As we approach September, Corbin and I are prepping for the fall ministry season to kick-off. I love this time of year (sorry, kids!) because it means everyone starts coming back from vacations, youth groups start up and Care Groups get going. There is a sense of homecoming that occurs in the fall. I can’t wait to see everyone back home!
With the fall ministry season in mind, I wanted to give you a heads up on what is coming. Since we are committed to doing life more deeply together in our small groups, we believe youth groups and adult Care Groups are vital to how we care for one another here at BCC. We want to invite all of our newer folks to plan to plug into a Care Group and for our young people to get involved in youth group. What happens in a service on Sunday morning isn’t sufficient to create the sort of community we believe Jesus had in mind for his followers. This sort of community takes time talking, sharing, laughing, crying, studying and praying together. Be looking for a list of Care Group leaders coming in the next couple of weeks. Youth groups start the week of September 13 (high schoolers meet on Sunday’s at 6:00pm; preschool thru middle school meets Wednesday at 6:45pm), and Care Groups will start up the week of September 20th.
In order to help get everyone on the same page, we will be having a Promo Sunday during Sunday school on September 13. This will be for the middle schoolers thru adults. During this time we will share the exciting things coming in the new year as well as info about youth events, Care Groups, Sunday school options, service opportunities, as well as a Called to Grow building update. I believe it’s going to be a great year of ministry together and that God is up to something great! Plan to be part of it!
Lastly, I wanted to share with you some special plans I have for us as a church family. One of the things I have noticed--and many church leaders have commented on--in recent years has been the lack of biblical knowledge the average person has. This goes even for people who may have grown up in the church. My belief is that unless you and I know the story of man’s fall and God’s saving act of redemption as found in Genesis to Revelation, there will be so much missing in our Christian walk. While we do not all have to be Bible scholars and experts, I believe we do need to have a working knowledge of God’s word that translates into real life application as we go about our week. This too will take some time…as well as some commitment.
So…I am calling this year, The Year of the Bible: Know the Story, Live the Story! And over the course of this coming year, I will be preaching through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Of course, I won’t be able to preach every verse, but what I will do is cover the major figures and themes as found in God’s story of redemption. I will also call each of us to make commitments to reading and reflecting on God’s word through the year.
Likewise, and more importantly, our focus will be on more than simply knowing the story. It will be on living the story. You see, to know and not to do, is not really to know at all! Jesus puts it this way in John 14:23, 24:"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”
I want our church to be known not only for our knowledge of God’s word, but also for applying what we know to real life. Plan to be part of living out God’s story this year!
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