Church of the Open Door Newsletter
April 2010

Spanish Ministry

Wilson, a young man who has been faithfully attending Spanish Church, went into the hospital suffering from appendicitis. After having the surgery to remove his appendix, he had some complications which led to him to staying in the hospital for over a week. He was unable to eat or drink during that time, and lived off of the IV fluids that were being administered. It was a challenging time for Wilson and his relatives. While he was in the hospital, we visited him many times. On Sunday the 21st, Wilson asked if I could tell him what we were going to study during the church services. He did not want to miss the teaching. He might not have been getting physical food but he did not want to miss out on his Spiritual food. During one of the first hospital visits I asked Wilson when he got saved. He shared that during one of the first activities (indoor door soccer in the church’s gym), he listened to us present the gospel and he prayed to ask to Jesus to save him. He went on to say that since that day he has had a great desire to know more and more of the things of the Lord and His WORD. It is exciting to know that God is using the different activities and meetings that we have had to change the lives of young men like Wilson and many more. Praise the Lord he continues to work in the lives of those we are seeking to reach.

Keep praying for the Spanish Church. We had record high in the month of March. Also, be praying that God will raise up labors to serve with those of us in the Spanish ministry. Because of the growth of the ministry, the ministry responsibilities are adding up. Also, with spring time coming, we are expecting an increase in opportunities as many will be coming to the area to work in the landscaping and agriculture areas of the community here in Carroll County. If you have any contacts that you would like for us to reach out to or follow up on, please contact us here at the church. Be praying for the Lord to continue drawing people unto Himself.

Children’s Ministry

April is going to be a very busy month as school begins to wind down and summer quickly approaches! Our church will again be hosting the Master's Club Regional Competition, this year on April 17th! We would encourage our folks to come out and support our children as they compete in races, music recitals, puppet show competitions, speed stacking, and several other exciting challenges!

Summer is quickly approaching which means Summer Stomp 2010 is almost here! The Lord blessed in a mighty way last year, with souls coming to Christ and many young hearts making decisions for God! If you are interested in registering, the blue brochures are on the Welcome Desk and on the table in the main hallway. If you have any questions, would like to make a donation to the scholarship fund, or if you are interested in helping with camp this year, please contact Pastor Carabell at ext. 337. Please continue to keep camp on your prayer lists as we desire to see God's hand in this ministry!

Bus Ministry

Please pray for God to bless the big day that we will be having April 18th . We pray that many souls will be saved through our annual Skate Day! It is so exciting to see these kids inviting their friend and parents to come to church, and then it’s even more exciting to see them come to a saving knowledge of Christ. God continues to work in ways that we can never understand. We must continue to make a stand for HIM. If you are interested in helping with Skate Day please sign up at the Welcome Desk or call Pastor Todd at ext. 352.

Soul-Winning Testimony

Yesterday I spent an hour on the phone with managers of a credit card company trying to resolve some complications that came up because of our last trip to the Philippines. The manager that I spoke with the most was “Aris Than”, a 24 year-old college graduate. About 3 am his time (afternoon my time), he took the complicated call at the Customer Service department.

I told him I was coming to Manila and that I would be teaching a class on “How to share your faith without starting an argument” as well as preaching on Easter Sunday morning in Mandaluyoung. After chatting some, I asked him if he believed that Jesus had risen from the dead on Easter morning 2,000 years ago. He said he believed that with all his heart and that he was a devot catholic. After talking some more, I mentioned that I was a teacher. He asked me what kind of teacher I was. I said I was a motivational teacher, motivating churches to ask my favorite question. Aris asked me what my favorite question was. I told him I liked to ask every man “if you were to die right now, do you know absolutely, 100 % sure, that you would go to Heaven.” He said this: “Sir, do you know the answer to that question?” I said the answer is in the Bible.

I began at Roman 10: 9 as I was trained. Carefully he listened and began to write down the reference. To make sure he would not get in trouble at work, I made some statements about my pin number and ATMs. He was not sure of Heaven at all and was fascinated that a person could have peace and be sure of eternal life. Using the Roman Road, we quickly reviewed the points of the Scriptures. He readily agreed. Then I explained an illustration I learned from the Soul-Winners’ Club, how of the two thieves on the cross, one went to Heaven and the other went to Hell. Both were in the presence of Jesus the Savior, but one perished. Conviction descended upon Aris. He was moved, and I asked him these words: Aris, if Jesus is right now in our midst and can hear your prayer, would you be willing to call upon Him and ask Him to remember you when He comes into His Kingdom? He said yes he would. Then I led him phrase by phrase through the sinners’ prayer. I could hear him praying out loud right there in the customer service center. He was gravely serious. When I finished the prayer…“in Jesus name, Amen”, Aris was so joyful! He told me he was now born again and saved. I said, “When?” He said “Now, today, March the 16th.” I said, “By what authority?” He said, “The authority of the Holy Scriptures.” Praise God!

- Don Frazier

Our mailing address is:

Church of the Open Door 
550 Baltimore Blvd 
Westminster, MD 21157
Phone: (410) 876-3838
Website: http://www.opendoorchurch.org