|
Happy
Birthday to
First
Baptist Church Sacramento who
will celebrate her 160th birthday on September 14, 2010!
Called
By God, Called For God
The Board has
unanimously agreed and approved to the official candidacy of Reverend
William P. Kellogg of Folsom, California for the next Lead Pastor.
The Board's decision was preceded by a unanimous recommendation by
the Pastoral Search Committee. According to the Constitution and
By-Laws, the membership must approve the candidate by a 66% approval
vote. Please mark down on your calendars September 11, 12, 15 and 19.
The 11th
(5P.M.):
A general congregational meeting (all members and attenders are
invited) to meet the Kelloggs.
The 12th:
Official ''Candidate Sunday''
The 15th
(5P.M.):
A meeting held by the Board and the Pastoral Search Committee for the
congregation to ask final questions about both the candidate and the
process. (The Kelloggs will not be in attendance).
The 19th
(after church):
The membership is asked to remain after the service in order to
vote. Written ballots will be given, tabulated and the result
will be announced.
Bill's
Biography
He grew up in
Sacramento on 11th
Avenue in Land Park and
frequented Vic's Ice Cream.
The Kellogg family was
heavily involved in many Christian organizations including Young Life
and Campus Crusade.
The family attended 1st
Covenant Church (where
Pastor Bill was saved at 10 years old) and later Arcade Baptist
Church.
Bill served two years
in the United States Marine Corp.
Bill attended and
graduated from CSUS in 1972 with a B.A. degree in philosophy and from
Dallas Theological Seminary in 1978 with a ThM degree. He is a
life-long learner having spent additional time at L'Abri under Os
Guinness and Francis Schaeffer.
Bill married Susan in
1978 and they have two children - Anneliese 26 and married; Andrew 21
and single.
Bill and Susan have
over 30 years of pastoral experience in the local church. Eighteen of
those years were in Berkeley/Oakland. In 1998 he took his
current church Community Bible Church when it was 70 people and
turned it around to where today nearly 300 people attend on any given
Sunday.
One of
his board members said -
As a person, he
lives a life that is transparent. You have a high degree of
confidence because he lives what he preaches. It was a huge breath of
fresh air that he would be so transparent about his life. He also had
tremendous interaction with family. He also had tremendous generosity
with his time and money.
Bill is very personal.
One of his staff members said - Even
at 300 people he still does hospital visits because he loves it.
Bill is a terrific
discipler. As Gil Stiglitz, the Director for the Evangelical Free
Churches of Northern California said - ''His
greatest strength is that he works with people very well and is
focused on training them and putting them in leadership roles.''
A final comment from
one of his board members helped to validate what we were thinking and
feeling.
The church is doing
well. I can't think of any negative reason as to why he would leave.
It has to be a "God thing" all the way.
Why
We Chose Pastor Bill
1. He
met and exceeded the basic Creed, Credentials, Character, Competency
and Calling criteria;
2. He
met and exceeded our ''Deal Breakers''; namely, 1) he must have at
least 5 years of ''Turnaround'' church experience; 2) he must have
some knowledge and experience of a city centered church ministry; 3)
he is called to ministry and he is responding out of a calling. This
is not an experiment! This goes back to a calling he had back in
1973. He is moving toward something. He is not running away from
something. He is actually leaving a very secure situation to answer
this call.
3. His
wife Susan. She is a God-centered pastor's wife! She will add
to the ministry - not be a hindrance.
4. He
is educated, teaches with depth and yet, can put the ''cookies on the
lower shelf''. He inspires with his preaching;
5. By
his credit score and from what we heard from his references, he
possesses a clear understanding of the value of money, budgeting and
stewardship;
6.
He knows how to work with a Board. He is respectful, a team player
and does not attempt to be adversarial;
7.
He lives what he preaches. He lives a life that is transparent and it
inspires a high degree of confidence. His ethics are above board; He
acts in a manner becoming of a pastor.
8. He is not
threatened or insecure. This is demonstrated by his association with
local ministerial groups in which he has played an active role.
9. He
has very good interpersonal relationship skills. He treats everyone
fairly. This includes working with ministerial staff. He empowers and
delegates.
10. He
is from Sacramento and will use his extensive network to build up the
church. He understands this city and its diversity like the back of
his hand.
Our
Process of Vetting
As a
Board and as a Pastoral Search Committee we strongly believe before
you vote you must have the confidence to know a thorough job of
vetting was done. Humanly speaking, we feel we can stand before you
knowing we did the most thorough job we could do.
Degrees
were verified as to their authenticity.
Nothing but ATS accreditation was accepted.
References
(at least one current Board member, one board member from a previous
church and one staff member) were called and comments were written
down. (You may read these if you desire). This was to fulfill a
commitment to our congregation and to each other that our work would
be transparent and have a trail. In all we spoke with 6
references. Everyone confirmed what Bill told us about
himself.
A
credit report was run and
the result was that the Kelloggs were in the top 1%.
An
investigation was made by a private firm which
submitted a report that our candidate was free of any misdemeanors,
felonies, civil suits, sexual crimes and his Social Security number
was verified.
Perhaps
the nicest comment we received came from one pastor who did not apply
for our position. After reading our material on our church
website, he said,
Everything
from your church profile to the congregational survey well let me
tell you there should be more churches who take the search for their
shepherd with such care and concern.
May
your in depth search produce a shepherd that can lead and guide the
people of FBC - Sacramento forward in service and love!
We
believe in Pastor Bill that is exactly the person God has led us to.
--
Doug Muraki, Interim Senior Pastor
For
the Pastoral Search Committee & Church Board
Back
from Egypt
It's
so nice to be back after spending a week in Egypt! On July 26th,
I departed with many adult and teenage helpers, along with twelve
children, grades 1-5. Some of those children were native to FBC, and
some were from different areas. We spent the week together learning
about Joseph's journey from prison to palace.
We
started each day as a whole group praising God through singing and
dancing. Then we broke up into our family groups, where each group
learned that day's memory verse and main focus. From there, families
played Egyptian-inspired games on the Pyramid Playground. Then they
got to meet Joseph face-to-face, and hear his story straight from his
mouth. They actually got to visit him in prison, and then later on in
the palace. After talking with Joseph, they went to the Egyptian
marketplace. Each child had to budget their three coins that they
received each day, to make sure that they were able to do all of the
activities. After that, they went back to their families and
reflected upon their experiences.
While
in their families, they discussed God-sightings, which they wrote on
a God-sighting stone. They wrote things like ''I saw a rainbow after
the rainbow.'' And those stones were used to build a pyramid that
reminds us that God can be seen throughout our everyday life. We then
came back together and closed with another celebration filled with
singing and dancing.
Throughout
the week we learned five key things that God gives each of us. God
gives us hope. He gives us unique abilities. He gives us wisdom. God
gives us forgiveness. And He gives us a family by bringing us into
His. These themes were tied into all of the activities that the
children participated in each day.
When
we returned on July 30th, we had a BBQ for all the
parents, children and volunteers. I really enjoyed every part of this
year's VBS, but I was especially blessed when I got to watch some of
the kids tell the Egyptian shopkeepers (who believe in many gods)
about the one, true God and why they should believe in Him. I feel so
grateful to have been a part of this trip to Egypt! Of course it
would not have been possible without all of the support that we
received. Thank you so much to those who donated materials, funds,
time and prayers. Praise God for an amazing VBS! -- Caroline Sosa,
VBS Director
American
Baptist Women's Ministries (ABWM) Luncheon
Come
one, come all and see what the ABWM ladies are up to this year! The
first lunch is Thursday, September 9, 12-2 p.m. in the social hall.
RSVP to Caro Lou Rodda, 525-1169 or 207-2769 or
carolou1930@yahoo.com. Cost is $5.
Yoga
Classes at FBC
Yoga Classes have
been ongoing at FBC since November 2003. Many participants attend
from outside our congregation and appreciate the low cost and
convenient time. (Convenient for them, since they can come.)
Currently, as many as 15 yogis practice each session in the Social
Hall. Occasionally, the yoga class attendees are encouraged to pay
more than $3 dollars for each class and the funds have been sent to
Hurricane Katrina, Haiti Earthquake, help purchase a new A/C unit for
church social hall and youth camp charities.
Lisa Jennings, a
member of FBC, leads most sessions. Classes are mixed Level1/Level2
with modifications offered for those just starting to practice yoga.
All are welcomed to practice.
When:
Tues and Thurs
Time:
5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Cost:
$3.00/person
For
more info, call (916) 447-7863
Did
you know?
FBC
assists St. John's Shelter for Women and Children by providing dinner
to the residents and their children on the 5th Tuesday
throughout the year. The Ray Pico family has headed this up for
sometime now. We also have volunteered hours of labor in their garden
and in their donation center. Currently we are promoting their need
for diapers and pull-ups for the children of the clients.
Would
you like to help? You can by donating a box of diapers (especially in
sizes 3, 4, 5 and Pull Ups) or designating an additional offering to
help purchase them.
There
Comes a Time. . .
A
time when we want to take it a little easier, not keep the schedule
so tight, sleep 15 minutes longer, de-stress, rest our bones. . . Jim
Lang has announced to Pastor Mark Tootle that he is retiring and has
given his two weeks notice. His last Sunday is September 5, 2010.
To
that end, FBC will be honoring Jim at a church potluck lunch that
same day following the worship service. The main dish, iced tea,
lemonade, plates, silverware and napkins will be provided. Plan to
bring a side dish, salad or dessert that serves 10 people so there
will be plenty of food for all who attend.
Let's
share with Jim just how much we appreciate him, his musical ability .
. . and beautiful music he provides!
August
Board Meeting
The
bulk of the Board meeting consisted of an interview with a pastoral
prospect and his wife, recommended to us by the Search Committee.
Elsewhere in this newsletter you will find an update about the search
process, which you can read for yourself.
Before
the excitement of the interview, we managed to focus on the financial
report. The offering for July amounted to $17,322. Another $5,000
came out of the Foundation for a liability insurance payment. In
addition, $9,700 came over from Property Management. Expenses were
$32,829. This shows that the church austerity program is working. In
the FOUR months April-July, the church spent LESS than it did during
the first THREE months of the year.
Looking
forward, Pastor Doug presented a break-even analysis. Assuming annual
offering of $240,000 and rental income of $75,000, income is about
$315,000 per year. If we give $24,000 to Missions (10% of offerings)
and have remaining expenses of $387,000, then annual expenses are
$411,000. One way to bridge the gap, which the Board is considering,
is to sell a church-owned house to replenish the Foundation, which
will otherwise run out of unrestricted money in one-and-a-half years
at the projected burn rate.
A
few days after the Board meeting, Mike Granchukoff
agreed to serve on the Board. The Board appointed him to fill one of
the vacancies created by a resignation. He distinguished himself on
the Search Committee. Now that the search process is winding down,
the Board wants to tap Mike's talents in another important
assignment. Finally, all the resignations have been replaced. We now
have five on the Board, more than enough for a quorum (which is four
out of seven).
--
Bill Dean, Church Clerk
|