Preaching at My Alma-Mater Hannibal LaGrange College

I had the great opportunity to preach at my alma-mater Hannibal LaGrange College yesterday, October 14, 2009. It was truly a great honor and I enjoyed every minute of my time there. Dr. Tom Hufty gave me this opportunity and I am truly thankful him doing so. I got to see many old faces and bring back some great memories. Alyssa Askew, a current HLG student and a member of Bethel Baptist Church (my home church) led worship before I spoke. I spoke for about 30 minutes on Mark 10:17-22, the story of "The Rich Young Ruler". You can check out my sermon at http://www.hlg.edu/life/chapel.php

Pastor Fred Winters

This morning at 8:55 a.m. a gunmen walked in to FBC Maryville, Illinois. He walked down the center aisle minutes into Pastro Fred Winters sermon. He approached the stage with gun in hand and Fred asked him how he could help the man. The man pointed the gun towards Fred and fired 3 times. The man was tackled by 4 members of the church where 2 of them were stabbed and the gunmen attempted to stab himself during the scuffle. 4 people were taken to the hospital including Fred. Pastor fred winters later died from the injuries received during the attack. Pastor Fred leaves behind his wife, Cindy, and 2 children. Pastor Fred Winters was my pastor for 8 years. He baptized me during junior high and was a great influence on my life, my walk with the Lord, and my current career in ministry. I thank him for all the lives he reached through the years. He will be missed by many people from the Maryville area and the surrounding communities. I pray God will watch over his family and see them through this difficult situation.