On January 28, 2025, a quorum of deacons met with Pastor Mike Holloway and began our time in prayer.    

Mike Holloway, while pleased to inform us that recent OBC giving far exceeded the budgeted norm, also provided a sobering update on the broken air-handler in the auditorium.

The unit has no replacement part, so one has to be specially manufactured. It may be warm weather before the repair is complete. Mitigation efforts are underway to warm the space by raising the temperature and drawing in heat from the second unit, which is still working.              

Lori Bast, who leads the cleaning activities of one of the larger OBC ministries, was called in as our ministry guest. She distributed one list of nearly 40 OBC servants, who through a monthly rotation, maintain a pleasant building for us all to worship in, and then another checklist of how her teams effectively cover specified areas and tasks.  Encouraged by new recruits, she made it clear that the need is always there for a few more.      

This month we reviewed chapter 25 in the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 on Marriage - and we were, not surprisingly, all in agreement. The chapter begins with the statement, “Marriage is to be between one man and one woman.” Who would have thought that over 300 years later this simple doctrine would have so many distractors.   

Ongoing projects include removing exterior vandalism art, painting the interior walls in the Toddler Nursery, and drawing near to some who are bearing especially heavier burdens. The next All-Church Workday is planned for April 26, 2025.

Always considered a blessing and a privilege, the deacons continue their work and are available to attend to the routine and unscripted needs of the body. We meet again on February 25.