PASTOR’S REPORT –
APRIL 2013
On Easter Mary Ann and I finished our
third year with Boothbay Baptist Church.
It is difficult for me to write an annual report like this without
reflecting on where we have come as a church family over the last three
years. We are surely not a perfect
church, but there is no such thing as a perfect church! We are not where we might be, or even where
we should be, but we have come a long way even over the last three years. Healing, forgiveness, and personal growth
have happened in many lives. For that we should be thankful to the Lord. On the other hand, there has been some reservation
on the part of some people in terms of a commitment to make a choice to seek
God together, and to choose to love
one another. John makes it clear that we
can’t say that we love God and then fail to love each other:
“Beloved, let us love one another,
for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not
know God, for God is love. 9
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we
loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins. 11 Beloved, if God so
loved us, we also ought to love one another…” (1 John 4:7-11).
That means choosing to love others,
not to wait for them to love you first.
Paul said that love “seeks not its own” (I Cor 13:5, NASB). That means it’s not about me. I like a little acrostic for the word “joy”: Jesus
first, Others second, Yourself last. We are trying to take a look in the mirror as
a church, we need to be willing to do that, every one of us, as individual
Christ followers, as members of this church.
Earlier this year we decided as a church
to engage the services of CBMissionNortheast to help us initiate a “ministry
mapping” process which is intended as a conscious decision to discern where we
are as a church, and then to ask the Lord what steps we need to take as we
refocus on His plan for us and our part in His mission. We’ll be voting today, at our annual meeting,
on the prescriptions that the ministry mapping consultants gave us for moving
ahead as a church. I am writing this
report on Monday morning, April 8th, following our informational
meeting which was intended to discuss the ministry mapping recommendations. We
never quite got there. On the positive
side, I am encouraged that many were able to share their feelings, thoughts,
and ideas about where we are as a church and the direction we need to
take. On the other hand, there were a
lot of strong feelings expressed about personal preferences in music and the “style”
of our worship service. Can we agree
that the key factor in worship is the attitude in our hearts? That means each one of us choosing to come to
church expecting to meet with God, seeking to join together with God’s people
in worship of the Creator of the Universe. Perhaps more critical was the
evidence that some still harbor hurt and ill feelings from the past. We need to
forgive. We need to heal.
This has not been a typical annual report
for a pastor. I love you, the people of
Boothbay Baptist Church. I know I love you imperfectly because of my personal
shortcomings, but I do love you. God
loves you, each one of you, perfectly, completely. He sent His Son to die for you. Each of us that know Jesus is forgiven,
forever. We didn’t deserve that. It’s all grace, God’s unmerited favor. We
should overflow with love and thanksgiving to God for what He has done. And we
should be gracious, forgiving, and overflowing with love for one another. That’s a choice we must make, individually,
every one of us. No one can make it for you.
And then, if we are to be the called out people of God that He wants us
to be, we will be able to embrace the mission He has entrusted to us.
Now for my actual report! I view
myself as a pastor/teacher, called to equip the saints for the work of service,
to the building up of the body of Christ (Eph 4:12). That gifting and calling has been confirmed
over twenty five years of fulltime ministry.
I’ve enjoyed preaching through John on Sundays and teaching from the
Psalms on Wed. evenings. I continue to be available to counsel individuals and
couples. Our small group Bible study on Thursday provides an opportunity to dig
deeper into the passage preached on Sunday and to explore further the personal
application of the text in our lives.
We are at a
critical moment in the history of our church. I sense that God is ready to do a
great work among us if we will seek Him together. We have an excellent mix of
families in our church, none of whom are a part of this body merely by chance. God
has brought us together. Will we seek Him together? Will we choose to
love one another and to embrace the mission He has entrusted to us? It is my
personal mission in life to know God intimately, to love Him passionately, and
to serve Him joyfully as a part of this church, and to use my gifts and
experiences to help others to grow as His disciples. Is that your heart’s desire as well? Let’s seek Him together, and we will see what
God will do!
Your co-workers in Christ,
Pastor
Steve and Mary Ann
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