Homecoming 2007 was a great day!
May 8th, 2007
Homecoming at Olive was a great day. People were saved, old members came home, and many guests joined us to celebrate God’s goodness. Thanks are due to many who labored to pull off the event. On Monday, I watched many of the Olive staff dragging into work. A few left early looking like they needed a nap. In short, we had an exhausted team. What a great group they are. They teamed up with a host of volunteers to make all the logistics of a big day come off with little trouble. Feeding over 3,000 Baptists is never easy!
As I walked under the tents during the second wave of lunch, I was excited at what I encountered. One deacon asked me, “Who are all these people?” He normally attends the early service and he was making new friends of church members he did not know. One staff member reported enlisting volunteers during lunch. The fellowship was sweet and God moved among His people.
Sunday evening I shared the 2020 Vision Report. On Sunday morning we placed a copy of this report in each person’s hand. We went over it in detail on Sunday night. You can find a copy on the church website. Several questions surfaced in the Q&A time. Each one of them will help us with implementation. It is not enough to have a vision. ACTION must follow the dream to make it a reality. Now we enter the hard part – going to work. In the coming days a committee to oversee the ministry village will be selected. Plans for the outdoor recreational facility will begin to take shape. Be praying as the details come together.
As you read this I am at the North American Mission Board meeting in Atlanta. Part of the 2020 Vision is a partnership with NAMB in planting churches throughout America. Pray for Dr. Geoff Hammond as he takes the lead as our new president. We have much to do as we team up with him in reaching America.
Pastor Ted Traylor
June 2nd, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Dear Dr. Traylor,
Debbie and I enjoyed worshipping at Olive Baptist Church on your homecoming Sunday. The reason we were worshipping with you was to recognize Keli Mayberry for one year of ministry in your Day Care Outreach program.
Debbie and I are the seminary students that assisted at Olive Baptist after Katrina. I worked with Troy Bush to develop a Day Care Outreach for Olive Baptist Church and assisted Troy with the proposed reporting program.
During your sermon on homecoming Sunday, you mentioned your vision for an apartment complex ministry. This concept caught our attention. This spring I earned my M.A.C.E. from NOBTS. Debbie will complete her BACMin this summer. Debbie and I desire an opportunity to serve in a missions or ministry outreach capacity in the Pensacola Bay Baptist Assoc. We have been involved in neighborhood outreach for over 25 years.
I am interested in meeting with you regarding this vision, to learn more about your plans, and to see if Debbie and I could serve Olive Baptist Church in your 2020 Vision plan.
God bless you,
Philip A. Smith