From the Pastor…
There is no doubt that we are seeing prophesy played out before our eyes. As we pray for the millions of people who are subjects of unprovoked attacks, and as their will to remain free inspires us, let us not lose our focus on the plan God has laid out before us. Make no mistake about it, we too are in a war. Our battle is not against flesh and blood (at least not for now), but our struggle is against this world and the evil one who seeks to destroy us.
God has blessed us beyond anything we deserve or could even imagine. Our relative freedom and security gives us great confidence which sometimes causes us to lose focus on God’s plan. While our ultimate goal is to reach the world for Christ, there are clear paths for us to follow in our community to accomplish this. One of the obvious plans God has laid before us is through our preschool and Christian Education. For some 25 years, Roberdel Baptist Preschool has been at the forefront of providing quality preschool education here in this community. God is now opening doors that demand our action.
We now own the 11+ acres and former Roberdel Children’s Center free and clear (praise God). We have approved the funds to assist our preschool with the two phases of plans for remodeling the school and constructing another building on the property. All of this has been done without any funds being used from our church’s operating budget! In the coming months, we will have a clear picture of the total cost for this project. I have no doubt that God will once again provide the funds for us to make this a reality. We will likely engage in a capital campaign to raise these funds with gifts that are over and above our tithes and offerings. Other funds will be raised with increased tuition for the students who enroll in full-day preschool. It is our goal to see the preschool as self-funding once we are operating in the new facility, while our kindergarten and elementary grades continue to operate at the church campus in the current preschool facility.
This is not a minor undertaking. In fact, it is a God-sized project and our God is able to see it through! The key to all of this is that we remain in God’s will. If we are obeying Him and doing this for His glory and according to His plan, we can see this project through with confidence that our God will provide our every need and bring His plan to fruition. My desire is that He will receive all the glory and that Roberdel Baptist Preschool and Roberdel Baptist School will equip generations of students to be great citizens and obedient disciples until Jesus returns! Make this a priority in prayer. Pray about how you will be a part of this. We currently have 12 classes and 112 students attending those classes. We need more adults to join our current volunteers to assist with many activities. Talk to Randi Wood about how you can become involved. We also need people to sacrificially give (above their tithes) in order to make this a reality. Remember that God commands us in Malachi to test Him in our giving and see what blessings He will bestow upon us. He has made it clear that this is one area of ministry where He has gifted our church and we need to remember that this is indeed a ministry of the church – not just a ministry that uses our facilities. There are going to be challenges ahead and the devil is going to try to discourage us. Our God is much bigger and much more powerful – we must trust Him and follow His lead completely to allow Him to do what only He can do.
I am excited… and I appreciate your excitement and trust in the Lord to do something very special in the months and years ahead!
In Christian Love,
Billy Dennis