One sentiment I hear often since Hurricane Harvey is that FBC Rockport is the “rich church” in our community. I heard this before Harvey, of course, but it has been consistent since the storm. People say this to me as a kind of explanation for why we may not be well thought of by some, why we are not included in community relief efforts, why we are perceived as being out of touch with the real people of Aransas County, maybe stand-offish. We are the “rich church,” we don’t have any needs, we can do our own things and not care about anybody else.
This may or may not be true, depending on one’s perspective. But I’ll say this, I want FBC Rockport to show this community just how rich we truly are: rich in compassion, rich in giving, rich in serving, rich in sacrifice, rich in love, rich in faithfulness, rich in selflessness. We are filled full, overflowing with the Spirit of God and the love of Jesus Christ. Our cups run over. We are rich, and we will show just how great is our God and how limitless are His resources as He pours out His love, grace, and provision to this community.
God’s blessings are seen in the generosity shown to us from churches and individuals all over North America. God’s blessings are seen in the countless volunteers who stream through our church and then out into the community to do all kinds of work to help people recover from the storm. God’s blessings are seen in the way our members have rallied around one another and around our mission to see all people shaped by the love of Jesus Christ.
The members of FBC Rockport embraced the transforming, renovating work God began in our lives. This is seen, for instance, in how people have responded to the one worship service and being united together rather than divided by preferences. Marcie Peterson and Eric Scott show us each week what it looks like to work together to focus on and respond to the presence of God in our midst during worship. They are to be commended, and I am thankful for their leadership. It can also be seen in how willing our members have been to make accommodations for the work of recovery and relief. I could go on. I am proud to be a member of FBC Rockport.
Here are some things to remember:
Weekly Schedule
We meet for worship this Sunday, October 8, at 10:00 a.m.
Beginning Sunday, October 15, our schedule will be:
9:30 Worship
10:45 Life Groups
5:00 p.m. Bible Study with Gordon Bellinger
6:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal
Beginning Wednesday, October 18, our Wednesday night schedule will be:
5:45 p.m. Grow Studies, Children’s Music and Missions, Pastor’s Bible Study, Youth Worship
Building Update
Jeff Lanningham has been waiting for a contract from Blackmon Mooring that describes the scope and cost of the repair work to be done in our building. He has the contract now and is going over it closely with others, and coordinating everything with our insurance company. Jeff and I will continue to make the necessary decisions to get the work started. We should have more to report in the coming weeks.
Volunteer Reception Center
First Baptist Church Rockport is officially the Volunteer Reception Center (VRC) for all of Rockport and Aransas County. Our hours of operation are 8am-5pm Monday – Saturday and 1-5pm on Sunday. Jordan Mims is coordinating the work of the VRC for our church.
Remember:
- If you are an individual, group, or organization that would like to come and volunteer in the community you can come to our location at 1515 N Live Oak St to get registered and then we can give out work orders from the countywide Crisis Cleanup List, as well as, other r opportunities in the community.opportunities in the community.
- If you are a homeowner in need of work around or inside your home, you can come to us and fill out the homeowner intake form. This form gives us the information we need to send out the right crew to your home, and it will put your property on the countywide Crisis Cleanup List. You can also call the VRC at 361-727-9011.
- If you have a church or organization that would like to minister in Rockport we may be able to accommodate you at FBC Rockport if you are willing to sleep on cots or air mattresses. We are thankful to Texas Baptist Men for the use of a shower trailer for our volunteer groups! Contact the church office at 361-230-0146, or Jordan Mims at 706-399-2772. This past week we had church groups from Garland, TX and Graham, TX.
- The updated list of needed donations can be found on our website or Facebook page. Because our community has been blessed with so many donations, this week we were able to load two trucks with items we no longer need and send them to Mexico to aid those dealing with the aftermath of the recent earthquakes.
First Family Meeting October 29
Our next quarterly scheduled church conference, our First Family Meeting, will be on Sunday, October 29, at 5:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Jeff and I will update the church on everything we have done to this point and where we anticipate going from here.
