First Baptist Church of Rahway, 177 Elm Ave., Rahway, New Jersey 07065 is a multi-cultural congregation that has a Blended English Service on Sunday Mornings, a Latino Service at 12:00, and a Service in Telugu at 3:30PM. For more information, call (732) 388-8626. Or click here to send an email. If you wish to help the Mission and Ministry of First Baptist financially click the Donate Button.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

American Pastor in Iranian Solitary Confinement



The American pastor jailed in Iran for his faith has been placed in solitary confinement and may now be suffering organ failure, according to family members in Iran who are increasingly alarmed at his deteriorating health.
Saeed Abedini, the 32-year-old Christian and American citizen who is serving an eight-year prison term in Iran, was put in solitary confinement following a “peaceful, silent protest” in an outside courtyard at Iran’s notoriously brutal Evin prison, according to family members. Conditions at the prison prompted Abedini and other prisoners to sign a petition decrying the lack of medical care and the threats and harsh treatment facing family members who come to visit.

Monday, April 29, 2013

A Tough Life - Joni Eareckson Tada



For at least a decade, the evangelical world knew of a woman who went simply by "Joni." Sixteen years after the diving accident that left her paralyzed, however, she married a high-school teacher, becoming Joni Eareckson Tada. As she faced a breast-cancer diagnosis and chronic pain on top of quadriplegia, her husband of over 30 years, Ken Tada, battled depression.

Any marriage is going to have problems, but when you throw in a disability, it's like enlarging the problems tenfold. Disability forces problems to the surface. Suffering squeezes you like a lemon, and what comes out might be pretty bitter.

Read More...

Thursday, April 25, 2013

The Trouble with 2 Billion Dollars



I don't know if I want to have the problems Trinity Church in Manhattan has. My church is one of the more numerous have-not's. We are poor but we are happy. Trinity is one of the very few have's. They have a 2 Billion dollar investment portfolio. They are rich, but they are not happy. Below is a link to an article addressing their problems in The New York Times. And when you are reading this, keep in mind the words of Jesus...

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:24-26 NIV.

Read the Article...

Monday, April 22, 2013

Sexual Passion in the Ministry



I woke up to a curious essay published in Christianity Today. It starts off with a conversation between the writer and several Mega Church Pastor's concerning sex between ministers and their spouses. What I can't decide is whether this is part of a real discussion occurring within the greater Christian community, or just some big mouths looking for more publicity. Since I am very cynical, and I believe that sex can sell anything including ministry, I lean towards the latter. Take a look at the essay, and see if you can figure out what is really going on here.

Read more...

God bless you,

Pastor Bill

Thursday, April 18, 2013

I Need to Know What?




Recently my disaster of a new roof project was being inspected by the City Engineer. There are a lot of problems with the new roof, but they can be fixed. While he was in the building, he discovered an emergency light that didn't work. The battery had gone dead. One more thing added to my never ending list of things that need to be fixed in this wonderful beat-up old building.
  • Plumbing issues / Electrical issues / Carpentry issues / Dry Wall issues / etc…


None of these subjects were covered in my Seminary. Instead, we studied the following;
  • Theology / Education / Counseling / Church History / Baptist Doctrine and practices / etc…

What were my teachers thinking? We shouldn't have wasted our time on learning about God! We Seminarians should have learned the ins and outs of contracting, because we become site managers of never ending construction projects whether we like it or not.

Therefore, I now propose a course instructing future Seminarians on those important issues that we Pastors with more experience have learned through painful life lessons.
  • The Law / Insurance Regulation / Engineering / Accounting / Sociology / Biology / Chemistry / Physics / etc…

I’m not sure I can cover all of these subjects in the detail they require in one semester. Here’s an idea; how about a course that never ends?

It goes along with the church construction project that never ends.

God bless you,
Pastor Bill

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Pray for the People of Boston



The picture above is my Alma Mater. It's on the corner of Boylston and Massachusetts Ave. That's two blocks from the explosion in Boston. When I was a student I hung out at the finish line of the Boston Marathon many times.

For me the bombing has hit close to home. Please take a few minutes today and pray for the victims and the people of Boston.

God bless you,
Pastor Bill

To read more...

Monday, April 8, 2013

Pastors Blame Children's Sports for Attendance Decline




Sunday used to be a day reserved by many Christians for attending worship services, but new research indicates the extent to which American churches today are competing against myriad other activities.

The biggest competition? Children's sports.