A Divine Appointment in Ogdensburg

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a certain man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” (Acts 16: 9-10)

About 2 months ago, God placed a burden on my heart for the 27 million unchurched in the state of New York. Last week I traveled to Syracuse to meet with Lamar Duke, church planting strategist for the Baptist Convention of New York (BCNY) and Tommy Echols, church growth strategist for BCNY. We explored possible partnerships in Syracuse on Wednesday and then Thursday we traveled into the North Country to visit the churches of the Thousand Island Baptist Association (10 churches). Our last two stops took us to Richville Baptist Church and pastor Johnny Nixon, a young Alabamian with 5 small children. He has done a marvelous job and his church has grown to about 50. We felt a kindred spirit with him as he talked of both the facility and ministry needs of his church.

Our last stop Thursday was Ogdensburg, a community of about 12,000 adjacent to the St. Lawrence River, a rock’s throw to Canada. The only evangelical church in the area is Grace Baptist Church, a congregation of about 25, and pastored by Don Thoms. When we met Don, he asked where we were from. When Kenny Burell told him we were from Jacksonville, he looked stunned as he told us his daughter Stacey attends Jacksonville State University.

Then we knew, we had stepped into a divine appointment. He said, “My daughter attends church in a barn called EaglePoint! Pastor Don then noticed me and said, “Hey! Wait a minute! Don’t you preach there? I heard you this summer while visiting with my daughter!” We were frozen in our tracks, aware that we were in the midst of a divine appointment. We all had God bumps the size of golf balls all over us! God had answered our prayer for crystal clear clarity by saying out loud in our hearts, “This is it!” He probably knew our flesh would get in the way and we would look elsewhere.

Pastor Don shared his burden for the people of Ogdensburg and his desire to see another great spiritual awakening take place in New York. He gently spoke of his people and how their church wants to grow. Then he said, “Please come and help us!” We knew we had received our Macedonian call. As we debriefed back at the hotel it became clear to each of us where we sensed God was directing us to in New York.

This Wednesday night at 6:00 PM, I plan to share with you the details of our trip and the recommended steps for our mission partnership in New York. I encourage you to prayerfully search your own heart and how God will use you to help reach the unchurched of New York. Until then, please covenant to pray for pastor Don Thoms, his wife Susie, and the people of Grace Baptist Church.

On Mission,

Dr. Derek