Special to the Aroostook Republican
Caribou Church of Christ minister Jay Repecko was among several Northeasterners invited to venture down south to Cookeville, Tenn., to take part in Tennessee Bible College’s 29th annual Spiritual Renewal Week lectureship April 29-May 3, the theme of which was evangelism.
Repecko reported on the Churches of Christ in Maine and what congregations in the Tennessee area can do to help.
Also represented in the lectureship were Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, with ministers from each state giving first-hand accounts of the Churches of Christ in their respective areas and the needs they have regarding church growth.
“The 2009 lectures at Tennessee Bible College were superb,” said TBC President Malcolm Hill. “The individuals who came from the Northeast and others from the Cookeville area excelled in their reports, and the materials given out were very faith-strengthening.”
Hill stressed the importance of evangelism as this year’s lectureship theme.
“Saving oneself eternally is the most important thing, and that’s why the Savior Himself emphasized it,” he said. “He gave the command to go into all the world and teach all nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
In addition to Repecko, Northeastern state participants included Gary Babcock of Coventry, R.I.; Alan St. Pierre of North Providence, R.I.; Tom Jackson of Whitefield, N.H.; David Coombs of Laconia, N.H.; Andre King of Farmington, Conn.; and Robert Nilram of Lewistown, Penn.
Hill said he was especially thrilled that lectureship attendees from the South could hear first-hand accounts of the needs up North.
“The individuals reporting for us didn’t just go and visit these states; they actually live there,” Hill said. “It helps us know it’s real.”
Repecko has ministered at Caribou Church of Christ at 104 Bennett Dr. since July 2006. He and his wife, Florence, have two children and one grandchild.
On his participation in the Tennessee Bible College lectureship, Repecko said, “The church in Maine is small, and there are a whole lot of people for us to reach from each congregation. Over 2,000 per person. So I spoke of the need we have for men to come and fill pulpits. We need families from Tennessee and elsewhere to come and work their trades and work with the church and help it grow. We need them to live there, not just for a couple of years but to stay and grow their families.”
All lectures may be heard online at www.tn-biblecollege.edu/lectureship.shtml. CDs may also be requested by calling TBC at (931)526-2616.
