“I am thankful for the hard work of the staff in continuing to make Sundays and Wednesday nights effective and meaningful times of worship, Bible study and fellowship,” said Executive Pastor Ray Griffin. “I am also grateful at how flexible and positive our people are being. God is receiving glory for this special time as we unite.”

WEDNESDAY EVENING SCHEDULE

August 4 (No Meal)
6:30-7:15    Prayer Meeting
Team Kid
eMerge Students

August 11, 18 & 25
5 p.m.    Dinner
6:30 p.m.    Prayer Meeting
6:30-8    Choir
Team Kid
eMerge Students
7 p.m.    Orchestra

SUNDAYS SCHEDULE IN AUGUST
Traditional worship
8:15 & 11 a.m.
Contemporary worship
9:30 a.m.
11|11 Worship
Informational meeting in Cafe
at 11:11 a.m. on August 1
Sunday School
9:30 & 11 a.m.
Pre-Evening Service Prayer
6 p.m.
Sunday Evening worship
6:30 p.m.

Please contact your Sunday school director to confirm the latest information on classroom meeting locations.

The damage, however, alters the schedule for the remainder of the summer. Click here to read more.

Please continue to visit qsbc.org for the latest information. Click here for photos.

“God sent our small group last year to a place we had never really heard of–the island of St. Vincent in the West Indies” said Swezey. “We fell in love with the children and the people of this beautiful island.”

QSBC’s Dixie Swezey teaches children at a VBS in St. Vincent in the Grenadines in 2009.

Only five Baptist churches exist on the six islands that make up St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“We were able to distribute Bibles to people who had never owned one before,” Dixie said. “We taught Bible skills to children. About 120 children came to our one-room Vacation Bible School at Glen Baptist Church. Nineteen of those children made decisions to ask Jesus into their hearts.”

Much of the VBS had to be conducted outdoors since the church could not hold all the children. The Bibles distributed on St. Vincent were purchased by the children of QSBC through the VBS offering. Ten members of QSBC went to the West Indies at the request of IMB missionaries John and Barbara Randolph in 2009. The Randolphs are responsible for several far-flung island groups but are based on St. Vincent.

They are trying to establish partnerships between Baptist churches in the islands and Baptist congregations in the U.S. to carry on mission work when their tour ends in about a year. Many on St. Vincent live in borderline poverty, since there is no industry on the island, although some work raising bananas. Team member and QSBC librarian Donna Murrah said, “the island is a study in contrasts. You have this beautiful island and ocean but most of the people don’t have decent housing.” Unemployment is very high and many people leave the island to find work.

This year’s team will be working with Pastor Sylvester King and members of Glen Baptist Church again, training children’s workers but also doing other mission work. More Bibles will be offered this year, as well as curriculum for children and retired QSBC sound equipment for the church. Training church leaders in the area also will be done.

The team also will be conducting sports camps for children from 12 to 18 years of age, in an effort to reach more people on the island. The sports camps will focus on soccer (football to Vincentians) and basketball. Members of Glen Baptist Church are excited about this new outreach and are already publicizing the camps and pre-registering students.
At the request of the Randolphs and Pastor King, two members of QSBC’s Media Ministry on the mission trip will be conducting AV/Media seminars for pastors and other church volunteers on St. Vincent and other nearby islands.

“Churches in the area want to use radio and TV to reach people for Christ,” Media Ministry member Keith Swezey said. “They also have Internet access but have not used it as an outreach and are particularly interested in putting their services on the web as a way to reach new members.”
Dixie requests this: “Please pray for our group and for the pastor and church family at Glen Baptist Church as they work with almost no resources to bring the Good News to their island.”

Story content and photo provided by Keith Swezey.

Fast facts about St. Vincent and the Grenadines:

• The people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are called Vincentians, or “Vincys.”

• Saint Vincent is a volcanic island in the West Indies. It is the largest island of the chain called Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The Atlantic and the Caribbean meet just of the coast of St. Vincent. The islands that make up St. Vincent and the Grenadines are located about 200 miles off the coast of Venezuela.

• Approximately 120,000 people live on the island. Kingstown, with a population of 19,300 is the principal town and seat of government. The rest of the population resides in small villages up and down the island. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations with Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. They gained their independence in 1979.

“This year Quail Springs Baptist Church will celebrate its 60^th anniversary at the festival and we want the community to help us celebrate,” said Brian Hobbs, director of communications. “QSCC and Prospect church also will celebrate their thirtieth and first anniversaries, respectively, which is a blessing.”

The free community festival includes food, drinks, live music, parking (with shuttle service), inflatable games and activities for children, and the largest fireworks display in the event’s history.

“God continues to use this event to help us reach out to the community,” QSBC’s Minister of Recreation and Community Outreach, Van Greenwood, said. “In addition to that, it is an incredible time of fellowship and celebration.”

Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the QSBC Church Office at (405) 755-9240 or visit qsbc.org.

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Founded in 1950, Quail Springs Baptist Church has been led by Senior Pastor Dr. Hance Dilbeck since 2003.

“Established as Nichols Hills Baptist Church in 1950, the Church has a long, storied past that we as a church family will commemorate in select ways,” said Brian Hobbs, Director of Communications for the church.

Be watching this page for more details in the coming weeks.

Ray Griffin pictured with his wife Jennifer and their children Caleb and Emily

During the Sunday evening worship service on February 21, the Quail Springs Baptist Church family held a specially-called business meeting.

In the session, the congregation voted to approve a recommendation from the Executive Pastor search committee to make QSBC’s Ray Griffin executive pastor effective March 1.

“I am honored and humbled by this calling, and will do my all to glorify God in this role,” said Griffin.

The proposed 2010-11 QSBC operating budget and spending guide also was approved in a congregational vote that evening.

Fore more information, cotact the QSBC business office at 755-9240.