Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts

The word for the day is Excitement, in our church and in our town. Our Christian Education Department launched the Macedonia Christian Leadership School under the direction of the National Baptist Convention USA, INC.

We will be running five (5) Discipleship programs consisting of Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Formation, Effective Bible Reading, Baptist Doctrine and Evangelism. I want to say thank you to our Christian Education Director, Deacon Chris Dudley and our Dean of Records Sister Cynthia Bellaphant for all of their hard work in setting up and running our CLS.

Sunday was our first class and we exceeded our pre-registration numbers, To God be the Glory!! I was amazed at a needs survey we did at this church how many members thought they had NO SPIRITUAL GIFTS but yet believed they were saved. SO many members believed the only gifts were singing, preaching, leadership, therefore, I don't have those so I must not have any spiritual gifts.

It is our goal for this class to help students identify and then learn how to implement the gifts God has given the body of Christ through His members.

Please pray for us. Some students are taking these courses for certification and some are taking it for information. Either way, we just want to make God pleased with our efforts to develop students who can rightly divide the Word of Truth.

The other excitement in the air is the College National Championship Title Game tonight where the #1 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take on the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide. I certainly have local rooting interest in the game as I have spent time with many members of the Notre Dame football team who visit and help assist in ministry at our Church.

We thank God and our church is praying for Coach Ernest Jones who is responsible for helping develop the Fighting Irish football players in three of the five core areas Head Coach Kelly uses to develop and complete student-athletes: intellectual development, social development and spiritual development (the coaching staff is charged with skill development and the strength and conditioning staff is responsible for physical development).

Coach Jones runs INSPIRATION, A Bible based study and prayer group for students, coaches and athletes within the athletic department. We pray for his strength and we pray for the young men who will represent South Bend tonight against Alabama.

We don't mind Alabama rolling but tonight we hope Roll Tide rolls like they are on four flat tires and the Irish win.