Fun Stuff

What Makes a Baptist Baptist?

As you well know there are hundreds of church varieties.  Not only are there different religions, but within the different religions, there are different sub-groups.  Under the broad heading of “Christian”, there are Catholics and Protestants.  Under Protestants, there is an incredible diversity of denominations.  Some of the more well-known ones are Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Baptist, each having a variety of sub-groups within them. Today I want to address what sets traditional Baptists apart from these other denominations?  What makes us unique, why do we generally worship and function apart from these other groups?  While the answer to this …

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

Why Join a Church?

We have looked at the question, “Why come to Church?”, but it is important to go one step further and consider the question “Why Join a Church?”. Coming to church is visiting, joining a church is becoming an active participant. This message will dig into the benefits and obligations and talk about why God would want you to commit and become a member. I hope you will listen to this important message in our series on the local church.  

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

How to Judge a Pastor

Today is a little awkward as I will be talking about myself and my role as pastor.  Sometime in the future, however, First Baptist of Elimsport will need to find a new pastor.  Whether it’s because I retire, move, die, or get the boot, I’ll need to be replaced someday. You may not be part of FBC of Elimsport, but if you attend church anywhere, someday you will likely be facing such a situation.  Or maybe you are looking for a church and the quality of the pastor is a huge factor in making that choice.  What should you look …

From the Pastor's Desk / Sunday Sermons

Why Does the Church Meet on Sunday?

I can remember in 1989, when I started working at a local grocery store, we were closed on Sundays.  In fact, apart from the mall, gas stations, and restaurants, most other businesses were closed on Sunday.  My manager at that time told me that when he was a kid, you couldn’t even find gas stations open on Sunday.  Even today, most professions outside of retail stores, have the weekend off.  Why?  While few talk about it, it is the result of Christianity.  When Christ entered the world at the beginning of what we call the Common Era, Sunday was just …