A Note From the Pastor
June 4, 2018
FEELS LIKE FAMILY
“It Feels Like Family.” That’s what one of those visiting our church said last Sunday. And I’ve had the same thought lately. That’s one of the advantages of having a small church family - you feel like you belong, not like an outsider. Doctrinal purity, of course, is the most important consideration when seeking a church. But having your brothers and sisters in Christ know your name, care about you, and encourage you in your walk with the Lord is also weighty.
ATTENDANCE
Over the past two years, our attendance has slowly increased. We have moved from meeting in our living room to meeting in a public location, the Community Room at the Holden Municipal Light Department. Our ministry seems to hit home with older folks who are sincerely committed to following God, people who thirst to know His Word, people who have looked around and been discouraged that many churches have fallen away from their Biblical moorings.
CHURCH MUSIC
It’s a blessing in many ways to have our son back from college. It’s also a blessing that he serves as our pianist. We get along during the school year with recorded piano accompaniment, but, when we go without for a while we appreciate it more. May God be pleased as we worship him with our voices and music.
TV OUTREACH
Our television ministry, Bible Foundations, has been airing at least three times per week over the past year. We receive no indication from the station about how many people in town watch it, but we can tell from our church website that it is having an effect. As a result of the program, there have been, on average, 1,049 unique visits per month to calvary4u.net. The aim of the program is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We attempt to do this by bringing Biblical literacy to a Biblically illiterate culture. We try to show, in both the Old Testament and New, how God has revealed to mankind the only way of salvation through the Deliverer.
FINANCES
There’s not much money in Biblical ministry, especially when church planting in New England. But despite our small congregation, they give and neither my wife nor I have ever had to skip a meal. We could use some new glasses and some dental work, but God has provided for our necessities every step of the way. While I do engage in other ways to generate income, I’m truly thankful to be able to spend the bulk of my time in the ministry instead of making widgets for XYZ Corporation.
BIBLE STUDY
The Lord has been giving me the thought that it may soon be time to have a mid-week Bible Study. I already have in mind what to use for topics and material. One consideration in the matter will be the location and cost to rent the space. Nevertheless, with the slight increase in attendance, the time may be nearing.
PRAYER
Please join me in prayer for Calvary Baptist Church of Holden, MA as we’ve been given the opportunity, along with a few other churches of like precious faith, to provide a gospel presence in central Massachusetts. People don’t learn about God from the media, schools, Hollywood, the workplace, or university academia. They hear God’s Word from Christians, missionaries, and pastors. God uses the local church to preach His Word in local communities. Please pray for our local church.
Pastor David Rogol
“It Feels Like Family.” That’s what one of those visiting our church said last Sunday. And I’ve had the same thought lately. That’s one of the advantages of having a small church family - you feel like you belong, not like an outsider. Doctrinal purity, of course, is the most important consideration when seeking a church. But having your brothers and sisters in Christ know your name, care about you, and encourage you in your walk with the Lord is also weighty.
ATTENDANCE
Over the past two years, our attendance has slowly increased. We have moved from meeting in our living room to meeting in a public location, the Community Room at the Holden Municipal Light Department. Our ministry seems to hit home with older folks who are sincerely committed to following God, people who thirst to know His Word, people who have looked around and been discouraged that many churches have fallen away from their Biblical moorings.
CHURCH MUSIC
It’s a blessing in many ways to have our son back from college. It’s also a blessing that he serves as our pianist. We get along during the school year with recorded piano accompaniment, but, when we go without for a while we appreciate it more. May God be pleased as we worship him with our voices and music.
TV OUTREACH
Our television ministry, Bible Foundations, has been airing at least three times per week over the past year. We receive no indication from the station about how many people in town watch it, but we can tell from our church website that it is having an effect. As a result of the program, there have been, on average, 1,049 unique visits per month to calvary4u.net. The aim of the program is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We attempt to do this by bringing Biblical literacy to a Biblically illiterate culture. We try to show, in both the Old Testament and New, how God has revealed to mankind the only way of salvation through the Deliverer.
FINANCES
There’s not much money in Biblical ministry, especially when church planting in New England. But despite our small congregation, they give and neither my wife nor I have ever had to skip a meal. We could use some new glasses and some dental work, but God has provided for our necessities every step of the way. While I do engage in other ways to generate income, I’m truly thankful to be able to spend the bulk of my time in the ministry instead of making widgets for XYZ Corporation.
BIBLE STUDY
The Lord has been giving me the thought that it may soon be time to have a mid-week Bible Study. I already have in mind what to use for topics and material. One consideration in the matter will be the location and cost to rent the space. Nevertheless, with the slight increase in attendance, the time may be nearing.
PRAYER
Please join me in prayer for Calvary Baptist Church of Holden, MA as we’ve been given the opportunity, along with a few other churches of like precious faith, to provide a gospel presence in central Massachusetts. People don’t learn about God from the media, schools, Hollywood, the workplace, or university academia. They hear God’s Word from Christians, missionaries, and pastors. God uses the local church to preach His Word in local communities. Please pray for our local church.
Pastor David Rogol