BCC's Vision

We are less than a week away from our Called to Grow: Branching Out banquet! It's exciting to think about what God is going to do, both now and in the future, with BCC's ministry to the next generation. However, whenever a church talks about building, it can be easy to lose sight of our overall mission and vision. Some churches get caught up in facilities and forget people. This is something we can't allow to happen at BCC! It's about God, and it's about people. Buildings are merely a tool for ministry.

   To give you a sense of how this philosophy is currently being expressed, let me share with you BCC's mission focus. I start here because some churches are of the view that their church or community is their sole mission. Bailey, however, has always felt that we were called to serve both locally and globally. That is, we celebrate our sending capacity more than our seating capacity. Every young person who senses God's call to ministry, every overseas mission supported by BCC, and every person who goes out into the community weekly to be a blessing where God has placed them are the measure of a healthy church.

Here are some facts. Those from Bailey currently serving in ministry:
* Kaylee (Wayner) Solier- missionary with South American Missions in Guatemala
* Madison (Penwell) Reyen- youth minister, The Lakes Church, Muskegon
* Erika (Frey) Hoogerheide- children's minister, Wellspring Church, Hudsonville
* Jason Ross- campus pastor, Ada Bible, Grand Rapids
* Nathan Zimmerman- former co-founding minister at The Lakes Church; currently serving on staff with Lifeline Ministries, Lexington, KY
* Zach Carlson- youth minister, BCC* Brendan Carroll- currently studying for preaching ministry at Grace Christian University
* Emme Losee- currently studying for medical missions at Cedarville University
* Ryan Busse- executive pastor, St Mark's Missionary Church, Mishawaka, IN

Overseas missions supported:
* Mexican Mountain Mission (Casa Hogar; children's home)- San Luis Potosi, Mexico; BCC was the sending church for Ted and Wanda Murray in 1964 when they began their work
* Renewed Hope India (children and widow's home)- Hyderabad, India; BCC was the foundational church in the U.S. to partner to help start this work
* Kaylee and Nilton Solier- SAM, ministry to youth in Guatemala City
* Hope for Tela- ministry began in Tela, Honduras by Bailey's own Rod and Carmen Baldus, Dan and Karen Wheat, and Brian and Regan Dykes

Overseas and cross-cultural ministries BCC is involved with:
* Changes Ministries- Enoch Bylla (Bailey's Indian son!) started this ministry to help train up young leaders in India and strengthen the church; BCC has played a major role in helping get this started!
* New Hampshire Korean Christian Church- this is probably news to most, but BCC has been the partner church for a Korean church plant in New England that needed a church in the U.S. for their Korean pastor, John Kim, to get his visa so he could minister here. We just received word this week that his passport and visa have been approved, and he will be returning to his New Hampshire church from Korea shortly. Praise the Lord!

Whew! That's a lot of ground to cover! But notice that none of this was focused on buildings. It is all focused on people seeking to fulfill Christ's commission to reach the lost. That's what it's all about!