Good morning on this Saturday, the 26th of July. Wow, what a week we had with the violent storm early on Monday with winds of 94.6 MPH and all of the damage it left behind. Well over 100,000 of us were left without power and the church was powerless for three days with no phone service as well. I was without power for nearly five days at my home and like so many of you had a tree completely uprooted and branches blown off by the incredible winds. While I was visiting the Cayman Islands a number of years ago, Hurricane Charlie hit the islands with eighty-five MPH winds as I sat and watched through the sliding-glass doors. As I watched Monday's storm I saw the same kind of scene as during the hurricane with much the same results. In fact the hurricane-like winds here were actually stronger than the winds produced by Charlie on the island. Because of the devastation many church activities had to be cancelled including the Wednesday evening service. The church lost two trees located in front of the drive through and one in the far front. Special thanks to all who helped with the clean up. It was especially commendable because some of you had your own cleaning up to do at home as well. Things are now back to normal at Edgewood and we'll have our regular schedule tomorrow. The morning message is entitled, "Changing the Mind of God." The evening service will feature the ministry of Matt DeShon, our former intern and now missionary to Turkey who will be leaving shortly to begin his ministry there. I hope to see you in all services this Lord's day.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, July 19th. Two great services are scheduled at Edgewood tomorrow. In the morning services our special guest will be Riley Shelton of Hope for the World Ministries. He will be speaking in both morning services and will be sharing powerful testimonies of what God is doing through Hope for the World. There is no more powerful impetus to Godly living and service for Christ than to hear what God is doing in and through the lives of others. Please don't forget to sign up for the Meet and Greet home sessions which will meet from 7:00 to 8:30 pm Monday through Thursday evenings. The Monday meeting will be at Kim Hawkins, 11409 1st Street, Milan, the Tuesday meeting will meet at my home, 3109 29th Street, Moline, the Wednesday meeting will be at the home of Dave McAnally, 5910 Utica Ridge Rd., Davenport, and the Thursday meeting will be at the home of John Hartman, 4805 6th Street Ct., East Moline. There will be a sign-up sheet for each home session on the table in the main foyer of the church tomorrow.
Tomorrow evening's service will feature a program presented by the Edgewood youth who have just returned from LIFT camp. They have some exciting news to share about what God has done in their lives. You will be blessed by their testimonies. Please pray for a young man's family who lost their son at camp this week. I'm sure his tragic death at camp had a powerful and sobering effect on all who were in attendance. Undoubtedly, you will hear more about that tomorrow night.
I'll look forward to seeing you in church, hopefully both morning and evening tomorrow.
Pastor Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, July 12th. Last weekend I did not blog because I was traveling to be with family members during the 4th of July holiday weekend. My brother, Don, flew from Maryland to Chicago where we visited my daughter, Cheryl, and her family. My daughter,Lori, and her family joined the rest of us including son, Tim, as we all became better acquainted with our new grandson, Kai, who recently was added to our family. Kai, who turned two on Thursday, suffers from serious foot problems in both feet and Cheryl began treating him almost immediately after they arrived home. He has a cast on each foot which is re-casted each week. The change in casting repositions the feet so as to slightly change the position of his feet to gradually restore them to a normal position. He will be in casts for a total of 12 weeks and if this process does not adequately correct his problem, he will undergo surgery for the second time. It is exciting to see him enthusiastically run around the house in spite of his casts. Believe me he navigates amazingly well while he moves in those casts. He is adjusting to his new life and family very well and will fit right in to our extended family, including his soon to be cousin, Aiden, who also suffers from foot problems and will be adopted by Lori and Kevin and treated by Cheryl.
Don, Barb and I then traveled to the Hammond area, visited my cousin, Norbert and his mother, picked up my Aunt Ruth, the last surviving sibling in my mother's family, and traveled to Mill Creek, Indiana, to visit my cousin, Lorena, at her home. It was wonderful to fellowship and discuss spiritual subjects. When I dropped Don off at the airport in Chicago and headed for home, I had a great feeling of satisfaction because of how well the weekend had gone. Anytime you have the opportunity to be with people you love and discuss the Lord you love with them, it is a wonderful time. The opportunity is well worth the effort.
Tomorrow's sermon is the sixth and final prophecy update message and will focus on Armageddon. I'll look forward to seeing you there.
Pastor Mel Brown