COM Newsletter - November 2023
A TIME FOR THANKSGIVING
The psalmist encourages us in our walk with the Lord to “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100:4
‘Coming Out’ Ministries has many reasons to be thankful to the Lord. Every one of you are a reason, for your prayers and support are vital to the success of our mission. And we have our own personal testimonies of the Lord’s goodness and mercy and patience, infinite love and power. We have thirteen years of ministry for which to be thankful as the Lord has sent us around the world with the good news of His saving power from sin, even that of the LGBT+ nature. We’ve seen many people making their decisions to leave behind the “old things” and allow all things to become new.
Yes, we do face much opposition from both within and from without. But greater is He that is with us than he that is against us. As one door closes, two more seem to open before us.
That being said, we now have another amazing reason for which to praise the Lord with thanksgiving. And it all started at the recent CTL3 event and week of spiritual emphasis in Berrien Springs back in September.
The housing arrangements for this event fell through for the speakers and members of our ministry. So new and last-minute arrangements had to be made within the Village Church membership who graciously provided all the accommodations we needed.
I had the privilege of staying in the residence of a lovely couple who made me feel very much at home for the 10-day period we were there. In that amount of time, we became very good friends and had many good conversations. One of those conversations involved a property that needed to be sold that had been the law office of the late former husband of my host. As it came up several times in conversation, I began to ask questions.
“Where is it located?”
“How much are you asking?”
She indicated that if we were interested, she would negotiate the price, because she would really like for ‘Coming Out’ Ministries to have the building. It would be a legacy to her late husband. As we continued conversing over the few days, we both became more and more excited about the possibilities. In the middle of the week, we finally saw the building and its location and really became excited. It is located right at the main entrance to Andrews University and with very prominent signage, as it is right on the main road through Berrien Springs.
We shared the information with our Board Chairman who scheduled an immediate visit with the owner. In the meantime, several of our group had a walk-through. It is the perfect building and the perfect location for a long overdue physical location for our ministry. It would afford space for small conferences, private visitations, a library of resources and room for storage. The building would be highly visible and easily accessible to faculty, staff, students, and visitors coming to and going from Andrews University on a daily basis. It would offer us the opportunity to work closely with the University in addressing the many issues surrounding the LGBT+ ideology and agenda, from a redemptive perspective.
There were other offers to purchase this facility and for more than what was asked of us, one offer from the university itself. However, our host the seller really wants ‘Coming Out’ Ministries to have this building and to have a very visible presence in Berrien Springs, as stated earlier, to be a legacy to her late husband.
God’s timing is perfect, and His ways sometimes past finding out! We are happy to inform you that we are now under contract for the purchase of this facility and are scheduled to close on the purchase in early January.
So, we have launched into a fundraising campaign, and here’s where you might be able to be an added blessing. A pledge has been made for this purchase of $100,000.00 as a matching fund. Any donations that come in between now and the end of December will be matched up to that amount, with an additional $25,000.00 should we reach that goal. (Needless to say, this donor is very inspired and anxious to move forward). 3ABN is airing our story on 3ABN Today and working to help us raise the funds. We know the Lord will bless, because we know He’s the one Who led us to this opportunity in the first place.
If you would like to be a part of this exciting project, your donation can be made online through our web site: www.comingoutministries.org.
Or, you can send it by mail to:
‘Coming Out’ Ministries, POB 107, Tilly, AR 72679
We invite you to join us in “Entering into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: being thankful unto him, and blessing his name.”
May God bless you!
A NEW HOME FOR
‘COMING OUT’ MINISTRIES
PROJECT
Q&A
Question: Understanding that homosexuality is not in accordance with the will of God, am I guilty of sin because of continued homosexual temptations?
Reply: In response, I would like to share with you a passage I read this morning in our family worship from a book titled Our High Calling, page 87:
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (James 1:12)
It is not the order and will of God to shield His people from temptation... When truth takes possession of the heart, the Christian will be brought into conflict... There are opposing elements in his own household, even in his own heart, and nothing but the free Spirit of God can ensure for him the victory.
The beginning of yielding to temptation is in the sin of permitting the mind to waver, to be inconsistent in your trust in God. The wicked one is ever watching for a chance to misrepresent God, and to attract the mind to that which is forbidden. If he can, he will fasten the mind upon the things of the world. He will endeavor to excite the emotions, to arouse the passions, to fasten the affections on that which is not for your good; but it is for you to hold every emotion and passion under control, in calm subjection to reason and conscience. Then Satan loses his power to control the mind. The work to which Christ calls us is to the work of progressive conquest over spiritual evil in our characters. Natural tendencies are to be overcome ... Appetite and passion must be conquered, and the will must be placed wholly on the side of Christ.
We pray to our heavenly Father, “Lead us not into temptation,” and then, too often, we fail to guard our feet against leading us into temptation. We are to keep away from the temptations by which we are easily overcome. Our success is wrought out by ourselves through the grace of Christ. We are to roll out of the way the stone of stumbling that has caused us and others so much sadness.
Temptation and trial will come to us all, but we need never be worsted by the enemy.
Our Saviour has conquered in our behalf. Satan is not invincible... Christ was tempted that He might know how to help every soul that should afterward be tempted. Temptation is not sin; the sin lies in yielding. To the soul who trusts in Jesus, temptation means victory and greater strength.”
Victor
Q&A text taken from:
Author: “Victor J. Adamson”
(Ron Woolsey)
TESTIMONY FROM
COMING TOGETHER LIVE 3
(CTL3)
This was my first visit to CTL or attending any event on this subject matter. My “story,” or the start of having an interest in this matter goes back about 5 years, kind of by accident. At the time, I felt my life was in a state of limbo. I had lost three immediate family members in a time span of two years. I also lost a relationship that I thought was very meaningful. On top of that, I was not quite sure where I was going to set up roots after selling the family home. I was at a loss of what to do next. The next thought was that I should focus on getting closer to God.
After having put that out there, within the next 6 months to a year I felt like I had opened myself up to receiving signs, and they were mostly about homosexuality. I remembered having a conversation with a former boyfriend possibly a year before about him having a wonderful God experience. We hadn’t spoken for at least a year when he called to tell me about his experience. He went on to explain that he gave his life over to Christ, and that he was not going to be involved with men sexually going forward.
It was about the time we were about to sell my brother’s home that I took a trip to search for my next place to live. I was staying with friends, and while they were at work, I turned on the television and came across Becket Cook. He was giving his testimony about how he, while not looking, found God through talking with strangers at a restaurant and being invited to a church. He then gave his life to Christ and considers himself to no longer be a part of the LGBTQ community.
Having received a few additional signs, I started to believe that there was more to this than I had previously thought, that maybe God was really trying to get my attention on this matter. Starting to look back over on my life as a gay man, I realized that there wasn’t the happiness that I thought I would have or even much contentment. I even looked at my friends and their dating lives or lack thereof. It just seemed like something was always missing.
So, in the last 5 years I’ve been looking for more information and answers. I’ve attended a Baptist Church on occasion with a family friend and joined a Bible study group. Not until earlier this year did I come across the SDA Church. A co-worker friend approached me at work one day and offered me information about the true Sabbath and the church. I started attending around April of this year and it feels like a better fit for me.
A few months ago, I had a period where I was feeling not so good about my relationship with God and had thoughts of how could He love me, which brought about some depression. I decided to confide in someone who I befriended in the church. Thankfully, she had an idea of who I should contact. She mentioned that Wayne Blakely came to speak at the church 2 or 3 years ago. I immediately thought that I have to talk with this guy and that this is what I have been needing, someone who understands my story. While doing my search for Wayne, I came across information on CTL3. Then I thought, “Wow! I’ve got to attend this event.”
The CTL3 event was approaching quickly, and I wasn’t sure of what to expect. I started to have doubts and wondered if I could connect with anyone or their stories. Thankfully, I did not let the doubts get the best of me, and I committed myself to attending.
Upon arriving, I felt welcomed right away. I think the first person I met was Michael Carducci in the dining area. It turns out that this was a great place to connect with others who were attending the conference over the week/weekend. My first day there I also met Patty, and we connected through stories that we shared. I thought that I already made a good friend and that I would be spending a good amount of time with her for the next few days. My experience of being a bit of an introvert, I don’t expect to connect deeply with many people in such a condensed period of time. Boy! Was I surprised! Between hearing people speak, sharing their stories in presentations and meeting new people in the dining area every day, I was very pleasantly surprised!
I had planned to stay only two days and then head back home. A few people said that I should stay an extra day. I was hesitant at first, but I could not deny that I was thoroughly enjoying myself, learning about self, others and also having the feeling that I was making friends that could very well end up being life-long friends. Then came an invite for free lodging for the 3rd night. At this point, how could I say no? The last day we had a few speakers give their presentations, prayer, and then off to the beach and for pizza afterward. I stayed much later than I had expected, but it was just so hard to leave my new-found friends!
I can’t remember a time when I felt so much love and acceptance from a group! Especially from people that I had just met! What a wonderful, memorable life changing experience! I did not want it to end, and I can’t wait to attend again next year! What blessing God provided for us all!
M.
‘THE HARVEST IS TRULY
PLENTIFUL’ (3ABN TODAY)
Please consider making a donation to our ministry to help spread the message of God’s love and redemption! Kindly visit our website www.comingoutministries.org and select the Donate button,
or you can send a check or money order directly to
‘Coming Out’ Ministries at PO Box 107, Tilly, AR 72679.
May God bless you for your support!