Happy New Year

Happy Snow Day, First Family!

What a blessing it is to begin my third year here at First Baptist. God has been amazing, powerful, and faithful as we have sought to follow His leadership in His church. You are such a loving congregation, and it is truly a joy for my family to be among you.

As we step into this new year together, I want to invite you to renew your prayers for our Worship Leadership Search Team. This dedicated group continues to work hard in prayerful discernment, seeking the individual God has prepared to lead our worship ministry.

Please keep them in your prayers:

• Pray for discernment as they navigate this important process.
• Pray for perseverance and strength as they remain committed to this task.
• Pray for the right individual to be prepared, led, and called to serve in this vital role at FBC.

If you’re willing, I’d like to ask you to send a note of encouragement to our search team. A quick email or message would mean so much. You can reach them at worshipleadersearch@fbcalexandria.org. Your words of support and affirmation can uplift and energize them as they continue this important work.

Secondly, I want to express my gratitude to Don and Alydia, who have graciously committed to FBC for the remainder of our interim season. Their leadership has been a blessing, and we are committed to supporting them as they guide us in worship during this time.

Lastly, I’d like to address the parking challenges we faced this past Sunday. Our neighboring church celebrated the grand opening of their new location, which brought a significant swell in attendance as their sister churches gathered in support. Unfortunately, this resulted in an unexpected takeover of our parking lots, despite prior agreements for limited use of a fraction of our east lot. We had cones and tape marking a small portion of the east parking lot, and these markers were ignored and moved without seeking permission going far beyond our agreed support.

I understand the frustration and difficulty this caused, and I want to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Our team quickly worked with local police and staff to manage the situation and ensure our services were uninterrupted. Moving forward, there are no additional parking agreements in place, and this challenge should not recur. Let’s continue to extend grace and celebrate their strong opening while trusting that these logistical challenges are behind us. Thank you for your patience and prayers for this new congregation.

Thank you, First Family, for your love, prayers, and steadfast faithfulness. I am excited to see how God will continue to work through us as we follow His lead in 2025.

In Christ’s love,
Pastor Robert