Pastor's Report - May 2020

    
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea…” (Habakkuk 2:14).

 Pastor’s Report – May 2020

       Our annual business meeting is late this year, due to COVID-19 pandemic which has disrupted normal life in our country, indeed throughout the world, this spring. As I write this report, I am still unsure as to when we will next be meeting physically together as a church. Yet, we are confident that God was not surprised by any of this, and certainly this “reset” has given us occasion to reevaluate where we are and where we are going, in our individual Christian lives, and in our church.  The verse at the top of this page, from Habakkuk 2:14, is this year’s key verse for the National Day of Prayer on May 7, 2020. It serves as a reminder that God’s glory will fill the earth.  Will this crisis spur the church in America to prayer like never before? Will it drive us away from our “comfort zone” and move us to refocus on our part in God’s mission? We can and should pray for national revival, but that must start in our own hearts, and in our church. May “the knowledge of the glory of the LORD” fill Boothbay Baptist Church, and may we embrace, all the more, our calling to be His witnesses, starting in our sphere of influence!

       One gauge of the spiritual health of a church is the financial commitment of its members. We finished our fiscal year ahead of budget, and despite the turmoil of March and April, and the lack of physically meeting together, our members and friends have continued to support the budget of the church. Many have mailed checks in on a monthly basis, others continue to drop off their offerings to the church office.  For this we are thankful. We have been able to meet all of our financial obligations, and our support of our missionaries has continued without interruption.

       This crisis has forced your pastor to take a crash course, through trial and error, in information technology. With some bumps along the way, we are learning how to leverage the online platforms available to us, like Facebook and Zoom, to stay engaged with the church family. One positive of this has been that we have been able to engage with a few of our friends and seasonal members who have not yet traveled back to Boothbay. Our Sunday sermons have been given on Facebook live, and then posted to the church webpage with video and audio options for replay. Tuesday morning men’s meeting at 7 AM, and Wednesday night prayer meeting at 6:30, have continued over Zoom. Our WOL Olympians, have met a couple of times online, and Pastor David and Celeste have had regular Zoom meetings with the teens and other leaders. Overall, we have had a good participation, with some folks joining us who have not been a regular part of those meetings in the past. Even so, we are not content with “virtual church” continuing indefinitely! Be assured that the elders, and the entire leadership team, are monitoring the situation, and prayerfully discussing our next steps as a church. We appreciate your prayers, and please be in contact with me or with one of the elders, deacons, or deaconesses, to share any prayer needs, as well as any ideas you may have for advancing the ministry and witness of our church in the community.

       God will be glorified, and be assured that He is building His church, the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.

Your co-workers in Christ,

Pastor Steve and Mary Ann

[Note: Since this was originally posted, some openings have been allowed in Lincoln County, Maine, and we are anticipating holding our June 3rd meeting in a "hybrid" format, with some leaders and members gathering in the Fellowship Hall (employing social distancing, using face coverings) while others will join via Zoom.]