From Your Lead Pastor – January 2017
Now that we are stepping into another year (2017), I love looking back over this past year and seeing what God has done!
- We had 28 people join our family of faith this past year, along with six baptisms from ages 7 to 55. How amazing it is to see God at work and lives changed!
- We had $83,830.35 given toward missions (local to global) in 2016, including seasonal missions offerings for state, North American, and international missions; along with Cooperative Program, and the local ministries we support. How generous you are in providing resources to missionaries and ministries all over the world! This is an amazing number!
- God provided a new Communications Administrator with Carla Parmenter. What a great job she is doing!
- We had nine go on-mission to Trinidad and Tobago in September. We had 25 engaged in ministry to Sugar City, which holds a monthly food distribution with which our church assists every month.
- Plus, God has called our Associate Pastor, Scott Morter II and his family to be missionary appointees to Ireland. We are quick to tell you that he will be around for a good long time while this process takes shape. But how exciting that not only is God moving us to be generous for others to do missions, but our church is a sending church to do missions!
This coming year, we have many more opportunities. Circle the dates:
- Preschool Remodel Construction, Monday, January 9. Come help us get ready to move everything out on Saturday, January 7 at 10:00am. For more information, check in with Pastor Scott.
- Find Your Lane, Sunday, January 29. You may know this as Team Sunday. This is where all of our teams and ministries will set up a table in the fellowship hall for you to ‘find your lane’ in ministry. Keep your eye open during our Sunday Morning Bible Study (the hour before our worship gathering) for a Find Your Lane Questionnaire.
- Business Blast, Saturday, February 11. Where we bless the businesses in our area with a free treat that exhibits God’s free grace to us purchased in Christ. It’s wonderful to see the surprise when these gifts are free with no strings attached.
- Trinidad and Hungary Missions Exploratory Meeting, Sunday, March 5. Interested in taking the gospel to the nations? That is our goal: to help all of Denver and the nations believe Jesus is enough. Come find out ways you can plug in!
- This, on top of ways for us to connect with our Four Areas of Influence: Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors. That’s our primary mission field. These are the places we occupy every single day. And God has put us there to connect and invite them to get under the gospel of Christ here at ARBC.
We could share much more about what we see God doing in 2017. But begin praying for these six goals we have set.
- A Hopeful, Joyful Discipleship Process. God has called us to be and make hopeful, joyful disciples of Jesus. From Scripture, we see we must grow in worship (Hebrews 10:24-25); love by connecting in small groups (John 13:34 -35; 1 Cor. 13:4-8); serve by being involved in a ministry (Matthew 22:37-40); and go (to see where God is calling us in Denver and the nations). Let’s help each other be involved in each of these areas so we will be strong, healthy disciples.
- Fearsome Foursome. Churches need 4% first time guests, and 83% of people who come do so by invitation. We will encourage, challenge, and equip you to engage in your Four Areas of Influence (friends, relatives, associates, neighbors) as our mission field.
- The 5C Leadership Development Plan. Equipping our leaders in Character; conviction; competence; connectedness; concentration. We will do this one Tuesday a month during the first half-hour of our new Church Council time (6:30-8:00pm).
- Making Membership Matter. More on this in the February newsletter.
- Continued Updating on Facilities and Grounds. More on this in the March newsletter.
- Simplify to Multiply. You guessed it – more on this in the April newsletter.
Jesus wants us looking back to His Word, looking now to the urgency of our times, so we must look forward to helping all in Denver and the nations believe Jesus is enough. Love God. Love neighbor. Make disciples. 2017 looks great!
Pastor Matt
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