March Camp Meeting

Our monthly camp meeting will be this Thursday, March 12, 6:30 PM 

at Ozark Baptist Church Fellowship Hall

    Greetings to all of our camp members of the Dale County Gideon Camp.  In Joshua Chapter 1 we are told to “be strong and very courageous”.  That was the theme of this year’s Gideon convention in Birmingham, and I pray that it will be our theme as we finish out this Gideon year and move into Gideon year 2016.  We have been blessed this year with church services and contributions from those services, great Faith Fund donations, an expanded Gideon Bible Card outreach, several spirited distributions, a strong Auxiliary ministry, and the blessing of thirteen new members.  Our members have renewed their faithfulness to our ministry in prayer, their participation, in our several programs, and in their financial support which allows scriptures to be purchased for world-wide distribution. 

  We still have much work to do in securing Gideon services in several of our churches and in closing out this year in such a way that we will be able to seamlessly transition to the challenges of the new Gideon year beginning on June 1.  Our program at this monthly meeting will be done by our own Don and Margie McCall.  Margie was re-elected as our State Auxiliary President and Don was elected as our South Regional Vice President.  We are blessed to have both of them in our camp as we begin this next year.  Both Margie and Don will be sharing the many high points of the convention and will challenge each of us to be “very strong and courageous” as we go about God’s work in this ministry. 

  There are literally millions of hands throughout the world that are reaching out to receive a copy of God’s word; unfortunately, there are currently not enough scriptures available to fill each outstretched hand.  We need to remain determined in all of our camp areas as we speed toward Vision 2020 and spread His Word through the distribution of Bibles and Scriptures to every man, woman, boy and girl, because someone prayed, someone gave, someone went, and someone placed a copy of God’s Word right where He wants it to be.  God bless you for your outreach.  Thank you for being a Gideon/Auxiliary. 

From our President

Greetings to everyone.  This year seems to be moving fast.  We have zoomed through January and February, and now it is March.  We have much to do before we finish out this Gideon year on May 31 and begin Gideon year 2016.  This week marks the end of our annual 100 day countdown to the State Convention.  We started this countdown back on November 28 with a commitment to set aside a certain amount of money each day to be turned in now as our contribution to the Faith Fund and HEART Fund ministries  at the annual State Gideon Convention.  Many have already turned in their donations.  If you have not yet turned in your donation to these funds (Faith Fund for Gideons and HEART Fund for Auxiliary), I encourage you to do so right away.  Your donations can still be turned in by mailing a check made out to Gideons International to P.O. Box 291, Ozark AL 36361 (that needs to be mailed no later than tomorrow, March 3, 2015 in order to be counted with the 100 day countdown).  You can also turn it in by contacting me directly and arranging for it to be picked up at your house.  Please put your Gideon or Auxiliary number on  the check so it may be properly credited.  Faith Fund and HEART Fund donations are a major source of funding for the purchase and distribution of scriptures around the world.  We can be assured that these funds will change lives.  Souls are saved every second through the Gideon Ministry, because someone prayed, someone gave, someone went, and someone placed a copy of God's Word right where He intended it to be placed.  

Membership is going very well, however a few of our members still need to renew their membership.  The grace period for membership renewal ends on March 31, 2015.  Please contact me at 334-379-5250, if you need assistance.  

Our Annual Membership Dinner is currently scheduled for our regular meeting night in July, 2015 at 6:30 PM.  Please work on identifying prospects to become members of the Gideons.  As we develop our list of prospects, we will begin the work of contacting their pastors and also contacting them as the date for the dinner approaches.  We don't have to wait for the dinner to bring in a new member.  If you know a man who meets the qualifications on the membership form and who you know  would be a good Gideon, please encourage him to complete the application now and join the Gideon ministry.

Please check with Steve Price to assist in securing Gideon report presentations at churches in our camp area.  We are doing well now, however there are still many churches that we need to get into before the end of May if we are to fulfill our goal of serving all of our churches.

Thank you again for your steadfast membership and work in our camp, in the Gideon ministry, and in your church.  God bless the work of the Gideon ministry, and God bless each of you.  On behalf of all those lives that are touched every day through the introduction of God's word into their lives, thank you for being a Gideon/Auxiliary.  Gene