New Beginnings

April 14th begins a new journey in the life of our church.  Foothills Baptist Church will be no more as we are changing our name to Shelter Church of Maryville.  Naturally we have had some questions about the name change and others wondering what's going on...so let me try to explain.

For the past few months I have felt that God was leading our church into a transition phase and we have seen that take place recently.  We have seen some new faces and have said bye to some who have been with us from the beginning.  But despite the changes God has proven Himself to be faithful and in control.  The subject of a name change has been on my mind for awhile.  Because the name of our church has been very similar to other churches in the area it has been very difficult for us to establish an identity in the community.  In fact I have had people searching for me but going to other places and when we have tried to communicate to others about our church we are often misunderstood for other places.  Changing our name is one way we can build an identity in the community for ourselves.

Secondly I have had a desire to see our church reach out to people who are hurting.  As Shelter Church we will shift our focus to provide a ministry that will seek to shelter people from the storms of life with the power of Christ.  Thus the name change simply reflects the new direction that God is leading us.  In the upcoming weeks and months we are going to be seeking to minister to people in a very practical way that will enable us to put the Gospel up front in order that God can shelter them from whatever storm they may be going through.  This is not a numbers game, but rather it is all about people finding healing in their lives.  So many people are hurting and no longer can we assume that everyone comes from a normal background.  Yet the power of Jesus transcends any situation and can overcome the darkest battle we encounter.  This message of hope should be told to them...all we want to do is to let people know that there is a God who loves them and wants to heal them.

Finally as Shelter Church of Maryville we are going to be partnering in many ways with Shelter Church of Chattanooga.  I'm excited about this because I'm going to be able to work with some familiar faces that I've known for a few years.  Shelter Church in Chattanooga was formerly Westview Baptist Churh, the first church that I served as youth pastor.  The pastor is Sterling Jetton and over the years he and I have remained in touch.  We both think similar about situations and have the same heart for ministry.While we will share a name the church bodies will be very much independent.  This is a great opportunity for me and for our church.  The Shelter Church in Chattanooga is made up of some very good people who have a huge heart for Jesus.  To know that these people are going to help us and pray for us is great news!

I hope this gives you an idea concerning where we are and what's going on with the ministry.  We still need your prayers and as I've said many times if you are looking for a grass roots ministry we are for you and could really use the help!  Thanks!

Jeremy