Jesus Prepared Us for 2017 - Russell Johnson

Jesus Prepared Us for 2017

 By Russell Johnson

Welcome to 2017.  This year will be a new one for each and every one of us.  We will see and experience things that we may have never seen or heard of before.  Some things will be encouraging and others will bring disappointment and possibly even worse.

As I begin this New Year, I find myself in John 16 and I’m impressed by how carefully and thoughtfully Jesus prepared His disciples for what was ahead in their lives.  He begins the chapter with this statement: “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.”

What was ahead for these disciples would be so difficult for them to accept that there was a possibility that they would abandon their faith.  The difficulty of understanding and enduring what was in their future had the potential for overpowering even three years at Jesus’ feet hearing and seeing the most amazing things any of us could imagine.

As I meditated on this I ask myself:  Am I prepared for what lies ahead – personally, spiritually, culturally?  Have I prepared my congregation for whatever lies ahead?  Will I/they be able to walk through what 2017 has to offer and come through it with a stronger faith or will it be too much for them and might they abandon their faith?

I’m sure we would all like to think that we/they are prepared, but remember, even Jesus made it a point to give His followers a little extra preparation at this point in their life.

Gentlemen, Jesus has given us everything we need to face the uncertain future with the certainty of His presence.  Let’s make it a priority to gather with one another, encourage one another, look out for one another and help each other be better servants of the Lord in 2017.  We need it!  Our respective families need it!  Our congregations need it!

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”   - (John 16:33 NLT)

Church Planter Report - Grace Life

Church Planter Report

Matt - McNaughton - Grace Life

It's hard to believe we are at the forefront of another year. It's even harder for me to believe that in a few short weeks, Grace Life Church will turn two. To see what has transpired since Julie and I embarked on this journey is quite humbling and further evidence that we serve a mighty God who has a mission to save the world.

Since our last update, we've had a few things worth sharing. 

• We had over 600 people attend our Movie in the Park on December 17th. As people were arriving to the park, our church volunteers passed out information had several meaningful conversations about life, our church, and Jesus.
• We had our first KidLife Christmas play! We had over 20 of our kids in this production and personally, it was awesome to sit back and watch Colton and Merritt sing (or try to sing) a few Christmas songs.
• On a personal note, I was able to take two weeks off around Christmas time. Church planting is emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausting for me and my family. To enjoy those two weeks at home with them and with God was rejuvenating.

As we head into the New Year, we're also celebrating the growth we saw in 2016

• We doubled our LifeGroups and I officially only lead one, meaning we have 3 other couples faithfully leading their groups.
• Between October 1st and December 4th, our church brought 50 of their friends. This number only includes first time guests who were brought by someone who is a part of Grace Life.
• 57% of our church attends a LifeGroup.
• Are average attendance increased by 53%.
• We had 5 baptisms 
• We have increased giving from internal resources. As we grew older, we knew we would approach deadlines on promised monthly support. However, as that has occurred, we have seen new families begin giving. 
• We were given a truck for the sole purpose of towing our trailer.
• We have 43 adults and teenagers who regularly serve on the weekend.
• We started a Student Ministry and saw over 20 kids attend over 6 sessions.

I fully believe our church, by the power of God, will continue to make a lasting impact in our community. Please pray with us as we follow God and live on mission for him. Below, you'll see a few pictures that tell just part of the story of what's happening in Lake Asbury.

Thank you again for all your prayers and generous support. I look forward to telling you more about what God is doing in Lake Asbury.

You can keep up-to-date with our church by liking us on Facebook at fb.com/thegracelifechurch. I look forward to updating you in April!

By His Grace,
Matt MacNaughton
matt@thegracelifechurch.org

       

FBBF Meetings for 2017

Goal: 125 mile radius from I-4 & Turnpike

January 9 -                     Park Street Baptist Church

                                           St. Pete

                                           Dan Jeffers

February 13 -               Grace Point Church

                                           Apopka

                                           Jason Henderson

March 13 -                     Temple Baptist Church

                                           Titusville

                                           Tom Porter

April 10 -                      Cornerstone Baptist Church

                                           Davenport

                                           Joel Johns                  

May (NO MEETING)

June 12 –                         Palmetto Ave. Baptist Church

                                           Sanford

                                           Ron Williams

July (NO MEETING)

August 14 –                   Life Church Horizon West

                                           Windemere

                                           Brandt Leicht

September (NO MEETING)

October 9 -                    First Baptist Church

                                           Port Richey

                                           Ellis Bond

November 13 -             Liberty Baptist Church

Orlando

                                           Vern Murray

December (NO MEETING)

Greetings fellow servants,

Trust your summer is going well and that you are experiencing the Lord’s blessings in your ministry.  We are looking forward to hosting the state meeting on Aug. 8th and want to invite you to make your way to Jacksonville on that day.  We have three men lined up to challenge us from God’s word and there will be an excellent meal provided at the noon hour.  Please note the following schedule for the day:

10 AM – Officer’s meeting

11 AM – Roger Gannam (Liberty Counsel)

Noon – Lunch

1 PM – Jason Henderson (Grace Pointe Church)

2 PM – Chad Braymer (Missionary to Costa Rica)

Look forward to seeing you Aug. 8th, feel free to call (904) 545-9880 if you have any questions or need any additional information.

- Pastor Richard Edwards

Church Website

Driving Directions

September National Meeting - Cape Cod

Dear Pastor (& State Chairman),

I wanted to personally write and connect with you about our upcoming BBFI Cape Cod meeting in September (19th-21st). We are excited to be hosting the BBFI on Cape Cod for the first time and sharing a bit of what God has done. I thought it might be helpful to write to each of our state chairman first of all to invite you but also to offer to answer any questions or help with logistics.
The conference website - BBFI - Cape Cod is a great source of information.

- Speakers

- Accomodations

- Breakouts

- Travel information

- Things to do: Cape Cod & Boston
If you have any questions, thoughts, or suggestions - please let me know. We genuinely want to serve the pastors, leaders, and churches of our fellowship.

Would you help me spread the word by sharing the Cape Cod BBFI website link and inviting your state to join us on Cape Cod.

I look forward to seeing you on Cape Cod!

In His Service,

Ben Feldott

June - Regional Lunch Meet-ups!

Due to some scheduling issues we are going to do something real cool for the month of June.  We will be hosting several “Regional Lunch Meet-Ups!”  Most of these meet-ups will be within a short drive and include lunch, fellowship and prayer.  Check the list below for a Regional Lunch Meet-up near you!  Please contact the host pastor to let him know that you intend to come.

North

Hosted By: Pastor Richard Edwards

Date: June 13^th

Location: Sonny’s BBQ – 4434 Blanding Blvd. Jax

Time: 12:00 p.m.

Contact: Pastor Richard Edwards – 904-545-9880; pastor@firstcoastbaptist.com

West Central

Hosted By: Pastor Dan Jeffers

Date: June 13^th

Location: Cheddars – 4101 Park Blvd.  Pinellas Park FL

Time: 12:00 p.m.

Contact: Pastor Dan Jeffers – 727-345-1800;     pastor@parkstreetbaptist.com

Central/East Central

Hosted By: Pastor Vern Murray

Date: June 13^th

Location: Cheddars – 6650 S. Semoran Blvd. Orlando FL 32822

Time: 12:00 p.m.

Contact: Pastor Vern Murray- 407-373-9586; info@lbcorlando.com  

Southwest

Hosted By: Pastor Larry Franck

Date: June 13^th

Location:  Casey Key Fish house - ​801 Blackburn Point Rd, Osprey, FL 34229​http://www.caseykeyfishhouse.com/

Time: 11:30 a.m.

Contact: Pastor Larry Franck - 941-488-1551 - cbcvenice@gmail.com

South

Hosted By: Pastor Russell Johnson

Date/Location/Time TBD

Contact: Pastor Russell Johnson – 305-620-5111; Russell@ibbmiami.org

Next Meeting:  Nov. 9th, 2015 - Harbor Baptist, Ormond Beach Speakers will include: Evangelist Tracy Dartt  (Author of " God On The Mountain") Evangelist Rudy Holland  (PRH Ministries) Associate Pastor Mike Petrick  (Harbor Baptist) Theme "Lessons Learned Through Adversity"  Special Music by the Dartts!   The meeting begins promptly at 11 a.m. Please come and be a blessing, and expect a Blessing!  Enjoy a fabulous Lunch about Noon! Wrapping things up about 2:30! Harbor Baptist Church 428 Tomoka Ave. Ormond Beach, Florida  32174 Phone: 386-677-3116 New Editor of the Tribune  by Dan Jeffers If you not take the Baptist Bible Tribune let me encourage you go to the National BBF website and check it out.  It is not only a printed magazine but it is also  on the web.  Our Editor just retired and new one is coming on the scene.  His name is Randy Harp.  His hope is to make the Tribune more than just a periodical.  His goal is to not only keep us connected as a Fellowship but to also "establish a team of leaders to assist churches and pastors in three specific areas - consulting, conferences and coaching."  To read more about his vision go to BBFI.org.   God Is Blessing... What if He Blesses Even More? Beyond the idea of Fellowship as a verb... our fellowship exists to promote Church planting throughout the state of Florida.  At present, we are supporting two church planters that have been working with us for the past two or three years and basically all of the support we receive from Churches is funneled to these two works. In 2015 we have been blessed with seeing two NEW Church plants - one in Lake Asbury and the latest in Winter Garden.  Both of these works desire our help and support, but we are simply not able to do so on a monthly basis. What if God blessed us with even more Church planters?  Last month we heard about one family who plan to begin in 2016 and God may have even more headed our way. And beyond these blessings, then we have the growing need for even more churches! I believe it is time for all who support the church planting efforts of the Florida Baptist Bible Fellowship to come together for a special 2- day time of prayer, discussion and vision casting for the future. At our business meeting on November 9th in Ormond Beach, I would like us to come prepared to discuss options for such a meeting in January of 2016.  Please come with ideas for hotels, retreat centers or other options where we could meet for a special time to project ahead to increased Church Planting efforts in our state. Russell Johnson As many of you have heard, Pastor Mark Hodges had a fall from a ladder on Monday night.  He had several injuries but has made significant progress in the last 48 hours.  Below is the latest update from the church's Facebook page. Update on Pastor Hodges... Thank you for your prayers. Pastor is feeling better today. He is not in as much pain now that they started letting him sit up this morning. The doctors say they are not going to use a brace for his back. They feel that the two discs will heal on their own as Pastor is careful about what he does. His wrist broke in two places and the doctors say there is no way to operate on those places as the bones are two small and crushed. They will put a cast on his arm and let it heal on its own. Tonight they are going to continue monitoring his blood pressure and the slight tear in his abdominal aorta before hopefully sending him home tomorrow morning. Please keep praying for Pastor's healing and recovery.