Jesus said, “…I
will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it…”
(Matthew 16:18b).
Pastor’s Report – January
2020
The start
of a new year (and a new decade!) is an opportunity to pause, pray, and plan,
recognizing our dependence at every step on the Lord. Boothbay Baptist Church
has a history on this peninsula of over 200 years, but, by God’s grace, we are
a part of a work that God began from eternity past. It is not programs that
build a church, it is Jesus. By grace we are included in what God is
doing! We must never lose sight of the
fact that it is by his doing we are in Christ (1 Cor 1:30). Therefore, He gets
the credit, not us. To God be the glory. Let’s pause and look back…
We have
recently shifted our morning worship service to the fellowship hall in the lower
level of the building, in accordance with the vote of the church at our last
annual meeting. We have had a relatively mild winter so far, but we can expect
this move will allow us to more efficiently heat the building. Just as
importantly, with our summer folks gone for the season, it also provides a
“cozy” setting for worshiping together in the winter months. We’ll look to
return to the main sanctuary again in April, for Palm Sunday and Easter.
After
concluding our five month preaching series in Galatians in October, I began a
series in Jonah which will conclude this month. At first, I envisioned a four-week
series, but the riches we have uncovered in this little book have been both
convicting and edifying for me personally. I think God intends for us to find
ourselves in Jonah’s story, and then to respond appropriately. The adult Sunday
School has continued at 9 AM, though since the ladies’ class took a break, we
have had a significant drop in attendance. We have another week or two on the
9Marks series from Southeastern Baptist Seminary on prayer. My desire is that
this teaching will challenge us to embrace the privilege (and responsibility)
of prayer, both individually, and as a church.
In prayer
we express our trust in God, acknowledging our dependence on Him. We’ve
continued gathering for prayer before the morning service, as a few of us, led
by Stan and Cindy Lewis, pray together at 8:30 AM. Our midweek meeting at the parsonage also has
a prayer time as we meet Wednesday’s at 6:30 PM. The Bible Study at that time
is based on the questions in the bulletin which allows us to expand and apply
the Sunday morning message. We are glad Bob Conn is recovering well from his
surgery and has resumed leading in some music at that time. We have a time of
fellowship afterward as we share some refreshments together.
Our small
men’s meeting on Tuesday morning at 6:30 is an opportunity to talk through the
passage I am planning to preach on the next week. It has been a help to me to
get input from the men who come. We also pray together, bringing the needs of
the church to the Lord. Our Word of Life Olympian ministry on Thursday evenings
is going strong! We have a growing group of energetic kids and a small team of
dedicated leaders guide the kids in Bible study, games, music, and small group
“discipleship” huddles (snacks included!). I had the privilege of teaching Jonah to the
children over a four-week period, which I really enjoyed. What a blessing to
partner with parents as they seek to teach their kids the way of the Lord! By the way, we are thankful for Pastor David
and Celeste Holwick initiating and leading our teen ministry. God is at work!
As we plan
ahead, let's embrace anew the biblical model: every member is a minister.
God saved us and left us in the world to be a part of His church, using our
diverse gifts for the building up the body, and for carrying out God’s mission.
We don’t want to over-program, but we need everyone involved at some level in that
mission. Please consider your involvement, pray about what you can do, and then
together let’s determine to be a lighthouse of God’s grace and truth!
Your
co-workers in Christ,
Pastor
Steve and Mary Ann
No comments:
Post a Comment