Ministry Update
Steve and Kristen Wynn
Associate Church Revitalizers, Smyrna, NY
November 2024
Hello Prayer Partners!
King David found himself in a unique position. The Lord had told David that he would not be the one to build the temple. That responsibility would fall upon his son, Solomon. And yet, David must have thought a lot about that future joyful day, even though he would not see it with his own eyes. The day when the temple would be complete and dedicated.
David, moved by the Holy Spirit, wrote Psalm 30 – the song the people of Israel would sing at this momentous occasion. What would be the focus of this Psalm? What did David desire for his son and people to sing to the Lord? The central theme of the song was penned:
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
In David’s core, he wanted his son and people to sing praises of thanksgiving to God – both in the good times and the bad. They were going to sin, as David had sinned. They were going to experience the discipline of the Lord, as David had. Even at our low points, we are to turn to the Lord in thanksgiving! While difficult times may seem to never end, the truth is quite the opposite: God’s favor is for a lifetime. His joy comes with the morning!
There is much to rejoice about in thanksgiving! We wish you and your loved ones a happy thanksgiving, joining us in praising our God for His unending love shown to us through Christ Jesus!
What’s in progress?
Thank you for your prayers as our family ministers at West Smyrna Baptist Church!
Here are some of the highlights of what we’ve been working on since our last newsletter:
- BCP Church Facilitation Director, Marty Basinger, came in mid-November to prepare the church for our season of prayer and conduct peacemaking training. It was wonderful having Marty with us! He is a great source of encouragement and wisdom.
- We began our season of prayer on November 16. Each Saturday for six weeks, the church family is committing to pray for 30 minutes. We are adoring God from Scripture, thanking Him and confessing our sins to Him, and praying for His guidance.
- Steve completed his interviews with church members and regular attenders. The information gathered has informed the creation of our transition plan.
- Steve synthesized the information learned into a four-part action plan. The plan has been presented to the steering committee and will next be discussed with the WSBC deacons. Once the plan is finalized, we will present it to the church family on December 8 and begin sequencing it out. Some of the plan is already in motion, due to the sensitivity and urgency of the matters.
- Our family began attending one of WSBC’s small groups that meets on Thursdays.
- Steve has mapped out the next few months of sermon series and is developing discipleship opportunities.
- Steve and Kristen met with a number of families, including unsaved visitors, who have questions regarding what the Bible teaches. We rejoice that Jesus continues to seek and save the lost!
Steve continues collaborating with Jon Jenks and Ginny Sebok to develop teacher training materials and other discipleship tools. It has been exciting to be a part of this process!
Additionally, Steve has been able to meet with a BCP missionary family to encourage them in their partner raising. We are blessed to be at full support and desire for other missionaries to reach that same milestone! Consider how you can have a part in meeting the financial needs of BCP missionaries serving in local church plants and revitalizations! Let us know if you’d like more information on how to help.
Our youth group keeps growing! We consistently have over 30 teens each Sunday. We bid farewell to our youth leader, Anna, who is moving to Texas. Our homeschool group celebrated our monthly bookclub – with costumes, of course! The kids enjoyed carving pumpkins. For history, London and Calvin built a castle out of cereal. It was delicious, but didn’t fortify very well!
Good News of Great Joy
John Piper
Celebrate our Savior this Christmas with an Advent devotional, such as John Piper’s “Good News of Great Joy.” You can purchase a physical copy, or download the ebook for free on the Desiring God website.
“Come, let us adore him. This beloved Advent refrain captures the heart of the season. Advent is for adoring Jesus. It is a season of preparation to ready our hearts for the glory of Christmas Day as we celebrate the coming of the eternal God in our frail humanity. These twenty-five short devotional readings from John Piper aim to help you keep Christ at the center of the Advent season.“
Praise & Prayer Request List
Praises
- Praise God that our financial needs are met through the generous support of our nine partnering churches, one business, and 58 families!
- Praise God that London and Calvin are excelling in their homeschooling.
- Praise God for our ministry at West Smyrna Baptist Church!
- Praise God for answering our prayers for Kristen’s mom, and that she continues to heal from her surgery.
Prayer Requests
- Wynn Family
- Pray for Steve and Kristen to be bold in proclaiming Christ, making disciples, and living above reproach. Pray for us to have wisdom and balance, in ministry and in our home.
- Pray for Kristen as she homeschools.
- Pray for London and Calvin to grow in their faith and be consistent in their devotions.
- Pray for London and Calvin to be diligent in their studies.
- Pray for London as she seeks to share the gospel with her friends. She’s been inviting them to youth group and having great conversations with them.
- Wynn Missions
- West Smyrna Baptist Church: Pray for Steve as he serves as their missionary pastor. Pray for the deacons to lead and serve well.
- WSBC: Pray for the church family to experience His peace (Phil. 4:6-9) and to build relationships and discipleship.
- WSBC: Pray for Steve, the deacons, and steering committee as we finalize the phase two plan.
- Faith Baptist Tabernacle: Pray for The Timothy Initiative as we seek our next candidate for our pastoral residency. You can learn more about this new initiative on FBT’s website: faithbaptistsherburne.com/resources/timothy
- FBT: Pray for our teens to grow in the Word and for our new youth group praise band.
- Constantia Center Baptist Church: We continue to pray for God to provide their next pastor! If you know of a potential pastor, I encourage you to view and share CCBC’s pastoral portfolio (click here to view a PDF copy).
- CCBC: Pray for the church leaders to serve the church well and for the advisory committee to be an encouragement to them.
- CCBC: Pray for their guest speakers over the next few months (many of whom are FBT members).
- Local Churches: Pray for sister churches who are currently without a pastor, including Calvary Baptist Church in Norwich, Smyrna Baptist Church, and West Smyrna Baptist Church.
- BCP: Pray for Steve as he serves on the BCP Council. Pray for the Council and BCP leaders to have wisdom.
- BCP: Pray for Steve as he collaborates with BCP leaders to develop discipleship resources for churches.
Schedule
- December 1 – Season of Advent begins at WSBC
- December 8 – WSBC Membership Meeting Update
- December 8 – Waterville Baptist Church Christmas Carol Sing
- December 20-21 – FBT Youth Group Christmas Overnight Event
- December 21 – WSBC Season of Prayer Concludes
- December 24 – Christmas Eve Service
- December 25 – Christmas
- December 31 – FBT New Year’s Eve Game Night
Our Mission Statement:
Through the grace of God and His word, the redemptive works of Christ, and the sanctifying efforts of the Holy Spirit, we encourage and equip the body of Christ in order to ensure its members, both near and far, are enduring in the lifelong work of glorifying God and discipling faithful men and women who will be entrusted to continue this work until our Lord and Savior returns.
We are passionate for the local church. We desire to see churches disciple their members to grow in adoring Him, loving one another, sharing the hope of the gospel, and living transformed lives.
