From the Pastor…
After more than a year of living through a pandemic, we are beginning to see “the light at the end of the tunnel.” At least, we sure do pray so! We have lost loved ones and friends. We have witnessed endless debates about the origin, intent, and treatment, and prevention of spreading the virus. Businesses have had to shutter their windows and countless people have lost their jobs. All the while, the true church of God has continued to minister and spread the gospel message.
In a typical year, about 8,000 churches close their doors for good. The estimate for 2021 is more than double that number! Folks, it is time for God’s people to get back to church and get back to doing the Great Commission. Yes, there are still vulnerable populations that must take precautions. In fact, we have learned some very valuable lessons during this past year, and I hope that we will implement permanent strategies to keep people safe and provide everyone an opportunity to be involved in the life of God’s church.
We learned that we can live without printed bulletins and that we can worship our God and the Lord Jesus Christ from anywhere. I hope that we will continue to utilize online teaching as we literally reach out to the world. On May 3rd, our deacons will be meeting (in person) to discuss a plan for opening the church back up to more and more activities and ministry opportunities. I anticipate a gradual return to “normal” as we do everything we can to continue to keep everyone as safe as possible. We will disseminate the details as soon as we have a plan in place.
More than anything, my prayer is that we have learned that the church is not a building or an address! We - the people - are the church. And yes, the church exists not only to worship, but to serve. But I hope that we have learned that the service is by the people and not the institution or the staff only.
Thank you for your patience and perseverance during this past year. It has been hard on all of us! We are not “back to normal” yet, but I pray that we will never live in the past. Instead, my prayer is that the takeaways from this will help us do better and realize that sometimes we need to jettison those things that are holding us down in order to do even greater things for our Lord.
What is God calling you to do? Maybe you should be sharing your testimony or using your musical gifts. Maybe God has called you to serve at RBC, but your involvement has been limited because you haven’t yet taken the step of becoming a member. Maybe you have prayed to receive Christ, but you haven’t followed Him through the waters of baptism. Maybe you are gifted in ministering to children, but you have not agreed to serve in the nursery or some other children’s ministry. I pray that you will seriously consider where your ministry gifts lie and make a commitment to serving through the church!
In Christian Love,
Pastor Billy