Lead Pastor Michael J. Paris

 

A child of God, Husband of Sue, Father, Grandfather, Pastor and friend.  Pastor Mike longs to lead men and women to live like they are God’s most treasured possession and grow in their faith all for the Glory of Him who is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

 

Hey Church –

For baseball players, spring training has wrapped up and opening day for the 2024 season is here. If you love  baseball, this is the most wonderful time of the year! (unless you prefer only football!) There is something extra  special about the possibilities of a new set of players, a fresh scoresheet, and a chance at a run at the pennant. 

For church members, spring training is still coming! The Northeast Fellowship has a training conference for congregants each year in Breesport, NY. The event is designed to get us into shape as a team and rally us toward a winning ministry season. There is something for everyone. You can attend 6 of the 30 available workshops on a  variety of topics. (https://nfibc.org/events/serveboldly/)  

Who needs this training? 

  1. Ministry veterans – Sometimes even people who have served for lots of seasons in the same role need a  refresher course. Multiple repetitions of a bad practice, rhythm, or technique can get grooved as a bad  habit. There is something helpful about having a different perspective from another ministry veteran from  another location. We often need reminders of the reason we got into this ministry in the first place.  Veterans also make these workshops interesting with real-world solutions and suggestions during Q&A  time. 
  2. Ministry journeymen – You may be ready for a ministry switch. You may have been on the injured reserve  list, or simply taking a break from something that you have outgrown or wore yourself out on. Many  times, a change of positions helps refresh your enthusiasm, energy and excitement. Attending one of  these workshops might help you explore a new area of ministry without committing to it yet. There are lots of people at these conferences that have played many positions in smaller rural churches like ours. 
        3. Ministry rookies – Whenever you start into a new position or join a new ministry team (formerly known as

        committees), there is a learning curve. Figuring out how to be good, even great at your position is often more fun if you             are not the only newbie. Ministry training in a group may even yield a new insight that you can bring back to Attica.                     Rookies don’t have any preconceived notions of how it has always been done. We love ministry rookies at FBC@A!  

  1. Ministry Coaches, Batboys, Waterboys, or Cheerleaders – A team takes lots of support. This ministry training conference might just be a chance to travel with the team! Being a member of FBC@A includes a commitment to finding your place of input, activity, and support to the team. Not everyone is up front. Not everyone is a star player.  Not everyone has a big job. But everyone is important, and every job is valuable. (EPH 4:7, 11-16) We need  people like you to coach, recruit, scout, cheer, substitute and support the winning team.
 

In case, I haven’t made my case clearly yet, YOU need this conference. We need FBC@A to be a church that has  training (aka “formal discipleship”) in its DNA. You need to be warned, encouraged, helped, and prayed for (1THS  5:14). You need friends on other teams from other places who will help you get better at serving Jesus right here.  We need the larger Church to help us get better as a local church team. 

Please don’t miss this opportunity to improve your serve at FBC@A. You can get more information at the website  (https://nfibc.org/events/serveboldly/) or ask me! I hope that you will consider investing one of your 52 Saturdays (APR 27) and some of your hard earned cash ($25) in this great event and our great team. All aboard the bus to  Breesport! (or van or sedan or truck – yes we can carpool!) This conference comes only once a season.

Happy Eastertide Blessings!

Pastor Mike → pastormike33@yahoo.com, 607.220.9911, 99 East Ave, Attica NY 14011