Our strategic plan called for a lot of action in 2010. While we are not meeting all the anticipated deadlines, we are at work on a number of important and exciting things. In the midst of this activity we can see the Lord producing fruit as we seek to accomplish His purpose for our church. In fact, there is so much going on that it is possible to miss the forest for the trees, so to speak. So I have put together some information here that will hopefully allow you to get an overview of all that God is doing at FBC Rockport.
Worship
· In 2010 I have preached through the book of 1Timothy, and we are winding down our series on “Family Dynamics.” After Mother’s Day I will begin a new series called “Commencement,” which will be for our graduates and for every Christian who wants to follow our Lord to be in but not of the world. This summer I will preach through the book of Romans.
· Attendance so far in 2010 peaked at 900 on Easter Sunday. We are back to a regular mid 500s in attendance since the Winter Texans have gone back north.
· There were well over 1000 who attended our Easter Cantata, which was outstanding again!
· Enrollment in our Sanctuary Choir is up to 56. They are running out of robes!
· God continues to move in our Saturday night service at Charlie’s Place.
· Eric Scott and I have begun talking and praying about the possibility of starting a Saturday night service either in our church or off-campus somewhere in our community.
· Our Spring Prayer Gathering will focus on families in our church and community.
Connect
· Our new Connect Team led us in a church-wide fellowship on Easter Sunday evening. Many people of all ages came out and had a blast.
· The next church-wide fellowship will be on July 4.
· The Sunday School Council is meeting now and one of their first tasks is to help our church address our Sunday School space issues. Our strategic plan recommended a second SS organization on Sunday morning. There has been little enthusiasm for this, but we cannot allow our space to hinder us from connecting more people to the body of Christ though our Sunday School organization, which is our primary connecting tool every week. If not a second Sunday School, what can we do right now to provide more space? Pray for them as they seek the Lord on this matter.
Grow
· Our new Grow Team is finalizing plans for an adult class to help New Believers and others who want to focus on essentials for the Christian life, and a New Member Orientation for all new church members. They will then turn their attention to designing an over-all discipleship strategy that makes sense for our church right now. Once that is done they will be able to recommend to the church any necessary schedule changes.
· Various groups have been involved with different studies:
o Different groups have done Beth Moore studies on Revelation, Esther, and Breaking Free.
o A group of people went through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.
o Our Thursday night Men’s Group continues a study Galatians by Dr. David Platt.
· AWANAs has finished another successful year.
· Vacation Bible School is only a month away!
· I have the Ministerial Staff studying some things too! We have been reading and discussing a book called Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership. We want to make sure that we are leading from the heart of our relationship with Christ. Next we will read and discuss a book on worship.
· In February, our students participated in the Mpact Weekend that focused on small group discipleship. Also, in March a group of students attended the Fuge Winter Camp in Glorieta, NM.
· On Sunday nights, at Tribe, the high school students just finished a study through the book of Colossians, and they are working on going through other books of the Bible as well.
Serve
· Our new Serve Team is working on several different things:
o There will soon be a bulletin board on display that will have all of the various ministry and missions opportunities available to our members.
o They are conducting interviews with some community leaders to get a sense of the many different needs within Aransas County. We will then lay these before the Lord and see where He leads us to join Him.
· Bob and Carole Crawford will join the Texas Baptist Men on a trip to Cuba, May 15-26.
· Joyce Roach will travel to the Dominican Republic to work in an orphanage, June 26-July 3.
· Jennifer Edwards and Carole Crawford will be teaching English in China, June 27-July 21.
· A group of youth and adults will go to Connecticut the last week of July to conduct a VBS and to participate in some prayer walking.
· We will help FBC Taft (where Dale Pogue is Interim Pastor) conduct their Vacation Bible School in July.
· John Jenkins and Herman Green have begun a ministry called “In the Garden.” John is a Master Gardener and Master Composter. Herman has been an Organic Gardener for 30 years. They will, as time allows, provide a consultation ministry for anyone in the church family who needs help with their composting, flower beds, herb garden, or vegetable garden. The consultation is free.
· One of the results of our ministry at Charlie’s Place is that we are looking into beginning a Christ-based addiction recovery and support group in Rockport.
· The Deacons have almost completed a fresh draft of our various Deacon policies and procedures. There has even been talk of a possible Deacon election this summer or fall.
Reach
· We have baptized 11 people so far in 2010, five adults, two youth, and four children. There are at least 4 more scheduled for the coming weeks.
· The Reach Ministry Team is considering outreach and evangelism possibilities for our church.
Ad Hoc Committees
· The Building and Property Usage Committee has completed its task and now has a document before the church for consideration. These policies will be discussed and voted on in May.
· The Phase 2 Study Committee met for several weeks and is now pausing in their work to give the various ministry teams time to develop some plans. They hope to get some insight into the kinds of recommendations to make to the church about developing our property.
· The Constitution and Bylaws Committee has met once and has had a hard time scheduling a new meeting (due to my schedule), but we intend to meet again soon.
Standing Committees
· The Transportation Committee has certified many of our members as official drivers of our church vehicles. Have you gotten your certification yet?
· The Personnel Committee is working on an update to our Personnel Policies and Procedures.
· The Building Committee is collecting bids for various repairs to our building. The wet winter really took its toll on our facilities.
· The Grounds Committee recently finished a new driveway for the bus barn and repainted the handicap parking spaces.
Of course this does not describe the totality of what God is doing in our midst, but does provide a snapshot. Please join with me in seeking the Lord and engaging with others as we set out in faith and obedience to accomplish the mission of our church, which is to help all people to be shaped by the love of Christ.
Serving you,
Scott Jones
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