By Dawn Burleigh

The Orange Leader

 

Pastor Charles Empey gave his first sermon at Cove Baptist Church in December and is excited about being in Orange.

Cove Baptist Church, located at 1005 Dupont Drive in Orange, reached out to a Southern Baptist Program and Empey is part of the answer.

Empey will be Interim Pastor at the church for the next couple of years as he works with the congregation as part of the Revitalization Program to help rebuild the church.

“I have already seen very positive results,” Empey said. “It is a three-year project.”

Empey added he was retired prior to this.

“I don’t retire well,” he said with a laugh.

“God has a job for all of us,” Empey said. “He is in charge of keeping us on the job if He wants it done.”

The program is one which will allow the community to leave behind a church for its children and grandchildren.

“The program is so exciting,” Empey said. “We want to grow again.”

He added he has already seen older congregation member come alive and having fun while younger people are returning to the church.

The first major event the church hosted was the Mother’s Day Brunch.

“It was well attended,” Empey said. “Our future reaches on outreach. We have to be able to meet the people.”

To assist with the revitalization, First Baptist Church of Vidor is sponsoring a Sports Camp at Cove Baptist Church this summer.

Sports Camp starts on June 17 and is for first graders – 11 years old.

The four-day camp will focus on soccer on day one, football on day two, ultimate Frisbee on day three and volleyball on day four. More information will be published in The Orange Leader after the final details have been made.

Vacation Bible School is also in the planning stages.

“We have a new youth minister who will be here to help with a brand new youth program this summer,” Empey said. “We are also working on plans for Block Parties.”

Empey said he is not working alone on the changes for the church.

“I am no doing this by myself,” Empey said. “I told them, ‘Every one of you have to get behind me. Everyone can do something.’  You can call people, invite people, reach all the members of the church and let them know something is happening here.”

Empey added one church deacon volunteered to help even while in a nursing home and in a wheelchair.

“He said he would call everyone on the church roll until he got ahold of them,” Empey said. “We can all do something.”

Pastor Empey will start writing a column twice a month in The Orange Leader where you can learn more about Cove Baptist Church.

The church was founded in 1941. Sunday services are Sunday School at 9:15 a.m., Morning Worship at 10:30 a.m. and Sunday evening Bible Study at 6 p.m.