Reflections
By Pastor Les
“WE CAN MEET THE CHALLENGE”
On May 2nd we will pursue a special stewardship celebration for all the ways God is working through Trinity. Our shared life in faith forms us into a church family. From recent days, let me share some of the ways I have seen God at work in our church. Each of the following represents the impact of everyone’s efforts in TBC “being the people of God by doing the work of God.” Our three campuses hum with the gospel and our city is impacted by the lives of our members.
Momentum
1)During back to back appointments, I prayed with a woman and then a teenager as they celebrated their new faith in Christ; 2) I saw the gospel connecting through various ministry teams who are implementing life-transforming ministries for children, youth, and adults; 3) At our second campus, the Ruble Center, the gospel was beautifully shared in a spirituality class for twenty five brave Alpha Home women; 4) At TriPoint we see the fun of connecting the gospel during various events and conversations with believers and seekers; 5) In our sanctuary we experience God in dynamic worship, and we filmed an Easter message that will be shown on local television stations from March 16-April 3; 6) In our library we are planning with a twenty something think tank group for an experimental Sunday morning Bible Study that will launch March 28; 7) We are prayerfully imagining and planning for a World Trade Market that will share the gospel and economically empower women, children, and men to be freed from the shackles of human trafficking; 8) We celebrate our partnership with BSF as 375 women (and 114 children) study the Bible on our Mulberry campus; 9) We are prayer walking and connecting with our neighbors in Monte Vista & Tobin Hill; 10) Daily we visit with people in various S.A. locations about God’s hope for their lives and for Trinity Baptist Church.
Momentum Into the Challenge
All of this requires the stewardship of our lives, including our finances. Our 2009-2010 Ministry Plans and Budget set the direction we are pursuing. We know that our giving ranges from 8% to 13% more than we gave last year, which is remarkably different than the decreasing trends for other churches and organizations around the country. But we unanimously approved a $4.3 million budget which called for a 28% increase in giving from 2008-09. Consequently we have a gap to close.
My image is that of a coach speaking to his team at half time (April 1 begins the second half of our ministry year). We are forming a two- pronged approach entitled “We Can Meet The Challenge” that includes how to defer certain ministry expenses until later this year (or if necessary into 2010-11) and a special offering which will close our $500,000 gap.
Many ministry teams are working hard to recommend the best ways for us to win by making these adjustments. (See related articles in this issue of the Trumpet.) We will talk through this during a Town Hall Forum on April 7 and a Business Meeting on April 11.
Our May 2nd goal of a $500,000 offering is doable. The McCreless family is donating approximately $100,000 which then means our remaining goal is $400,000. By each of our 900 giving units contributing $444 we can reach our goal. (We have already received our first $444 check above the couple’s normal tithes and offerings). Remember we made last year’s goal of $350,000.
What an exciting time to be a Christ follower as a member of Trinity Baptist Church. What an important time to know “We Can Meet the
Challenge.”
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Les