Grace Baptist Church in Guilderland

Transcription

1 Grace Baptist Church in Guilderland Church & Community Profile 5958 State Farm Rd. Guilderland, NY Office (518) GraceGuilderland.org 1

2 Table of Contents Where do we come from? What defines Grace Baptist Our Beliefs Our Goals Regarding our Next Pastor Church Demographics - Attendance - Property - Income & Budget Community Profile Church family pictures Vacation Bible School 2

3 Where we come from Grace Baptist is a product of two churches merging in March of When they merged, Stanford Heights Baptist Church had an over 50 year history of serving the Schenectady area, and Bethel Baptist was a CBM church plant just 5 years old. They bought land half way in between the two meeting places. In Spring of 2000, CBM missionary builders helped us start construction on our current building. It was finished in October 2001, and we have been meeting there ever since. In Summer of 2013, we finished the parsonage so we could graduate from mission status and call our first pastor. We have had two Missionary Pastors in our history. Pastor Ed Woods served for 8 years, before being called by God into the ESL ministry. Pastor Jeff Minniear has served for 16 years so far as our second missionary Pastor. What defines Grace Baptist? Hand-bell Choir at Mall during Christmas Grace Baptist is a family of believers that welcomes and loves all visitors, regardless of ethnicity, income level, age, gender, education level, or choice of dress. We are a God-fearing, God-centered, and God-praising church where the Word is preached faithfully and our messages are biblically sound. Within our body one can engage in conversations about anything from the weather to theology to philosophy to politics to science. We depend on the scriptures and humbly work to build and equip one another. If anyone is in need, we actively help and support in any way possible. We are a church that loves the Bible and music; is mission minded; has dedicated members who have strong prayer lives; has been described as peaceful, welcoming, joyful, patient, and kind. Grace Baptist is a place where people who hunger for the truth will find a true, biblical church. 3

4 Our Beliefs ARTICLES OF FAITH I. OF THE SCRIPTURES We believe that the Holy Bible (Scriptures) is that collection of sixty-six books which are verbally (each word) and plenarily (the totality of the message) inspired of God, inerrant. and therefore our only authority in matter of faith and practice. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21; Psalm 119:89) II. OF THE TRUE GOD We believe that there is only one living, true, and infinite God, and that in the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and attribute, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption and all other divine undertakings. (Mark 12:29; I Corinthians 8:6; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; Revelation 1:17 III. OF JESUS CHRIST We believe that Jesus Christ was the only begotten of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner; born of Mary, a virgin. as no other man ever was or can be born of woman: and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son. (Genesis 3:15: Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:4) We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace, through the mediatorial offices of the Son, who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, honored the divine law by His obedience, and by His death made a full and vicarious (substitutionary) payment for our sins; that His death was a voluntary 4 substitution of Himself in the sinner's place, bearing our sins in His own body on the cross: that having risen from the dead; He is now enthroned in Heaven and is in every way qualified to be the suitable, compassionate, and all-sufficient Savior. (Ephesians 2:8; II Corinthians 5:21; I Corinthians 15:3; Romans 3:24-25; John 3:16; Matthew 18:11; Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 2:14; Isaiah 53:4-7; I John 4:10) IV. OF THE HOLY SPIRIT We believe in the personality, deity, and work of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead. We believe that He is the agent in the new birth; that He indwells, seals, guides, teaches, endues, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer: that the gifts of tongues and healing were temporary until the Scriptures were completed and ceased at that time. (John 14:16-17,26; 16:8-15: Acts 5:32; Romans 8:14,16,26,27; Ephesians 1:13-14; I Corinthians 13:8) V. OF MAN We believe that Adam was created by a direct act of God, from the dust of the ground, and not by any process of evolution. We believe that the days of Genesis were literal twenty-four (24) hour days. (Gen 1:1,17; 2:7) We believe that Adam was created in innocence, but by his own transgression fell from his sinless state. Consequently all mankind is sinful, totally depraved, by which we mean his natural utter inability to receive the things of the Spirit of God, apart from the quickening grace of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 1:18; 3:23; 5:12, 19; Gen 3:1-6; Eph 2:1-3; Jeremiah 17:9)

5 Marriage and Human Sexuality We believe that in the Garden of Eden, God ordained and defined the institution of Marriage as being the union of one man and one woman, and that this matrimonial union provides the only legitimate expression and outlet for human sexuality. Biblical marriages are the foundation for godly families and a Godblessed society.(gen 2:24; 26:8-9; Mt 19:4-6; Rom 7:2; 1Cor 7:2-9; Eph 5:22-25; Heb 13:4) VI. OF SATAN We believe the devil, Satan, is a personal being, the malignant prince of the power of the world, and the unholy god of this world: whose final destination is the eternal lake of fire. (Job 1:6-12; Matthew 4:1-11; II Corinthians 4:4; Ezekiel 28; Isaiah 14; Revelation 20:1-3,10) VII. OF SALVATION We believe sinners must be born again, that the new birth is a new creation in Jesus Christ: that it is instantaneous: that this birth is brought about solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth: that its proper evidence appears in the fruits of repentance, faith and newness of life. (John 3:3, 6-8; II Cor 5:17,18; I Jn 5:1; Acts 16:30-33; 20:20-21; II Peter 1:4; Colossians 2:13; Romans 10:9-13) The result and blessing of the new birth include being justified (pardoned from sin): being given the gift of eternal life; and being sanctified (being made clean, pure, holy by divine action which positionally sets up apart from sin). (Acts 13:39; Romans 5:1,10, 8:1; I Thessalonians 4:3; II Corinthians 7:1; I Peter 1:1-2) VIII. OF THE CHURCH We believe that the universal church, which is the body of Christ, was established on the day of Pentecost and that believers from Pentecost to the rapture compose this church, which is the bride of Christ. The local church is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship in the gospel, observing the local church ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper, and is governed by its only head, the Lord Jesus Christ. Its only authority in all matters of faith and practice is the Word of God. The church's officers are: Pastor and Deacons and its ministry is the edification of the saints and the faithful spread of the gospel worldwide. We believe that the local church is the agent for carrying out the purpose of God in this church age. We believe that all true believers are kept by the power of God through faith. (Acts 2:41-42; 13:1-3; 20:17-28; I Corinthians 11:2; 12:12-13: Ephesians 1: ; 4:11-16; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; II Timothy 3:1-16) IX. OF THE LAST TIMES We believe that the soul and spirit of eachbeliever who dies prior to the rapture go immediately into God's presence. (I Corinthians 15; John 5:25-29) We believe in the bodily, imminent, pre-millennial, pretribulational rapture of the church to meet the Lord in the air, and in Christ's coming with His church at the close of the tribulation to judge the living nations and to set up His millennial kingdom on earth. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 19:11-21) We believe that those who have died in Christ will be raised bodily at His coming for His church and caught up with the living saints to meet Him in the air. We believe the saved will spend eternity with the Lord in conscious joy in heaven. 5

6 Our Goals and Dreams All information given in this section was derived from a church survey Current Goals - Ideas Better evangelize the Capital Region, Serve this community & the poor with food/clothes pantry, Maybe a Community Garden to help others with food 5 year Goals Continued health and stability for the Church in an ever changing population. Missions trips to other small churches Send out our own Missionary(s) 10 year Goals We would love to grow to the point we could plant, or help plant a daughter church Regarding our Next Pastor Shepherd needed for a vibrant flock just outside of Albany, New York. We desire to glorify God in fulfilling the great commission by preaching the Gospel, making disciples and impacting the community where God has planted us. We also strongly support missions to spread the Gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts. The pastor needs to be humble, relying on the Spirit of God more than his own skills and abilities. He must be able to lead with a gentle spirit; must be able to rightly divide scripture, not tolerate error, but discern differences due to individual's understanding, preferences, or traditions. He must recognize that while he is not gifted in all areas, God has gifted the body in diverse ways and members need encouragement in their gifts and ministries. And, he must understand that since the call to ministry is from God, not from men, that God will call us into areas beyond our comfort zone. 6

7 Church Demographic Makeup & Attendance we regularly focus on outreach as it is a challenge to grow the church faster than God moves them on. From member families totaling 55 people: 1-11 yrs. old 31% % % % % 65+ 5% Education of voting members: 70% have some college 23% have Masters degrees 12% are doing or have done Doctoral Work As we think of the jobs represented among members and attendees we have 6 State workers (2 in I.T., a librarian, a guard, a switchboard operator). We have 5 hourly workers, 4 doctoral students, a teacher, a nurse, a dental hygienist, a physicist, a railroad worker, a utilities engineer, a call center manger, a Bank I.T., an I.T. system architect, 2 unemployed, 12 homemakers, & 9 retired. We live in a very transient area and many who have been part of our Church family have moved across the country or back to their native lands. We averaged for several years. Over the past year God has grown our church to where our average attendance on Sunday mornings is a little over 70. It is not unusual to lose one or more families a year to job relocations., so From regular attendee families totaling 32 people we have: 1-11 yrs. old 24% % % % % 65+ 8% Educational Backgrounds for the adults: 56% have some college 9% have masters 6% are doing doctoral work Our Church family enjoys a wide range of races and nationalities. Considering both members and regular attendees we are predominately white with 2 Indian families, a Chinese wife & daughter, a Filipino wife, a Serbian lady; Taiwanese & Korean doctoral students; 2 Caribbean Black husbands with white wives, a white husband with a black wife, an elder black wife, and a Japanese husband & wife. 7

8 Church Property The Church owns 20.5 acres on one site. Around 6 acres are used by the Church for yards and buildings. The other acres are in rolling hills to the side and the back of the property. Church Income & Budget In 2010 we budgeted $53,935, we brought in $71,505 and spent 63,122. In 2011 we budgeted $55,224; we brought in $83,369 and spent $ Note: we were aggressively paying off the Church mortgage all through this time. In 2012, while building the parsonage, we budgeted $67,860; we actually brought in $58,900 and only spent $48,767. In 2013, we budgeted $63,042, bought in $76,044 and spent $66,843. We have budgeted $66,463 for We have been aggressively paying off the Parsonage mortgage with the hopes of paying it off by April Our last piece of indebtedness should be paid off 18 months after that.. Missions is just over 13% of annual budget with some Faith Promise giving above that. 8

9 Community Profile: The primary employers in the area are the state government, 20 institutions of higher learning, and numerous high tech start-up companies. Guilderland is also a shopping mecca, attracting people from a hundred mile radius; and, a portion of the sprawling campus of the State University of New York at Albany, the largest college in the area with 17,500 students, is located in Guilderland. Grace Baptist Church 4 mile radius from Church facilities Description Value POPULATION BY YEAR Population (4/1/1990) 38,473 Population (1/1/2013) 44,106 Population (1/1/2018) 45,564 Percent Forecast (2018/2013) 3.31 HOUSEHOLDS BY YEAR Households (4/1/1990) 13,490 Households (1/1/2013) 16,085 Households (1/1/2018) 16,668 Percent Forecast (2018/2013) 3.62 GENERAL POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS Median Age 36.6 Male 21,014 Female 23,092 Density 1,094.4 Urban 41,468 Rural 2,638 HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS Households (1/1/2013) 16,085 Families 9,594 Non-Family Households 6,491 Average Size of Household 2.27 Median Age of Householder 54.0 Median Value Owner Occupied ($) 233,816 Median Rent ($) 941 Median Vehicles Per Household 2.2 HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS Housing, Units 17,138 Housing, Owner Occupied 10,765 Housing, Renter Occupied 5,320 Housing, Vacant 1,053 POPULATION BY RACE White Alone 35,793 Black Alone 2,683 Asian Alone 3,966 American Indian & Alaska Native 53 Other Race Alone 553 ETHNICITY Hispanic 2,095 White Non-Hispanic 34,837 GENERAL INCOME CHARACTERISTICS Median Household Income ($) 80,650 Average Household Income ($) 99,694 Per Capita Income ($) 37,610 EMPLOYMENT BY PLACE OF BUSINESS Employees, Total (by Place of Work) 22,302 Establishments, Total (by Place of Work) 1,179 9

10 Albany County Educational Attainment Valentine s Banquet International Thanksgiving Banquet Guilderland zip code Educational Attainment Guilderland zip code Educational Enrollment Candle Light Christmas Eve Service Sunday Morning worship - announcements Ladies International Cooking Fellowship 10

11 2011 Christmas Program Church Facilities in Winter 2014 Easter Cantata New Parsonage Congregation on Resurrection Morning Ladies Tea Worship Team Youth Sunday Baptism Easter Father s Day Outing Hike 2013

12 Grace Baptist Church Job Description Seeking a Baptist Pastor for Church Plant s first Pastor in bedroom community of Albany, NY, the state capital. Principal Function: From the Constitution: His primary responsibility will be to study the Bible and to teach it "line upon line and precept upon precept" to the people. He has the general oversight of the spiritual life, regular services, and the administration of the ordinances of the church. He is to provide care, counseling, and visitation to those in need. He is the Moderator of the church and member ex-officio of all boards and committees. Job Classification: The Church is offering a total package worth $26,400 and a brand new parsonage. We know this may be financially tight and the Church desires to increase this as soon as possible. Knowing that, we are open to discussions about the Pastor or his spouse having to work for extra income. Responsibilities: Study and work to maintain personal spiritual growth, health, and freshness. Lead or delegate the leadership of the congregational services: Provide guidance for planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and evaluating the total church calendar and program. Preach/teach at all worship services that include preaching/teaching or arrange for someone else to perform this function. Lead the congregation in seeking the salvation of the lost and nurturing of the saved, assimilating new attendees- inviting the saved to join. Lead the church in a caring ministry for persons in the church and the community. Lead the church members to become involved in missions and the church missionaries. Be present at, if possible, and moderate all church business meetings, Serve as church administrator. Plan for and provide leadership in the observance of the church ordinances. 12 Conduct sessions where people seek Biblical counseling as appropriate. Conduct funeral services and wedding ceremonies. Work with deacons, church officers, and committees as they perform their assigned responsibilities. To represent the church as a messenger to all association meetings, if funds and time are available. Represent the church in civic matters as directed by the body. Serve as voting member of all church committees and as staff advisor for church committees as needed. Visits members and regular attendees who are in the hospital, nursing homes, etc., as well as Church visitors; delegating these responsibilities to deacons and other church lay leaders as appropriate. Follow all the Church Articles of Faith, Constitution, policies, procedures, as well as all applicable federal and state laws. Make himself available nights and weekends for emergency pastoral care, delegating these responsibilities to deacons and other lay leaders as appropriate. Place primary attention to focus on family and marriage to lead, grow, and protect them. Refreshment: The Pastor will be expected to take time off weekly as needs and workload allow. The Pastor and Deacons will decide vacation time. The Constitution requires Candidate to affirm: That he can fully endorse our Articles of Faith and is willing to faithfully carry out the Church Constitution. That he never has been divorced That he is not in sympathy with any organizations considered apostate by this church ie.(national Council of Churches, World Council of Churches, National Association of Evangelicals) That he is willing to cooperate with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches and the Empire State Fellowship of Regular Baptist churches That, if he is not an ordained Baptist minister, he is willing to become one at an early date and will carry through on the commitment