Dear Friends,

We are all familiar with the typical New Year’s resolutions—to hit the gym more, to drink less alcohol, to eat less chocolate, to spend more time with family, to read more and watch television less. According to the Oxford Dictionary, resolution means, among other things, “a firm decision to do or not to do something.” But in addition to resolving to refrain more from eating fattening desserts, or pledging to binge less on Netflix TV or shows or HBO, what if we also contemplated a resolution for our church community? The approaching New Year has stirred me to think about that…a resolution that’s going to help us to become the church God is calling us to be. It goes like this: We resolve to become an inviting people sharing our faith with more and more in the year ahead.

Our Mission Statement is a simple one: A Christ Centered Community Sharing God’s Love with the World. I think that this statement beautifully encapsulates who we are and the kind of church we believe we are called to be. During the month of January I’m going to be focusing, in my messages, on the second part of that statement…sharing God’s love with the world. Specifically, I’m going to be talking about sharing our faith with others. It’s vitally important, and yet studies show that few Christians really do it.

When church members were asked what the purpose of the church is 85% said the purpose of the church is to meet their family’s needs and only 15% said the purpose of the church is to reach the lost. I believe that that attitude has to change if churches, including our own, are going to grow and reach others for Christ.

The Latin root of resolution (resolutio), means “to loosen or release.” I believe that Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell is a church of great potential and possibility, and that our best days are not behind us, but ahead. My prayer for this year is that God “loosens and releases” this possibility of sharing and growth in our midst. Secondly, “loosen or release” contains a call for freedom in the body, whether individual or corporate. To loosen in our context means to let our hair down a bit, to dance a jig, to not worry too much about imperfection, to sing out of tune, to have fun. And we can all use a bit of this!

May 2016, then, be a year of fulfilling our resolutions, as individuals and as a church. I can’t wait!

With great hope,

Pastor George Hawthorne