It is our mission at Wilkesboro Baptist Church to lead our neighbors and the nations to follow Jesus. We fulfill our mission by worshiping, learning, serving, and replicating. In just a couple of weeks, we will revisit our mission and these steps in our worship services.

But now for some news about replicating. In order for us to make disciples and replicate the life of Jesus in others, we need to invite others to serve alongside us, share responsibility, and send out followers of Jesus to lead other groups, classes, and even churches. We now have the privilege of sending our Minister of Communications, Gary Buffaloe, to begin a new church.

Gary has been instrumental in the life, mission, and health of Wilkesboro Baptist Church over the past few years. His development of media leadership, editing and posting videos, and keeping us engaged on social media platforms have helped WBC navigate the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic. Gary is a gifted servant with a pastor’s heart.

When we hired Gary, he let us know that he had a burden for church planting. It seems as if God is opening a door for Gary and staffers at YMCA Camp Harrison to plant a church in Boomer, NC. He and others have been praying about this opportunity for several months, and Gary will be stepping away from his role here at WBC at the end of the year.

We will miss Gary, his expertise, and his pastoral heart. He was a God-send to our church at just the right time. But we are excited for him and the future work that will begin sometime in 2022. We will have a formal service of sending Gary and his family later in October.

In truth, this step for Gary is also an opportunity for WBC to fulfill our mission. It is our mission to replicate. In Gary’s case that has meant replicating the life of Jesus into a fellow pastor and sending him out to plant a church. For WBC, sending Gary and his family provides us the privilege of replicating a new church in the Boomer area.

For us to fulfill our mission, we cannot just stay and enjoy the blessings we have. We have to share and send the blessings God has given us to others.

If you have any questions about this transition, feel free to reach out. You’ll likely see a post in the near future as we seek to replace Gary’s responsibilities at the church. You’ll also get a chance to hear from Gary before he steps away at the end of the year. It is also likely that this new work will become one of our annual mission partners.

For now, pray for Gary, his family, and his team as they continue to plan for this new work. Pray that WBC will know how to best support this new church plant. And pray that WBC will find the right person to help us with our communications and media ministries.