Strong spiritual leadership is so very important to the health of our church. That’s why I’m excited about two godly men that our church is setting aside this Sunday for deacon ministry: John Breakfield and John Triplett. The Deacon Ordination Service will be held this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. I know that you’ll want to express your support for these men. We’ll have a covered-dish fellowship lunch after church, so please bring your best dishes to share.

Many of you know John Breakfield and John Triplett. I’ve had the privilege to be their pastor these past 3 ½ years. It’s been a joy to get to know them and their families and to watch them grow in their faith and in their service to Christ and our church.

John Breakfield currently serves as Chairman of the Building and Grounds Committee and often volunteers doing the labor himself. John and his wife Brenda have two grown daughters and are expecting to be made a grandparents this weekend!

John Triplett is our Youth Sunday School Teacher. He’s been faithful to prepare and teach each Sunday morning, and the class has really seen an increase during his time. John is married to Vera and has two daughters Jontell and Taylor.

Several months ago, I began to talk to John and John individually about serving as deacons in our church. We had several conversations about the role of a deacon in the local church from passages of Scripture. They both read through a little book called Deacons: Servant Models in the Church by Henry Webb. When they came to the point where they believed that God had indeed called them to this ministry and I believed that they were ready, our existing deacons formed Deacon Ordination Councils to test them. In both Councils the recommendation was unanimously in favor! Then, we brought them to the whole church for their approval, which you gave.

This is a joyous time in the lives of these men and our church. God is laying foundations of leadership for increased ministry for years to come. Praise God for the exciting things He’s doing in our midst!