You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household... (Ephesians 2:19-21)
"The Church"
Family reunions are events that we hope will be memorable for all the good reasons, but quite often they end up being memorable for reasons that were less than ideal. Very likely, each of us has a story from a family gathering that will either make you laugh, cry, or cringe.
In Ephesians, Paul likens the body of Christ to that of a big, extended family. We are all members of his household, even though we are all very different, coming from different backgrounds. Imagine what the family reunions must look like with so many different people represented!
The body of Christ, the church, is at times like a big, extended family that’s full of messy, dysfunctional people. We are incomplete works-in-progress living together in the reality of a broken world, longing for the ideal. We have the assurance that someday Jesus will return and make all things new.
Many of us are guilty of being dissatisfied with the church because it isn’t ideal. We want the church to be beautiful, but it’s actually broken. We want the church to be full of saints, but it’s full of sinners. We want the church to be the image of a radiant bride, but really we’re just a band of misfits.
But Jesus loves the church like a good husband loves his wife, both at her best and her worst. That is good news. And there’s even more good news.
Jesus invites us into a story that is bigger than ourselves and into an infectious community of prayer, truth, love, justice, and mission, as outlined in Acts 2:42-47. The core values of Lake Baldwin Church reflect the type of community described in Acts 2, where we seek to cultivate a loving community, embracing a gospel culture that promotes spiritual growth. As we grow, we begin to live out our faith in creative ways, turning outward to share the good news with those around us.
How to pray…
- Pray for the unity of the body of Lake Baldwin Church.
- Pray for the elders of Lake Baldwin Church, as they know the flock, feed the flock, lead the flock, and guard the flock. Pray for the Shepherding Group Dinners on September 17th.
- Pray for the elders and their families, and for wisdom as they give oversight to the church.
- Pray for the work of the staff of Lake Baldwin Church, as they work to bring the vision of the church to reality on a weekly basis.
- Pray for our volunteer teams and their leaders. Thank God for the faithful service of so many LBC members.
For the Family
Today we read and learn about the value and blessing of being part of a family. Families are not perfect but they are unique, special and valuable. Our church is like an extended family… it is a group of people who care for each other and desire to worship and serve the Lord together.
The core values of our church are:
Gospel Culture
Outward Face
Loving Community
Creative Faith
Spiritual Growth
To read and understand more about our core values, click HERE.
- Talk as a family about ways you are already involved, or new ways you could become involved in the LBC family.
- Brainstorm together about your family’s core values.
"The Church" - Joel Pollard
Joel Pollard is the Director of Worship at LBC. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary and intends to pursue pastoral ordination in the PCA after graduation. Joel and his wife, Katie, have been married since 2011 and have two children, Sam and Evie.
"For the Family" - Michelle Crouse
Michelle Crouse has served as the director of LBC's children's ministry—SPLASH Kids—since the end of 2011. She and her husband Joshua were married in 2002 and have 2 children. Michelle grew up outside of Boston and graduated from James Madison University in Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She loves being with kids and loves the opportunity to be a part of teaching children how much they are loved by God, and helping them grow in their understanding of what that means.