By Allen Palmeri
Associate Editor
JACKSON—Barbara Popp, a former Missouri Woman’s Missionary Union (MWMU) president and longtime prayer leader at First Baptist Church here, welcomed the work of the Holy Spirit in an Oct. 24 workshop that drew 45 people.
Popp and her husband, John, facilitated one of seven small groups for Bob Loggins, Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) prayer and spiritual awakening specialist. The spiritual renewal time in the church’s fellowship hall was built on principles found in “The Journey to Wholeness & Holiness Discipleship Workbook,” which made its debut at First Jackson.
For the Popps, it provided clarification in the Spirit.
“I’ve heard several people say that they’ve kind of had an insight to some further things that we may possibly do,” Barbara Popp said. “I think they’ll probably be a core group of us who will pray and want to meet and think about where we should go from here with this.
“We have a very strong prayer meeting on Wednesday evening. We use the prayer sheet, and we try to reach out and show the people we’ve prayed for that we care about them, but I think our eyes have been opened to a few things we may do a little differently.”
Loggins said he likes coming to First Jackson “because you all give the biggest honorariums that I’ve ever had in my ministry.” That led some in the audience to wonder what they were paying him. He had them guess the amount, and someone said $2,000.
By way of illustration, one couple stood up. Loggins put an arm around the husband and an arm around the wife, then said for all to hear, “This is what you’ve given me. I’ve not gotten one dime.”
Love is the most excellent way.
“That’s why I’m coming back to First Jackson,” he said.
At the end of his presentation, Loggins prayed that First Jackson would start ministries that will go to the heart of God’s people, “to serve this community and ask questions (like), ‘God, what do we need to do?’”
First Jackson does not have a pastor. Seven deacons and half of the pastor search committee came to the Oct. 24 meeting with a longing for God in their hearts.
“God can speak to the lay people and show us what to do next,” Popp said. “We’ve been very focused on praying for our pastor search committee, and I feel like we can move ahead. We’re just preparing the way for a new pastor to come.”
Loggins would normally take 8-10 hours to go through his workbook, which has been used by more than 1,000 people thus far in Missouri. At First Jackson he covered about one third of the material, which he said was plenty for the group to get started on their journey toward healing, cleansing, and joy.