Members of Steele Baptist Church had a desire to see residents in their area come to know Jesus but didn’t know how to inspire a heart change in the midst of the country church’s declining attendance.
So they began with a rebuilding program for the church body itself based on the book of Nehemiah. Looking inward was a move in the right direction, said Glenn Pender, long-term interim pastor of Steele Baptist.
“We first looked at who we were. At this point we saw a need to be reconciled to God so we held a day of reconciliation to God and one another,” Pender said.
He said the “renewed spiritual life” from that day stirred change. From worship services to thinking outside the four walls in practical ways, church members turned to Scripture for inspiration.
Lighting the way
Matthew 5:14 caught their attention. In it Jesus tells believers, “You are the light of the world.” Steele members took the illustration and found the solution for inspiring a heart change in the community: build a lighthouse to show people the way back to God.
“In this process we wanted to let our light shine before our town so they might see Jesus and come to know Him as Savior and Lord,” said Pender, who also is disaster relief coordinator for St. Clair Baptist Association.
Several members of the church came together to build the working 12-foot lighthouse, including Jeff Layfield, Robert Barnes, David Walker, Greg Walker, Dalton Walker, Terry Wicks and Pender.
Pender said the lighthouse has caught the attention of many in the community and also has had a positive impact within the church.
“The fellowship of the church has really improved (since building the lighthouse),” he said. “It’s such a God thing.”
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