The OBC Elders met for their regular monthly meeting at 7:00 p.m. on August 15, 2017. The meeting began with Pastor Pat leading the elders in a time of prayer. The Lord commands us to pray about all things, especially when it comes to local church ministry and the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord and we delighted to obey His command.

He is our Savior, and He is our authority. He alone holds the office of prophet, priest and king. We are so encouraged as the body of Christ to believe and stand in faith in His name. We know we have done nothing on our own to receive salvation in Christ. It is all the work of God, through His Spirit that causes us to be born again from above. We pray that many in Omaha would hear the saving message of Christ and believe.

It will be a very short time before fall ministries resume. This will mean fruitful labor for many, serving in a variety of roles to support and proclaim the message of Christ and all that it entails. Please be in prayer about the ministry here at OBC.

As elders, we are so thankful for all those who serve and attend the midweek activities, but nothing replaces the necessity of corporate worship on Sunday mornings. There, the local church uniquely experiences the means of grace through the hearing of the Word preached and participation in the Lord’s Supper. Christians cannot grow without it.

Also, please continue to pray for Pastor Pat and his preaching ministry. He is faithfully preaching through the Gospel of John and just started the wonderfully God-blessed fifteenth chapter very.

It is also that time of year, with school starting again, that OBC Care Groups will be meeting in homes across Omaha. We have renamed the Care Groups to Home Groups because all 16 of them will be meeting in homes. There will be a list soon at church and online as to each location and who will be hosting each home group. There will also be a short description of each home group regarding demographics and particulars.

Please pray about your participation and involvement in the groups. It is a perfect and vital setting to pray and love others in Christ and provides a rich time studying the Gospel of John as a church family! The elders are thankful for the body life at Omaha Bible Church and are praying for the continual encouragement we all can receive through home groups.

Finally, Frank Barber discussed the Giving and Attendance Report from July. The monthly general offering totals were $68,433.07 against a plan of $72,154.89. We are praying for continued sacrificial giving to continue in the months ahead.

We are praising the Lord that our needs are being met and we continue to pray for strong giving, so we can reach our budget for the year. Your prayers are vital! We are amazed to see how God has blessed us with many opportunities for ministries here in Omaha as well as India and in the future, Malawi.

The meeting closed at 9:06 p.m. The next regularly scheduled Elder meeting is planned for September 12, 2017.