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A Word From Pastor Tom
Archive
Below are some past Words from the Pastor.
August 24, 2009 THE MINISTRY WORK OF THE KINGDOM What is the ministry work of the Kingdom of Heaven? Jesus said that he came to do the will of the Father, and that his food was to finish his Father’s work (John 4:34). Jesus began his ministry preaching about the Kingdom of Heaven (Mark 1:14-15), and he continued doing so with his disciples until his crucifixion. After his resurrection, he commissioned his disciples to continue the ministry work of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth (Mat. 28:18-20). The message of the Gospel was the “Good News” that God loves us unconditionally, and that he sent His Son to be the perfect sacrificial lamb so that his shed blood on the Cross would cover the sins of all of mankind. John 3:16-17, tells us that God doesn’t want us to be condemned, but saved. So Jesus’ disciples made disciples who were to make disciples to this very day.
We have come to understand that it takes the whole body of Christ to participate in this disciple-making commission. The ministry work of the Kingdom of Heaven is too great for individual members of the body to accomplish. In the spiritual reality of the Kingdom of Heaven, there is only the one Church of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 4:3-6 makes this very clear: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Reaching out and making disciples for the Kingdom takes the whole body working together. That means that we need to stop building our churches and start building his church. We all know that the only way to do that is to listen to Jesus through the Holy Spirit give us instructions on how he is bringing the different members of his body together (I Cor. 12:12-13). Let’s keep tuned to his frequency so that we will know the will of the Father through him, as it says in John 17:20-23, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” So brothers and sisters in the Lord, let’s rejoice as we do this ministry work of the Kingdom of Heaven together.
Submitted by Tom Pickett
Pastor of Burleson Christian Fellowship
817-501-0480
February 23, 2009
HOW TO RECONCILE WITH YOUR BROTHER What do you do when you and a brother or a sister in the Lord Jesus do not get along to the point that you are not speaking to one another? The reason you are not speaking to one another is because you became offended by what your brother or sister did or didn’t do or said or didn’t say to you. You had tried to communicate with the person so that you could convince them that they needed to apologize. But instead of getting an apology, you got angry all over again, and you said that you would never do that again.
Jesus though doesn’t want us to stay angry with one another. He wants us to forgive one another and have our differences reconciled. Didn’t Jesus say that we would be forgiven as we forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15)? And didn’t the Apostle Paul say that we are all ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)? So what is to prevent us from forgiving one another and having reconciliation instead of separation? The one thing about reconciliation is the need to get our grievances out on the table. But it is hard for both parties to speak at the same time. What we need is a mediator – someone to help each one say what is on their mind and to get the hurt on the outside rather than it remain on the inside.
Matthew 18 gives us an example of taking a friend with us to talk with someone who has hurt us or sinned against us (vs.15-16). That is good advice. In doing that, we might find out that we hurt the other person too. No wonder we couldn’t convince the other person to apologize – they felt hurt too. If through a mediator or third party, we can arrive at a consensus that we all can agree upon, then that agreement is bound in heaven too (vs.19-20). Hallelujah! You see brothers and sisters how we can reconcile with our brother and sister. By taking the advice of Jesus, we can all be ministers of reconciliation first before we take a relational problem to the church (v.17). Just think of how much more harmonious our church fellowship would be, and how much stress we would take off of the shoulders of our pastors and elders. Let us be the reconcilers that Jesus made us to be!
Submitted by Tom Pickett
Pastor of Burleson Christian Fellowship
817-501-0480
December 17, 2008
SUDDENLY GOD MOVED Suddenly God moved from heaven to earth. It is written in Luke 2:10-14 (NIV) that “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” All of a sudden it was announced that God had a change of address. His address was now earth instead of heaven (John 1:14). The baby Jesus was God in the flesh, and he had come to dwell among us. He was the answer to our sin question. He would pay for all our sins on the cross. As the angels said, “Hallelujah!”
Have you ever noticed that God always seems to work suddenly, even though he has worked with the situation for a long time? When Moses encountered the burning bush (Ex. 3:2-4), God had been preparing Moses to encounter him a long time before that, but it seemed suddenly. When the Israelites were at the shores of the Red Sea, suddenly God answered Moses’ prayer and with the waving of Moses’ staff opened the Red Sea for them to cross out of harm’s way just ahead of the Egyptians (Ex. 14:13-18). But when God suddenly wanted the spies to claim the land of Canaan as the Land of Promise, they refused (Num. 13:26-14:4). So here we see that when God acts suddenly, and there is no faith, then death occurs instead.
Jesus came into the earth’s atmosphere so that we could have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10), but we have to accept his suddenness in faith. Has he suddenly come into your life and redirected you? Jesus is asking you to be obedient to him so that you can receive the fullness of life. Don’t shy away from Jesus suddenly coming to you and asking you to give him your life as he gave his life for you. This is the season for expecting the suddenness of God’s coming to have his permanent address to be in your heart! May you have a very Merry Christmas this year!
Submitted by Tom Pickett
Pastor of Burleson Christian Fellowship
817-501-0480
March 9, 2007
Dear Beloved Brethren,Adrienne and I are looking forward to spring and the spring rains. We had some good rains during January, but in February to the present it has been very dry. The spring rains bring out the life that is in the seeds of the earth. They also remind us of the life we have in Jesus Christ through His atoning death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. Be assured brethren that his bones are not in some cave in the Middle East!
We have been encouraged to see our advisory counsels work together in coming to agreements in describing each congregation’s mission and vision statements. We are not totally finished in this process, but we are making good progress. There are several needs that we understand. We need to take care of one another, share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and reach out to our communities.
In case you have not heard, I am happy to announce that we ordained Jim Welshans to be an Associate Pastor in the Burleson congregation. Jim and Wilma are planning on going to the Pastors Conference in Indian Wells, CA, this July 26-29 along with Adrienne and me. We are pleased that they are desiring to go.
In order for us to do this trip, we will need to pray that God will bless us with the funds to do so. You, our brethren, are the ones to send us. We appreciate your faithful monthly giving and support, but we understand that God will need to give us a special blessing for this to happen. If you are moved to contribute to the “Conference Fund,” please mark your donation accordingly.
May the joy and peace of knowing the Father’s love and receiving the gift of life in the divine person of Jesus Christ bless your soul and your spirit as we approach this Easter Season.
If we can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to call us at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook, TX, 76126.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
January 20, 2007
Dear Beloved Brethren,Adrienne and I hope you had a very merry and blessed Christmas and a happy New Year for 2007. It is always good to stop and give thanks to God Almighty for his abundant blessings. The most profound gift he has given us is His Son, Jesus Christ.
We have had our first couple of worship services in 2007, and we have now processed our offerings locally in all three congregations. Please remember to make out your offering checks to the congregation that you attend. In Azle it is “Azle Christian Fellowship,” in Burleson it is “Burleson Christian Fellowship” and in Euless it is “New Hope Christian Fellowship.”
Our local Advisory Councils have gotten together to discuss the needs of each congregation, and also to plan for the future. We are very encouraged to see our focus to reach the lost with the gospel message, as we provide discipleship for those already attending with us.
We are happy to report that we did not hear that any of our members suffered from the loss of power during this recent cold spell and the freezing rain that we received. It could have been a lot worse than it was. Certainly God was looking out for our well-being.
Adrienne and I wish you a blessed and happy new year for 2007! May the joy and peace of knowing the Father’s love and receiving the gift of life in the divine person of Jesus bless your soul and your spirit.
If we can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to call us at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook, TX, 76126.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
November 24, 2006
Dear Beloved Brethren,Adrienne and I hope you had a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving this year. It is always good to stop and give thanks to God Almighty for his abundant blessings. The most profound gift he has given us is His Son, Jesus Christ, who we will be celebrating and worshiping during the upcoming season of Advent.
The Advent Season this year will start on the weekend of December 2 and conclude on the weekend of the 23rd. The first candle we will light is the candle of hope or the Prophet’s Candle. The second candle is the candle of blessing or the Bethlehem Candle. The third candle is the candle of faith or the Shepherd’s Candle. The fourth candle is the candle of joy or the Angel’s Candle. We look forward to worshiping with you during this Advent Season.
We have a new location to meet at for our Burleson services until we can find a more permanent location. The Weatherman’s have graciously offered their home for us to gather for our worship service. Their address is 737 Southridge in Burleson 76028. Our stay of seven years with Restoration Church ended when they became a part of Metroplex Family Christian. We did not fully realize that until this month. The entire atmosphere changed, and we realized that we needed to find a new church home. Please pray that God will help us find the right location for our future.
Starting the first of January 2007, all three congregations will be processing their own offerings. That means that we need to make out our checks to the local church name. In Azle it is “Azle Christian Fellowship,” in Burleson it is “Burleson Christian Fellowship” and in Euless it is “New Hope Christian Fellowship.” This will allow us to have direct access to the use of our donations if needed and will save us a 5% processing fee.
Adrienne and I wish you a blessed and merry Christmas this year! May the joy and peace of knowing the Father’s love and receiving the gift of life in the divine person of Jesus bless your soul and your spirit. If we can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to call us at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook, TX, 76126.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
September 1, 2006
Dear Beloved Brethren,Yeah! It has rained again. Praise the Lord! Wow, what a summer. It is amazing what a difference it makes when the Lord rains down upon us with his physical and spiritual rain. We are very thankful that we are about ready to enter the “fall season.”
Carl and Neita Head are currently taking a “New Pastors Training” seminar at our headquarters in Glendora, CA. They will be returning home on Tuesday, the 5th of September. We are looking forward to their report. Thanks to all of you for sending them to do this. They, like you all, are the future of the Fort Worth congregations.
Adrienne and I will be going to Southern California on October 13-15 for an ORM (Office of Reconciliation Ministries) Conference. We appreciate your prayers upon us and the conference.
The “Follow The Flag” 4th of July activity in Azle went very well. In fact, the official count was between 7,000 – 10,000 people. There were so many people there that they filled up the field outside of the stadium. The police even had to turn vehicles away from parking. We ran out of popcorn to give to people at 8:05 p.m. That was about an hour ahead of schedule, but we all had a great time.
The District Conference was very successful with about 250-300 in attendance. We will not have another district conference until 2008. Next year we will have a conference in July for all elders of the WCG in Southern California.
We are in the process of redefining our Mission and Vision Statements for each congregation. We want to come to a consensus in each congregation so that we do what we are gifted to do as a congregation. Please give any input that you have to your local Advisory Council so that we can prayerfully draft mission and vision statements for each congregation.
If Adrienne and I can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to call us at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook, TX, 76126.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
Dear Beloved Brethren,
It looks as though we are fully into the summertime weather and schedule. Everything is a little bit slower and casual and a lot drier than what we would like. Please join with us as we pray that God would give us the life giving rain that we need here in North Texas.
It has been a couple of months since we have written a letter to you. Adrienne and I had a couple more trips than normal that came our way – one to Colorado to visit with Tom’s family and celebrate his youngest brother’s 50th birthday, and one to California to celebrate our grandson’s 5th birthday.
We look forward to celebrating the 4th of July Celebration called “Follow The Flag” in Azle, Texas. This year it will be at Forte Jr. High School Stadium from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The Azle Ministerial Alliance is sponsoring it inside the city limits for the first time. Come on out and join us for some good, clean Christian fun. The food and the fireworks are free!
The District Conference is scheduled for July 28-30 at the Omni Dallas Park West Hotel. This is where we have had this conference for the past several years. Everyone is welcome to come to visit with friends and participate in the training sessions. If you would like to participate in a more involved way, you can register for the conference. Rooms and meals are also available. You can pick up registration materials at our church services or call us at our home office listed at the end of this letter.
We have been going through some good growth pains in our congregations, but they have been fruitful as we have expressed our faith and love toward God and each other, and as we have come together to pray and worship our GREAT GOD. Adrienne and I want to thank you for your love, faithfulness and dedication to what God has been doing in all of our lives over the past 7 years that we have been your pastors here in the Fort Worth area.
If Adrienne and I can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to call us
at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook,
TX, 76126.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
March 31, 2006
Dear Beloved Brethren,
What a beautiful time of year this is! With the rain, spring-like temperatures, sunshine, green grass and trees and the beautiful flowers that are appearing, it makes you think of new birth. We can be so very thankful for the new birth that we have received in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We are coming up to our annual worship season that reminds us of the atoning death of Jesus on the Cross, and his resurrection from the dead! Hallelujah!
We will have our Maundy Thursday Services on Thursday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m. at all three locations where our congregations normally meet. This service lasts about one hour and is after the pattern of Jesus at the Last Supper. Please bring your own towel and basin for the footwashing ceremony.
Our congregations who meet on Saturday will do so on the following weekend, but we will have a special Easter Service on Sunday, April 16, at 11:00 a.m. This service will be held at our church in Burleson. The address is 506 Pleasant Manor Avenue. Please feel free to invite your family, friends and neighbors to celebrate the resurrection of our Risen Christ.
Adrienne and I want to thank you all for your faithfulness to Jesus Christ. We count it an honor and a privilege to serve you as your pastors, and we look forward to the remainder of 2006 that is still before us. We also want to thank you for your faithful giving to support our local congregations and the ministries that they are embracing. Please pray that we will continue to faithfully follow the lead of the Holy Spirit so that we can fulfill God’s will in our lives and in the life of our congregations.
May God our Father continue to bless you and your family in your relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit during this time of year as we give thanks for his unfailing love.
If Adrienne and I can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to call us at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook, TX, 76126.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
Dear Beloved Brethren,
Adrienne and I have certainly been thankful for the recent rain. Hopefully the abundant rain has been a blessing to you too.
We will be ordering an excellent group Bible study called the Discovery Series, which is published by CCBT out of Richardson, TX. This presentation of the Bible has been strongly recommended by our denominational leadership. There are four volumes and each volume cost $20, which is a discounted price. We are planning that each study group will do two books each year with a break in the middle. In other words, we will study the first book for four months and then have a four month break before starting the next book.
We are encouraging you and all of our members to sign up to receive the first volume. Also, if there is someone you know who would like to join with you in this study of the Bible, please sign them up as well. You can sign up at church or you can contact Adrienne or myself and we will add your name to the list. We will also have listings of possible times that groups would get together to discuss the material that is studied. If one of our church congregations do not have a convenient time, perhaps another one will.
Please remember that as of March 1, we are entering into the Christian Lent Season, which is a forty day period of reflection on the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you for your faithful giving so that we can continue to advance the Kingdom of Heaven into all of the world.
If we can be of assistance in anyway, please don’t hesitate to call us at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook, TX, 76126.
May God our Father continue to bless you and your family in your relationship
with Jesus!
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
Dear Beloved Brethren,
As we enter into this new year of 2006, Adrienne and I want to take this opportunity to wish you a year of blessings as you come to know your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, even better.
We look forward to identifying our personal and congregational ministries even more than last year. There is much ministry to be done both in our congregations and in our communities. We have already been given many tools to accomplish our ministry goals, and we will receive more as this year progresses. Our next Regional Conference will be the last weekend of July.
We are now meeting on Sunday morning in Burleson. We meet at 9:45 a.m. for Sunday School and Discipleship Classes and at 11:00 a.m. for the Worship Service. The Restoration Church has moved out, and is meeting with another local church. We have been guaranteed this schedule for the next six months. God knows what he has in mind, so please join us in prayer that we will know and obey his will as he leads us forward into the future.
There is also a change in Azle. The Azle Christian Fellowship is now processing its own offerings. For all of you who give offerings in support of this congregation, please make out your checks to ACF or Azle Christian Fellowship. You will be receipted for your donations on a quarterly basis.
Since Adrienne and I, as a team, are a Chapter Leader of ORM, I am including a copy of Curtis May's latest letter for you to read [Please see:www.atimetoreconcile.org]. Please pray that we can all contribute to what God has in mind for the Fort Worth Chapter of ORM. If we can be of assistance in anyway, please don't hesitate to call us at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook, TX, 76126.
May God our Father continue to bless you and your family in your relationship
with Jesus and the Holy Spirit during this upcoming year! May it be your
best year ever!
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
Dear Beloved Brethren,
Adrienne and I want to take this opportunity to express our love for you and our desire that you have a blessed Advent Season and a very meaningful Christmas.
The Fort Worth Advent Season begins on December 3-4 and will conclude on December 24-25. We will have a special Advent Service each week through the four weeks of Advent. We will have a Community Christmas eve Service at the Burleson Christian Fellowship place of worship at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 24. We meet at the Restoration Church at 506 Pleasant Manor Ave.
We have some special needs in our congregations that we need to consider at this time. Over the past several months our Burleson congregation has not been able to meet their normal operating expenses. Adrienne and I are asking that you join us in prayer that God would give his provision to our Burleson congregation to fulfill these financial needs.
In all three of our congregations, we have a need for our congregational ministries to be identified and embraced, as well as God's provision to provide for the financial needs of these ministries. In fact, we are so desperate for God's provision in these areas of concern, that Adrienne and I want ask you to join us in prayer and fasting during the week of December 12. Please choose a day and join us in asking for God's will in our congregational lives be made known to all of us so that we will have a consensus.
If you understand what a congregational ministry is in your congregation, please let your leadership know what it is. Your leadership includes your pastors and your advisory council members. Your leadership will pray over the ministry ideas submitted, and will then recommend to the congregation that we adopt those ministries that God has impressed on your council members' hearts.
This response should clarify what our congregational goals are and give us a greater sense of unity. Brethren, Adrienne and I believe that we are ready for this to happen. May Jesus receive the glory!
May God our Father continue to bless you and your family in your relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit during this time as we participate in the blessing of this year's Christmas Season.
If Adrienne and I can be of any assistance, don't hesitate to call us
at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook,
TX, 76126.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
Dear Beloved Brethren,
It has been a couple of months since I’ve written to you. We had
wonderful conferences both in the District
and National settings. Both conferences were uplifting and edifying.
Adrienne and I both needed what each
one offered to us.
This month of October has many good opportunities in the ministry of
reconciliation. The first expression of
this ministry is the on-going outreach to the Native Americans in the
North Texas area. I am currently
establishing relationship with the Kiowa, Comanche and Apache Tribes.
This ties in with the Healing the Land
Conference with George Otis, Jr. at the Will Rogers Conference Center
from October 19-22. The next tie-in
is the ORM (Office of Reconciliation Ministry) Conference, which
will be held on October 22-23 at the Omni
Park West Hotel in Dallas. This is for all Chapter Leaders from
around the world. I believe that all of these
expressions of reconciliation ministry are connected and will be tied
together to express God’s love toward
mankind. Your prayers for God’s guidance and inspiration in these
ministry outreaches are appreciated very
much.
Adrienne and I want to thank you for your faithful giving to support
our local congregations during this first year
of our being financially responsible for them. We still have
needs in the some of the other areas of our budgets,
as it relates to our local congregations, so your prayers asking for
God’s provision are appreciated. The main
areas of need are in compassion, missions and evangelism.
May God our Father continue to bless you and your family in your relationship
with Jesus and the Holy Spirit
during this time as we participate in the blessing of this year’s fall
harvest.
If Adrienne and I can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to call us
at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is
P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook, TX, 76126.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
Dear Beloved Brethren,
We have just experienced a wonderful emphasis on the God-ordained marriage relationship for the past seven weeks between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. We clearly saw the husband/wife relationship of oneness that God created in the union of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and how that expresses the mystery of the oneness of Christ and the Church. Jesus is preparing His Church today to be His Bride in the near future.
Now we are looking forward to the Regional Conference that will take place at the Omni Park West Hotel at 1590 LBJ Freeway (#635) on the weekend of July 15-17. To get to the hotel from the LBJ Freeway, take the Luna Road Exit, which is just before (going east) or just after (going west) the exit for I-35E. The emphasis will be on effectively reaching our youth and all the youth in our city with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even if you have not registered for the conference, we encourage you to come by the hotel for one or more of the sessions on Friday night, Saturday day or Sunday morning.
Adrienne and I want to thank you for your faithful giving to support our local congregations during this first year of our being financially responsible for them. We still have needs in the some of the other areas of our budgets, as it relates to our local congregations, so your prayers asking for God’s provision are appreciated.
May God our Father continue to bless you and your family in your relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit during this time as we participate in the blessing of this year’s summer harvest.
If Adrienne and I can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to call us
at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook,
TX, 76126.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
Dear Beloved Brethren,
We are now into our 9th month of the new financial model. We have done very well, but there is still some fine tuning that needs to be considered. One thing that motivates us in the area of finances is what defines our vision. Why are we here, and what are we to accomplish in the greater vision of Jesus Christ?
Adrienne and I have a vision for the Fort Worth area, and you have one too. How is your vision to be expressed, and how will it tie in with your pastors’? I am attaching a copy of our vision for the Fort Worth congregations for you to read. As you embrace the vision that Jesus has given to you, it will become the springboard for your mission in advancing the Kingdom of Heaven into all of the earth. When you are released into your ministry and you embrace it, the finances are provided by the God-given fruit of it. May God bless you in your ministry!
We are emphasizing the importance of marriage in all our services over the next month. We started on Mother’s Day and will conclude on Father’s Day. Marriage is under attack in our society, and we are standing firm on the foundational understanding that God’s Word gives to us about marriage. Marriage is not only about man and wife, but also about Christ and the Church. Please come and join us each week to hear the messages that God is inspiring for us and His Church.
On Pentecost, May 15th, the churches around the world prayed together during the Global Day of Prayer. We joined with them in prayer, as we asked Jesus to bring His Church together to fulfill His Great Commission.
May God our Father continue to bless you and your family in your relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit during this time as we approach the blessing of the summer harvest.
If Adrienne and I can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to call us
at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook,
TX.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
Dear Beloved Brethren,
I went for my first doctor’s visit after my heart attack on March 21,
and I was given a good report. The doctor said I did sustain some
minor heart muscle damage, but that my heart was pumping efficiently. I
do not
have any restrictions on my activities, although I sense that I don’t
have the stamina that I used to have.
We had a wonderfully inspiring Easter Service at the Burleson High School Auditorium. There were four churches and 600 members and guests who participated in coming together for the soul purpose of worshiping and celebrating our RISEN LORD, Jesus Christ. We did this in the spirit of our unity and oneness in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The pastor of the black church, Shevoyd Hamilton, gave a stirring message on “No Greater Love,” referring to Jesus laying his life down for us before he was raised up for us.
We will have a new time of meeting for our Saturday congregations. Both Azle and Euless will begin their services at 11:00 a.m. That means that Adrienne and I will only be able to go to one church each Saturday. Even though this is happening because New Life Covenant Church in Euless is needed to start a Saturday evening service, we feel God is saying that he wants me to slow down some.
We have a special service in Burleson this month on the 24th. Ron and Tonia Woolever will be presenting a four hour service on “God’s Covenants,” beginning at 3:00 p.m. They have done this for us before, and they do an excellent job presenting the Biblical perspective. Please come and join with us and receive the blessing of this teaching.
May God our Father continue to bless you and your family in your relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit during this time after the resurrection as we approach Pentecost on May 15.
If Adrienne and I can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to call us at (817) 249-2728. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook, TX.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
Dear Beloved Brethren,
I’m sure most of you have heard that I had a heart attack on Wednesday, February 23 at 12:30 a.m. I was taken to Southwest Harris Hospital by Adrienne and was checked into an ER Room by 1:15 a.m. The doctors and attendants administered clot busting drugs and the effects of the heart attack completely subsided by 2:45 a.m. I was then transferred to Harris Methodist in downtown Fort Worth. On Thursday morning I was administered a catherization to scope out my heart to see what damage had been done. The doctors found an arterial blockage of 90%, and they decided to install a stent so that the blood flow in the bottom right of my heart would not be impeded. All of the procedures were successful, and I am now at home recovering. Thank you for all of your prayers. I have felt God’s presence throughout this ordeal.
We are now entering into one of most meaningful times of the year according to the Christian calendar. First, we will observe Palm Sunday on the weekend of March 19-20, which recounts Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem as our King of Kings. Second, we will observe Maundy Thursday on March 24, which will renew us through the memorial of the Lord’s Supper. Third, we will gather to celebrate Easter on Sunday, March 27, to relive the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
This Easter Service we will join with several other Christian churches in Burleson at the High School Auditorium at 10:30 a.m. This service will express the oneness of the Body of Christ as we worship our Risen Lord together. Adrienne and I encourage all of you to come and join with us. Please invite your family and friends to worship Jesus with you this year.
May God our Father continue to bless you and your family in your relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit during this coming memorial season of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
If Adrienne and I can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to call us at (817) 249-2728.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett
Dear Beloved Brethren,
I want to thank all of you for your love and support of what
God has done in our fellowship through His Son,
Jesus Christ. We have had a long and wonderful journey
these past 10 years. Now we are in a place of
standing on our Rock, Jesus, so that we can go forward during
this upcoming year. There will be many exciting
opportunities that Jesus will place in front of us so that we
can respond to that which he wants us to do in His
Name.
Since the beginning of 2005, we only receive contributions
into our local accounts when we send monies
collected in the offering plates of our local congregations
to our denominational headquarters. Some of you
have sent your offerings to my business P.O. Box when
you have not been able to make it to services. Thank
you for helping us to be consistent in our giving.
I know that some of you who receive this letter want to help the Worldwide
Church of God, but you do not
attend our local services. I want to encourage you to help both
our headquarters, as well as the local
congregations. When we send in our local offerings, our headquarters
take out 25% for various
apportionments and fees and returns the remaining 75% to our local
bank accounts. Would you please
consider sending your contributions to P.O. Box 26952, Benbrook, TX
76126 so that both the local
congregations and the headquarter’s operations can be funded?
Thank you! Please make out your check or
money order to Worldwide Church of God. Please do not send cash.
The one area in our local budgets for 2005 that we do not have an appropriate
amount listed is in the area of
local and foreign mission work. Any amount that you can give
in addition to your regular giving will allow us to
build up a reserve, as well as plan for the mission opportunities that
Jesus will certainly send our way. One
desire we have for this year is to return to Saltillo, Mexico, to continue
with the mission work that we began
there last year.
May God our Father continue to bless you and your family in your relationship
with Jesus and the Holy Spirit
during this coming month and year.
In Abiding Christian Love,
Pastors Tom and Adrienne Pickett