Newsletter

Mechanicsville News

 

What are the possibilities?

     That’s a question the Possibilities team seeks to answer in the coming months. As a reminder, the Possibilities Team was formed based on an inceptive from the coordinating council (comprised of one representative from each committee, plus church officers), that MBC was in need of developing its outreach, discipleship and evangelism efforts.

      In order to accomplish that goal, the Possibilities team has recognized that we first need to understand who we are as a church. Therefore, their first order of business will be to involve the church in this quest. In the coming months church members will be invited to join in activities specifically designed to answer the question, “Who Are We?”

      One way to do this is to think of our church as a person. If we were to describe our church as person who would that person be, what gender would that person be, how old, what would be that persons life situation right now, what hobbies would that person have, what would that person eat for breakfast, etc. This may seem silly and irrelevant upon first glance, yet the technique has been used at more than twenty churches and has proved to be quite accurate at getting to the identity of a church. The possibilities team invites you to begin reflecting on our church identity and looks forward to exploring this matter soon.

      Once this question is answered, then we will better know what strengths, gifts, strengths, talents and resources we can apply to outreach, discipleship and evangelism.

Stay Tuned!

 

Beyond the Frame:

Finishing What We Started

      You may have seen this title in the bulletin. You may have heard our pastor explain during worship services that we need get beyond the frame of our new building and complete the inside.

      Phase One of our building project included completing the shell of our new building and installing a new lift.  The shell has been completed for quite a while. The lift was finally completed in the summer.  Now it’s time to finish what we started and complete our building.

      To that goal, the building and finance committees met on January 15^th to discuss what to do next. Here is a summary of the next steps in the building process:

·         At this time a team from the building committee is in the process of determining what kind of finishing will be in the building: carpeting, flooring, molding, colors, etc?

·         The heating and cooling installation for all three floors should be complete as of publication date of this newsletter.

·         Costs for all the electrical wiring have been received and volunteers are now being consulted for installation.

·         Bids for all three floors, minus electrical, will be sought after Finishing Team reports.

·         Feasibility of volunteers completing building on a floor by floor basis is being explored.

·         The  Finance committee will meet to discuss funding for the completion of the project.

·         Reports on progress will be issued on a regular basis to the church.

 

 

Two New Teams Being Tried Out at MBC

      Usually when you have two teams on the same playing field, they working against each other. But not these two teams.

      A worship team and a hospitality team are in the process of being organized and tried out. The worship team has in fact already been working hard to enhance our worship services. The team meets once a month to go over the themes of the pastor’s upcoming sermons and brainstorm on how the theme can be communicated not just through the sermon, but through music, dramas, art, pictures, and video.  At this time the worship team extends an invitation to anyone who has a desire to use their gifts in a creative way either through suggestions for drama, art, pictures, and video or by offering their help to be a reader, pray during worship, do a drama, put together power point presentations, and other creative tasks.

      The other team, the hospitality team, is being developed by the deacons. The goal of this team is to come up with a process by which guests are intentionally welcomed, contacted, and encouraged, as well as oriented to who we are at MBC. It is intended to be a process that would eventually lead them to become members of the church. Specific roles of team members will be explained in the near future. One thing the team has decided is that the greeting process on Sunday mornings will be one that focuses on guests and on intentionally welcoming them to the church. Greeters will be invited to a short training event for that purpose.

 

 

                         

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Thank you

A heart felt thanks goes out to those who helped with the Habitat for Humanity shed at the community food pantry.  It looks great!! (Brian and Karen, Kristen and Brianna Mack, Bobby Faulconer, Scott and Bonnie Collier, Todd, Sherri, Sarah, and Kristen Brown).

 

Thank you to Beth and Madey Lewis, Katie Fisher, and Kristin Brown for setting up the Jesus Journey.

 

 

Have You Noticed?

    Have you noticed things changing at Mechanicsville? The kids are growing up! We’re seeing a lot of new faces.  Worship is changing, (more visuals), and we’ve been eating more at church since the kitchen has been finished.     I like the coffee fellowships.  Also, we have a new fellowship committee which really likes to cook and they work together as a great team! Don’t miss their monthly meal at 6 pm.

    Our children’s group has grown on Wednesday’s from 4 to 14 this year!! Come from 7-8 pm each week.  We have a great team of Sunday school teachers, and anyone not attending is missing a blessing. The adult 2 class is studying “Discovering the Will of God”, by Andy Stanley, and all of our lessons have been such an inspiration as everyone shares how we struggle to find God’s will in our lives daily!

Come at 9:50 any Sunday. We’ll find a place for you!

      On Friday Jan. 12th, we had a small group of kids and parents at church playing games and walking the JESUS JOURNEY, a pilgrimage of scripture, songs, and prayers on CD.  I think we all enjoyed the evening.

       I don’t know about you, but I feel we are opening up, and trying to go a little deeper with one another?  Maybe you feel the same?  Blessings to you.

Sherri.

 

 

WWW.MechBaptist.org

     Have you visited the new website?  We have found a new server for our website and have been able to keep the same address.  Pages are now being created. If someone out there has a passion for administering a website, you’re help is most needed. Talk to Hester Fletcher or Greg Compton with your interest.

 

What’s in a Wednesday?

     That’s a question we’re trying to answer at MBC. We have a long tradition of meeting on Wednesday nights for Bible study and prayer. Included in Wednesday activities are Kid’s Club, choir practice, and monthly suppers. In an effort to discover the future of Wednesday night activities, a short questionnaire is being included in the bulletin every Sunday through January. If you haven’t filled one out, please do. Your input is valuable and helpful in determining the future of our Wednesday night programs.

 

 

CAMP UPDATE

We are going to Camp Little Crossroads (near Wintergreen) for summer camp July 16-21.  It is called Co Ed High Adventure Week.  Grades 4-12 have an opportunity to hike, camp, go horseback riding and more.  The camp us sponsored by Virginia Baptists. The cost is around $200 per person. There will be scholarships and discounts available for those who make all payments on time.  Registration opens March 1. See Katie Fisher for more details (email: kfisher@mrlaw.com or call 832-7714).  First deposit of $50 due by March 1.

 

 

WMU (Double Duty)

     A new group of WMU has formed for the working women of our church.   We have dubbed ourselves “Double Duty group”.  Our focus will be on missions that we can do with our family and things that will incorporate our youth.  So far we have had a cooking day to teach our youth some cooking basics and baked many dozens of cookies to go in the “Cookie Caper” that the traditional WMU group was doing.  We also had our children to make cards to go along with the cookies for the soldiers.  We will have a Valentines Day party on February 12^th at 2:00 at the Gordon House.  The children of the church will make cookies and cards for the residents.  We will also have lunch on the 12^th after the worship service.  If anyone is interested in joining in on our activities please see Hester Fletcher or Sherri Brown

 

 

Committee Comments

 

Fellowship Committee

The Fellowship committee has been busy planning coffee socials and Wednesday night meals.  We will have a coffee social after worship service the 1^st Sunday of every month.  Our Wednesday night meal will be held on the 2^nd Wednesday of every month.  We have been busy purchasing new items for the kitchen (tea towels, baking sheets, stock pots, griddles, cooking utensils and knives). We truly enjoy the new kitchen (dishwasher is fantastic) and want to give our THANKS to the facilities committee for all of their hard work.

 

Something to Think About

     Well, you’ve come to the end of the newsletter. Hope you found it informative. You probably noticed, as Sherri points out in her note, that we are in transition, trying some new things, trying to re-evaluate some old things, and looking to continue finding ways to be a light to this community. But what is the community to which we minister? What area does it comprise?  Who are the people that live in that area? What are their needs? What are their goals and aspirations? Why aren’t many of them coming to church? Are they like us, or not?

     It was reported above that the possibility team will be seeking our church identity, but the team will also be working on figuring out the identity of our community. When you put together who we are as a church and who the community is, where do we meet?  Should we require them to meet us where we are? Or do we find ways to meet them where they are?  What do you think?

     I hope that as the Possibilities Team explores the questions of church identity and community identity you too will be thinking of these matters. If you have some input let them know. They are: Scott Collier, Connie Lloyd, Pete Wills, Lisa Shuler, Rusty Fisher, Karen Leake, Sherri Brown, and me, Greg Compton.

      I am excited about the possibilities for our future, but I’m also excited about the present as well. I am pleased to be your pastor and want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your cards and tasty gifts during the Christmas season. Our family “deserted” well during Christmas. You are generous. 

     I hope that this year brings you deeper into your knowledge of Christ, closer in your relationship with him, and more committed to discovering how he has shaped you to serve him.  And I hope that you will find opportunities for all of this at MBC.

Blessings,

Greg Compton

 

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