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This is urgent! Politicians in Washington are getting ready to vote on legislation referred to as the “Equality Act.” Don’t let the name of this legislation fool you. The title is misleading. The bill is less about equality and more about trying to legislate immorality. Furthermore, it should be understood that this piece of legislation is a direct threat to your religious liberty. 

Let me be clear about this issue. This issue has nothing to do with whether you are a Republican or Democrat. Nor does this issue have anything to do with whether you know or love someone who is trapped in the LGBTQ+ lifestyle. Rather, where you stand on this issue has everything to do with whether you are a committed Christian or a compromised Christian.

The Bible does not and will never approve, endorse, embrace, accept, or condone any form of sexual immorality whether fornication, adultery, incest, beastiality, homosexuality, etc. Therefore, no one claiming to be a Christian should be found participating in or approving of any of the perverted acts listed above.

As such, we must act now by contacting our congressmember and U.S. senators asking them to vote NO. I also encourage you to let the White House know about your strong opposition to this bill. Don’t just take my word for it. The remainder of this post outlines why I am opposing this legislation and why I believe that you should too.

As a husband and father, I oppose this legislation because:

• The Equality Act will legislate allowing boys in girls’ sports, boys in girls’ locker rooms, men in women’s shelters, and men in women’s prisons. It will force teachers and students to publicly pretend that a biological male is a female. Schools will be encouraged or mandated to instruct first, second, and third graders that they can choose to be a boy or a girl, or neither, or both, making biological sex (and science) a relic of the past.

As a born again Christian I oppose this legislation because:

• The Equality Act designates schools, churches, and healthcare organizations as “public accommodations.” With this, schools, churches, and hospitals could be forced to accept the government’s beliefs and mandates about sexual orientation and gender identity. That would be highly intrusive and incredibly far-reaching. It will threaten everyday speech where people can be fined or lose their jobs for using the wrong name or pronouns.

• The Equality Act will use the force of law across all 50 states to strip Christian and other religious ministries of their right to hire people of shared faith to pursue a shared mission. Can you imagine a Christian organization being forced to hire people hostile to its deeply held beliefs who have no passion for its beliefs, teachings, and mission? That doesn’t work.

• The Equality Act will strip health professionals of their rights of conscience. It will force doctors and medical professionals who long to not harm to engage in gender transition treatments such as hormone-blocking, cross-sex hormones, or surgery. It is obvious that a Catholic or faith-based hospital should not have to perform gender transition surgeries that go entirely against all they believe.

As a Bible College professor, I oppose this legislation because:

• The Equality Act will be a tool used by the government to deny or threaten accreditation to religious colleges and universities if they do not satisfy the demands of the secular Left to apply sexual orientation and gender identity to dorms, sports, places of privacy, and even teachings. The Act could be used as a weapon to threaten the availability of federal student loans and grants to students at certain disfavored religious schools.

Finally, as a pastor, I find all of these implications both heartbreaking and disturbing. Please join me in praying that Christian people across America will rise up and stand against this godless threat to our religious liberty. In addition, pray that politicians will protect our religious liberty as afforded to us by the constitution of the United States of America. 

Sincerely,

Pastor Josh

Use the links below to contact your Congressman, Senators, and the Office of the President.

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact

https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Yes, we are less than forty-eight hours away from hosting revival services with evangelist Rick Coram! With that said I want to ask you to make a twofold commitment. First, I want to ask you to commit to praying for these revival services. In the remaining days leading up to our services please pray for God to impact all of our lives in a way that will forever change how we love, live for, and serve the Lord.  As you pray remember to pray for our evangelist and our EBBC praise team who will minister to us each night. Second, I want to ask you to commit to attending each service (Sunday-Wednesday). Yes, I know that this is a challenging season of life but I believe that’s a big part of why we need revival right now. Obviously, our faith has been strained now it needs strengthened. Therefore, join your EBBC family as we position ourselves to hear from the Lord. Again our revival is scheduled for September 6th -9th. Thank you in advance for your willingness to honor these two commitments.

In Christ,

Pastor Josh

Starting Sunday, September 6th-9th, 2020 East Barbourville Baptist Church will host Evangelist Rick Coram for revival services.  Bro. Rick resides in Jacksonville Florida where he is a member of the North Jacksonville Baptist Church.  As you know revival meetings are rare these days yet Bro. Rick has been serving as a full-time evangelist since 1988 holding at least 45 revival/crusade meetings a year in churches and venues of all sizes.

With that said, I am confident that we are going to hear some great preaching in each and every service!  However, I’m praying that the 6th-9th proves to be more than just that.  I’m praying for each one of us to have a divine encounter with God that dramatically impacts the way that we love, live for, and serve the Lord.  Yes, I know that this is a different season of life but please prayerfully consider setting aside these dates to ensure that you will be able to attend all of these services.  In doing so you will have positioned yourself and those that you hopefully bring with you to hear from the Lord.  Thank you in advance for your faithfulness in praying for and participating in these revival services!

– Pastor Josh

279 Old 25 E, Barbourville, KY 40906, USA

“The law of the Lord is perfect^,
    reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
    making wise the simple;”

The words written above belong to the Psalmist and are found in Psalm 19:7. His words serve as a reminder of the important role that the Word of God plays in reviving the soul. Let’s be honest we all reach a point where we need revived for one reason or another. Sometimes our soul suffers because our faith just grows stale. At times the soul suffers because of unchecked sin that hasn’t been confessed and dealt with before God. Sometimes our soul suffers because of the neglect of practicing spiritual disciplines in our daily walk with God. As such, we must position ourselves in order to be confronted and corrected by the Word of God. Thankfully, the work of the Word of God is sufficient to revive the soul!

With that said, please set aside time in your schedule next week to attend revival services in-person. Bro. Rick Coram will once again be our evangelist. As you may recall he was with us during this same week in 2018. Throughout that week we saw God move in amazing ways. I’m ready for Him to do it again! The first service in this series of meetings will take place Sunday, September 6th at 11:00 A.M. We will continue to hold revival services Sunday through Wednesday evening of that same week at 7:00 P.M. Please join me in praying for revival!

• Pastor Josh

It goes without saying that people are anxious right now. Some are anxious about the threat of contracting the Coronavirus. Some are anxious about the protests and riots that are taking place across the United States. Others are anxious because of the color of their skin or the color of the uniform that they wear each day to work. People are also anxious about the upcoming elections and what that means for the future of life and liberty in our country.

As such, you and I have been given a unique opportunity. An opportunity that allows us to speak what Proverbs 12:25 calls a “good word” into the hearts and lives of our family members and friends. Obviously, the hearts of our neighbors are weighed down with worry at this time. Therefore, let the church rise up and point them to the hope we have in Christ. Will you accept the challenge? It’s really a simple task. Use your phone or social media accounts to send a “good word” to someone who may be troubled by this season of life. Here is an example of a message that was sent to local law enforcement officers this week who probably need a “good word” as they do their jobs.

“In your line of work you have seen the good, bad, and ugly side of humanity. It goes without saying that the fact that we live in a world infected by sin provides you and I with a certain level of job security. Yet, you and I agree that we would be glad to do anything else to provide for our family if it meant the world was free of the presence of evil. I assure there is such a place. The Bible calls it heaven. Thankfully, Jesus paved the way for us to escape hell and experience heaven through His death and resurrection. Thankfully, He is willing to make us children of God if we pray and ask Him to save us. Hopefully, you have already done just that. If not I’m open to talk with you about it anytime. With that said, I’m praying for you as you serve and protect our community day in and day out. I know the hours are long and at times the there seems to be little appreciation for a job well done but don’t be fooled as you are a vital part of our community. Thank you for your service!”

Who has God put on your heart today? Reach out to them with a message of hope and encouragement letting them know that Jesus saves and you are praying for them in response to whatever they may be going through on this journey called life.

Tired of Live-streamed services? Missing your Sunday School class? Great! This is the last week of “Phase One” in our Pandemic Reentry plan. With that said, next week (Sunday, June 21, 2020) we are moving to “Phase Two” of our Pandemic Reentry plan. This means that activities such as Sunday School, summer youth programs, recovery ministry, along with our men’s and women’s fellowship groups can resume meeting as of June 21st. It also means that our seating capacity in the sanctuary will increase to 50% with overflow seating available in the “Old Fellowship Hall” if needed.

As you know Kentucky began reopening nearly a month ago on May 11th. While there has continued to be confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in Kentucky it is encouraging to note that there has not been a sudden surge in the spread of the virus as some warned would happen upon reopening the commonwealth. A surge that one would expect to see by now given the fourteen day incubation period of the virus. Obviously, this does not mean that the virus has gone away. Rather it means that news cycles are now dominated by other breaking news stories such as protests and other types of political upheavals. Nevertheless, each person must reasonably respond to the risk of the virus based on the status of their health and the threat it poses on their physical well being. Therefore, if you feel that you are at risk then please remember to stay home until you feel comfortable returning to church. Also, if you are sick or symptomatic please stay home until you are fully recovered and feeling well. In the meantime, we will all continue to pray for one another.

With that said, I continue to be humbled by your generosity. As you know we were blessed to pay off our “New Building” in December of 2019. In an effort to pay it off by 2020 we had been using every available dollar to pay towards that debt. As such, we started 2020 with basically a months worth of finances in reserve. Then we were suddenly met with an unexpected Pandemic that shut down our nations economy and hindered us from being able to physically gather for worship. At that moment pastors like myself who had little to no experience with live-streaming worship services were suddenly tasked with moving services all online. In addition, they were concerned over what the state of their church’s finances would be like when the ban on mass gatherings would finally be lifted. Since that time I have heard from many pastors who have celebrated the faith and faithfulness of their congregations in giving during this time. They are not alone in that experience as I too have witnessed your faith and faithfulness as well. Some of you resorted to mailing in your tithes and offerings while some of you chose to use our online giving platform instead. Regardless of the method you chose you were and are “essential” to the cause!

Therefore, let me say thank you on behalf of the three staff members that your gifts support as a result of salaries they receive each month. Also, let me say thank you on behalf of the missionaries serving with the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board. Furthermore, let me say thank on behalf of the orphans that are being cared for by Sunrise Children’s Services, the students at Oneida Baptist Institute, and the future church leaders who are being trained by Clear Creek Baptist Bible College and the six seminaries of the Southern Baptist Convention. Let me say thank you on behalf of church planters that we support in Uganda and South Sudan. In addition, let me say thank you on behalf of the ministry of First Priority, Emmanuel Bible Camp, and Laurel Lake Baptist Camp all of which labor tirelessly engaging students with the gospel. I could go on but I think you get the point. Thank you for your commitment to Christ, His church, and the great commission!

In His Service,

Pastor Josh

By next weekend we will have a stage in place and sound equipment situated. Likewise, we will have songs and a sermon prepared in an effort to host an outdoor worship service. All we will need to make it a great day is a move of the Holy Spirit and you! So make plans to attend this weekend’s “Drive-In” church service at 11:00 am. As you know, the “Drive-In” church service provides us with a safe alternative for having church during the Pandemic.

As such, it is important that we observe the same guidelines that we used during our Easter service. Therefore, please abide by the following instructions:

1. Enter the parking lot through the Rowland Lane entrance. (Between the new building and the church parsonage.)

2. Parking attendants will direct you where to park. Please follow their directions so that we can get as many cars as possible into our lot while maintaining a safe social distance between cars.

3. Please no more than a single family that lives together in a car.

4. Please do not get out of your car.

5. Please do not pass anything between cars.

6. All vehicles will be parked facing the pulpit area.

7. Sound will be provided through the use of a sound system and an FM transmitter that will allow you to receive the audio of the service on a radio frequency inside of your car. (TUNE YOUR CAR RADIO TO 91.1 FM.)

8. Drivers will be directed as to when and where to exit at the end of the service. 

9. Finally tithes and offerings will be collected as cars exit the parking lot for those who come prepared to give.

Until then be in prayer for one another. In addition, pray for our volunteers who have and will continue to work tirelessly so that we can continue to worship together either online or through the “Drive-In” format each week. Also, don’t forget to pray for the Lord to move in the hearts of our family, friends, and neighbors. Finally, pray for the Lord to give us good weather. In the meantime, please know that I count it a great honor to be your pastor. Our family’s truly thankful for each and every one of you.

In Christ,

Pastor Josh

In the background of the picture above is a sacred site in Jerusalem known as the Garden Tomb. In 2010, I was overwhelmed with emotions as our tour group partook of the Lord’s Supper and sang “Because He Lives” while standing outside of this very location!  While I had always believed in the death and resurrection of Christ I walked away from that experience evermore convinced that our “Savior Lives!” With that said, in just a few days we will celebrate the resurrection of Christ as a church family like Christians have been doing in every generation for the last 2,000 years.

Obviously, we are in a unique situation that calls for a certain level of creativity in order to celebrate this year. With that said, we are planning to hold an outdoor drive-in service this weekend at 11:00 A.M. in the upper parking lot of our church. At this point a stage has been built, the order of service has been planned, and prayers are being prayed in advance of this weekend’s service. However, in order for everything to flow smoothly we need to keep the following factors in mind:

1. Enter the parking lot through the Rowland Lane entrance. (Between the new building and the church parsonage.)
2. Parking attendants will direct you where to park. Please follow their direction so that we can get as many cars as possible into our lot and maintain a safe distance between cars.
3. Please no more than a single family that lives together in a car.
4. Please do not get out of your car.
5. Please do not pass anything between cars.
6. All vehicles will be parked facing the pulpit area.
7. Sound will be provided through the use of a sound system and an FM transmitter that will allow you to receive the audio of the service on a radio frequency inside of your car. (Tune your car radio to 91.1 FM.)
8. Drivers will be directed as to when and where to exit at the end of the service. 
9. Finally tithes and offerings be collected as cars exit the parking lot.

In the meantime don’t neglect to pray in advance of this weekend. Likewise, please know that I am praying for each of you and look forward to seeing you soon.

In Christ,

Pastor Josh