WOW! ISBC Woman of the Week ~ Brooke Phillippe

My name is Brooke Phillippe.  I grew up in  a Christian family.  My father was in the Navy so for the first 5 years of my life we lived overseas.  My father got reassigned to a military base in VA Beach, VA.  When we moved back to the states that is when I accepted Jesus into my life and heart.  I was 7, but I can remember the excitement of that day when I finally got to tell everyone that I loved the Lord.   It is the same exciting feeling I get everyday just knowing that he is near. When my parents decided to move back to TN I was 13 and was not happy with that decision.  I didn’t want to leave all my friends and start over in middle school.  But looking back now, I see how God’s hand was in everything and how he protected me.  Even though I didn’t know it at the time I see my childhood friends now and all the struggles they went through and I praise the Lord I did not have those struggles because I know if we had stayed in VA Beach my life would have turned out very differently, but God had a plan for my life.

The Lord has blessed me in so many ways, I am overjoyed to think about it.  I work in a school system that allows teachers to talk to students about God and church openly, we have a prayer group at school and when you walk in the door there is a huge banner that states, In God We Trust.  I know that my Savior put me where I am for a reason.  Part of the fun is figuring out what those reasons might be.  I know that when a door gets shut he will open a new one.  My favorite Bible Verse is Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

As a Christian I am reminded that life is hard but we have a Savior with us at all times.  Like the Bible says in Matthew 7: 24-25 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

I have been a member of ISBC for 4 years.  My husband Jon and I joined after we were married.  In November, we are happy to say that we will be welcoming our first child into the world.

~ Submitted by Kathy Neal
   ISBC Women's Ministry
   Communications Coordinator

WOW! ISBC Woman of the Week ~ Susan Cox

I moved to the Tri-Cities, Kingsport area, and joined ISBC in 2005. I have two children—Keith of Kingsport at ISBC and Deborah of Wytheville, VA. I also have six grandchildren. I was born in Danville, VA, and lived with my parents and brother, Charles. When I was 12 I talked to my brother and accepted the Lord as my Savior. I was sick a lot as a child but the Lord has taught me a lot and to trust in Him and pray. My Mom would always say “We will just pray about it!”

            Since coming to ISBC, the Lord has done a lot of miracles in my life. I always want to do His will in my life. I was given the opportunity in 2009 to go to Guatemala with our Missions Team. I prayed about it and the Lord provided the way. When we planned the trip, we all started praying the Lord would prepare the hearts of all the people there. When we arrived, we went out and started to talk to people, and we couldn’t believe it the next morning! I had talked to a lady the day before, who had been divorced, and she was saved. She had a friend waiting to talk to me standing in the doorway.This was the most exciting time for me to see all these people saved. The families were all getting saved together—4 or 5 at a time! It was almost shoutingtime!!

             We gave the children Mission Dolls and stuffed animals. They were so proud of these. Their faces just lit up. When we returned home, the Lord began to deal with me, and I thought why not share these Mission Dolls with other children. I talked to our Pastor, and we started making the Mission Dolls and taking them to Bristol Regional Hospital, Holston Valley, and some Assistant Living Homes. At this time, we are sending out around 300 dolls a month with our church’s name and address on them as a Mission.

            If you would like to be a part of this Mission, contact me and all the supplies are provided for the dolls and we would love to have your help. We have some very special ladies, who help each month and do a great job!

            If you ever have the chance to go on a Mission Trip—go. You will never regret it. I hope I will be able to go again. I am excited about what God has planned for me in the future. Since being at ISBC, I have served as a member of WOM, Assistant to Seniors Serving Others, Anne Sisters, Kitchen Committee that serves Central Football Team, Vacation Bible School, Senior Choir, and I Care.

            This is my favorite verse I leave with you, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” Philippians 4:13.

WOW! ISBC Woman of the Week - Kathy Singleton

This week our ISBC WOW! is Kathy Singleton.  As church
secretary many of you may have spoken with Kathy and even benefited from her help on a project!  (I know I have!) 
Now hear Kathy's story in her own words:

Before moving to the Tri-Cities in November of ’07, my husband Jimmy, and I lived in Seymour – south of Knoxville – for 26 years.  We are the proud parents of two daughters. Amanda, 32, lives in Asheville.  Melissa, 30, lives in Chattanooga with her husband, Bryan, and their 17-month-old son, Owen -who will become a big brother in June!  I’m not ashamed to say that I’ll show you the newest picture of our “Little Man” and talk endlessly about him and our girls with little or no encouragement.

I am an only child – born to parents who were both told that they would never have children.  God; however, proved their doctors wrong when 11 months after their wedding I was born!  My father was in the retail business and so we moved A LOT – beginning when I was 6 weeks old.  By the time I graduated from high school we had moved 25 times.  Since our marriage in ’75, Jimmy and I have moved 12 times.  The first move was to Sacramento, CA where he was in the Air Force.  In ’93, we actually had 5 different addresses!   When you move that much, you have a couple of choices:  1) Withdraw for fear of always being the “new girl” and thus the outsider; or,  2) Throw your arms open wide and embrace people quickly, because you may only have a short time to get to know them.  Those of you who know me are probably smiling now because you know which choice I made.   A good friend of mine refers to me as a “child of the world” because I love people and have never met a stranger.

Over the years I’ve held many jobs and enjoyed each of them.  I’ve also been active within our church:  working with children and youth, choir, and drama productions.  While our church was involved in building a Family Life Center, God gave me a heart for that ministry.  So, true to my nature, I marched up to the new Minister of Recreation and Senior Adults and expressed my interest in working in the FLC.  To my surprise, and his, he hired me on the spot!   I spent six of the most amazing, busy, crazy, fantastic, and often, exhausting years, in God’s service.   I came to realize that God had been preparing me for this ministry all along – from the day of my birth – all the moves – all the people I’d met – all the different jobs I’d held!   It was all part of His perfect plan!

  My parents (now divorced) were having serious health issues as was Jimmy’s Mom (a widow), so we began to pray for guidance about our future.  We felt God urging us to move back to the Bristol area where they all lived.   I can’t say I was always patient and that I never questioned Him because I did.  To be honest, the answers just didn’t come when I thought they should and they weren’t always the ones I wanted.  I loved the friends I’d known for 26 years and my ministry at the church.  However; He is always faithful when we remain obedient to Him.  When His time was perfect, He gave me sweet peace and I saw His hand move as everything began to happen quickly.  Between July ‘07 and Dec. ’07, Jimmy was interviewed and hired, our house sold (in 3 weeks), and we bought our perfect house here in Blountville, and moved in.

For a while we went to church with a different parent each Sunday, but we needed our own place of worship.  Again, we began to pray and God led us here to ISBC.   We are one of those couples that Pastor Roc says visited for 140 years before they joined!  I can say, with great joy, that we’ve been members now for 2½ years.   I became involved with Awana and the Women’s Ministry, but I wanted more so I began to pray about it.  In October God answered that prayer when I began sharing the job of church receptionist with Kaye Poirier.   I am excited about the future and what God has planned.   He is continuing to prepare me for whatever happens tomorrow and I pray that I am always available!!   Praise the Lord!!!!

Submitted by:
Kathy Neal
ISBC Women's Ministry
Communications Coordinator