Homecoming

Psalms 122:1: “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

It is hard to believe that it has been 22 years that the doors opened for the Grace Bible Church.  18 People met in a home for the first time. That same week we got a call from two ladies that told us we could use their church. So, the church started meeting on Wednesday and Sunday nights. We had agreed to rent a building on Bloomfield that was owned by Murrel Cecil who was housing furniture in the building, but we never made it there because within two months we had outgrown that building. 

We prayed for where God wanted us to begin to worship. The building across from the Post Office seemed to be where the Lord wanted us. But when we inquired to rent it, we were told that the City had already paid three months rent. We asked if we could at least go and look at it to get ideas. We did, and we stood in that building and prayed and told the Lord that for some reason we felt that this was the place He wanted us to be. We gave the keys back to the owner and went on our way. The next day the Winchester Sun came out with a story that the city had lost their grant. Within two weeks the building was ours, and it would be ours for the next 10 years. 

How good the Lord is! He has answered so many prayers! The bank allowed us to use their parking lot on Sundays and then being willing to black top the entire back parking lot for free for us to have additional space. We were given a house behind our building that we could use free of charge of over 5 years. I could go on and on with story after story of God confirming to us that He wanted a work on this hill.

The buying of the Fannie Bush Elementary school and the establishing of Grace Bible Academy that now houses over 200 Children.

As I write this I am thinking of all those who have gone on to be with the Lord that without them this would have not been possible. This place tugs on my heart every day and I think about how the Lord has blessed us and continues to bless us.

It is my prayer that each person who attends Grace Bible Church will make this church theirs.  And that it will be a joy to them when they attend and they find the Lord Jesus’ presence every service. Crickett and I have often said that the people of this congregation are family to us.

So, we hope that you will be glad when they say “Let us go unto the house of the Lord.” For when you read the rest of that Psalm here is what you find. You find a place to give thanks to the name of the Lord. You find a place to pray for the peace of Jerusalem which we know is when the Lord Jesus comes back. It tells us that we will find prosperity within it’s walls, the blessing of God and peace. And the result is verse 9, Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good. 

Pastor Lee Cruse