As we’ve hurdled through the last few weeks my heart is full of gratitude for all that God is doing in the life of our church! As I settle into working full-time at First Baptist, He is absolutely doing immeasurably “more than I could ask or imagine” and teaching me to grow and lean on Him. I have been so blessed by the help, constructive suggestions, and great attitudes that I have been surrounded by that have made it possible for me to do this job better than I could ever do it on my own!
At the time that I write this, we are ten days away from Fall Small Groups starting and they’re getting quite full! So full in fact we’ve had to close one and will likely have to close another after this coming Sunday! (If you haven’t signed up yet, don’t wait another minute because the time slot that works for you may not be available later: http://firstbaptistpa.org/smallgroups ) It’s wonderful to see people sign-up for groups each quarter as they are blessed by the fellowship, the personal growth, and opportunities to serve in our church and our community over and over again! It’s becoming a part of who we are as a church! The best part is that visitors are getting excited to be a part of our small groups as well!
We also had our first “Pie With the Pastor” event on September 18th after church, where visitors and new members could come share a meal and hear more about our church and ministries! We purposefully placed it right before our Volunteer Summit and the start of Small Groups. We look forward to doing this again in the future, I think it will serve as an effective vehicle to purposefully inform new guests about our church, what to expect, and the next steps of how to get connected. We had 13 people in attendance at our first one!
On September 20th, we hosted another of our Volunteer Summits. I love these! The idea that we’re getting all of our volunteers together in one place, not only to share a meal and pray for our church, but to be able
to keep training current and make church-wide changes is HUGE! This is big-church stuff! Instead of spinning wheels, trying to do training and make sure everyone’s on the same page on a Sunday morning, if we utilize these events to their full potential, it will enable us to do more ministry, and to reach more people on Sunday mornings! If you are a volunteer and haven’t yet made Volunteer Summits a priority in the past, please consider attending our next one on January 17th. Having most of the team members present is immensely valuable to each ministry!
Church, thank you so much for your prayers, for your devotion to your Lord, thank you for the passion you bring to your ministry, and for being purposeful to share the love of Christ with those around you! Your contribution is important, and it’s making a difference! God created you for just this time, for just this church, for exactly the ministry that He’s placed you in! It was not random or an accident. God is pleased when we work hard and work together for His cause and I believe that we are seeing God pour out His blessings!
May God continue His good work in you and bless you abundantly in your ministries and all areas of your lives!
~ Lynn Crawford
Connections Administrator/Worship Director