God is doing good things at Franconia Baptist Church. I wanted to share with everyone that in the last few weeks he has brought new members, new leaders, and new ministries to our church.
To be honest it hasn't been the easiest thing for me to learn patience, to wait on God's timing. It sure is exciting to a sometimes impatient person when the timing is right and things start happening.
Not only is God brining new people to be members of the church, He is identifying biblicall-sound, spiritually-mature people who see the vision of what God can do with this strategically located church. If you go back to the earliest posts in this blog you will find that specific thing as a prayer request. Praise Him for answering prayer!
Some of the new ministries that we are thinking about are: Vacation Bible School, Small Groups, and some Outreach/Evangelism opportunities.
We need your continued prayers for Franconia Baptist Church as we ask God to finish bringing it back to life.
- Aaron
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
New Series - The Joy of Philippi
It's very exciting for me, as a new pastor to complete my first major sermon series. Last year in late summer I had no idea that we would be closing in on the end of Mark near Easter. This allowed me to finish this series "Walking in the footsteps of our Savior" with the resurrection on Easter Sunday.
We have no worked through an Old Testament narrative, Ruth, and a New Testament narrative, Mark. I would like to begin a detailed study in Romans soon, but thought that it might be nice to have a breather in between the two lengthy studies.
This made me think about a relatively short study in the book of Phillipians. The joy, the confidence, the encouragement that resonates through this short letter is just as helpful to me today as it must have been to the church in Philippi.
We welcome you to come and join us for this time of encouragement.
- Aaron
We have no worked through an Old Testament narrative, Ruth, and a New Testament narrative, Mark. I would like to begin a detailed study in Romans soon, but thought that it might be nice to have a breather in between the two lengthy studies.
This made me think about a relatively short study in the book of Phillipians. The joy, the confidence, the encouragement that resonates through this short letter is just as helpful to me today as it must have been to the church in Philippi.
We welcome you to come and join us for this time of encouragement.
- Aaron
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
God blessed our Easter service!
Praise God! He has been exceedingly good to our congregation these last few months. In addition to the fresh new faces at Franconia we were blessed by an amazing Easter Service.
This year we decided to have a joint service with the Franconia Korean Baptist Church. They supplied an excellent music program directed by Pastor Hong Kim, Clarient US Army Band Retired.
Our prayers were answered when we had to start directing people to the balcony to accomodate the overflow. When I went up for the offeratory prayer I noticed that the deacons had moved all the couches from the entry way into the back of the sancturary to create one more set of pews. In fact, I didn't find out until half way through the service that the deacons were so busy seating people that they forgot to take the offering. Everyone got a big laugh out of that.
After the service FKBC hosted a wonderful Easter buffet. The fellowship between the two congregations is developing in ways that I have not seen before.
At the beginning of the service I joked with everyone that it would be great if they could all come back next week. I wasn't really kidding. :)
This year we decided to have a joint service with the Franconia Korean Baptist Church. They supplied an excellent music program directed by Pastor Hong Kim, Clarient US Army Band Retired.
Our prayers were answered when we had to start directing people to the balcony to accomodate the overflow. When I went up for the offeratory prayer I noticed that the deacons had moved all the couches from the entry way into the back of the sancturary to create one more set of pews. In fact, I didn't find out until half way through the service that the deacons were so busy seating people that they forgot to take the offering. Everyone got a big laugh out of that.
After the service FKBC hosted a wonderful Easter buffet. The fellowship between the two congregations is developing in ways that I have not seen before.
At the beginning of the service I joked with everyone that it would be great if they could all come back next week. I wasn't really kidding. :)
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Baptisms Rock!
This Sunday I had the privilege of performing my first two baptisms. It was great! I have been getting to know this couple for several months now. They have been incredibly patient with me. Not only are they the first two people that I have baptized; they are also going to be my first wedding in June.
Let me tell you a little bit about the significance of these baptisms for our church. Not that I doubted it, but God is at work. I met with several of the leaders on Saturday to figure out what we were doing. What I discovered was that no one could exactly remember the last time that our church baptized anyone.
Not only had everyone forgotten the date of the last baptism, they had also forgotten how to operate the baptistery. One of the trustees had to run down to Home Depot and get a piece of rubber that could be cut to the correct size to prevent the water from draining faster than filling. On Sunday morning when we started to fill the baptistery we only got about 8 inches of water before the hot water tank ran out. The other 4 feet was bone chillingly cold. I felt terrible for our engaged couple. We all pasted smiles on as the shock of ice water numbed our minds.
The service ended with this couple and another joining the church. If you cry at weddings you should have been with us on Sunday. I saw at least five longtime members of our congregations wiping their eyes by the end of the service. They deserve it. They deserve the opportunity to see God begin to use Franconia Baptist for His glory again.
- Aaron
Let me tell you a little bit about the significance of these baptisms for our church. Not that I doubted it, but God is at work. I met with several of the leaders on Saturday to figure out what we were doing. What I discovered was that no one could exactly remember the last time that our church baptized anyone.
Not only had everyone forgotten the date of the last baptism, they had also forgotten how to operate the baptistery. One of the trustees had to run down to Home Depot and get a piece of rubber that could be cut to the correct size to prevent the water from draining faster than filling. On Sunday morning when we started to fill the baptistery we only got about 8 inches of water before the hot water tank ran out. The other 4 feet was bone chillingly cold. I felt terrible for our engaged couple. We all pasted smiles on as the shock of ice water numbed our minds.
The service ended with this couple and another joining the church. If you cry at weddings you should have been with us on Sunday. I saw at least five longtime members of our congregations wiping their eyes by the end of the service. They deserve it. They deserve the opportunity to see God begin to use Franconia Baptist for His glory again.
- Aaron
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Change is Here, Now
This week I had the opportunity to make my way down to the National Mall for the 56th presidential inauguration. One of the principle reasons that I went was because we live in a country that is experiencing radical change and not the kind that came up in the campaign speeches. Observing the skeptical and sometimes angry way that many of the 2 million people responded to the invocation prayer made me very sad. Talking about God in America is quickly becoming the one acceptable intolerance.
I believe that Christians should become students of culture in order to effectively communicate the Gospel . What I observed on Tuesday was that American culture has dramatically shifted. We must also be willing to change for the sake of the Gospel.
I believe that Christians should become students of culture in order to effectively communicate the Gospel . What I observed on Tuesday was that American culture has dramatically shifted. We must also be willing to change for the sake of the Gospel.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Not once, but twice
Not once, but twice – This week our study of Matthew has brought us to chapter 11 where we celebrate the triumphant entry of Jesus as He enters Jerusalem humbly on the back of a young donkey. This scene is depicted 500 years before the birth of Jesus in Zechariah 9:9. When you read this verse please continue to the end of the chapter. You will notice that the remaining verses describe what is still to come, the day when the people of God will sparkle like Jewels in a crown. Jesus comes as a savior not once, but twice.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Church
The Church – This week I had the opportunity to fly back to Dallas and take one last theology class. Appropriately the class was all about the doctrines of the Church. The definition that we settled on was the “New Covenant community of the Spirit”. We are a people under a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31). The Father normatively relates to His people within the context of a community. The Church was inaugurated on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was sent to indwell all believers as a fore taste of what is yet to come.
- Aaron
- Aaron
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