Can you believe Easter is just a few days away? The first quarter of 2017 has just been amazing and I don’t see it leveling off anytime soon. I know you sense the same. As we live on mission for Christ, we will have greater opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ right where we live. I intend for Wrightsville Beach Baptist church to equip you to do exactly what God has called you to do for Him – at home, at school, at work, on the golf course, at the gas pump, in the grocery store, in response to a flood, in Baltimore, MD, Larga, Moldova or wherever God may lead. Wrightsville Beach Baptist Church will no longer be a church which “does missions,” but rather a church “on mission!”
As we’ve worshipped together these first few months, we have explored how we are Created to Worship and have just wrapped up a nine week study of Jesus’ Parables in the Gospel of Luke. As we have dug into Jesus’ simple, yet profound teaching we have begun to truly live out his call to “go”. Jesus calls us to see people as He does and to love them right where they are. In response we have seen three decisions for Christ and have added nine to membership! We’ve just had our first baptisms in over a year and a half on Palm Sunday. As we walk out what it means to “live on mission”, we will no longer hear and absorb, but act on the call. We’ve always done a great job giving money to needs. Let’s not miss the opportunity to give of ourselves too!
Just a few weekends ago we were blessed with almost 1,100 honeydew melons. How oddly unique. Through this unique opportunity we blessed our neighbors and the homeless of New Hanover and Brunswick Counties. By Monday every melon had been given away! I absolutely loved receiving messages from folks about how people had been blessed with a simple gift. We have served at the Good Shepherd organizing food for needy families and individuals. We have served with Vigilant Hope, a local grassroots ministry to homeless. We have served with Bethlehem Baptist Church in Currie and will continue to lead the way as we help prepare their building for worship again. We have met with an amazing group of church planters with North American Mission Board blazing a trail in Baltimore, MD and will be entering an ongoing partnership with some of them to live out the Gospel in a broken community.
We have been blessed to bring Tracey Hill onto the team as Children’s Director. A natural leader, Tracey has hit the ground running and is dreaming us forward. Most importantly, she absolutely loves our families and lives for administration. What a match made in heaven.
We have a group of College Students who love being together. I can’t tell you just how it makes my heart jump up and down to see them connecting and growing in community and seeking out ways to serve each week. Our teens are hungry for the same. In fact, just a few Wednesday’s ago our body made the decision to call Mr. Mark Johnson as full-time Minister to Students. Mark will not only work with our Middle and High School students, but will help us develop our collegiate ministry as well. Mark, a relational magnet native to Oklahoma, will be with us for a weekend in May and June before hitting the ground full-time in July! He and bride Caylee will call the “Gray House” home.
It is truly an honor to serve with you. Be on the lookout for “invisible people” like Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). He might live in the home next to you, he may live under a bridge, but God loves him just as deeply as he loves you. Let’s be ready to show the same love to a broken world which we have received. (John 15:12) We won’t do missions anymore. We will live on mission.
Worship God. Love People. Make Disciples.
John
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