Weathering the storm... - From the Field and Around the World with TGOC

It was a beautiful sunny Friday morning in Middle Tennessee. The date - April 10, 2009. The calendar would read “Good Friday,” and provided a little more opportunity for many to be off from work and enjoying what began as a wonderfully crisp spring morning.

That morning was not much different for me personally in my job. I had to visit some new construction sites in Franklin, Tennessee before heading near Spring Hill, then back to Franklin and returning hopefully for an early afternoon at the office in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Around 10:30, I had left the office to venture to my first stop and appointment which would be around 12:00. I stopped and put gas in the van, grabbed something to eat and drink and set out on the interstate in the direction I needed to go. At that time, I-840 was only Hwy 840, and that was my preferred travel route to where I was going. Just over half-way between Murfreesboro and Spring Hill was where I needed to exit. Right before that exit is a very long curve that completely changes direction of travel. A few minutes before I approached this area, I had been on the phone with my wife and then my dad. It was during the conversation with my dad that all of a sudden, the daylight turned fiercely dark and large hail began to pound down on the van I was driving. I remember jokingly saying (quoting a movie of that time) “debris, there is debris,” before telling my dad that I needed to hang up and focus on the road.

My wife called me back just after I had ended that call to tell me of the weather warnings that were being broadcast on the local television stations. I was at the point of the long curve I mentioned previously and began to make the turn in the northern direction when I noticed multiple vehicles pulled over on the side of the road opposite me that all had their phones out…all pointed directly toward me! I said “honey….there are people recording me driving down the road…and I have no idea why!” I would very quickly find out.

When I rounded the curve and my obstructed view (no windows in the van except front and rear) was clarified, it was then that I looked out the passenger window and realized that I had just driven through the “eye” of a tornado! Those people weren’t filming “me” driving. They were filming what I had driven through!

This particular tornado would continue its path in the shadows of the path I had just driven. This particular tornado was the one on record of causing the most damage that day, including the loss of life of a young mother and her child. I mention that it was this tornado because there were actually 10 tornadoes that swept through Middle Tennessee that day causing millions and millions of dollars in damage, several injuries, and these two fatalities. Such a sad day…yet it was known as “Good Friday” on the calendar.

The story could go on to talk about what happened the rest of the day, but there are hundreds of those stories that can be read or heard. I was fortunate and blessed to be able to make it back home safely that night - very late as I had wiggled through three of those tornadoes just to get from one place to another where I needed to be. After getting back to the area in which the tornado hit (keep in mind that in 2009, media was very good, but I was able to get back to the point of “ground zero” before much media had set up broadcasts, so the magnitude of the storm had not been a reality for me until I saw it first-hand, cell phones were down and the news on the radio was focused on the still moving storms), I joined some acquaintances that went to help those that we knew of that needed immediate help in recovery.

Let’s turn this to a point of this article…we are ALL going to face a storm or two in our lives. This storm was a physically devastating storm; yet, spiritually, we will face as devastating of a storm at times, and if we are not careful, we will fall victim to the damages that it may cause. You see, even with the best preparation that we have in technology today, neither I, nor most of those that were in the paths of these tornadoes had enough warning to make complete preparation. It is quite surprising to me, but providential in my mind, that there were not many more casualties that day. I am afraid that in the spiritual realm of things, that a lack of preparedness will not fair so well with opportunities to recover and “rebuild.”

With that thought, I turn your attention to Acts 27 to see how the apostle Paul was prepared to handle the storm he was faced with. He was prepared with faith, endurance, and confidence in his spirituality. I think we can all learn from seeing how he handled that situation…and survived both physically, and more importantly, spiritually! He would go on to write the letter to the churches in Rome and would encourage us all to realize that we will face difficult times in our lives and he even gives us some comfort of assurance in chapter 8.

I hope that you are prepared for the storms of life. It is my prayer that we each one can be more intentional toward our spiritual storm preparation, as well as with helping others prepare for theirs. That is one of our goals at The Gospel of Christ. We strive to Take the Whole Gospel to the Whole World! We do our best to accomplish this through various means, and that includes our Field Rep and Electronic Media Ministries, in which is my personal privilege and responsibility in this work.

This work does not come without its own storms as well and honestly, they are tough storms sometimes to recover from. Satan is always trying to “stir up the storm” and generate a whirlwind of confusion. Personally, I need your prayers in my own strength to battle the storms that pop-up unannounced that sometimes seem much like that portrait of April 10, 2019 when I rounded that curve to see others in what I thought was a video of me driving. Obviously, as explained, the “storm” was the center of attention and not me. I was just in the midst of a huge storm, and I need to realize that spiritually sometimes just as much!

In the field…

As summer begins, our schedules get a little challenging, but we also are in a lot of meetings and speaking engagements. We hope you may be able to meet one of our Field Reps as we do travel around. As always, we would love to try to schedule a time to visit with you!

Around the world…

We have a lot of exciting things happening in the Electronic Media world. We are redesigning our labeling, adding more Digital Download items, reconfiguring some of our offerings to be more effective and less costly, and adding new broadcasts frequently! Be sure to watch our social media feeds as well as check our website often for new broadcasts!

Until the heat starts to rise up next month…

May God bless you all and thank for your encouragement and prayers for the program.

~Joey

Being a Live Worker Bee! - From the field and around the world

The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” rings so true with the caption photo of this article. If you did not see the picture, it is a very interesting picture of a “worker bee” dying. You and I have probably both seen this scene before. Maybe it was a bee that someone swatted, or maybe an insect spray took their last breath. Whatever the case, the worker bee is on its way to never working again.

Sometimes, it may seem that we find ourselves “dying” in our work for the Lord. Maybe it was someone that discouraged us. Maybe it was that your job or assigned task was completed and there just isn’t anything that you know to do further. It could be that an attitude has caused such to transpire….follow me through.

The “worker bee” has an incredible job to do. Notice this quote from a website about “worker bees.”

“Worker bees are female but are not capable of reproducing. They do all the work in the hive, and they control most of what goes on inside. Their jobs include housekeeping, feeding the queen, drones and larvae, collecting the pollen and nectar, and making the wax. Because they work so hard, during the busy season worker bees live for only about six weeks.”

— https://bees.techno-science.ca/english/bees/life-in-a-hive/worker-bee.php

You see, sometimes, we may feel like we may be doing an unappreciated share of the work, yet the “queen bee” is the one that gets much of the recognition. But, really and truly, is that the case? I personally don’t think so. I believe that without the work of these worker bees, the queen bee would not be able to even survive. The hive would not continue to grow and the colony of bees would simply become extinct!

Is that the way that some approach Christianity at times? Unfortunately, we may all fit into this category a time or two in our lives. We may not be the queen bee, but we can always be the worker bee. Now in no means am I referring to any man or woman that walks the earth today. I am however, referring to the work of Christians as it pertains to Christ and His bride. Many times, we allow our attitudes to affect the work that we do to grow the church, to teach others, to live out our faith in action and much more. We become a worker bee that just seems to want to die prematurely. The work will continue, even if that be the case, and the colony will survive long after the 6 weeks that most worker bees live during their busy season. So why don’t we want to do more as a worker bee?

Interesting thought isn’t it. Once again, there is a little more to the story though. We know that we must all be like worker bees according to the idea of scripture that can be found in Colossians chapter 3, but, also, remember that there is “another” role in the hive of the queen bee. The male bee. The male bee has to die in order for the colony to live once his work is finished. Sound a bit familiar to the life of One that came, lived, and died once His work on earth was finished? The good news is that He rose again and overcame that death and continues to reign on high! No death will overcome. No destruction to His church!

Let’s all be worker bees that are thriving and alive…and understand that our time on earth is short. Most times longer than 6 weeks, and most times we don’t actually work ourselves to death, but we do have a limited amount of time to do all that we can to serve God! What are you doing fellow worker bee?

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From the Field

We are currently seeking Field Reps to serve with us to help grow the program and teach others through this work about Jesus and His gospel message. If you are a preacher that has some flexibility in scheduling at different meeting places, please reach out to joey@thegospelofchrist.com for more information.

We are in full force of trying to get around to many congregations this summer. If your congregation has some open spots and we have someone in your area, we would love to visit with you. Just reach out to our office and let us know where you are located and we will see what we can do!

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Around the World

You may notice that our statistics on mailed DVDs and CDs has been dwindling the past several months. That is actually a good thing! Part of the reason that it is decreasing is that we now offer every single one of our videos and audio recordings online for download! No more waiting on DVDs to arrive or having to have a brand new player in order to listen. Just download the zip and away you go!

Couple of things to note:

1. We are excited to announce our Spanish project! Josue Castorena will be working with us to record an 8 lesson series in Spanish with lessons on the church and Salvation. Visit our website for more information at www.thegospelofchrist.com/spanish.

2. Full speed ahead! We have been enjoying our new broadcasting spots on Renew TV as well as the CW network in Nashville. We are constantly looking at other venues as we are able to acquire support for them.

3. Redesigns are coming! After several years, we are redesigning our labels on DVDs and CDs! Just keep in mind that it will take quite a while to see these all around; however, know that the content has not changed, just the appearance! We hope you like the redesign!

We are off to another great month at TGOC and we thank you for your encouragement and prayers!

Until June…

In His Service,

Joey Ferrell

joey@thegospelofchrist.com

Hola! Proximamente en Espanol!

That is right! We are working on recording some videos on the church of Christ and Salvation in Spanish!

Want to know more? Visit www.thegospelofchrist.com/spanish

New Broadcasts

You can now find us on Dish Network on Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. CST on

RenewTV Channels 94, 223, and 277

Nashville and Middle Tennessee can now find us on the CW network on channel 58 Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. CST

Texoma - We are now broadcasting on KTEN (NBC) on Sunday mornings at 6:30 a.m. CST

Please see our website or local listings for more broadcast information

Spring has sprung and look at what seeds are flying around!

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. I enjoy working in my yard and seeing all of the bright and beautiful colors of the yard and ornamental trees in bloom. But wait just a minute…sometimes some of those blooms that are flying through the air aren’t as pretty as they may seem!

Take the dandelion for an example. The little seeds of the dandelion can certainly be pretty as they sprout out looking like a cotton ball or a snow-capped blade of grass, but boy oh boy, that first cranking up of the lawnmower or a nice windy day will stir those little white pods all over the yard, the windows, the doors, the car hoods, the…well, you get the picture. Those seeds go just about anywhere and everywhere, sometimes maybe where you may want them. Sometimes not so much.

Jesus talked about sowing seeds and how some would take root in certain types of soils while others just withered away. He used an analogy in a time in which people understood the essence of sowing seeds. Seed-sowing today has taken on such a new shape.

In the area of the country in which TGOC is based, we see a lot of crops being cultivated, sown, and harvested of many different varieties, but especially in the nursery industry. We see corn, vegetables, beans, and even a lot of alfalfa being grown for feed and agricultural crops as well. That doesn’t make everyone in this area a professional sower though, and this is certainly not my own strength either. I successfully planted some okra several years ago, and had a great crop in a small garden. The problem with that crop was that I could not tend it as it was growing faster than I had time to spend in harvest and maintenance. I saved a pod of that okra and thought I would try again the next year. When I moved from that home a few years later, I found that okra pod in my storage building all withered up and nothing but a useless pile of dust when I tried to break it open. The seeds were worthless at this point. I could have planted them; however, they never would have germinated or produced anything of value.

Fast forward a few years. I live in an area that is very wooded with a lot of shade and shallow dirt on top of bedrock. Part of my back yard has been barren to grass since we have lived there and probably many years before. I have lived here for over ten years now, and for several of those years, I spent a lot of money throwing seed out on this barren ground in hopes that some of it would “stick.” Sometimes in the early spring months, I would be so happy to see a bright color of green coming out of the ground, but only to find a month or so later a yellowing and drought stricken grass because there was no root structure, or possible elements to keep the grass growing.

What should I do? I stopped mass-sowing grass seed a couple of years ago because I felt it was a waste of time and money. There were simply no results, or if there were results, it would be short lived. Every once in a while, I would buy a small bag of grass seed and just toss it about sort of like those dandelion seeds floated around. I figured that if they could take root - and they certainly do - then surely some of my grass seed would too.

This morning, I looked out into the wooded area of my yard. It looks much different this year due to losing a few trees in storms or decay this past year. You know what? I have a very green area that I have never seen green before. You see, I have sown seed in that same exact spot for several years, but the conditions weren’t as favorable as they could have been (much like the soils that Jesus discusses in multiple accounts of the Gospels). I didn’t have enough sunlight maybe, or it was too rocky, or too dry or was trodden by deer and other animals to a point that it just wouldn’t grow. However, with a few changes this year - clearing out dead trees, a lot of rain earlier in the year, natural opening up of the area and so on…the seeds have taken enough root from past sowings it would seem that they are germinating. The result sure looks good, even though it took a few years to see it!

Sometimes, with our media side of the program, we experience some of the same types of analogies. We reach out in many different ways to try to “plant the seed” in as many places, and as quickly as we can. Sometimes that seed falls on heavily trodden ground and we hear some negative feedback from that. Other times, it may fall on the ground that will accept it, but it won’t take root. There are also times in which we find that our seed has been sown on ground that just doesn’t have all of the right elements to produce much. But then, there is that one soil that we often hit, and maybe don’t hear about it so readily where the seed has been planted, it took root, nourished, and has grown into a beautiful landscape - not so much as a lush green yard, but more so as a Christian.

Sowing seeds is not an easy task, yet, it is vital to a harvest. Sometimes the seed that is sown will flourish right away, other times it may never germinate because it is not watered, or it has fallen on bad soil. At The Gospel of Christ, we are constantly looking for areas to sow seed, but as Paul mentioned, that seed needs some water…and then God gives the increase! Will you help us water some seed? Together, our efforts might just result in seeing the increase of maybe just one new Christian…or maybe 100!

~Joey

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It is an exciting time for the Media Ministry. This week marks two huge milestones for us.

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We are back on Dish Network!!
You can find us on channels 94, 223, and 277 on Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. CST on a brand new network called RenewTV. We have aligned this offering in prime-time to broadcast alongside our DirecTV offering. This is very exciting for us, and we hope it is for you as well!

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We are coming to Nashville!!!

For the first time ever, we will be broadcasting in the Nashville market on all platforms. This means that all cable and satellite, as well as OTA subscribers in Middle Tennessee will be able to find The Gospel of Christ. We will be broadcasting on the CW network (channel 58) at 10:00 a.m. CST every Sunday.

Also, we want to remind you that you can watch us anytime on Roku, AppleTV, FireTV, our Apps, or online!

"Looks Can Be Deceiving!" An article and update.

As I sit in my office today catching up from the weekend, the monthly newsletter article was not getting written very quickly. Why? I was sitting here thinking about all of the things that I could be doing on such a beautiful sunny day. Procrastination. But, not only was procrastination working on me, deception was too!

What do I mean? In our area, we have a monthly ministers luncheon to have some fellowship and share news with each other about local congregations and events, etc. I stepped outside at about 11:45 to make my way to the 12:00 meeting and the sunshine immediately became an enemy! Let’s go back a few minutes before in order to understand why…

As I look out of the window in my office, I see grass that appears to be greening up, trees that are showing new life for the upcoming spring blooms, and even some folks walking around outside with sunglasses. Wow. After a lot of recent rain, and even a few snowflakes, the sunshine was extremely inviting. I love being outdoors. Even if it is just to enjoy a little Vitamin D on a day like today….or maybe not so much today! Why? Deception!

Going back to when I left to drive to the luncheon, I stepped outside and there was total deception. Yes it is true! I was being deceived by the bright sunny light from the sky as it was a chilly 25 degrees outside. That sunlight sure did look warm didn’t it? It sure did appear that there was so much warmth in the air. But in reality…such was not so. It was colder than the nice unseasonable 65 degrees from last week about this time - even in the gloomy cloud-stricken day.

Why do I mention this? Well, let me share another story with you. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to field a call from a sweet lady that called in to our office sort of frantically. She called multiple times overnight and said she really needed to speak to someone and that she needed help finding something in the Bible. I was honored to call her back to try to help her. Here is how the conversation went:

“Can you help me find something in the Bible?”

“Yes ma’am, I will sure try. What is it?”

“Well, I have been told at every church that I have ever been to that Jesus was crucified on a dogwood tree and I can’t find that in my Bible!”

“You can’t find that in your Bible? But, you have looked through a few times, right?”

“Yessir, I just can’t find it.”

“Ma’am, that is because it isn’t there.”

We went on to discuss that some traditions and even some ancient “historical” and folk legends would say that Jesus was crucified on a dogwood tree; yet, there was not significant evidence or writing in God’s Holy Writ to confirm a type of wood, much less the tree. I am sure some historical evidence may indicate this to some extent, but it just is not precise enough to say to any certainty.

Our discussion continued for several minutes, and then I asked her a very important question.

”Ma’am…I have to ask. If you cannot find a subject such as this in the Bible that is being taught at a church, what else is there that might be taught that is not in the Bible…or even worse, what is not taught that is IN the Bible?” After a lengthy discussion on some other things that might have been lacking, she agreed that she had been listening to what someone had said more than what the Bible says.

Deception! That is the only thing that can be said to describe such. Many times it may not appear to be intentional; however, it is done. Sometimes, the Truth is never found, and that is so unfortunate as a soul may be in jeopardy in that case. The Bible is clear on matters of faith, salvation, obedience, doctrine, and eternal life. Sometimes men and women are deceptive in their teaching on these subjects because it pleases men, and certainly pleases Satan. We have to be certain of our calling and election as the Bible says. Some things are truly not revealed as we see in Deuteronomy 29:29, and the type of wood of the crucifixion may just be one of those things. Doctrine, salvation, and obedience are not!

Test what is said and prove all things. Be like the Bereans and study your copy of God’s Word and hold fast to the truth! Don’t let deception - intentional or unintentional - pull you away and change your eternal destination!

Notes from the Media Ministry

Well, lots of changes. We announced that we lost our Dish Network Channel last month. We felt like we had a replacement ready to go, but that fell through. We are excited to say that this is now complete with a brand new network that we will share information with you in the next edition of the newsletter! For now, we can tell you that we will be on Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. CST matching our DirecTV offering.

Some other significant changes:

Oklahoma City - KSBI 52 - our broadcast has moved to 8 a.m. on Sunday mornings due to requests for a time change by multiple viewers

Sherman/Ada/Ardmore (Texoma area) - We are moving to KTEN! Sunday mornings we will be on KTEN (NBC affiliate) beginning March 24 at 6:30 a.m. CST

iOS App - There is a brand new update on the App Store that “hit the shelves” on Friday March 1. Much faster load times and some other improvements. Be sure to update your devices.

From the Field…

This year has been very busy already with the Field Rep program. Visits to OKC area, West and Middle TN, East TN, and North Texas have already been completed and in a few weeks we will be visiting in Louisville, KY. Have we been to see you lately? Let us know where you are and we will try to find a date if it is in an area in which we can feasibly come by soon.

God Bless!

~Joey

Why are you changing things? I hate change! (We do too...sometimes)

Electronic Media Ministry

Change? Why are we changing? What changes are coming?

Well, you know, the old saying is “change is inevitable.” That holds true in most every case in our daily lives; however we need to remember that God’s Word never changes! Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever! (Hebrews 13:8). Not so much in the world of television and Media….

We were notified earlier this year that we would be losing our network portal of AngelOne on Dish Network. That caused a frenzy at our offices in the fact that we would be using about 10 million potential households. We had to change! Whether we wanted to or not, change was coming. After weeks of negotiations, discussions, seeking additional funding, we thought we had the replacement in place. We found out just this week that the network that had offered a slot decided that we were not a good fit for them. This notification caused us to begin the wheels rolling all over again…and unfortunately, we do not have a broadcast time set for February at this time for Dish Network. We will work diligently to secure a new portal there as quickly as we can.

In the meantime, we were able to make a few tweaks and changes to some of our other broadcast portals and we will have some exciting announcements coming soon for those as well.

Satan may have hindered us just a bit, but God will always prevail! Change sometimes is uncomfortable, but, when we realize that there is always opportunity in change, this broadens our hopes to reach many more people in the years to come!

With this said, we also have been measuring different tools in close relation. We have noticed a huge trend across the country of those that are now “cutting the cord” to their cable bills and are now streaming much more than ever. Allow us to take this time to remind our viewers and supporters that we are currently streaming and on-demand on ALL streaming devices (Roku, AppleTV, FireTV, iOS, Android and more). Our apps program has been a huge success since it’s launch and we are very excited about the future of internet style media. Why? Multiple reasons excite us! First off, you can watch on YOUR schedule, uninterrupted, and be able to pause, rewind, and watch the episode many times. Secondly, the reach is far greater than we could ever afford on network or broadcast television. Not every household can have cable or satellite, but if you have the internet, you can purchase a streaming device for as little as $25 and in a matter of minutes be watching The Gospel of Christ! One of the biggest aspects that we have benefitted from already is the demand for online content decreases the demand for physical content. This means a great reduction in the costs of production and shipping of our Free Media platform. We are still sending out a lot of DVDs as you can see in those stats; however, Digital Downloads and app views are greatly increasing. This cost savings can then be applied to other areas in which we would like to press forward such as search engine keyword search promotion, etc. Here is an example of that. In January, we tested a very small budget through Google Search. In about three weeks time, with less than $100, over 10,000 people saw our website, of which 296 of those clicked forward to the website. 240 of those did a simple Google search for “the gospel.” Can you imagine if we were able to expand this portal over the next several months? Those stats aren’t really a good representation of how many we can reach either. When you set a daily budget such as we have in testing, once you reach your budget, the ads turn off until the following day. So, we may be seen all day long some days, but others, we may be seen up until 8 or 9 o’clock in the morning and that is it! Our team is constantly monitoring ideas and programs such as this to ensure that we are reaching the potential that we can, as effectively, and efficiently as possible. After all, how much is a soul worth? A few dollars spent to establish a Bible study, or to enhance a discussion between Christians is money well spent!

Field Rep Program

We are getting ready for one of our biggest weeks of the year! One of the great attributes in the Field Rep program is the ability and opportunity that we have to visit congregations, but, that usually means we are limited to meeting just a few people every month. Not this next week! We will be setting up a meet & greet booth at the Freed-Hardeman Lectureship in Henderson, Tennessee from Sunday to Thursday (Feb 3-7). This is a chance for us to meet many of you that interact with our program, as well as establish new relationships. If you are attending, please stop by the booth. If we are not there, pick up a card and send an email or text message. We would love to visit with you!

After this week, we are back to the roads to visit many congregations. Our schedules are starting to be pretty booked over the next month or so, but we would still like to schedule more. With that said, we are also seeking men that could potentially work in our Field Rep program. If you know of a part-time, retired, or non-located preacher that might be a possible fit to the Field Rep program, please have them reach out to us by email or phone! We would love to find out more about them and their desire to spread the gospel message to any and all that they can!

Until the winds of March breeze on in….our prayers of thanksgiving for you and your family.

~Joey

Field Rep Coordinator/Evangelist
Electronic Media Minister

What is a Field Rep and why are you here?

Field Rep Program

Oftentimes, when we reach out to a congregation or even when we are working with our existing relationships, the question comes up “what is a field rep?” Sometimes, we may get a bit assumptive in thinking that everyone already knows what this means…when in reality, many may not.

Allow me to give a simple explanation. Our Field Reps are seasoned gospel preachers that have a desire to spread the gospel message with others. Sometimes these preachers have retired from regular pulpit duties, or maybe they work a full-time job outside of ministering and do not get the opportunity to do what they love and feel a calling for - preaching the gospel! Our field reps are “vetted” by the overseeing eldership to maintain the wholesomeness of the teaching of the Gospel, as well as for representing The Gospel of Christ.

While our Field Reps are at a congregation, they serve under the direction of the eldership of the overseeing congregation of The Gospel of Christ, but also are there to serve the congregation in the manner as outlined in God’s word as an evangelist, preaching and teaching God’s word. Typically, the congregation will allow us to give a presentation outside of the worship service, for example, a scheduled assembly for Bible study - and we certainly stay well in tune with the Bible during this presentation, or maybe a few minutes after the conclusion of services, etc. Our desire is to educate as many people as we possibly can about the great evangelistic work of The Gospel of Christ program, and of course, we allow the congregation and her leadership an opportunity to ask us questions and discuss the financial elements in which we operate.

“Oh…,” someone may say, “I figured the field reps were there to raise money.” Actually, we reserve discussing contributions and support for the very last couple of minutes of the presentation, or sometimes reserve those discussions to a meeting with the church leadership. So, when you may hear that a field rep is requesting to visit or you see one of our names as a “guest speaker” on the agenda, please do not feel like that we are coming to simply ask for money. The Gospel of Christ has grown into a substantially large program now and many times we find that even the leadership of congregations in our local area are not aware of all of the resources and ways to use the tools that we provide for free! That is the biggest goal of the Field Rep program - to educate others in ways to bring the Gospel to more and more to the Gospel!

With that said, we would love to come and see you if we are able! While we do not have reps in every area of the country, we do have many opportunities to do visits. Would you consider inviting a Field Rep to come and visit? If so, we would love to hear from you! You may email Joey at joey@thegospelofchrist.com or call our office and we will be happy to see what we can possibly get arranged!

Electronic Media Ministry

The Gospel of Christ program began as a way to reach others with the message of the Gospel of Christ. No doubt since 1996 the methodology has certainly changed. Can you imagine if we were attempting to do this in the “cassette” age? Even the age of Compact Discs has almost expired. We see that in our FREE media request statistics daily. More and more people are seeking the “right now” way to listen and view content…and boy do we love that method! Think about it like this…even though we process our Media Requests extremely fast, sometimes mailing or other delays are unavoidable and it may take days, or sometimes weeks to receive the media requested. Not any longer! Every single one of our lessons are available right now on podcasts, apps, Vimeo, YouTube, Roku, AppleTV, FireTV, web portal, Facebook Video, and other ways. It is so easy to find a lesson to watch, listen, or read a transcript…and as we have seen in the past, even have a quick resource for a Bible study with someone you just met!

Times are always changing. Technology is always improving. New ways to reach the world are evolving what seems like daily. We strive to keep up with the latest technology and platforms, and hope you find these ways very beneficial. We are always open to suggestions for improvement and welcome your comments.

*******Broadcasting update********

We were informed that as of January 31, 2019, the AngelOne network on Dish Network is dissolving. This means that we will be seeking new platforms to broadcast on Dish Network globally. We have enjoyed the relationship with AngelOne and apologize for any inconvenience for our viewers that have Dish Network that may not be able to watch through that medium for a short while. We would like to encourage you to seek us on all streaming devices and other ways to watch. If you need help finding a new platform, or where you can find us on other broadcast arenas, please contact us or visit our website under “Broadcasts” for local times and channels.

As always, our prayers of thanksgiving for you and your families and as this is the first newsletter of 2019, please accept our hopes for many blessings for your New Year!

~Joey

Field Rep Coordinator/Evangelist
Electronic Media Minister

Important Broadcast Change - Dish Network

Effective January 31, 2019, the AngelOne Network will be discontinuing broadcast. This means that our program will no longer be broadcast on this channel on Dish Network. We are working to quickly find alternatives, and will keep our website and social media pages updated with any new information.

Remember, you can always catch us streaming on all devices!

When the weather outside is frightful....what a great time to share the Gospel!

Field Rep Program

As I drove in to the office at TGOC this morning, I saw our third or fourth showing of some of that frozen precipitation falling on the windshield. Now, as you may know, the offices of The Gospel of Christ are in McMinnville, Tennessee, so some of you are probably saying, “he doesn’t even know what snow is!” And to an extent you are right! We don’t get a lot of bad snow storms and ice here that last or are in comparison to some in the northern parts of the United States, or some other countries. Then again, some of our readers may say, “what’s snow?” Our reach is global, so it is a possibility!

What does that have to do with this month’s newsletter? Not much really, except for a plea of sorts that you will see in the Electronic Media Ministry side more than the field rep program. Sometimes, the colder weather, and possibility of hazardous driving prohibits our field reps from scheduling visits during these months. We would love to see you and meet with your congregation, but during this time of the year, combined with holiday schedules, we find ourselves a little challenged.

How can you help? Contact us to schedule a field rep visit! We have field reps in multiple areas that need to be meeting with congregations and sharing this great program with others. We love to do just that. We would like to invite and encourage you to discuss the possibility of a field rep visit with us. How? You can simply email me at joey@thegospelofchrist.com and if we have an availability, we would be more than delighted to get one scheduled! Warmer climates welcomed as well!!!

If you want to more about our field reps, visit www.thegospelofchrist.com and click on Staff under the About Us tab.

Electronic Media Ministry

Here it is…I introduced it already, and I know you have been excited to find out what the title means! Well, it’s simple really…

Sometimes, when the weather is frigid, or driving is hazardous, some may be looking for something to do while at home or while they are out of school, work, or just taking a break from the hustle of the season. What better time for you and I to share such a great message as The Gospel of Christ!

You may have noticed in our statistics that our web and social media stats are “off” from previous months. That is due in part to some of the functions of these avenues. For example, Facebook video has now injected advertisements into anyone’s videos if their page does not have at least 10,000 likes. Booooo on Facebook for picking on people that aren’t paying lots of money for advertising! Not much is different on some of the other sites. Search engines populate with timed advertisements and sponsored links of shopping and events during this time of the year. So, in reality, we understand this drop in statistics and are not really alarmed by them; however, the tools are in place that can make it so much easier to share our program with thousands of people around the world. Think about how significant this resource can be. We have shared recent stories of baptisms and restorations from people that were given a link to www.thegospelofchrist.com or they watched a video on our apps (http://TGOC.app). Some may have even used the neat little tools on our website that allow you to share, email, print, copy, text, and so on right from your browser.

Who will be reached with the Gospel next? Will it be your son or daughter? Maybe your mom or dad, sister or brother. Maybe you need some encouragement yourself. We want to be able to help you in any way possible in spreading the Soul-Saving Message of Jesus Christ with all of the world! And, we thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of that effort!

Until next month…may God bless you in your efforts and please continue to pray that we can reach many souls!

~Joey

Field Rep Coordinator/Evangelist
Electronic Media Minister

From the mail bag...

This one comes to us through the US Mail…

This excerpt is from one of our viewers/students of the Word.

"My name is William...and I have been so blessed from your ministry sending the free information that I have requested. It has enabled me to share the Gospel with others..."

What happens when a monster comes to town? A look at a some of our supporting congregations during Hurricane Michael's

Field Rep Program

This month, the Field Rep update hits a little more personal than most. In this article, I want to tell you of a personal experience that I was able to be a part of in more ways than one.

On October 10, 2018, a beast of a storm hit the Panhandle of Florida with mighty force. Mexico Beach was almost at the center of the crossing of the eye of the hurricane and took a catastrophic hit to the town, the community, the infrastructure, but not to the church. Please allow me to explain…

This area was devastated for more than 90 miles north and probably close to the same east and west. In the direct path of the storm was the meeting place of one of the supporting congregations of TGOC - the church of Christ at the Beaches just outside of Mexico Beach.

I personally know this church family very well, and as a side, personally have a piece of property not very far from there. This is where my family attends when we are in the area usually. They are a smaller congregation - about 30 or so in size, but this story shows how big their love is and continues to be.

Some of the members “rode out” the storm. Some had to be there for work, others because they saw a potential need that when the storm was past that there would be many that were not able to evacuate that needed aid. No matter the reason for them staying, what happened the day of the storm and the days after becomes an amazing outpouring of love and an example of sacrifice for others.

Just hours after this monster passed, members of the church there were out helping others. Some were helping to rescue people from rooftops, while others were trying to reach out to family and members of the church to make sure all were okay and accounted for. Over the course of the next several hours, several people were throwing food out knowing it would spoil due to no electricity and storage. Some of the members decided the next day to take it to the church building and began to offer free meals to anyone that could get there. By Friday evening, most of the food that had been given had been cooked and after speaking with one of the members, I found out that they were willing to continue, yet did not have any more perishable foods.

Over the course of the next several days, word spread and churches from all over the southeast were planning trips to the area to carry supplies and help as they could. There were so many supplies coming in from churches and from even FEMA drop off locations that could not store perishables, and knew they were cooking. A team from Central church of Christ and The Gospel of Christ went to the church on Monday and Tuesday after the hurricane with supplies and manpower to help where we could. On Tuesday, the once a day meals became all day long from sun up until sun down and the church building became a depot for supplies. There were so many that came and helped over the course of the next several days and the community was blessed by the love and actions of not only this congregation, but all of those that supported, sent, went and prayed for their efforts.

As of this writing, exactly one month after the storm made its way to town so to speak, the church family has just now started focusing on their own needs, only discontinuing the daily meals this past weekend, and still doing some periodically as well as handing out supplies. Not only was this happening, but they began to help with clean up efforts around the community and the area, tarping roofs, cutting trees, and cleaning up anything they could help with.

I know I speak for everyone here at The Gospel of Christ in saying that this example of light in a dark world is encouraging. When times got tough, the church was shining brightly in Overstreet, FL!

We just wanted to share this with you so that you and others can continue to keep this church family and several others in the path of destruction in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to recover and rebuild.

Electronic Media Ministry

This month in our electronic Media Ministry, we want to highlight a couple of things for you.

1. Our apps! We just reached a milestone this week. We reached over 10,000 app opens! For only being months old, this is phenomenal. We hope you keep enjoying the apps, our weekly video and our daily Bible verse.

2. AmazonSmiles - As the holiday season approaches, more people will be ordering online to get a lot of savings and convenience. Hey, we understand!
   Did you know though, that you can help TGOC when you are purchasing through Amazon? That’s right! We are approved to receive a small percentage of your purchase amount through our Non-Profit status. It may not be much, but it certainly adds up! So, please consider instead of shopping through the normal Amazon site, please go to http://smile.amazon.com and choose Gospel of Christ, Inc. as your Non-Profit that you would like to support. If you have any questions about this, please contact our office.

Until next month…may God bless you in your efforts and please continue to pray that we can reach many souls!

~Joey

Field Rep Coordinator/Evangelist
Electronic Media Minister

Fall has arrived - that means a busy time for our Field Reps!

Field Rep Program

Now that summer events are winding down, area gospel meetings and revivals have mostly finished, and many congregations are making plans for the rest of the year, exciting times happen for our Field Rep program as it starts to get very busy!

We try our very best to schedule our visits with any and every congregation that we can, and sometimes that can be a bit hectic in finding the best time. We appreciate all that reach out to us and allow us to visit with you.

This month, we would like to highlight one of our field reps. We would like to introduce you to Jimmy Pitchford from Ennis, Texas. You can find more information about him after this article. We are very happy to have Jimmy working with us to bring The Gospel of Christ program to your area.

To discuss a field rep visit, email Joey@TheGospelOfChrist.com with your information, or simply fill out a form on our website under the contact us tab.

Electronic Media Ministry

Please allow me to begin with a little bit of a story. I personally began working with The Gospel of Christ officially on August 1, 2017. With that said, my background is in business management for many years, as well as bi-vocational ministry for over 9 years now as well. What does that have to do with TGOC, the Electronic Media Ministry, and the Field Rep Program? Well, I enjoy working within the electronics world. At an early age, I learned to love computers and self-taught many different programming languages that are now all but archaic! That is okay though, because my love for being able to plug this in and make that work, or draw this picture with a mouse and create this new webpage is what drives me and motivates me each day.

This role seemed to be an absolute perfect fit for my goals and desires, so I pursued the opportunity with The Gospel of Christ team to see if we could find a fit. “Take a look at the website and see what you think we could do with it,” replied one of the elders. “Can you help us grow our social media presence,” asked another elder (after we talked about how significant social media has become in marketing products and services). “We would like to be able to enhance the overall package of presence online,” was the general consensus of the meeting.

Excitingly, my answer was “yes, I can do these things!” Meanwhile, in the back of my mind, I was whispering….”did I really just see that the website has about 3,000 or more pages on it?? Is our Facebook page really that difficult to find? What do you mean that the newsletter is being blocked by certain servers!!” The task was set at hand, and it continues to be paved with new avenues almost daily. New ways to reach the television market, new social media sites, new algorithms on search engines and other analytical nightmares come and go, but we press on…why? That one soul. Yes, you read it right. Even if we only reach ONE soul that is lost and we are able to help them see the soul-saving message of the gospel, it is worth all that we can do!

We have each of you to thank for this. You have helped us with feedback, with sharing our site with others, by clicking “like” and posting for us to social media and so much more. Souls are being saved through your clicks and forwards, through your words and help! And there is a soul somewhere that is so very thankful that you did just that! Thank you for helping us and please continue to do just that!

Until next month…may God bless you in your efforts and please continue to pray that we can reach many souls!

~Joey

Field Rep Coordinator/Evangelist
Electronic Media Minister