From the Pastor

Summer is a good time for taking stock of your life and what God is doing in you and around you. I remember many a trip to the beach spent in deep reflection and in search of an understanding of God’s purpose for my life. Lelia and I would be sitting on the beach, watching the sun set, listening to the waves, taking in all of the beauty that was around us, and the conversation would naturally lead to us trying to discern what God was doing with us, and what God might want to do with us next.

Those are the questions I am asking about our community of faith this summer. I am thinking about and praying about the things that God is doing in us and through us, and I am wondering what God might want to do with us next. The things that God is doing in our church might be easy to point out for some of us. God is continuing to foster an open and welcoming community for those who need to know the love of Christ and experience the presence of the Holy Spirit among fellow travelers through the journey of life. God is also continuing to provide us the opportunity to partner in mission work and funding in our city and around the world. God is continuing to bring hundreds of children on our campus each day, which offers a unique ministry opportunity to provide a loving and caring environment for children and their families as they grow.

The more difficult questions to answer may center on what God is doing in the community around us, and what God might want to do with us next as we live into God’s mission for the world. I am pondering and praying about these this summer. I invite you to ponder and pray about them as well. While we may be conditioned to think of God moving solely through the work of the church, God has always been on the move outside our church walls, inviting the church to join in the work of God’s kingdom. Open your eyes and ears this summer. Where do you experience the Holy Spirit at work in your neighborhood, in your place of work, in our city, in your travels? Reflect on that question, and then ask what God might want to do with us next as we experience the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world.

The answers to these questions will reveal the intersection of God’s purpose and our action. They will reveal the places where we must focus the major initiatives, programs, and ministry efforts we should work toward in the coming church year. This type of reflection is holy work, and I invite you to join me in it. Let’s reflect together this summer on what God might me leading us to do. But as you reflect, remember this: God’s desire is always for the entire world, not simply Augusta Road Baptist Church. If we start by asking what God is doing in the world, what we should be doing as a church will come into sharp focus.

I look forward to hearing your reflections through the summer. Email me, call me, let’s meet for coffee. It is exciting to reflect on where we have been and where we are. It is even more exciting to dream about the future.

Peace,
Rev. W. Mattison King