Bay Community Church

Story: “Gobstopped” at Bay

BCC Malbis attender Danielle Simmons sent in this awesome story that we just had to share:

My dad recently went into the hospital and we learned that he had stage 4 lung cancer & pnemonia.  They told us he would not be coming home and that he didn't have long to go.  Of course all of the family came to town as well as my dad's best friend, Bill, from Scotland.  Bill was always part of our family growing up - he's made several trips to the U.S. and we've also traveled to visit him in Scotland.  He arranged to be on the first flight out when he found out about my dad - and my dad perked up when he found out Bill was on his way.  He was able to visit with dad for a few hours before his passing but I think that Bill was the reason he hung on.

Bill stayed in town for a week to visit with all of the family before he headed back to UK.  He spent that night with my mom & brother.  My brother is a Baptist preacher from GA so they stayed up all night talking about God -vs- science.  That opened the door for us to invite him to church.  He laughed and took it as a joke but agreed to come with us.  He's an agnostic and hasn't been to church since he was a child (he's 65 now).  He even took his camera joking to get a picture with Pastor so everyone back home would believe that he went.  We live in Fairhope so we pass by several churches on the way to BCC.  He could not believe the Sunday traffic and all of the filled parking lots we passed.  We arrived at BCC and he said he'd never seen such a huge parking lot for a church he also noticed all of the young people entering the church and said that was quite a testament to the church and it would never happen in the UK. 

Upon entering he looked around and thought that BCC had such a "beautiful way of presenting religion."  I offered to buy him a smoothie and he almost fell out!  When praise & worship started he said he felt like he was at a U2 concert - he was expecting the musicians to come out and tune their instruments but they got right into it!!  He was so delighted at the passion of the praise team - and said their faith was unquestionable.  That was the first of the Q&A series and it was perfect!  For the entire trip home Bill kept saying how "gobstopped" he was and that "this was an event not to missed when visiting the area."  We talked that day and night about our walk with God and he asked his skeptical questions.  He took the BCC web address home and showed interest in watching more of the upcoming series (even sent in a Question) and is planning to come back in March.

I'll miss my dad dearly but sometimes God may have to move people around in order to reach the ones no one else can.

Perhaps you have a story like Danielle’s? Or maybe you have known others whose lives have been transformed by the love of Christ. Send us your stories in text or video to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

-

Spanish Campus Update

Just over a year ago, Bay Community Church opened its first official ministry to the Spanish community in Mobile and Baldwin County.  Pastor Ricardo and his wife Vickie as well as a committed team of volunteers have worked tirelessly to fulfill the mission of Bay Community Church by connecting, renewing and growing all people in Christ, especially within the Spanish Community.

As we look forward to the future, we believe we must do more to disciple even more people through the Spanish ministry at Bay. On June 6th we will officially relocate our Spanish Campus to our Grelot Road location (map) in Mobile where we will continue our weekly Sunday morning service at 10:30.  Additionally we will have two midweek small groups; one will meet in Mobile and one will meet in Spanish Fort.

We are so grateful to Pastor Ricardo and our volunteers for pioneering this ministry and we look forward to the future growth of Bay Community's ministry to the Spanish Community in Mobile and Baldwin County.

The Countdown Has Begun

The human vocabulary falls very short of providing the necessary words to express the excitement and anticipation of our new Bay Community Mobile Campus. This past weekend was our soft launch. Soft launch is a fancy way of saying “practice run.” Little did we realize that our practice run would blow us away. The equipment trailers rolled in at about 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning loaded to the max. Our launch team did an absolutely outstanding job with set-up and tear-down.  No one really knew how everything would look, and WOW were we amazed!

On Sunday, from Guest Services in the Commons, to Kidztown, and then the Worship Center, the “WOW” factor was obvious.  Everyone worked very hard and it was evident in the finished result. We then gathered into the Worship Center for our worship experience and the message. We began to look around and realized that we had almost filled up the auditorium with just our launch team. And then to top it all off, we had curious people who showed up because they saw our signs on the highway, which had been placed out for experimental purposes. UNBELIEVABLE!! At the end of the day we were tired, but ecstatic.

So the countdown begins. This weekend is it. This is what we’ve worked so hard for. Anticipation is high. We’ve prepared, we’ve planned, and we’ve prayed. We’re coming. No looking back. There are thousands in Mobile, Alabama who need to hear the message of Jesus, and we’re bringing it. No doubt we’ll see lives and families changed. No doubt we’ll see people discover their destiny and purpose. There is no doubt that world changers, missionaries, pastors and other key leaders will be developed right out of this campus. It’s all because someone heard God’s call. But more important, someone obeyed and took the risk. Here we come Mobile. 

Two identical experiences this Sunday: 9:00 am and 10:45 am. Are you ready? Let the countdown begin!

-Tim Gautreaux
Mobile Campus Pastor

Why Mobile?

There's a Chinese proverb that says "If your vision is for a year, plant wheat. If your vision is for 10 years, plant trees.  If your vision is for a lifetime, plant people." 

Isn't it true that to a great extent our investments dictate our interest? At Bay Community Church, we value people. We believe that if we sow the eternal seed of the gospel in people, then we are investing in something that will outlive us. This is why we're bringing Bay Community to Mobile. The thought is, instead of trying to get the people to the church, why not bring the church to the people? As a matter of fact, an astounding 350 plus people drive across the Bay from Mobile to Daphne every weekend to come to church here at Bay! I believe it's safe to say that Mobile is asking us to come on over. Now understand, the multi-site church concept isn't new. It's all over the book of Acts and the New Testament. Paul the Apostle was probably the most aggressive multi-site church planter ever!

We completely understand that by placing a satellite campus in Mobile, Bay Community will not reach EVERY lost person in Mobile. But neither will any other single church. We do hope to reach those that others may not reach. Isn't that what it's all about anyway?

Hey, in a city of more than 400,000 people, wouldn't you agree there is plenty of work to do? We're ready to do our part. We're ready to get to work. On Sunday, March 21, 2010, we're going to make a footprint into the huge harvest field of Mobile, Alabama. Yes, a church plant will require a building, equipment, technology, money, and all that other stuff. But at the end of the day, it's not about all the stuff, it's all about the people!

-Tim Gautreaux
Mobile Campus Pastor

Haiti Response

In response to the tragic earthquakes in Haiti, Bay Community Church is giving to Christian organizations, currently in Haiti, providing food, medicine, clothing and shelter. These organizations are Feed the Children, Operation Compassion and the Salvation Army. If you would like to help the people of Haiti by giving through Bay Community Church, click here and indicate "Haiti" in the "Special Instructions" line.

We encourage you to pray for the people of Haiti. Pray for all who lost their spouse, children, parents, loved ones and friends. Pray that those who are missing will be found alive. Pray for those who lost their homes. Pray for wisdom from the government, military and relief organizations. 

We do have an open door to take a missions trip to Haiti to help in the relief efforts, however, it's uncertain when that will be. When this trip is organized, we will notify everyone through the weekend experience Info Sheet and here on the website.

As more information or plans develop, we will post them here, so keep checking back. Thanks.

2010 Business Directory

As a family, we have to stick together right? That's exactly why we've assembled this brand new Business Directory! You can download it and begin using it right away.

Of course we can't give it to you without some sort of disclaimer: 

This directory and its contents are offered in good faith. Any contracts made are between client and the business owner. Entries of companies do not imply any form of recognition, recommendation or guarantee of the company or the products and services provided. Bay Community Church, its officers and staff, are not liable under any circumstances whatsoever for any direct, indirect or consequential damages arising from the use of this Directory. It is always prudent to check references and work before entering a contract.

We hope this benefits everyone involved! Also, We'd like to thank Laura Willis (Realtor, Prudential Nichols) for her efforts in compiling and publishing this directory.

Download it here.

Welcome to Our New Site!

Welcome to the new baycommunity.com! There are lots of areas you need to check out, especially the Media section, which has an archive of past series for your enjoyment. This Blog will be just one of the sources for you to stay connected to what happens around here on a weekly basis. Other was of staying in the loop are the Calendar, Twitter and Facebook. 

So look around, and enjoy the new baycommunity.com!