Back to Basics

Vince Lombardi said, “Excellence is achieved by the mastery of the fundamentals”.  Last Sunday I began a short two sermon series on the two fundamental ordinances of the Lord’s Church.  We looked at what constituted Biblical baptism.  It has to be done in the way, for the right reason, to the right person, at the right time.  If you missed, the sermon is available on the website.  If you have any friends or family members who have questions about baptism, it would be a great resource to share with them.

In my message I stressed that those who wanted to accept Jesus Christ did it by being immersed into Him immediately upon making their confession of faith.  To my delight, immediately after the service, Ray and Janet Hassan came to me desiring to be immersed immediately.  I grabbed Guy Louks and Fred Townsend.  They did the baptisms.  It was a great event to witness.

This next Sunday, I am going to be preaching on communion.   While there is not as much confusion with the Lord’s Supper as there is with baptism, it is important for us to really understand it. I have decided that we will change up the service order a little bit and do communion AFTER my sermon.  It would both sermon and communion meditation in one.

I want to highlight one of our many ministries here, My Brother’s Keeper.  This is our benevolence ministry that helps to meet the needs of those in our community.  MBK pays for things like counseling, utilities, car repairs, food, rent, and medicine.  The funding comes from a few different sources.  One of our two annual special offerings is devoted solely MBK.  We also utilize a PayLess card program where we leverage our spending.  Through a special gift card, 3% of every dollar we spend is donated back to MBK.  The final funding stream for MBK is the two garage sales we do where all the profits go to the ministry.

Saturday, April 27^th is the date for the next garage sale.  Stacy Tilton is the person who organizing these sales for us.  She does a wonderful job, but needs lots of help.  On Sunday, April 21^st, we will need to rearrange the foyer so that the items can be laid out on tables and priced.  All that week, volunteers are needed to make sure everything is ready.  Trust me, the folks in our community will be lined up waiting for the doors to open on Saturday. More volunteers are needed to actual work the day of the sale.  We will need folks to run the register, restock the tables, and especially to clean up afterwards.  Whatever we do not sell, we will pack up and donate to Goodwill.

The great thing is that this ministry has become known in the community and our sales bring folks into our building.  It is an opportunity to show them who we are and what we are about.  Through this ministry, you are making a difference in the lives of those in need.  Thank you for caring as Jesus cares.

See You Sunday,

Mike