March 2025 Update

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10,11

We were blessed by presenting our Finding Joy seminar on March 1st in Knoxville, TN.  52 men and women filled the room, and hearts were also filled with appreciation for the wonderful Christ-centered message we get to share.  One of the highlights of that day was a group of five that attended who are in the process of restarting an Exchanged Life counseling ministry in Knoxville. (The founders of that ministry, who are now with the Lord, were trained by the Solomons decades ago.)

And our workshop March 3–6 was fruitful with 21 attendees, some driving all the way from Wisconsin. We had a special time of training and interaction together.

Workshop group, March, 2025. Pigeon Forge, TN

I would appreciate prayers for my trip to Cairo, Egypt March 18–25. We have been providing resources for pastoral care and counseling to some leaders there. I’ll be supplementing the training in person and also speak to other groups. Two of the meetings will have translation into Arabic. What a privilege to share this message, methodology and materials internationally.

Mark and I recorded two more podcast episodes of Glimpses of Grace. We appreciate our media apprentice, Trevor, who is improving the quality of our recordings and publishing these episodes to the GFI YouTube channel. We pray that many will be helped by the 56 podcast recordings.

We are also looking forward to the special 55th Grace Fellowship International anniversary event scheduled for April 25th. It will be hosted by Calvary Baptist Church in Knoxville, TN. The banquet begins at 6:30pm followed by a program of music, testimonies, and ministry updates. We hope to have it live-streamed on the Internet. And the next morning Mark and I will present the Introduction to Exchange Life Counseling seminar. Please RSVP for these events if you plan to join us in person (1-865-429-0450)

May each of us be encouraged   to share the gospel of salvation and abundant living, being assured that God will prosper His word in hungry hearts.

John Woodward
Director of Counseling and Training