Greetings, Church Family and Friends! As we begin to feel a little bit of fall in the air, take a moment to thank the God who gives all good gifts.
"We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land, but it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand; He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain, the breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain. All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above; then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord for all His love." -- M. Claudius, 1782; tr. Jane Montgomvery-Campbell, 1861 DIRECTORY PICTURES: It has been a number of years since we have had a pictorial directory. Because of digital capabilities, a lot of the fuss has been taken out of the process. We will be able to do the directories largely in house. Lindsay Jestes will be with us on Sunday, Sept. 24, and Sunday, Oct. 1, non - 2 pm, to take family and individual photos for the directory. She will share the digital photos with us for the directory, and you may also have the file of your pictures to print them off if you like. We will have sign-ups for general times for pictures. NEW MINISTRY TEAMS BEING FORMED Last week, I shared my desire to form three new teams this fall to help move our congregation to greater health, growth and biblical fidelity. They are:
Thanks to all those who have responded so far. We have six ladies who have indicated interest in the Care Team, one lady for the prayer team, and one man and one lady for the Share Team. That is a good start! Keep praying about how the Lord might have you serve. DISASTER RELIEF OPPORTUNITIES
THE LORD'S DAY (9/10):
Bible Quiz Practice, 4 pm - We have a team again this year! Pray for our quizzers as they prepare for their first quiz day in October. MONDAY (9/11)
WEDNESDAY (9/13)
THURSDAY (9/14)
COMING UP:
ICYMI: Last Sunday's sermon audio Acts 1:1-8 "The Promise of the Holy Spirit" Other previous messages are archived here . Please visit our YouTube Channel to see the edited service video. FIGHTER VERSE: Our Fighter Verse this week is Matthew 5:7-10 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. READ THROUGH THE BIBLE The Five-Day Bible Reading Plan is attached to this e-mail for your convenience. You may want to access additional resources to support your reading available at this website. BONUS: I shared the Bible Project Overview videos last week in my e-mail. Here they are again for your convenience. Each of the videos are about 8 minutes long. Acts Part One Acts, Part Two See you in church! Grace & Peace, Pastor Greg Greetings, Church Family and Friends!
What a joy it was to gather last Sunday evening at Bartlett Park for our end of the summer picnic and worship in the park! The weather was excellent, the food was in abundance, and the fellowship was sweet! Thanks to all who helped in prepping and transporting the grill, cooking the burgers and dogs, arranging and serving the food, bringing and setting up games for the kids, etc. It is always something I look forward to, but it couldn't happen without you! NEW MINISTRY TEAMS BEING FORMED Last week, I shared my desire to form three new teams this fall to help move our congregation to greater health, growth and biblical fidelity. They are:
Thanks to all those who have responded so far. We have five ladies who have indicated interest in the Care Team and one man for the Share Team. That is a good start! Keep praying about how the Lord might have you serve. DISASTER RELIEF OPPORTUNITIES
THE LORD'S DAY (9/3):
MONDAY (9/4)
WEDNESDAY (9/6)
THURSDAY (9/7)
COMING UP:
ICYMI: Last Sunday's sermon audio Introduction to Acts Other previous messages are archived here . Please visit our YouTube Channel to see the edited service video. FIGHTER VERSE: Our Fighter Verse this week is Matthew 5:3-6 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. READ THROUGH THE BIBLE The Five-Day Bible Reading Plan is attached to this e-mail for your convenience. You may want to access additional resources to support your reading available at this website. BONUS: I mentioned the Bible Project Overview videos last week in my sermon. I watched them, and they are a great tool to get a grasp on the entire book of Acts in short order. Each of the videos are about 8 minutes long. Acts Part One Acts, Part Two See you in church! Grace & Peace, Pastor Greg Greetings, Church Family and Friends!
We had an excellent member meeting last Sunday, with a wonderful meal. Thanks to all who brought food and helped out with the meal. At that meeting, I shared my desire to form three new teams this fall to help move our congregation to greater health, growth and biblical fidelity. They are:
If you would like to participate on one of these teams, please let me know. We continue to pray for those who have been devastated by the wildfires in Hawaii. Here is a link to a brief article from Tharran Gaines of the Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief Team about the fires, as well as a way you can give to help those in need through MBDR. THE LORD'S DAY (8/27):
MONDAY (8/28)
WEDNESDAY (8/30)
ICYMI: Last Sunday's sermon audio from Luke 24:36-53 "Benediction and Ascension" Other previous messages are archived here . Please visit our YouTube Channel to see the edited service video. COMING UP:
FIGHTER VERSE: Our Fighter Verse this week is Acts 20:35: In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ READ THROUGH THE BIBLE The Five-Day Bible Reading Plan is attached to this e-mail for your convenience. You may want to access additional resources to support your reading available at this website. See you in church! Grace & Peace, Pastor Greg Greetings, Church Family and Friends!
As you prepare for the Lord's Day tomorrow, take a few moments to give the Lord thanks for the relatively mild temperatures we have had this summer. It is forecasted to heat up today and throughout the next week or so. It is our custom to open up the church on exceptionally hot days for those who need a place to cool off. If you know of someone who might be in that situation this week, please let them know that we are open daily. Our association sponsored a Transitional Pastor Training on Tuesday and Wednesday, and I was privileged to attend. Gary Dean and Walter Thomack and 8 others also attended. Gary Mathes from Clay-Platte Baptist Association (formerly associate pastor at Green Valley Baptist Church) and Buddy Funk with Resound Network/Missouri Baptist Convention led the training. As I shared with our folks Wednesday evening, I don't have any plans to become a "transitional pastor" anytime soon, but I was encouraged to attend by our associational leadership. The training was outstanding. So much of it overlaps with church revitalization. The Resound Network works with both churches who are without pastors and churches who need some level of revitalization. I left personally refreshed and encouraged to reignite the revitalization process for us. We are in an excellent position as a church to undertake this work. You will be hearing more about this from me in the near future. THE LORD'S DAY (8/20):
MONDAY (8/21)
WEDNESDAY (8/23)
ICYMI: Last Sunday's sermon audio from Luke 24:13-35 "Journey to Emmaus ... and Back" Other previous messages are archived here . Please visit our YouTube Channel to see the edited service video. COMING UP:
FIGHTER VERSE: Our Fighter Verse this week is Psalm 30:4-5 "Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." REMINDER FROM THE COUNTING TEAM: To receive a record of your donation at the end of the year, please place your offering in an envelope with your name and amount given printed on the outside. READ THROUGH THE BIBLE The Five-Day Bible Reading Plan is attached to this e-mail for your convenience. You may want to access additional resources to support your reading available at this website. CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY is extended to Russ Wright on the death of his brother, Hooker. Services will be at 2 pm, Monday, Aug. 21, at Ebenezer Baptist in Fulton, with visitation at noon. Obituary link is here. BONUS: We continue to pray for those who have been devastated by the wildfires in Hawaii. Here is a link to a brief article from Tharran Gaines of the Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief Team about the fires, as well as a way you can give to help those in need through MBDR. See you in church! Grace & Peace, Pastor Greg Greetings, Church Family and Friends!
We had a great time Wednesday evening hearing Kyle and Sue report on their trip to Israel. Around 35 church members and people from the community gathered in the sanctuary to see slides and hear the narrative of the Bridgmans' 10 days in the Holy Land. Afterward, Kyle and Sue hosted us in the Fellowship Hall where Sue had a full Mediterranean appetizer smorgasbord for us to enjoy. It was amazing! Thanks to all who came out for it, and thanks to Kyle and Sue for putting it together. For those who weren't able to attend but who would like to see the pictures, contact Kyle for a private viewing. If there are enough who would like to see it, I'm sure they could be persuaded to do a second presentation in the future. PRC BOTTLE REMINDER: We still have 15 bottles yet to be returned to the office. These are baby bottles with special slotted lids. If you have one, please return it (even if it is empty) so that we can get it back to the Pregnancy Resource Clinic. If you took your bottle to the PRC instead of bringing it to the church office, please let us know so that we can account for the bottle. Thanks for your cooperation! THE LORD'S DAY (8/6):
WEDNESDAY (8/9)
THURSDAY (8/10)
ICYMI: Last Sunday's sermon audio from Luke 23:26-56 "The Crucified Messiah, Part Two" Other previous messages are archived here . Please visit our YouTube Channel to see the edited service video. COMING UP:
SAVE THE DATE:
FIGHTER VERSE: Our Fighter Verse this week is Jeremiah 29:11-14 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. REMINDER FROM THE COUNTING TEAM: To receive a record of your donation at the end of the year, please place your offering in an envelope with your name and amount given printed on the outside. READ THROUGH THE BIBLE The Five-Day Bible Reading Plan is attached to this e-mail for your convenience. You may want to access additional resources to support your reading available at this website. BONUS: If you are looking for solid, quality Christian podcasts and other video material (audiobooks, documentaries, webinars, kids books and shows), try the Canon Press app. You will find an abundant supply of rich resources on how to live Christianly in the world today. Particularly helpful for men are the resources on biblical masculinity such as It's Good to Be a Man by Michael Foster and Dominic Tennant. Like all resources, you will find some things here that you agree with wholeheartedly and other things with which you may disagree. But, agree or disagree, you will be challenged to be the man, woman, boy, girl, family, church, and community God designed you (us) to be. To God alone be the glory! See you in church! Grace & Peace, Pastor Greg Greetings, Church Family and Friends!
We are officially in the summer vacation season. Weekly attendance at Bible Study and Lord's Day worship services typically takes a little dip. That is expected. But going on vacation does not mean you take a break from worshiping with God's people wherever you are, if it is at all possible. Wherever you might be this summer on the Lord's Day, find a local, Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church to attend. It will be especially encouraging to a smaller congregation if you visit because they (like us) are likely experiencing a little "dip" in attendance. If the church you decide to attend while you are out of town has a printed bulletin, have the pastor or staff member sign it and bring it back home with you. I half-jokingly suggest that you bring your signed bulletin back to church with you. Many of you do just that during the summer and other times when you are gone, and I appreciate it! While it is not absolutely necessary to bring back a signed bulletin, I cannot emphasize enough just how important it is to maintain the holy habit of weekly worship attendance during the summer and throughout the year. Happy summer vacationing! THE LORD'S DAY (6/4):
Scriptures for Sunday. Here are the Scriptures we will be reading that will shape our corporate worship. Take a few moments to read and meditate on them as you prepare for worship tomorrow. Click anywhere on the link to see a printable version of these passages on biblegateway.com
Baptist Catechism Questions are Questions 8-10 "On the Nature of God." For the entire catechism, follow this link.
MONDAY (6/5)
WEDNESDAY (6/7)
THURSDAY (6/8)
MONDAY (6/12)
ICYMI: Last Sunday's sermon audio will be posted at a later date Other previous messages are archived here . Please visit our YouTube Channel to see the edited service video. COMING UP:
FIGHTER VERSE: Our Fighter Verse this week is James 4:13-14 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. READ THROUGH THE BIBLE The Five-Day Bible Reading Plan is attached to this e-mail for your convenience. You may want to access additional resources to support your reading available at this website. Daily Bible reading is one of the leading indicators of spiritual growth and vitality in the Christian's life. See you in church! Grace and peace, Pastor Greg Greetings, Church Family and Friends!
I hope you are enjoying this beautiful day that the Lord has given us. As you prepare for the Lord's Day tomorrow, may you be filled with adoration for our Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. BRIDGMANS TO THE HOLY LAND: This is also a special week in the life of our church as Kyle and Sue Bridgman will be traveling to the Holy Land for a 10-day tour. Last October, our church family decided to send the Bridgmans to Israel in recognition of Kyle's 25 years of faithful service at First Baptist. If you would like to contribute financially, you may do so by making a designated offering to FBC and marking the check or envelope either "HOLY LAND" (for the trip itself) or to "BRIDGMANS" (personal love gift for incidental expenses). Of course, you can always contribute directly to Kyle and Sue. We are excited for them to make this trip as neither of them have previously been to the Holy Land. THE LORD'S DAY (5/21):
Scriptures for Sunday. Here are the Scriptures we will be reading that will shape our corporate worship. Take a few moments to read and meditate on them as you prepare for worship tomorrow. Click anywhere on the link to see a printable version of these passages on biblegateway.com
Baptist Catechism Questions are Questions 4 & 5 "On the Bible as the Word of God." For the entire catechism, follow this link.
MONDAY (5/22)
WEDNESDAY (5/24)
THURSDAY (5/25)
ICYMI: Last Sunday's sermon audio from Luke 22:1-6 and John 13:18-30 "And It Was Night" Other previous messages are archived here . Please visit our YouTube Channel to see the edited service video. COMING UP:
FIGHTER VERSE: Our Fighter Verse this week is Romans 12:20-21: To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. READ THROUGH THE BIBLE The Five-Day Bible Reading Plan is attached to this e-mail for your convenience. You may want to access additional resources to support your reading available at this website. Daily Bible reading is one of the leading indicators of spiritual growth and vitality in the Christian's life. MAN KNOWS NOT HIS TIME: This week, the larger Christian community lost two men who made an indelible impression on their denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC, and Harry Reeder, pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian in Birmingham, AL, both served the Lord faithfully and well in their local churches and in the PCA. Keller (age 72) had been battling pancreatic cancer for the last 3 years. In recent years, Keller had begun to embrace more of the "wokism" which has become so prevalent in evangelicalism today. But that does not negate the powerfully positive impact his ministry made on a wide swath of Christians of all perspectives over the course of many years. Reeder (age 75) was killed when the vehicle he was driving rear-ended a stopped dump truck. Less well-known than Keller, Harry Reeder was a mentor to many in his denomination over the years, and he stood staunchly for biblical conservatism as the PCA faced the challenge of liberal voices who were seeking to take the PCA in a leftward direction. Our hearts go out to their families and all those affected by their death of both of these men. [NOTE: For those who may not be aware, the PCA is a denomination formed in 1973 out of the former PCUS (Southern Presbyterians) over growing theological liberalism in that denomination. The PCA took a stand for the inerrancy of Scripture, the deity of Christ, and the Scriptural qualifications for men in the office of elder/pastor. The biblically and theologically conservative PCA has stood in stark contrast over the last half-century to the PCUSA, the larger, theologically liberal, mainline denomination which denies the inerrancy and authority of Scripture.] See you in church! Grace and peace, Pastor Greg Greetings, Church Family and Friends!
Thanks to all who came out for the National Day of Prayer gathering at the courthouse on Thursday. Around thirty of our community members were in attendance, and approximately one-third of them were representing First Baptist. I love you all so much, and I really appreciate seeing you all come out in support of community prayer events. As you prepare for the Lord's Day tomorrow, please take a few minutes as you read this email to pray for the services tomorrow, to pray for our graduates as we honor them, and to pray for those who have lost loved ones this week. We especially want to express Christian sympathy to Trina and Aaron Reeder on the death of their son, Trevor Dawson. Trevor's services were yesterday afternoon; thank you to all who were in attendance, who brought food, or in other ways supported the family during this difficult time. THE LORD'S DAY (5/7):
Scriptures for Sunday. Here are the Scriptures we will be reading that will shape our corporate worship. Take a few moments to read and meditate on them as you prepare for worship tomorrow. Click anywhere on the link to see a printable version of these passages on biblegateway.com
Baptist Catechism Questions are Questions 117-118 "On the Lord's Prayer." For the entire catechism, follow this link.
MONDAY (5/8)
WEDNESDAY (5/10)
THURSDAY (5/11)
SUNDAY (5/14)
Other previous messages are archived here . Please visit our YouTube Channel to see the edited service video. COMING UP:
FIGHTER VERSE: Our Fighter Verse this week is Romans 12:14-16 "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight." READ THROUGH THE BIBLE The Five-Day Bible Reading Plan is attached to this e-mail for your convenience. You may want to access additional resources to support your reading available at this website. Daily Bible reading is one of the leading indicators of spiritual growth and vitality in the Christian's life. BONUS: I recommend podcasts from time to time. Here is one I have recommended in the past (I think), but a new season has just launched. It is called Open Book with Stephen Nichols. Dr. Nichols is a church history professor who is president of Reformation Bible College, Sanford, FL. This season he is interviewing Derek Thomas about books that have made an impact on him. Take a listen to these brief episodes, around 10 minutes each. See you in church! Grace and peace, Pastor Greg |
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