FROM MY POINT OF VIEW...
On Sunday, August 11, 2019, Houston River Baptist Church will celebrate our 64th year as a church. I love the opening line in our history compiled by Mrs. G.S. “Aunt Nete” Miller. It reads, “On the afternoon of the last Sunday in October, 1949, eight members of the First Baptist Church of Sulphur went to the home of Mr. & Mrs. A.H. Koonce for the purpose of beginning religious services in the Houston River Community under the sponsorship of First Baptist Church.” Later, on August 14, 1955 this mission endeavor constituted as Houston River Baptist Church.
So where do we stand 64 years later? It's simple, really. We understand that the purpose of a church extends beyond just having “religious services.” In fact, Jesus commissioned every church and every believer with the same command. Right before his ascension to the Father, he stated, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV)
I recently heard one pastor remark that the only activity Jesus authorized His church to do was to make disciples.
So to apply this Great Commission to our local situation we have developed a vision for the future and a mission for today.
OUR VISION is to make every generation into disciples of Jesus. That is why I believe it is important for Houston River to be a multi-generational church. While some churches pursue certain age groups or social demographics, we believe that “whosoever will” should come. If we are going to make every generation into disciples of Jesus, then it matters not your age, education level, economic status, or race. Jesus commissions us to make disciples of every generation to reach the world. May it be so at Houston River.
Secondly, we see OUR MISSION as a family of faith, impacting our world through Jesus. This means we will always consider ourselves the Houston River Baptist Church FAMILY. We believe our world includes not only our physical corner, but our neighborhood, our city, our parish, our state, our country and all other nations. Whether it is by direct ministry touches or supporting others dedicated to sharing the gospel, we will do our part to impact our world with the gospel. It also means we will act by faith at times, not knowing what an outcome may be, but still following the leading of the Lord.
How do we implement our vision and mission? We summarize our strategy with three words: WORSHIP, CONNECT and ENGAGE.
More on our strategy next week.
Until then, make disciples!
Pastor Lonnie