We are delighted to present to you a copy of our annual report for Middle Valley Baptist Church. God has been so faithful to this church for the last 80 years. We present this report not only to inform the congregation, but even more to praise God. The report that follows is a chronicle of how God has blessed, challenged, admonished, and been at work at Middle Valley during the last year. Some reports that follow will be presented orally, others you will have in written form. Please take time to read the report in full.
We want to express appreciation for each one that contributed to this report but even more for their contribution to the life and ministry of MVBC. An “Annual Report” is a way you can see all that has been happening in our fellowship. First, praise God, and then thank those who have served faithfully in a wide variety of ministries. It is easy to take people who serve for granted; let’s determine to recognize and affirm those who made a difference in our life and the life of our family.
You will find a table of contents to tell you where you can find each report. You will also find an agenda that will guide our congregational meeting. The reports are generally in the order that presentations will be made in the meeting.
We look forward with great expectancy to see what God has in store for Middle Valley Baptist Church.
Page
Pastor’s Report 4
Mickey’s Report 5
Zach’s Report 6
Session Report 8
Global/Local Missions 9
Middle Valley Academy 10
Music Ministry 11
Technical Ministry 12
Covenant Groups 13
Children’s Ministry 14
North Hamilton Basketball League 15
Camp All Star 15
Student Ministry 16
Women’s Ministry 18
Men’s Ministry 19
Sunday School 20
Personnel 21
House & Grounds 21
Nominating Committee 22
Recommendation of Deacons & Elders 25
Financial Report/2014 Proposed Budget 26
6:00-6:45 Fellowship Meal
6:45-7:00 Worship
7:00-7:05 Student Minister’s Report
7:05:7:10 Associate Pastor’s Report
7:10-7:15 Senior Pastor’s Report
7:15-7:20 Session Report
7:20-7:25 Global & Local Mission Report
7:25-7:30 Middle Valley Academy Report
7:30-7:35 Music Minister’s Report
7:35-7:50 Financial Report & Adoption of 2014 Budget
7:50-8:00 Affirmation of Elders & Deacons
8:00 -8:05 Nominating Committee Report
8:05-8:15 Affirmation of By-Law Changes
Senior Pastor’s Report
Dear Friends,
This is my third year at Middle Valley Baptist Church as your pastor. I give praise to God for the opportunity to serve as your pastor. There have been blessings from God, special people that have enriched my life, challenges that have provided an opportunity to grow and depend on God, and many wonderful opportunities to serve the needs of our congregation.
God has blessed us with a rich heritage at MVBC. We have been ministering for many years and expect to continue ministry for many years to come. The challenge we face is to preserve the best of our heritage without living in our past and to embrace the challenges of the present without being conformed to this age. Our desire is that the strength of our heritage will preserve our theology, worship and practical ministry and our engagement with current issues will bring fresh power by God’s Spirit to give witness to the power of the gospel at just this time and place in history. God has done much to glorify himself and preserve a place where the Word of God continues to be preached, loved, and lived.
While we appreciate the past we engage the present challenge of ministry with hope and trust. There is so much good that is happening at MVBC; we praise God for those who minister and serve the growing needs of our congregation. This year has been a year of foundation building. We have spent much time and energy in reworking the leadership paradigm of MVBC. The congregation has voted unanimously to move forward with the selection of elders that enable us to be an elder-led congregation. We have made significant changes to our constitution and by-laws and have scheduled an Annual and Semi-Annual Congregational meeting to gather the church to make corporate decisions. We look forward with real hope that God will accomplish much that will be for his glory.
Our Community Groups were upgraded to Covenant Groups and new leaders and curriculum were selected. We added another adult Sunday School Class for younger couples lead by Mickey and Zach. We are just completing an expositional study of the Gospel of John that sought to convince the listeners that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that by believing they might have eternal life. We have worked very hard to develop and enjoy a dynamic Men’s Ministry. This year has seen the formation of a Missions Team and a Local Evangelism Team. We have been working very hard to develop our children’s ministry to shape and mold the lives and hearts of our children. We are pleased to see a number of people growing through participation in these relational contexts. It is here that real fellowship and ministry takes place.
Our worship services continue to gather people together to express the love and devotion they have to Jesus Christ. We continue to maintain the centrality of the Word of God through the exposition and appropriation of Scripture. It is my personal opinion that the single greatest factor to the blessing of God we have seen in our congregation grows out of the faithful proclamation and reception of the word of God. We have enjoyed the benefits of mature, godly leaders at NHPBC. I am thankful for the strength of the leaders and the congregational respect shown to your chosen leaders. We can face the future with hope and confidence that God will continue to bless our efforts to be a church that exists for his glory.
There are significant challenges ahead; the path is not easy and assured. If we are to succeed we must resist the pressure of the world around us to conform. Our spiritual health must become a greater priority; we must fight indifference and neglect of the spiritual disciplines. We must find more effective ways of reaching our community with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must reclaim the Lord’s Day and renew our commitment to gather each week to worship and grow together. We must understand and then embody our Church Covenant. We face the challenge of restructuring leadership to make us more effective as a church and less demanding on those in leadership. With growing ministry there are growing financial needs; we must give proportionately and regularly so that our ministry at MVBC can thrive. We must work to restore and maintain unity in our fellowship. We are confident that God has the resources to provide all that we need to be a church that glorifies Him.
We look forward with anticipation and confidence. Our confidence is not in ourselves but in the God who gathered us together as a body and in Jesus Christ who promised to be with us to the end. There are blessing ahead if we obey. There are challenges ahead that will test our faith and develop our character. There are circumstances globally and politically that we cannot yet see that impact our ability to do ministry. We remain confident that God will lead us forward as we wait for “the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
We continue to make it our goal to love the Lord God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is the central purpose for our existence as a Christian fellowship. As your Pastor I want you to know this is my purpose for being here. I am committed in every way that I know to encourage, equip, and challenge you to this supreme standard. Together we will give witness to the Kingdom of the Savior we love.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Gary L Scott
Associate Pastor’s Report
Dear Church family,
I want to begin this letter by saying what an honor it is to serve you as the Associate Pastor at Middle Valley Baptist. I remember when David Sneed and I first started working with the teenagers in the summer of 1991 and the enthusiasm that we shared for this church. After 22 years of ministry, I still have an enthusiasm for MVBC and see the potential for God to do great things here. I want to share in this letter about three areas that I’m serving in that I’m very enthusiastic about. These three areas are local evangelism, global missions and the children’s ministry.
We recently created a Local Mission/Evangelism Team. This team’s responsibilities include building stronger partnerships with local ministries that MVBC financially supports and challenging our congregation to give their lives away to reach the lost. We recently sponsored a baby shower for Choices Resource Center. This was a first step for this team in helping our local ministry partners in an areas of need. Our team is evaluating ways to connect with NHBL families that need the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are planning to communicate God’s truths to these families through regular emails and providing resources free of cost. Our prayer is that God will work and change lives during this season.
The Global Mission Team has been very busy organizing and planning for the future. The team is now actively communicating with all the missionaries that MVBC supports. We are receiving reports from the missionaries that include their needs and future plans. The Global Mission Team will be communicating with the congregation these reports and updates. The team is also finalizing plans for the 2014 Mission Conference in March. The Mission Conference will be all five Sundays in March. We are excited to have some returning speakers from our last Mission Conference, as well as some new missionaries. The Global Mission Team is also working with the Church staff to plan two summer mission trips in June. We are planning a trip back to Guatemala and Jamaica.
Since this past July, I have been working with the Children’s Leadership Team overseeing the ministry to children at MVBC. We have a very talented and gifted group of adults that are volunteering on this team. We meet monthly and evaluate current children’s programs and plan for the future. The team has been focused on achieving unity and working together in one spirit and one mind. I believe this ministry is going to see God’s blessing in growth spiritually and numerically in 2014.
This past year has had its share of good times and challenging times. Through it all, we continue to see God’s faithfulness to MVBC. God has sustained this church for over 80 years, and I believe He still plans to bless this church. MVBC over the years has been blessed with many faithful men and women that trusted God with their lives and embodied to this community what it meant to follow Jesus. Now their legacy is passed on to us. May we be faithful and live in a way that glorifies His Name!
Because of His grace,
Mickey Rector
Student Minister’s Report
Dear Church family,
I thank God for this church and the time I’ve been able to serve. I am now entering my eighth year in serving as the Student Minister, my fifth in a full-time capacity. I consider it a privilege to serve as in this church. I have seen God do amazing things in the hearts of the people of this church and I’m excited to see what He continues to do in the future. My heart for this church and for the students and families I serve has only grown during my time here.
PERSONAL GROWTH
Since I’ve served at Middle Valley, I have been blessed to learn under godly and experienced men. Pastor Greg Lindsey was the encourager I needed when I first attended here. I had recently left a ministry position and I felt jaded and confused about any future in the ministry. It was under Pastor Greg’s leadership that I sensed a calling to full-time ministry here at the church. Working alongside Mickey each day has challenged me as a leader. He’s been an excellent friend and mentor to me in the ministry. Finally, Pastor Gary has probably challenged me in ways I’ve never been challenged. I’ve been able to witness what a solid, theological foundation has done for him in the ministry and it’s pushed me to do the same. Under Pastor Gary’s guidance, I have recognized the need for continued education through seminary work. I began some of that work this year through Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. My desire is to pursue a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Ministry.
Another area of personal growth has been the practical side of ministry. Pastor Gary has taken time to personally invest and challenge both Mickey and I and for that I am grateful. Not a week goes by that I am not presented with something new to read to inform me or challenge me in some way. I’m also grateful for the regular opportunities to preach in our Sunday morning service. Learning to prepare to preach a message to the entire church body is a demanding process, so I’m thankful for those opportunities.