VIEW FROM THE MANSE 2.0 - March 2026

 

What’s your next step? At Argyle Presbyterian Church, we exist to make disciples who make a difference. Being a disciple of Jesus means following where he leads us. And what is the next step that you might take as you follow him? Here are some ideas:

1.             Get Baptized. Baptism is a gift from God to his people. In Acts 2, Peter says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” If you have never been baptized (you only get baptized into the name of the triune God once), this is a gift that Christ commands you receive. At APC, we baptize babies and we baptize adults. The question for adults pursuing baptism is essentially this; ‘Are you trusting in Jesus for salvation and are you desiring to, by his grace, follow him in obedience?’ If you can answer yes to that question, it is time for you to get baptized. If you want your baby to be baptized, touch base with me and let’s talk about it.

2.             Join a Bible Study. God gave you his word so that you might know him. But you are not meant to only study it alone. You are meant to study with brothers and sisters in Christ. We come to understand and apply the scriptures to our lives together. There is a list of Bible studies in the worship guide each week. Pick one that fits your schedule. Call the leader. Each Bible study would love to have you. I am going to lead a new Bible study for men that will meet the same time as the mom’s Bible study (usually meeting on Wednesday nights at 6:30- childcare is available for these studies). But if Wednesday night is not good for you or you are not a man, there are many other studies that meet all throughout the week.

3.             Find a place to serve at APC. There are so many ways that you can serve in our community. And when you find a ministry that utilizes your gifts (each of God’s children has a gift meant to be used to build up the body of believers), you will experience grace and love towards your neighbor. You might discover your gifts while serving as a greeter, working with the fellowship team, hosting the food pantry on Saturday mornings, teaching children’s church or Sunday school, holding babies in the nursery, ministering with Young Life, or a multitude of other ways. See an elder or deacon if you want to learn more about how you might serve.

4.             Build relationships. You will build relationships if you serve or join a study, but there are avenues at APC that have been created for exactly this purpose. We have a fellowship meal on the second Tuesday of the month. Show up, with food or without, by yourself or with friends and family, and eat a meal- make a new friend. Talk and rest; there is no other agenda for those evenings. We are starting a house-group in March. House-groups are families that meet in homes for dinner 3 times a month. Members spend most of their time talking and eating, but we certainly reserve some time for study and prayer. Joining a house group involves commitment (we ask participants to commit to 24 months), but it is deeply rewarding. You can sign up in the lobby. Finally, there will be a dinner for 7 sign up list coming up shortly. Dinner for 7 is designed for adults to gather for a meal at a house and get to know one another. More details will be coming out about this at the end of March.

5.       Give. It is a wonderful thing to participate in God’s work in the northeast through personal generosity. Some of us have more we can give than others, but all of us can give in faith that God sees us and God knows our hearts. We want to be a light in Argyle and Washington County and this only happens through your generous obedience to God’s call.

If you want to know more about any of these steps, please email, call, or stop me on a Sunday morning and let’s talk about it. I am so excited by the way that God is transforming each of us into disciples who make a difference.

Bryan Fitzgerald, Pastor (bryan@argylepresbyterian.org)

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