A Change for Good

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."

—Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV)

This past weekend, so many good things were going on. A celebration service and reception were given for a pastor, who is retiring after 28 years of faithful shepherding. A patriotic ceremony and reception honored another pastor who retired from military service after 20 plus years as a Navy chaplain. Tribal leaders and citizens from our Native American churches participated in a historic 250th anniversary celebration of our nation centered on the history and enduring sovereignty of Virginia’s Tribal Nations. One of our Dover churches had a fish fry and “note burning” to celebrate financial freedom as they paid off the church’s addition. Pastor anniversaries were celebrated, concerts and a women’s conference were hosted, and a few churches held Sabbath after a busy Saturday of community service and outreach.

The Dover Baptist Association also had its Semi-Annual Meeting of church leaders and Messengers. A wonderful presentation was given by the host church, which is celebrating its 250th anniversary. Great food and refreshments were provided. Reports were given about God’s faithfulness. A matching church challenge of $1,776 was issued to kick off our Watson Mission emphasis. The conundrum was that because of all the other good things going on, our attendance was light and unfortunately, for the second year in a row, we didn’t have enough churches to make a quorum to conduct the business portion of the program. Less than two weeks earlier, at our Dover Executive Committee Meeting, we announced record- breaking returns on our investments, blessing us with over $300,000 to invest in missions, ministries, disaster relief, pastor support, scholarships and more.

Now, more than ever, Dover is ready for a change for good. This double entendre implies that we need to implement positive improvements, which will also last. This, I believe, is a key factor in our ability to serve and support our churches, mission and ministry partners, pastors, and others with the resources we’ve been blessed with. In the weeks and months to come, your Dover leadership will be working on priorities, presentations, and proposals to make changes for good. With tens of thousands of dollars to invest in Kingdom Work, we can’t risk analysis paralysis. We need to grow forward! We need to move full steam ahead!

In the meantime, I pray you will begin this “Change for Good” by accepting the Dover Church Challenge. A generous gift of $1,776 will be added to our Watson Mission Offering if $1,776 is contributed by our churches and members within the first two weeks of May. Let’s bless others with the blessings we’ve been given!

God Bless,

Arnold ‘Win’ Davis, Executive Director of Missions