I’ve found that even if a place to meet each Sunday is not a problem, it’s a formidable undertaking to begin a church. Honey Lake Plantation Church already exists and is paid for in full, and it’s a beautiful, peaceful, serene, place to worship; however I’m finding that the church building itself is just a small part of the equation.
A friend of mine and I are working towards making it a reality, she is working on the website, signage, posters, bulletins, and newspaper ads while I work on securing interesting, dynamic, Spirit filled preachers, developing the music program, writing our statement of purpose, legal matters, and the myriad of other details that don’t appear readily obvious to someone who has never organized a church. But it is a labor of love and it is coming together.
So how does one go about it?
Hmmm… When I started my first business I thought, if Jesus came to earth and decided to build a business what would His mission statement be? What would His approach be towards building relationships with employees, vendors, customers, etc.? I’m using that same thought process in every facet of taking this church from idea to reality. If Jesus Christ were putting this project together, how would He go about it?
I know from my Bible study that Jesus would like to see His church open to one and all, thus it should be diverse and should warmly welcome anyone who wants to come, regardless of their station in life, age, color, or whatever.
I think Jesus would want a worship service to be enjoyable and more of a joy filled celebration than a mausoleum style stoic wake where people mindlessly recite a few liturgical chants and then go to sleep
As far as I can tell Jesus did not belong to any particular denomination, thus I think it should be non-denominational. The main thing I think He would be interested in is that we ensure that the preachers preach the word of God directly out of His word the Holy Bible without adding to or subtracting from its contextual meaning.
I think we should preach the word of God and speak out against sin regardless of whether or not our society wants to embrace it. Many in our country want to ignore the laws of God, especially those that they don’t like, and only adopt the ones that make sense to them. I believe the Holy Bible is the inerrant word of God and that God Himself inspired every word that is written in it. For us to pick and choose the parts with which we agree, and disregard the parts that we don’t, seems foolish and ignorant to me and would be a sure path towards failure, (just as we’re seeing happen in our beloved United States as it rapidly turns away from God and His laws). In the Honey Lake Church we will try our utmost to follow the Bible as best we can and preach its message letting the proverbial chips fall where they may.
I think Jesus would like to see his church have an evangelical foundation and a mission that first and foremost encourages people to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. Second to that He would want to assist His flock who are believers with learning how to put on the full armor of God daily to resist temptation and deal with the trials and tribulations of a world that is engaged in spiritual warfare and is becoming more wicked every day. I also think Jesus would want to establish a church that will be there for its congregation in their time of need.
Our grand opening date has been set for January 6th. The service will begin promptly at 10:30 a.m. and will consist of one service and no Sunday school, (at least starting out). We will rotate preachers and music programs every week for the foreseeable future. So, if you don’t like the preaching and/or music service on the 6th, come back a week later and try it, and maybe it will be more to your liking.
The Honey Lake Plantation Resort and Spa currently conducts a Sunday brunch each Sunday between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Beginning on January 6th we will begin a music program during the brunch (that will change each week) to bring us spiritual music of every flavor including old time gospel, contemporary, praise, bluegrass, country, and whatever else we can come up with each week. Enjoying a good meal after church should not be a problem.
We need help with this project.
- First and foremost we need your prayers that God will bless this church.
- We need more volunteers, especially in the music arena. If you know of a group or an individual whose music would bless the church (layman or otherwise), please let me know – (Remember – limited budget!)
- If you know of someone who would be a great speaker/preacher (layman or otherwise), please let me know about them – (Remember limited budget!)
- We need more funding. The Williamson Family Foundation is funding it in its entirety; however our foundation is constantly inundated with requests for more and more money for various causes that make sense and it has a draining effect, (as in more going out than coming in). If you belong to a church already we don’t want any portion of your tithe money, that belongs to whatever church that you already belong to; however if you want to give an offering over and above your tithe, then we welcome that.
- We need you to come and invite a friend – Spread the word so we can have a good crowd with whom we can enjoy fellowship, and have fun together as we worship each week
- Due to my intense speaking schedule for my ministry I will not be able to personally attend every Sunday. I will need assistance from strong men and women who love the Lord to keep it going rain or shine – cold or hot – winter, summer, spring, or fall –
A church is being born. We dedicate it to our Lord and Savior! We are in labor and we are not experienced at raising this youngster, so be patient with us. We will grow together; we will pray together; we will worship our awesome and mighty God together. Come join us!
Ephesians 2:21
In whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.