FBC Weekly Update

Greetings, everyone! This week we celebrated Veteran's Day, first on Monday as a legal holiday, then on Wednesday as the 102nd anniversary of the Armistice which ended hostilities of World War 1 at 11 a.m. on November 11,1918. For many years, the day was known as "Armistice Day," changing to Veterans Day in 1954 by an act of Congress to honor American veterans of all wars. Thank you to all those who served our country so that we might remain free.

TOMORROW: MACH 4 Men's Ministry has been canceled.

THE LORD’S DAY
Every Lord's Day is special because God's people come together to worship in local congregations and remember the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that is what we will do this week as we corporately come under the preaching and teaching of the word of God. This week, we will more closely examine Luke 1:1-4 as we launch into our expositional study of the Gospel of Luke. Here are the Scriptures that will frame our worship gathering this week. Clink anywhere on the link to view a printable version of these verses:
Fighter Verse: Psalm 79:9
Call to Worship: Psalm 100 (sung)
Old Testament Reading: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18
New Testament Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Assurance of God's Pardon: Psalm 103:10-12
Sermon Passage: Luke 1:1-4
Benediction: 2 Corinthians 13:14


Visit from the Johnstons: This Lord's Day will also be special because Dan & Kali Johnston, international workers with Reach Beyond, will be with us sharing at the conclusion of the morning worship service. Kali (Carroll) grew up at First Baptist, and she and Dan began serving with Reach Beyond in Central Asia four years ago. They will briefly recap the mission of Reach Beyond and share what has recently been happening in their ministry.


Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes will be collected this Lord's Day. Our children and adults have assembled several boxes already, but there are always some that come in on the collection day. If you have a filled Christmas Shoebox, bring it with you Sunday morning and we will include it in the collection. At the end of the service, we will creatively carry the Christmas Shoeboxes to an awaiting vehicle for transport to a collection center in St. Joseph. If you fill a box after Sunday, you may still drop it off at one of the collection centers. Click on the link to find the locations of collection centers near us.



THIS WEEK
Our IMB (International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention) will be commissioning 79 missionaries in a virtual sending service this week, including Scott and Stefanie Hill (see announcement below). The IMB Virtual Sending Service will be Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6:30 pm Central Standard Time. Click on the link to watch the service or go directly to the IMB Facebook page to watch via Facebook Live. Please join us at the church house to watch this special time of praying over and sending out mission personnel all over the world. If you have ever attended an IMB Commissioning Service, you know how moving and special it can be. We look forward to sharing in this experience with you.

COMING UP

• Week of Prayer for International Missions will kick off on November 29 with a visit from Scott and Stefanie Hill, who are being commissioned by the IMB on Wednesday, November 18 (see announcement above). Scott is the immediate past youth and children's minister at First Baptist Church in Cameron. Scott and Stefanie are the parents to three small children and will be serving in an area of the world that cannot be disclosed security reasons. For this reason, their real names and images will not be used during the sending service. Join me in praying for and encouraging the Hills as they plan to begin their missions journey in January.
  
• Our annual "Thanksliving" Dinner has been canceled by church action at our recent member meeting, due to the recent uptick of COVID cases in our area. It is our hope that we can revisit this community oriented meal sometime in the future.
  
• The Ministerial Alliance Community Thanksgiving Service has been canceled due to COVID concerns.
  

ICYMI Last Sunday’s Message Luke: Tell Me the Story of Jesus (Overview of Luke's Gospel)

BONUS: 

• As we prepare to enter the season of Advent, here is a great song that was recently shared with me, "O Come, All Ye Unfaithful" from Sovereign Grace. From the notes: "This video contains people who are processing “O Come, All You Unfaithful,” most of them for the first time, in light of their own experiences. A stillborn child. A strained marriage. Feelings of shame. Legalism. Loss. Loneliness. Or simply having a heart that weeps with those who weep."
  

• Here is a rather lengthy, but I believe important, video from Michael O'Fallon at the recent Sovereign Nations Conference: The Great AWOKEning. O'Fallon is speaking on The Great Reformation, its place in history, and its meaning for today. Not for the faint of heart!
  

Visit the website for more up-to-date information!


See you in church!


Grace and peace,


Pastor Greg