Welcome to North Second Street. The Spirit of God continues to hover over the waters and to create growth in a dry desert. If you follow social media posts of preachers and teachers within churches of Christ, you would think the church is in turmoil and headed in the wrong directions. Each week, one article decries the lack of young people, another claims few men will preach any more, while another observer complains we must leave our convictions on immersion baptism for believers, the Lord’s supper as a weekly observance, congregational singing, and female leadership in the church.
With all that turmoil at the surface, our humble little group; loves each other, teaches the word of God, keeps worship simple, and prays for God to send his Holy Spirit. He has. He is. And he will (Luke 11:13).
Sunday Morning Attendance Amount + or – of Weekly Budget
2021 50.3 + $392
2022 65.0 + $281
2023 78.4 + $584
2024 80.2 + $1072
2025 88.1 + $887
When we look back in twenty years, I believe we will view 2025 as a transition year. It looked as if we would build a long-awaited and needed building to house our growing brood. Circumstances kept us from realizing that dream and there is a danger our group could stall. Is this God answering our prayers with the word “wait.” Or is Satan throwing fear and a few potholes in our way. God knows. All praise to the Lord. May his will be done.
Part of that transition may be due to God’’s wisdom in giving us another shepherd and two more deacons. Perhaps our Lord saw the need for more hands on the plow to make our expansion work. Either way, we are blessed and God is glorified! It is a real pleasure to have Tom Cunningham joined to the original Davids (Brown and Muiznieks) in kingdom work. The future is bright as well with Jason Teitloff and Ryson Shepherd added to Jim Lahue and Alva Wealde as servants of God at North Second Street. Praise God for willing and capable servants.
Our group has been touched by loss this year. Melanie Johnson and Louise Hibbs passed away within a week of each other. These women were true lights in this world. For any of you who do not know, Melanie lived with paralysis and extensive injuries from a head-on crash 25-years ago. When Wendy and I moved to town, there was Melanie (who Wendy knew from her job in Bowling Green). Yes she was in a wheelchair, but her personality was not. Louise Hibbs brought wit and a deep knowledge of Scripture to our group. No matter how obscure a Bible story or Scripture might be, I could always rely on Ms. Hibbs to get the reference. May we all meet on that beautiful shore.
With the increase in shepherds, have come more sheep. Neal and Ryan Brooks (plus five) hitched their spiritual load to our wagon. We have four more families expecting children in the next six-to-eight months. The Rabbitts added Jon Bradley. The Austin Kerrs brought Lorna Vess into this world. The Waeldes became a quartet by adding Stella. Ireland made the Osbornes a family of six.
We had our share of spiritual rebirth. Ysabella Barnett, Kayla Williams, Clint, Hayden Hicks, Clint Thompson, and, as 11:PM last night, Gabriel Garcia were all baptized into Christ in 2025. Taylor and Hannah Smith joined the work here in February. Jeff Martin and the Greens (Daniel, Kate, and Kitt) added themselves to our number the next month.
Johnathan Banning held our spring teaching series and Florida College professor Todd Chandler delivered a mini-meeting on believing God and not Darwin.
All this led to planting, watering, and God giving the increase. As impressive as the 88 looks as an average attendance figure. Consider the last quarter of 2025. The saints who meet at North Second Street averaged an assembly of 104 on Lord’s day mornings. Praise the Lord!
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