“Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget none of His benefits.”
As the year draws to a close, it is a good time to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the year to come. God has been very gracious to us this year, and I hope you will join me in thanking Him for the blessings we have received. The greatest blessing has been seeing people give witness to salvation through baptism, and the people into covenant membership. We are here to Glorify God by Making Mature Disciples of All Nations, starting in the West End, and this is evidence of God’s presence and power among us.
While a busy calendar is not an indicator of either health or success, the only way to make mature disciples is to spend time together studying and applying God’s Word. Gathering in small groups, Christian Life Academy classes (Sunday school), Biblical Counseling, Ladies Bible Study, the Gospel Project for Students (GPS) ministry, short term missions, and Vacation Bible School are all ways we have invested in each other’s lives.
God placed us here in the West End back in 1890, and He has never led us to leave. Our commitment to bringing the Gospel and the love of Christ to this community has been strengthened and renewed, and God has blessed us with a place to gather here. We’ve been in this building for a year with no debt, and through many of the ministries listed above we’ve begun to connect with our neighborhood. In addition to our regular services, we have hosted Greenville High School testing sessions, DSS supervised visits, Red Cross CPR training, Greenville Baptist Association meetings, city-wide Prayer meetings, and more.
Every believer is called to serve, and through this past year 80% of our Sunday attendance is part of a ministry team serving either the church or the community. That is amazing and another testimony to God’s presence in this congregation. It has been a great year, to the Glory of God. Join me in praising Him!
tl’dr: God is good!
