Friends,
I want to bring you up to date on some developments regarding another FBC-D child care ministry in our facility.
(1) Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the
kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will
never enter it.” The child care ministry is a ministry, not just an income producer. Why would we sponsor a child care ministry? It is because we have a commitment to provide a safe environment for the spiritual growth and development of young children. If it were just about the money, then it is not worth the effort or resources. At that point the church just becomes a business. The church is gathered to serve. To keep our priorities in order, the Church Council adopted a mission
statement for the child care ministry at FBC-D. It reads as follows:
“The First Baptist Church of Detroit seeks to create a safe, nurturing environment for the spiritual, social, and educational development of young children.”
(2) The Fellowship Hall is in the process of a make-over in the child care area. The rooms are being painted and a new entrance for child care parents will be created. This new entrance is through the doors in the gathering room leading to the playground. The old child care office will become an infant room and the old infant room will become a toddler room. There is additional refurbishing and modification related to fire and health concerns. At this point in time we cannot “grandfather in” existing conditions in these areas.
(3) To cover these remodeling and refurbishing needs we re-negotiated our loan with the Detroit Baptist Union. The total principal is increased but due to lower interest rates the monthly payment actually dropped.
(4) We do not have a startup date for the new child care providers. The physical changes need completion and the state needs to approve the license. We are hopeful the child care ministry will resume this summer, perhaps in June. We just have to be patient.
I want you to keep this vital and critical ministry in your prayers. I want us as a congregation to be more closely allied with the new child care center than we were with the last one. I want us to see this as I believe God sees it: a vital ministry for children and families.
Peace
Pastor Bill Walker
I want to bring you up to date on some developments regarding another FBC-D child care ministry in our facility.
(1) Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the
kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will
never enter it.” The child care ministry is a ministry, not just an income producer. Why would we sponsor a child care ministry? It is because we have a commitment to provide a safe environment for the spiritual growth and development of young children. If it were just about the money, then it is not worth the effort or resources. At that point the church just becomes a business. The church is gathered to serve. To keep our priorities in order, the Church Council adopted a mission
statement for the child care ministry at FBC-D. It reads as follows:
“The First Baptist Church of Detroit seeks to create a safe, nurturing environment for the spiritual, social, and educational development of young children.”
(2) The Fellowship Hall is in the process of a make-over in the child care area. The rooms are being painted and a new entrance for child care parents will be created. This new entrance is through the doors in the gathering room leading to the playground. The old child care office will become an infant room and the old infant room will become a toddler room. There is additional refurbishing and modification related to fire and health concerns. At this point in time we cannot “grandfather in” existing conditions in these areas.
(3) To cover these remodeling and refurbishing needs we re-negotiated our loan with the Detroit Baptist Union. The total principal is increased but due to lower interest rates the monthly payment actually dropped.
(4) We do not have a startup date for the new child care providers. The physical changes need completion and the state needs to approve the license. We are hopeful the child care ministry will resume this summer, perhaps in June. We just have to be patient.
I want you to keep this vital and critical ministry in your prayers. I want us as a congregation to be more closely allied with the new child care center than we were with the last one. I want us to see this as I believe God sees it: a vital ministry for children and families.
Peace
Pastor Bill Walker
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