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)
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