How it all started...
In 2007 as I was finishing up Bible school, a group of believers gathered with me at a dining room table for a discipleship lesson. I said to the men at the table, "I'm thinking we should start a church after I'm ordained." After agreeing to the notion, we had four families ready to start out on what would be a very difficult, but most blessed journey. A total of 13 (don't get superstitious!) of us started Bible Believers Baptist Church in a rented room and had our first service on the first Sunday of June, 2008.
This little group of Bible hungry misfits banded together with a vision of sharing the Gospel and studying the Bible as in-depth as we possibly knew how. The Lord began to add a family here and a family there until it no longer made sense to rent a room. Still too small for a church building, but too large for a rented room, the Church decided to buy a home. We packed the living room with 20-30 of God's faithful while my family and I lived upstairs. Before long, the numbers reached 40-50 and the house was no longer suitable.
By the grace of God, Joe Metty (now the Associate Pastor) came to a Bible study. After a conversation, and finding ourselves kindred spirits, I plainly asked him, "Do you think your pastor would let us rent your building?" Graciously, they agreed. It was a small church, but we were quickly filling the seats. We did what we could as good stewards of God's finances and saved up enough money to place a down payment on a church building of our own a year later.
It's funny. It seems that when most churches tell their story, it includes where they began and how they've grown. Truly, size and location mean next to nothing. We are a body of believers who love the Lord. It's that simple. We have dedicated ourselves to preach His Gospel until He calls us home. Until then, we will seek to grow our faith through expository Bible studies, fellowship with believers, the singing of the old hymns, and a strong emphasis on family and homeschooling.
Who, but the Lord, knows what the future may hold? Grow in numbers? Shrink in numbers? Move again? Stay where we're at? What will count is what we've done with whatever numbers we've been blessed with, and in whatever location we occupy. We're thankful for every step of our journey with Jesus.
This little group of Bible hungry misfits banded together with a vision of sharing the Gospel and studying the Bible as in-depth as we possibly knew how. The Lord began to add a family here and a family there until it no longer made sense to rent a room. Still too small for a church building, but too large for a rented room, the Church decided to buy a home. We packed the living room with 20-30 of God's faithful while my family and I lived upstairs. Before long, the numbers reached 40-50 and the house was no longer suitable.
By the grace of God, Joe Metty (now the Associate Pastor) came to a Bible study. After a conversation, and finding ourselves kindred spirits, I plainly asked him, "Do you think your pastor would let us rent your building?" Graciously, they agreed. It was a small church, but we were quickly filling the seats. We did what we could as good stewards of God's finances and saved up enough money to place a down payment on a church building of our own a year later.
It's funny. It seems that when most churches tell their story, it includes where they began and how they've grown. Truly, size and location mean next to nothing. We are a body of believers who love the Lord. It's that simple. We have dedicated ourselves to preach His Gospel until He calls us home. Until then, we will seek to grow our faith through expository Bible studies, fellowship with believers, the singing of the old hymns, and a strong emphasis on family and homeschooling.
Who, but the Lord, knows what the future may hold? Grow in numbers? Shrink in numbers? Move again? Stay where we're at? What will count is what we've done with whatever numbers we've been blessed with, and in whatever location we occupy. We're thankful for every step of our journey with Jesus.
