I am sending the following letter to all Selma churches for which I can find an address. It is an open invitation to all others, as well. Feel free to join me. Contact me. Pray with me.
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Some may see this year's municipal elections as an "off year" election cycle and therefore do not have much importance. I believe that it is as important as any election. I believe in the principle of "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;" (1Timothy 2:1-3)
For some time, I have had the burden to help gather saints together to do just that. The time is right, I believe. With leadership changes about to take place in our towns and future changes taking place in our counties, states, and nation, I believe that now would be an appropriate time to start a gathering.
As you may have seen in the newspaper or heard on the radio, I am running for the elected office of Town Councilmember here in our little town of Selma. Of course the mention of a name does not give you any information about the man behind the name. I want to make myself accessible to you, your congregations, and the citizens of Selma so that you may get to know me. However, win or lose the election, I do believe and do plan on continuing to gather with saints on a regular basis to pray.
Here is what I am proposing. I propose that we, the saints of "The Church at Selma" gather for an initial meeting. Whether that meeting is just with the leadership of your congregations or with all the saints, I do not care. The purpose of that meeting would be to solicit your interest in and plan for a first prayer gathering. Since the local election is happening on November the 8th, I believe that it would be wise for us to have a prayer gathering prior to that date.
My first inclination for a prayer spot is to gather right behind town hall at the veranda and simply meet one another and then begin our communion with the Lord.
An initial meeting and/or planning gathering can be held anywhere. I had thought about getting the chance to meet many of you at a local restaurant such as Legend's (in Blackstone Plaza) in the banquet room. That would afford us the opportunity to have some "fellowship, and breaking of bread, and prayers" (Acts 2:42). Based upon interest expressed by your return communication, we can set a date or change venue. Please keep in mind that there are many differing tastes, schedules, and perspectives amongst the saints. For this reason, I would ask that you be flexible. One thing that we all have in common is our Lord Jesus Christ and our hometown. That commonality is a tremendous start for unity within the Body of Christ.
With the mutual cooperation of the saints in "The Church at Selma", which is ALL of us saints here in Selma, I believe that we can impact our town, our county, our state, and our nation. The long term goal is to have a continuing, regular prayer gathering of the saints. With unity such as that, I do believe that we can have great fellowship, form strong relationships, and have an impact through united prayer.
Please contact me so that we can set up a time for an initial gathering. My first thought is for a September 22nd first time gathering and perhaps a prayer meeting behind town hall of November 4th. These dates, of course, are flexible and we can certainly gather for prayer more than once.
As I stated earlier, whether I would win or lose the election here in Selma, I still plan on working together to have prayer together with the saints. If you would like to meet with me personally or with your congregation, please contact me. My contact information is on the letterhead.
Thank you for your attention, your consideration, and your prayers. I also look forward to joining you in Christian fellowship and the work of the ministry.
Your Brother In Christ,
Troy M. LaPlante
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