There is a similar principle at work when it comes to our spiritual health. How do we determine the condition of our spiritual health? Jeremiah famously warned us about the deceptive nature of our hearts: 

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV)

We may feel as if we’re in a season of spiritual health, but have underlying conditions that are only revealed through closer examination. 

Examining how we steward the resources God has entrusted to us is one practice that sheds light on the condition of our hearts. Jesus once taught that our hearts follow our treasure. Taking stock of how we invest our time, talents, and treasures often helps us develop a more accurate picture of our spiritual health. 

Last Sunday, we approved our 2027 church budget. The budget is important because it reflects our commitment to steward our financial resources to support the mission and ministries of Mountain Brook Baptist Church. But the budget reflects more than the need for financial investments in the life of the church. For example, if everyone gave money to support Vacation Bible School but didn’t faithfully steward their time and talents by volunteering, our VBS would be a failure. We need a holistic understanding of faithful stewardship if we are going to be the church we believe God has called us to be.  

As we do each fall, we will spend the next several weeks thinking about stewardship. This year, I challenge you to take stock of your spiritual health by considering how you are investing your time, talents, and treasures to enable our church to pursue our vision of helping people experience eternal and abundant life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Are there areas of your stewardship that reflect spiritual health? Are there areas in which you need to pursue greater faithfulness to God’s call upon your life? May the Lord use this stewardship emphasis to help all of us become more faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

Have you met Hill Voss? Hill joined our church on September 13, 2026. We hope you'll get to know him a little better through this latest "Meet Our New Member" blog, and that you'll have the chance to connect with him one Sunday in worship. 

Tell us about your family. Jansen and Katie are my parents. My little brother Graham is nine years old. We live on Old Leeds Road.

Where do you go to school? I am in the sixth grade at Cherokee Bend School.

What led you to Mountain Brook Baptist Church? My parents went to the church before I was born, and I went to the ELC when I was little.

What is your favorite Bible verse? "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

What are some of your hobbies and interests? I play soccer and football. I like mountain biking and watching history and engineering videos on YouTube.

What is a fun fact other people may not know about you? I like going to the Red Pearl Asian Restaurant and Market on West Oxmoor Road for exotic fruits and Asian snacks (the spicier the better!).

Have you met Haley and Tucker Harris? They joined our church on September 27, 2026. We hope you'll get to know them a little better through this latest "Meet Our New Member" blog, and that you'll have the chance to connect with them one Sunday in worship. 

Tell us about your family. We got married in October 2025, and we are expecting our first child around Christmas 2026!

Where did you work or go to school? Tucker works as a CPA at LMS real estate investment management, and Haley is a pediatric nurse practitioner. We both attended The University of Alabama.

What led you to Mountain Brook Baptist Church? Everyone at the church was so welcoming - we felt right at home from day one! We tried many churches in the Birmingham area, but kept coming back to MBBC - so happy we finally made it official!

What is your favorite praise song? Our processional song at our wedding was "Goodness of God," which has been so evident throughout our lives and our relationship.

What are some of your hobbies and interests? We love cheering on the Tide by going to Alabama football and basketball games. We also enjoy trying out new restaurants in the Birmingham area.

What is a fun fact other people may not know about you? We met for the first time at Lauren and Chris Branch's wedding, who attend MBBC, and we both lived in NYC for a year.

Have you met Evelyn Rector? Evelyn joined our church on August 16, 2026. We hope you'll get to know her a little better through this latest "Meet Our New Member" blog, and that you'll have the chance to connect with her one Sunday in worship. 

Tell us about your family. I have two brothers and a sister. I am not the oldest, but I am about to turn seven years old.

Where do you go to school? I am in 1st grade, and I go to Brookwood Forest.

What led you to Mountain Brook Baptist Church? My dad wanted to go there because he's a pastor. I was a little nervous at first, but I have learned about God and how to serve others.

What is your favorite praise song? "Run and Run" by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa.

What are some of your hobbies and interests? I like to play sports like softball, basketball, and tennis

Have you met Brooks Vinson and Melissa Baioni? They joined our church on September 13, 2026. We hope you'll get to know them a little better through this latest "Meet Our New Member" blog, and that you'll have the chance to connect with them one Sunday in worship. 

Tell us about your family. We are recently engaged and very excited to start building our family!

Where did you work? Melissa works in accounting at HighFive Healthcare, and Brooks works for a small association management company.

What led you to Mountain Brook Baptist Church? We found Mountain Brook Baptist through some of our good friends and fell in love immediately!

What is your favorite Bible verse? Ruth 1:16. We let this verse guide us as we enter marriage and join our families together while also forming our own.

What are some of your hobbies and interests? We enjoy hanging out with friends, college football Saturdays, good food, and our English Springer Spaniel, Willie!

It is now time for the entire church membership to prayerfully consider the proposed budget. I invite you to attend a church conference called scheduled for Wednesday, October 14. During this conference, Marshall Rivers, our Finance Committee Chair, will present the 2027 church budget and provide everyone in attendance with an opportunity to ask questions. Then, we will vote on the proposed 2027 church budget on Sunday, October 18 in both the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services. 

Please be in prayer for each of these upcoming church conferences and plan to participate as you are able. I am grateful for your continued financial faithfulness to the mission and ministries of our church. 

Proposed 2027 Ministry Plan

Have you met the McPherson family? Margaret grew up at MBBC, and Jack joined on July 19, 2026. They recently welcomed a baby girl, Mae! We hope you'll get to know them a little better through this latest "Meet Our New Member" blog, and that you'll have the chance to connect with them one Sunday in worship. 

Tell us about your family. We both grew up in Mountain Brook and went on to Auburn for school. After that, we spent six years in Texas and during that time got married. We moved back to Alabama last year and just welcomed our first child in August, Mae!

Where do you work? When we moved back to Alabama, Jack began working for his family company, McPherson Oil. I (Margaret) continue to work in tech sales for Oracle NetSuite.

What led you to Mountain Brook Baptist Church? I (Margaret) grew up going to MBBC with my family. When we moved back home and were looking for a church family, it was no question that MBBC would be that family for us as a couple. Mary and Wayne have always been so welcoming and supportive of us, and we’ve loved seeing the church grow under their leadership.

What is your favorite Bible verse? Philippians 4:6

What are some of your hobbies and interests? Golf, spending time with family and friends, walks around our neighborhood

What is a fun fact other people may not know about you? We have a goldendoodle named Toby, after our love for country singer, Toby Keith :)

Have you met Alice Helms? Alice joined our church on March 29. We hope you'll get to know her a little better through this latest "Meet Our New Member" blog, and that you'll have the chance to connect with her one Sunday in worship. 

Tell us about your family. I am single. My family currently lives in Daphne, Alabama.

Where do you work? Lewis Communications

What led you to Mountain Brook Baptist Church? Family friends with Ethan McVay and worked with Caroline McVay

What is your favorite Bible verse or hymn? Jerermiah 29:11-14: "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give your future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen, If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you," says the Lord. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and wilbring you home again to your own land."

What are some of your hobbies and interests? I enjoy embroidery, reading, working out, walking my dog, and cooking.

What is a fun fact other people may not know about you? I lived in New York City for my first two years post-grad.

Have you met Reagan Welch? Reagan joined our staff in July; she is serving as a Student Ministry Resident. We hope you'll get to know her a little better through this latest "Meet Our New Member" blog, and that you'll have the chance to connect with her one Sunday in worship. 

Tell us about your family. I have two older brothers who live in Birmingham, two nieces and a nephew, and my parents live in Louisiana but are frequent visitors!

Where do you go to school? I am pursuing a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Christian Counseling at Beeson Divinity School, and this is my last year!

What led you to Mountain Brook Baptist Church? I met Joel Burks in the commons at Beeson when he was looking for new residents. I am so grateful to be at MBBC! I have been so encouraged by my coworkers, church members, and the students!

What is your favorite Bible story? My favorite Bible story is from John 8, when Jesus says, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7).

What are some of your hobbies and interests? I love game nights and movie nights with friends. I was also a dancer growing up and still love to dance!

What is a fun fact other people may not know about you? I grew up right outside of New Orleans, Louisiana.

AgeReady is a dynamic, interactive tool designed to help older adults and their families plan for the challenges and joys of aging. AgeReady offers structured tasks which are divided into four different domains (Medical, Legal/Financial, Family/Social, and Spiritual) that anticipate the many challenges associated with aging.  Each task also includes a list of resources which are available to help educate our older adults and their families. Aside from your name and email address, you are not required to include any additional personal information to have access to all the tasks available in AgeReady.

The link to AgeReady, and more information about AgeReady, is found on the Foundation’s page on our church’s website.   

Should you have questions on how to access AgeReady or about AgeReady, please feel free to contact either Baker Crow at (205)326-5372 or baker.crow@gmail.com or Amy Hirsch at (205) 803-3446 or amy@mbbc.org.