24-Hour Prayer Vigil

(August 28-29 9:00 am to 9:00 am)

The children of Israel, under the leadership of Nehemiah, were engaged in the difficult task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Their numerous enemies all plotted together to fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against them. The people were discouraged and afraid. Yet, we read in the book of Nehemiah, “But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.” (Nehemiah 4:8-9)

Work (even hard work) without prayer is only that - work. Moreover, prayer, without work, takes advantage of God's grace and is sometimes a spiritual disguise for laziness. The people of Israel put the two together. They knew that, if the wall was to be completed, God's guidance and protection were required. Yet, at the same time, common sense said to post guards on the wall.

They prayed, and they worked. In these two words, prayer and work, we find the key to almost any successful venture. We seek the Lord fervently in prayer, and we roll up our sleeves and get to work.

We have done a lot of work so far in this campaign. The list - FAQs, print materials, phone calls, stuffed envelopes, meals, meetings, Bible classes, planning sessions, and the countless hours logged by an army of volunteers - is staggering. However, long before this work began, there was prayer. It would be safe to say that since the campaign started, every meeting has included prayer. Many of you pray regularly that we will continue to see God's vision for this church and that He will continue to change our church and community. We are in the middle of 40 days of prayer by the congregation. This campaign has been bathed in prayer.

We have one more focused prayer time on our schedule. The twenty-four hour prayer vigil begins Friday morning, August 28th, at 9:00 a.m. and concludes Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. How appropriate it is that we close out forty days of prayer with our twenty-four hours of prayer on the weekend we all make a commitment to the campaign. We are asking every member of this congregation to come to the building at some point during the prayer vigil and join with others in prayer. If you are out of town on that day, please take time in your schedule to pray wherever you happen to be. Remember that prayer request cards are at the building. Fill out these cards, and your requests will be prayed over along with the other requests from our members and friends.

The key event of our enVision What God Can Do Campaign is not Commitment Sunday or even the Celebration. The most important event is this prayer vigil. We have posted the guards. Now, we pray!

Commitment Sunday

We are nearing the conclusion of the EnVision What God Can Do capital campaign effort. Based on the biblical example in I Chronicles 29 of leaders leading with their generous giving, it was announced this past Sunday that 46 families (including all elders, ministers, A-Team members and leaders of the Capital Campaign Teams) have committed $985,000 to the campaign. This is a great start at meeting the financial goals (see below) for this campaign. And as stated before, this is more than raising money, it is about raising faith. To that end, we are hearing and witnessing how many are growing in their faith and prayer lives through the 40 days of prayer. It is very exciting to see how God is working through so many people to bless this church and position Twickenham for the future.

This Sunday, August 30, is Commitment Sunday and we will be passing out Commitment Cards to be completed during the service. If you are unable to attend this Sunday and plan to fill out a card, you can obtain one through the office and complete it our ahead of time as some are doing. An envelope will be provided to ensure the confidentiality of your commitment.

Please continue to be in prayer for this effort and for What God Can Do at Twickenham.

In Him,
Steve Crigger

Financial Goals: Our first goal for the campaign is to raise $1.8 million over a three-year period. These funds will allow us to complete our renovations and meet the needs of the children at the Hacienda of Hope. If we raise $2.5 million, we will be able to carry out the renovation plans, provide the funding necessary for the Hacienda of Hope, and reduce the commitment to our existing note. By raising $3.5 million, not only will we be able to fund the renovations and support the Hacienda of Hope, but we will also be debt free in three years. Eliminating the financial commitment to the building will allow us to save significant interest costs and have an additional $18,000 per month for outreach, service, and ministry opportunities that will greatly impact our community.

Something to Celebrate!

The planning for the Celebration Lunch being hosted on September 13th has already begun! A few of the 4th & 5th grade girls (with a little help from Steven) got together to make cookies for this big event. Thank you Maggie Cox, Miranda Mosley, Megan Mann, Sydney McDonald, and Steven Crigger for volunteering your time. It looks like a very fun day!

A Step of Faith (Part 4) by Brad Cox

Twenty-eight years ago, Wayne Lumpkin received a call from Francis “Babs” Roper commissioning him to design and build a stain glass window in honor of her recently departed husband Nolan, the founder and owner of Roper’s Flowers. The elaborate project was not intended for use in the Roper home, but rather, upon completion, to be used as the centerpiece above the baptistry in the new Twickenham Church of Christ sanctuary. Babs was not a member of the newly assembled church, but she and Nolan thought so much of the preacher, Bob Anderson, that she wanted to give this window as a tribute to both men.

Lumpkin would later recall about the project, “A church commission is always a great challenge as it must combine the thoughts and ideas of many people; church committees, architects, donor of memorial windows, and the window designers.” Consultations with Mrs. Roper and the church committee took place over many weeks to arrive at the final design. The bottom panel was designed as a floral tribute to Mr. Roper while the center panel is a tranquil scene highlighted by a beautiful dogwood tree. At the top is a very simple cross. The window, covering an area of sixty square feet, consists of over eleven hundred individual pieces of glass coming together to create a feeling of peace and rest.


This past year, Dennis and Rebecca Botts were looking for a church home. After searching for quite awhile and attending many different churches, a friend told them about Twickenham. After attending our worship time, Rebecca recalls that it just seemed like home and she felt connected to the family here immediately. Rebecca and Dennis quickly joined the Twickenham family. When telling family and friends about her new church home, her brother Wayne told her, “You know I designed and built the stained glass window in their sanctuary.”

I catch myself getting so caught up in the issues and cares of the day that sometimes I forget the impact our actions will have in the future. The sacrifices, efforts, and investments made today will bring forth a rich harvest in the days to come (Psalm 107:37-38). This past Sunday, Mayor Tommy Battle shared with us some very exciting things that will be happening in Huntsville over the next few years. I believe the Lord has provided this church a unique opportunity to make a difference in our community. May we each prayerfully consider how we too can sacrifice to bless others both now and in years to come.

Audio: To replay the sermon presented on Sunday, August 23rd click HERE.

Commitment Sunday – August 30th

God has always used special moments to create energy - energy that, when released, moves His people forward.

Moses made a stop at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19) and had a powerful encounter with God. The people felt God's energy, and Moses received some pretty good instructions there as well.

Reminiscent of the Exodus, Joshua led the Israelites to the Jordan River, and God gave him these instructions:

“And the LORD said to Joshua, Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.”

As we know, the priests did not stand in the “waters” but in the river bed on dry ground. How did that happen? Because they were obedient, God stilled the waters' flow so that they walked across on dry ground. Once again, God used a moment in time to release His energy and move His people forward.

Sunday, August 30th, is a moment in time for God to release His energy for the members of this church family. Each of us will be asked to make a three-year commitment to the enVision What God Can Do Campaign. No one knows what you should give to this campaign except God! All must rely upon God to help discern what that amount should be. And your commitment will be held in confidence.

Our leaders have volunteered to turn in their commitments on August 19th, and we will announce their commitments on Sunday, August 23rd. All remaining members will receive a letter asking them to turn in their cards during our worship service on Sunday, August 30th. Commitment Sunday is NOT the end of the campaign. It is the beginning of new blessings for our church family and for God's work in this community.

Below is a sample of the commitment card to be used in our enVision What God Can Do Campaign. Each family will have the opportunity to make a commitment to the campaign. The amount pledged and written on this card should be “over and above” your current weekly contribution.


We are confident that sacrificial giving will be blessed and that we will be able to achieve our financial goal. Commitments may be made weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually over the three-year period from September 2009 to August 2012.

A sample commitment card will be mailed to you during the week of August 24th, and another one will be provided to you on Sunday, August 30th. We ask that you please pray for guidance in making your decision.

enVision Videos

On Sunday mornings, we have showed three enVision campaign videos. Thank you Larissa for the unbelievable amount of hours you put into these! A special thank you to each person who participated in recording these videos, to Mike & Cindy for providing us with excellent audio, and of course, it would not have been possible without everyone who contributed to the photography. These videos were a true team effort! As the bible says, "Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy." ~ Psalm 107:21-22

enVision Renovations (Part 1 of 3)



enVision Ecuador (Part 2 of 3)



enVision Outreach (Part 3 of 3)

First Fruits Sunday – September 13th

On Sunday, September 13th, we will enjoy “First Fruits Sunday.” “What is that?” you ask. “First fruits” is a concept designed by God. The Israelites were instructed to give the first 10% of ALL they had to the Lord and were told they would be blessed for doing so. The Psalmist said in Psalm 3, “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing…” It seems that God was teaching His people to be generous and to trust in His providence.

Sunday, September 13th, will be the second Sunday following Commitment Sunday of our enVision What God Can Do Campaign. On this Sunday, we ask each member to begin honoring their commitment to the campaign. Now, we don't expect you to give 10% of your three-year commitment on the 13th, but we would like all of our family to begin giving together toward our total commitment.

Please be in prayer that God will be honored on “First Fruits” Sunday and that the “barns” of our church will be overflowing.

Please remember that September 13th is also the day we will celebrate 30 years of Twickenham. On April 30, 1979, a group of Christians ventured out on faith to form this congregation. We honor their commitment and look forward to our continued commitment to the work of God at Twickenham. It is truly amazing how God has used this congregation over the past 30 years. It is incredible to enVision What God Can Do through us for the next 30! On Sunday, September 13, we will have a church-wide lunch to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Twickenham and what God has accomplished through the enVision Campaign. Please mark your calendars.