A Time of Renewal
After Joe's return to the pulpit from heart surgery and the following period of recovery, there came a time of renewal for this church and its pastor. Many things were learned during this time of trial, and changes were inevitable because of physical limitations imposed upon Joe due to his illness.
During this time, one young man in the fellowship, O.M. "Doak" Sides served Joe as assistant, driving him to San Angelo for Bible classes, helping in baptism, visitation, etc. Doak was later called to the ministry, ordained at the Bible Center in 1967, attended Dallas Theological Seminary and is now pastor of Tahlequah Bible Church in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
In 1964, Joe was presented by Bob Jones University the degree of Doctor of Divinity in recognition of his many years of faithfully teaching the Word of God.
Television Ministry
In 1966, the prayers for a television ministry were answered, and from that time until the present a Sunday morning message has been broadcast every week over KRBC-TV in Abilene, with scheduled time changes made periodically by the station. Thus another avenue was opened for the teaching ministry of Abilene Bible Church as the television reaches many who are homebound or otherwise unable or unwilling to attend church services.
The Growth Continues
Fred Jenkins left Abilene in 1967, having been transferred by the company he worked for to Dallas, Texas. He left the Tape and Printed Page ministry in the hands of Carl Young, who had been working with him in the ministry since 1963, and a new era of growth was beginning for Living Bible Studies. A Magnefax reel-to-reel duplicator was purchased in 1968, enabling five copies to be made at a time of each tape. A printed press was purchased in 1969 and another in 1970. Volunteers printed weekly until 1982 when Maurice Hufstedler was hired to do the printing.
Also in 1967, the men of the church had a series of meetings to consider building a new church building. Unity was considered essential, and no decisions were made until all were in agreement. It was agreed that no work would begin until the funds were on hand to meet the need. Faith promises were made, offerings to the building fund came in, and in April, 1968, work began on a new sanctuary located just adjacent to the old building. There was to be a new sound system, a special room for tape recording the lessons taught, storage for the tapes, and a prayer room. The sanctuary, seating approximately 400 people, was completed in September of 1968.
Many things that took place during this time gave witness to the working of the Lord in providing money, workers, and prayer warriors. One man, a bricklayer from Amarillo who had been on the Printed Page mailing list, heard of the building project and came to Abilene specifically to work on the building. He witnessed to everyone on the job and to all the neighborhood children as well.
One framer came from Haskell to volunteer for the dangerous job of erecting the beams. Tradesmen in the fellowship gave time and labor for their various skills, and the time of growth and expansion was a testimony to the faithfulness of God in the lives of His people.
As the physical body of the local congregation was growing, so was the outreach of the Printed Page ministry. In 1970, the first catalog was printed. The catalog listed all the lessons available both on tape and in print.
Since the number of printed lessons continued to grow, more space was needed for storage and a metal building was built in 1973 to house the printing presses and the printed lessons. Also in 1973, the volunteer workers printed and bound the "Know Your Child" series, a series taught as part of a home Bible class. That became one of our most requested series, and in 1974, Baker Book House published the series in book form, and Dr. Joe Temple's ministry continued to expand.
In July, 1975, Sunday School rooms were added to the old building and the original sanctuary was renovated into what is now Fellowship Hall. The old building was kept because of new building restrictions. Twenty-five feet of space would have been lost if the old building was torn down and rebuilt. At that time, a radio room was added as well as church offices and a nursery. | |
Abilene Bible Church
3125 Oldham Lane
Abilene, Texas 79602
325-677-8653
(at Loop 322 & Potosi Road Exit)
Sunday School 9:30 AM*
Worship Service 10:35 AM*
Children's Church 11:15 AM
Evening Study 6:00 p.m.
Church Office Hours 9 AM
to 5 PM
*Nursery is provided for
these times.
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