Factoryville Bible Church

Posted by ERM on 12 November 2008 | 2 Comments

Tags: church

Factoryville—home church of Ardy Parlin, and home to native Hannah Foster—was a church the team will not easily forget. Services this week at Factoryville were such a blessing. Despite a flu-bug that threatened to get around the team, it was a joy to do dramas and sing onstage for the church family. Each day was a blessing from the Lord. We enjoyed the beautiful weather by spending time in recreation outside on the grounds of the church and Camp Elvin. God used the services both in the sanctuary and the classrooms holding the teen and children's meetings to challenge and encourage hearts.The Lord was truly in control of the events, and his presence was sweet. What a great time to enjoy both the creation of God and His work amongst His people!

First of all, congratulations must go to the children at Factoryville. They raised an awesome amount of money ($157.33 compared to their $120.00 goal!) for the orphans in India! We were all so proud of their giving spirits, and their desire to see the children just like them half-way across the globe have the things they needed. The children were such sacrificial givers, emptying piggy-banks and giving from money that they had been saving for other specific things—like their "horse-funds." It was a privilege to see them come each night with their gift, dumping change and bills into the "India bucket" for the orphans. Great job kids! Keep giving to the Lord, because He will always provide for you!

The team also had the pleasure of doing high school chapels every day and several elementary chapels for the students at Factoryville. Each day was filled with fun music, great responses in small groups (one-on-one time between the students of each grade and a team member who leads discussion on a range of topics over the week such as relationships, parents, quiet time, and others), and the teaching of the word of God. It was a privilege to get in touch with the kids and spend time with them both in the sanctuary and outside as they came out for recess or played in the gym.

One night during the service the team presented one of their favorite songs: Jesus Loves the Little Children, complete with stirring pictures of the orphans and a reading that highlighted the real condition of the orphan's lives and the need for more and more sponsors. This presentation was touching, and it was a challenge to everyone, including the team. Stefanie Beals, who keeps the book table well stocked, noted that after the service all of the orphan brochures were gone. We praise God that he is touching the hearts of His people to give to orphans in India.

Other ministry information included the desperate needs in Africa, and all of the projects that we as a ministry are praying will come to pass in the future as, Lord willing, the team travels to Zambia sometime in April.

For more information on helping Encounter meet the needs of the ministries they are involved in, you can visit the other pages of this website and check out all that God has allowed the ministry to be involved in. A highlight of the week for several of the team members was to enjoy an afternoon at the Foster home riding their horses, fellowshipping and spending time getting to know the Foster family. We thank them very much for their kind hospitality! God bless you for richly blessing us! We pray that God would continue to work in the people of Factoryville, and that his presence would linger just as sweet among them. We are truly blessed to have spent a week with you all. click on the following link to see photos from Shelby: http://www.encounterrevival.org/factoryville-bible/