What a whirlwind the first half of 2009 has been for the Irmler family as we continue to serve the Lord in His harvest field.
It truly has been a blessing being able to encourage Pastors and Churches in the area of “Planting Churches” here in our needy Jerusalem.
The year began with the opportunity of moving to Lancaster California to begin a four month stretch of teaching and mentoring young preachers for the work of Church Planting. Our first job was to develop some curriculum that could be taught as well as find a temporary living space. As the spring semester began we had the opportunity to teach in the classroom as well as travel during the week-ends ministering to young church plants.
After moving back to Fresno in May we took to the road and traveled to Wisconsin, Ohio and Illinois to preach and encourage the churches in the work of Church planting.
We spoke at three church planting conferences during these past six months in Lancaster and Stockton California as well as Toledo Ohio.
We are currently in the planning stages for church plants for next year in Fresno California, Detroit Michigan, and Shelbyville Illinois.
Dr. Chappell has also asked us to begin working on additional classes that could be offered at West Coast Baptist College that would help equip young men to plant churches.
We will be available these next six months to preach and teach for Pastors as well as present the ministry of Fundamental Church Plants at Missions conferences. If we can be of service to you or your church family, please let us know.
May God continue to use us all to reach our needy world with the Gospel message of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
What a blessing it has been for Victoria, the kids and I to be with my Brother Ralph and his wonderful family in Chatham Illinois these past seven weeks. We have been able to spend more time together in these seven weeks than we have in the past 30 years.
We spent much time and labor in getting to every home in Chatham with the Gospel as well as sending through the local shopper 14,000 flyers concerning the Grand Opening Service for the "Ambassador Baptist Church of Chatham".
Brother David Church joined us again for this project and invested many weeks of canvassing and organizing the phones program for the new work. Our desire was to reach every home in Chatham by phone, door hanger, shopper flyers, and news advertisements.David was also helpful in getting a web site set up for the new church.
We had wonderful participation from many good Pastor's and Churches in central Illinois helping with both the canvassing as well as the "Get Acquainted Meetings".
We thank the Lord for a good start with 45 folks attending the Grand Opening Service.
Please pray for Pastor Ralph Irmler and the folks in Chatham Illinois as they seek to make an eternal impact in there needy state. The hard work of seeing a New Testament Baptist Church established has just begun.
Who says a church needs a steeple to hold all its people? It doesn't, according to Pastor Andy Doss. He wants to move his fledgling congregation into a decidedly undivine setting -- a commercial space on West Main Street that once housed a lingerie store.
The Merced City Planning Commission votes tonight on whether to OK the permit Doss needs to hold services in the space at 533 W. Main St.
If the permit is approved, Doss will move his 30 congregants into the space where he'll hold morning and evening services on Sunday and a Tuesday night Bible study.
His church, Merced Baptist, joins a list of other congregations that worship in unlikely settings. The gym at Golden Valley High school and a storefront at West 18th and Canal streets are among the spots where churchless congregations get closer to God. Since Doss started Merced Baptist Church two-and-a-half years ago, he's held services at the American Legion Hall on W. Main. "The church is the people -- it's not the building that you meet in," said Doss.
Merced Baptist, a local chapter of Fresno's Ambassador Baptist Church, hopes to one day have its own church building in Merced. But for now the congregation will build membership from its downtown location, he said.
That's good news for both businesses and residents downtown, say city staff. Planner Kim Nutt said she's recommending approval of the permit Merced Baptist needs in part because having a church in the heart of downtown could attract more renters and homeowners to the area.
If those churchgoers go shopping or eat a meal after services, that could give a boost to area businesses, said city Development Coordinator Daniel Ainslie. "For the particular space, I think it's a fine use," said Ainslie. "It will bring activity to the building, it will fill a vacant storefront and any time you bring families downtown, it will help the surrounding businesses."
Since the mid-1970s, the city has spent more than $20 million to pump life into Merced's struggling downtown. The effort has seen its share of successes, such as the renovated apartments above the Merced Theatre, the revamped Mondo Building at Main and Canal streets and the construction of new loft apartments next door.
But Main Street has also played host to a steady stream of smaller businesses that haven't lasted long. A specialty chocolate store and a high-end maternity boutique both opened and closed in a matter of months. Most recently, the Juice It Up store in the 400 block of West Main Street shut its doors. The Main Street Cafe was shuttered last month. Entertainment venue The Mainzer Theater has been dark since September 2006.
Ainslie said one reason for the high turnover rate among downtown businesses is that many are mom-and-pop operations run by inexperienced business owners. "Some businesses are continuing to stay open and do well and those are the ones that have a good business plans and a good product," said Ainslie.
It remains to be seen whether God's word is a good enough product to survive downtown's tough business climate.
The Merced City Planning Commission votes tonight on a whether to allow Merced Baptist Church to hold services in a commercial space on West Main Street.
