From the Pastor’s Pen – April 2008

In the last verse of I Corinthians 14 Paul makes this statement: “Let all things be done decently & in order.” vs.40 Which may refer not only to what is said in chapter 14 but in the entire letter. Paul spoke to many issues: idols, the law, discipline, marriage, Lord’s Supper, spiritual gifts… All these things should be done & this may be considered as a general rule for the decent and orderly management of all things relating to the worship of God and discipline of his house. As John Gills states: “That in all things a good decorum, and strict order, be observed, that nothing be done contrary to the rules of decency, and the laws and commandments of Christ.” It must be our desire too for everything to be done this way at Grace Baptist Church. After a while it is easy to become very lax in our church duties & fail to obey this rule. There are some areas that I want to address & encourage each member to do their very best in ministry. When we were established as a church one of our desires was to make sure that every member was actively involved in the life of Grace Baptist. We did not want anyone to merely be a “pew sitter”. Each month members are given responsibilities: clean-up, parking lot, nursery, ushers, etc. & there is the teaching ministry as well as many other ministries. All of these must be done orderly & to the best of our ability. In each of these areas we can improve, here are some ways: 1) If you are unable to be present, please call another member to take your place; it is best if you call the person scheduled before or after you. 2) Know what you are to do, there is a list for clean-up & nursery duty, please follow this list. If you have any questions, please see one of our deacons. 3) Parents, please do not allow the young children to go outside after the meal until the person on duty goes out, that person will stay on duty for one hour, after that the parents are responsible. 4) Ladies, please sign the meal list each Sunday before you leave. It has been suggested that you alternate what you bring each week. 5) Those that have receipts for reimbursement must place them in the folder by the copier before Sunday School, if you want to be reimbursed that day, otherwise you will receive it the next week. 6) Check request need to be done in the same manner. 7) Please be on time for prayer, Sunday School & Worship, these should be of utmost importance to all of us. We seek to be on time for work & other activities, so why would we not seek to give God our best. This brings me to my final exhortation, we are combining our prayer time with our Scripture memorization & Reading of the Psalms, this will begin at 9:30. I cannot stress how important it is to prepare for worship & I believe this is one of the best ways to do this. We will begin with memorization, followed by the reading of the Psalms & then we will pray. There will be no prayer request; it will be a time of pleading with God to meet with us, a time of self examination & preparation for Worship, led by our men. “Let all things be done decently & in order.” I Cor. 14:40

Pastor Thomas Winn