Pressing Forward Together

Weekly Update – August 31st, 2023

Last Sunday, we celebrated our 175^th anniversary as a church.  The Lord has done many things through us over the years as we have sought to not only impact Grandview, but Kansas City, Missouri and the world beyond us.  Even though the Lord has been faithful to work through us in the past, we as the people of God here at First Baptist Church, ought to long to grow in pressing forward together as we continue to seek the kingdom of God.  On Sunday, I gave some details as to what this will look like for us this coming up fall.  It began with a renewed commitment to our vision and mission, followed by intentional incentives that we as a church will pursue. 

To begin, our vision at First Baptist Church is to see our families, our community and our world transformed by the power of God.  We believe that true and lasting heart change only comes through faith in Jesus Christ.  Therefore, our vision is to see change and transformation come to every sphere of our lives.  Whether it be within our own family or the families of our church, our community here in Grandview, Kansas City, and Missouri, as well as our world, as we work for the furtherance of the gospel to the ends of the earth. That means that in a much more tangible way, to meet this big picture desire of ours, our mission is to proclaim and display the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In all that we do as a church, we want to be a people who not only speak good words, but proclaim truth, as well as people who not only seek to live right, but who display Christ and the salvation that he brings. 

In addition to our vision and mission, we have seven core values that help to further clarify what it is that we are pursuing together as a church.  In many ways, these core values give legs to our mission, as they set the parameters and give some details as to what our church will look like as we seek to reach our vision. That means then, in terms of our core values, we commit as a church to:  hold to a clear gospel, have faithful preaching, unite together for worship, depend upon the Lord in prayer, go deep in discipleship, be fervent in evangelism and missions and seek the complete care of those around us.  You can find a more in-depth description of these values HERE. 

With our vision, mission and core values in place, here then is how the fall will look at First Baptist Church:

First, our Sunday service format will never change.  We will always be centered on the word of God preached, expositionally from the pulpit. Our worship will always strive to be Christ centered and we will continue to pray, read God’s word and practice baptism and the Lord’s supper.  Our Equipping/Sunday School hour will be a bit more refined though.  We will have three classes offered for our equipping hour.  The first one is a ladies’ study through the New Testament, the second one is an in-depth study in the minor prophets and the last one is a Foundation Study walking through the Old Testament, looking to Jesus Christ.  As far as our Sunday School hour, our desire is to have our children, ages pre-k- through senior high, walk through the Bible potentially three times before they graduate from high school.  Our classes will move to become geared towards that end to provide a sense of cohesion for our children, as well as intentionality in our teaching.  Lord willing, this will help also to coincide with Awana, as our children internalize the word of God through memorization on Wednesday nights. 

Second, we will have a bigger emphasis on home groups.  Our desire is that our home group ministry would be the place where members might be known, a place where prayer might take place on a deeper level, a place where members might apply the scriptures, as well as a place where members might also proclaim and display the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ through service, outreach and evangelism.  We have about half of our church in home groups now.  Our desire would be to see even more join this fall. 

Third, we will pursue Biblical Counseling.  Our desire is that First Baptist Church would be known as a place of healing, help and deep growth for those who are hurting and struggling through sin, suffering or the circumstances of life.  At the same time, our desire is that those in the community would see our church in the same way.  That means that Biblical Counseling would not only be a tool to help guide our members through the deep struggles of life, but that Biblical Counseling would also be a gospel tool to provide help to unbelievers who surround us here in Grandview.  Our hope as a church ought to be that when those in our community are in need, that they might know our church to be a place that loves them and longs to serve them, whether that be through food, clothing, practical classes, or counseling. 

Last, we will pursue the call of missions.  This summer we had the opportunity help support and pray for Matthew Klika and Martin Maharas as they served in Europe on different mission trips.  Our church has always been faithful to give and to pray for missions, but now, I want us to pray that God would begin to raise up some from among us who might consider going.  Whether it be short term or long term, let us seek to be a church that is pushing into the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.     

The Lord continues to do amazing things through us a church.  He continues to bring new people who long to join with us in our vision and mission, as well as new opportunities to grow in making Him known here and beyond.  Let us be faithful with what the Lord is doing, as we pursue to proclaim and display the truths of gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson

Written by Pastor
Michael Nelson

Fighter Verse for the Week

"...help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
- Acts 20:35

Announcements:

Membership Matters Class: Beginning Wednesday, August 23rd at 6:30pm, there will be a Membership Matters class for those interested in joining FBC. This will be an extended 2 week class (8/23, 9/6) and will be held in the sanctuary. You can find out more about our membership process HERE.

VBS Fun Night: Our Vacation Bible School Fun Night has been rescheduled for 5pm-8pm Saturday, September 9th. Please see Kim McNally if you would like to help with this event.

Child Protection Meeting: On September 10th, immediately following the morning service, there will be a brief child protection meeting for all childcare volunteers.

Ladies’ Bible Study: The Ladies’ Bible Study for the fall will be held in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30pm on Tuesdays, beginning September 12th. Sheryl Nelson will lead through Kelly Minter’s study on the book of Ruth.

Wednesday Evening Activities: Our first night of Awana, Youth Group, and Biblical Counseling will be on Wednesday, September 13th. We will share a meal in the Faith Center Gym at 6:00pm before heading to classes at 6:30pm. A volunteer sheet for Awana is posted on the bulletin board.

Game Night: Everyone is invited to come for an afternoon of board games and card games 2pm-6pm Saturday, September 16th. Please bring a snack to share as well as your favorite board game or card game. See Nate Johnson for details.

Home Groups: Additional home groups will be forming for the fall in the next few weeks. If you are not in a home group but would like to join one, look for a sign up sheet on the bulletin board. You can find more information about home groups HERE.

Members’ Meeting: We look forward to our regularly scheduled members’ meeting on Sunday, September 24th.

Befriend a Student: If you are interested in befriending a student from Longview Community College this semester, connect with Matthew Klika. You can find more information about befriend a student HERE.

Men’s Retreat: Men, mark your calendars for Friday, September 29th-Saturday, September 30th for our 1st annual men’s retreat. We will head to Rushville, MO., to God’s Mountain Camp. We will have times of teaching, recreation and lots of good food. The price is $40. Sign up in the hall this Sunday!

Other Ministry Opportunities: Over the last few Sundays, we have had members present ministries in which they are currently involved. Kerissa Breisch shared about her role with Collegiate Impact, Matt Stanwix shared about his desire to reach those in prison with the gospel, and Jason Franklin shared about his role with the Christian Motorcycle Association. If you are interested in partnering with any of these ministries, connect with those who are involved.

Food Pantry: We are in need of pop-top and ready to eat items for our food pantry. These items are needed specifically for the homeless in our community that stop by the church building throughout the week looking for a meal.

Volunteers Needed: Volunteers are still needed during the 10:30am nursery time. Check the update or email the office for more information on how you can serve.

Equipping Hour

We have three classes held at 9:15am on Sunday mornings. “Missions: God’s Glory to All Nations” will meet in the Sanctuary, a biblical exposition of 1 and 2nd Thessalonians will meet in the Fellowship Hall, and a Ladies’ class studying the Old Testament will meet in the classroom next to the nursery. You can find more information HERE.

Giving

To Give Online, Go HERE. 

You can also mail your offering to: 1416 Main Street, Grandview, MO. 64030

Home Groups

Home Groups typically meet on the first and third Sunday of each month. Please contact Pastor Michael if you would like to join a Home Group. You can find more information HERE.

Prayer

An updated Prayer Guide can be accessed HERE. 

Prepare for Sunday

Guide for Worship can be found HERE.