Dear Family and Friends,

As you know over the past four years, we have been working as missionaries/church planters in Mineville, New York.  God has done some incredible things throughout this time.  Lake Champlain Bible Fellowship began with a group of about ten people meeting in an old house.  It has now grown to a fellowship of about sixty people who love their community and are excited about what God is doing.  We have two successful in-home Bible studies, a youth and children’s ministry, a full praise band, two faithful men who have stepped up to become elders of the church, and many other leaders who are ready to take the church to the next level.  God has transformed many lives while we have served here and we have no doubt that more lives will be changed and many more names will be added to the Lamb’s Book of Life!

All that being said, after the births of Noah and then Hannah, we began to feel a burden to move closer to our hometown of Commerce, Georgia.  After Noah was born, we knew the time was not right.  There was still much work to do within the church to set it up for success.  It is amazing how God began putting all of the pieces together over the past year.  He has placed leaders in position, the church is now seriously looking at a building to purchase, the constitution and by-laws are in place, and He has even already provided an interim pastor!  The Lord has laid it upon our hearts that the time is now right and He has provided Keith with another ministry position in North Carolina.  We will be announcing to the LCBF church family this coming Sunday, May 2^nd and we will be pulling out of New York the last week of May.

Please continue to keep the LCBF church family in your prayers and us as well.  This is a very bittersweet time but we know that God has big plans for His church.  Also, we would also encourage you to remain supportive of the work being done there.  The next pastor who is called to LCBF will need financial and prayer support just as we did.  You can continue to send support for the work through:

Lake Placid Baptist Church

2253 Saranac Avenue

Lake Placid, NY 12946

Attn: Lake Champlain Bible Fellowship-Pastor

There will also continue to be a need for mission teams.  A team from Colbert First Baptist in Colbert, Georgia will be sending a team in July and will be working with the teenagers in the area and various other projects.  The work is still alive there!  So please, if you are able, please continue your faithful support and pray diligently for that area.  We have been so blessed to be a part of God’s work and we could not have done it without your support, financially and prayerfully.  God has used you and will continue to use you in a mighty way to reach the people in upstate New York.  Thank you so much for all you have done.  Please continue to keep our family in your prayers as well as we begin a new journey.  Please pray that Noah and Hannah would transition well to the new area and that we would be able to reach many teens for Christ.  Thank you again so much.  We love you all dearly.

To God be the Glory!

Keith, Carrie, Noah, and Hannah Savage

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

We are in need of some Bible study resources such as commentaries, Bible dictionaries, theology books, etc.  Basically, we need any book that can be used by our Bible study teachers to enhance their knowledge and study of various subjects.  If you have any resources that you no longer need, or if you or your church’s library just needs to get rid of some, please consider sending them to:

Keith and Carrie Savage

21 Federal St.

Mineville, NY 12956

Thank you so much for your faithful partnership with us in reaching upstate New York for Christ!

Sincerely,

Keith and Carrie Savage

We hope that 2010 is off to a good start for everyone!  Our new year started off with everyone being sick, but thankfully we are all doing better.  While in Georgia visiting family for Christmas, we all came down with upper respiratory infections.  Noah also had bronchitis and an ear infection.  He was a very sick little boy!  We stayed in Georgia an extra week so that everyone could recuperate before making the 19 hour drive back to New York.  Other than the sickness, we had a great time with family celebrating the birth of our Savior!

The month of December was a busy one with ministry.  We continued giving out the coats that were sent from Colbert Baptist and a few other people.  One of the members of the church took several bags of them to her office and gave even more out there.  They have all been given out and we have even had more calls from people needing them.  Needless to say, this is a great outreach and it meets a great need as well.

Another outreach involved sending out invitations to our Christmas Eve service.   The invitations were personally given out along with tracts and a small New Testament.  The church family gave out 100 of these invitations and the turnout to the service was amazing!  One of the leaders of the church reported that there were over 100 people at the service!  We were very excited to hear that so many unchurched people came and heard the true meaning of Christmas.

Also for Christmas, the church sponsored 5 kids through the local school.  The school has a Christmas program where those who can and are willing in the community buy Christmas presents for kids whose parents are unable to afford them.  We had one family with 4 kids and another family with 1 little boy.  The church family once again went above and beyond.  Their Christmas spirits were high and we all were excited that not only would these kids receive Christmas presents, but the Gospel as well.  We provided all the kids with their own Bibles as one of their presents.  Please pray that these kids will be eager to read and learn how much Jesus loves them.

As for prayer requests, please pray for the economic situation here.  We know that it is bad nationwide, but the people here seem even more hopeless than before.  It does not help that the Champlain Bridge was recently demolished because it was deemed unsafe.  You may have seen it on the news.  That bridge is how many people here commuted to work over in Vermont.  Now they either have to take a ferry which is a 30-45 minute drive depending on where you live.  Then, it takes at least 20 minutes to get across the lake (more time if you don’t time it right and arrive when the ferry is returning to the NY side).  Then, it’s about 20-30 more minutes to several of the towns where people work.  The other option is to drive south and go around the lake.  This is about a 1.5 hour detour.  We have talked to people who are now having to leave for work at 4:ooam when they had been used to leaving at 7:00am and then they don’t get home until late in the evenings.  It is really taking a toll on many of the people here.  The bridge closing has also affected many of the businesses.  Some of them are really struggling to stay afloat.  A new ferry that will be much closer to our town is supposed to be coming soon, but the dates keep getting pushed back.  Originally it was due to arrive the first of January.  Now it’s looking more like the end of February unless the dates get pushed back again.  Needless to say, this is a situation where much prayer is needed for the people here.  Also, please pray that we as a church can effectively reach out and point these people  to the One who gives hope to the hopeless!

Another prayer request is for the church constitution process.  This month the church will be voting on the Constitution and By-Laws.  After the vote, Keith will be submitting all the documentation to the state of New York so that Lake Champlain Bible Fellowship can be constituted!  Please also pray for the men who have been called to be elders of LCBF and those who will be named as deacons.  It is all a very exciting process and we thank God for allowing us to be a part of this church plant!

Thank you again for all of your prayers, support,  and words of encouragement.  You will never know how much they mean to us!

Love,

Keith, Carrie, Noah, and Hannah Savage

Hey Prayer Partners!

It’s not “officially” winter yet on the calendar, but fall has definitely faded away.  All the beautiful leaves are gone and the cold weather is coming in.  We are preparing for another long winter!  Speaking of winter weather, we want to say a huge thank you to Colbert Baptist Church for sending the biggest box of coats we have ever seen!!  We have already given out many of them and we have about 20 more requests from the school for some of the kids who need them.  We are just waiting on size information and then they will be handed out.  So, thank you for filling a great need!  Noah thanks you too because he now is able to use the huge box as a playhouse in the garage.  It will be perfect for this winter when it’s too brutally cold to venture outside!

As for other ministry happenings, the Labor Day Outreach at the parade went very well.  Tracts, Bibles, candy, school supplies, and coats were handed out to many of the residents.  It was definitely a successful event!  Another successful outreach was “Trunk or Treat” for Halloween.  Several of the church members set up in store parking lots with their trunks full of candy and tracts.  Keith and I stayed at our house to give out candy and tracts because our neighborhood is very popular for trick-or-treating.  We live in the only subdivision around, so most people bring their kids here.  We were able to give out about 250 Gospel tracts!  Please pray that the kids who received them will open their hearts and minds to the saving grace of Jesus Christ!

This week we are getting ready for our 3rd Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner.  Last year was a great success, so we are praying we will have another good turnout this year.  Please pray that those who are lost will be open to the Gospel and realize their need for a Savior.  The event is this Sunday, November 15th.

As for prayer requests, we are still praying for land or a building suitable to meet in.  Keith went and looked at some potential land a couple of weeks ago, but it was all wetlands so we will be unable to use it.  We know that God will provide us with land or a building in His perfect timing.  We are all just trying to be patient!

Also, we are praying for mission teams for the summer of 2010.  We want to focus on events for youth and children, so if you are interested, please give us a call or e-mail!

Thank you all for your continued prayers and encouragement.  We treasure every note, e-mail, phone call, etc.  So, thank you, thank you, thank you!  We love you all.

Keith, Carrie, Noah, and Hannah Savage

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

We hope this update finds all of you doing well.  Things here in the North Country have been very busy, but very good!  As you all know from our last post, Hannah Rae was born July 11th, 2009.  She is such a sweet baby girl.  Noah is adjusting well to his new sister.  He is a great big brother!  Unfortunately, Hannah has colic, so that has been very exhausting to say the least.  Please be in prayer for her, that we can all get past this condition and she will be feeling much better.

As many of you already know, we had to make an unexpected trip to Georgia in early August.  Lloyd Southwick, Keith’s stepfather was in the hospital in very serious condition.  Thankfully, he is doing better now.  Please continue to pray for him.  We enjoyed our trip and were able to spend time with both of our families.  It was a nice break from all of the busyness!!

As for ministry happenings, LCBF members Matt and Jackie Carniglia have recently started a youth ministry in their home.  They had been praying about it for several months and they have obediently answered God’s call on their lives.  They started off with 2 teenagers, and had 8 in their home last week!  Praise God!

We are also in the process of finalizing the Constitution process.  The Constitution and By-Laws were unanimously voted upon by Lake Placid Baptist Church (LCBF is a mission church of LPBC).  Keith is also organizing financial teams, trustees, ministry leaders, elders, and deacons.  Now all we need is our own place to worship!

Other things coming up include our yearly Labor Day Parade outreach.  We will be handing out free school supplies, Bibles, and coats for people in the community.  Please pray that God will open up many doors to share the Gospel at this event!

Other upcoming outreach events you can begin praying for include a Fall Festival in October along with our annual Halloween Outreach.  We will again be handing out Gospel tracts and candy to hundreds of kids in this area.  We will also be hosting our annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner.  Last year was a huge success, and we hope to have even more people attend and hear the Gospel this year.

As for our family, we are preparing to leave for Georgia at the end of next week.  Keith will be speaking in four churches while we are down.  Please pray for our safe travel, and for patience!  Traveling with 2 kids under 2 is interesting to say the least!  Also please pray for God’s protection regarding our health.  As you all know, flu season is here, and we are a little worried about flying with the kids during this time.  We are looking forward to seeing so many of you in just a couple of weeks!  For your information, here are the churches Keith will be speaking in if you would like to come:

Sunday, September 13th–Colbert Baptist Church, Colbert, GA (Morning Service), Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Commerce, GA (Evening Service)

Sunday, September 20th–Webbs Creek Baptist Church, Homer, GA (Morning Service), Maysville Baptist Church, Maysville, GA (Evening Service)

Other prayer requests we have include:

1.  Constitution process and structuring church leadership

2.  We are still seeking a building of our own or land to build on.

3.  Church ministry leaders-Children’s ministry, Women’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, Community Outreach, etc.–We are in the process of getting all of these leaders established and we hope to see these ministries flourish.

4.  Currently two men from the church are praying about eldership.  Please pray for wisdom in their decisions.

5.  Finances-At the end of 2009, we will be losing more financial support.  God has already begun replacing some of what we will lose (He is so faithful!).  Thank you to all of you who contribute not only with finances, but with your prayers and encouragement as well.

We also have some ministry needs if you would like to help:

1.  School supplies (pencils, pens, paper, crayons, scissors, rulers, folders, etc.) to give out to children we come in contact with who cannot afford them.  School starts here after Labor Day.

2.  Youth Bible Study/Discipleship Materials and Bibles

Thank you all again for being a part of the ministry here.  We love you and look forward to seeing you soon!

Keith, Carrie, Noah, and Hannah Savage

Hello Everyone,
Please be in prayer for Lloyd Southwick. He is the step-father of Keith. He was taken to the ER last night in Athens, GA. He was hemorrhaging severely. He is now more stable and they are doing tests along with a blood transfusion. Please be in prayer for his healing, the doctors wisdom and Keith’s mom. Thank you all.

We have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Hannah Rae, and she has finally made her appearance!  Carrie began experiencing contractions about 5:30 Saturday morning, July 11th.  Around noon, it was time to call the hospital and verify that it was time to come in.   We left for the hospital about 1:30pm and were admitted at 2:20pm.  Hannah wasted no time once arriving at the hospital!  She was born at 4:25pm, weighing 7 pounds 13.5 ounces and she was 20 1/2 inches long.  She is settling in very well.

Noah is doing good also.  He doesn’t quite know what to think about his new little sister.  One word that we will be working on with him is “gentle!”  He doesn’t seem to understand that concept just yet!  Please pray for his adjustment to this new addition to the family.  

Here are some pictures of our newest addition!

We have been praying for months that God would do an amazing work here through the Colbert Mission Team and He did!  What an awesome time of ministry, fun, and fellowship.  The mission team was a huge blessing to our community and to us as a family.  

Colbert Team Minus Blake

 

 

On Sunday, the team joined us for our worship service and Pastor Brad Wilson gave an incredible message from the book of Psalms.  Our church family then hosted a “Meet and Greet” lunch down at Port Henry Beach and had an awesome time of fellowship.  Keith also baptized three of our church members in Lake Champlain!  God continues to rescue His people.  He is so amazing!  We celebrate the new lives of Michael “Mickey” Badger, Tammy Shaw, and Jim French!  

Meet and Greet Lunch

 

Mickey Badger

 

Tammy Shaw

Jim French

 

 

 

 

Sunday evening the ladies from the team attended Carrie’s baby shower while the men braved the rainy weather and attempted to have a Campfire Fellowship at one of our church member’s homes.  Everyone had a great time, and Carrie was truly blessed by the love and support offered by the ladies at LCBF and Colbert Baptist Church.

Monday morning the team was ready to work!  The men got to work building an ice shanty that will be used for ministry and evangelism this winter.  It’s an 8-holer so there will be plenty of room for everyone!  The ladies got to work stuffing and delivering 500 information packets to be passed out in the community.  The bags included church information, free car wash tickets, movie night tickets, and a CD of the message Keith preached for Easter.  

Floor of the Ice Shanty

Information Packets

 

 

Tuesday consisted of more work on the ice shanty and delivering information packets.  The ladies also started putting together Teacher Appreciation packets which consisted of baked goods and a thank-you card.  

 

Working Hard on the Shanty

 

The Crew

 

 

 

On Wednesday, the team had a free day and traveled to Lake Placid to tour some sites and shop.  That evening was spent resting and preparing for another busy day.

Some of the team in Lake Placid

 

On Thursday, the men continued work on the ice shanty, and they also tore down a church member’s porch.  It was caving in and was unsafe.  The ladies delivered the goodie bags to the teachers which were well-received.  Several team members also set out to work at Port Henry Beach.  They cleaned up the area and did a great job!  That evening many of the team members attended Bible Study taught by Keith.

Finishing Up

 

Friday morning, the team went and toured Fort Ticonderoga.  That afternoon the men cut and split wood for people who will need it to heat their homes this winter.  

Stacks of wood

 

 

Saturday was packed full of ministry.  In the morning, the team held a free car wash.  It was a fun time and great chance to serve the community and share the Gospel.  That afternoon, everyone prepared for Movie Night at Port Henry Beach.  However, due to rain, that event had to be cancelled.  We are hoping to reschedule sometime this summer.  Saturday night was also a sad time of goodbyes as the team prepared to head to the airport Sunday morning.  

Car Wash

 

 

Thank you so much Colbert Baptist for what an amazing impact you had on the community here.  You were also a huge blessing to our family, and we look forward to seeing all of you again in the near future!  You can view more pictures at the church’s website at http://www.lcbible.org.

Dear Prayer Partners,  

Spring has finally arrived in the Adirondacks.  We were beginning to wonder if winter would ever end!  This past month has been full of evangelism, and we are happy to share with you what God is doing here.

The church family continues to grow steadily with visitors nearly every week.  We are still moving closer to the process of constituting.  Keith has a meeting this Friday to work out more details.  Please continue to pray for wisdom and guidance during this process.

As far as evangelism goes, the church hosted a training called “Share Jesus Without Fear.”  We had a great turnout with many people from other churches as well.  They were all excited to learn how to share their faith easily with others.

Also, Keith had a very unique opportunity to share the Gospel with about 300 people all at the same time.  As many of you know, we have been praying for Wade Daniel Carniglia, the son of Matt and Jackie, who was diagnosed with the fatal neurological condition called anencephaly.  Wade was born at 3:47pm on Tuesday, April 14th.  He lived for a little over 9 hours.  Wade went to be with Jesus at 1:05am on Wednesday, April 15th, 2009.  Wade’s Memorial Service was held on Sunday, April 26th.  There were approximately 300 people in attendance; MANY who have never heard the Gospel. It was a very sweet service and time of celebration of Wade’s life and the impact he has had on so many people.  You can listen to the service by going to http://www.lcbible.org.  Then click on the Podcast link at the top right hand corner of the page.  It’s listed under “Carniglia Memorial.”

Although this was also a sad time, it is amazing to see how God has used this little boy to spread the Gospel.  Here is a poem that one of Jackie’s doctors wrote after coming to pronounce him at the hospital:

Quality of Mercy
by Dr. Jack Mayer

Wade Daniel was born without a brain
but a strong heart that finally stopped at 1:05am
I am called to pronounce him in the labor and delivery room
where Wade Daniel’s father is stretched out on a lounge chair
holding his breathless baby
Wade Daniel’s mother, a new mother again, smiles at me,
beatific, sweet, as if she holds a secret.
Wade Daniel’s father says, without tears,
“We thought he’d only live a few minutes,”
He looks at the wall clock.  “Ten hours.  He’s like an old man.”
Wade Daniel’s chest is stone silent.
Outside the hospital a half moon hangs low in the east,
the heavy air sweet with spring.
We’re all better for Wade Daniel having been here.

Jackie and Matt were able to share the “secret” with so many people through Wade.  We will miss him, but we praise God for how many souls that will be saved because of him!  Please continue to pray for the Carniglia family; for continued peace and comfort during this time of loss.

Some other things you can pray with us for include:

1) About 17 people from Colbert Baptist Church in Colbert, Georgia will be coming up in just a little over a month on a mission trip.  Please pray for their safety and the ministry that will take place while they are here.  The trip dates are June 6th-14th.

2) For the continued good health of our baby girl who is due to arrive mid-July.  

3) For the continuance of the spreading of the Gospel and for continued discipleship of new believers.

4) We are still praying about purchasing land or a building for a place to meet permanently. The building we mentioned in the last newsletter does not seem to meet our needs and would be very costly to repair.  


Thank you to everyone who supports us through prayer and finances.  You have been an amazing asset to the ministry here, and we cannot express our appreciation enough for all that you do.

Dear Prayer Partners,  

We apologize for the delay in sending the prayer newsletter.  The past two months have flown by, and God continues to amaze us by what He is doing in this area.

The church family is growing steadily with visitors nearly every week.  We now have about 60 regular attenders, and we just printed off our first directory!  How exciting!  We are moving closer to the process of constituting!  Hopefully everything will be in order by the end of the year.  Keith is working diligently with some of the men in the church to establish the constitution and by-laws.  Please pray for wisdom and guidance during this process. 

February and March were bitter cold, but that didn’t stop the ministry and outreach here.  As mentioned in our last newsletter, we had our second Regional Prayer Event on February 20th.  About 100 people from several churches participated in this event.  It was a great time of Christians in this area coming together to beg God to continue to touch hearts and lives here.  

We were scheduled to have the ice fishing outreach on February 28th. However, we had to cancel because the ice was getting thin and very slippery and many of the fisherman had already moved their shanties off of the ice.  This was disappointing but we had to think of everyone’s safety.

In March, Keith had the opportunity to share about the ministry here at a Global Missions Conference at First Baptist Church of Social Circle in Social Circle, Georgia.  He enjoyed the time there and was excited to share what God is doing in the Adirondacks.  He also had the opportunity to share with Northside Baptist Church in Liverpool, New York.  Needless to say, it has been a busy month!

Some other things you can pray with us for include:

1) About 17 people from Colbert Baptist Church in Colbert, Georgia will be coming up in June on a mission trip.  Please pray for their safety and the ministry that will take place while they are here.

2) For the continued good health of Baby #2 who is due to arrive mid-July.  For those who don’t know already, we are having a little girl.

3) For the continuance of the spreading of the Gospel and for continued discipleship of new believers.

4) Continued prayer for our good friends, Matt and Jackie Carniglia.  As mentioned in the last newsletter, Wade Daniel’s due date was March 23rd.  He has not arrived yet and we are still praying for healing for this precious baby.  If healing is not God’s will, please pray for their comfort and peace and that God be glorified no matter what.

5) We are still praying about purchasing land or a building for a place to meet permanently. We are looking at a building in town that has potential, but we are being cautious and waiting to see if this is what God wants for the church.

6) Continued prayer and financial support for the ministry here.