Sorry for the VOX app invite. This is a audio email app. Just updating my new phone.

Sorry for the VOX app invite. This is a audio email app. I was updating my new phone.

Get on Voxer http://i.voxer.com/in209

Upcoming Events

So far this fall we've had September Ministry Involvement Month and Banquet where our new members were introduced to the various ministries available to them to serve in as well as an opportunity for others to get more involved in ministry that they hadn't previously.

This was a great success and I am pleased for the servant-like spirit our people show in ministry for God.

The month of October is Country Harvest Days with special Sundays planned each of the 5 weeks. Some are focused on visitors and others on christian fellowship.

Week 1 was Open House Sunday and church reception following the morning service. Many visitors were present and a opportunity to witness for Christ with souls and and 1 baptized.

Week 2 was Harvest Sunday with many visitors. This was a wonderful time of decorations with dressing up and fellowship. Also, a fun way of bringing excitement to the church service.

This Sunday is Week 3; Missions Sunday. We have invited a missionary who has been called to the field of India. Be in prayer for him and his family as they minister to us and share his burden of the call.

Week 4 is the BIG weekend! Saturday, October 22 from 3-5PM is our Family Fall Festival!! This is when hundreds of children and their families are invited for an afternoon of FUN, FOOD, and FELLOWSHIP with games, prizes, and give-a-ways. Best of all...its FREE. This is a GREAT opportunity to meet the families of our community and introduce them to a church that loves them and desires for them to know Christ. While the activities are going on teams of soul winners are canvessing the crowd of adult prospects and sharing the gospel with them...souls are saved! PTL!!

The next day Sunday the 23rd is Friend Day with Glorybound Quartet from HBBC in OKC. They are with us all day with a concert that night at 6PM. PRAY for this most important weekend that God would bless the efforts of His people to witness for Christ and minister to the people of our community.

The last Sunday; Week 5 is Pumpkin Pie Sunday. This is a relaxing Sunday of good eating and great fellowship around our pumpkin pie contest and God's Word.

Join us why don't ya for one or all of these events. You'll be glad you did.   



Proclaiming The Truth

Proclaiming The Truth has been our church theme for 2011 and I am proud to say our people have taken hold of this truth through their desire to know God's Word and their passion to share God's Love. I have seen many miracles in the lives of our church members and answers to prayer.
We have been looking at the book of John all year and preaching it's content in context to the proclamation of the truth found in it. This sermon series has made a profound impact on this preacher as well as on a large part of our congregation.
Souls are being saved and baptized, lives are growing in grace, and disciples are being taught the foundamentals of the faith as we proclaim the gospel of Christ.
As we enter the fall season many special Sundays are planned to reach our community with the good news that Jesus Saves. Last Sunday was Open House Sunday and praise the Lord for 6 saved and one baptized with vmany visitors present. This Sunday is Harvest Sunday and we're looking forward to a great time of dressing up old fashioned and western...YeeHaw!
Be praying for our Annual Family Fall Festival Saturday, October 22nd from 3-5PM. This is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to our community with the gospel by providing a time of family fun and fellowship.
Missions Sunday is October 16 with a guest missionary to India and Sunday, October 30th is Pumpkin Pie Sunday. I'm looking forward to both these Sundays in the life of our church. 

Praying for Rain

These past few months have been one of the most uncomfortable summers I can remember with temperatures at least 100 or more for about 6 weeks in a row. Everything is dying and fires are beginning to be a problem in our area. Many of the community are beginning to let this hot weather affect them with short tempers and a depressed spirit. All because of NO RAIN... 

 If Christians would get as serious about they're spiritual walk with God as they are with their worrying about if its going to rain we might begin to see Revival stir in the hearts of our people. Just like the dead grass and withering trees our spiritual walk with God often suffers from the lack of water; spiritual water. The water of God's Word. In Psalms 1:3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Country Harvest Days

This Sunday begins a Five (5) Week Fall Campaign at Tabernacle Baptist Church and we are expecting God to do great things in the lives of our people as well as the many visitors that are expected to attend.

Our first big day is on October 3 and it is our Open House Sunday. We will be opening our doors to the community for them to see the many things God is doing at our church. There will be reception in the fellowship hall following the morning service with many displays for everyone to see.

October 10 is Harvest Sunday. This is the time when our people dress up as old fashioned or western. We will have a contest and prizes for the best dressed. This is always a great time for fun and fellowship. Dr. Charles Trull will be our guest preacher for the morning service.

Missions Sunday is October 17 with Vladimer Lukyenov from Russia as our guest missionary. The emphasis will be placed on world out-reach as well as our community witness.

Saturday, October 23 is our Family Fall Festival and a concert by Witness! from HBBC. We're expecting over a 1,000 kids attending with games, rides, prizes, lots & lots of candy and food for everyone.

The next day is FRIEND DAY Sunday, October 24. Witness! again will be our guest singers for the day and all the kids will be eating a 500FT. Banana Split right after the morning service. It going to be GREAT!

We end the month with Pumpkin Pie & Coffee Sunday October 31. This is a time when all the ladies make or buy their favorite pie and there is a contest with prizes given away for the best one. This is a relaxing time of fellowship for all beginning at 10AM.

It will be a busy month for sure, but blessings from God don't come without alittle effort on our part. Invite your friends and let us all pray for souls to be saved and lives to be changed as we serve the Lord.

Looking Ahead

As pastor I am always reflecting on where we have come from as a church and where we are going as a ministry. God has been leading me to direct our church to make a bigger impact on our community than ever before. I am praying for His will in this matter! As with Nehemiah, he realized the need, he prayed because of that need, he was burdened for the need, and he submitted to the need. That is my desire for Tabernacle...submission to the need God has placed on our hearts to reach Altus for Christ. There will always be those who doubt the call, those who dare to deny the will of God, and those who will try to destroy the purpose of the church for selfish gain or for sinful ways, but God is in control! The next few months are very important to the direction of our church. We desire the blessings of God and the unity of the spirit as we seek God's will for us in ministry. Keep praying, begin planning, and always watching for the opportunity to make an impact on the life of a needy sinner or a seeking saint. I'm looking ahead for greater blessings for Tabernacle Baptist Church and desiring its people find God's will in ministry and in life.

God's Grace In Stormy Weather

It has been just over a week since the terrible ice storm hit our town of Altus. There are still thousands of homes without power and the aftermath of clean-up and fixing-up is under way. Many people have lost alot during this storm. Some have lost income through not being able to work and others through added expenses such as buying survival supplies and equipment to help make this time bearable.
The area towns have lost millions of dollars in revenue and with the expense of paying employees over-time to get the city back on it's feet. I commend the workers who are laboring around the clock trying to provide services and the employees of stores who opened up by generator power when they had none at home.
Can I say a good hearty THANK YOU to the workers of Altus!!! PRAISE THE LORD for you ALL!!
I write this at a time when I myself still have no power at home. We are still sleeping in the family room by the fireplace, we are still walking about with flashlight in hand, we are still eating, at times, half warmed food, we are still making every day trips for supplies and needed items and to top it all off, we are expecting bad weather in the next few days to compound the problem.
PTL for God's marvelous and wonderful GRACE! Without it...it would be tough. Without it...it would be rough. Without it...it would be...well, you get the jest of it. Last Sunday we had a morning service with no lights or heat, man was that a wonderful time in the Lord. Wednesday night we had an informal service and fellowship as the lights came on that day. This was a last minute call for everyone to come if they could and it turned out to be such a blessing with some not leaving until around 11PM. GREAT time with God's people!
Our 2010 Church Theme is "Guided By Grace" WOW! What an object lesson!! Tabernacle knows what it is to have been and still be giuded by the grace of God through a time of stormy weather. God is Good and God knows best for His people. I thank the Lord for my salvation and for the lessons He teaches us. I am also thankful for the membership of Tabernacle and their spirit of cooperation and care for each other and for their devotion for God.

Youth Night

Every month we have a special service when the youth minister to our church in serving the Lord.  The Cactus Kids sing and quote scripture they have learned in Character First Bible Class that month. What a blessing they are and how cute they look in their western outfits!
 Each month we have our teens give testimonies and teach object lessons that touch the hearts of everyone who hears. Our kids sing specials, play instruments for the offering, and the Champions Teen Choir participates by blessing us through song. We have 2 young teens who preach 5-8 minutes each and 1 young adult who preaches about 15 minutes.
There has not been a month that has gone by that my heart was not touched, challenged, or may I say...convicted! I am PROUD of our kids and they're desire to serve God in ministry!! Tabernacle's focus for our teens is the reproducing of ministers for the gospel of Christ. Part-time or full-time that is up to God, but some-time, that is up to our church.
Our youth today are struggling and their leaders seem to be waivering. I receive phone calls and e-mails from those who serve youth (very important) and they're searching for answers, but looking in wrong places. They think that being funny is enough...they think that being talented is sufficient...they think that being educated is adequate. LOVE & PASSION for ministry are the tools for success!! Teach the kids to love God and show them your passion for ministry!! Paul Chappell says this alot, "Vision is better Caught than Taught!"
Youth Night helps to do just that...Our teens work very hard in preparing and practicing to ministrer to the church every month. We teach them to take pride in serving God! To give God their BEST! This has developed into a better love for God and a stronger passion for ministry.
Tonight is Youth Night...Come and be Blessed!!

This is a test. For the next 60 seconds...lol

2010 and Technology

I'm learning a little more about how to use blogs, facebook, blackberrys, and more. I'm still a work in progress, but I'm getting there. Hopefully you be hearing from me more often when the new offices are completed and I get a handle on all this techno stuff. God Bless!

Summer Preparations

June is about to arrive and that means summer begins! June will be construction and remodeling month. We will have two church work days Thursday-Friday, June 4-5 with two shifts each day. 9AM-4PM and 6PM-9PM. We will be prearing the fellowship hall, kitchen, and the Spanish Auditorium for remodel beginning Monday, June 8. This hopefully will only take 10 days to complete from new walls and ceiling, paint, lights, and ceiling fans. In the spanish room there will be also new carpet as well as in the kitchen new flooring.
As soon as possible following the completion of phase 1 we will begin phase 2 which is the hallways and foyer areas with new paint, new ceiling texture, and lighting.
This should be completed by the end of June.
July is Youth month! A church-wide effort in directing youth camp for about 300 kids. With the church working together I believe we will see souls saved and teens give their lives to Christ.
In August we'll start back with phase 3 which deals with the outside of our property. More details will be forthcoming soon.
Be in much prayer for the journey ahead!

God's Blessings

God's Blessings
It has been awhile since I have blogged, but the days have flown by so quickly. We just finished our Stewardship Conference with Dr. J.C. House and it was a blessing to have him share with us his wisdom that he has gleaned from God's Word. One of the purposes of the conference was to present the need for raising an offering to remodel alot of the inside of our facilities. In the last four years we have been able to do so many wonderful things to make God's house more presentable to the people who serve faithfully here and for the visitors who attend weekly.I can say that God blessed us with a gracious offering and more anticipated to come in or be promised. Preparations are already in the works with the auditorium being painted beginning next Monday and the new P.A. equipment arriving in a few days to be installed in the next two weeks. Praise the Lord for faithful members! within a month one of them will be re-appolstering all the platform chairs, all the pews, and the usher's and foyer chairs. The first of June we will begin work on the new Spanish auditorium and classroom space. God is sure good inspite of us sometimes.This week my wife and I had the privlege of attending the Oklahoma's Preachers Fellowship hosted by Chris Austin and the Lighthouse Baptist Church of Lawton. What a great meeting! Pastor Harrell preached a stirring message Monday night about PREACHING the WORD! Tuesday Pastor Lindsey preached a heart-felt message about trials and how God triumphs over them and Brother Gaddis challenged us in Personal Spiritual Development which is essential for every man of God who serves in ministry. GREAT MEETING!!As I type our IT man (short for computer nerd lol) is busy installing our new office computers. He has been very busy these last few weeks getting everything ready for when we remodel the offices. Thanks Bro. Tom!God is GOOD, God is GREAT! even in trials or in triumphs. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!!

Easter Preparations

We're coming to the end of this long journey of preparation to Easter Sunday. Members are inviting friends and neighbors, people are bringing candy and eggs, staff is running around to get everything in its place, and the teachers are preparing their lessons to teach. Even though we have done all of this and worked very hard to plan a GREAT day...we still need Christ!
Please pray that the message will speak to every one's heart and that souls will be saved. See ya Sunday!

Lord's Supper

Tonight is when our church remembers Christ death, burial, and resurrection. This is a special service the we have each year during the Easter season. It is a service that is dedicated only for the purpose of this local church and for the benefit of it's people.
With lights dimmed low we meditate in prayer of the sacrifice that was given on our behalf. As we all partake of the bread and drink of the cup in solemn communion with reflection of God's grace and mercy to sinners such as we please remember never to take for granted Christ's payment for our sins.

Easter Season

PRAISE THE LORD for such a wonderful day we had in church Sunday! The attendance was down, but the Spirit moved in the hearts of our people. I believe with the Lord's Supper this Tuesday and with the preparations in place our Easter Service is going to be a day to remember. Please pray earnestly for souls to be saved and for hearts to be touched by the preaching and singing of the gospel message. Love ya church!

What a Wonderful Church!

My wife has a birthday today. She is ___ years old or should I say, "That she looks younger than she really is."lol Some of the ladies of the church surprised her with a special lunch at her favorite Altus restaurant, the "Grape Vine Cafe." They even brought me back some lunch in which I am very grateful. Kim had a wonderful time and she was very appreciative and humbled by the act of kindness on the part of the ladies. A special thank you goes out to Anna Johnson for ramrodding (I hope thats how you spell it) the event.

I am also blessed by the love and appreciation of the people in the church. This morning I read and entry from one of our teenagers on our church's facebook page asking members to write a "thank you" note to this non-deserving pastor. It wouldn't matter if anyone wrote anything or not. It is gratifying enough to know that a teenager in today's mind-set would even stop and consider his preacher. That's enough appreciation for me! (Love Ya Daniel!)

Learning the Web

When trying to reach the world with the gospel of Christ I sometimes feel inadiquate. Especially in the area of communicating on the Web. This is a tool that so many people emphasize the negative (for good reason!) We must always be careful in how we use tools for God and not fall into the traps of Satan.
So many people use the web that I, as an individual, could never reach on my own, but with this tool I can present the gospel to others all around the world. I'm beginning to understand the potential the web can have concerning the presentation of Christ to a lost and dying world.

Your servant,
Pastor Hawn

Tabernacle Baptist Church

The new age of technology is hear and it is dragging me kicking and screaming all the way. I don't understand half of what I'm doing, but I'm having fun learning.

Tabernacle Baptist Church would like to invite anyone who lives near by or is visiting Altus, Oklahoma to be our special guest in one of our services. You can visit us at our website www.tbcaltus.com for further information about our church.