Pastor’s Report – January 2017
The last quarter has been an active one for
the church family! October was a month focused on outreach. There were also several
anniversary celebrations this quarter, as well as Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas.
New Year’s Eve again was a time to worship God together as we read aloud through
the Book of Revelation and sang praises to the Lord. This month we are concluding a preaching
series in I Peter that began on Palm Sunday (we’ve called the series “Pilgrim
Living in a Fallen World”). I trust the
series has offered some encouragement and perspective as we seek to participate
in God’s mission in our region. We’ve also been going through an adult Sunday
School series overviewing the “LaserChurch”
ministry vision. The series has included about 20 short videos and provided
excellent material for discussing and refining our vision for outreach. At the
heart of the material has been the principle that God’s primary plan for
reaching the world is through relationships. Jesus told the healed man to “return
to your own people (the Greek word, oikos)
and tell them what God has done.” That
is our first and primary mission field: the small group of people that God has
sovereignly and strategically placed on the front burner of our lives. If we
all embrace the challenge of praying for and reaching out to those people, I am
convinced that we can reach this peninsula with the gospel in our generation.
We plan to continue providing opportunities for you to invite your unsaved
or unchurched friends and neighbors with services and activities several times
a year (at least once a quarter) that are geared toward visitors. Friend Day in October, and our Christmas and
Christmas Eve services in December were examples of this. Looking ahead, Easter
provides a natural opportunity to invite as some would be open to coming at
that time. During the summer God and Country Day around the 4th of
July is another great day (and it always includes a church luncheon!). Besides
such times when we invite our oikos to
come to us, we also want to consistently seek to be a witness to them
right where we live. We continue to
supply some literature, particularly Gospels and tracts, that can be given to
people that we know who might have an interest in spiritual things. We want to equip you, both through teaching
and with such materials, to be God’s witness to the people around you!
We’ve seen a group of our
brothers and sisters leave our church family, and that is discouraging. For our
part, let’s strive to be forgiving, to be at peace with all, and to not let a
root of bitterness begin to grow. I keep thinking of the “sharp disagreement”
between Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15 that caused them to part ways. It should
have been handled better by those men, but ultimately God turned that situation
around for His glory. 1 Peter 5 tells us we do indeed have an adversary—and it
is not flesh and blood. Rather, our adversary, the devil, is the one who is prowling
about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Greater is He who is in us!
Stay strong, and stay faithful, the battle is the Lord’s.
I’ve been blessed with the privilege of preaching Sunday mornings and
leading the adult Sunday School class most weeks. Pastor Jim Beliasov will soon
lead us in Sunday School in a book study of the prophet Habakkuk. As we
study this little book together, let’s be sure to ask how it motivates and
equips us in our mission to reach our world with the message of Jesus. Mary Ann and I have enjoyed working with a fine
group of adult leaders in the Word of Life Olympian ministry. We’ve been meeting
on Thursday nights and sharing Bible stories, memory verses, games and
discipleship groups. We’ve combined our small group with the Wednesday night
prayer meeting for the time being, which has greatly increased attendance in
our meeting in the parsonage. A small group of men continues to meet for prayer
at 6:30 on Tuesday mornings as well. Elder Stan Lewis also leads an 8:30 AM
prayer time on Sunday mornings. Counselling for couples and individuals has
been an ongoing privilege.
I am optimistic as I look toward the future. We certainly face some
challenges, but if we determine to follow God’s model for the church and we all
use our gifts to serve and build up the body, together embracing our mission to
reach our oikos, I believe we will
see God do beyond what we could ask or think.
Your co-workers in Christ,
Pastor Steve and Mary Ann
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