I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am for some of the changes that are coming at First Baptist! I admit that some change can be a scary thing, like Chris and Stacie Cummings moving out of ministry here at FBC and into ministry with YoungLife. However, when we’re falling in line for what God has for our lives, that is when God blesses and when God grows and multiplies! I’m thrilled to see how God is going to bless, grow, and multiply Chris and Stacie’s efforts! I’m also thrilled to see how God is going to bless, grow, and multiply the efforts of those who are faithful to follow God’s lead in taking over some of Cummings’ responsibilities at the church. Imagine how He is going to use these changes to bless, grow, and multiply our church! These are exciting times!
Over the last year, as preparations have been made at the beginning of each small group season, I’ve felt a strong pull that I’ve been called to do more to help out with organizing small groups. As with many things, I’ve been making up excuses why I can’t or why it’s a bad idea.
In the last couple of months I’ve been highly convicted that even though worship is important to do and to do well (it’s what we’ll spend eternity doing), there’s so many people all around me that are lost, dying, and headed for an eternity separated from God and I am doing NOTHING to stop it! God has been challenging me to look with fresh eyes at the things that break His heart and consider if I will be moved enough to do anything or if I will continue to ignore and pretend my agenda is more important than His.
When Chris made his announcement to step down, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was as if God was saying, “How about now?? Will you do what I’ve been asking you to do?”
I am incredibly passionate about small groups. I’ve seen first-hand that God uses them to grow and stretch people, even to change lives, to draw people closer to Himself, to help to meet real needs. Through small groups, He allows us to care for our brothers and sisters in away that we simply can’t do when we just share a pew with them on Sunday morning, and He creates opportunities for us to be the hands, feet, words, and love of Christ to those in our community who desperately need to experience Him. And so, I have prayerfully decided to take on small group administration. I pray that God will work through me to grow this ministry to do amazing, mountain-moving work for His glory!
Will you help me? Will you pray for me? For these groups? For the leaders? For His will to be done and glory to be made known in and through this ministry?
Will you join? When sign-ups start in May, will you pick a group to join and begin passionately praying for your leader and for God to move in that group? In excitement and anticipation of what God is going to do, will you encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ to sign up as well? Finally, will you pray about who God is leading you to invite to come to group with you who does not yet know Christ?
Thank you so much for your love and devotion to Christ, for desiring Him and hungering after His will for your life!
May God draw you to Himself, may you sense His Spirit leading you, and may God grant you peace and joy as you delight to follow where He leads you!
~Lynn Crawford