A Godly Vision For Greater Bethel by marbenbland

A GODLY VISION DOCUMENT For Greater Bethel Marben Bland

A Godly Vision Document Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18 – King James Version In preparation for our discussions regarding upgrades to the sanctuary, I was asked to share my vision as pastor for the work we are doing together for the Lord. This document aims to share the vision the Lord has given to me. It will highlight the things we have done together and upgrades to come. The Great Commission: The Bedrock Of Our Faith Matthew 28:16-20 New International Version The Great Commission

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” For me, the Great Commission Matthew 28:16-20 is the bedrock of our faith. A close examination of the verses tells us: We are to Worship: When the disciples saw Jesus, they worship him. (v.17). This tells us that God made us to worship There will be doubters among the worshipers: “but some doubted” (v.17). This tells us that even among the eleven disciples who had seen the risen savior some doubted Jesus as they were engaged in worship. Jesus has all authority, and he is giving us his disciples authority as well: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (v.18) 1

The authority Jesus has given us is to make disciples: Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (v.19) We are to make disciples by teaching what Jesus has taught us: …. and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (v.20) Jesus is with us as we make disciples: And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We Have Been Charged To Teach So That Disciples Can Be Made These verses tell me that we are disciples, making disciples via the authority of Jesus by teaching in this present age. The teachings of Jesus never change however, I believe that Jesus has given us the authority to use technology, architecture, dance, music, and all manner of things to teach the gospel in His house the church, and outside of it. Making Sensible Upgrades To Teach The Gospel With God’s guidance, these are some of the sensible upgrades we have made together in the last 18 months. Fixed the roof in the fellowship hall – This was done before the renovation. Water no longer seeps in after it rains. New compressor in the sanctuary – We now have cool air in the summer. Old church van sold and removed – We responsibly disposed of a resource the church does not need that had become an eyesore in our parking lot. Professional printed and designed materials – Bring glory to God with all-in-one bulletins, suitable for sharing.

More resources for streaming – Temporary fixes with lighting, camera, and streaming platforms resulting in nearly 450 views per week. Church website –www.gbaathens.org contains past sermons and other church information. Upgraded Facebook Page – Our Facebook page is the streaming hub for Greater Bethel and an interactive touchstone with twice-weekly devotionals, videos, and other content. Thursday Night Bible Study – A community of online disciples has emerged as we study and teach the gospel. Devotional Prayer Call - Greater Bethel members join saints from throughout the country at 6:30 AM ET for prayer, scripture, and meditation. Devotional Moment – Sharing the gospel twice weekly via email, Facebook posts, recorded phone message podcasts, and videos. Teaching Our Youth – Greater Bethel has a long tradition of making disciples by teaching our youth. As we emerged from the pandemic the church has again taken an active role in teaching our youth to be disciples. Within the last 18 months, the Lord has guided us in these efforts: • Youth And Adult Fellowship Time – An after-church teaching session with our youth paired with an adult for learning and fun. • Youth Engaged In Worship – Our youth have taken important roles in our weekly worship Nathalie is on our tech team, DaMoney and Noelle spearhead our offering as they lead a meditation on giving. • Emphasis On Teaching The Basics Of Our Faith – Each week we say the Apostles’ Creed, and we pray the Lord’s Prayer all to make these basic things more memorable for our youth.

• Relaunch Of In-Person Sunday School – The January 14th,2024 relaunch of our in-person Sunday School is a major step in the teaching of our youth to be disciples. Church Branding And Marketing Campaign – A church logo has been created to help market and brand the church. The logo appears on the bulletin along with other printed and electronic materials T-shirts, golf shirts and other items are being introduced so that our members can wear Greater Bethel gear in the community. Acquisition Of A Vibe Smart Bord – The Vibe Smart Board is a premium communication solution that allows us to teach the gospel with slides, video, and other engaging content. The whiteboard feature gives us the capability to plan and share in real-time in person, online, and in hybrid settings. The Donation Of A Keyboard – Our teaching through music has been enhanced with the generous donation of a keyboard. Gospel-Driven Teaching In Worship – Like many pastors, I use the Revised Common Lectionary as my guide for teaching and worship. The RCL is a three-year cycle of scripture readings from the Hebrew Bible, Psalms, the Epistles, and the Gospel that reflect the life of Christ. Lead by the Lord these are the elements I try to incorporate each week: • Focus On One Teaching Scripture – I have been led to do this for unity of message and clarity in teaching. • Coordinate Hymns With The Scripture Message – I am a big believer in using the traditional hymns of the AME Church to convey the message of Jesus. • Specifically Crafted Call To Worship – Inspired by the teaching scriptures I will write a call to worship that will focus on the key point of our worship teaching. • Devotionals In line With The Message – During the week leading up to the message my Tuesday and Saturday devotionals often serve as a precursor to the Sunday teaching.

• Bulletin And Sermon Guide – Companions to the worship and the sermon teaching. • Sermon Recoding – The entire worship service is streamed and is available on Facebook and YouTube. My messages are recorded with the audio available on the church website and delivered via email, text, and social media to nearly 1,500 subscribers, typically on Mondays. People Are Worshiping With Greater Bethel

Remodeling Of The Fellowship Hall – With God’s grace we undertook the project of remodeling the fellowship hall. These were the tasks that were completed and the final numbers. Item

Actual Cost

Donation

1. Construction Labor & Materials A. Hang 1/2-inch drywall. B. Paint walls with a satin finish (Behr off-white paint.) C. Install new electrical outlets 8 max. D. Install 8-12 - 6" Led Flat can Lights. E. Build a 12ft wall for a new storage area. F. Install 12ft base cabinets with granite top upgrade. G. Install wall cabinets upgrade. H. Install flooring for Fellowship Hall with the hallway upgrade. I. Install Washer / Dryer stackable plumbing and outlet. J. Install range, microwave, dishwasher, icemaker. K. Install new kitchen sink. L. Install “pocket” door in the hallway.

$20,932.00

$2,000.00

Cost To The Church $18, 932.00

2.Appliances

$4,369.24

$1,000

3,369.24

$4,369.24

A. Bundle: Range, Microwave, Refrigerator B. Washer/Dyer C. Icemaker 5. Sink 6. Chairs (60)

$2,286.00

$1,502.82 438.00 404.10 $1,650.00

$500.00

$1,502.82 438.00 404.10 $1,150.00

$1,502.82 438.00 404.10 $1,650.00

Actual Cost

Donations

$25,307.24

3,500.00

Totals

Cost To The Church $21,807.24 ($1,807.24)

Total $20,932.00

Total $25,307.24

Sanctuary And Other Upgrades In the Great Commission verses of Matthew 28:16-20, the disciples worshiped, and they were commanded by Jesus to make other disciples by teaching. The Sanctuary of Greater Bethel is the place where worshiping and teaching take place. Our current sanctuary was consecrated nearly 56 years ago on Sunday, September 8, 1968. The Reverend Frank C. Maddox was our pastor, the consecration sermon was delivered by the Reverend Julius C. Williams, Pastor of Allen Temple AME in Atlanta. On the program that day were the Reverend Amos Jackson, Pastor of Thankful Baptist Church, the Reverend Clayton Wilkerson, Pastor, First AME Church, the Reverend W.A. Billups, Pastor Hill Chapel Baptist Church, the Reverend Frank H. Prince, Pastor of First Methodist Church, the Reverend Claude McBride, Pastor Milledge Avenue Baptist Church, the Reverend Williams Adams, Pastor First Presbyterian, and the Reverend, Doctor E.D. Curry, Presiding Elder for the Atlanta District. For five decades God has enabled Greater Bethel to use our sanctuary for worship and teaching with great effect. When consecrated in 1968 our sanctuary was state of the art. Over the years upgrades in instruments, flooring, HVAC, lighting, sound, and pulpit furnishing have been made. All these upgrades have enhanced our ability to worship and to teach. In the Great Commission, (Matthew 28:16-20) Jesus reminds us that God has given him authority. Paul in Romans 8:17 says that if we believe in God, we are His children. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. As heirs we have share the authority of God to worship, to teach, and to not only maintain but to enhance His sanctuary so that we can be greater in worship and teaching.

Why Should We Make These Sanctuary Upgrades? 1. To enhance our ability to worship and teach in our Jesus given mission to make disciples. 2. To fix the airflow problem where the pulpit area get overheated. 3. To increase the versatility of our sanctuary. Origins of the “Pulpit” The English term “pulpit” derives from the Latin pulpitum, which originally referred to a raised platform on which a speaker would stand. This usage is seen in the Authorized Version’s translation of Nehemiah 8:4: “And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose.”1 To my knowledge, this is the only time the English term is used in the Bible. There’s no command in either the OT or NT requiring the use of a pulpit. The erecting of Ezra’s platform (Nehemiah 8:4) was prompted by practical exigency rather than divine precepts. In the synagogue, Jesus stood to read the Scripture but sat down to expound the Scripture (Luke 4:16-21). It seems Jesus did much of his teaching in a seated posture (Matt 5:1; 13:2; Mark 9:35; Luke 5:3; John 8:2). The apostle Paul stood both to read and to preach the Scripture in the synagogue (Acts 13:14-41). But we have no evidence that the apostles or the Lord Jesus used what we know as a “pulpit.”

What The Sanctuary Upgrades Will Not Do? 1. The upgrades will not do away with the pulpit or any of the current pulpit furnishing. 2. The upgrades will not do away with kneeling rails designed for prayer and communion. 3. The upgrades will not do away with the pews. Proposed Sanctuary Upgrades

Cost & Contractors A flat fee of $35,000 has been negotiated for all the sanctuary upgrades. • Robert Bond the same construction contractor we used for the fellowship hall will handle the pulpit redesign. • Evans Communions the company that did the 1st AME tech upgrades has been engaged. • Robert Bond & Evans Communications have experience working together on church projects. Timetable When approved by the church our contracting partners estimate it will take 2 months to complete the work. During that time, I propose we worship in the fellowship hall. If the church approves these upgrades by the end of January, we will be back in our sanctuary before Easter, March 31st. Additionally, the upgraded sanctuary will be available for the Augusta Annual Conference in April where Greater Bethel has been asked to host several events. Final Thoughts I am issuing this document on the Sunday when we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. The Epiphany is a promise that God is here, whether or not we notice the signs. It is my prayer that the things that we have done together for the last 18 months have been pleasing to the Lord and that we have done the work of making disciples in worship and teaching. – Blessings, Peace And Love