Dear friends at RBC,

Writing on behalf of the elders, there are two passages that come to my mind as I
think of this Annual Report. The first is Paul’s words to the Thessalonian believers
where he says,

We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our
prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and
steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and
Father. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3)

We have much to be thankful for as we have had the joy of seeing you be instruments
in God’s hand to minister for His glory and the blessing of His people, both here and
around the world. As the elders continue to give thanks for you, I invite and urge
you to praise God for your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. As a very practical
suggestion, take time after you read through each segment of the Annual Report to
give thanks to God for His work and for the many people involved. And also be bold
to ask that He bring about more fruitfulness in the years ahead, especially that many
will be reached for Christ through our people and ministries.

The second passage is one that has come up several times in our Elder Council
meetings where we have recognized again and again our need for wisdom from God.
The verse we’ve read, prayed through and referenced many times is

… wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy
and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. (James 1:17)

We have cried out for wisdom from God for the weighty items that have occupied our
agenda this past year. Of course one of those items has been relocation, but more
important has been the desire to see God’s ministry at RBC be healthy, flourish and
grow in depth and effectiveness. What we desire is to shepherd God’s people in ways
that bring personal growth for believers and people coming to Christ.

Various events of this past year have been very formative in our articulating a vision
for our church that we trust will be effective as we seek to grow in Christ-honoring
ministry. This has come about in no small part through deliberations that have
involved the elders seeking and gaining wise and valuable input from members of our
congregation. Communicating to you (including this report) and your communicating
with us as elders is vital to our future. It is the way God would have His church work.
May God cause this aspect of ministry to flourish.

Lastly, please pray for us as elders. We are aware of our dependency on God to
shepherd the flock at Reston Bible Church, and it is our joy in doing this.

To God Be the Glory,

Ray Shoaff (for the elders)
Chairman of the Elder Council

< Previous | Main | Next >