In Acts 2 we are given an illustration of what it means to be the church and the impact the church can have on the community and culture. The Bible says that the believers continued to study and learn doctrine together. They spent time together and enjoyed being with one another. They did life together and because of their testimony they found favor with all the people. As a result, God added daily to the number of people being saved.

While we don’t claim to be a perfect representation of this early church, the Stafford Church of God has seen God bless our efforts and our obedience as we strive to be a spiritually healthy and vibrant group of believers. Our mission as a church is to reach the lost, disciple believers, and serve all people. Over the course of this year we have watched as God has given us the opportunity to live out this mission through services, events, and outreach efforts.

God has given us the opportunity to reach the lost this year. Our desire is to be a beacon of light and a place of refuge for all people by creating a safe and loving environment where all are welcomed. We have seen God bring new people to the church this year and have been able to witness several healings and 28 people give their heart to the Lord during Sunday services. We rejoiced in watching 23 kids give their heart to God during our summer Vacation Bible School. Just a few weeks ago we had the opportunity to celebrate with 13 people who stepped out in obedience to God by being baptized. It was a great night of celebration for our church.

Our goal as a church is not to stop our efforts at salvation but we also want to disciple believers and help families continue to grow and mature spiritually. We focus on discipleship by promoting our Sunday school classes and by re-emphasizing our Wednesday night Family Training Hour. We started our efforts on Wednesday nights with a handful of loving adults that wanted to see this ministry make a difference in the lives of families. At the time there were only a few adults attending and no classes for children or youth. Throughout this year we have seen God bless our Wednesday nights with adults, families, children, and youth. The attendance has grown significantly over the past year and many nights the number of children and youth rival, if not exceed, the number of adults in attendance. This gives us a great opportunity to disciple and grow believers of all ages and stages of life.

God has done great things within the church but He has also given us the opportunity to serve all people in our community. The church provides a weekly food pantry that serves the community by providing groceries and assistance. Over the three years that this pantry has existed the church has been able to serve over 12,300 people in our church and community.

We, like many other churches, continue to have needs and limitations but we have seen God bless our church. We have watched Him do amazing things in the life of families and individuals and we praise God that we get to be a small part of what He is doing in Stafford. Our desire is to remain obedient and focused on the mission at hand so that we can continue to see people and families turn to Christ and grow in their relationship with Christ.

Submitted by: Pastor Tony Wudski

Ministry on the Margins in Stafford