February Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

We all know church is not about numbers, yet most of us when asked about a “successful” church would think of the churches that are large in number. We would say that a single person accepting Christ makes an event worthwhile, yet if 50 people did we may think it more successful. We are raised to judge success in terms of bigger is better. Though we may deny this, you never see “Forbes list of 100 most average businesses” or come out for the parade when your team finishes 15th in the competition. Though Scripture teaches success in such a different way, the meek will inherit the earth; we are fighting a culture that is opposite. All this is to say that we are not driven by numbers here, but use them in some areas as a guide to see if we are meeting goals. I could write about every individual and tell you their growth, or failures, but it would be a long letter.

Having said all that, we are consistently seeing over 120 people at church each Sunday. Many of the new people are coming as they have heard about a church that is open in their community. The “closed door mentality” that first greeted us is changing. People are beginning to see the needs of the community and responding. Over the next few weeks we will be starting ESL (English as a second language) classes for members of the Muslim and Buddhist community. These will also serve as an opportunity to share Christ with the students. We will also be holding training for other churches dealing with the Muslim influence in the Latino community and expanding some of our other programs.



Joyce coordinated our first Christmas Toy Sale at Wyoming and it was great. We served roughly 35 families (100 children) from our community. The reason we sell the toys (brand new at 80% or more off) is to give the parents a sense of ownership. They shop for their own children and pay for the toys. We found there were many places giving toys to kids, but few seeking to empower the parents and minister to them. The money from the sale will go towards setting things up again next year. Thank you to everyone who helped out so much!

We had many things going on over Christmas though the highlight for me was the children’s choir. Perhaps it was seeing my daughters up there in robes singing away. Or maybe it was the joy on the children’s faces. Or it could have been we had more children upfront singing than the size of the entire congregation when we first arrived. Or could it be the simplicity of little children singing love songs to God?

On January 22, yes, the day of the snowstorm, 38 faithful women came to a conference to hear Sylane Mack of Transformed by Grace Ministries speak. This was Joyce’s first “non children’s ministry” event and it went really well. Many women were challenged and encouraged and we are looking into how best to follow up with the woman who attended this conference.



Thanks to much outside help, especially from some men from Snyder County, Michigan and the awesome duo of Jerry and Scott, we completed our handicap access ramp. I must admit, because unfortunately there were witnesses, that I was brought to tears watching Buddy come into church, followed by Bobbi Jo. Buddy is a 75 year old man wheelchair bound for as long as anyone can remember. Each Sunday he would arrive outside in his power wheelchair where 2 people would lift him into a regular wheelchair and carry him up the stairs. He would then be pushed around where he needed to go. As I heard his horn outside and the door was opened his face was alight. Because of his illness his speech is slurred almost beyond recognition but his laughter is clear. He began, for the first time in over 30 years, moving about the church on his own. He did laps around the tables, went up and down the halls and finally arrived in the Sanctuary on his own. Hundreds of man hours, a battle with the city, thousands of dollars in donations so one man could get into church on his own. Yeah, and it was all worth it. Besides, Buddy and Bobby-Jo (more on her another time) being able to get inside without being carried it will allow us to do more in the disabled community as we know of no other accessible church in the area.

So, how do we measure success in ministry? After twelve years doing this I can happily say I have no idea. Sometimes I look at the pews filling up and think we are reaching the unreached. Other times it is in seeing someone overcome years of the same struggle. At times it is all in a smile. It has not all been perfect here but the struggles are for another letter. For today it is about the joy.

In His Service,


Coz, for the family



PS
For those of you would like more detailed financial information than what is enclosed please call or write.

Please note this change….For those who support us financially or those who would like to, checks should now be made out to Wyoming Ave Baptist Church, attention Coz and Joyce. If you do not need a tax receipt, they can be made out directly to us. All checks should be sent to our home address at 1320 Arrott St, Philadelphia, PA 19124.

Bethel Temple will no longer be handling our payroll after December 31st, so checks sent there will be returned.