It's been almost a month since our last update. I apologize for the delay and getting new information out to you. So much has happened since our last update and we have some exciting new information to share with you as well.
First off, our new Student Minister, David Earles, was voted in overwhelmingly by our congregation a few weeks ago. There were 140 votes affirming, 7 votes of neutrality and 4 votes against. These past several weeks David has been "learning the ropes" up here at the office and familiarizing himself with his new ministry responsibilities.
This is David's first ministry position so many things are new. He has fit right in with the staff and has already made some meaningful connections with our student body. Please continue to pray for him as he assimilates into this new assignment and learns what it means to serve in vocational ministry.
Our church has a rich history of "taking a chance" on younger and/or inexperienced ministers. Whether it was pastor David many decades ago, Pastor Vernon or even myself, Broadview has been a church where men and women called by God can grow into their calling and develop into who God wants them to be. Not only is this a great blessing for those who are called; it's also a great blessing for our congregation as well.
Upcoming Events
Since it's been so long since our last update - there are many events I need to make you aware of.
** if you see something missing that needs to be added please respond to this email with the information. You can also reply if you have questions about any of the upcoming events. **
Church-Wide Prayer This Wednesday
This coming Wednesday we're doing our "church-wide" prayer meeting at 6:00PM. We typically host our mid-week ministry programming on Wednesday nights and have close to 100 kids up here in their respective ministry environments. This Wednesday, we're placing all of those kids in our Worship Center and inviting every other member of our church to join us for prayer.
If this sounds crazy to you, you're not crazy. But, it is something the staff thought might be worth a shot so we're going to try it out this Wednesday. In the past, our prayer meetings have always been special times of experiencing God's presences and interceding for one another in our church family.
The reality is, many of these students and young children have tremendous needs for which we can pray if we would simply take some time to listen and do so. On the other side of that coin is the reality that many of our younger people feel like they're disconnected from what the local church is really about. If all they know of Broadview is what they see on Wednesdays then they're not getting the full picture.
So will you please consider joining us next Wednesday night from 6:00-7:00PM?
We will have a few songs. A few minutes of directed prayer from the stage and then several minutes of group prayer and 1 on 1 prayer. If you have a prayer need you would like to submit you can do that here. We will compile these needs over the next several days and then receive any additional requests on the night of.
I'm personally praying that God will use this night in a unique way for our entire congregation - young and old, seasoned and new.
Please don't forget we are nominating a new slate of lay pastors and deacons in our church. If you are a member of Broadview, please take time to review the qualifications, pray over the matter and recommend names who might be able and willing to serve on either board. We need church-wide participation to effective discern who God may be raising up to serve in these roles.
To read about our pastoral team click here. To read our constitution and by-laws click here. To understand the difference between pastors and deacons and the role they play in our church you can read our by-laws or watch the message from a few weeks ago.
Biblical Qualifications
The qualifications for pastors & deacons can be found in Acts 6:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9.
Certain character qualifications are shared between pastors and deacons.
Above reproach/blameless
Faithful in marriage (husband of one wife)
Effective in managing his home (dignified children)
Respected (inside & outside the church)
Self-controlled, Sensible & Wise
Knows and lives the Word (no hypocrisy)
Not greedy or an excessive drinker
Has a tested and proven faith in Christ
In addition to these shared "character" qualifications those who serve as pastors must also be "competent" to teach. They must have a spirit of gentleness (not a bully or quarrelsome) and hospitality. (Acts 20:28; Eph 4:11-12; 1 Tim 3:2; Tit 1:9; 1 Pet 5:1-3; Hebrews 13:17)
To nominate someone you must be a member of Broadview and familiar with the Biblical qualifications and responsibilities of each role. A deacon screening committee will vet the candidates and make recommendations for the church to affirm at a later date. You can submit your nominations online or by printing this form and turning it into the church office.
We have been hosting a Saturday outreach every month in October. The turn out for the first week was somewhat disappointing. However, every week since then we have grown in attendance! Last week we had close to 30 people going out door to door and this week we have men and women engaged in our Hands & Feet Ministry and making an impact that way.
We've already seen new people come to our church and express a desire to "plug-in" as a result of these home visits. They make a difference! There are so many hurting people out there and we have a message of hope that can change their life forever if we would just share it.
We are going to finish our Outreach October with a final Saturday outreach and Sunday Trunk or Treat at Broadview West.
The Saturday outreach will begin at 9:00AM but the teams will meet at Broadview West instead of our Home Campus. We will go door-to-door in the communities surrounding Broadview West and invite people to the Fall Festival the following day, October 30th at 6:00PM.
If you're willing to join us for that outreach we will need as many feet on the ground as we can get.
If you're willing to donate candy or sign up your vehicle to serve in the Trunk or Treat then please sign up as soon as you possibly can. Candy donations can be made in the church office. We will need several more bags if anybody has a desire to donate.
Now that we've got the rest of October out of the way, there are several upcoming events in November I need to make you aware of. Please place these dates on your calendar as they will be here before you know it!
FLU CLINIC @ BROADVIEW
NOVEMBER 6TH
ALL THREE SERVICES
For the past 5 years we’ve been hosting flu shot clinics at Broadview. We usually host them in November and this year’s flu shot clinic is November 6th.
You can register to get your flu shot using this webform. The shots are provided by Barnes and Williams Pharmacy (owned by church member Jordan Talley)
Jordan will also need a copy of your insurance card or Medicare card, if applicable, to process the vaccine. Please make sure the card you send has pharmacy processing information on it, such as RxBIN, RxPCN, RxGRP, and ID number.
You can email your card to the email address below or we can collect a copy of it the week before the clinic.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Jordan at 325-695-3784 or jordan.talley@bwdrug.com.
Craft Day
NOVEMBER 12TH
9:00-11:00AM
Broadview Women's Ministry is hosting Craft Day led by Linda Moss on Saturday, November 12, 2022 9:00 to 11:00 AM.
Participants will select either a small snowman ($10.00) or a large snowman ($20.00) to create. There will be a variety of decorations, colors, ribbon, eyes, and mouths to choose from!
Please register and pay the church office on or before November 6, 2022 to secure your spot and supplies. If you register (and pay) by October 31st you will have a chance to win a drawing for a designed snowman example!
Join us for a fun day of fellowship as we prepare for the holiday season!
Our Embrace Grace Ministry is hosting their Fall Baby Shower & Princess Day on November 12th this year. The Princess Day will start at 1:00PM and the shower will begin at 3:30PM.
We will have a "gift request" board set up in our Gathering Place on October 30th and you can take as few or as many tags as you would like. These gifts range from smaller items like diapers and wipes to larger items like carseats and buggies. All of them are a great help to the moms participating in this ministry.
We have three mothers participating in the program this year. If you would be willing to help with the shower or the Princess Day please contact Janet White for more information.
This spring we hosted our Baby Shower and Princess Day and I tried to encourage several of you to come out and show your support to these brave mothers who are choosing life even in the midst of challenging circumstances.
I want to offer that same challenge this Fall. Please join us for the shower at 3:30 and show your prayerful support for these moms and their children coming into the world.
I've mentioned in past updates about the upcoming vote on the Sanctuary City Ordinance for the City of Abilene. Our church is unapologetically pro-life and part of that includes supporting pro-life legislation when we have opportunity to do so.
While I try my best to not "preach politics," I do think certain political issues are worthy of our attention as Christians. The issue of abortion is one of them. The Scriptures are not unclear about when life begins. Neither are they unclear about the inherent value and dignity of every human life - born AND preborn.
I know that it's possible for pro-life Christians to disagree about the wisdom of this ordinance. That's why I signed and helped create the statement on Christian Unity a few months ago. There is a case to be made that this ordinance is unnecessary given the fact that there are no abortions taking place in Abilene right now and the overturn of Roe makes future abortions in Abilene very unlikely. There are also valid political reasons for why a Christian might not support the enforcement mechanism behind this legislation.
That being said, there are also plenty of good reasons to support this ordinance. If nothing else, it's an important PREVENTATIVE measure to keep abortions from taking place within our city limits and communicates to the watching world where the city of Abilene stands on the question of protecting pre-born life.
Politics is downstream of culture. Abilene culture is still vaguely Christian and therefore our politics are shaped by that influence. But we've all seen how quickly our culture can change and with that change comes a change in our politics. It's not unreasonable to try and establish this kind of legislation while there's still a window of opportunity to do so.
I also want to encourage to you PARTICIPATE in the process. Plan to cast your vote this coming November 8th (or earlier if early voting.) We have been given a tremendous privilege in America to determine our elected leaders. Let's steward that opportunity well!
Thanksgiving Service
November 20
Meal: 5:00PM
Service: 6:00PM
The last update for November is our Thanksgiving Service & Meal on November 20th. The service will be at 5:00PM with meal following at 6:00PM.
This is one of my favorite services of the year. Please make plans to join us and RSVP the date on your calendar. We also need your help to make it a successful event!
The main dishes (turkey & dressing) will be provided. But we need your help with vegetable sides, sugary desserts and salads. If you’re feeling EXTRA generous you can help us offset the cost by donating a turkey or ham before the event. Financial donations also welcome!
FOOD ASSIGNMENTS:
Last Name A-I: Vegetables
Last Name J-R: Salads
Last Name S-Z: Desserts
There is a sign up sheet in the Gathering Place. You can also let us know how you plan to help by just replying to this email. Thanks for planning to be a part and for any help you’re able to give!
Final Thoughts
For my final thoughts, I want to talk about this weekend and some personal news for the month of November.
This weekend, our Hands & Feet Ministry will complete the projects that were submitted this Fall. The men and women who've chosen to serve in this ministry are making a tremendous impact on the lives of those we're able to serve. It's always so encouraging to see our church rise to the occasion and meeting the practical needs of our members and other within our city.
This coming Sunday we will be hosting a special guest and missionary partner from overseas. He will share some of what God has been doing through the ministry there so please come and hear for yourselves. I cannot provide details given the location and nature of the work.
We will also be taking the Lord's Supper on Sunday and celebrating a baptism in our 9:30 service.
The staff and I are making plans to attend the Right Now Conference November 2-4. Please pray for us while we are away that it will be a time of sharpening and refreshment in our respective ministries.
The Right Now Conference offers training on specific areas of ministry as well as plenary sessions that inspire and encourage ministers to keep on keeping on. It's always a special time for our team. I'm thankful for our church affording us the opportunity.
On November 8th I've been invited to speak for the chapel service at Hardin Simmons University. Their theme for this year's chapel service is "Turnarounds." I'll be preaching on the book of Jonah and his story of being "turned around" and what God taught him in the process. I would appreciate any prayers on that day between 9:00-10:30.
I will also be traveling to Corpus Christi on November 14-15 to represent our church at the SBTC Annual Meeting. I've been chosen to serve as a mentor for the "Next Gen Cohorts" that launch in February 2023 through our State Convention. It's a great honor to serve in this capacity.
That's all I've got for this week's update. November 27th will kick off our Advent series but I'll save the information on that and the December events for next time. We will also finish the book of Revelation between now and the end of the year so I'm looking forward to that!
If there's any way I can pray for you please let me know! Just reply to this email.
