Our Pastors

In Pursuit of Purpose

TOGETHER

He was twenty and she only nineteen when they married.  They felt love, but didn’t really  understand the cost of true love.  Getting married just seemed to be the right thing to do.   Neither was saved and had no thought of living for the Lord, but God had a purpose for their lives.

He joined the Air Force, and while stationed in San Antonio, Texas, they married in 1976. Gloria soon gave her life to the Lord, but for him, church seemed pretty boring. He wasn’t ready for change.

 His thinking changed when stationed in Korea.  Gloria returned to their home town and lived in an environment where her relationship with the Lord weakened. However, during this same time, God worked on the young man who wanted to make a difference, but yet keep his same old life style.

 After returning to the states he gave his life to the Lord one Sunday morning in 1981, in a small Baptist Church in Charleston, SC.  While on his knees, it seemed that the Lord put within his heart something related to his purpose.  He didn’t know what this meant, but he surrendered saying; “Yes Lord, I’ll do it!”

 This was a significant period for Gloria also.  She had drifted away from God when back in their little hometown.  She felt alone, not being connected to her church family in San Antonio.  However, her strong morals and integrity as a mother and wife sustained her during this difficult period.

 Since childhood, she enjoyed going to church.  She learned that her relationship with God depended on at least two things – going to church and praying. These two were like pillars that continue to give her a sense of purpose. 

 During the same year in 1981, they had to move again. This time to the Clark AB, Philippines. For both of them, pursuing purpose seemed evasive and mysterious and required constant change and movement.
These online pharmacy levitra medications are costly if you will watch porn, then you also wanted to match the sex timings of porn stars which always lead to performance anxiety. Knowing that your penis is unable to work how it should, and acknowledging it publicly, are two different 5mg cialis generic types of the condition that require treatment accordingly- short-term erectile issues or long-term erectile dysfunction. Being aware of and viagra generic steering clear of these and other harmful chemicals and substances that are ingested each day through food, water and air. Also known as sexual impotence, ED is a generic levitra mastercard common problem characterized by the inability to attain or sustain an erection hard enough for him to have sex.
 Serving in the church in the Philippines felt like being thrown in the river and forced to swim or drown.  Since the church demanded much work, both had responsibilities that challenged them to grow.  Neither was thinking of this as ministry, but just faithfully served with a desire to please the Lord. 

 While he often studied into the late hours of the night, she prayed.  Her passionate prayer life has become a significant part of her becoming the woman of God she was meant to be.  With the young man on the other hand, his search for answers to questions birthed within him a passion to read, research, and share profound truths in unique ways. Neither expected that one day they would return to the same small town where they grew up. 

 However, before going back home, military obligations demanded them to go back to San Antonio first.  They experienced other areas of ministry not previously known.  From 1984 – 1995, they served faithfully, went back to school, having realized they were still in preparation before returning to their small home town. 

 God really does have a sense of humor.  The place that almost killed them has become the same place where they returned to do the work of the Lord. They have resolved that in whatever place the journey takes them, they have a testimony. 

 Having been married since 1976, and with love for God and one another, the thing that moves them toward purpose is this — their resolve to please the Lord in all they do, and their willingness to change and grow TOGETHER.

 Dr. Leo and Gloria Barnwell find in some mysterious way that their purpose is faithfulness in the journey.  They believe that finding purpose in the journey comes in small steps of simple obedience and faithful service. Purpose unfolds like a hidden treasure that springs forth to reveal the beauty of glory hidden inside all the things you go through in life. They encourage others to be faithful in the journey.  This is your purpose.

 Dr. Leo and Gloria Barnwell minister as pastors in Lumberton, NC.  You may contact either of them for speaking engagements.