Who Can Sing in the Praise Choir?

At Martin Bluff, we continue to have the humbling privilege of seeing God work through us. Recently, as I was walking through our new worship center with a young man who recently came to Christ, I thought I heard him ask, "So, how many people do you think will be seated in here?" My reply was, "About 500." He said, "I asked how many people do you think will be saved in here?" Wow, what a great question!As we anticipate more room we'll have more ministry potential. I recently received an inquiry about the criteria for participating in the Praise Choir. Yes, we will have room on the rostrum for a Praise Choir, our Praise Team and a Praise Band in the new worship center. God is good! Amy Longmire is in the beginning stages of assembling a Praise Choir. The question posed by the inquirer: "Is membership a a requirement for participating in the Praise Choir?" As a guiding principle we desire a participant in the Praise Choir to be a member of Martin Bluff.

This year, 2007, we are rolling out CLASS 101, 201, and 301. What are these classes?
CLASS 101 is an introduction to membership at Martin Bluff. In 101 we cover four broad categories:
1) SALVATION - How does someone become a Christian? What is the significance of the Ordinance of the Lord's Supper and the Ordinance of Baptism?
2) STATEMENTS - What do we believe? What is the MBBC Statement of Faith?
3) STRATEGY - what is the purpose of MBBC? What is the mission of MBBC ("Turning seekers of God into servants of Jesus Christ.") ? What steps do the members of MBBC take to achieve her purpose and mission? and
4) STRUCTURE - What are our affiliations? Our relationship to the Jackson County Baptist Association, the Mississippi Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention? How is ministry accomplished? How is the church organized?

CLASS 201 outlines disciplines a Christian must engage in to mature in Christ. In the 201 seminar four essential disciplines are studied:
1) Bible Study,
2) Prayer,
3) Tithing, and
4) Fellowship.

CLASS 301 is a seminar through which a member of MBBC understands how he or she is SHAPED to serve God. Every believer has a unique ministry SHAPE. SHAPE is an acrostic for:
Spiritual Gifts
Heart
Abilities
Personality and
Experiences.

In order to lead in a ministry at MBBC a member should complete 301.What about those who were at MBBC before 101, 201, and 301? They are grandfathered in. So, must one be a member to participate? Yes and no. Is the desired standard membership? Yes. Will there be exceptions? Yes.

Thank you for your service to Christ and His church,
Eric