[This is a preview of my report for the January business meeting of Boothbay Baptist Church. SN].
Pastor’s
Report – January 2018
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his
understanding is unsearchable. 29
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Isa 40:28-29).
The prophet Isaiah declared the message
of God’s covenant faithfulness and called the people to obedience and hope as
they put their trust in Him. In the
fullness of time, God sent His Son into this sin-cursed world, revealing His
love and making a way for sinners to be reconciled to Him. In light of that
fuller revelation of the grace of God we look ahead with a sure hope:
God has a plan and He will bring it to pass! As God works out His-Story on the
stage of human history, by grace we have been included in the cast. With
that assurance may Boothbay Baptist Church continue to be a Lighthouse of God’s
grace and truth.
Once again, this last quarter has been
focused on outreach. As I write this report (1/11/18) we are planning to host
our annual Word of Life FASCAR event tonight. We have had a new challenge in not
being able to pass out invitations in the schools, but we have done our best to
hand out invitations and to publicize via social media. The goal is to have a
fun night with the children, but especially to have a platform where we can
share the gospel and strengthen relationships with parents and kids. Next week we
plan to restart our children’s ministry as we invite those attending FASCAR to
come back for our Thursday night youth meeting. The quarter began with our biggest
Trunk or Treat event yet, as we met this year at the YMCA because of the weather.
Having a team from WOL Bible Institute definitely enhanced the outreach. CEF
was also there, as well as many of our church people, handing out tracts and
looking for opportunities to share Christ.
New this year was our first ever “Journey to Bethlehem” event. Coordinated
by Meredith Fowlie, and with help from our friends at Boothbay Region Community
Fellowship, we had participation from most of our church family – carpentry, music,
snacks, fellowship, greeting, guiding, logistics… it was all-hands-on-deck! We
were able to share Bible portions with some who had interest, and hopefully, point
many closer to the One who is the reason for season.
Our church is also participating once
again in the community lunches at St. Columba’s in Boothbay Harbor, hosting the
soup / luncheon once a month. We have
had excellent participation for the first two lunches, and the people have expressed
appreciation for our involvement. This
is a good opportunity for our people to mingle with some folks from the
community that we might not otherwise see, and to seek to share our faith with
them. We are looking at ways to continue and strengthen our “outward focus” as
we seek to love our neighbors and point them to Jesus.
As I’ve resumed preaching through the
Gospel of Mark since completing our Advent series in December, I have been
fascinated at how frequently this gospel illustrates the LaserChurch focus we have talked about over the last couple of
years. We consistently see people interceding, pleading with the Lord to help
their family or friends, even as they bring those friends to Him. When we talk about
our mission, we need to continue to prioritize praying for and sharing with the
small group of people that God has sovereignly and strategically put in our
lives. Some of them don’t yet know the Lord, others perhaps have professed
faith, but don’t attend a Bible teaching church. Keep praying, and look for
opportunities to give an invitation card, share a tract or Gospel, or perhaps
to speak up, and give a reason for the hope you have in Jesus! As we look to
the Lord, we can be optimistic that He will accomplish His purpose as we
continue to serve Him in 2018!
Your co-workers in Christ,
Pastor Steve and Mary Ann
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