Reporter: Bro. Connor Livingston

Greetings again to the churches of the ALJC Georgia District!  I opened last quarter’s newsletter claiming that things were going “well as usual”, but thankfully I have a different report this time; the First Apostolic Church of Rome’s blessings have multiplied since I last wrote to you.  It is our prayer that the same can be said of all who read this.

First, I write to you about the most important subject, which is the salvation of souls.  We have had three baptisms this quarter: Jeffrey Hughes, Pat Hulsey, and Jonathan Clay.  Furthermore, at a recent church camp in Tennessee known as Landmark, four of our members received the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit.  They are Jonathan Clay (who, you may note, was also baptized) Osman Ortiz, Noah Savala, and Nick Savala.  Congratulations to them all on their milestones in their Spiritual lives.

Many people believe that summer is a time for rest, but in actuality, “summer break” was invented so that children could assist their parents with farm work.  Our church has certainly embraced this mentality with the numerous fundraisers we’ve held.  Our youth has hosted dinners and yard sales to raise money for the ALJC Youth Camp.  Also, our car washes have raised hundreds of dollars, no thanks to the massive ambulance that we washed for a mere eight dollars.

The summer hasn’t been all work for the youth, however.  July 4^th was celebrated here with, of course, a cookout.  Many Fridays, also, have been reserved for what we call “Youth Blasts”, a time in which people of all ages would gather for, as our Pastor would say, “food, fun, and fellowship… in that order.”  These events were organized by the ladies of our church, and so I thank them here.  The last Youth Blast also doubled in recognition of Pastor Gary Livingston’s 65^th birthday.  On behalf of FAC, I’d like to say that we love our Pastor.  Happy birthday, Paw!  (Remember those middle school context clues you had to use in my last newsletter?  They’ll come in handy again to decipher the identity of “Paw”.  If you skipped it last time, well, do so again, because it’s still not that important.)  Also, Youth Blast was canceled one Friday, as it was replaced with a Birthday Lock-in.  This lock-in, though placed on my good friend Reba Wood’s actual birthday, was designed to commemorate myself.  Don’t worry, I was courteous to the actual birthday girl, and gave her full birthday rights after 12:00 (when her birthday actually started).  I was touched to see everyone that showed up, whether for me or the awesome party, I didn’t care, and I’d like to thank everyone who helped set it all up.  My parents, Greg and Ricki Livingston, were the masterminds, so I’d like to tell the whole Georgia District that I love those two.  Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the awesome party! We also celebrated another special birthday, Bro. William Wilson turned 80 this year and his family hosted a surprise party for him. We love and appreciate you, Bro. Wilson.

Wait, now, I’m not done talking about the Youth.  We’ve worked and played, but more importantly, we prayed.  (See what I did there, with the rhyme?)  Every third Friday of the month is still devoted to Youth Service, which is becoming increasingly anointed.  Also, the Youth has had another major development in Spiritual Ministry… (Dramatic music) SUPER CHURCH!!!  Every other Sunday boasts a morning service held by youth, for youth.  The concept quickly became popular after our coronary service, held on June 13^th.  Though DeWayne Carter, the MC, jokingly called it “Ghetto Church” at the service’s opening, it ended with a powerful Spirit movement, a tradition that hasn’t yet ended!  Praise the King for Super Church!

More food on the table here: Mother’s Day and Father’s Day were both celebrated with breakfasts; “Muffins for Moms” and “Donuts for Dads” (I’m sure you can guess which one went with which holiday).  Father’s Day also had a special bonus: the service was preached by Missionary to the Netherlands, Pastor White (known to some as “Danny Ray”).  We always enjoy having he and his wife, Georgette White, visit the church during their time in America.  Because “Uncle Danny” and “Aunt Georgette” consider themselves siblings of my parents, I am privileged to spend more time with them than others in the six years that they have been visiting annually, and in taking part of all their adventures, including this trip’s “Flair Hair”.  This year, they brought one of our church members, Reba Wood, back to Holland with them, to mentor her in the life of a Missionary.  I’m sure that this willing young woman is learning a lot from the wise Missionaries, and all of us here (at the time of this writing) are anxiously awaiting her return.  (If you wonder where you’ve heard her name before, reread Paragraph 4, Sentence 10.)

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.”

-Connor Livingston

~Romans 8:28~