by Don Petty

LEWISVILLE Tex. (BNc)- The Lewisville Sound Doctrine and Practice Workshop – 2008 will be held August 8-10, 2008, with an outstanding line-up of good, solid, doctrinal speakers delivering eight lectures.

After we all had such a great time at the Missionary Retreat at Maywood Christian Camp in Hamilton, Ala., earlier this year, I have been wanting to have another workshop. Talking with the elders and ministers at the Lewisville church about the idea of a workshop, we decided to have one here in our facilities. It will include missions, evangelism and much more!

We will set up a Mission Learning Center exhibition of a ‘simulated culture’, probably Brazil or South Africa. My wife Sylvia and some co-teachers will show how she and I have been teaching young people to be ‘mission-positive’ for over 25 years.

We will share a meal at noon on Saturday in our fellowship area, at which time a four of our members, The Gentlemen Four, will sing original spiritual songs written by our own Lewisville brethren for singing in our assemblies.

Some of the points of our workshop will be taken from the Decline Study issues that have revealed why some in the church have left (at the rate of 10 per day for at least three years). The topics will be timely and on point, addressing some of the reasons for our loss of members, such as:

  1. We lost our fear of God and do not acknowledge or accept Him as Absolute Authority.
  2. We do not know the real meanings of and in the New Testament passages.
  3. We have lost our passion for the lost, and therefore we are not reaching out to teach them and bring them in.
  4. We have grown apathetic and lost our urgency for service and work in the Kingdom.
  5. We have grown to think primarily of ourselves to the exclusion of a lot of thought and prayers for others.
  6. We have installed elders who are not biblically qualified.
  7. We hire and hear preachers who are failing to clearly proclaim Sound Doctrine.

There will be exhibitors with all kinds of displays set up: outreach, missions, books, others. To exhibit something on tables in a visible area, please let us know in plenty of time to arrange a place.

Speakers include Jeff Jenkins, Ralph Gilmore, Dennis Jones, Ed Wharton, Eddie Cloer, Harold Taylor, Howard Norton, Willie Franklin and Gordon Hogan.

God bless all of you, and I pray we may repeat the Missionary Retreat with as much great fellowship, fun and information-sharing as we did this year.

For more information, see the workshop webpage,  call (972) 353-2518 or write Don at Dosyl56@aol.com.

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