Cottageville, SC weekly PE image from Angie Perry

Cottageville, South Carolina Report

The month of July was hot and humid but quiet in the South Carolina fellowship.

Phillip & his family are settling into their new home in Spartanburg where Phillip has also begun his new job.

Carter has moved into his new home and is beginning to find out from people in the local ministry what they are inclined in their own hearts to do to keep the wheels moving. Areas of ministry include grounds maintenance, cleaning of the chapel, preaching, leading Bible studies, and the various parts of the music team, and some have stepped up to resume or take on new roles.

Linda took a sudden trip to Florida and Indiana following the death of a cousin, and the Lord used her and her story to minister along the way. She continues to testify of God’s goodness and provision even through the tough times she’s faced.

The Athertons attended the week-long Civil Air Patrol encampment at Fort Jackson which was a great learning experience for all, especially in the area of leadership. Returning from encampment, they really got busy in their still-new roles, a new and vibrant ministry opportunity both in town and across the state. Joseph is spending the first week of August in Virginia at Honor Guard Academy, which is a prestigious CAP event focusing on drill and ceremonies.

Maggie is most of the way through the procedures needed to give her a full set of teeth and is smiling broadly in thanksgiving to the Lord for His provision.

Please remember each other in prayer and maybe pick up the phone to call a part of the Body to check in on them!

Ongoing events:

• Children’s PE takes place at 10:00 a.m. on a Friday morning. If you'd like to know more about it, please contact Angie (843) 860-8824 or Email Angie
• Children’s Bible study follows PE every Friday morning at 11:10 a.m. Contact Maggie for more information at: (915) 246-6136 or Email Maggie
• Sunday evening Bible studies are at 6 p.m. and any who are inclined to join together for a meal beforehand are welcome at 5 p.m.

People to contact: if you have questions about the ministry in South Carolina, how you can participate, here’s the list of who to get in touch with.

The South Carolina fellowship:

• Contact Philip (Spartanburg): (843) 217-2644 or Email Phillip
• Contact Carter (Cottageville): (303) 257-5470 or Email Carter 
• Contact James (Lynchburg): (706) 283-2688 or Email James 

The music team and how you can be a part:

• Megan (802) 485-8624 or Email Megan

Grace Ranch Report

Hello everyone and howdy from Grace Ranch. Things continue to progress here at the ranch with our major project of getting the family cabin ready to go back into service. We’ve had our challenges however with extreme heat. Given that the need is not “urgent,” we’ve slowed down a little so that folks, primarily Bob, doesn’t get “burnt” out. We suspect that things should be wrapped up come the first of September. 

With regards to the heat, it has been very hard on us this year. With temps often breaching 110 degrees in the shade, it has made things extremely tough. Praise the Lord for His provision of our camp kitchen, chapel, chapel cabin, Steve’s office, Sue’s office, and other places of refuge. The installation of efficient AC units, and two mini-split units, one in the kitchen and one in the chapel, not only provide cooling, but do so at a reduced cost to the old chapel HVAC systems and even the swamp coolers.  Additionally, our generator has been able to keep up during frequent power outages. I thank the Lord often for taking care of us as He has.

Onto another topics, many of us have been facing health related challenges. By God’s grace and mercy, I’m confident He will bring us through. Karen is doing well and is healing, albeit probably slower than she’d like ;). I had my second to last round of Chemo last week. It’s taken a toll on me, but I trust the Lord to complete this work that He’s started. I have one more to go at the end of August and then we will see how things settle out.  Sue’s back let go on her a little over a week ago. It was very scary as I was not sure if we were going to need to try and get her to the ER. Again, by God’s grace, she is recovering and learning the walk of faith and how to lean on the body to make up every difference.  Ann also continues to need your prayers. We are a battered body right now. But, I know the Lord is VERY good and I hope in that goodness to bring us through each and every challenge as we learn and embrace what the Lord has for us in the midst. 

Lastly, Robin is heading east this weekend. Please keep her in your prayers that the Lord move mightily and that the anointing have a great and mighty impact on all those she minsters to.

I ask folks to keep us in your prayers and that the Lord be glorified in all of us.

For questions regarding the Grace Ranch, Texas fellowship:

Contact Rick: 

(928) 302-9078 or Email Rick 

Contact Robin:

(915) 307-0514 or Email Robin

Pastor Korsah (seated) & wife (right) accompanied me to church services a couple of times.

For any local church to be more functional and effective, structures need to be put in place to ensure that everyone in the body is contributing their quota in accordance with their talents and calling.

This is the direction of The Fishermen Ministry now as leaders of the local churches/fellowships have been mandated to allow the scheme to work so that the ultimate aim of quality growth in the Lord would be attained in the months and years to come. In my ministrations at the Higher Glory House Ministry during the month in retrospect, I emphasized to the church that if members are not in tune with the Lord, no amount of structures/strategies deployed would yield the expected results of ultimate growth individually and as an entity. God wants to walk with us before He works through us. Let’s therefore continue steadfastly in the work of the Kingdom of God.

It seems the Spirit of God is speaking the same thing to the church universal and those who have ears to hear have heard and taken appropriate steps in that direction.

I found this banner interesting as it aligned with our current mandate of creating structures for growth.

A case in point is a banner I saw at the Tishegu Assembly of the Church of Pentecost in the Northern region of Ghana during my visit there recently. The following was boldly imprinted on the banner: “REPOSITIONING THE LOCAL CHURCH FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT IN THE NATIONS.” The sermon on that particular Sunday of my visit centered on the theme with emphasis on local church structuring to attain church growth as members also endeavor to progress in their walk with God. This was no coincidence to me.

When we walk with the Lord, our will is going to align with His Will and we enter the dimension where God unfolds the secrets of His Kingdom to us. These are the paths that the great patriots of the Bible went before us. The book of Hebrews says, "He who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Heb 11:6). 

Both Pastors Korsah and Wilson are progressing steadily in discipleship appointments. Pastor Wilson for the past two weeks has been down with malaria fever. Let’s keep him in prayer. Pastor Korsah is gradually having an epiphany with the Ephesians Chapter 1 document currently being studied. He is also making earnest preparations for his return to Sierra Leone by the end of September. Let’s remember to keep him also in prayer on that front.

Pastor Emmanuel Otim

Pastor Emmanuel Otim from Uganda has opted for discipleship under this Ministry. I have reviewed the story of his salvation with him and learnt more about him and his background. Pastor Otim Emmanuel is thirty five years old and had an Islamic primary basic education before continuing with the seventh Day Adventist mission school for his Junior & Senior High School education. He got born again after leaving the SDA institution and is currently an associate minister with the Grace Place Outreach Ministry International (GPOMI) whose general overseer does not believe in Tithing. He has also chosen Friday afternoons as a convenient time for discipleship appointments. Pastor Otim Emmanuel absolutely agreed with the contents of the Discipleship Teaching document and expressed the willingness to move forward with discipleship. We shall, in a few weeks, go through our Articles of faith before signing him on the discipleship program officially.