When Bobby Welch’s bus rolled into Nashville after a year of touring the nation, busloads of Baptists from Gardendale’s First Baptist Church pulled in right alongside him, ending a year’s ministry journey all their own.
More than 300 of Gardendale’s choir, orchestra and praise team- along with staff members, volunteer greeters, ushers and set-up crews – ministered at the Pastors Conference June 19-20. Leading worship alongside Pastor Steve Gaines, conference president, the church gave those attending a gift a year in the making – a “spiritual oasis” for pastors.
All ‘about Jesus’
“They have been working for months and put in countless hours of practice, but we did not want people talking about the church,” Gaines said. “We wanted to create an environment like what we like to worship in at our church – one with freedom and intimacy with God. And we only wanted for everyone to leave talking about Jesus.”
The program has been in the works since Gaines was elected president in 2004, and the church budgeted half the $100,000 it cost to put together the conference into its 2005 expenses. An offering taken during the evening service covered the other half of that cost.
“The church members didn’t see it as a sacrifice; they saw it as a chance to minister,” Gaines said.
Jodie McCreless, a member of the praise team at the church, said the choir experienced a blessing from the experience. “Everyone was on fire. It was what we needed to hear. Everyone was saying they couldn’t wait to get home and start witnessing again.”
While the schedule was tight and the choir members took off work Monday to attend, “we just focused on what we were really here for,” McCreless said. “It was so people could see Jesus. Some of those pastors are hurting. We hope we ministered to them in some way.”
The Sunday night session of the Pastors Conference was broadcast back to Gardendale via satellite. Some 500 church members watched from the church’s sanctuary.
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