A Word from Charles
In the month of February, I attended two youth events. The first weekend in February, KBC had the Youth Evangelism Summit at Bardstown. It was amazing to see over 700 students in a sanctuary, singing, praising God and listening to the Word. It was so uplifting. Then on February 24 & 25, we had the NKBA DNow weekend at Burlington Baptist Church. We had over 250 in attendance. Praise God!!! There were countless hours of planning and prep going into this even. I appreciate Josh Skipper, from the NKU Baptist Campus ministry organizing the event. I appreciate all those who worked that weekend. Many of our very own NKBA pastors and youth pastors led this event. It was awesome to see the student ministry represented. The KBC event was very great and to see so many students gathered in Northern Kentucky was the apex point for me. I have heard several reports after the weekend from our churches. At this point, I know one student prayed to received Christ the next day. Others have been asking spiritual questions. I praise God for these reports.
On March 6, at Burlington Baptist Church, there will be an event for Sunday School. The name of the event is Sunday School Still Matters. A church can register for this on kybaptist.org. The time of the event is 6 pm to 9 pm.
In regard to March, I want to announce our next Pastor’s fellowship. It will be Thursday March 23 at 10 am and 6 pm. We will serve a meal at both times. Come on own out and have a time of fellowship together. Contact Lori (lorne@nkbaptist.org) at the office to register.
As we make our plans in March, let us remember that Easter is coming. Easter will be April 9th. During the month of March, we will focus our preaching on the cross. Also, we need to remember to challenge ourselves to reaching out and inviting people. We are to challenge our members as well. We know for a fact that Christmas and Easter are our highest attended Sunday. Having that fact upon our mind, we should see it as a great opportunity to invite people to church. A few years ago, we focused on “Who's your One”. Where is our one? Here is an opportunity to renew our commitment again for those who those don’t know Christ. We may feel we have invited them so many times before but this maybe the time they respond. We are seeing spiritual movements in our colleges and universities. How wonderful it would be to see a great movement of God on Easter Sunday.
When we invite someone to church, give them more than an open invitation. Offer to meet them at the church entrance or parking lot. Definitely, be looking for them as they arrive. For a guest, arriving at a new church can be intimidating to them. Sometimes we do not think about these things. Also in some cases, you may offer transportation.
Secondly, explain a little about your church. Explain the programs and ministries of the church. These are entry points into the church. The person that you are inviting may be at a time or place in his/her life that be of interest. Don’t assume that they know everything because it is a lot of information to process.
From the beginning to the end, let prayer be a priority. Praying for those who are not attending is very important. Before you ask someone to church, ask the Holy Spirit for leadership and guidance. Ask God to lay people upon your heart to invite to church. Let us be open to the leading of God as go through our daily tasks. Someone that we are not even considering, we could meet and God gives us an opportunity to invite.
Lastly, when those attend that we ask, be sure to follow up with them. Many times, we do not follow up. We are missing a great opportunity. Let them know that we are glad to have them visit with us, and we are here to answer any additional questions. Having them attend is great and wonderful, but we want them to know our Lord and Savior personally. We desire for them to grow in Christ. Once again, pray for them before you follow up.
Blessings,
Bro. Charles
