New Here?Glancing Back and Looking Ahead
Sean Roberds | Dec 31, 2013
This week with the New Year approaching I started to think about 2013. As I was thinking back on the year I began to wonder what kind of year it was for First Baptist. So I started to list some of the accomplishments we made in 2013 and I was kind of surprised at all we had done. Take a look back with me and if I have left anything out please let me know.
In January we started FaithWeaver friends, a ministry for our children that the whole church embraced and took part in. In the summer we hired Charles as our music director and we watched the choir grow not only in members but in the quality of our singing. A new idea took root in one of our deacon’s meetings and a writing group was formed. Chapter Four surprised even its members when it published our first book. In the fall we restarted our youth ministry and have pulled together a good core of teens who are growing together and in their relationship with God. The deacons worked hard to pull together a new organizational structure for the church so we can focus everything we do on our vision of being the presence of Christ by sharing the love of God one person at a time. Wow, looking back we really accomplished a lot this year and I did not even mention all the other things we always do year after year. God has been good to us and you have been faithful to God.
Thinking about all we had accomplished in 2013 made me think about 2014 and where we need to go from here. As the New Year begins I want us to continue moving forward as a church. Let’s keep the momentum going with the new ministries we created in 2013. What we have started is so important and we do not want it to fade at all. I also believe that there is more that we need to do. In 2014 I would like to see us work hard in two areas. I would like to see us grow closer together as a church and I would like to see us reach out to the community around us.
I would like to see us grow closer together as the body of Christ. Let’s get to know each other, support each other and pray for each other as fellow companions in Christ. I am sure most of us are close to at least a few people in church but I bet there are plenty of people in the sanctuary on Sunday morning you know little about. Let’s change that this year!
I think 2014 needs to be the year we go out into our community. One of the greatest temptations of the church is to come together in a church building and then wait for people to come to us. Jesus did not spend most of his ministry in the synagogue, which was his church, he spent his time out with the people sharing God’s love with them. I believe he calls our church to do the same. We need to find creative ways to share the love of God with the people right here in Herndon. We need to start by finding ways to build relationships with our neighbors and discovering ways we can serve them.
2014 could be a big year for our church. It could be the year that we begin to bear fruit from all the hard work we have been doing. But the work we need to do in 2014 is going to take more than time and effort. It is going to take creativity, it is going to take us stepping out of our comfort zones and it is going to take love, lots of open hearted, selfless, Love. I know we can do it and I know God will help!
Grace and Peace,
Sean
