December 2020 – Partner Update

Posted by on December 11, 2020 in Partners | Comments Off

December 2020 – Partner Update

Dear Partners,

Through your gifts you and I together are loving people to life.

 

It has been so long since our last communication with you and I want to begin this letter by thanking you for continuing your support for the ministry each month even though there was no news from us in the usual fashion. Back in the spring, when all this COVID news started coming in, we had to cancel my travels and have our staff shift its focus to online alternatives. Since then we have outfitted our chapel at the ranch with cameras and sound equipment and started meeting in Zoom, streaming our church services and Bible school online. The response has been good and the church congregation has grown more each week.

I also want to assure you that I am in great health. I have had two ‘repair procedures’ during this year but they were out-patient and I am feeling great! I celebrated my 82nd birthday in October, but I feel much younger!

Many of you have been keeping in touch with us via Zoom. For those not familiar with it, Zoom is an online meeting software that allows us to have immediate video contact and conference with each other. I have sent out messages over Zoom from my kitchen table that were put onto YouTube for all to see. As mentioned earlier, we have equipped the chapel with video recording equipment and have been broadcasting our Sunday services live online. Many of you have been joining us each week for fellowship, teaching and communion service. Randy, our ranch manager, operates the camera and recording equipment in Bandera while John in San Antonio relays that to Zoom and posts it on YouTube as well. Whatever the future holds I think that Zoom communication is here to stay!

If you have missed this news and would like to join us every Sunday online, email us at malcolmsmith.org@gmail.com and we will make sure you get an invitation each week in your email with instructions on how to join the church meetings in Zoom. (There’s even an option to dial in and listen by telephone – without a computer.)

A few more announcements: Andrew Coloney, my associate pastor at Unconditional Love Fellowship, has a new YouTube channel with some of his recent teachings which will surely bless you. Also our staff has been working to make more of my teaching series (which were previously only available on CD) available as downloads. We are adding more downloads each week on our online store at www.malcolmsmith.org.

During the first weeks of the ‘shutdown’ due to COVID back in March, I had a year of bookings cancelled – including a much-anticipated tour of the U.K. in October. That has meant communicating with individuals, home groups, and even church congregations by Zoom. This September we had the largest Bible school module we have ever had. There were about thirty students here at the ranch and nearly 200 more participating online through Zoom from all over the world including: Australia, South America, central Africa and Europe. It was a marvelous time – the Spirit freely working in and with all this technology.

I am aware that some of you do not have a computer or if you do have no idea how to access these programs that give instant communication. I thank you for your prayers and support even when you did not know what was going on – we have prayed for you, your health and lives blessed by the Spirit. We will be sending you a CD of our Sunday morning service and also making it available to all our partners on our website.

In this message I deal with the absolute and unshakeable confidence that we have in the faithfulness of God toward us. I base that on the word that begins Psalm 23:6 – “Surely”. We live in a world in chaos deeply anchored to the covenant faithful love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit – I AM. I am sure this will bless you all.

If this is a success – taking a Sunday service via all the technology to come to you by CD – then we will be doing this each month of 2021.

We will be having another Bible school (module 2) in January that will be repeated in February and March. To attend Module 2 you must have completed Module 1. To enroll and have your place reserved in-person at the ranch in Bandera or to join by Zoom, contact Judy at (830) 328-3770. (Please use only this number for Bible school information and registration. Do not call the usual number at the office. Thank you.)

I have been able to travel to a church in Houston during the year for meetings and will be doing so next year and will let you know when I have dates for those meetings.

All of us here are praying His richest blessing in these challenging days – and may the joy of the Lord fill your holiday season.

Again thank you with all my heart for your love gifts that have flowed through these months of being cut off from one another. It clearly showed that you are committed to giving to the message going out to the world even as I am in speaking it.

We will communicate again in January 2021.

To view this partner letter online please visit: http://unconditionallovefellowship.com/partners/

You may also listen to past partner mp3 messages by visiting: http://unconditionallovefellowship.com/partners/mp3-archives/

 

The blessing of the Lord be with you all –

Malcolm