It was a Hard Fight...But We Won!
by Steve Scudder, Director of Missions

The fight had begun four weeks earlier. There were a lot of skirmishes beforehand, brief encounters that can dishearten and denigrate. There was so much uncertainty. When the time came, would the troops show up? Will we be united? Will we hear the call?

The dawn arrived and it was time to gather. Eighty-nine people from 22 SRBA churches drew together at Great Swamp Baptist Church, ready to discover if all their preparation would pay off. They had prayed for 28 days.  They read the Scripture and statistics.  They had been shocked, challenged and thrilled at what God had called them to do. Each had his or her own ideas, but one question remained: Will God show up and reveal His ideas to us.

God did.

 The 2010 Spring Session began on Saturday morning, April 17, with a welcome, Scripture reading and prayer. After electing a slate of officers and leaders for 2010-11, the messengers got to work. They were divided into six groups and for the next hour heard presentations on association vision, demographics of Beaufort and Jasper Counties, and an update on the association and its member churches. Then it was time for messengers to share what they had heard from God over the last 28 days.

First they were asked to express what stood out in the presentations and what they thought it meant. Here are some of the comments made:

·         High number of functionally illiterate and of single parents in both counties

·         We live on a mission field—there are a lot of lost people

·         We need to work together with other churches

·         We need to change the culture in our churches

·         Worship, not Sunday school, has become the door to the church

·         We need t come together as an association—all genders, all ages

·         We need to change our scorecards

·         We need more disciples living as Jesus Followers

After sharing their understanding of the information, the groups were asked to work on one of three scenarios:

1.   The association has been given a big donation so that funds are no longer an issue. This scenario allowed two groups to consider what they would do to address the reality revealed in the presentations. Their comments focused on helping people increase their literacy skills, helping single parents, building focused cooperation within the association and equipping disciples in the churches to go out to those in need of help and hope.

2.   The association strategy developed through our efforts allowed SRBA to double its impact. This scenario guided two groups in considering what goals the association should have and the key factors in achieving those goals. Both groups focused on SRBA churches working together, empowering/equipping their members to go into our local mission fields, and a decrease in the needs in our communities. The key factors in success included more prayer, increased giving to the association, more Christians serving in our communities, stronger congregations, no competition, and increased disciple-making.

3.   Our new association strategy focused on developing partnerships between congregations and with other organizations to carry out the vision of the association. This scenario helped two groups discuss how SRBA churches would work together. Both groups developed a list of potential community partners and focused on characteristics of partnership: unity, a same-team mentality, and a servant spirit. The results of partnering included fun, cooperation, good will, efficiency/effectiveness in reaching lost people, economic advantage, and sharing of ideas.

By the time the day was over, the energy level was high and people felt that they really added to the planning process. Some commented that it was the best association session they had ever attended and others said they knew God had shown up.

What was the battle faced that day? Many things could have stood in our way and been used to divide and distract us. Through our commitment to prayer and to God’s call, we stayed focused on Jesus and worked on the task.

God did show up and revealed His plan to us. Now, will we step forward and follow what God revealed or continue to stay plateaued and complacent to the growing needs around us?

Richard Spearman, chair of the SRBA Futuring Team, will write an article in the June newsletter with preliminary thoughts from the Futuring Team and explaining the process from this point.

Keep praying, keep serving, and keep following Jesus!