Mission

Opportunities to Count the Cost

Church Family,

I am thankful for the visit and challenge Al Jackson brought our church from Luke 9 on Sunday. There is a high cost of following Jesus. We must be willing to surrender our comfortable lifestyles and personal plans and follow faithfully to the finish. The price is significant but worth it! This kind of joyful commitment is what it will take for Crestview to replicate disciples from Griffin to the ends of the earth. There are two tangible opportunities to count the cost this weekend.

 

NORTH AMERICAN MISSIONS OFFERING: SUNDAY

Brother Al diagnosed the uncomfortable reality that believers often hoard the Lord's resources by refusing to release what God has given to us to fund His mission. We spend on our comforts and pleasures rather than investing in God's kingdom and reaching the world with the gospel.

Crestview’s North American Missions Offering Goal is $7,000—approximately $40 per member. Prayerfully consider how you can honor the Lord, follow the Spirit's leadership, and give this Sunday generously to support our church planting missionaries throughout North America.

 

ENGAGING NEIGHBORS: SATURDAY AT 11:00 AM

A second way to count the cost is by setting aside this Saturday from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM to engage neighbors with the gospel. There are two kinds of people around you who are far from God and need Jesus—1) those you know and 2) those you don't know. We have learned to pray and engage those we know with the gospel using an Oikos Map. So, what about those we don't know?

 

Engaging Neighbors on the second Saturday of the month is one way we are working together as a church to engage those we do not know. Simply meet in the fellowship hall at 11:00 AM for training and prayer. We will then go out in pairs to visit neighbors near the church campus. We will courteously engage them, searching for those the Lord has given a willingness to hear the 3-Circles gospel presentation. After an hour, we will return to the church campus and share the results. We will finish by 12:30 PM. Through this effort, we hope to 1) Start evangelistic studies of the Gospel of Mark, 2) Start Foundations for Disciples with those who profess faith, and 3) Invite neighbors to our Sunday service.

 

Is there anything hindering you from making this part of your schedule this Saturday? I pray that we will see many Crestview members on Saturday morning willing to count the cost and engage our neighbors. In the event of inclement weather, we will pivot and go to local indoor establishments, like restaurants or coffee shops, to strike up gospel conversations.

 

DEVELOPING LEADERS BREAKFAST: SATURDAY AT 8:30 AM

 This is our second month of this new training breakfast for current and future leaders. See the announcement below for more information and a link to the reading plan, discussion questions, and future schedule. A continental breakfast and coffee will be served.

 

MAKE PLANS FOR EASTER WITH CRESTVIEW

 See the announcements below for information on our joint Good Friday service with The Pinecrest Church in Fayetteville and our Resurrection Sunday plans.

 

 For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

On Twelve Years as Lead Pastor

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you. 1 Peter 5:2

Church Family,

This week several items are on my mind:

On Twelve Years as Lead Pastor

This past Sunday marked my twelfth year as your lead shepherd. I am thankful for the Lord’s grace in reaching this milestone. Think for a moment about the thousands of prayers, myriads of conversations, multitudes of phone calls and text messages, and hundreds of sermons we have experienced together. It is a humbling privilege to be entrusted by the Lord to shepherd one of his local churches. I am grateful for the way you love my family and me. I am thankful for the way you affirm my leadership and give ear to the teaching. Most of all, I rejoice that you are endeavoring to walk faithfully with Jesus each day.     

On Our Refreshed Vision

It seems fitting that on my pastoral anniversary, a refreshed purpose statement was set forth. This statement was developed through each sermon in the Be the Church series and succinctly communicates our priorities: Crestview exists to glorify the Lord, replicate disciples of Jesus, live in community, and engage the world with the gospel. While this statement is fresh and new for us, there is no fundamental change in the direction of Crestview. These have been and will continue to be our priorities as a church. This vision is the same for every faithful gospel church throughout time and around the world. I pray this statement will help us better understand what the Lord calls us to be as his church.

On Commissioning

This Sunday, October 10, we will commission one of our members for international service. As we saw in Romans 10, sending out workers is a meaningful way we engage the world with the gospel. You will want to be present in the worship center for this special time as a church family. Out of the need to respect security concerns, the live stream will end after the sermon, and commissioning will not be available in the fellowship hall, at home, nor by YouTube. You need to be present in the worship center this Sunday to participate.

On Deacon Nominations

Thanks to all who participated in the deacon nomination process. Over the coming weeks, the elders and deacons will examine those who received the greatest number of nominations. Those who are qualified and desire to serve will be recommended to the congregation ahead of the November members meeting. Please continue to pray for this stage of the process.

On the Mission Georgia Offering

Praise the Lord! Crestview gave $5,150 for the Mission Georgia offering. Pray for these gifts to be used in the transformation of lives across our state.  

 

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

Atlanta and the world

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! Psalm 96:3

As the word of God spread outward from Jerusalem in the decades following the resurrection of our Lord, cities played a vital role in this expansion. The Apostle Paul's proclaimed the gospel and established churches in the major urban centers of the Mediterranean world, like Antioch, Ephesus, and Corinth. Establish churches in these urban centers, and, to be sure, the gospel would spread. It did.

The Atlanta metro area is a modern-day urban center that, like first-century Ephesus, is influencing the world. Last week our team serving in Clarkston (east Atlanta) saw this first-hand. We helped lead Camp Encounter with Clarkston International Bible Church and SendRelief (NAMB), where over 100 children and their families heard the gospel. These children represent Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Nepal, just to name a few nations. These families are being loved and are hearing the gospel here in America. The reverberations of this love are being experienced worldwide as they communicate with their family and friends. Church, the Lord has brought the nations to our doorstep so that his marvelous works may be declared!

I am thankful for the fourteen members who served and the 166 members who sent them. Let’s continue to pray for eternal, gospel fruit.  Let’s be committed to the great opportunity we have to make much of Jesus here in the Atlanta metro area.  All people need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. May we continue to be a church that is faithful in this mission!

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

 

 

 

 

Crestview Team Commissioned to Clarkston, GA

When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:33-34

This past Sunday, Crestview commissioned our latest team to go into Clarkston, Georgia (east Atlanta) for a week of ministry. We will once again serve alongside our friends at Clarkston International Bible Church (CIBC) and SendRelief (NAMB). The underlying ministry objective is to see the gospel spread among the refugee population in Clarkson.

A refugee is someone who has fled one’s home country and cannot return because of a well-founded fear of persecution. [1]  After two to four years of United Nations processing, around 1,000 refugees, sometimes more, are legally resettled into Clarkston each year, where they begin a new life in America. This resettlement is one of the ways the Lord is bringing the nations to our doorstep.

Next week our team will serve in CIBC's Camp Encounter and reach the community with gospel intentionality. Below this article is a list of those who will be serving.  Ways you can pray:

  • Pray for the glory of the Lord to be loved in Clarkston

  • Pray for children and their families to experience the love of Christ through us.

  • Pray for our team to have the stamina for the week and to share the gospel boldly.

  • Pray that we will serve our partners well and be a rich blessing to their ministry in Clarkston.

  • Pray that all members of Crestview faithfully pray for this team.

The word sojourner used in the passage heading of this article is another name for refugee. The Lord calls us to love the sojourner as we love ourselves. I’m thankful for a team eager to spend a week doing this. Pray we do so in the fullness of the Spirit and the joy of the Lord.

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas


[1] Bauman, Seeking Refuge, 79.

Resuming Wednesday Night Activities

WHAT A GREAT DAY!

This past Lord’s Day was a wonderful day of worship and fellowship as a church family. The Spirit of God was clearly at work in hearts during gathered worship. The Lord is stirring our church. May we continue to walk in faithfulness to him, keeping in step with His Spirit, and obeying his commands. 

RESUMING WEDNESDAY NIGHT ACTIVITIES

Wednesday night we will resume our mid-week activities at 6:30 PM.  Everyone will begin the evening together in the worship center and then scatter to our various meeting locations. Elementary Kids will be applying the Gospel Project lesson from this past Sunday. Student ministry will enjoy a bit of fun and games and then focus on discipling by studying Galatians.  Any parents who need nursery for children (walking through 5-yrs) please contact Cole Barnes: cole@crestviewbapitst.org

Adults will continue our Bible-centered discipling. This is a PERFECT opportunity to get involved in a discipling group.  We plan to form men’s, women’s, and couple’s groups. In the announcements below you can find a link to the discipling format and daily Bible reading plan. This week we will be completing 2 Corinthians and starting Galatians.

 SURPLUS FOR ADDITIONAL MISSIONS

Each quarter that church giving exceeds expenses a portion of the surplus is directed to additional mission and ministry efforts. This week, on behalf of Crestview, I was able to pass along additional financial gifts to support two of our ministry partners:

These gifts are over-and-above our regular monthly gifts to these ministries. Praise the Lord!

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas

Reaching Far and Near

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… Matthew 28:19

 INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS OFFERING (LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING)

We have just finished a week of prayer for international missions.  You have been praying for the spread of the gospel to people groups across the planet. As you have prayed, I trust the Lord has freshly reminded you of the joyful responsibility to support our missionaries who are serving around the world. During the Christmas season each year our church, along with thousands more, receives a special offering – the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions.  100% of this offering goes to support international gospel work in some of the hardest, darkest, least reached places in the world.

This year I have set Crestview’s giving target at $10,000. This is ambitious – but it reflects the priority of the task of reaching the world. In my time here, we have never given this much to this offering.  In 2019 we gave $6,200. In 2018 we gave $5,700. The previous years the offering was around $3,000 annually. The Lord has blessed our church and our members in MANY ways this year. On Sunday, December 20, bring your gifts or give on-online, and let’s see what God does.

Crestview has 170 members, representing 85 family units. If each family were to give $125 we would exceed the $10,000 goal.  Each family is different, and we are not called to equal giving.  We are, though, called to proportional giving.  Give as the Lord inspires and enables you.  The resources are in our bank accounts. Will we joyfully release them back to the Lord for kingdom use?

Someone has said, “The light that burns farthest burns brightest at home.” This is true – especially as it reflects the great commission heart of a church.  The more prayerful, generous, and faithful we are to the instruction of Jesus to make disciples of all nations, the stronger our walk and witness will be for Christ here at home.

A MESSAGE OF HOPE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS

Our effort to share the gospel in our city is in high swing!  Saturday we handed out 300 invitations in the Beatty Hills neighborhood. Sunday you took home with you invitations for your neighbors and friends. Have you passed them out yet?  The social media promotion is underway on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Thousands in a 5 mile radius of our church campus will see information about A Message of Hope.  Please spread the word by sharing on your social media accounts as well.

What should you be doing this week? 

  • Praying:  Pray for many to hear the gospel and come to saving faith. Pray the gospel to be clearly presented. Pray for us all to be faithful, courageous, and bold to invite.

  • Inviting: Invite friends and family who do not know Christ to come with you to gathered worship these next two Sundays.

  • Sharing: Make sharing the gospel with your One a priority in these upcoming days. Share and repost social media links and email announcements. 

  • Showing Up: Come prepared to glorify the Lord together! A Spirit-filled church is a powerful testimony to the truth of the gospel. Make attendance these next two Sundays a priority for you and your family. Be prepared to serve the church – whatever may be needed.  We expect to need to maximize fellowship hall seating.

For His Glory,

Pastor Thomas