Mableton First Baptist Church

2001

The congregation again produced the The Journey on April 12-15 at the Mableton amphitheater.

On March 11, 2001, the church voted to recommend Kirby Shaffer to attend the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

A handyman ministry was begun to assist our senior adults.

Matt McInturff was hired as Student Ministry Intern for 9 weeks in the summer.

On July 15, 2001, the Personnel Committee recommended that the church call Craig Steedley to fill the position of Associate Pastor of Education and Young Families. This was approved by the congregation, and Craig accepted.

Our Youth Department began using the gymnasium at Mableton Elementary for Wednesday night recreation to accomodate the growth.

A praise band was added to the Sunday morning worship services. This band included the piano, keyboard, drums, and several guitars. As a result, the use of the pipe organ was becoming less and less frequent. Eventually, it would be removed from the sanctuary.

On September 4, 2001, the Lighthouse Community Ministries opened to minister to the Mableton community. Generous donations were received to stock the facility with food and clothing items. Many volunteered their time to make this a great success. Twenty-four students painted the Ministry House, inside and out, to prepare for its opening. The Ministry House was open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am to 1pm to assist the community as needed. The priority of this ministry was to share Christ, while meeting physical needs.

The XTREME Youth Ensemble (youth choir) attended SonPower in Orlando, Florida, on July 9-15. Twenty of our youth attended. At the end of the week, the gathering of students resulted in the production of a praise and worship CD of all the songs rehearsed during the week.

Pastor Childers' vision for the church included Equip, Evangelize, Encourage and Exalt.

As Sunday Night Worship attendance had declined significantly over the years, new options were explored. First we began "Church 242" on Sunday evenings. It included dinner and small groups for Bible study. This was quite successful for a while. Later the church instituted a once-a -month praise and worship service for Sunday evenings in place of small group study.

The church radio station began operation with encouraging messages at 98.9 AM. Also, the church website (fbclight.org) was revamped and publicized to make more people aware that it existed. Many prayer requests were received via the website from non-members.

The year 2001 was the first year that the church budget was over one million dollars, and giving provided 92.5% of that budget by year's end. Sunday School attendance averaged well over 300 each month, and we were out of space in critical areas of the facility. The staff considered many solutions to this problem, including moving the Media Library to a smaller space.