A&M Farms Family Day

Join us for a fun evening of fellowship out at A&M Farms. The cost is $10 per person, payable at the gate when you arrive. We'll have playground equipment and plenty of space to enjoy together. We…

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Tuesday, Oct 6 — Happy Hearts (Senior Adults)

Join us Tuesday, October 6 from 11:30 AM–1:30 PM for Happy Hearts — a time for senior adults to gather for a meal, entertainment, and great conversation. Sign up at the Connections Desk or online.

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Families 4 Families Luncheon

Families and individuals who are interested in serving in foster care ministry in any capacity are encouraged to join us for a free informational lunch on October 11 after the morning worship…

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Sunday, Oct 18 — Overcomers Recovery Lunch

Join us for lunch after church on Sunday, October 18, at noon in the Legacy Room to hear encouraging stories of redemption and restoration. $10 for one person, $15 for two, or $25 for a family —…

BYG Afterglow

Students in grades 6-12 get together every other Sunday night at 6pm for games, good, and hanging out with friends. Typically it takes place in the youth room and gymnasium (enter through the blue…

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Wednesday, Oct 21 — Fall Fest (All Ages)

Bring the whole family out for Fall Fest — a night of games, bounce houses, and fall fun on the softball field! Wednesday, October 21, 6:00–7:30 PM. Decorating a trunk? Bring your own candy to hand…

Vision Statement

In the early 1900s, the great powers of the world were competing for control of the seas, and German naval engineers were searching for every advantage they could give their fleet. One of their most stubborn problems did not come from an enemy — it came from the ocean itself. Rolling seas tossed ships, sickened crews, and made it nearly impossible to aim a gun. An engineer named Ernst Otto Schlick answered that problem with a gyroscopic roll stabilizer, a massive spinning wheel mounted deep in the hull that resisted the roll of the ship and gave it a counterbalance. A few years later the American inventor Elmer Sperry improved on the idea. His system added a second, smaller gyro that sensed the instant a roll began and told the large one how to respond. It could not stop the wave from coming, but it could feel the ship begin to lean and answer before the roll got away from it.

Today that same technology fits on boats as small as twenty-three feet. A Seakeeper unit cannot flatten the ocean. It does nothing to the sea at all. But it steadies the boat.

That is a picture worth holding on to, because life is full of sunny days and storms, calm water and waves that seem to crash one right after another. Jesus never hid that from us. "In the world you will have tribulation," He said. "But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). We know He can calm any storm. He stood in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and said, "Peace! Be still!" and the wind ceased and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39). But notice what He promised and what He did not. He did not promise that He would still every sea we sail. He promised that He would steady us in the middle of them. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" (John 14:27).

Many in our church family are in rough water right now. Some of you have buried a loved one, some are walking through medical circumstances that have no clear end in sight. Others are enduring circumstances that do not seem to dissipate no matter how much you pray for the wind to die down. If that is you, I want you to hear this: the fact that the storm has not stopped is not evidence that God has left the boat.

Sperry's genius was that small sensing gyro, the one that felt the wave before the ship went over. That is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life. Jesus called Him the Helper, the Comforter, the one who would be with us forever (John 14:16). The Spirit knows the size of the wave that is hitting you. He is not surprised by it, and He is not overwhelmed by it. "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (Romans 8:26). When you have no words left, He is already at work, counterbalancing what is trying to roll you over.

That is why Isaiah could write, "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3). The peace is not in the sea. The peace is in the stabilizer. Paul said the same thing from a prison cell: "The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). The word "guard" there is a military word. It is a garrison standing watch. God's peace does not depend on the water going flat. It holds you upright while the water is still moving.

God's promise to His people has never been an empty sea, but it has been His presence in the water. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you" (Isaiah 43:2). The waves are real. The grief is real. The diagnosis is real. But so is the One in the boat with you, and He is more than able to counterbalance whatever is crashing against your hull today.

October is full of ways to serve others and support our school, and we'd love for our church family to join us!

Operation Christmas Child

This month our students are filling shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, which gives children around the world a gift and the message of God's love. Each class has a collection box with its own list of items to gather. You're welcome to help any class fill its box by dropping items off at the front desk. All items are due by Wednesday, October 28th. "Let your light shine before others." Matthew 5:16

Christmas Paper Fundraiser

We're also starting our first annual Christmas Paper Fundraiser with Charleston Wrap! It's an easy way to stock up on wrapping paper and holiday items while supporting BCS Saints. We'll send out the ordering link as soon as it's ready, so keep an eye out!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!