Remember the Dream

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

There are 485,000 churches in the United States. I believe God has a purpose and place for every single one of them. God has had a plan for Northgate Baptist Church in the past. He has a plan for us right now, in the present, and He has a plan for us in the prospect or in the days yet to come. As we begin the process of Remembering the Dream here at Northgate, I believe it is important that we take a few moments to remember where the dream came from and when it began. The Remember the Dream booklet we have shared with you this morning begins by saying,

“The “Dream” began in early January of 1960, when a few visionary men gathered together to discuss the possibility of starting a church in the Florence and Darlington area.

But even before this meeting God placed the “Dream” in the heart of a saintly woman back in the 1920’s and 30’s for a church closer to her home. At that time, she would take her seven children in a buggy seven miles to the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Florence. This woman, Mrs. B.L. Hill, the wife of the Reverend B.L. Hill and mother of Wade and Hewitt Harrell, expressed to her husband the “dream” for a church in the vicinity, as there were so many unchurched.” [1]

As your pastor, I believe it is important that we still have a dream for Northgate Baptist Church. We still need to realize the church we have now in the location in which we exist still is in a “vicinity….where there are so many unchurched.” My prayer is that we might recapture the dream, remember the dream as we begin this Strategy Planning process. (It may be helpful for you to keep your Remember the Dream booklet close by for reference this morning. I am basically going to cover the main parts of our Vision Team’s Strategy Plans with you in this sermon. The first two pages gives a very brief synopsis of our church history and the formation of the Dream that saw the beginning of our church.)

So, HOW DO WE REMEMBER THE DREAM?

NUMBER ONE -- REALIZE THE NEEDS OF THE CHURCH Nehemiah 2:17, Then I said to them, "You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach."(NKJV)

(Review briefly the context of Nehemiah 2. Nehemiah has a dream to rebuild the broken down walls and the burned gateways of the ancient city of Jerusalem. With the support of God’s people and God’s own divine support, Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and its city gates in a mere 52 days.)

Like Nehemiah, we too must first begin with a plan, a dream to rebuild our church.

First, it is very important that you realize the objective that drives the development of our Church Strategy Goals.

(If you look at page 3 you’ll find the Church Strategy Goals and the very important Objective that motivated the Vision Team to develop these five church goals.)

OBJECTIVE: The major objective of the Church Strategy is to improve the physical facilities and properties of our church in order to improve the appearance and attractiveness of our church for both members and prospects.

· Upgrade the Church Educational Facilities and Classrooms, especially the children’s classrooms and meeting areas.

· Improve the Exterior of the Church Facilities with a special focus on the front of the church and the north side of the church.

(Cleaning, Pressure washing and/or painting the front portico and sides of the church.)

· Purchase and install a new digital church sign.

(This is key to establishing a major positive impression in this community that expects quality. It will provide a major improvement for the church in communicating with the community the events of the church, meeting times or any other information we would like to post.)

· Pave and stripe the church’s parking areas or the church parking lots.

(This too will provide a dramatic improvement to the appearance of our church and the overall impact we will make to the community.)

· Remove the old playground and replace with new church play ground.

(This too should be colorful, large and attractive to passerbyers and appealing to younger families with children.)

T/S—In addition to the Church Strategy Goals, there are also a number of Community Goals. So number two is to recognize the needs of the community.

NUMBER TWO -- RECOGNIZE THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY

John 4:35 (NIV) I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

Jesus continually stressed the need to reach out to the community, to those who are not yet a part of who we are.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the Community Strategy is to discover effective ways of reconnecting our church to the community in which we are located and thus begin to impact our community as well as reach new members from the community.

One of the questions that the Vision Team kept asking as we looked at Community goals was this one. “Would our community miss us if we were no longer here?” The somber answer we came up with was probably not!

So what can we do to look at the community that surrounds us and ask, “What are the needs of our community?” We also asked, “How can our church better connect with our community and effectively minister to our community?”

· Develop a New Church Brochure

(A brochure that communicates to prospective church members and that is relevant to their interests and needs.)

· Develop a New Church Website and Social Media presence

(A Web presence that effectively reaches the community locally and beyond that is appealing, interesting, relevant and accurate. And I might add, one that is super easy to update!)

· Continue to Study New ways to Minister to the Community around us.

· Seek ways to use our facilities to connect with the Community

T/S---HOW DO WE REMEMBER THE DREAM?

NUMBER THREE – RESTORE THE PURPOSE OF THE CELEBRATION

Psalm 150:1 (NIV) Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary;

Psalm 150:6 (NIV) Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

Our Vision Team realized we must do a better job when it comes to providing a more meaningful and relevant worship experience. We want a worship/celebration experience that shows we have been intentional in our preparation and prayers that create an environment for God to work!

Now you need to understand that we chose the word “Celebration” to describe our times of worship and fellowship. Worship is a celebration, or at least it should be! Every time the church gathers together it should be a time of celebration about who we are in Christ and responding worshipfully to what God has and is doing in our lives!

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the Celebration Strategy is to improve the overall quality and relevance of our worship and fellowship experiences or times of celebration in order to increase effectiveness in reaching new members while also enhancing the importance of worship and fellowship.

· Create a Warm and Inviting Worship Atmosphere

· Develop a Calendar of Special Worship Days and Fellowship Events

· Upgrade Church Audio/Visual System

· Plan Fellowship Events to Recognize Member Achievements

CONCLUSION: You need to understand that these Strategy Plans are just that, they are plans, objectives and goals for our church. Someone said, “A goal with our a plan is just a wish.”

We want to see as many of these goals accomplished as possible. For that to happen, we will need much prayer, the participation of each of you to accept these goals and Strategic Plans as your own, and a willingness on the part of each of us to sacrifice and support our efforts to reach these goals.

ILLUSTRATION: California anthropologist, Angeles Arrien, draws some very important corporate and business principles from the study of migrating geese. We have all seen them flying in their familiar “V” formation. What can we learn from a flock of geese?

1) Each bird flaps his wings and creates an uplift for the birds behind. A bird has 71 % more flying range when flying in a “V” formation than when flying alone. The lesson is obvious. When we share a common purpose and direction, we can all get there quicker and with much less effort.

2) Whenever a goose gets out of formation, he immediately feels resistance in trying to go it alone. So he gets back into formation with others if he doesn’t want to be left behind. The lesson again is obvious. If we only had as much sense as a goose, we would stay in formation with others who are going the same way as we are. It’s much harder to get the job done when we are flying solo.

3) When the lead goose gets tired, he rotates back into the formation and another goose flies on the point. The lesson? We all need each other, and everyone should share the harder jobs so we can all reach our goals together. Also, the geese in the formation honk from behind to encourage those in front to keep up their speed. What’s the lesson here? Well, if you honk at the leader, make sure you’re honking encouraging words and not discouragement.

4) Finally, and listen to this, when one of the geese is sick or wounded and falls out of the formation to the ground, two other geese will also fall out of formation to the ground, to remain with their fallen partner, until it either revives or dies. What a lesson! If men and women knew we stood together like that in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, there would be more people on our team sharing our vision!

It is time for us to Remember the Dream. May the Lord help us as we now seek to fulfill a new dream for Northgate Baptist Church.

Prayer

[1]Harrell, Elizabeth W., Northgate Baptist Church 1960-1995, p.1. Watford Printing Company, Florence, SC

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