Come To A Vision Night
We’re hosting three Vision Nights this fall. It’s where we share the plan for what comes next, walk you through the drawings, and pray together about the road ahead.
Every adult at Mount Carmel is invited, and all three nights cover the same material. Pick the one that works for you.
Sunday, October 18 • Wednesday, October 21 • Sunday, November 1
A letter from our Senior Minister
BY FAITH
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good… to another faith by the same Spirit.”1 Corinthians 12:7–9
I’ve always wondered why Paul included “faith” as a gift of the Holy Spirit in his teaching on how God supernaturally empowers believers to do ministry.
Why would faith be included as a gift? Isn’t faith a basic requirement to be a Jesus follower? We’re saved through faith. We’re called to live by faith. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8, NIV)
Then it dawned on me, the Holy Spirit gift of faith must be something extra that God gives to the one who believes (has faith) in Jesus. The gift of faith is given to believers when they face a particular challenge that requires overcoming fear by trusting in God.
Our story as a church includes seasons when ordinary people were gifted faith by the Holy Spirit to achieve extraordinary things for Jesus.
In the winter of 1968, cold weather prompted three families living on Beechmont Dr. to meet together in a home, and by faith they committed to start a church. By that summer, these three families had grown to 60 people, and by faith they began meeting at Glen Este Middle School.
The church needed to make room for ministry, so by faith they bought five acres on Mount Carmel Tobasco Road in 1971. They began to meet in the old farmhouse on the property. Several families put their homes up as collateral for a loan to purchase land.
By faith, the church built its first building, again making room for ministry, in 1973.
By faith, the church completed its first major expansion in 1988 again making room for ministry.
I joined the staff in 1997 and have had the honor of being part of this faith-filled journey, seeing the gift of faith at work up close and personal.
By faith, we expanded our sanctuary, making room for ministry in 1999. We made more room for our Youth Ministry in 2003 with another expansion. And we purchased 19.2 acres on Bach Buxton Road in 2008.
By faith, we made plans to relocate to make room for ministry, in 2010. We raised funds. We sold our old building. It took 7 years for God to bring us to our current location. The building was completed in 7 months. We had our last worship service in our old building on January 4, 2015 and 7 days later we had our first service at our new location.
By faith, we need to make room for ministry once again. Our children’s classrooms are maxed out. We don’t have enough room for our groups to meet. And we’ve outgrown our lobby.
We need to make room for our “ONE” as we follow Jesus, the ONE. We need to make room for ministry, and it’s going to require the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith. It will take supernatural resources to overcome fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of strangling ourselves financially. Fear of being uncomfortable and stretched. The gift of faith overcomes fear.
Will you pray and ask God for the gift of faith from the Holy Spirit?
Will you do your part to do something extraordinary for God?
Will you join our “Making Room for Ministry” campaign and prayerfully make a meaningful, cheerful, faith-activating gift to help fulfill our mission to reach our neighbors for Jesus?
I’ll share more details about our “Making Room for Ministry” campaign and expansion plans in the coming weeks. But for now, please review the information below. Please pray for wisdom for our ministry leaders as they make decisions on our expansion project. And ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of faith for each member of our church family. Ask for the faith that overcomes. Ask for the faith that moves the ordinary to do the extraordinary to the glory of God!
Didi BaconSenior Minister
WE ARE OUT OF ROOM
The people are here. The space is not.
Total kids ministry check-ins by calendar year. Check-ins grew 15% last year and are pacing another 14% this year. *2026 is projected.
Elementary growth in two years
Kindergarten through third grade still meets in the same five rooms.
Nursery and preschool growth in two years
Birth through age five still meets in the original four rooms.
Kids per volunteer today
The kids came faster than the help did.
Adult groups meeting here
Near 100 individual meetings a month are held at the church building.
Student Ministry
WE ALREADY MADE ROOM ONCE
We already made room for students once. In 2025, we moved fourth and fifth grade into the old student area and turned a storage room into a brand new student space. Even though we’ve made that space, we’re now in 2026 and are experiencing growth.
At the 11:00 a.m. service, student small groups now meet in hallways and staff offices for breakouts. There is no space left for them.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice
HOW CAN I GIVE?
1
Courageously
One gift on Commitment Weekend, November 15. The largest single gift you have ever given to the church.
2
Consistently
A monthly amount for 25 months, over and above what you already give.
3
Creatively
Not everything you own is in your checking account. Selling a vehicle, land, stocks, equipment, or another asset can fund a one-time gift.
