Port Royal Baptist Church

Relief Offering for Haiti

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Most everyone knows of the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that devastated the tiny island nation of Haiti last Tuesday. It is difficult  and saddening to watch countries like Haiti and others who have been stricken with similar disasters struggle through the aftermath. Weak governments, lack of national wealth, poor military, and inadequate infrastructure make the recovery from the these disasters all the more difficult. It is encouraging to me to see the outpouring of support  that is pouring into Haiti. This help has come form such agencies as the Red Cross, Samaritan’s Purse, Doctors Without Borders, SBC Disaster Relief, and World Vision.

Sad but true, nothing brings the human spirit and heart together like tragedy. The world has seen this time and time again. From Hurricane Katrina to the Southeast Asia Tsunami of 2005, tragedy stirs the hearts of people. As we watch the recovery efforts unfold in Haiti, our hearts are burdened and hurting. We want to do something tangible.

At Port Royal Baptist Church, we will be doing our part. This coming Sunday we will take a Relief Offering for Haiti, giving our people an opportunity to help those who are hurting and displaced. Along with our monetary gifts, the people of Haiti need our prayers, both now and in the future. Haiti is a dark place spiritually. I truly believe the hands-on work of clean-up and rebuilding will serve as the hands and feet of Jesus before the people of Haiti. Perhaps through the simple acts of love more avenues for the gospel will open up.

Thank You

/ Steven Ruff / 1 Comment

Yesterday was an emotional day at Port Royal Baptist Church. Our Adult Choir performed the Christmas musical drama, “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”. It was very powerful. It was a great mixture of old Christmas songs infused with new songs of faith and deliverance. The drama told the story of God’s providence over and His care for the faithful. Our Children’s Choir did an outstanding job as well. I am a firm believer in the power of music to reach the hearts of people in ways that a spoken message can’t.  Thank you to all who participated in telling this fantastic Christmas message.

Yesterday was also the last service for our Minister of Music/Youth Jim Riley and his wife Cindi.I’ve been blessed in serving with them since August 2nd. I want to say thank you to them for the better than fifteen years of service they have given to PRBC. Their commitment to the music/youth ministries will no doubt be seen for years to come. I appreciate Bro. Jim’s leadership in areas other than music/youth. There are always lots of little things to be done behind the scenes when it comes to church administration. Thank you Bro. Jim for making sure the “bases were covered”. With all of my heart I believe, through their dedication to God’s church, Jim and Cindi have contributed greatly to the future success of PRBC. It is my prayer that God will richly bless them in every way they stand in need of. Once again, thank you.

Preparing for Lottie

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As Thanksgiving arrives, so does the time of planning for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Without a doubt, this is my favorite time of the year. The LMCO is our yearly missions offering that supports the work of our Southern Baptist missionaries around the world. One encouraging part of this offering is that every dime collected goes directly to the mission field. This offering is especially close to my heart. It’s not because I am a pastor. Over the past twelve years, I have been able to be part of six IMB work/witness teams that have worked in Honduras and Nicaragua with three different missionary couples. I have been able to see how the money collected through the LMCO is used on the field. Our missionaries are very mindful of the sacrificial giving back home that supports their calling to a specific group of people. Not only are they mindful of the giving back home, they are incredibly careful as to not waste any of it. They stretch every penny to get the most out of it for ministry. Having seen this first hand, I can with all of my heart champion the cause for their support and the continuance of God’s work around the world through them.

I am excited about this year’s events at Port Royal Baptist as it relates to the LMCO. Our missions leaders (of whom I am proud of) are planning an inspirational and educational missions study on Wednesday, December 2nd to showcase the area of this year’s study: North Africa. Also, during our family night supper that night, we will have an international menu made up of the foods from our study region. I am looking forward to sharing a sermon series on missions that will continue through our collection date.

The theme for this year’s offering and study is Whose Mission? Who’s Missing? Two great questions. The week of prayer that has been set aside for this year’s offering is December 6th-13th. December 13th is that date we have set aside to collect our offering. Our goal for this year is $3500. I believe that we as a church can meet this goal. I pray, for the sake of our missionaries, that we go above and beyond. Allow me to encourage you to be involved in the missions study, the week of prayer, and finally the giving toward the LMCO this year.

Opening Doors

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This past Saturday we held our annual Fall Festival at PRBC. This was my first at Port Royal. I was very impressed . The events of the night were well put together and a smmoth flow of all events existed. Our festival included children’s games, face painting, cake walks, a trunk-or-treat, a chili cook-off, and a teenage scavenger hunt modeled after the television show The Amazing Race. Oh yeah, lots of candy. I believe that events like this one are important to the life and health of the church. We had two reasons for hosting this event:

1. To give families a safe alternative to the traditional Halloween activities.

2. To provide an entry point into thhe church that is non-threatening.

The second is more important that the first. We can’t expect a person who is not already part of the church body to know how the church works. It is events like this one that gives a person a chance to take a look at the church outside of a normal worship service.  An opportunity is given to make connections with others so that when they do visit a regular service, some barriers have been removed. These events help the unchurched to answer the question,”How do I get in?”

Saturday we had the opportunity to talk with guests who do not attend church at all. Once guest, along with her two children said they were driving by, saw the sign, and stopped. She later told me they were not involved in a local church. Bingo. That is the reason we plan and labor over events like these. It is not for us, it is for them. We need to open as many doors as possible. I want to thank everyone who planned, decorated a trunk, cooked, and manned a game booth. Your efforts made Saturday night a success.

Reflections on Sunday

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Yesterday was wonderful day at Port Royal. The day started off with our Sunday School Teachers/Workers  Meeting. This was the first meeting that I have had with our teachers since arriving at Port Royal. I was encouraged by the 41 workers who came out early to breakfast and to be involved in the planning and work necessary that will lead to a healthier Sunday School. I am very proud of our Sunday School workers.

The morning worship service  was moving. The music was inspirational the our adult choir special was amazing. At the end ofour service, we had the opportunity to welcome three new members to our fellowship, one young couple and one young man.  It is always exciting to see people get connected to the church body. There were those present who are looking for a church home and wanted to know more about Port Royal. Their interest in encouraging. For yesterday I am thankful for the encouragement we were able to give, the ministry we were able to carry out, and the lives that were touched.  God is most definitely good.

Something Happened at the Associational Meeting Last Night

/ Steven Ruff / 1 Comment

Last night I attended the Savannah River Baptist Association Annual Meeting, my first as pastor of Port Royal. My initial impressions are mixed. I liked some of the things I saw. I did not like some of the things I saw. These meetings are fairly predictable. I’ve attended and moderated enough of them to know what will usually happen. Reports are given, officers are presented, and budgets are adopted. This year, instead of an inspirational message, updates were given from some of our churches as to how God was blessing their ministries. I found this encouraging.

Normally, I find the business part of these meetings the most interesting. Sounds funny, I know. I enjoy that kind of stuff. Something was different for me last night. The music during the worship sessions was outstanding. The songs that were chosen were right on time and stirred my heart. Of the many songs that were done, one stands out. That  song is “You Never Let Go” by Matt Redman. The chorus goes like this:

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

I kept thinking to myself how appropriate that song is for this time. Some of our people have deep burdens on their heart and life. This was a powerful reminder that God, regardless of what we may be going through, does not let go of us. As I look out on the bay while I write this, I can see boats with anchors out. The anchors are holding those boats in place, not letting go. Our God is that anchor in our lives. He holds us. He helps us. He keeps us. He protects us. He provides for us. He doesn’t let go. Our worship time last night was a welcome and needed reminder.

Something happened at the associational meeting last night. I arrived believing I knew what the night was going to hold for me. I left thankful that God can use the seeming predictable times in life to show Himself to us.

We’re Here For You

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On Saturday, November 7th we will participate in the convention-wide ministry day labeled as “We’re Here For You”. Our South Carolina Baptist Convention is encouraging all churches to be involved in some sort of simultaneous and tangible mission project in their local area. This state-wide project is occuring the weekend before the SCBC annual meeting in Columbia. This event mirrors the Crossover events that occur in the host city of the SBC annual meeting during the summer where evangelism amd ministry events take place througout the host city.

At Port Royal, we have decided to take on as our project the local skatepark and farmer’s market. Our goal is to go where the people normally and regularly gather and perform acts of kindness. In this case, we will giving out free water. Our desire is to be able to tell people why we are there, share some information about our church, and if the door opens share Christ with someone. We want to establish a presence that will build bridges for future ministry. Prayerfully through this simple project, someone will come understand that God loves them through our love for them. In addition to free water, we will be face painting, making balloon animals, and maybe some hot-drink (depending on the weather).

This project has encouraged me. As we began to plan for this day, there was a sense of excitement among our people. Many agreed that we needed a presence in this area. We have scheduled two prayerwalks ahead of this event. The first was last Saturday with twelve people attending. This was encouraging to me. The next prayerwalk is scheduled for Saturday, October 31st. I am thankful for those who came out to walk, to pray, and to lift up this event to the Lord. I am so very proud of our people. Pray for us as we strive to change our little corner of the world.

Thank You

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Yesterday was Pastor Appreciation Day at Port Royal Baptist Church. The church planned a wonderful fellowship lunch after the morning service that was well attended at very enjoyable. I just want to say thank you to Port Royal for all the cards, gifts, and words of encouragement that you extended to me and my family yesterday. Words cannot say how blessed I am to have the opportunity to be your pastor. You are a wonderful people and I look forward to what the future holds.

Uniquely Situated

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Port Royal Baptist Church is uniquely situated for ministry opportunity. I believe the placement of our church has nothing to do with chance or luck. Instead, I believe that we are where we are for a reason. If you have never been to Port Royal Baptist Church, let me explain a little bit about our location.

If you step out of the front door and look to the left, you will see  major highway connecting the town of Port Royal to the city of Beaufort. If you step out of the front door and look to the right, you will see the Naval Hospital Beaufort. On this military base you have housing for both singles and families. If you step out of the front and look directly in front of you, you will see a park that is maintained by the town of Port Royal. There are two things worth mentioning about this park. First, a skate park was built several years ago and now gives kids who enjoy skateboarding a place to go. There always seems to be kids there, my son included. Second, this park hosts a farmers market from about April until November. Each Staurday morning vendors set-up in the park and sell everything from vegetables to fresh shrimp. The farmers market draws a large crowd, consistently. The exciting part is that all of this takes place at our doorsteps. Directly behind the church is an apartment complex in which we have a witness of the gospel, and praying for an increase. Also, within a half-mile of the church, there are at least hree multi-housing units. Port Royal Baptist Church is just over a mile from the front gate of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island. We are praying for an opportunity to open up to that would enable us to minister to the families on the depot.

I said all of that to say this. It’s all about placement. Opportunity surrounds us. Our mission field is right here. I believe that God has uniquely positioned us here to significantly impact our community. If you have never been to Port Royal Baptist Church, I hope this helps you understand where we are. If you have been to Port Royal Baptist Church, have you noticed what is around you? When you drive to church, do you realize that you pass through a mission field on your way to worship? We have a people to reach. I am excited about the potential. I am excited about the opportunity before us. In jsut a few weeks we are planning a service project in the park, right in front of us. I’ll write more about that later. I love this town. I love these people. May God enable us to reach them.