July - December 2008

BI-ANNUAL NEWSLETTER

Dear Loved Ones in Christ,

     Greetings in Jesus Name from all the Erwins’. Our prayer is that the first half of 2008 has been filled with God’s Grace and Goodness in your life. Thank you for allowing us to send you this bi-annual report and ministry update. You will find our schedule for the rest of the year and information about our family and ministry.

MINISTRY REPORT
     From the very beginning of January to the day you read this in early June, we have been extremely busy in the proclamation of God’s Word in preaching and song. We are so blessed of God to have such a full and busy schedule. My prayer 34 years ago, when I first answered God’s Call to preach, was for the Lord to open doors of ministry. He has so graciously answered that prayer. We have tried and are earnestly trying to fulfill His Will by serving Him faithfully. So far this year, we have served in 22 week long revival meetings and in 32 different churches. We have driven thousands of miles to Florida (twice), South Carolina, Mississippi (four times), Arkansas and all over Texas. Most importantly, we have served each week in awe, at the Power of God and His Word, as we have witnessed the Lord change countless lives in the services. Souls have been saved and countless numbers of Christians have experienced revival and spiritual awakening. What a thrill each week to watch our Lord move in hearts! We give Him praise for every victory! Our schedule for the remainder of 2008 is absolutely full. As I mentioned earlier, please keep the schedule for a reference to pray for our services. We desperately need your prayers for safety and spiritual strength to fulfill the work God has set for us in future months in Tennessee, Kentucky, California, Mississippi and in the great state of Texas.

NEW RECORDING
     We have just finished recording a brand new project that we are really excited about. The boys and I worked so hard with our engineer, Jonathan Thrift, and we believe that this will be our best recording effort yet. We have some powerful songs that proclaim the Truth of God. For the first time, little Katie will be on this recording. She recorded 2 really sweet songs. They are worth you ordering this CD. It should be available, hopefully, by our campmeeting, in mid July. Feel free to contact us if you would like to order one or more of these. This recording also contains our most requested song ever “The Broken Ones”, sung by Kristopher and Kody. Order yours today!

CAMPMEETING UPDATE 2008
     We are working hard to prepare for our 11th Annual East Texas Baptist Campmeeting, which will be held July 14-18, at the air-conditioned, Canton Civic Center. This meeting has been used of God to bring God’s people together for a great week of preaching, praise, prayer and fellowship. Each year seems to get better and we ask you to begin to pray for the services now. Bring your family, friends and church group for a tremendous week of revival and evangelism. On Saturday night, July 12th, we are again inviting you to join us for a “Campmeeting Night” at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo. The staff there has reserved us an entire section right by the bucking chutes. It is always an exciting time of fun and fellowship that helps us kick off the Campmeeting with a real Texas flavor. Pastors, we invite you to promote this event in your church and bring your group to the rodeo. Tickets are only $6.00 per person. For those of you coming in from out of town, we have reserved a block of rooms at a Mesquite area motel, where we are staying that night. You can then join us and the Rochester Family the next day at two churches in Mesquite before, the Campmeeting begins on Monday night. Call me for information. We are excited to have the Rochester Family with us for the entire week this year. Mark your calendar & we will see you in Canton!!

FAMILY UPDATE
     The Lord has certainly blessed the Erwin Family in so many ways. The children have just finished their school year and are excited about the fun of summer. They are growing both physically and spiritually. Kody (14), just had a birthday in April and has really hit a growth spurt. He has almost caught up with Keith in height. Kristopher (12) had his birthday on May 5th and is getting ready to get his braces put on. He says he is only looking forward to getting them off. Keith (15), just passed his driving test to receive his permit (you have been warned!!). He is really careful, we just pray he stays that way. Katie (7) is “little Miss Sunshine”, because she lights up every room she enters. She is a great help to mom and dad to keep an eye on her brothers. Tiffany really needs your prayers for her Arthritis condition. She is taking all types of medication, including daily injections and IV chemo treatments every 6 weeks. The chemo treatments have eased a lot of pain, but, as you know, there are some side effects with chemo. It is really forced her to stay in and slow down, and she is not good at doing either one of those. Please pray for God to completely heal her and deliver her from this problem. We really need her at her best to take care of all the kids, which includes me, the biggest one of all. We thank the Lord for the privilege of serving Him as a family in ministry.

     In closing, I want to thank you for your prayers and love offerings over the past 6 months. Because of your kindness and prayers, God has taken care of our needs. I mentioned in our last newsletter about bus tires and help for Tiffany’s ongoing, expensive IV treatments. I received a special gift from a sweet couple in the Beaumont area and a gift from our dear home church, Ovilla Road Baptist Church, to take care of those needs. PRAISE GOD!!!! Others of you have provided offerings and monthly support to meet our ministry and family needs. We could never thank you enough for your Christian love. Your continued help has never been needed more than now. We have really felt the impact of the increased fuel cost of travel. Also, we have lost the support of some churches and some individuals who have been providing monthly support. The total loss of our monthly support is $300. Add that with the added fuel cost, and our added deficit is around $600 per month. I know many of you already help us so sacrificially, but, I am praying for some of you who are not currently supporting this ministry to consider a monthly donation of $25, $50, $100 or more to help us serve our Lord. Possibly, your Sunday School Class or Church Mission Fund could consider us a Home Missionary to America. We will provide you a report every 2 months of what the Lord is doing through your help. Help us reach God’s people for revival so that we can all reach the lost before we are all called home. We don’t have long. Surely the Lord is coming SOON!! Thank you for your prayerful consideration. Feel free to contact us at anytime. We look forward to seeing you soon. We love you all.

                                                                                                            In Christ,

                                                                                                            Brother Dennis Erwin & Family