At this point you have given over $21,000 as an offering of thanks to God.  Those gifts are in addition to your regular tithes and offerings and in addition to your nextSTEP now gifts to the building campaign.  I am so proud of you.

I want you to know how your gifts will be used to share the Good News of Jesus around the world.  Each year the majority of our World Missions Offering is sent to our two largest mission partners – the International Mission Board (IMB), and the North American Mission Board (NAMB).  The IMB gives full support to 5000 missionaries in virtually every country of the world, including the most dangerous ones. NAMB subsidizes the salaries of another 5000 missionaries here in the US in places like Seattle, WA where less than 5% of the population claims to be Christian.  We actually give a small percentage of every dollar we receive throughout the year to NAMB and the IMB, but this offering gives them an extra boost.

The remainder of our World Missions Offering each year usually goes to one of our partners with whom we have a direct and more personal relationship.  This year’s highlighted partner is the Texas Port Ministry, located right here in our community.  We’ll give 25% of the offering – at least $5250 at this point – to Bobby Fuller’s team of volunteers to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with seafarers from around the world, truck drivers from all over North America, and local port workers who live next door to you and me.

Brazos Pointe, you have been generous.  You have expressed your gratitude well.

Live Bold,

Greg

Still want to give but haven’t been able to yet?

Just pick up a World Missions Offering envelope this Sunday at the Welcome Center or Next Step Counter and drop your gift in the offering basket.

For starters, while I care deeply about the success of all our local schools public and private, I don’t have a dog in this hunt, at least not yet. I, like many of you, have been reading and asking questions about it; and at some point will form an opinion.

I am troubled though, when I read “put-down speech” in the newspaper or social media from either side, or when I hear that a public meeting devolves into a shouting match. I could perhaps understand it coming from people who are irreligious or don’t know Jesus, but when a Christ follower does this, it breaks my heart. We can do better.

Romans 12:14 reminds us to bless and not curse. James 3:9 says “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.” Some of those people we curse may be sitting next to us in worship. We can do better.

Respect is given, not earned. Who would ever tell their kindergartner on the first day of school to wait till your teacher earns your respect before you offer it? The same respect we wish our children to give their teachers should likewise be modeled in all our conversations as well. We can do better.

If you sincerely care about this issue or any other, let me challenge you to take the high road. Do you want to persuade people or alienate them? Most folks are won over by a positive position, not an angry one. In the end a loud voice can never compete with a clear voice. It’s okay to strongly disagree with fellow citizens, even fellow church members, but it’s never good to personally attack them. We can do better.

Live Bold,

Greg 

International Justice Mission (IJM) is a world class organization committed to ending slavery and human trafficking in our lifetime. BPF has partnered with IJM on previous initiatives. This month we are joining them and countless other churches in a non-partisan, nationwide campaign to bring 150,000 signatures before President Obama encouraging him to follow through with his promise to make ending modern slavery a high priority in his second term of office. I’d like to challenge you to join the fight and make your voice heard.

Please stop by the Next Step Center in the foyer this Sunday and pick up an Advocacy Card. If after you read it you agree with the requests, simply sign and return it to us. We will send them to IJM’s Washington DC Office the end of this month.

Live Bold,

Greg

Next Week – World Missions Offering

Remember, we will collect our World Missions Offering next Sunday, April 28^th, as a way of expressing our gratitude to God for what He’s done in our lives through Brazos Pointe Fellowship. All of it goes to mission work outside of our church. 75% will be sent to the International (IMB) and North American (NAMB) Mission Boards. The remaining 25% goes to the Texas Port Ministry, based in Freeport.

What better way to express thankfulness for our blessings than to support others who also strive to reach the unchurched around the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

This Sunday Brazos Pointe Fellowship will be 12 years old and it’s good to remember we had help getting here. Our parent church, First Baptist Lake Jackson and then pastor John Hatch, unselfishly sent us out with their blessings to give this “church for the unchurched” approach a try. And we’ve endeavored to pay that gift forward by helping start 10 churches in the years since.

But you can never say thanks enough. That’s why, beginning with our first birthday back in 2002, we decided to collect a World Missions Offering each year as a way of expressing our gratitude to God for all He’s allowed us to experience through our Fellowship. For a few years we moved the offering to the Thanksgiving season, but we recently decided to shift it back to our church’s birthday.

Here’s how it works. A portion of it is usually designated to a cause or ministry with which we are directly involved; and the rest goes to world and national missions through our partners at the International (IMB) and North American (NAMB) Mission Boards.

100% of our World Mission Offering will go outside of our church. 75% of your gifts of gratitude will go to World Missions through the two mission boards mentioned above. Most of that will be spent in overseas ministry. This year we will give the remaining 25% of our gifts to the Texas Port Ministry, which is based in Freeport, TX. Texas Port Ministry exists to provide spiritual, social and physical care to the Freeport Harbor Community. That includes seafarers, truck drivers, and local folks who work in and around the Port. TPM is the most comprehensive ministry I know of, sharing the Good News of Jesus locally, nationally and internationally.

We will collect this World Missions Offering on Sunday, April 28^th. I hope you will begin now praying about your part in it. What better way to express thankfulness for the generosity that gave us birth than to support others around the world who also strive to reach the unchurched with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Live Bold, Give Bold,

Greg

April is a big month of Anniversaries for BPF!

Happy 1^st Birthday to our Galveston campus, Coastal Community Church

Happy 1^st Anniversary to Chris Watson, our Student Minister

Happy 1^st Anniversary to Michelle Harrison, our Ministry and Missions Associate.

Happy 10^th Anniversary to Kirk Willson, our Executive Pastor

Thank you Brazos Pointe for the team effort you gave to make Sunday a welcoming place for the scores (probably hundreds) of unchurched who attended. From the survey we took, we know that at least 24 people stepped over the line of faith and another 16 indicated they were considering it. Here’s the survey count:

788 marked A – Already a follower of Jesus Christ
24 marked B – Began the Journey Today
16 marked C – Considering following Jesus
2 marked D – Don’t plan to become a Christ Follower
(I always appreciate the honesty of those who mark “D.”)

I got a Facebook message from a mom who said her adult child had claimed not to believe in the existence of God, but Sunday wrote “C” on her Welcome Card. That person, along with many others, obviously took their next step with God.

In all we had 1532 folks in our three worship services plus 384 children. It’s the most children we’ve ever had. News was even better at Coastal Community Church, our one year old Galveston campus. After starting the day at sunrise baptizing nine folks at the beach, they had 424 in four worship services, plus 61 children. So for the first time, our combined fellowships had over 2000 (2401 in all) on Easter Sunday!

You made it happen

• when you invited your friends – way to pass out those invite cards!
• when you parked in back and sat up front
• when you volunteered to help with the Children’s Team
• when you SHIFTED down to the 8:30 service (417 of you!)
• when you made a great First Impression on the Hospitality Team
• when you SHIFTED across the room from the entrances
• when you promoted Easter at Brazos Pointe on Facebook
• when you sang your hearts out in worship
• when you made BPF a safe and accepting place so people like Erika – whose story you heard Sunday – could come, discover Jesus, heal and grow in her faith

The really cool news is that thousands of churches around the world experienced the same power of God Sunday as we all celebrated the Good News of Jesus’ sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection!

Let’s keep the momentum going as we begin Love Song this Sunday – a six week message series about love, dating, marriage, conflict and lifelong commitment. It’s based on a poetic book in the Bible’s Old Testament, called Song of Songs. Love Song is for everyone who’s ever been married or hopes to be married.

I’ll see you Sunday.

Live Bold, Greg

More on the Survey:

As we continue to follow up on all the Welcome Cards from Sunday I had to share a few things that made it fun to read them.

• Some decided to grade themselves; we saw several A pluses, A minuses and a few B pluses.
• Under the question “What is the best way for BPF to contact you?” one man wrote: My wife!
• Still others checked email or call me – but left no email address or phone number

Thanks for keeping us smiling!

Just like those who expected Jesus to lead their country into a golden era of power and freedom, watching their dream die one Friday night was not what they expected. I think most of us have experienced the loss of a dream. Everything seemed to be going well, and then…shock, disappointment, grief. It’s not what we expected.

But that doesn’t have to be the end of the story. As one chapter closes in our lives Jesus can open a new one. For the disciples looking back on the events we now call Holy Week, Jesus’ death was not what they expected. But…it ushered much, much more into their lives than they’d ever hoped for.

Bring your friends and family to Easter at Brazos Pointe. Together we’ll see how Jesus’ resurrection brings more life to us than we could ever hope for.

See you Sunday – Live Bold,

Greg

The Shift is On!

• Everybody park in back and sit up front
• If you attend the 9:45 service consider shifting down to 8:30
• If you attend at 8:30 or 11:11, shift over to the right side, and into the center of the section

That’s what every follower of Jesus experienced when he was suddenly whisked away, falsely accused and then executed just days after it seemed everything they had hoped for was coming together. When all your dreams and expectations come crashing down around you on Friday, what do you do on Saturday?

You’ll be encouraged not only by what happened 2000 years ago with Jesus and his followers, but also by what God is still doing in the lives of those who love him today. You will also want to invite your unchurched family and friends to be here for the hope and inspiration Easter at BPF can bring. 

If you attend the 9:45 service I’d like you to strongly consider shifting down to 8:30 where we have plenty of room for the overflow crowds Easter brings. If you come at 11:11, please either stay put there or shift to 8:30. We could also use your help in our children’s area making the Easter experience for them fantastic as well.

Grab some Easter invite cards this weekend and start making plans for Easter 2013!

Live bold,

Greg 

This is our 5^th year to Go*Love*Serve* on a Sunday morning in Southern Brazoria County. It also marks a big expansion as our new campus in Galveston – Coastal Community Church – pours 200 plus people into their community. It’s a good time to remind ourselves why we do this.

• It’s a great opportunity to carry out one of the five purposes of the church – Ministry – as we follow Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
• Servolution opens our eyes to everyday needs we may not notice in our normal daily routine. Remember: Servolution is meant to spark a continual desire to serve others outside the walls of the church.
• Our volunteer service brings glory to Jesus Christ. It’s not about any one of us, and it’s certainly not about our fellowship. That’s why we’ve never put our church’s name on the T-shirts. When people ask you why we do this, talk about Jesus, not about BPF.
• Servolution opens opportunities for us to be Catalysts in our community. It’s a spiritual kind of “Show & Tell” where we show God’s love so we can tell folks about His Good News. Your opening to do this may arise as you serve Sunday morning. But the more likely opportunity for “telling” will come as you eat lunch in a restaurant Sunday with a dozen other Servolutionaries; or when folks at work or school ask what you did this weekend, or “what’s up with the shirt”. You don’t need to worry about what to say. Just look for the opening in conversation and step through the door – God will give you the words to say.

Let’s stoke the fires of Servolution this Sunday!

Live bold,

Greg

Amy Wheeler came to us five years ago fresh out of college (LSU – Geaux Tigers) to work part time in our Student Ministry. If a graph were drawn of the growth of our Student Small Groups, an uptick would be noticed shortly after her arrival. As our then Student Minister Aaron Sanders began to share his vision for students with her, she bought into that vision and applied her relational skills to the task. They became a team, and student ministry at the Pointe flourished. Amy has passionately promoted the vision we’ve been given of a church for the unchurched.

This time last year our church was preparing to wish Aaron well as he moved to Galveston to expand the vision we all share to the Island. Several from our church were called to go with him. Amy was torn. In some ways she felt the call too, but sensed her next step with God was here, in Southern Brazoria County. So she stayed. She helped with the search that led us to discover Chris Watson, the man who is now leading our Student Ministry forward. Still no release. Next, she helped orient Chris to our mission, vision, strategy and values as she continued to love our students; and really, all of our folks. She tirelessly worked through yet another busy summer.

Then early this fall she began to feel the call to a new challenge, a new ministry, a new location; but the same church, same vision, same mission, same strategy and values – BPF in Galveston, better known as Coastal Community Church. Starting in January she will be in charge of Adult Small Groups and working with college students there. In faith she will step away from a full time salary with benefits. As she looks once again to help a new ministry grow, she will return to a part time church salary and look for a second job on the side.

Bold Move Amy Wheeler! God bless you for serving alongside us so well and for following God’s next step when He called. You will be greatly missed here.

Live Bold Fellowship – God’s Ways are the best,

Greg

We knew we were on to something back in 2001 when we decided to move our first “Christmas Eve” service up a day so our many volunteers could spend the night before Christmas at home with their families. Christmas Eve-Eve was born. And with the potential of so many unchurched people attending, we also chose to move away from the more traditional carols and candlelight experience and present the good news of Jesus in a creative and compelling way.

The same values and vision still guide us as we make plans for this year’s Christmas Eve-Eve service two weeks from this Sunday. Our theme is SIGNS. As we celebrate the glory of God coming to earth to rescue us from our sin, we’ll give you and the friends you invite things to laugh about and thoughts to ponder as we look for SIGNS to guide our lives.

Grab some Invite Cards Sunday and give them to your friends & family!

Four Christmas Eve-Eve Service Times

3:00 4:15 5:45 7:00

And you can sleep in that Sunday …

There will be no morning services on the 23^rd

Live bold, Greg