FBC Essex back from the grave E


arly in his ministry, had someone asked pastor John Smith what he thought about church revitalization, his answer would have


been simple: great–just not for him. “It was one of those places in ministry that I just never thought I was going to be,” Smith says. But God had a different plan. For more than two years now, he


has served as pastor of First Baptist Church Essex just outside of Baltimore, Md.,–a church that, when he met it, was quickly moving toward closing its doors. “It was a church with one foot and four toes in the grave,” Smith


recalls, “and I was not interested in pastoring it at all.” After preaching at the church twice while visiting family friends


NORTHEAST


in the area, Smith sat down with a small committee from the church looking to keep the doors of FBC Essex open. However, he still felt little calling to take on the role of pastor to a dying congregation. “As I was driving out of the parking lot for what I thought would be the last time, I heard God audibly tell me it was my job to lead this church out of the grave. It was as if He was saying, ‘You’re telling this church it’s going to die, but I’m asking you to die to yourself and pastor this church.’” Smith answered the call. In the short time he


has served as pastor to the congregation, Smith has worked tirelessly to revitalize and change the atmo- sphere at FBC Essex.


John and Amber Smith


“We got out there


and started getting back out in the community, reminding the people that we were there and just trying to bring in new people to give the church a new life and new excitement.” In just more than


two years, the church has seen tremendous


growth. Attendance has grown from an average of 35 every Sunday to now around 120 each week, with big days showing more than 200 in attendance. Nearly 100 people have come to Christ through FBC Essex in the last two years and 67 have been baptized as new believers. “We really worked to find a balance between honoring the legacy


and history of the church while still casting new vision for new life at FBC Essex,” Smith says. “When it’s all said and done, the God that started our church, the God that saw it struggling to stay alive- that same God loves this church still and wants to see it march forward towards a future.”


Sara Shelton is associate editor for On Mission.


SOUTH


Merger restores life to dying church O


n a hot Florida afternoon, several members of the congregation of First Baptist Church,


Odessa gathered together to remember the road they have walked. Many remembered the days when the


church, once a staple in the small west Florida community, was home to a vibrant congregation. “Sometimes we’d have just three or four people here,” one member recalls. “The most we saw on a Sunday for a long time was about 10 people.” Down to only a small core group


by mid-2011, the remaining members committed themselves to prayers of revival for the church. “We prayed, but we knew that if something didn’t happen and we couldn’t get people here, we were going to have to close our doors.” Just 15 miles away, pastor Ken Whitten and his team at Idlewild


Baptist Church were also praying. Their prayers were of a different nature, asking God for guidance as they considered expanding their congregation through the process of opening a second campus.


“I remember a remaining member of the Odessa congregation tell- ing us that his prayer was to see that church alive again, just one more time in his lifetime,” pastor Chris Basham recalls. Moved by the prayers of the congregation, the team at Idlewild discussed merging the two churches. “We sat at the table, they took a


vote, and said, ‘Yes, we would like for Idlewild to come and take over the campus,” Whitten recalls. In early 2012, the doors of First


Two things are happening again at Idlewild Church at Odessa: children (and their families) are worshipping and people are being baptized.


Baptist Church Odessa opened again, this time under the name Idlewild Church at Odessa. Gone are the days of empty pews and quiet classrooms. The first Sun- day that Idlewild Church at Odessa opened their doors, the church saw almost 200 people in attendance. Just months later, the pews are full,


the halls are bustling with children and families and a new life has taken over the church.


Sara Shelton is associate editor for On Mission. ON MISSION • Winter 2013 14


PHOTO BY SHANNON SMITH


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