Homecoming Sunday at Lake Lynn Baptist Church! As we celebrated 74 years of God's faithfulness, guest speaker Cameron Knowles, Associational Discipleship Strategist with the New South River Baptist Association, asked a question every church needs to hear: what makes a healthy church?

A church can celebrate its past while neglecting the very things that made its past worth celebrating. We can remember the fellowship without practicing fellowship, remember the preaching without submitting to God's Word, and remember the prayers of past generations without becoming a praying people ourselves.

In Acts 2:42-47 we meet a church with no beautiful sanctuary, no denominational structure, and no generations of tradition - yet it possessed something far more important: a people transformed by the gospel, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and devoted to the things of God. From verse 42, Luke gives us the four pillars of a healthy church:

• Devoted to the word of God
• Committed to the fellowship of God's people
• United in Christ-centered worship
• Dependent upon God through prayer

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47
Speaker: Cameron Knowles, Associational Discipleship Strategist | New South River Baptist Association
Homecoming Sunday, 74th Anniversary | October 18, 2026

Plan your visit at lakelynn.org

What has Jesus given you to use for His church and His kingdom? In Week 2 of the Benchwarmers series, Pastor Phil Graves teaches from Ephesians 4:7-16 about the gifts Christ gives to every believer. Serving is not limited to pastors, deacons, teachers, or people who have been Christians the longest. Every believer has a place, a purpose, and a contribution to make.

This message challenges us to stop waiting for a perfect plan, a title, a committee, or a ministry that already exists. Ministry begins with a real need and a willing person. Whether you serve publicly or quietly, inside the church or in the community, Jesus can use your gifts to build up His people and point others toward Him.

You will be encouraged to discover your position, notice the needs God has placed in front of you, and take one practical step of service this week.

Key ideas: spiritual gifts, serving in the church, Christian ministry, finding your place, discipleship, Ephesians 4, creative ministry, every member serving, and building up the body of Christ.

Key line: Don't get in a pickle. Make a play.

If you have never trusted Jesus, your first move is not serving. Your first move is coming to Christ. Salvation is a gift of grace through faith in Jesus.

What does following Jesus look like beyond Sunday morning? In “More Than a Jersey,” Pastor Phil Graves opens the Benchwarmers series with Mark 12:28–34 and Jesus’ command to love God wholeheartedly and love our neighbors as ourselves.

Before we talk about serving, we need to understand how we belong to Jesus. Salvation is God’s gift through faith in Christ. We cannot earn it through good works. But receiving His grace begins a life of growing, loving, and serving.

This message explores three practical steps:

• Love God with your whole life.
• Love your neighbor in practical ways.
• Respond to the truth you recognize.

Whether you’re exploring Christianity or have followed Jesus for years, consider one person you can love and one step of obedience you can take this week.

You have a place. You have a purpose.

Scripture: Mark 12:28–34; Ephesians 2:8–10
Series: Benchwarmers, Week 1
Pastor Phil Graves | Lake Lynn Baptist Church
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Find out more and plan your visit: https://lakelynn.org