Notes from our Pastor

Notes from our Pastor, Jim Riddell

 

You often see our mission and vision statements written somewhere in the newsletter and in our bulletin.  The church adopted these statements several years ago to guide our planning and to guide the ministries that we implement. 

They are statements that are so common that we often overlook them.  Perhaps it would be a good idea to periodically look at the statements and ask ourselves, are we living up to the statement?
The vision statement is what we want to be.  The mission statement is how we want to get there.  So, look over the statements as they are written here:

MBC VISION: To love one another in times of joy, grief and temptation; sharing everywhere the Christian faith, expressed in Holy Scripture, and making this faith evident in our individual lives through the discipline of the Holy Spirit.

MBC MISSION: To equip every member of our church to lovingly and effectively reach our community and world for Christ.

So what do you think?  Are we closer to the vision than we were a year ago?  Are we sticking to the mission?  Or have we steered off track in some way? 
As we begin our new church year I want to challenge each Sunday School teacher to remember that they are about the task of equipping every church member to reach our community.
The newly elected committees have started their work.   I want to challenge each committee to look at their ministry and ask, “where does our ministry fit in the vision or in the mission statement?” Then I want to challenge you to ask, “What can we focus on this year to strengthen our ministry?”
The Stewardship committee will begin work soon on the budget for 2012.  I want to challenge the committee to look at that budget as a vehicle that will help us implement our mission and get us closer to our vision.
We a huge task and we want to make sure that we stay focused and not allow distractions to take us off of the mission we have been given!

Sermon Plans for October:
October 2—MBC Homecoming!  Mechanicsville, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow!
October 9—Jim will be away, Larry Carnes, from the IMB will be preaching
October 16—The Truth About Earthly Treasures, Matthew 6: 19-24  (Communion Sunday)
October 23—Managing what God has Placed in our Hands, Various Scriptures
October 30—Discover the Joy of Giving, II Corinthians 9: 6-15
Now the challenge is making sure that the ministries we plan and implement actually fit within our mission and lead us to the vision.

I will see you on Sunday!       
   Jim