We here at gracebeliever.com are undergoing some very exciting changes. Most of you probably know that this website is the online ministry of Grace-Gospel Fellowship in Bensenville, Illinois. For the past twenty-four years we have been privileged to have James A. Kirkwood serve us as Pastor/Teacher. Pastor Kirkwood has just gone through a successful triple by-pass surgery and as I write this, is nearly fully recovered, however he has decided to retire from the pulpit under direction of his family and his doctors. We have been greatly blessed over the years for Pastor Kirkwood and his wife Mary's devotion to communicating the Word, rightly divided. Their combined ministry has always set out to present the Love of God to Men, in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And we look forward to the new directions their ministry will take in the future.

Although he will no longer be a full time Pastor, Jim Kirkwood will continue to minister. We will continue to enjoy the privilege of him occasionally filling the pulpit, even only rarely. We also look forward to his ministry continuing in the areas of literature and a possible return to radio in the future. We are proud to announce Pastor Kirkwood will also play a significant role here at gracebeliever.com, with his own column on our front page. In this new column, Jim will answer questions from you, our readers. This new column will bring our 'Out of the Woods' page up-to-date with your current questions and concerns. Please feel free to write in. Only first names will be used, so your anonymity will be respected.

As far as the pulpit here at Grace-Gospel Fellowship is concerned, the Pulpit committee came to me and asked that I candidate for the office, and the membership has confirmed their choice by voting me in as their next Pastor. I am honored and grateful to follow the ministry of my father and can tell you that I approach this charge with the fear and reverence due the position. The grace gospel will, of course, remain the priority. We will continue as a dispensational, verse by verse (exegesis) Bible study, while we may take time to do various series of topical teaching.

My first act as Pastor was to secure the guarantee that James Kirkwood would complete his study of Hebrews in the pulpit (he left off in chapter 10:26).

There will be many changes here at the website in the next few months to aid our fellow Believers. Over the years we have heard of those living in areas where there are no Grace teaching churches. Some of whom have grown churches out of Bible study groups formed by listening to our audiotapes and following along with the teaching. Where these groups grew in number, some were finally able to competently support a Pastor and his family, call a Pastor and start a Church. We are now able to supply those of you in such group settings with VHS tapes of our services to aid you in following in teaching. We encourage all others who may be in similar situations to contact us for more information.

We will also be adding more books, tracts, and tape series to the book and tape ministry in the near future, and we would invite you all to come grow with us no matter where you are on the globe.

If you have found that the Lord is leading you to minister more actively, and would like to help in spreading the Grace message, then I encourage you to start a home Bible study. Even without the gift of Pastor/Teacher you can still efficiently coordinate a "tape" church in your neighborhood. If this is not for you, then please consider our Cable "Ambassador" program where you could coordinate supplying your local cable entity with our messages on video. I encourage you, Christian friend; the time is now! Contact us for further information.

If you have any comments or suggestions that you would like to offer, please forward your thoughts. Until that time

Mi Spes en Deo