WS Chronicle

Photo by Timothy Ramsey

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY 

THE CHRONICLE

The church mission of St. James Missionary Baptist Church is “reaching people through Christ and developing them to be fully committed to Him.”  Building on this thought, the congregation took Bible study outside of the church and held it at Reynolds Park on Saturday afternoon.

The members of St. James strongly believe in reaching out to the masses and fellowshipping with others outside of the sanctuary.  A cookout at Reynolds Park was used to accomplish both objectives.

The Bible study was lead by Minister William Robinson. His message centered on making your mark as a Christian.  He said that the responsibility of the church is to reach out to the community and assist in any way possible.

“In today’s society, we are dealing with perceived differences.  Our differences separate us, but our commonalities are what bring us together,” said Robinson.  “If we really stop and look at it from a spiritual perspective, you’re either saved or you’re not.  We can dispense with everything else that separates us and look at if you’re saved or not because anything else is irrelevant.”

Robinson also touched on the many denominations among the Christian faith and how the enemy (Satan and his powers and principalities) uses that division to make a “house divided.”  He wanted to let everyone know that above all other factors, the question is, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?  He followed up by asking “once you have accepted Jesus into your heart, what are you doing with it?”

Because St. James is at a location with two other churches in close proximity, Robinson felt the need for them to step outside of the walls of the church.  He says as a church they must mark out their own territory to make their mark in the community not for the sake of new members but for others to get to know Christ.

Following the Bible study, the congregation was treated to a delicious cook-out style meal that included burgers, fried fish and salad.  Everyone said they enjoyed themselves and really enjoyed the food.

“Today our Bible study was centered around the redemptive power of Christ and how he paid a ransom for our souls,” said Minister Stuart Eaton.  “We just let everyone know that we cannot do anything by ourselves; we have to be covered by the blood of Christ and take that salvation message from house to house.”

According to Eaton, St. James Pastor Mack H.L. McConnell’s vision for the day was for the church to go outside of the church like the early church did in the book of Acts. The early church went from house to house breaking bread and fellowshipped with the community.

Robinson touched on the fact there were young men playing basketball while Bible study was taking place. He noticed they did not leave and were aware of every word he said.  His thought on the young men observing was, “I just want to get the Word out to the people, and the Lord will do the rest.”