that God will forgive and sanctify us.

Bro. Jamie Price testified that he was sanctified for one year on March 25. He talked about how to pray while driving and how God will work things out for you if it's His will.

Bro. Kevin Swift testified about what God can do in your life. Sis. Lauren Goodman read from Matthew 5. Sis. LaWanna Welch testified about how happy she is and how much Bro. Allen blessed her tonight. Sis. Tania Price testified that she was sanctified for one year on March 11 and read her favorite verse. Bro. Bob Reese Sr. testified that he appreciates what God has done for him. Sis. Mary Davis testified about praying for others (including her "secret sister") while working and read a scripture in Colossians.

Sis. Nancy Collier closed the service. She started by saying that she is "glad to be a part." She talked to our congregation about how wonderful it is to serve God, how God will always be there for you and will give us the desires of our heart.

It was a special meeting, like some meetings are.

Sun. morning, April 20, 2008

Meeting started with Bro. Tommy Collier preaching a strong sermon. He talked about how to become a child of God. He summarized Romans 1-11, then read Romans 12 and disected each verse. He quoted Galatians 2:20 and noted Colossians 1:9.

Bro. Tom Lamberson opened the service. He read Philippians 1:20 and talked about the Sunday school lesson. He told everyone how glad he was to be back in CSHC Leesburg.

Bro. Bobby Reese Jr. testified and read from the 2nd and 3rd chapters of I Corinthians. He spoke of the Bible study that he and Bro. Mike Welch are now having together on Thursdays and how it's blessing him. "God wrote the Bible to teach those who want to learn", he said.

Bro. Marvin Davis testified that God will lead you if you are leadable! (Great line)

Bro. Gary Collier closed the service, reading from Isaiah 43:1-3. He talked about that we are a holiness church and our roots are strict. He can't tell you how to live but the Holy Spirit will tell you and you better pay attention! You have to get into the Word for yourself. He quoted Bro. Dorris Dameron's saying, "God has something beautiful for your life."

We had 66 in attendance - praise God!

Thanks, Hunter!

Love,

Bro. Gary

April 15 , 2008

Our Folks,

This past weekend was a blessing as we fellowshipped and worshipped together in the "beauty of holiness" both in and out of church.

Friday night, the young folks babysat the children of those parents who wanted to enjoy a Parent's Night Out from 6:30-10:30 p.m at the Fellowship Hall. This was one of our many efforts to raise money to fund activities for the young folks class. Mike and I are appreciative to all who have donated to our class. Thank you for all your support.

Saturday afternoon about 25-30 of us met at Westover High School and played softball. The "competition" was fun and we had some new folks out to play with us. Many of the young folks were humbled to learn that Bro. Johnny Mills had better athletic skills at his age than they did!

Saturday evening, Bro. Bobby Reese ran the meeting and called on his daughter, Sis. Mindy, and sister, Sis. Jamie, to preach. Sis. Mindy read from St. Matthew and Colossians and spoke on the distractions that are around us constantly in life. Our focus should be on things above, not on things of the earth. She made the point that while most people worry about their retirement and Social Security benefits, they should really be concerned with their eternal future and the benefits of salvation while here on earth. Sis. Jamie spoke on how people are so competitive in their jobs, but that the Holy Spirit makes you love your fellow man and wish the best for him. Bro. Mike Welch opened the meeting & we heard testimonies from Bro. Bobby Reese and Sis. Marsha Miller. Sis. Becky Collier closed the meeting and we heard testimonies from Bro. Marvin Davis, Bro. Wayne Davis (who was visiting his parents, Bro. Marvin and Sis. Mary, from Augusta, GA), and Sis. Mildred Davidson. It was a good spirit-filled meeting and the testimonies were rich with truth from God's Word.

Sunday morning, we were blessed to have 70 folks out with us for Sunday School and church. Sis. LaWanna Welch opened the meeting & read from the book of Hebrews. Sis Marsha Reese delivered a spirit-filled sermon speaking of the change God brings in your life and read about God's promises in Deutoronomy Ch. 28. She read from the song "Going Home" and spoke about how she was so glad she came home to Father's house and was able to visit the Norfolk sanctuary one more time as a sanctified adult. What a blessing! She spoke powerfully about the importance of making a start for God today. Bro. Johnny Mills testified from St. John 7 and spoke on the lessons God teaches him each day. Bro. Brian Collier closed the meeting and read from the 25th and 26th chapters of Isaiah before calling prayer.

We were saddened by the loss of Sis. Rita Cline's stepfather Saturday morning. We lifted that family up in our prayers over the weekend and ask that everyone continue to do so during his funeral today (Monday). We also prayed for many others of our congregation who are facing sickness and other problems. God blessed our Leesburg church in a mighty way this weekend and we know that he will keep and protect us as we "keep the truth."

Love,

Bro. Brian

April 8 , 2008

Our folks,

What a joyous weekend we had together in CSHC Leesburg this past weekend! We had 44 out on Sat. night and 63 out on Sun. morning. Those numbers are steady and slowly growing, as any healthy church should do. We are thankful to God for every soul that walks in our doors.

On Sat. night Sis. Ruth Camp ran the service. Sis. Kelli Miller opened the service before Sis. Lauren Collier preached. One thing she talked about was getting your heart and mind in synch with each other so that you can walk right and please God. Her sermon touched Richard Davis and led to a great discussion in our SS class on Sunday about "will" and "performance". Please pray for Richard as he asks questions and tries to understand God's complete will for his life.

Bro. Gary Collier, Sis. Ruth Camp, Sis. Pam Rodgers, Sis. LaWanna Welch, Bro. Johnny Mills and Bro. Doug Camp all testified before Bro. Kevin Swift closed the meeting.