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Friday, June 25, 2010

Duggar Family Visits Park Meadows Baptist Church

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[June 25, 2010]   --Can you imagine what it would be like to rear 19 children?

Jim Bob Duggar and his wife Michelle can tell you all about it.

Duggar, whose large family is the focus of the hit TLC network show 19 Kids and Counting, recently paid a surprise visit to Park Meadows Baptist Church.


Duggar is a good friend of Pastor S.M. Davis, who has guided the flock at Park Meadows for more than 35 years.  “We got to know them years ago when I was conducting a meeting in Arkansas,” said Davis. “They drove a couple of hours to hear me preach. We went to their home and spent the afternoon with them.”


Davis, whose ministry to families has gained national attention, was conducting a Family Conference in North Carolina when Duggar and 12 of his brood dropped in for a Sunday morning service.


For years Duggar has benefitted from Davis’ media ministry, relying on his recorded messages to help rear his own children and give advice to others seeking direction in the difficult task of parenting.
“I get asked a lot of questions about childrearing and many people seek my counsel about their family,” said Duggar. “I often point them to Pastor Davis’ website, Solve Family Problems.”
 

Duggar has had a trying few weeks. Two of his children recently left for a mission trip to Indonesia while eight of them have had chicken pox. In the midst of this, his wife’s father passed away after a lengthy illness.
 

All of this on top of the fact that the latest addition to their family is still under doctor’s care in Little Rock. Michelle had pre-eclampsia and delivered her latest blessing three months prematurely. The little girl they named Josie weighed less than two pounds at birth and has been under constant medical supervision since her arrival seven months ago.


Duggar, whose Christian faith is the centerpiece of his life, takes it all in stride. Whether trying to keep up with his miniature army of children or standing at the front of a church while a line of people unaware that he had driven through the night wait to speak with him, there is a calmness about him.
This inner peace he exudes stems from his relationship with God.


“When I was approached about doing the show, I agreed to do it on one condition,” recalls Duggar. “I told them we would do it if we didn’t have to hide our Christian faith.” The network made a wise decision to allow the Duggars to express their faith, and TLC has been rewarded with a hit television show.

 

 

“Our show is broadcast three times a day,” said Duggar. “They tell me that over 1.4 million people view it daily.” Michelle flew to Ohio to help with her father’s funeral arrangements while Duggar loaded up the majority of the children in their bus and began the long trek from their home in Arkansas to Ohio to be with his wife.

 

He had long desired to visit Park Meadows and decided to take a two-hour detour to attend services there. The unexpected visit delighted the congregation, many of whom watch the show and were excited to meet the Duggars in person.
The Duggar children were swarmed by the large youth group at Park Meadows, and an impromptu lunch was prepared for this famous family.


“They’re just real people,” said Davis in a phone interview as he traveled back to Lincoln. “The reason they are so popular is because they are so down-to-earth. They love their kids and their kids love them. Jim Bob and Michelle love each other.”
“It’s like a breath of fresh air for our country to see a family like this.”

 

[text from file received from Park Meadows Baptist Church]

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