Happy New Year! Wait . . . I mean Happy New ‘Church’ Year! Our church calendar runs from September 1st to August 31st each year. Now is a great time for us to reflect on the last church year and begin to think about the new church year.
Ingomar began the church year in 2024 looking for a pastor. The youth pastor announced his resignation after the first quarter of the church year. The music minister who had served so faithfully for so many years left as well. The 2024-25 Ingomar Church Year was one of many changes. Yet, God’s faithfulness was shown through all those changes.
Digging Deep
The first Sunday I spoke at Ingomar, I used an analogy of an oak tree. An oak tree pushes it’s roots deep into the ground for nourishment and stability. The roots of those large trees bring up the food it needs to grow tall and strong. As the roots go deeper and wider, the tree is able to withstand rain, wind, and storms.
Our primary task as believers is to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength. We know that command as the Great Commandment. Let’s not overlook that we love God with our mind. One of the primary ways we do that is through studying God’s word. God’s word provides spiritual nourishment for our lives and helps us weather the spiritual storms of our lives.
Let’s plan to strengthen our discipleship ministries this year. I use Wednesday nights as a primary way of teaching the congregation various topics related to the Bible and our spiritual walk. Since February, we have looked at the overarching view of the Bible in what I called “The Big Picture.” Currently, we’re going through how God revealed Himself through the names of God in the Bible. If you want to learn more about God, Jesus, and the Bible, then Wednesday nights are for you!
One of our primary methods of discipleship is Sunday School. Our Sunday School department has great leaders and teachers. Those leaders and teachers help disciple many people across a wide spectrum of ages. Yet, we still have many people who attend worship but don’t attend Sunday School. I think we can close that gap in our Sunday School attendance by creating new classes.
Reaching Out
As the oak tree digs deep into the ground, it’s able to spread its limbs and leaves over a large area. The tree provides shade and safety for many different animals as it grows. To continue the analogy of the tree, the church uses evangelism and missions to reach out to the community and beyond.
Jesus said the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor. We have many opportunities to reach out to our community. We have evangelism teams and GROW teams going out each month (weekly with GROW) to meet people in our community. We have a place for you in those ministries. Each ministry will train and encourage you in the work.
This September, you have an opportunity to minister to people of Union County. Many people will be downtown for the Tallahatchie RiverFest. We have an impressive opportunity to share the Gospel with hundreds (maybe thousands) of people that day. It’s an opportunity that we must use for the glory of God. Plus, we get to show hundreds and maybe thousands of people that Ingomar Baptist Church is a friendly people and that we love them.
I think a healthy church has mission opportunities in its own Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and beyond (Acts 1:8). Us serving at the Tallahatchie RiverFest is an example of us serving in our Jerusalem and Judea. I want us to explore options for short-term mission trips to places like Pensacola and international locations.
A Healthy Church
A healthy tree needs both roots and branches. A tree will fall over without the proper root system, and it will die from starvation. A tree will die of starvation if it has roots and no branches or leaves. A church needs a healthy balance of both discipleship and evangelism.
Let’s grow together. Let’s grow in the Word of God together. Let’s grow in number together for the honor and glory of God.
One Response
We are excited to be a small part at Ingomar Baptist church. But look forward to the new year. To serve more and share what God is doing in our lives and at Ingomar Baptist church. We have a great Pastor and a loving church family. Thankful for all.