Moving Christians from the pew to the harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38
May 29, 2023
Happy Memorial Day!
I trust you are enjoying the holiday weekend. This is a special time to remember, to celebrate, and to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so you and I can be free to live out our faith. This little window in history where we live is unique in human experience. Don’t take it for granted. We are truly blessed!
A change in schedule: Our New York trip is postponed. I was supposed to leave on June 1 for a 2 week tour. On May 23rd I had a Moh’s procedure on my right hand to remove a squamous cell cancer. The outcome was good in that they removed all the cancer. The complication came because of the size and location of the tumor. It required a skin graft taken from my upper arm. This was necessary in order to prevent a long term loss of movement in my thumb. As a result, my hand is bandaged for at least two weeks and my use of it is very restricted. The logistics of a 13 day trip with one hand were simply too great. I’m on the road to recovery, and will be rescheduling for the Fall.
IEMFe in Hermosillo: We finished the 2nd Level course, “Biblical Money Dynamics,” May 18 and 19. We had a good group, and the reports I received were outstanding. We had breakfast on Saturday with some of our core group pastors. It’s difficult to find words to describe the work God is doing among these churches. To put it succinctly, they get it. The Bible school is progressing, and the local churches are healthy.
I preached Sunday morning at Iglesia Vina Nueva. I was struck by just how vibrant the whole place was. Genuine fellowship, enthusiastic worship, and a hunger for the Word. We have watched this work go from an abandoned building on a dirt lot in a bad neighborhood, to a beacon of God’s glory in this place. It’s a privilege to be involved.
We continue to hear reports about how the Bible school material is being used in the local churches. One young lady who has been involved with the Bible school since 2019 asked if she could speak with me. She is graduating from college with a teaching certificate and asked for prayer for direction as she enters this new phase of her life. She said she wanted to thank us for the Bible school, as it had made such an impact on her walk with the Lord. She credited the foundation she received with enabling her to stay steady as she pursued her education and served in her local church. There were many similar testimonies on this trip – really encouraging!
New Class: In July and August, I will be teaching a course on the importance of the tithe. As you may know, there is quite a controversy about whether the tithe is for Christians today. This is an attack on the local church, and we need to be able to express our beliefs in a clear and biblically sound way. Pastor John Smith of our church here in Tucson has been kind enough to allow me to present this material on Wednesday evenings. We will be videoing the classes and making them available on YouTube. This is important.
Thank you for your prayers and support. You guys have made all this possible. We pray for each of you regularly. Thank you for your confidence in us. God is good, the devil is bad, and the Word of God works. Let’s stay the course and enjoy the ride!
Financial support can be sent to Faith Christian Fellowship of Tucson at the address below or given online at www.fcftucson.org. Make checks payable to FCFT and designate missions or pastorvirgil and it will get where it needs to go. There’s more to come, so let’s stay together and keep moving!
Please follow us at www.pastorvirgil.com. There’s new stuff every week. You don’t want to miss it. Share it with your friends. You can help by looking at the Pastorvirgil.com Facebook page and hitting “Follow.” Whenever you see a post, share it. This will help us reach more people. We also maintain a Facebook page in Spanish @IEMFeonline.
We are yours in His service,
Virgil and Judy Stokes
3141 W. Ironwood Hill Dr.
Tucson AZ, 85745
520-792-3238
pastorvirgil.com 