Erol Senses
Church Administrator

“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20

Motel 6 is known for many things such as low prices and the very basics in the hospitality industry. But they are most known for their advertisement, where voice actor Tom Bodett closed every commercial from 1986 to 2016 with this one line: "We’ll leave the light on for you." Even if people who don’t utilize hotels much, they still feel something heartwarming when they hear this slogan. Perhaps it acts like a nostalgic tie to when we were younger and came home to find that our parents had left the porchlight on for us, indicating that we were welcome home to a place that was safe and comfortable. Or perhaps it reminds others of a long, hard day of traveling that ended with returning home where the lights were left on for us, promising a greeting from our loving family along with the much needed peace and rest.
 
But there is another “coming home” that is much more significant than that of Motel 6 or even our own home; and Jesus speaks about it in a parable found in Luke 15 when revealing the heart of God our Father. Most are familiar with the prodigal son story, so we’ll just focus on verse 20, where the younger son “arose and came to his father.” And how did the father respond?
 
Did he lock the door of his house and wait for the son to knock? Did he greet the son with something like, “well, well, look who came crawling back to me” or “look at the mess you made of yourself”? Did he tell the son to go clean himself up before giving him entry to the place he was returning? Did he expect the son to pay back all that was squandered in his prodigal living before welcoming him home?

No, “while he was still a long way off” the father saw him, and felt compassion. Do we know of any people who are “a long way off” from coming home? Do we look for them? Do we feel compassion towards them?

Next, the father “ran” to greet the son. (Please see Pastor Marco’s annual report “Run Hard” for more about that.) Lastly, the father embraced him, and according to original grammar, repeatedly kissed him. The son was left with no doubt of his father’s deep love for him. Now we get to the part that is often missed. The next verses places both the father and son outside the house. But wait a minute, the father ran and greeted him from a long way off. How are they now standing outside the house?
 
One simple explanation: the father walked the son home. And once they had arrived, the son saw that the father had left the light on for him. Whether they are those who wandered from the church or those who are lost, God is drawing people to His Son by drawing them to His church. Yet as they are coming, they are questioning. The lost are questioning: “Will I be welcomed or will they reject me?” The wanders are questioning: “Have I been erased not only from the membership list, but also from their minds and hearts?” But regardless of where they are returning from, most are questioning: “Has the Church turned out the light for me at the Father’s House?”

We can all associate with the younger son, because he “was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” (v. 32) And if we are honest, we can find some of the older son in us, who elevated his obedience and works above the grace that his father not only showed the younger son, but also the elder. Yet how often have we considered ourselves as being “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) in the Father’s house? How often have we shined it towards those who are “a long way off?” Are we even looking? How often have we shined by inviting them to come to church with the compassion and love the father in the parable demonstrated? How often have we shined as we “walked them home” by bringing them to church? How often have we shined in welcoming them once they arrived?

This is why I challenge everyone to pray, invite, and bring people to come home. That is how I came home.
 
In January of 2023, we kept the light on as we revisited the Who’s Your One program and we plan on revisiting it again this year, because Who’s Your One is not just a seasonal commitment, but a constant and consistent commitment to Spreading His Fame.

In February of last year and this year, we gathered everyone who serves in ministry to encourage all to keep the light on as we Serve His Family.

In March of last year and February of this year, we kept the light on by having special church-wide prayer meetings as we Sought His Face.

In July we hosted our Global Partners Pablo and Rosa from Spain, followed by a visit from our Global Partners from Romania PIEI, and so far this year, were able to spend time with Laverman’s who minister in Japan, in supporting them through the Adopt a Global Partner program as they keep the light on all around the world.

October was a busy month as we celebrated God’s faithfulness towards Midwest Bible Church for 90 years, and 90 years of keeping the light on.

Next, we partnered with the faithful women of PTF (Lissette Sanchez, Rosalia Lopez, Rachel Rivera, Arsemiris Galva, Allyson Reboyras and Marilyn Del Valle leading the way) for a Fall Fest, a parking lot gift give-away for the parents of MCA, a children’s movie night and this year, we had a Parents Night Out, all in shining the light at MBC for those who have children in our school.
 
I encourage you to read all the reports from our ministries to see other ways we are keeping the light on which I did not include for the sake of avoiding redundancy.

If the Lord doesn’t return for us in 2024, we are prayerfully planning many more events, outreaches and gatherings where we can shine brightly. Will you help us keep the light on?
 
We cannot let Motel 6 outdo us in this.

Sandra Poenar

Did you know people examine our church before ever walking into our doors?

MBC has so much to offer and it is important that when somebody stumbles upon our website or social pages, that they have easy access to it all. A cohesive and clean design makes it easier for anyone to navigate and find what they're looking for. We're told not to judge a book by its cover, but we know that often the cover catches our eye anyway. I want the "cover" of Midwest Bible Church to catch someone's eye for the sake of getting them plugged into our church as a means for God to work in their hearts. We have testimonies this past year of people visiting MBC because they found our website or even started listening to our sermons online before coming.

My goal is to make our ministries known, and in that, making God known. I believe that any talent or gifting I have is all bestowed by the Holy Spirit, who continually gives me ideas and even sometimes clear images of a design in my mind before I execute it physically. I have grown in this gifting in many ways this past year and hope to continue growing and do a more effective and consistent job of promoting all that we have to offer.

So much happened in 2023! We launched 2 Sermon Series: Inside Out & Upside Down Kingdom. Along with these series, we had our Easter Sermon: Not I But Christ, and our Christmas Sermon: Christmas Lights. We were able to promote all of these effectively via social media and even physical invitations! 

We also celebrated 90 years at MBC this year! If you've noticed the huge banners we have on our fence and side of the building, they were designed by me! Along with invitations, social media posts, and email graphics.

In my annual report, pictures speak louder than words so here is a compilation of some of the work I've been able to do this past year.

There's much more than shown above as I make sure to continually update our website, make and send out the weekly email newsletters, proofread and upload weekly blogs, edit and upload our sermons not only onto our website but podcast platforms, put together the annual report, create the announcement slides and much more! My work is all around you if you have the eyes to notice!

I look forward to continuing this ministry in 2024 of being able to promote our ministries and services effectively and beautifully.