Deacons to the Rescue!

Deacons to the rescue!

That can be your statement starting now. Our deacons have created Care Teams to better serve our church and community. One of these teams is the Repair/Respond Team. It is my privilege to serve as the staff liaison to this group. Among the responsibilities assigned to them is to assist those impaired or in crisis by providing maintenance and clean up.

We are approaching time change Sunday (November 1) very soon. Along with moving clocks back one hour we are also encouraged to change the batteries in our smoke detectors.

Our deacons realize that some of our folks shouldn’t be on ladders or chairs trying to reach the smoke detector to change the battery. They would love to help.

If you would like a deacon team to come to your house to help with some basic maintenance tasks, like:

·                   Changing the batteries in smoke detectors

·                  Changing clocks back to Central Standard Time

·                  Changing light bulbs

·                 Changing the air filters in furnaces

·                 Checking outside faucets to prevent freezing

then please call the church office (795-5261) and let us know you could use a little help. We’ll schedule a time for some guys to come to your house and take care of these maintenance items. They’d love to assist you but need to be asked.

Perhaps you know of someone needing assistance that won’t see this in our e-newsletter. Please let them know of our desire to help and give us a call. Our deacons are servants and love to serve others. Please let them have the opportunity to assist those who could use a little help. 

Is it fixed?

There's a remote possibility we have our phone fixed. It was working when we left the office for the day after 5:00. Here's hoping/praying the fix holds and we have phone service when we arrive Wednesday morning. I LOVE TECHNOLOGY--when it works.

I Love Technology--When it Works!

We have trouble with our phone system at church. (Such a simple statement.)
We've been having phone trouble at church for nearly a week. (Statement of unresolved issues.)
We've been unable to get it fixed. (Statement of extreme frustration.)
We've been unable to determine who needs to fix our phone system. (Statement of exasperation.)
We've learned our phone system is connected to our internal internet. (Statement of anxiety.)

We have an I.T. person working on our system this very minute. Hopefully (PRAYERFULLY) he will be able to get it fixed.

Bottom line is there's an explanation as to why you've not been able to contact us by phone. We've been here diligently working and seeking a resolution to our phone system. Technology--love it/hate it, but it's here to stay.

FINALLY!

Our long wait for a pastor is about to come to an end as the Atchleys arrive THIS WEEKEND! Movers will arrive at their SOLD Denton house in a couple of days and pack up their worldly goods. They will close on their Lubbock house/home FRIDAY and move in Saturday. Sunday they will be in attendance and begin the process of becoming acclimated to BHBC. To help them in this process we are asking EVERYONE to use our new check-in system. We’ve purchased additional equipment to make the check-in process as smooth as possible without anyone having to wait very long. The system worked very well during the weekend the Atchleys were here in view of a call and we expect it to work well from now on.

In addition to helping the Athleys learn names, it will also help us know one another. The reality is we don’t know the names of everyone who attends BHBC. The check-in system, which will print out name badges each week for everyone, will help. At most this will be a minor inconvenience for a few. At best, it will enhance the fellowship and ministry of Bacon Heights. Thank you for working with us and using the check-in system.

Our pastor will be preaching for the first time on May 31^st. To celebrate his arrival we’re having an all-church cookout. We’ll be grilling hamburgers and have all the toppings available in the FLC immediately following the late worship. Please plan on joining us for lunch and celebrating the arrival of our fourth pastor. It will be a festive time.

Do you realize how rare it is for a church to be nearly 50 years old and just now be getting her fourth pastor? This speaks volumes for the health and stability of Bacon Heights. Jason Atchley is coming to pastor a good church with a rich heritage. My prayer, and I believe it is yours as well, is that he will lead us to accomplish much more as a church. We really can have our best days ahead of us if we all pull together, seek the Lord, and give back in service the gifts God has equipped us with. 

Now a personal note. THANK YOU for allowing me the privilege of serving as the Interim Senior Pastor these past eleven months. When I resigned from Indiana Avenue Baptist Church I didn’t know if I would ever serve on a church staff again, much less be the pastor. I was extremely burned out and beat up. But you loved me back into ministry, then allowed me to pastor during this interim. It has been a blessing to Judy and me to be back in the leadership role one more time. Now, we look forward to serving under Jason’s leadership and expect to see some amazing things happen. It is my belief that our best days truly are ahead of us. Let’s work together to make that become reality. 

WE HAVE A PASTOR!!!!!

Ten and-a-half months in the making but well worth the wait. Tonight, April 26th, Bacon Heights Baptist Church voted, 364 to 1, to call Dr. Jason Todd Atchley to be our fourth pastor. HE SAID "YES!"

What an incredible weekend we've had with the Atchley family. Beginning Friday evening with the staff families dining with the "Atchley nation" to Saturday morning meeting with the ministerial staff, followed by over 200 people coming Saturday evening for the meet-and-greet and then today. What can I say about today? Basically, the Spirit of God was all over our church. What more needs to be said?

As they become available I will post pictures. Check back tomorrow.

Great Days Ahead

The first question I was asked when Jerry resigned was, “How long will it take to get a new pastor?”  I explained there is no set policy but as a general rule-of-thumb it takes about one month for every year of the former pastor’s tenure. Jerry had been here almost 12 years so we could expect the process to take up to a year. Dr. Jason Atchley will be preaching in view of a call at the 10 ½ month mark of our interim situation. My belief is we will call him, he will accept, and be on the field by late May, or at the 11 ½ month mark. It appears our process has held true to form.

You are going to love the Atchleys. Judy and I were privileged to host them a week ago when the whole family came to explore Lubbock and look at housing options. This was Judy’s first time to meet Jason and Heather and the first time for both of us to meet Hallee and Chloe. We already love this family and know you will as well.

Jason and Heather are West Texas “born and bred.” Jason and Heather’s parents were members of the same Sunday school class at Crestview Baptist Church in Midland. In 1976 this class gave birth to 16 children. Jason was the first and Heather the second birth, so they have literally grown up together, practically dating since birth.

They all have birthdays within a 15 day time span:

·         Jason—March 30.

·         Heather—April 4.

·         Hallee—April 10.

·         Chloe—April 13.

Jason has a great resume. He has received outstanding training and gained valuable experience in a variety of churches. He was recommended to us by Dr. David L. Lowrie, Jr., pastor of the First Baptist Church of El Paso. Jason served on the staff of First Baptist, Canyon, with Dr. Lowrie.  This speaks volumes to me, that a former pastor and supervisor took the time to recommend him.

Judy and I are excited at the possibility of having Jason as our pastor and Heather as our pastor’s wife. I look forward to serving with him in my role as the Executive Pastor of Bacon Heights Baptist Church. He will be a great leader for our staff and church. Our Pastor Search Committee has done an excellent job in bringing the Atchleys to us. I truly believe Jason can lead us to our greatest days as a church.

When you arrive Sunday night, you will be required to use our new check-in system. We will have each station manned so you can complete the process in a matter of seconds. We are working to insure that we have a record of who was present and voting. After you have completed the check-in procedure, you will be handed a ballot. Please understand that according to our by-laws ONLY CHURCH MEMBERS ARE QUALIFIED TO VOTE. We have many regular attenders who are a part of us. But because they have not officially joined the church they cannot vote. Again, this is how our by-laws read and we will work to adhere to the governing documents of our church.  So if you have been thinking about joining and want to be able to vote on the new pastor you need to join Sunday morning. We will be happy to receive you and make you “official.” 

Getting Close

Check back following the announcement Sunday morning, April 19, for additional information about our prospective pastor. You're going to love him.