Dear Beulah Family,

As we enter a new year, I am inviting every member of our church into a season of consecration and spiritual stretching. From January 2 to January 31, we will join together in The Stretch, a 30 day corporate fast to prepare our hearts and faith for what God desires to do in 2026.

I believe 2026 is a year of REACH, and REACH is the assignment that will shape our priorities, discipleship, stewardship, and witness. REACH is the vision, The Stretch is the preparation. To support this fast, we have prepared a 30-day devotional journal featuring reflections from various voices across our church. This is Beulah speaking to Beulah, testimonies, poems, wisdom, and Scripture to help us seek God together in unity.

I believe God is calling us to Make Room for what He intends to birth through this church. Isaiah 54:2 says, “Enlarge the place of your tent… stretch your tent curtains wide… do not hold back.” God instructed His people to prepare for growth before they could see it. That is where Beulah stands. We stretch because God is enlarging capacity, increasing influence, and preparing our future.

REACH means moving beyond comfort, complacency, and maintenance into a new dimension of ministry, mission, and maturity. In 2026:
We will REACH UP through deeper worship, prayer, and devotion.
We will REACH OUT through community engagement and bold evangelism.
We will REACH IN by strengthening discipleship and authentic fellowship.
We will REACH FORWARD with vision, preparation, and purposeful investment in our future.

As we move in these directions, we are seeking God for four corporate breakthroughs: (1) a Spirit of Excellence in service to God, (2) outreach beyond our walls, (3) unity within the body, and (4) a focused pursuit of debt elimination so future ministry is unhindered. These are spiritual assignments requiring faith, sacrifice, and alignment.

This is why we begin with The Stretch. Over the past two years, we used the Daniel Fast to begin our year in discipline, but God is calling us deeper. The Stretch is our annual posture of fasting, praying, listening, and preparing. Just as athletes stretch before they run and soldiers prepare before they deploy, we stretch so we are ready when God calls us forward. Stretching may be uncomfortable, but it creates capacity, requires discipline, and positions us for movement. As we fast corporately, bring personal expectations before the Lord, areas where you seek clarity, healing, discipline, or breakthrough.

During these 30 days, fast with purpose, pray with expectation, and seek God with intentionality. Ask where you must stretch spiritually, financially, emotionally, or relationally. Ask what must be released so space can be made. Ask God to enlarge faith so He can expand our witness.

I believe God is making room in our worship, unity, outreach, and stewardship, and as we stretch together, He will expand our capacity and impact. We refuse to shrink, settle, or stay the same. We will stretch, we will expand, we will REACH.

With expectation for what God will do,
Rev. Felix L. Cole
Senior Pastor/Teacher, Beulah First Baptist Church