January 10, 2023
Dear Church Family,
Greeting from the Pastor! I am so very excited to start another year with you as pastor. It is hard to believe that I just celebrated my seventh Christmas as pastor of this great church. In the last seven years God has richly blessed our church in so many ways. We have seen so many things happen over this period. We have watched God replace the columns and the front porch of the church, paint both the inside and outside of the church, open several classrooms, upgrade the sound and A/V systems, have the parking lot blacktopped, put in new landscaping around the church, add a handicap ramp, create a handicap restroom in the church, add staff positions, put in security cameras, and totally update the parsonage. Can we just take a moment and praise God for all these things He has done at LMBC.
Then, I stop to think about all the things God has done in the lives of our members. We have seen our Sisters of Strength flourish. These women are always on the move for God. We have seen our Young at Heart grow and take major steps forward for God. We have watched our men come together to start the Masters of Men ministry. We have been active in our community hosting events like Grief Share, first responder Sunday, and many concerts. The summer is filled with children going to camp, youth going on retreats and the sounds of VBS. God has brought some many new families into the fellowship of LMBC the last few years.
However, during all these times of blessing we also have felt the pain of Covid. I want to take a moment a remind you of the seriousness of Covid. We always encourage you to be in church however, if you are sick with a symptom of Covid we ask you to please stay home. I would also like for you to please call me so I can pray for you and your family, I believe in leading by example. That is why I was out during Christmas; we were sick, and it was safer for us to stay home than to allow someone else to get sick. If you are sick or become sick, please know we absolutely care about you and we are here to assist you and your family during that time, The deacons and myself want to pray for you and lift you up to God. We will not tell people what is wrong with you unless you give us permission. If you are sick, it might take a few weeks before you feel better and are able to return to church. Also, if you are around in the same house with someone with Covid please take the precaution with might mean to staying home for 10 days. We want everyone to communicate to us when you are sick so we can pray for you and your family.
I also want to make sure everyone understands both the deacons and myself take your health and safety seriously. We will be spraying the church sanctuary, restrooms, and nursery after every Sunday Morning service, We will not be doing fellowship time during the worship service at this time. You are free to wear a mask during any of the services of the church. We will be meeting the small brick fellowship building on Wednesday night during the winter months and there will be plenty of room to space out during the service. We are constantly discussing and working on ways to better manage this virus in every deacon’s meeting.
I want to share with you my vision for 2023 at Little Mountain Baptist Church. want us to become a better communicating church. We are going to use our social media to promote our church more this year. want to grow our Sunday School program by offering classes for our college and young adults, We will use this time to do deep studies into different books of the Bible using videos and lessons for our Seniors class. We will offer biblically based finance classes for our couples. want us to become more involved in the community by being active in festivals, supporting school events and inviting more people to our church events. We need to challenge ourselves to be active servants of God. We are going to use the bus to reach out in the community and bring children, youth, and adults to church. We will need people willing to step up assist with driving the bus on Sundays and Wednesdays to make that happen. truly believe God is going to bless LMBC this year. believe when we focus all of our attention on Him great things happen. Hebrew 13:6 states, “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and will not fear what man shall do unto me. I am so glad the Lord is my strength and my helper.” Philippians 4:19-20 states, “But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” am excited to watch God use the members of LMBC in a mighty way this year.
In Christ,
Pastor Doug
The Deacon Monthly Call List
1st Week of the Month ---- Jerry Drake
2nd Week of the Month ---- Nolan Gowen
3rd Week of the Month ---- Chris Miller
4th week of the Month ---- Tony Patton
