"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings." James 1:1 (English Standard Version)

     James wrote with a purpose. In his one verse introduction to the epistle which bears his name, James takes us for a brief tour of his role in God’s kingdom. …to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion…James is a Jew writing to his fellow Jews who no longer live in Palestine. Since the days of the Jewish exile during the reign of the Babylonians, the Jewish nation had been scattered to the far corners of the known world. They were called the Diaspora, or the Dispersion. Jewish law required Jewish men to return to Jerusalem for a number of major feasts to Celebrate God’s work in the world and in the life of Israel. Pentecost was one such occasion. In God’s great sense of timing, the Holy Spirit made His appearance on Pentecost and some of the Jews on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem returned to their homes with a new found faith in Christ. It is to these people that James writes. He chooses concepts, words and thoughts that would be recognizable to these people. He writes with a purpose.

     We at Grace are taking a look at our purpose as a church. We have begun to wrestle with the question, “How would God have Grace invest our energy, time and talent?” This last summer we had a group of people studying scripture and praying around this very question. This Purpose Committee presented a proposed Purpose Statement to the Diaconate who is now recommending that statement to the church for consideration. That purposed statement reads:

     The purpose of Grace Baptist Church is to enable our fellowship, a living body, united in Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to know God personally, to love God completely, to love one another, and to share God’s love with all people.

     As Grace carefully considers the Diaconate’s recommendation, I would like to lead our church body through a similar Bible study that was a part of the Purpose Committee’s time together. I will be offering the same study in three different formats: a 3 week format; a 2 meeting format, with meetings approximately one month apart; and a 1 time format. These will meet on the following days and times.

1 Day Seminar Saturday, April 29 from 9:00am-12:00noon
2 Day Seminar Mondays, April 3 & May 8 from 7:00pm-8:30pm
3 Day Seminar Sundays, May 7, 14 and 21 from 9:00am-10:00am (Yup this is during Sunday School!)

     I encourage you to pick the option that best fits your lifestyle as we study together about God’s purpose, so that we can fulfill God’s call, well…on purpose.