Greetings!We’re thankful for the opportunity to see our facility improvements continue in rapid pace! The auditorium is being painted and re-carpeted today. Sheetrock is going up in the expansion as brickwork goes on outside. The fellowship hall area has several different subcontractors plying their skills to get that area ready for us to use. Thank you for your faithfulness in contributing toward...  Read More

Good afternoon,I pray you were as encouraged, and challenged, by Acts 16 as I was. To think that we've been delivered into a kingdom that enables us to rejoice in the midst of suffering, to love those who cause suffering, to wash the wounds of those we've hurt, and to leverage what we have for the good of others, the King of that kingdom must save in seismic ways. And He does.If you missed Sunday'...  Read More

Greetings!It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is upon us! This year has moved along quickly. We look forward to gathering around the table on Thursday for a wonderful meal, giving thanks for the Lord’s mercies shown so abundantly to us. I hope that you will have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!That means, of course, that Christmas is right around the corner. With it, we have two special opport...  Read More

Greeting!What a beautiful fall we’re having! It’s hard to remember a time when we’ve enjoyed such magnificent colors in the fall panorama. The seasons reflect the beauty and glory of God. They remind us of how things change until we reach the changeless glory of eternity. May we worship Him who gave us this beauty to enjoy and to remind us of His majesty in creation.The ladies meet tomorrow night ...  Read More

Greetings!As I work at my writing desk with a view out the window, I’m enjoying watching leaves turn. Honestly, one day last week I thought they changed within hours! Probably my imagination. But it’s still lovely!We’re about ready to start brick work on the exterior of the building renovation extension. The east side is gutted, readying for details to start unfolding. Now I have a greater appreci...  Read More

Good afternoon,With about three weeks left in the Wednesday night schedule (for each gender), we set about looking for a short book that might be both applicable and concise. John Calvin's "A Little Book on the Christian Life" seems to have fit the bill. Without being wordy or verbose, Calvin clearly communicates the essence of what it means to follow Jesus, deny self, and look forward to our hope...  Read More

Good afternoon,What a joy it was Sunday to gather with the body to read, hear, sing and pray the Word in the morning and then, in the evening, to fellowship together as Christ's redeemed people. Thank you to all the hands that made Elder Burger possible, from those mowing to those serving to those grilling to those helping to clean up afterward to those doing all the things that are unseen. It's d...  Read More

Good morning!We're inching closer to utilizing our new space! Thank you for your continued faithful support of this important project in the life of South Woods. We've branded it in our minds - Making Space for Making Disciples!Mercy for Memphis - Please pray for fruit from the time spent sharing the gospel at Shelby Farms. It is encouraging to hear of the opportunities that God placed before thos...  Read More

Greetings!Pastor Matt and I made our usual rounds this morning to check out progress on the building. Workers are erecting the steel framework for the new addition! We’re excited to see this progress! The renovation work continues with some of the fine details being addressed. We hope to be able to use this portion of the building in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned. . . .We look forward to renewing ...  Read More

Greetings!The building work is really taking shape! We should see the foundation poured for the new addition today or tomorrow. Details on the children’s wing continue to unfold. We are hoping to be able to start using this portion of the building, excluding the expansion, toward the latter part of October.Speaking of October. How about us doing our annual (almost annual, thanks Covid) Elder Burge...  Read More

Good afternoon,In mercy, the Lord set up church structures for the good of His disciples. One of those structures, or better, gifts, is what happens among us when we're strengthened by His Spirit at His Table. This past Sunday was no exception. If you missed the sermon on Acts 14:19–23, you can watch or read it here: (https://subspla.sh/hns528q)In that sermon, I talked some about the commitment of...  Read More

Greetings!I left the worship gathering on Sunday encouraged by the praises of God’s people and the exposition of God’s Word. We saw the beauty and power of the way the Lord works even among pagan people to open their eyes and show them the way to know Him. We sang about that. We read the Word about that. Then we heard the Word teaching about that. I hope that makes us pause long and thoughtfully t...  Read More

Greetings!I took a look out back this morning to see how the construction/remodeling is going. The electricians are busily at work finishing up all their tasks while there’s a crew doing the foundation work for the new addition. It looks like the weather will cooperate this week so that the foundation can be laid and work gets started toward the preschool addition. Meanwhile, the other rooms (much...  Read More

Greetings!We’re thankful to have been spared the horrible weather south of us, while praying for those who met the wrath of Hurricane Ida. Let’s keep the many crews in our prayers as they work to restore power and essentials. Let us continue to pray, as well, for the believers in Afghanistan who face living under enormous threats each day. Much of my meditation and prayers in reading the Word of l...  Read More

Good afternoon,What an encouraging Sunday considering Saul/Paul, Sergius Paulus, and the triumph of the gospel on the island of Cyprus. If you missed that sermon, you can read or watch it here: (https://subspla.sh/wncn7fw) However, for me, the highlights on Sunday were, 1. hearing the kids begin the worship service reciting Psalm 1, and then, 1a. hearing the body sing "Christ Our Hope in Life and ...  Read More

Good afternoon,What a joy it was Sunday to gather, worship, and pray the very things we saw the Antioch church do in Acts 13. If you missed that sermon on "The Church that Sends," you can watch or read it here: https://subspla.sh/mn7hdpyPastor Phil prayed for this Sunday, but let's continue to be interceding for parents, teachers, and the students in our body that have ramped things up the past co...  Read More

Greetings!Maybe I should write, overly warm greetings! Temps are piping right now. Summer continues but fall is drawing near. That’s especially noted with kids starting back to school. We hope that the year ahead will be filled with the wonder of learning as a gracious gift from the Lord for our kids. And to the college students (a couple of new ones from South Woods, too), we pray that you will f...  Read More

Greetings!We’re seeing some good progress with the building/remodeling project. The “fire lane” required on the south side of the property was poured this week. It looks nice but is a road to no where! I’m sure some of the kids will find good use for it since we prefer that the fire department never have a need for it! Most of the walls are up in the new children/preschool area (excluding the addi...  Read More

Greetings!Welcome back Matt, Julie, Owen, Eden, and Andrew! We welcome the Sligers back after finishing up a sabbatical in the northeast. We’re thankful for that time of refreshing that they were able to have. Pray for Matt as he prepares to preach on Sunday. Catching up after being away for a month is a challenge! So do pray!It’s great to be back after spending a week teaching at Southeastern Sem...  Read More

Greetings from Wake Forest!I left on Sunday afternoon to record video lectures with my co-professor Keith Whitfield at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, as we do an online class this fall on The Doctrine of the Christian Life. This will be the third time that we’ve taught a class together. I love working with him and enjoy the encouragement in our fellowship as we discuss the doctrine of ...  Read More

Greetings!What a wonderful day we had on Sunday! Gathering together in one service, finally, brought a lot of joy in the room. I loved watching the interaction before and after the service, as you lingered to spend time with one another. There was a lot of encouragement going on with our time together. We’re thankful for a sweet time of worship.The study in Sinclair Ferguson’s book, Devoted to God...  Read More

Greetings!No sign up this week! Thankfully, we get started with ONE WORSHIP SERVICE this Sunday at 10:15 A.M.! After over a year of tripling and doubling services, we’re thankful that the time has come to gather together in one time of worship and celebration of the mercies of our Lord. I look forward to seeing everyone together!Pastor Chris served us so faithfully on Sunday with a worshipful, ins...  Read More

Greetings!Some good things need to come to an end. Some do, some don’t. It was a good thing that we have been able to meet in multiple services to allow gatherings during the pandemic instead of trying to do some kind of online substitute (worship is a gathering—not an online viewing). When I hear of some churches still relying on online but not meeting, I find it depressing! But that good thing i...  Read More

Good afternoon,What a joy to gather to sing and pray and study the Word together this past Sunday. Thank you to everyone who served our children in the preschool area! I'm sure it was a bit of a transition for the kids that haven't done that in 14 months, but I imagine they'll reacquaint themselves with that area/practice over the next few weeks.Obviously we're all grieving with Chris after the pa...  Read More