Mableton First Baptist Church

2008

We held theRA Racer Derby on February 13.

Our VBS theme was "Outrigger Island", held June 16-21. Elaine Ridgway teaches a Bible study.

We rejoiced to welcome our new pastor, Stephen Byrd and his family on June 21

We had a Light the Night celebration for the community on October 31.

On January 27, 2008, the church membership voted to close the Lighthouse Women's Center. The contents of the house were given to the Lighthouse Community Ministry and Seamless Garment Ministry.

Kindergarten Ministry Day was held on March 2, 2008. At this event, all Kindergarten and MMO families were invited to worship with our church family. The children prepared special music to sing for the congregation and for their families. Many kindergarten families have become church members as a result of their affiliation with our program and our making them feel welcome at this annual event.

On June 22, 2008, the Pastor Search Committee recommended that we call Stephen Byrd as our pastor, effective July 20, 2008. The Byrd family would reside in the gray house at the corner of Church and Avery Streets, rent free, until the sale of his house in Louisiana was completed. 292 votes were cast, and the percentage of Yes votes was 99.8%. Rev. Byrd accepted.

The Personnel Committee recommended that the church purchase cell phones for the staff and add the cell phone usage to the budget. The church voted to approve.

Mableton First Baptist, as of July, 2008, was giving $667 per month/$8000 per year to the Cooperative Program.

The Lighthouse Community Ministry, for the months of July through September of 2008, served 169 families and distributed 8,486 pounds of food. An offering was taken once per quarter to support this ministry.

As of the beginning of the school year in August, 2008, 89 children were enrolled in our Kindergarten program and 41 children were enrolled in our Mother's Morning Out program.

On August 23 and 24, the Celebration Choir presented "We Will Worship" with the First Baptist Church Woodstock orchestra. We welcomed back many former choir members for a "Homecoming" performance. 90 voices and a 70-piece orchestra presented the music to a congregation of approximately 800.

Youth attendance had dropped to an average of 10 on Wednesday nights and 10 on Sunday mornings. On October 15, the student ministry held a parents' meeting to introduce a new vision for parents and students.

Average monthly giving for 2008 totaled $52,496. Average Sunday School attendance was 173.