The Son and the Sand
September 2005
When the Leaves Begin to Change
The Autumn season brings many beautiful sights and sounds. This is the time of year when a drive to visit family, in North Alabama, is a must. We love to see the beautiful leaves on Whitney Mountain (near Oneonta, AL) after they change. Just as the leaves change, our ministry is also in the midst of change. We’ve gone from working with hundreds of student volunteers, to a quieter time on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Now is the time for a lot of groundwork as we prepare for senior adult ministry. We look forward to our winter friends (snowbirds) and their time in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
Beyond the preparations for the fall and winter, we also have much to do in the area of our Spring Break and Summer 2006 ministries. Pray with us as we make the necessary connections to ensure dynamic and effective year round ministries along the Gulf Coast.
Looking Ahead
We’ve got a lot of things to look forward to in the next couple of months. Here are a few of them…
SEPTEMBER 8TH CHURCH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
SEPTEMBER 20TH SHRIMP FESTIVAL PLANNING MEETING
SEPTEMBER 29TH EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
OCTOBER SNOWBIRD MINISTRIES RESUME
OCTOBER 13TH through 16TH NATIONAL SHRIMP FESTIVAL
OCTOBER 17TH & 18TH ASSOCIATIONAL ANNUAL MEETING
In between these key dates we will be preparing for the arrival of our snowbirds. We will also be building the foundation for another amazing Spring Break and Summer season as we look toward the 2006 calendar.
Pray for Me, and I’ll Pray for you
And one day love will bring us back around… again. Can you guess where these words came from? If you guessed Michael W. Smith’s popular song from back in the eighties (Pray for Me) then you are right.
Aside from being a great song, this message is one that is quite appropriate for this month’s newsletter. The road ahead will undoubtedly be filled with many joys and challenges. Please pray with us as we look ahead to another season of snowbird ministry (October through April). Let us know how we can pray for you as well.
One Last Thing: Learn a Life of Love
The missionary Paul’s powerful encouragement to the early church…
“Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” Ephesians 5:1 & 2. (The Message)
In Christ,
Jeff Ford
Resort Missionary
Baldwin Baptist Association
