An advertising slogan that I came to love growing up was used by Dodge and simply claimed, “Lead, Follow, or Get out of the Way.” I recently challenged the congregation of Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church with this slogan and the response has been amazing. We decided to increase our mission support to 25% of our tithes and offerings, answer government officials wanting to know what the Bible says about certain issues, and evangelize our public-school systems. We joined with Montana Family Foundation, Montana Pastors Network, ACT, and Christians United for Israel in writing letters, testifying, and meeting with government officials to discuss the various issues and what God has said about them. The power of prayer, testimonies, and the sharing of burdens in this field has led to a renewed belief that God is still moving and active in His creation. He is still engaged with His plan and will. We partnered with Chi Alpha and other mission organizations, independently sponsoring six missionaries and their families, on mission trips to India, Latvia, and Asia.
Our youth have even joined in by partnering with Youth for Christ, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Child Evangelism Fellowship, and a local congregation leading a Mega Sports Camp. These partnerships gave us the opportunity to share the message of Jesus Christ in a capacity that we may not have had otherwise. Mega Sports Camp drew over 130 kids from the local area, with several placing their faith in Jesus Christ. Youth for Christ and Fellowship of Christian Athletes allow us weekly access in the public junior and senior high schools. We are teaching that Jesus Christ saves and are witnessing to the youth who are now stepping into the leadership roles of these programs. There is nothing more exciting, in my opinion, than to watch the youth live out their faith in their schools. This year we hosted AWANA Bible quizzing. We had churches from Bozeman and Butte participate with us and are looking forward to an expansion next year as we plan to host the AWANA games.
God has blessed us with the opportunity of housing an interdenominational Christian school in our facilities. The school has experienced growth and challenged our congregation to an expansion of our campus to meet the needs of the school. During a business meeting, it was suggested that the congregation look at building a gym. When voted on, it was unanimously decided to do so. At this point, God has provided the drawings, the bleachers for the gym, and a manufacturing company strongly desiring to establish their name in Montana, with little to no cost for these items. It has been amazing to watch as God moves through this congregation and the partnerships that have been established in Kingdom building. God is moving, and it is exciting to be a part of His plan!
Senator Daines talking with students of Helena Christian School
Walter Degee speaking at a local high school about surviving the Holocaust, the passage of Isaiah 12 was read, as it was the favorite passage of Walter’s father who was shot and killed as prisoner of war
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