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| Submitted: Monday, January 14, 2008; 1:32 p.m. print this page ● feedback ● main ALSBOM site |
CHURCH FIRES
The first concern is the recent series of church fires involving
the physical facilities of Alabama Baptist congregations in
Chilton and Russell counties. There's no doubt we need to pray
for the congregations who had facilities burned by fire – much
of the damage quite extensive.
All this brings back memories from two years ago when as many as
10 churches were set ablaze in what became a sad series of
events for Alabama Baptists and other faith communities.
Several young men have been convicted and are now serving time
in prison as a result of most of those terrible acts of arson.
Yet the churches have moved beyond the terrible episode to
rebuild their facilities and renew their ministries.
Here we go again in 2008. Sadly, five churches in Alabama were
vandalized and/or set on fire as the new year dawned.
Charges have been filed against alleged perpetrators in the
Russell County area, but the investigation is ongoing related to
fires in Chilton County.
On Sunday, January 13, I visited with the Providence Baptist
Church in Chilton County. The church family lost their
educational facility in the early hours of Saturday, January 12,
due to a fire believed to be caused by an arsonist. The site is
not a pretty one, but had it not been for the courageous work of
firefighters the situation would have been even worse. All of
their facilities would have been gone.
Pastor Allen Foster lost his entire library, including his
books, computer and sermonic material spanning 13 years of
ministry. As I conversed with Bro. Foster, he showed me a
plastic box containing three or four of his favorite books
charred well beyond repair. One of the books had what once was a
yellow sticky note attached to the front page. The note was
penned by him in days past and read, "No matter what, believe in
God, abide in Him, serve Him, and thank Him." Later, Bro. Foster
used this affirmation as the basic foundation for his message to
his church during the Sunday morning worship service held at
Camp Dawson. I was privileged to attend this inspiring time of
worship, and it thrilled me to see pastor and people declaring,
"We will be faithful, no matter what." They sang "Victory in
Jesus," and they shared an infectious hope and optimism, which
left an impression on the news reporters on hand to cover the
story. I don't think I have ever witnessed a service like this
one.
As I awakened on Sunday morning and prepared to make this visit
to the church, Paul's words of encouragement to the Corinthian
Church found in his first epistle to them (I Corinthians
15:57-58) were on my mind. The apostle reminded the church to be
faithful, no matter what. "But thanks be to God, who gives us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord"
(NKJV).
Faithful, no matter what – Now that is a testimony for a pastor
to have in a time of crisis. That is the testimony of a church,
which is determined to go forward, despite a huge setback. What
an affirmation! What a testimony! It inspires me to face life in
this world, knowing that we have "Victory in Jesus."
Eugene Peterson has described the Christian life as "a perpetual
victory parade." The believers, who are called Providence
Baptist Church, like so many other churches afflicted with
crisis experiences, are marching at the front of the victory
parade and we need to follow them "no matter what." They are
excellent examples of believing in God, abiding in Him, serving
Him and thanking Him.
ALLEVIATING
SPIRITUAL DROUGHT
In recent months our state and region has experienced a period
of almost unprecedented drought. The lack of rainfall left the
ground thirsty for moisture, leaving farmers with little yield
in terms of crops.
Our lives can experience spiritual droughts as well. We can "run
dry" to the point that we are not fruitful in our ministries for
the Lord and we lack a sense of fulfillment and significance.
The upcoming
Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference is designed to
be a metaphorical downpour of rain from heaven for you in times
of spiritual dry spells.
This conference is widely attended by pastors and other staff
ministers from the churches of the Alabama Baptist State
Convention, but it's designed for other church leaders as well.
Those who have planned the conference and those who will
participate in it have you in mind!
There's never been any admission charge for the
State
Evangelism Conference, thanks to the generous gifts of
Alabama Baptists through the Cooperative Program. No tickets are
needed, and you don't have to pre-register. (There is a list of
hotels available for those who will need overnight lodging.)
As our State Board of Missions, we are engaged in an ongoing
effort to help you and your fellow church leaders develop into
more fruitful and faithful followers of Christ. LEADERconnect is
all about connecting with God in Christ, connecting with His
purpose for your life and connecting with others in Christian
service.
My prayer is that in the
State
Evangelism Conference you really will experience a downpour
of God's presence and power.
For more information about the State Evangelism Conference,
please contact Ministry Assistant Stephanie McClelland at
1-800-264-1225, ext. 245,
smcclelland@alsbom.org. For more information about
LeaderConnect, please contact State Missionary Dale Huff at
1-800-264-1225, ext. 263,
dhuff@alsbom.org
TWO RELATED
CONCERNS
As I wrap up this blog entry, I've reflected on how God brings
spiritual refreshment to us through both expected and unexpected
events in life.
The State Evangelism Conference is an expected event, planned
well in advance and held annually. Church fires are, for
everyone except the perpetrators, unexpected events.
There's some amount of irony that the Evangelism Conference
theme is "When the Well Runs Dry" while – for the other topic of
this blog entry – water is a vital tool for extinguishing the
blazes that ravaged congregational facilities.
Yet through both expected and unexpected events, our Lord can
and does send that which is referenced in the title of an old
hymn: "Showers of Blessing."
Have you ever considered that those churches who experienced
facility fires years ago are now – almost without exception –
stronger than ever with robust, vital ministries exceeding their
pre-fire strength.
That should provide a deserved rebuke and feeling of irony for
those who set the fires. Out of what those men meant for bad,
God brought forth good.
In fact, numerous believers beyond the memberships of the
affected congregations experienced what I would call "spiritual
drought relief" in the wake of church fires.
How so? Many of them were driven to their knees in prayer or
motivated by Christian love to minister on a mission trip or to
donate to disaster relief over and above their regular gifts.
When the well runs dry in your life, look to our God to refresh
you as you encounter both the expected and unexpected events of
life.
Come to the
State Evangelism Conference for further refreshing following
the next few weeks when you can pray for, minister to and help
those congregations with charred facilities. I hope to see you
there!
| The Missions Mutual Fund This month, the State Board of Missions introduces two new web sites: www.ALSBOM.tv and www.RickLance.tv. In our first video, which may be viewed by clicking below, Rick Lance speaks about the Cooperative Program as our missions mutual fund. |
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RICK LANCE:
Local Associations Really Matter |
