Wake Forest and 40 West Ministries

As we rapidly approach the end of 2007 and as our church approaches one of the biggest decisions and opportunities that we've had in many years, I thought it would be good to let you see one of the things that I am most excited about concerning the potential merge and the potential ministry that I am excited about. Many times we think that because Southeastern is in Wake Forest that Wake Forest must be a town that automatically loves Jesus and knows the gospel. That couldn't be further from the truth! Wake Forest desperately needs Jesus. SEBTS sends out lots of missionaries to Africa and Asia each year, but for those of us who live here, we need to be missionaries right here and right now in Wake Forest. In the same way that we seek to identify with the Ugandan culture whenever we take trips to Africa, we need to do all that we can to identify with those in our own communities. As we approach the potential merger, I pray that you would do your best to identify with the people of Wake Forest. I promise you, you will see how much these people need Jesus and I pray that your heart would break for them.

How can you begin to identify with the people of Wake Forest?

1. Spend some time in Wake Forest. Tell your parents that you want to go eat at the restaurants, shop at the shops, get gas at the gas stations of Wake Forest. Grab a hot dog at Shorty's or a sandwich from Over the Falls Deli and talk to some of the regulars. I make it a point each week to buy gas from one of the shady downtown gas stations, and by now the cashiers know me. I see people of Wake Forest that desperately need Jesus and the more I see them, the more my heart breaks for them.

2. Read the Wake Weekly newspaper. If you want to reach a community and love a community, you have to know what's going on in the community. This really lets you know whats going on in WF, and it helps you to connect with whats going on there, so that as you meet folks in the community, you know where they are coming from.


I don't know what will happen as far as the merger goes. But I know that downtown Wake Forest is a field that is white unto harvest and I would love to be see lives changed there. I know that most of you are familiar with the 40West Ministries because OMV has worked with them in the past. I love what these folks do and what they stand for. They minister to those in the lower income housing developments in Wake Forest. Check them out at www.40westministries.com It is ministry opportunities like this that really gets me excited about what might be in the future. Who knows what God might do. He is Sovereign and He sure is an amazing God.