I was so proud of how our students led us at church last Sunday. ABC Student Weekend was a huge success, as we saw so many teenagers step up to lead us across all our ministry areas. We had teenagers greeting, ushering, and serving an amazing lunch. Students shared testimonies in adult BFG classes, and dozens of students helped lead us in worship at both of our services. I especially want to thank Ashley Benedict and Ava Reddoch for boldly sharing their testimonies on stage. I also want to thank Nathan Wood, Josh Wright, and our entire student ministry adult leadership team for serving behind the scenes to help make it all happen. Lastly, I want to thank you church family. Thank you for encouraging and loving our students, and thank you for generously supporting our church’s ministries for them. Your continued faithfulness to our general fund helps resource these ministries, and your gifts at last Sunday’s luncheon will help make Beach Week accessible to any teenager that wants to experience a life changing week in Alabama.
The excitement will continue this Sunday as we celebrate Mother’s Day at ABC. The book of Proverbs tells us, “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:28-30 ESV). I thank God that ABC is filled with Proverbs 31 mothers who truly fear the Lord, and this weekend is an opportunity for our church family to rise up and give them praise. We’re going to do this through a special time of recognition and prayer, a Mother’s Day photo spot to commemorate the morning, and through a special sweet treat that will be handed out to mothers following our services. Additionally, both worship services will feature a photo slide show of our ABC moms, a video tribute from some of our ABC kids, and a special live testimony from a mother on stage. You will not want to miss this weekend, so bring all the mothers in your life, and invite other moms around you to join us for a memorable day of worship.
This Sunday we are also going to rise up to serve mothers in need in the Austin area. Austin Baptist Church has been a long-time supporter of the Trotter House. This Christian ministry offers services and resources for mothers who are walking through a pregnancy crisis. The Trotter House has saved countless lives of babies as they have guided mothers who are in desperate need through their pregnancies and through the raising up of their children. But most importantly, Trotter House has also seen God save many souls of mothers in their ministry through the process. As a proud supporter of their ministry, ABC is rolling out our annual “baby bottle campaign” this Sunday. You will have an opportunity to give above and beyond your tithes to help this vital ministry continue in their mission in Austin, Texas.
Their mission is especially important considering this week’s news. As you have likely heard, a leaked draft opinion made its way into the news headlines. The opinion suggests that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. While I was troubled to see a confidential document wrongfully publicized for political purposes, I was also thrilled to see the content of that document. For nearly 50 years, countless believers have labored, prayed, and worked towards this defining and critical moment in our nation’s history. I thank God that this evil decision may finally be overturned, and I encourage you to join me in prayer for our Supreme Court. Pray for courage for our justices, pray for our lawmakers, and most of all pray that justice will roll down like waters. Overturning Roe v. Wade will undoubtedly save millions of lives, and the church must continue its work in protecting the unborn because the unborn matters to God.
David reminds us, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13 ESV). We must continue to advocate for the sanctity of life, as the Scriptures are clear that every human, born or unborn, has intrinsic value in God’s eyes. I encourage you to give towards the Trotter House and their mission in the coming weeks. But I also encourage you to prayerfully consider how you can serve mothers and children in need. By the grace of God, abortion numbers will indeed go down if this decision is official. However, that also means needs will go up for desperate mothers and young children. May the church rise up in these critical days to serve and to shine the light of Jesus Christ into dark places. Come prayed up and expectant as we worship Christ together this weekend. I look forward to seeing you at 9am or 11:11am.
Onward and upward,
Jonathan Spencer
www.jonathanspencer.org 