What are our hopes and dreams for the coming year at Lake Baldwin Church? We are trusting God for a new season of spiritual growth for each of us.
We are also looking forward to a major milestone in 2020: the transition to Joe White as senior pastor. This is a process that began at my initiative four years ago, and we have already seen the fruit of Joe’s labors among us. Joe and I have worked closely with the elders to refine the transition plan, and we shared the plan with the church at our congregational meeting last September. We’ll have a vote on May 3 to call Joe as senior pastor, and to change my call to associate pastor. After that we expect an overwhelming endorsement by our fellow pastors at the Presbytery level, followed by the official installation service on September 13th. We thank God for bringing Joe our way, for his fit with our church, and for the heartfelt support of our church family.
With these milestones in mind, Joe and I remain focused on the mission of our church: to make disciples by helping people connect to Christ, grow in grace and truth, and love as we have been loved by Christ. In fact, this mission has shaped our ministry plan for 2020. We’ve simplified our plan to four steps (and three of them come from our discipleship plan): pray, connect, grow, and love.
Pray
Since God causes the growth, we carve out time for intentional prayer for the worship and work of the church. As elders, we believe that God has called us to lead in prayer, and to call the congregation to join us in seasons of prayer:
Weekly, through the Weekly Prayer Alert. We only send these fresh requests to those who sign up, so let us know at hello@lakebaldwinchurch.com.
Monthly, through the Monthly Prayer Gathering. Led by elders, we gather at the LBC office on the 4th Wednesday of every month from 7-8 pm. Try to join us when you can, but commit to coming at least once this year. It’s a sacrifice in our crazy-busy world, and we’ve learned that no time in the week is convenient. Just take a step and do it.
Annually, through the August Prayer Initiative. Many of you have already enjoyed this focus each August, when we take a few minutes each day to pray for specific requests. In this way we bathe our church and all future events in prayer.
Connect
We believe that the beginning of our mission is to help people connect with Christ and with community. In John 15 Jesus says that he is the vine and we are the branches. This speaks of our “union with Christ,” a vital relationship with him and with his church.
You play a big part in this as you welcome new people to our church each Sunday. We’ve learned that our worship service has become a great venue for guests to be part of our community and to hear the gospel in language they can understand.
How do we as a church reach out to our neighborhoods and our city? We do it by building three types of bridges:
Relationships: Most people who come to faith and visit our church do so through the “friends and family” plan. Jesus was a friend of sinners. Let’s join him in forming natural friendships with those who don’t yet have a church, and let’s see what God will do!
Events: We have seen fruit through our participation in community events, such as the Baldwin Park Easter Egg Hunt, the Independence Day Bash, and the Winter Spark Parade.
Media: Recently another family began coming to LBC because of an invitation they received in the mail. Check out the recent upgrades to our website. In a variety of creative ways, we want to get the message out.
Look for other creative outreach initiatives such as the Alpha Course. Click here to get a preview of the Alpha Course.
Grow
Spiritual growth flows naturally from our abiding in Christ. We remain vitally connected to Christ through the means of grace: the Word, prayer, and fellowship. The Holy Spirit flows through these means of grace and produces the fruit of the Spirit.
You already know that weekly worship is central to our church’s vision, and to our growth in Christ. In worship we experience all the means of grace. The habit of worship shows us Jesus, and stirs our love for him. It overthrows the insidious idols of our hearts, and replaces our stories of shame and worldly competition with the story of redemption.
How do we grow in grace?
The Word: Jesus said that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God (Matthew 4:4). Become a self-feeder from the Word by learning the habit of regular personal Bible study. Learn the Word in community through sermons, classes, and your small group.
Prayer: Combine your Bible study with prayer and fellowship with God. Read the book, The Praying Life, by Paul Miller. Pray with others to grow in the language and practice of prayer. When you pray you will begin to feel the strengthening grace of God: “Let us draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
Fellowship: We were not created to grow in isolation. Get plugged into a Community Group where love is practiced and where your faith can be encouraged. Check out the Community Groups page on our website.
We realize that we live in a frenetic, media-saturated culture. Spiritual growth can take a back seat, especially if we are not clear about the path of growth and if we don’t set some goals.This year we hope to close the gap and support your growth process by clearly communicating growth steps and by creating more accessible venues.
For example, we hope to offer summer classes during June and July, when many Community Groups take a break. You’ll have a choice of Sunday morning (with child care) or a weeknight. And, you’ll be able to choose a class that naturally suits your spiritual growth journey. Start with milk, but move on to solid food!
We are also creating a resource that will explain the avenues of growth offered at Lake Baldwin Church. While you have responsibility for your growth, we want to place this resource in your hands to help you plan for growth. Look for the new booklet, Growing in Grace, coming soon!
And, save the date for your next shepherding group dinner, either April 25th or May 2nd. The theme this spring will be spiritual growth.
Love
The fruit of spiritual growth is love. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) As we experience the love of Christ in the gospel, we will extend his love and compassion to others. Love is expressed in action. “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and truth.” (1 John 3:18)
We have seen vivid expressions of this mutual care in our church: individuals who came alongside Doug and Denise Anderson following his stroke; those who brought meals and visits and prayer to the Shiflett family when they were hit by two medical crises in two weeks; the financial gifts of the deacons’ fund; and the many meals and hospital visits.
Here are three more practical ways to put love into action:
Serving on a once/month team: We have close to 80% of our members serving as part of our volunteer culture. If you are not currently serving, jump in to help with our growing church or to give someone a one-year break. In SPLASH, check out the SPLASH orientation offered the first Sunday of each month to find out what it’s like. Take the step by contacting hello@lakebaldwinchurch.com.
Loving the city: Volunteer with one of our local missions partners, which are listed on our website. Plot with your Community Group to have a Saturday serving day. And get this. We are planning a Local Missions Festival in the fall, to mirror the Global Missions Festival we had last fall.
Global Missions: The world is changing, and there are many ways that we continue to partner with the global church to bring the gospel to the nations. As I write this, Brita Zuelke is leading a medical mission to Nicaragua. Members of our church are involved in strategic initiatives in Europe, Africa, and China. Beyond this, together as a church we support missionaries in various parts of the world. While short-term mission trips are contingent on the local situation, these are a life-changing way to connect to God’s larger story.
Depending on your spiritual gifts and calling, there are many ways to put love into action. Many do this by leading a Community Group or teaching a class. Others teach the gospel to our children in SPLASH or join the Youth Team. Still others will use teaching gifts as we increase our classes, while others are called to serve as elder, deacon, or deaconess.
The Promise of Jesus
As we grow in grace, remember that we are not on our own. It is Jesus who called us by his grace, and it is Jesus who sustains us by his grace.
While we believe that this ministry plan fits our ministry context and the current stage of our church, the entire plan flows from careful reflection on John 15:1-16. Read it again, in light of our vision and plan for the coming year. And remember the promise of Jesus:
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
- John 15:16
