by Frank R. Lewis, senior pastor
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Psalm 95:6
2010 is the Year of Worship and Prayer at First Baptist Nashville. As a part of our implementation of FBC's Core Values, our staff joins me in inviting you to embrace this
theme in the coming year. In 2010, I will be preaching about worship and prayer, new opportunities will be created for you to participate in meaningful times of worship and prayer, and we encourage you to set a personal growth goal in these areas. Imagine the blessing of growing in just these two disciplines during the coming year! I think it will make a difference in our church and in all of our ministries.
A significant prayer focus will take place during the season of Lent (the forty days leading up to Easter) as we attempt to enlist a 24 hour, 7 day a week, unbroken prayer chain involving First Baptist Nashville members. We're asking members to sign up to pray for one hour a week during the six weeks of Lent. (For example, you could sign up for every Tuesday at 2:00 a.m. during the emphasis.) The prayer focus will be on Spiritual Renewal as we pray for our church, our community, and our nation leading up to Easter Sunday morning. You will be blessed as a member of the prayer team, and our church will be blessed because you prayed!
Special concerts are on the calendar and more are being added as we prepare for the year. In May, we will once again host the National Festival of Homiletics, arguably the one preaching event that draws some of the best preachers in the world together. You'll love being a part of these special events!
I've asked our ministers to let the emphasis of Prayer and Worship be elevated in all of their planning and programming in the coming year. I hope that you will find ways to do the same in your areas of influence. This may be the year that you begin a family worship and prayer time. Let it be the year you keep a journal for your prayer and worship experiences. Commit to prayer-walking your neighborhood on a consistent basis. Re-engage the disciplines of a daily devotion time. Make time to sit still in the presence of God in one of our State Parks, local Greenways, or even in our Sanctuary during the middle of the day. The possibilities are endless--but if each one of us will put an effort into growing in the disciplines of worship and prayer, we'll be a better church for it.
