Dale Galloway, who was the Dean of the Beeson Institute when I was a student there, loved to talk about goal-setting. “When setting goals,” Dale would say, “Make sure they are out of reach, but not out of sight.” His point was we should never set for ourselves unrealistic goals that can never be attained. On the other hand, goals should force us to reach a bit. They should challenge us to grow and at times even struggle because the end result is worth the effort.
As the summer winds down and Wightman is riding the wave of a very successful Vacation Bible School, our church has set two important goals to accomplish prior to Thanksgiving. The first goal is to implement a 6-week Upward Flag Football league be- ginning in the middle of October. We already have leaders in place, but there is much to be done and many volunteers will be needed to make this a success. I believe if we all get behind this new ministry, we can meet a need in our community and provide a positive faith experience for children interested in sports. It is never easy to start a new ministry of this magnitude, but I believe, while it will cause us to reach, if we all work together it can be accomplished with excellence.
A second goal brought forward by our mission team is finishing the orphanage we have been helping with in El Salvador. They are hoping to have the kids moved into the new building before the end of the year, but need around $15,000 to make that happen. There is a donor who has stepped up with a matching challenge. This donor will match dollar for dollar everything raised up to $7500. The Administrative Council voted to make this a priority for the next few months, believing if we all work together we can make this happen. Once again, this will be a reach. There is concern that this extra money might affect people’s giving to our regular church budget. I believe, however, our history of rising to a challenge will allow us to see this opportunity as a blessing.
In Philippians 2:13 we read, “For it is God who is at work within you, giving you the will and the power to achieve his purpose.” I thank God for each of you, allowing His Spirit to work in your lives to help us achieve the goals God has placed before us for the transformation of the world.
~Pastor Brian