— Updates —

October 2024

1. How is God moving in your ministry/what can we celebrate with you? 

Please celebrate with us for the very successful Bible and Missions Conference held here September 9-11. Connie and I are Co-Chairs for the Conferences held here on campus in September and February of each year. The SIM missionary this September was a Palestinian and the SIM Field Director for the Middle East and North Africa. He had just returned from Jerusalem within a month of being with us. His messages were insightful and challenging.

Also, please celebrate with us the growth of the church where Geoff works inside the prison walls at Avon Park Correctional Institute (APCI). This is about a 40-minute drive from our SIM Village in Sebring, Florida. Geoff is with about 200 inmates who regularly attend the Wednesday night services. The group is growing in number and, as far as we can tell, growing in maturity too! The prison has been recognized by the Florida Department of Corrections for the high quality of inmate behavior and on-campus church programs. Please pray for courage, endurance, safety, and a strong witness for these believing brothers in Christ. Pray for me as I preach on Wednesday, October 16 at the prison. I’ll be preaching on Daniel when taken away to Babylon!

2.  What is your greatest need? Anything specific?

Our greatest need is to continue to grow more and more in love with Jesus, to listen well to Him and immediately obey. Please pray for us as we are evaluating our ministry choices during this season of life, that we would be faithful to adapt as the Lord leads.

3.  What is a fun fact or unique incident that we probably don’t know about you?

Back in 1976 (48 years ago) Pastor Lyle Birkey, founding pastor of LTCC, invited us to a Missionary Bible Camp held at Lake Tapps Community Church. This was our first “deputation meeting” as new missionary appointees with the Mission. We were going to South Africa as ‘Church Planters’ among the thousands of Asian Hindu people. This was to be a “Camp”! However, it poured rain and we ended up camping ‘inside the church’! It was a “bonding experience” between us and LTCC. You took on some of our financial support, and have continued to support us ever since. The Theme of that Conference was, “Dare to Be a Daniel.” We praise God for you all!

4.  How can we be praying for you?

Please pray for continued good health and resilience in the face of COVID. (We have had it three times.) We praise the Lord for our five grandkids (ages 18-24) who are following the Lord in their various educational pursuits. Pray that they will continue to honor God in all they do!

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june 2024

Connie & I send you all greetings from Sebring, Florida, where hurricane season is upon us!  We want to thank you for your prayers and gifts which allow us to meet the needs here in this community.

• We are serving in our local church as greeters and delivering food needs to those who call our church for help. Many are desiring prayer, as well.
  

• Geoff still meets weekly with inmates at the correctional facility near us.  Please pray for one inmate from a Hindu background, who is now a believer in Christ, as he faces challenges when he re-enters society at the first of the year.
  

• We will again serve as Co-Chairs for the 2 Bible Missionary Conferences held here at our Retirement Village.
  Both of our daughters and their families are doing well and we praise God that all 5 of our grandkids love the Lord.

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NOVEMBER 2023

Geoff and Connie Griffith, now serving in Sebring, Florida. 

They sincerely thank Lake Tapps for the prayers and monthly financial support.

·         They thank us for praying for their conference this past September. Several hundred people were part of the successful Bible and Missionary Conference held at the SIM Village Chapel in September 2023.

·         Please pray for the upcoming Bible and Missionary Conference and the many details of the conference, which Geoff and Connie are co-chairing, which will be in February 2024. Pray for will hearts to participate and pray for the speakers as they prepare for their sessions.

·         They continue to praise the Lord for Geoff’s involvement with the prison ministry.  God is really blessing this ministry and many inmates are coming to Christ as Lord and Savior every week, with one baptism since their last update and another baptism in the next few weeks. 

·         Please pray for these men as some are completing their sentence.  Pray they will be accepted back into their respective families, be able to find a job, and get connected with a new church family.

·         Geoff and Connie continue to be involved with their church, Grace Bible Church, as service greeters and food deliverers to those who need help because of increasing food prices.  Each meeting is an opportunity to bring food and the Gospel, and prayer to someone who needs God’s help!

They said “Thank you very much for your continued love, prayers, and gifts.  We are praying for you all and for Lake Tapps Community Church”.

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JULY 2023

Dear Lake Tapps Community Church:

Greetings in the Lord from your missionaries, Geoff and Connie Griffith, now serving in Sebring, Florida.  We thank God for you and for your love and continued prayer and financial support.  Thank you for starring us in the July 2nd Missionary Spotlight!

We have been part of your missionary staff for decades, from the time of Pastor Birkey and Pastor Tim Heath until today!  Our memories of LTCC are filled with much joy and excitement in the work of the Lord!

We have been here at the SIM Sebring Retirement Village since July 2019.  There are about 150 residents in our SIM Village.  I (Geoff) have been involved in ministry through our local church, Grace Bible Church, with the Prison Ministry at Avon Park Correctional Institute (APCI), for about four years.  APCI is home for nearly 1,000 men.  Half are in the main section and about half in another section called the “Work Camp.”  I work with both of them on a weekly basis with Volunteers from Highlands County.  It has been a very good ministry and at least 200 inmates regularly attend our Wednesday night church service at each location in the prison.   Eighteen Men have been baptized as new and true believers in the last six months.  We use a large ‘cattle trough’ for the baptisms.  I preach every 6 weeks as other local pastors from our county make up the rotating pastoral teaching schedule.  Six or seven churches are part of the “Abide Church Movement” working at APCI.  Many inmates have stated, “I’m actually glad I am here at APCI because I came to Christ here.” Praise the Lord.

Connie and I work together as the “Co-Chairs for the semi-annual Bible and Missionary Conference.” We invite and coordinate bible teachers to come from across the country to speak at our 3-day Conferences every Fall and Spring.  We also participate in weekly and monthly Prayer Meetings on the campus.  We are Prayer Warriors.  Connie also participates in a weekly church cell meeting for women.  Together we take food to people in Sebring who call in needing food from the Food Closet.  Sunday mornings we are “Greeters” at the 10 o’clock services.  So, you can see, we are not really retired, just retreaded, ha-ha!

THANK YOU for your love and continued support.  We are prayer warriors for you too! Below is a photo of our house during Hurricane Ian last September.  Hurricane season just started for this year! 

Your missionary staff with SIM,

                Geoff and Connie

Additionally, please pray for the following:

~ Pray that the 200 inmates who attend the Wednesday night church service in the local prison will continue to grow in their relationship with the Lord.

~ Pray especially for the 18 new believers who were baptized in the last six months.

~ Pray for Geoff and Connie as they co-chair the preparations for their semi-annual Bible and Missionary Conference.

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FEBRUARY 2023

Update anticipated soon!

In the meantime…

•Please pray for Geoff & Connie as they continue to minister to others at their SIM retirement facility in Florida.

•Geoff is also involved in a men’s prison ministry (pray for those who have made commitments to Christ) & Connie minsters to elderly women in their complex.

•Please also pray for the missionaries in the field that they are coaching.

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SEPTEMBER 2022

Dear LTCC Family:

Greetings in the Lord from Connie and me here in Sebring, Florida.  It is such a delight to be writing to you and thanking you for being part of our Missionary Support Team.

These weeks have been very good and very busy.  I (Geoff) continue to minister at Avon Park Correctional Institute (prison) on a weekly basis.  A hundred or more men who have come to know Christ as Lord and Savior meet each Wednesday evening for praise and worship.  It is a real joy to be able to see them, talk with a number of them, study the Scriptures, and pray with them.  Just last month six men went through the waters of baptism in front of the chapel.  I occasionally preach there along with about six of the local pastors in our county.  The inmates know that they are sinners saved by the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Their old identity is gone and their new identity is as a child of God through personal faith in Christ.  I preached at the ‘Deeper Life Bible Conference’ last month and we maxed out the chapel with 120 inmates attending the two-day conference.  They have 8 men on their worship team and really make a “joyful noise” unto the Lord!  (Seriously, they are very good!  And very LOUD!)

Connie and I continue to coach a couple of our SIM missionaries living and working in Taiwan as church planters.  They themselves are Taiwanese but come from Pennsylvania, USA.  We Skype with them for an hour or so every few weeks discussing their goals, objectives, problems, and opportunities.  Because we were Church Planters, we have many things to talk over each session.  Their names are Bobby and Michele Law.

Connie ministers to many elderly women in our Village. We are also Co-Chairs of the Conference Advisory Committee (CAC) here at the SIM Retirement Village.  We have helped to organize two semi-annual Bible/Missionary Conferences. The last one took place from September 12 – 14 this year.  There are about 120 people living on the SIM campus and we meet in our Chapel building twice a day for three days to hear wonderful messages from the Word and have one Field missionary give a report of their ministry each session so we can pray for them.  It is an exciting time on the campus.  We also pray every Thursday evening for our missionaries.

Besides the above, we serve weekly as greeters at our own Bible church, Grace Bible Church.

We often think of you, our Lake Tapps Community Church family, because we have so many wonderful memories of being with you over the past 47 years.  We are part of your “extension staff” ministering together in “other parts of the world” for Jesus Christ.  Thank you so very much for your partnership, prayers and financial gifts.

Love in Christ for now and eternity, Geoff and Connie Griffith

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APRIL 2022

Greetings in the Lord to you and to our Lake Tapps Community Church Family.    

Connie and I are doing well after starting off the new year with our first bout with Covid in January.  It was like a severe flu for both of us and initial symptoms lasted about a week and then we started getting better.  Altogether it lasted about three weeks.  Praise the Lord we recovered without residual aftereffects! 

We continue to serve as the Co-Chairs for the Conference Advisory Committee here in the SIM Village.  We had the first Bible and Missionary Conference under our leadership during the week of February 20 - 23.  It was excellent with one of our SIM Bible teaching couples and a TEAM missionary as the Missionary Presenter.  He was working with Muslims in Afghanistan while under the Taliban and in other countries as well.  It was terrific.  We are now working with our Bible Conference and Missionary Speaker for the September Bible and Missionary Conference, and also preparing for the February 2023 Conference.

I (Geoff) have continued to participate in the Wednesday evening meetings of our church behind the walls at Avon Park Correctional Institute (APCI).  Our church is called, "Restoring the Way".    We meet each Wednesday evening at two different prison locations, the Chapel and the Work Camp. All together there are about 100 men who consistently come for preaching services.  Last week eight inmates stood up as a testimony that they had given their hearts to Christ and received Him as their Savior!  Isn't that great?  A few months ago, we had a baptismal service in the Chapel for five more men to publicly testify concerning their new lives in Christ!  God is really at work in APCI! 

I may have shared this with you previously but during this past year I was instrumental in establishing a scholarship fund for inmates who are without funds and want to complete their Bible degree through studies at Louisiana Baptist University and Seminary, Shreveport, Louisiana.  So far only one inmate has signed up for the program but I am prayerful that others will feel called into ministry and begin the program. 

Lastly, Connie and I continue mentoring SIM missionaries via Skype in several countries of the world.  One couple is working in Taiwan as church planters and the second couple is in Japan.  The Japanese couple have actually just retired from SIM and have taken a role as pastor of the church his father started many years ago. Their names are Tan and Izumi. 

Please pray for these two couples: Tan and Izumi Shimizu in Japan, and Bobby and Michele Law in Taiwan.  Pray also for the Lord to continue the revival at Avon Park Correctional Institute.  Also, pray for me as I am taking my turn at preaching at APCI on Wednesday, May 11th. 

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and financial support.  Your support means a lot to both Connie and me. 

Sincerely yours and thankfully His, Geoff and Connie Griffith

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December 2021

WEST COAST TRIP: Our recent trip to Lynden and Spokane, WA was full of quality time with family and long-time friends.  A great trip!

NEW ASSIGNMENT: The Winter SIM Sebring Bible Conference went extremely well.  This was our first one since becoming co-chairs. Pray for us as we plan future Conferences for the Retirement Village and the Sebring community.

MENTORING IN TAIWAN: What a joy to continue mentoring Bobby and Michele Law, SIM church planters in Taiwan.  Please pray for the Laws as they return to the USA for a few months to visit their supporters, and to speak in numerous Chinese American churches to present the need for more workers to reach the Chinese around the world.

PRISON MINISTRY: Geoff enjoys relating to the men at the Avon Park Correctional Institute.  About 60-70 inmates meet together every Wednesday night. There are six churches in the area involved in this ABIDE ministry.  An old building, on the prison grounds, has been allocated for the ABIDE group to use for discipleship classes. Please pray about the needed renovations.

 A PRISON FIRST: An inmate approached Geoff with the idea of having the first Mission Conference inside a Florida State prison. Geoff came back to our Retirement Village and asked for volunteers.  Five men responded. The inmates appreciated hearing stories and challenges about what God is doing around the world.  They are becoming prayer warriors, and some plan to help support a new missionary family!

We are enjoying our retirement and praise God for good health.  THANK YOU for your continued interest and support in so many ways.  

Geoff & Connie Griffith    

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July, 2021

Dear Lake Tapps Community Church:

Greetings in the Lord from Connie and me and THANK YOU for partnering with us in ministry over these past decades!  Yes, more than forty years!  We think of you with much love and thankfulness to the Lord.  From our early years in South Africa doing church planting amongst the Asian Indian Hindu people through these days of working with American prisoners in Avon Park Correctional institute and coach/mentoring both SIM missionaries around the world, and Bible college students at the nearby Great Commission Bible Institute.  You have been part of our prayer and support team and we so need you!

We retired from full time active ministry with Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) in July of 2019 and moved to the SIM Retirement Village in Sebring, Florida.  About 130 people live here in our missionary village.  Most are from SIM but a number of residents are from other Christian missions as well.  Sebring is about two hours drive south of the Famous Disney World, in Orlando, Florida.

Praise & Prayer Items:

• We are excited about a new mentoring/coaching relationship with an SIM Taiwanese couple, Bobby and Michelle Law, who are in a strategic leadership position in Taiwan and involved in church planting. This is a two-year commitment. Pray for wisdom and deep connection.

• Geoff enjoys his teaching ministry among the inmates at Avon Park Correctional Institute. There are 1200 men in the prison. About 65 are regular participants in our weekly discipleship and worship services. Several of the men have completed seminary training while serving their sentence. Pray concerning the goal of starting a church, run by inmates.

• Both of us continue to thrive as we speak into the lives of young student leaders from a nearby Bible College. They enjoy having breakfast on our patio and sharing relevant issues for prayer. This Fall semester we will have a new group of Resident Assistants coming every two weeks for fellowship. Pray for wisdom.

• We have agreed to be co-chairs for the Bible Conferences held twice a year here in the Retirement Village. One of our responsibilities will be to enlist relevant speakers. Pray for discernment.
  
  

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February, 2021

Geoff and Connie Griffith served for many, many years with the SIM organization and now live in the SIM Retirement Village in Sebring, Florida.

Geoff volunteers at the Avon Park Correctional Institute (APCI). Because they have three inmates who are deeply committed to the ministry behind the walls, and one of them is a seminary graduate, the focus is now to train leaders within the walls by having disciple/leadership classes taught by us volunteers on Wednesday nights. The current goal is for us to train 14 men in discipleship and leadership and then have these men take over the weekly afternoon disciple classes with the other inmates. The classes I will be involved with are the ones training the 14 leaders on Wednesday nights. The ultimate goal is to start a truly biblical church led by inmates behind the walls!

God has enabled Geoff to set up a scholarship fund for inmates at Avon Park Correctional Institute to take Bible courses and regular college classes from Louisiana Baptist University and Seminary. They graduate with a Bachelor of Biblical Studies. Classes are at a greatly reduced cost. The prison chaplain recommends inmates who want to apply for the program. (If there are further questions, call or email Geoff.)

Geoff and Connie minister to a group of Resident Assistants from a local Bible college in a casual mentoring relationship. They are doing well in school and work. They all must work outside of their RA roles to make their financial commitments.  It is a joy to be able to minister with young men and women in their early 20s.

Please Pray:

1. Connie and I will have good health and remain Christ-focused on our growing daily walks with the Lord.

2. None of us at the SIM Retirement Village catch Covid. (The average age here is 80 and there are 158 residents.)

3. Safety for our coming trips to Charlotte, NC and Lynchburg, VA to visit with our adult kids and grandchildren.

4. Geoff, as I have a crown put on a tooth by my son-in-law, Sean, next month in Charlotte. (It’s okay, he is a dentist!)

5. Good relationships with each of the 14 men chosen to be disciple-makers. That they will be the right men.

6. The Prison Chaplain will choose the best curriculum to use Wednesday nights for the disciple/leadership training for the 14 disciple leaders.

7. Those who receive the training classes in the afternoon sessions will truly want to grow in their relationship with Christ, and they will lead other inmates to Christ as Lord and Savior.

8. The Resident Assistants we are working with at the Great Commission Bible Institute will continue to minister well and grow in their own faith. May they experience joy and good health as they assist training the Bible college students.

9. The inmates receiving scholarships for coursework at Louisiana Baptist University and Seminary, as well as additional scholarship income.

   
   
   

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October, 2020

Please pray for Geoff and Connie Griffith this week. Lake Tapps has partnered with Geoff and Connie since the 1980’s. They served as missionaries in Southern Africa working with Indian people and then later served in India. They are a part of SIM (Serving in Mission).

After moving back to the United States, they traveled extensively, training and mentoring younger missionaries and church workers. While they are now officially retired, they continue to encourage and mentor church planting missionaries though Skype. 

Please pray for their ministry to two couples who are planting churches (one in Tanzania, East Africa and one near Tokyo, Japan). Please also pray for Geoff as he ministers at a correctional facility near their home.