The Next Level
God is calling the Bayview Church to "The Next
Level." Our Mission Statement
says in part that we "... exist for the glory of God by
giving visible evidence of our faith in Jesus Christ..."
Christ is at the core of our existence as a church and faith
is the central agent for bringing glory to God, "for without
faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6). Any
call from God requires faith to respond. Faith should be exhibited
on two levels: 1) the level of maturity and 2) the level of
performance Christians should not only have faith so that God
can do things for us, but we should have faith so we can do
things for God. God has placed in my spirit another chapter
of His vision for our existence as a church and it includes
more physical construction.
Throughout the history of our church we
have engaged in one construction phase after another. There has
hardly been a time in our historical tenure when we have not
been either planning for new construction or were actually involved
in new construction. It has become evident that new construction
is a part of our "calling" as
a church at least for this time period of our existence.
The
future generations of Bayview Church will have their own particular
purposes and challenges as a congregation. However, for now,
we must "serve this present age our calling to
fulfill" and we must make our calling and election sure".
This
Next Level should not only be understood from the viewpoint of
a necessity, but also as an opportunity. There are times when
new construction for a church should be done because it is a
necessity. However, new construction should also be done because
of the opportunity.
It is more obvious to see new construction as a necessity than
to see it as an opportunity. New construction as a necessity
usually meets immediate needs, but new construction because of
an opportunity meets future needs as well. One is reactive construction
and the other is proactive construction. I call upon this congregation
to both see and seize this opportunity for new construction as
a blessed opportunity.
The year 2000 will not only usher in a
new millennium, it will usher in an age far different than any
other time in the history of the human race. A congregation is
wise to make preparations to be ready to minister in that new
age. A new worship place that is equipped with the finest technology
for the communication of the presentation of the Gospel will
be a tremendous asset in the next millennium.
Also, we have the opportunity to provide economic improvement
in our community. The construction of the business complex on
the corner of 61st Street and Imperial Avenue will help to fulfill
that need. We will also meet many critical needs of the family
with the construction of a Child Care Center at 6030 Skyline
Drive.
This construction project will be tremendously gigantic!
It dwarfs our abilities and exhausts all our corporate resources,
but that is what makes it a faith venture! If we could accomplish
this project with own strength we would not need God's divine
assistance and neither would God get the glory once it was completed.
If we could do this construction ourselves, we would not experience
the joy of receiving God's intervening power.
Consequently, I
am calling upon each Disciple of Bayview for a positive response
to the Lord's Vision and unanimous participation to go on to
the Next Level. (Excerpted from Pastor Winters Vision Statement
for Bayview 2000 and Beyond) |
