Pastor’s Note:
We begin 2005 with a new church constitution, and a commitment to
a new direction that I pray will lead to growth.
The Elders are preparing to lead our fellowship with a strategy
for this growth. Our first
step will be to visit all of the members of Bigelow.
In that visit, we will be taking a spiritual inventory to help
determine how to help us grow as a church, both inside and out.
The Elders are committed to tending the flock that God has given
to us as our first priority. I
do not believe that God will add to our numbers until we have taken care
of the sheep we have in front of us.
To help in this, we have divided the membership among our five
Elders. They will be
calling to make an appointment to visit with you in the next couple of
months. You will also be receiving a letter describing our Elder Care
Ministry soon after the first of the year.
So, watch for more details.
Once we have made our initial visits, we will then determine what
course of action to take as it relates to the overall spiritual growth
of the body. One of the key
pieces to our growth process will be the implementation of our Core
Seminars. These seminars will be studies designed to help us all grow
in our understanding of the Christian life.
There will be basic, intermediate and advanced studies, offered
to accomplish our goal. We
hope that all of you will become involved in these studies, not only for
yourselves, but also for the benefit of the others in our fellowship. These seminars will also provide some great opportunities for
getting to know others in our church better.
So, until we get all this in place, please be praying for the
Elders as we get to work on this exciting new direction for Bigelow.
Staff Needs
The Elders will also be
continuing to pray and discuss our need for additional staff. For years I have been reluctant to push the need for staff,
but I believe that now is the time to consider it.
With the loss of Brian & Naomi we have a need for help in the
area of youth. We also need
someone to oversee the weekly music/worship ministry.
Naturally, this will mean that we need an increase in giving to
meet these needs. For now,
I’m asking that you pray that God will give us wisdom in how we can
meet these needs. Let us
pray to “the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His
harvest.”
Deacon Care Ministry
Please make sure to read the article on the Deacon Care Ministry
in this month’s newsletter. As
you will see, we are going to need all of you to use your gifts and
talents to help accomplish this important ministry.
It will take some time to fully implement, and there will be bugs
to work out, but I look forward to the impact it will have on the
overall ministry of our church. Please
pray for the men who have undertaken the oversight of this ministry.
Monthly Members Meetings
We will have our first members meeting on January 18 at 7:00 pm.
This meeting is for all members of Bigelow, and it is open to all
non-members as well. This
is a change from previous monthly meetings, in which only the officers
voted. At this meeting all
members will have the privilege and responsibility to vote on issues
brought up for a vote. All
input will be welcomed and considered.
So, make plans to attend. We
hope to have an agenda published prior to the first meeting so you will
know what issues are going to be considered.
Thank You.
On behalf of the worship staff, thank you for the Christmas gift.
We so appreciate you all. May
God continue to guide us as we look to another year of service.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank
