Come See What God Has Done!
“Come and see what God has done: He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of man.” -Psalm 66:5
On September 2, 2009, a small group of believers gathered in my living room and signed the Grace Harvest Baptist Church Charter. After 15 years, we celebrate what God has done through his people here at GHBC. I wanted to share the Charter that was signed 15 years ago and hangs in the Church office.
The Grace Harvest Baptist Church Charter
The Grace Harvest Baptist Church Charter God, who at various times, and in different ways spoke in times past to our fathers, revealing His glory, calling all people to salvation and establishing His church; has now also spoken to us, expressing His purposeful intention to redeem His dearly loved creation through the ministry of the Grace Harvest Baptist Church.
We solemnly and joyfully accept His commission to reach out to the unsaved and the un-churched, disciple those who know the Lord, and minister to our fellow man. In all of our activities, we seek to become all things to all men, to win them to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and see them equipped by grace to be our multiplying fellow laborers in the global harvest.
We honor the work being done in many communities by Godly men and churches of good will, and gratefully align ourselves with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia. We seek to express the truth that the diversities of global societies call the body of Christ, while remaining faithful to the scriptures, to find new and compelling ways to welcome into the kingdom of God those who are not reached by existing forms and congregations.
We prayerfully and carefully seek to be conformed to the image of Christ, trusting that the power of God, effective for salvation, will effectively give us the desire and ability to do His will.
We eagerly submit to the discipline of the word of God, enlivened by the Spirit of God. We will treasure God’s word in our hearts as our protection against sin and live transparently with accountability to our God, our families, our community of faith, and our world. We will express the power of God transforming our lives as we connect with the unregenerate world around us, empowered and equipped by the Holy Spirit to be kindly affectionate, fervent in spirit, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, steadfast in prayer and given to hospitality as we are God’s channel of mercy to meet spiritual and physical needs of people and communities around the world.
We recognize that the family is a Divine institution that precedes the church. Therefore, our ministries and activities shall find foundation in our homes, and our families participating jointly in worship, prayer, transformational Bible study, and ministry.
In solemn assembly, we commit ourselves and our families to seek the holy power of God to express the intent of this Charter in our daily lives, and through the life of our community of faith, the Grace Harvest Baptist Church. Affirmed by the undersigned this Second Day of September, in the Year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Six:
“… behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest” John 4:35b
I look forward to serving and ministering alongside each of you as we continue to go-gather-grow-go.
Your shepherd,
Pastor Mark
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