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Over these next few Sundays our church will have the privilege of baptizing both young and old(er)!
For many years the analogy of a wedding ring is a good way to explain baptism. Just as the wedding ring is an outward symbol of an inward commitment so it is with baptism. Just as a wedding ring doesn't make you married (a child could easily wear a wedding ring!!)....baptism does not save a person. The wedding ring is the sign or symbol of the commitment that has been made and baptism is the outward sign or symbol of the inner commitment that one has made.
Just as a wedding ring indicates that "I belong to someone" so with baptism. It shows that "I belong to Christ Jesus"!!
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The team from Old Fields Baptist Church (Old Field, WV) has arrived and they are hard at work. They are leading a Backyard Bible Club each night at Freedom Park in East River Gardens here in Newton Falls. AND they are working around our church doing some painting, fixing and helping in a variety of ways.
These are "brothers and sisters" in Christ that have come from about 250 miles away simply to help and lend a hand. And what a help they are being.
It is really something to have such wonderful "family members".
I'm glad and thankful to be a part of the "family of God"!!!
I hope you are, too!
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This coming week August 1-6 a sister church from Old Field, West Virginia will visit again with our church. They stayed with us last year and assisted some churches in the Warren area. They wanted to come back...and this time they would like to lend a hand with us. What a tremendous help they will be.
They will be doing some odd jobs around the church building and then in the evenings they will be leading a Backyard Bible Club over in the East River Gardens neighborhood of Newton Falls. That will take place Monday to Friday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM and is for children/youth. We trust that will be a good outreach to our community.
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Last month I began preaching out of the book of 1 Peter during our Sunay morning services. As I shared with the folks some of the backdrop for 1 Peter is related to the believers going through sufferings, trails and tribulations. As God says through Peter's pen these things come so that our faith may be made pure and strengthened. Little did I, or the church, realize that we would face as a church, a time of testing within the coming month.....for as we opened the doors of the church this past Sunday we came to see and understand that someone (or someones) had broken into the church and stolen major portions of our sound system. We had been robbed!!!!
That really does set you back a bit...to walk in on broken glass from the window which was used to gain entry....to have to have police come and gather necesssary report information....to begin to deal with clean-up, adjustments (no sound system for the morning service) and just the overall feeling of being "used and taken advantage of by perpetrators. Wow!!.......as my wife said, "Not the best way to start out a Sunday morning."
But our God is good....and so are His people. Many folks pitched right in to help clean-up and get things somewhat back to normal. By the late afternoon there were not one, not two, but three offers from individuals to provide a back-up sound system and by Sunday night services there was "music in the air" from a loaned system.
And the attitude of our people was one of grace, forgiveness and hope for the life (lives) of those who actually took these material items. Many expressed their prayer support for them.
Once again I am amazed, proud and thankful for a church body that clearly seeks to be and do and act like Christ. And as I listen to my own sermon I am reminded that trials come to strengthen my faith...and I trust that I will be stronger in my faith because of the trials.
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Our 2010 Spring Revival was an encouraging event. Attendance was strong...the spirit of the services were positive and joy-filled and Pastor Tony and his wife, Mary Ann, were a true blessing to our church family.
Thanks to all of the church family for their support!
It was interesting to see how God moved in answer in prayer. There was a group of 5 folks who met weekly for a month prior to the services and prayed specifically for the daily services as well as specific aspects of the services (i.e., music, the puppets, the greeters, the preaching and for the pews themselves!! As I reflect back upon the week it was interesting to see how our God answered in some very unique ways....the puppets dialogue blended in with the preaching. The music was encouraging and uplifting...and the special musical guest on Monday night, Rick, wanted to come back another night!! That was truly a "God-thing".
It was also amazing to see the number of children and youth who faithfully came to the services.
All this just reminds me of our continued need to pray....to pray specifically and then to be open to see how our God leads us.
One of the nights, Pastor Tony, prayed that our church would be a "great church". That really caught my heart. I, too, want us to be that "great church"....not by the standard that the world may judge us....but that we would be "great" in God's eyes!!
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