October 7, 2025 

Dear Faith Family, 

Isaiah 54:2 - “Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes."  

Isaiah 54:2 is a declaration of the prophet Isaiah as he is proclaiming the promise of God as their hope and salvation. His declaration is a prophetic promise of what God will do for His people through the coming Messiah. God’s people would be restored, for Israel their borders would be expanded, and they would be victorious over their enemies. This prophetic promise also is given to God’s people today. In Christ, we are redeemed and restored to a relationship with God. In Christ, we receive all the Heavenly blessings, which includes His victory over Sin and the power of Sin daily, and the promise of future victory over evil. In Christ, we also receive His ongoing favor and the promise of His sustaining power that leads us to a growing influence and impact in our witness as we “let our light shine for the glory of God.” 

We as a body of believers are experiencing the favor of God. We are seeing lives changed, our ministry expanding, leaders being raised up, and numerical growth, as God is bringing people into our body. God is clearly, “enlarging the place of our tent.” As God continues to bless in many areas, we have a responsibility to “lengthen our cords and strengthen our stakes.” 

It is apparent to most of us that we are quickly growing out of space. From 2021-22 to 2024-25 church years (July – June), we have grown by 30% in our worship attendance. Small groups, membership class attendees, and baptisms have grown by an even higher percentage. In response to our growth, we have expanded our parking lot, adding approximately 60 new spots, and we are continuing to make changes to our ministry structure to maximize the space. However, if these growth trends continue, in a very short time we will be out of room, especially in our small group space, which is our key strategy for making disciples. 

Because of what God is doing and our responsibility to be stewards of the people that have become part of our body, and for those we believe who will continue to come, we must plan for future growth. With that in mind our Budget and Stewardship Team, a group of Deacons that have been serving on a Facility Vision Team, and our Pastoral staff, are recommending that we engage with our architect to assist us in space analysis and future planning. Along with the recommendation below, I will be making the Facility Vision Team an ongoing Ad Hoc team who will guide us through the process; their names are listed below the recommendation. 

On Sunday morning, October 19, at the end of both services, I will be sharing and asking that we as the body of Christ at Faith Baptist Church affirm the recommendation as a declaration of what God has done and is doing, and as a praise for what we believe He is going to continue to do as we seek to follow Him! 

Grace and Peace, 

Pastor Matt