Waylon Bailey

First Baptist Church has been wonderfully blessed, and I thank God and your faithfulness for making
this happen.

We have now been “regathered” for 15 weeks. During this time, we have seen many joy filled events.
Our pastors and staff have worked tirelessly to continue the work of ministry during what could be
described as “the most difficult church environment in our lifetimes”.

These are some of the ways we have been blessed:

First, we have not to this point experienced any “church spread” of the virus. We have also been
blessed that only a relative few of our people have been infected. Unfortunately, we have seen the hurt
and pain of the loss of loved ones from many people in our congregation.
I have prayed along with you, that God would protect His church.

Second, we have experienced many spiritual blessings. For example:

• We were able to have Vacation Bible School in a safe, happy environment. We have seen many
  children saved – and at least two whole families who have come to faith in Christ – because of
  VBS.
• New kids connect groups are being re-opened weekly due to increased attendance.
• Our worship attendance continues to grow as people become more comfortable with the safety
  measures of the church.

Third, though we are dealing with difficult times filled with frustration and difficulty, we have seen
Christ-like attitudes on the part of our people.

Finally, we have seen people determined that “what was meant for evil, God has used for good”.
May you and I continue to seek to bless God and other people with our labors, our attitudes, and our
prayers. May we continue to pray for God‘s blessings, guidance and protection for our church today
and in the days ahead.