Pastor's Blog: All Things Are Possible
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When we look at the Gospels, we see Jesus always calling people to join him in a work that is beyond their comprehension. After all, nothing less really befits service on behalf of a God for whom all things are possible.
Mountain Brook Baptist Church has always approached its ministry in that spirit. Looking back at our congregation’s past efforts at advancing God’s Kingdom purposes, we would have accomplished nothing if we had relied solely on our own power; but with God’s help, we have achieved remarkable results for the cause of Christ.
Now, as we look to the future, another formidable challenge looms large on the horizon. Our recent visioning process has led our congregation to adopt what we deemed a “God-sized dream” of making ministry possible. As we have reflected together on that dream’s implications for our church’s facilities, we have sensed God’s direction toward what now seems an insurmountable goal of $12 million. But as we have seen God work wondrously in our midst in days past, we dare to believe that God wills to do so yet again.
Consequently, in their last meeting the Deacons approved the Nominating Committee’s recommendations for a Capital Campaign Steering Committee to lead out in this effort. This committee will be co-chaired by John Scott and Amy Scofield. Meredith Cale will serve as the committee’s Communication Leader. Event Leaders will be Marilyn Ingram and Britt Redden. Gift Leaders are Richard Adams, Bob Baker, Douglas and Marci Grant, Randy and Laurie Jordan, Marty Lloyd, Matt and Sarah Rich, Terry and LuAnn Wall, and Boyd Walton. Student Leaders are Sally Cooper and Benjamin Parrott. The committee is hard at work designing a brochure that we will use for our upcoming campaign, which we are calling, “All Things Are Possible.”
The campaign itself, as with most campaigns of this nature, will be divided into two phases, a private phase that will begin in the spring and continue into the summer, and a public phase that will take place in the fall. The private phase will give us more perspective on the challenge that is before us as we endeavor “to make ministry possible,” which is the thumbnail proposal of the God-sized dream related to the Structures part of our Vision 2020 plan.
You’ll be hearing more as plans develop. For now, I encourage you to begin listening to God’s direction in your life with respect to this upcoming campaign. As you do, pray for the members of this committee as they make plans for what I believe will be a time of spiritual renewal in our church. Pray as well for God to move you to a place of exemplary devotion and ask God to do the same for others in our church.
I’ve often said that every church and every Christian should have at least one time in life when he or she contemplates doing something for God that if God were not in it, the effort would be doomed to failure. This time is one of those moments. I’m believing God is in this effort, and I’m hopeful that you’ll believe it too. Only then will this opportunity help us as a church to experience once again what is a foundational principle for every exemplary church’s efforts toward being found faithful in God’s sight – that with His help, all things are indeed possible.
"When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:25-26).