After the recent flooding Disaster Relief drove in with a semi filled with cleaning supplies, clothes, shoes, blankets, pillows, baby needs, food, water, etc. to help the flood victims.  Thank you to all who helped unload on January 2 and helped distribute to those in need!!

Greetings, Folks:

Our own record had been broken again! There is much to tell you in this letter period, but first things first. “To God be the glory, great things He hath done; So loved He the world that He gave us His Son Who yielded His life an atonement for sin. And opened the life gate that all may go in.” Twelve more precious souls have gone in the life gate through baptism at this time, breaking our old record of eleven in the last letter period. At the last report we had topped at 100 baptisms since the church started in 1997. So now we are at 112 baptisms working towards the second goal of 200 baptisms. Folks, please give Father God and Jesus God the glory for these numbers, not myself or anyone else! Only because of Father God’s love and because Jesus sagged and strained against the nails can these wonderful things be done.

Thank you to all of you spiritual investors who have a loving part, by your gifts of love to keep all the necessary things up and running at the work site here at the church.

The food bank is well stocked at this time, and we have saved a little money to help us get through the lean months of January, February, and March when very few people will be coming to Branson. We are ready to work through the winter now, saving souls. Please pray for soft, pliable hearts for us to sow the seed of Christ in. Your prayers of faith invoke the power of God to make more and higher numbers possible. Never look back and say we can’t do something. “All things are possible with God!” Matt.19:26. The number of inquiries for food and Bible studies has jumped from 178 last letter period to 242 at the writing of this letter. My Bible is getting almost worn out from flipping pages and answering questions!

The names of the new converts are:

Brian Moore, background unknown; Curtis Halbmier, unknown; Brenda Lamb, Baptist; Chris Lawson, unknown; a group of 3, Mary Jane Soto, Valerie Soto, Alberto Moreano, all Catholic; Sarah Stringer, Baptist; James Stewart, Baptist; Carrie and Michael Martinez, Baptist; Deborah Jeanne Hide, Baptist. Twelve total.

Something that You Can Help Us With:

The Catholic church, Methodist church, Lutheran church, and Baptist church, and the West 76 Church of Christ are all together having sign problems with the city of Branson. I know of these 4 churches, including us who have letters of complaints about signs sent to the city. With one voice we are trying to change things. These letters are appearing in the newspapers. Meetings are being set up with the city to change things at this time; we hope it will! The city is conscious of visitors and their needs when they come to Branson. If many of you, our supporters, could write a letter saying you want us to get a permanent sign and why, it might help to sway the tide of thought at city hall. The mayor is Karen Best, Aldermen names’ are: Patrick Parnell, Rick Todd, Bob Simmons, Cris Bohinc, Rick Davis, and Mike Bbestooth. The address for all of them is: Mayor and All Aldermen, City of Branson, 110 West Maddux St., Suite 210, Branson, Missouri 65616. Address one letter to Mayor Best and All Aldermen.

In the process of the tornado and one business selling out, we lost our permanent sign at the Ozark Land building. At the Western Wear store, we were granted permission by the owners to put up a sign, but the city turned us down. The following are reasons that we need a permanent sign: 1) Visitors call the church building all the time on Sundays saying they missed the turn off and are trying to double back to find the church. This is a hardship. 2) People who need the food bank can’t find it either. They call us; this is a hardship! 3) The number of visitors has been dropping because they can’t find us and give up and go someplace else; this is a Hardship! 4) Our visitors’ donations are down since the tornado. This costs us thousands of dollars. 5) If some of you supporters have missed the turn off at Ellen Street tell them about it! 6) Ask your elders to write a letter if they agree and are behind us as a Church of Christ to have a sign. The city let us have a sign when we first started. Stop the hardships! 7) The city started considering us to be a small business instead of a church. This is at the heart of the problem. Tell them that a true church sells nothing; it exists on tax-free offerings given by its members; a small business sells to make a profit. It’s a hardship on visitors who don’t know much about Branson to look for Ellen Street with no directional sign to the church. It’s dangerous to have to try to turn around and double back using service stations, show parking lots, or motel driveways; this is very frustrating on first time visitors who come to Branson. It would only take one real estate type directional sign that would read on both sides with arrows to cure all this dangerous turning around and doubling back. Tell them we want what every other church already has!

We suggest that you look online to see a copy of the complaint letter that we are sending to the city of Branson at:

http://west76churchofchrist.webs.com/lettertocityhall.htm

Professor Stafford North at Oklahoma Christian (OC) wrote an article about us in his monthly newsletter. If you would like to read it, here is the website:

http://www.oc.edu/good-news/story/branson-church-reaches-out-through-food-bank

Please pray that we will get a permanent sign with the city of Branson. We need this very much.

In Christ, In Love,

Jerry A. North

Minister, Servant, Song Leader

After the the Februrary 29, 2012 tornado in Branson, the Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Inc. from Nashville, TN sent a tractor trailer load of cleaning supplies, food, clothing, yard supplies,etc. worth around $90,000.  This church worked together with 3 other churches of Christ, Kimberling City, Forsyth, and Union Hill, and we gave out 268-fifty pound boxes of food to help the tornado victims.  We gave out food and supplies for two weeks everyday.