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What’s Fishing Got to Do with It?

Rev. David H. Bestc. July 2008

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"As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him."

Mark 1:16-20

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In the last 30 seconds: 125 people were born in the world 53 died 36 of whom did not likely

know Christ In 2007 approximately 3.8 million

people died who likely did not know Christ

Outreach Jan/Feb 2008, p. 14

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There’s Plenty of Fish

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Getting Ready to Fish You’ve Got to

Get Ready You’ve Got to

Understand the Lake and find the fish

You’ve Got to know what they are biting and what lure to use

You need to know who else is fishing and what lures they are using

You’ve got to move quickly with a sense of urgency

You’ve got to quit talking about fishing and go fishing

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Churches need to get ready Brac is coming Demographics are

available for us to learn about our fish

What is going to be your strategy?

How can our churches become better at fishing?

Some churches use the “let ‘em come if they want to” strategy

Most seem to be taking a nap in the boat

God is bringing the world to us

How will we respond?

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Some General Trends for our Region

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Trends Population to increase

40,800 (32,809 Cumberland County)

Cumberland Cty projected 2013 Population- 396,529

Need for more schools Need for better roads

and transportation Murchison Road will

have a major upgrade

Southwest Harnett County will experience growth

Churches need to assimilate new members quicker as is a time of continued deployments

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Fort Bragg is the largest Fort Bragg is the largest Army post in the countryArmy post in the country

Growing to more than 65,000 Growing to more than 65,000 soldiers and employeessoldiers and employees

U.S. Army Forces Command U.S. Army Forces Command and Army Reserve Command and Army Reserve Command Headquarters (2,700) transfer Headquarters (2,700) transfer from Atlantafrom Atlanta

Pope AFB transfers to the Pope AFB transfers to the Army in 2011Army in 2011

440440thth Reserve Airlift Wing has Reserve Airlift Wing has arrived from Milwaukeearrived from Milwaukee

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Education As a result of military-

related growth, Cumberland County Schools—which had a 2007-08 K-12 enrollment of 53,660—will experience an enrollment increase of 3,000 students between the 2006-2007 and the 2013-2014 school years.

The expected impact will be heaviest in the Jack Britt and Gray’s Creek areas, where some schools are already significantly over capacity.

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Creates a potential shortage Creates a potential shortage of schools, classrooms, and of schools, classrooms, and teachersteachers

Impacts on housing, roads, Impacts on housing, roads, airports, workforce, airports, workforce, infrastructure, public safety, infrastructure, public safety, medical and quality of lifemedical and quality of life

Churches must also prepareChurches must also prepare

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The composition of the school-age students are 47% elementary school age 24% middle school age 20% high school age

The 6,300 increase is equivalent to : 3000 K-5 graders 1500 6-8 graders 1800 9-12 graders

OR 5 elementary schools 2 middle schools 2 high schools (Bracrtf into 2/8/08)

These new school needs are in

ADDITION to the existing needs to absorb county’s normal growth!

Schools (K-12)Facility Needs

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New Students and Schools

About 4,500 more students in Harnett

About 3,000 more students in Cumberland

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Transportation

Critical Projects Extension of I-295 Closure of Bragg Blvd. and widening

Murchison Road Detailed transportation study of

access to Fort Bragg including park-n-ride and transit

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Churches needed Approximately 300 churches (ARDA) in

Cumberland County 1 church for every 1322 people If we would reach the whole county, and

every church had 600 members, then we would need an additional 361 churches-

Based on present then we would need 36 more churches. (Just to maintain with churches having 600 members each)

Average Membership in Baptist Churches now is 311

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Trends God is bringing the

world to us We can have an

influence on the rest of the world from here in Cumberland County

Churches need to reach the unchurched

49% are unchurched 11% of present population claim to be Southern Baptists

Of 396,500 - 194,285 are unchurched in the county.

 16% of the population attends church on a given Sunday

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84% of our Population is not in church on a given Sunday

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Needs Every church needs to develop a

strategy to reach the unchurched and go fishing

We need more churches to reach them

The Association and churches need a strategy to reach the unchurched

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Help is Available Specific demographic information can

be done for each church There are people who can come to your

church and help them interpret the information from the demographics

The Association will offer Intentionally Evangelistic Church Strategy Aug. 12-14 at Arran Lake Baptist Church. Other conferences will be in September

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Invitation: Let’s Go Fishing! Make a

commitment to go back to your church to encourage them to reach out to the unchurched all around us

Pray for all the churches

People may want to form groups in the Association to study the information and take it back to their individual churches

Do you want to catch fish or sit on the bank in the shade?