"As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den, and laid me down in that place to sleep; and as I slept, I dreamed a dream."

So begins one of the most widely read books in the world: Pilgrim's Progress.  John Bunyan's classic is said to be the most popular piece of literature behind the Bible.  And rightfully so.  This work contains rich truths; all of which are encompassed in the most intriguing story line.

For the next several months Providence's Sunday night fellowship group will be studying this great Christian classic.  If you would like to join us, we welcome your participation.  

Each night we will read a short section and then discuss it together to tease out the Biblical truths it contains.  Books are provided.

Studies are held at 6:30 pm each Sunday at Pastor Matt's house [1010 Chestnut St.]  For more information, contact Matt.

Covenant is one of the primary themes in Scripture.  It is also one of the doctrines that sets Providence Church apart from virtually every other church in our area.

Because the idea of covenant is so central to who we are and the book to which we hold, we want every family in our church to understand it.  

To that end we have purchased numerous copies of B.N. Howard's, "The Book of the Covenant," and are giving them out to families and 'friends' of Providence Church.  You can pick up your free copy at the church's resource table.

This fall we will also have a corresponding study on Sunday mornings to discuss the book together.  Dates for discussion are as follows:  Aug. 31, Sept. 21, Oct. 19, Nov. 16, Nov. 30, Dec. 21.

We will be starting a new adventure in prayer beginning this coming Wednesday May 7.  This is being organized by Jud and Johan and will meet every Wednesday in May from 7:00 till around 8:00 at the building in Kendig Park in Hayesville.  

This week Joe Faught will provide a brief meditation.  This is open to all and will focus on prayer and primarily will be a prayer meeting.  Please contact us for more information.

Our Sunday night study in Ashland has commenced with a new series.  They are now progressing through 1 Samuel.  

1 Samuel tells of how God takes a people who are "doing what is right in their own eyes" and establishes his king and kingdom in their midst.  That is why 1 Samuel can be called a book of "upsets."  Hannah, in her opening prayer, even spoke to this as she sang, "The Lord kills and brings to life...The Lord brings low and he exalts."

Join us each Sunday night at 6:30 as we make our way through this book and study God's reformation & renewal of his kingdom people.  Contact Matt for details.

One of the greatest joys we have as Christians is being able to share our faith.  That's why we are now offering an evangelism training class!

On the third Sunday of each month we will gather at 9:30 am to study The Way of the Master evangelism training program.  This program, put together by popular evangelists Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron, will equip you with the tools you need to confidently and eloquently share the gospel with your friends, family members, and coworkers.  

For those interested in going deeper into the study, booklets are available which contain study questions, examples, encouragements, and challenges.

If you'd like to get a preview of what this course attempts to do, you can watch this short clip.

Our Ashland based Sunday Night Fellowship group will be commencing a new study in the book of Judges.  Dale Davis, in his commentary, sums it up well when he says, 

"The church (in general) has a problem with the Book of Judges.  It is so earthly, so puzzling, so primitive, so violent--in a word, so strange, that the church can scarcely stomach it...[yet] It's so interesting.  Only people who take tranquilizers before sitting down can doze off while they read it."

Please join us as we seek to understand the intrigue within this unique book!  The study meets at Matt's house at 6:30 pm.  Email him for directions or with questions.

This weekend Matt will be presenting several talks for a seminar on Islam at Richland Correctional.  His prison students asked him to do the seminar because they wanted to have the men equipped to do some apologetics with the Muslims they frequently rub shoulders with.

He will also be presenting a summary of the talks at his Sunday night Bible study (August 4th, 6:30 pm).  If you are interested in learning how to refute Islam, you are more than welcome to join us for the evening.  If you need directions, you can email Matt.

The talks include: The Dilemma of Islam; Allah: Uncovered and Exposed; The Sure Way of Salvation

Pastor Matt has just posted a Christian classics reading list over on his website.  If you are looking for some summer reading material, or are just looking for something edifying to work through, you might want to check it out.

There has already been some interest in doing a Christian classics class for our young people and/or homeschool community.  If that's something you might be interested in this fall, let him know.

We mentioned a couple weeks ago that Pastor Matt was leading some classes on worldview for the homeschoolers in the area.  In that article we gave links to some of the content from the first section of those classes.  Well, he has completed the second section, which analyzes some of the different worldviews that are prevalent in America today.  

1. Pantheism
2. Humanism
3. Existentialism
4. Postmodernism

Each of these links not only explains the worldview, but gives some examples of how it is manifested in our culture today.  All of them are helpful for developing the kind of discernment a Christian needs as he interacts with different media forms in our culture.

Our Sunday night Bible study group over in Mansfield has started working through a stimulating book in recent weeks.  The work is titled, The Fear of God: A Forgotten Doctrine.

The book is the outworking of the author's life emphasis.  Throughout his ministry Arnold Frank emphasized the holiness of God and the need to give him proper reverence.  He then began to highlight each passage in Scripture where it dealt with the subject.  This eventually culminated in his Ph.D. study in the doctrine, and subsequently the book.

The book is filled with insight from the Puritans and gives practical expression to this doctrine that is virtually extinct in our contemporary context.