Gene and Virginia Grounds have taken to heart God’s
command to “love thy neighbor.”
Inspired by the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, they
have dedicated their lives to their Victim Relief Ministries. In the
past several years, they have ministered to tens of thousands of
victims of crime and disaster all over the world.
Gene says he likely wouldn’t have responded to this calling
had he not been tuned in to the whisper of God’s voice, and had
his hands and feet not been trained to serve.
“Hearing God’s Word preached from the Prestonwood pulpit
has been the anchor keeping me grounded in faith, and serving
as a deacon taught me the importance of service,” Gene said.
“Virginia and I have talked many times about the role our church
has played in preparing us to serve in full-time ministry. We have
been equipped in practical ways as well as spiritual ways.”
As the Lord molded them through their service in various
ministries at Prestonwood, Gene and Virginia found that “growing
and serving in the church is the only way to be prepared to serve
outside the church.”
Scott Lehr
Southbridge Fellowship (Raleigh, N. C. )
Just a little over two years ago, Scott Lehr was an intern
working with Young Marrieds at Prestonwood. He left to
attend a 1-year residency program for pastors desiring to
start a church. He is now pastor of Southbridge Fellowship,
an up-and-coming church in Raleigh, N.C., which counts
Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, as one of its first
members.
While at Prestonwood, Scott says he was influenced by the
relationships with people whose desire was to reach the lost.
“I learned the importance of doing everything with
excellence because it is done for God, who gave His best for
us,” said the 30-year-old pastor.
With Southbridge, he has planted a church that focuses
on Sunday morning worship, small groups and a children’s
ministry.
“Everything we do is geared toward equipping people to
reach their community for Christ,” Scott said.
Asked which church traits he gleaned at Prestonwood,
Scott’s response is simple: “Expect God to come through.
If you are going to work hard and pray for God to do
something, expect God to do something—something big.”
Charles Hebert
First Baptist Church (DeQueen, Ark.)
When Charles Hebert joined the Prestonwood staff in 1997, our church family was in the middle of Touching Eternity, the
relocation journey to Plano.
“What continues to mark my life today,” Charles says, “is how God blesses a church when He finds: zealous commitment to the
proclamation of His Word; evangelism at the heart of every ministry; a vision so grand that only God can fulfill it; and a leadership that gives Him the glory.”
Two years ago, Charles left Prestonwood to pastor First Baptist Church of De Queen, Ark., a church that has been reaching people to
Christ for 110 years now.
When people ask him where some of the ideas come from for his church, he says he is doing what he saw at Prestonwood.
In fact, his very first sermon was taken from Ephesians 3:20-21, the
same Scripture from which Pastor Graham preached his first sermon at
Prestonwood.
“Pastor Graham’s visionary leadership and commitment to excellence
continues to influence me today,” Charles said. “I believe that God provided
an ‘Ivy League Education’ in church growth at Prestonwood.”
“I learned how to cast a vision and what it takes to see that vision
become a reality, and for this, I will be eternally grateful.”
their Victim Relief Ministries. In the
past several years, they have ministered to tens of thousands of
victims of crime and disaster all over the world.
Prestonwood. He left to
attend a 1-year residency program for pastors desiring to
start a church. He is now pastor of Southbridge Fellowship,
an up-and-coming church in Raleigh, N.C., which counts
Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, as one of its first
members.
