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| Heritage Baptist Church Locust Grove, GA |
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| Pastor Terrell Hopkins |
INDEPENDENT BAPTIST CONFERENCE is coming to the Atlanta, GA, area this week. The first service will be at 7 pm on Monday night. Tuesday at 8:30 am classes will be conducted pastors and staff, layman, ladies, youth, and children. A luncheon is planned for noon and will be hosted by Dr. Russell Anderson. Then on Tuesday night will start the services at 7 pm.
A big thanks to our host pastor Terrell Hopkins who has pastored HERITAGE BAPTIST CHURCH for the last 14 years. He and his people are personal soul winners and I am looking forward to a great Sunday.
Dr. Bill Wininger will be the first preacher on Monday night and I will close out the Monday night services. Pastor Dexter Landers Jr. will preaching on Tuesday morning along with Pastor Dwayne Walker of Lexington, KY. A great luncheon is planned for Tuesday at noon after the morning classes.
Tuesday night Dr. Russell Anderson will be the first speaker and I will close out the Tuesday night service. It is not too late to bring your folks and be with us Monday night.
GREAT MEETING WITH DR. EDDIE LAPINA AND DR. RAY YOUNG
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| FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH of Hammond, IN. Wednesday night service |
I flew to Chicago and attended the Wednesday night service with the FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. Dr. Wendell Evans preached a great message on America. I thoroughly enjoyed the music and especially the message.
I was able to see my son and his family. They are the best! It is a thrill to see your children serving the LORD like they are.
Tuesday morning I had breakfast with Joe Simmons, our grandson, Scott, and his son Scottie. It is so hard to believe they have grown up so fast. Joe is graduate & travels for HAC recruiting students, Scott is on the church staff, and Scottie is a freshman at HAC. They are fine young people.
Dr. Russell Anderson, Dr. John Vaprezan, and myself meet with Brother Eddie Lapina and Brother Ray Young on Tuesday morning. We had a great time of fellowship and a good conversation about the ministries there. Eddie is doing a great job and I personally cannot imagine the load he is carrying.
I believe FBC is at one of those forks in the road that history will look back upon as a great day or a bad day depending upon their choice of a pastor.
Eddie made it plain that he is a “Jack Hyles man through and through.” Their buses are back up to 100 buses. They had over 1,200 saved last week. They have trimmed every thing down to a viable budget and are meeting that budget.
Dr. Hyles one time mentioned to Dr. Lee Roberson the importance of HIGHLAND PARK calling a TTU grad who had Dr. Roberson’s ministry philosophy. They did not do so and have paid a horrible price.
Dr. Hyles likewise made it clear in his instructions for FBC to call a man who has the philosophy of FBC and HAC.
A TENNESSEE TEMPLE UNIVERSITY grad is not the same as a HAC grad. A WEST COAST grad is not the same as the vintage Jack Hyles.
FBC and HAC are unique and must remain unique in order to be the ONLY giant church in history to survive. I believe it can and if these men have their way it WILL remain a great church.
It all depends on who they call! Some HAC grads have been influenced by others and have forgotten what Jack Hyles stood for and are more like others on the scene than Jack Hyles.
I hear some big conferences slapping at “Pentecost Sundays” “Topical Preaching” etc. Those whom they influence have no business being candidates for FBC, in my humble opinion.
I believe these two men loved and love Dr. Jack Hyles. I trust they will be listened too as they move forward erasing the last 11 years from their memory banks and pick up where Brother Hyles left off when he went to Heaven. GOD BLESS YOU MEN!
Rest assured a fundamental Baptist world that loved Jack Hyles is praying and pulling for you to choose a similarly principled man and not overreact by going the opposite direction, which is the normal tendency.
WHO HAS A RIGHT TO SPEAK?
I was asked, “If this is a local church then what right do you have to come to Hammond and give your in put?”
I believe that is a valid question and I will do my best to answer. When a local church feels led to start a Bible College and they go on the road to recruit students from other churches they in turn have an obligation to answer to those churches for those recruited students. Local churches led these young people to Christ and paid a high price. The college must be accountable.
If FBC had no college and there were no extensive effort to recruit then that would be another story. However, they cannot fill their college with our children and expect us to not be involved.
Whomever the new pastor is will be the head of HAC. The wrong man will be a disaster for the college and thus local churches have a right to offer their help with the process.
No one is dictating to FBC or demanding of FBC that it is our way or the highway. There are sincere men of God and layman of God who have no greater desire than to see the right man chosen so we can have another generation come out of HAC to reach the world with the GOSPEL.