NEON REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

A Congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church

P.O. Box 11, Neon, Kentucky 41840


April 21, 2009

Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ from Pastor Belden and the congregation of Neon Reformed Presbyterian Church.

I’m tempted to give up date setting when it comes to predicting when we will be in the new building. I’m afraid I’m starting to lose credibility. But I really think we’re close this time. We decided to hold off on renovating the storefront and replacing the windows until later this year. This means we can move in as soon as the carpet is installed. The carpet could take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks. The good news is, this has given me more time to work on preparations. I talked to one local newspaper and they would like to do a story on our building, including before and after pictures. I have arranged for an advertisement in another local paper to invite people to an open house. I will also be running outreach articles in both papers during this time. I’m still planning on preaching a series of evangelistic sermons for the first few months. Please pray that God would cause His word to run and be glorified.

Moving into the building means we’re in the market for sound and recording equipment. If anyone out there has expertise in this area and is willing to give us some advice, we would greatly appreciate it.

We continue to receive good feedback from the gospel tract. More local individuals and churches have ordered copies to distribute. I may even have opportunities to present the material in the tract to some of these churches. Please pray that God would open that door and bless these labors.

We recently had an encouraging visit from a family living in Hindman Kentucky, a community within 35 minutes of Neon. Richard and Beth Ann Bowers and their three daughters have been attending our evening worship services. It turns out that Richard grew up in Hindman. His parents worked for a Christian summer camp. While in college he came to the reformed faith. After attending a PCA congregation in Atlanta for about a year, he and his family moved back to the mountains. Richard’s desire is to see reformed theology and practice take root in the community he grew up in. He is very active among the churches in his area promoting male leadership in families and covenant nurture. Richard is also distributing the gospel tract. He is talking to the churches in his area about having me come in and do presentations. We don’t know what God plans to do with all this. Please pray that God would guild Richard and his family. Pray also that God would bless the use of the gospel tract in outreach.

Doug Brink continues to struggle with on-going health issues. He is also dealing with continuing back pain. Please pray for healing and encouragement.

Until very recently, Morgan Madison had been attending morning worship faithfully for about the last six months. He asked for prayer with his addictions to drugs. All this was very encouraging. But he hasn’t been back for a few weeks. Please pray that Morgan would return and that God would open his heart to the gospel and break the bondage of his sin.


Grace Ann celebrated her first birthday on February 7th. This is a milestone for children with her condition. Only 10% of children with Trisomy 13 make it to their first birthday. During her latest visit to UK Medical Center, all her doctors were very pleased with her improvement. Sheryl has commented on how encouraging it is to visit the doctors for checkups. It’s not uncommon for them to say things like, "How’s our little miracle baby doing?" The doctors did not expect Grace to improve this much. For instance, her eye doctor said that if she had not measured Grace’s eyes herself, she wouldn’t have believed it was the same child. This gives Seth and Sheryl opportunities to witness to God’s goodness. The Longs are thankful for all your prayers. Please pray for Grace as she begins the process of switching from baby food to more substantial food. Pray also for the family as they continue to care for her.

May God Bless you and keep you,

Pastor John Belden