Pastor's Report - October 2018

“Be on guard, keep awake, for you do not know when the time will come…” (Mark 13:33).

Pastor’s Report – October 2018

       This quarter at Boothbay Baptist Church we concluded a Sunday School series on “Awakening” from the Ligonier Ministries 2018 National Conference. We recently began a new series on prophecy, featuring the teaching of Dr. David Jeremiah, which has coincided with beginning a preaching series this week on Mark 13 and the Olivet Discourse.  My hope is that we will embrace these studies with the attitude of the Bereans in Acts 17, who received the teaching eagerly, and then went home and searched the Scriptures daily to see whether these things are so (Acts 17:10-11).  The inspired words of the Bible are our source of truth.  We want to give attention to the implications of the teaching on prophecy: be watchful, be ready, be encouraged, and be engaged, always mindful of the urgency of the mission that has been entrusted to us. Our hope is that this attention to what God has told us about the future will remind us to be faithfully engaged, here and now, in the mission that He has entrusted to us.

       Our emphasis on outreach to children is something we are pleased to see continuing. Our VBS this year was again a successful outreach, with over 40 children coming and an excellent team of more than 30 helpers. We have started our Word of Life Olympian ministry once again, working with 1-6th graders in our church, coming alongside parents in the task of helping these children mature in committed followers of Jesus. I’ve enjoyed joining with a group of leaders that have made this ministry a priority, bringing games, music, Bible, and discipleship to these kids [Personally, I would love to see a few more workers join us in this ministry, allowing us to start both a pre-K / Kindergarten ministry (Gopher buddies) and a junior high group (7th-9th grade). We have a core of young people in those age groups and one ministry could potentially feed the next as we seek to grow. We do not want to try to run under-staffed ministries that can’t adequately meet the needs of the kids].

       We are looking ahead to our next “Trunk or Treat” outreach, for the second year in a row doing this ministry at the YMCA. The Y gives us a well located, familiar venue that offers comfort, light, and warmth for our people to reach out to children from the community. Once again, a team from Word of Life Bible Institute will be with us, ministering through a couple of bounce houses and a “dunk team,” as well as looking for opportunities to share the gospel in one-on-one settings with young people from the community. We’ll also have Child Evangelism Fellowship participating, seeking to share Christ while doing face-painting and giving out gospel tracts. This is not a Halloween celebration, but rather a safe alternative where kids can have fun, and hopefully learn the truth about Jesus. If you haven’t yet signed up to host a table please consider joining us in this important outreach!

       The elders continue to share in the shepherding responsibility for the church family, and I am thankful for the elders, deacons, deaconesses, (and others) who watch out for needs in our church and community.  Deacon Justin Fowlie was recently licensed to the Gospel ministry, a first step in the process leading to ordination. Our Wednesday night prayer meeting and Bible Study has been well attended, and we may soon be able to start a second mid-week group at another location. The study questions from the bulletin form the basis of the Bible discussion, which has allowed for good participation and sharing. If you are interested in hosting, please talk to me! May we continue to carry out the mission God has given as, as Boothbay Baptist Church shines brightly as a Lighthouse of Grace and Truth!