Christmas Happenings

Christmas Happenings

• Caroling & Chili Supper: Sunday, Dec 11, 4:00 PM

Cook your best pot of chili and meet at the fellowship hall this Sunday at 4:00 PM. Groups will go caroling to senior members of our church, including those who are homebound. Afterwards we will enjoy chili together. As always, a select cohort of culinary judges will award the best chili(s).

•  Kids Christmas Party: Wednesday, Dec 14, 6:30 PM

•  Student Christmas Party: Wednesday, Dec 14, 6:30 PM

•  Legacy Plus Christmas Luncheon, Dec 20, 12:00 PM

Retirees, please join us and bring a friend for a Christmas theme luncheon. All food will be provided: ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potato pie.

• Candlelight Service: Saturday, Dec 24, 5:00 PM

Join us for a casual evening of family-friendly Christmas hymns and Scripture reading. This is a wonderful gospel opportunity for family, friends, and neighbors. The service will be about 45-minutes in length.

•  Christmas Day Gathered Worship: Sunday, Dec 25, 10:30 AM

Plan to gather with the church on the Lord’s Day for a service that will focus on the incarnation of the Lord Jesus. There will be no coffee corner, equipping courses, or nursery.

•  New Years Day Gathered Worship: Sunday, Jan 1, 10:30 AM

Plan to gather with the church on the Lord’s Day for a service that will focus on the glory of the Lord Jesus. This is an ideal way to bring in 2023. There will be no coffee corner, equipping courses, or nursery.

International Missions Offering: Week of Prayer

Each day this week we are praying for International Missions. Through the International Mission Board, our fellowship of churches have sent over 3,650 missionaries serving in 116 countries. They serve in many of Earth's hardest, darkest, least-reached places. As you pray this week, please consider how the Lord is inspiring you to support this work. Sunday, December 18, will be our giving emphasis day.

Members Meeting Update

Praise the Lord for the wonderful members meeting this past Sunday. You heard important updates and made significant decisions. I highlight several here. We received two new members, both recently baptized, Cooper McLean and Addy Butler! The church affirmed new deacons: Doug Lawrence, Clay McLean, Reese Simmons, and Grayson Webb. We also affirmed the proposed 2023 Church Ministry Budget. Praise the Lord!

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

International Missions Offering

International Missions Offering

A ministry endeavor worth noting in the New Testament is the collection of funds from predominantly Gentile congregations by Paul to support the largely Jewish churches in Jerusalem. This cooperative offering is mentioned in Acts, Romans, and 1 & 2 Corinthians. In fact, the occasion when the authorities arrested Paul in Acts 24 was the delivery of these funds to Jerusalem. This offering is an example of churches working jointly to fund God-honoring ministry.

In this same spirit, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions is a joint effort of Great Commission Baptist Churches to provide funding to spread the gospel of the grace of God to all peoples around the world. Through the International Mission Board, our churches have sent over 3,650 missionaries serving in 116 countries. Over 90% of these missionary teams actively engage at least 1 of over 7,000 unreached people groups. These are OUR missionaries! They serve in many of Earth's hardest, darkest, least-reached places.

Please prayerfully consider how the Spirit of the Lord is stirring you to make a generous contribution to this year's offering for International Missions. As you do so, know that our church is one of the thousands of sister churches working together in this God-honoring ministry. This Sunday, December 4, we will begin our week of prayer for International Missions. Sunday, December 18, will be our giving day emphasis.

Members Meeting this Sunday

This Sunday, following gathered worship, will be our quarterly members meeting. In this meeting, you will hear essential updates on the church, add and remove members, and make several decisions. One decision will be to affirm the men whom the elders and deacons recommend serving as deacons: Doug Lawrence, Reese Simmons, Grayson Webb, and Clay McLean (Reaffirmation). Another decision will be the affirmation of the proposed 2023 Ministry Budget prepared by the elders, finance team, and staff: Proposed 2023 Ministry Budget

Welcome Alexis Lawrence

I am happy to announce that Alexis Lawrence has begun working in the office as our new ministry assistant. Over the next month, she will be transitioning into Gayle Kelley's role. Gayle will be retiring at the end of the year. Please, take the opportunity to thank Gayle for her service and welcome Alexis to our staff.

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

2022 Church Ministry Budget

Church Family,

Linked below, you will find the proposed 2022 Church Ministry Budget. This is more than just a budget; it is also a motivation to honor the Lord with our giving. We give because it is good for us. Being cheerful givers shows that we value God and his plans more than we love the things of this world. God does not need our money; he is doing just fine. Yet, by being faithful with the money he has given to us, we show off how good and trustworthy he is. Our giving is a reflection of our trust in his faithfulness.

Our giving should be thoughtful and deliberate, not habitually spontaneous in response to urgent appeals. The same is true for our church. The budget helps us to be intentional about where we invest. The budget is like a spiritual mutual fund. Your leaders look for the best spiritual investment opportunities and bring them to you in the form of our budget. There are many instructions in the Bible about how and where believers are to use their money. Giving to the budget is a way we help one another obey these instructions.[1]

As you review the budget, also check your giving practices and tendencies. How has God proven himself to be gracious and faithful? Are you showing off how good and trustworthy he is?

The elders, finance team, and staff have prepared a budget that allows us to pursue the Lord's priorities for his church. Minor adjustments have been made throughout to match what is anticipated this coming year, but what is proposed is not significantly different from this year. During the member's meeting following gathered worship on November 14, we will have the opportunity to discuss and adopt the budget as a church. To be sure you get the best answers to any questions, please contact an elder or finance team member before November 14.

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

PROPOSED 2022 CHURCH MINISTRY BUDGET

[1] Jamie Dunlop, Budgeting for a Healthy Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2019), 140.

On Twelve Years as Lead Pastor

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you. 1 Peter 5:2

Church Family,

This week several items are on my mind:

On Twelve Years as Lead Pastor

This past Sunday marked my twelfth year as your lead shepherd. I am thankful for the Lord’s grace in reaching this milestone. Think for a moment about the thousands of prayers, myriads of conversations, multitudes of phone calls and text messages, and hundreds of sermons we have experienced together. It is a humbling privilege to be entrusted by the Lord to shepherd one of his local churches. I am grateful for the way you love my family and me. I am thankful for the way you affirm my leadership and give ear to the teaching. Most of all, I rejoice that you are endeavoring to walk faithfully with Jesus each day.     

On Our Refreshed Vision

It seems fitting that on my pastoral anniversary, a refreshed purpose statement was set forth. This statement was developed through each sermon in the Be the Church series and succinctly communicates our priorities: Crestview exists to glorify the Lord, replicate disciples of Jesus, live in community, and engage the world with the gospel. While this statement is fresh and new for us, there is no fundamental change in the direction of Crestview. These have been and will continue to be our priorities as a church. This vision is the same for every faithful gospel church throughout time and around the world. I pray this statement will help us better understand what the Lord calls us to be as his church.

On Commissioning

This Sunday, October 10, we will commission one of our members for international service. As we saw in Romans 10, sending out workers is a meaningful way we engage the world with the gospel. You will want to be present in the worship center for this special time as a church family. Out of the need to respect security concerns, the live stream will end after the sermon, and commissioning will not be available in the fellowship hall, at home, nor by YouTube. You need to be present in the worship center this Sunday to participate.

On Deacon Nominations

Thanks to all who participated in the deacon nomination process. Over the coming weeks, the elders and deacons will examine those who received the greatest number of nominations. Those who are qualified and desire to serve will be recommended to the congregation ahead of the November members meeting. Please continue to pray for this stage of the process.

On the Mission Georgia Offering

Praise the Lord! Crestview gave $5,150 for the Mission Georgia offering. Pray for these gifts to be used in the transformation of lives across our state.  

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

God the Son Incarnate

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

GOD THE SON INCARNATE

These last two Sundays we have considered the monumental significance of the life of Jesus.  In what is the doctrinal summit of 1 Timothy, Paul pens a 6-line hymn.  Using only 26 words he profoundly summarizes the significance of the incarnation of God the Son: “He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Tim. 3:16).  These words are worth our lingering reflection. As we celebrate Christmas this week, I pray we will freshly treasure Jesus the Savior.

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE

Thursday evening at 5:00 PM we will be the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. You may join us in-person or watch via the live stream.  The family-friendly service will be about 45 minutes long.

UPDATE: A MESSAGE OF HOPE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS

This past Sunday was the second week of our outreach.  Many heard the message of Hope Received! Over 9,000 viewed the promo this past week on social media. The Hope page on the website had 70 additional visits this week – so almost 400 over three weeks. Sunday had 3 first-time guests and several others returned for a second time. Streaming views also remained high again this week. 

If you invited someone to visit or watch the service, this week is the time to follow up with them. Did they watch?  What are their thoughts?  Is Jesus their hope? For any who missed the live events, the Hope page of the website is going to remain active for the next couple of weeks and has the recordings of each of the Sunday services.

INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS OFFERING

It is not too late to participate in the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. We have given just over $3,000 to date.

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

Reaching Far and Near

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… Matthew 28:19

 INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS OFFERING (LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING)

We have just finished a week of prayer for international missions.  You have been praying for the spread of the gospel to people groups across the planet. As you have prayed, I trust the Lord has freshly reminded you of the joyful responsibility to support our missionaries who are serving around the world. During the Christmas season each year our church, along with thousands more, receives a special offering – the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions.  100% of this offering goes to support international gospel work in some of the hardest, darkest, least reached places in the world.

This year I have set Crestview’s giving target at $10,000. This is ambitious – but it reflects the priority of the task of reaching the world. In my time here, we have never given this much to this offering.  In 2019 we gave $6,200. In 2018 we gave $5,700. The previous years the offering was around $3,000 annually. The Lord has blessed our church and our members in MANY ways this year. On Sunday, December 20, bring your gifts or give on-online, and let’s see what God does.

Crestview has 170 members, representing 85 family units. If each family were to give $125 we would exceed the $10,000 goal.  Each family is different, and we are not called to equal giving.  We are, though, called to proportional giving.  Give as the Lord inspires and enables you.  The resources are in our bank accounts. Will we joyfully release them back to the Lord for kingdom use?

Someone has said, “The light that burns farthest burns brightest at home.” This is true – especially as it reflects the great commission heart of a church.  The more prayerful, generous, and faithful we are to the instruction of Jesus to make disciples of all nations, the stronger our walk and witness will be for Christ here at home.

A MESSAGE OF HOPE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS

Our effort to share the gospel in our city is in high swing!  Saturday we handed out 300 invitations in the Beatty Hills neighborhood. Sunday you took home with you invitations for your neighbors and friends. Have you passed them out yet?  The social media promotion is underway on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Thousands in a 5 mile radius of our church campus will see information about A Message of Hope.  Please spread the word by sharing on your social media accounts as well.

What should you be doing this week? 

• Praying:  Pray for many to hear the gospel and come to saving faith. Pray the gospel to be clearly presented. Pray for us all to be faithful, courageous, and bold to invite.

• Inviting: Invite friends and family who do not know Christ to come with you to gathered worship these next two Sundays.

• Sharing: Make sharing the gospel with your One a priority in these upcoming days. Share and repost social media links and email announcements. 

• Showing Up: Come prepared to glorify the Lord together! A Spirit-filled church is a powerful testimony to the truth of the gospel. Make attendance these next two Sundays a priority for you and your family. Be prepared to serve the church – whatever may be needed.  We expect to need to maximize fellowship hall seating.

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

Local Churches, Cooperating Together

I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. Romans 15:24-26

LOCAL CHURCHES, COOPERATING TOGETHER

God reveals in Scripture many examples of churches partnering together for the sake of the gospel. One case is cited above from Romans.  Paul had collected an offering from churches around the Mediterranean region for the relief of believers in Jerusalem.  Also, he was preparing the church at Rome to support him in his travel to take the gospel to Spain. There are many other examples of such cooperation across the New Testament. It glorifies the Lord and honors his universal church when we appreciate ministry beyond what is happening in our own backyard. Partnering with other churches (and networks of churches) widens and extends our gospel-eyesight. We become aware of what God is doing in other regions and needs that we can work together to meet. This past Sunday we were reminded of our own partnership with Jason Lee and Clarkston International Bible Church. We are working in cooperation to spread the gospel among the nations living in Atlanta! Consider going to Clarkson on Saturday, October 3, to take part in Serve Day (email cole@crestviebaptist.org for more info and to register).

THE FLINT RIVER BAPTIST ASSOCIATION

Another avenue of cooperation for Crestview is our local association of like-minded churches called the Flint River Baptist Association (FRBA).  The FRBA is composed of about 50 churches in the greater Spalding County region. It exists “to facilitate and connect churches to partner and serving and fulfilling the Great Commission.” Over the last year, Dr. Frank Nuckolls, association mission strategist, has been leading the FRBA through a renewal of its vision and reorganization its mission focus. I am enthusiastic about the direction things are going.

There are a couple of ways for you to keep up with the FRBA. One way is to visit the WEBSITE and read the monthly newsletter, THE FORECASTER.  Another way is to attend the annual meeting.

ANNUAL MEETING: SEPTEMBER 27

This year’s annual meeting of the Association is Sunday, September 27, at 6:00 PM, in the worship center of Oak Hill Baptist Church in Williamson. You will hear about our cooperative ministry, vision, goals, and updates on what our mission dollars are accomplishing. We will enjoy worship in song by Oak Hill’s worship team, hear an encouraging address by Dr. Nuckolls, and a missions sermon from Ken Adams, pastor of Crossroads Church in Newnan. I want to encourage you to mark your calendar and plan to attend. Every so often someone will ask me, “Why don’t our churches ever get together for a large worship service?” The answer is: We do!  This is it - you are invited.   

GIVING UPDATE

Last week I wrote asking you to generously supply the church ministry budget in the hope of creating a surplus of $11,000 by September 30. This will allow the breezeway project to begin. In only one week you are already responding! Giving to the budget this past week totaled $8,278, which should generate several thousand dollars of surplus as we close the books on August. Additionally, we had special gifts to the campus renovation fund totaling $5,500!  This is an exciting start, and we still have one month to go! Continue to pray and give as the Lord enables. If we have generous hearts, perhaps the Lord will provide what is needed for the breezeway and more!

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

Campus Renovations

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

CAMPUS RENOVATIONS

The Lord has blessed Crestview with a large, highly visible church campus. It is a tool that aids us in accomplishing the mission of our Lord. One of the realities of having a church campus is that buildings must be maintained and occasionally updated to remain clean, safe, modern ministry tools. This past Sunday, I spoke briefly about campus renovations that we are hoping to make soon. I want to recap things here and encourage your generosity.

THE BREEZEWAY PROJECT

Our next project is the breezeway that connects the main building to the education building. It will be replaced with an open air, covered walkway. The new wider walkway will provide protection from rain as well as easy, safe access to the playground. The facility planning team has been meeting with contractors and receiving bids. The current balance in the Campus Renovation Fund is $46,000.  Another $8,000-$10,000 is needed to start this project. We are ready to start as soon as funds are in hand.

FUTURE PROJECTS

The next project will be a remodel of the worship center. We are considering the development of a large new entry foyer and a covered car drop-off on the south side of the main building. This will be followed by a remodel of nurseries and the balance of the first floor of the main building.

FUNDING PLAN

In 2019 the church approved the Campus Renovations Funding Plan featured in the graphic below. This plan focuses upon debt-free funding that does not divert giving away from the regular ministry budget of the church. Generous giving to the church ministry budget will supply our day-to-day ministry needs and result in a surplus that will go toward campus renovation and additional missions. Our church does not have a separate “building program” to fund campus renovations.  Surplus from giving to the church ministry budget is our “building program.”

THE GOAL: $11,000 SURPLUS BY SEPTEMBER 30

The end of September marks the next opportunity to evaluate the surplus. Our elders, facilities team, and finance team are asking you to prayerfully consider generous gifts to the church ministry budget through the end of September. A surplus of $11,000 would provide what is needed for the breezeway and an additional $1,000 for missions.  If we have generous hearts, perhaps the Lord will provide what is needed for the breezeway and more!

If you are already supporting the church ministry budget and want to make a special gift directly to the campus renovation, designated gifts are welcome. Contact Gayle Kelley in the church office if you have any questions.

Let us pray, give, and anticipate what the Lord will do!

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas