Sept. 3, 2023

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:

• Care Team: Making phone calls, writing cards and letters to absent members and attendees
• Prayer Team: Targeted prayer for Kingdom growth and expansion, evangelism, missions
• Share Team: Home visits for outreach to the community and reactivation of inactive members

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

• Hurricane Idalia made landfall this week in the southeastern US. Missouri DR teams are in a state of readiness and remain on standby for a callout. MODR plans to initially mobilize the Spirit Kitchen and support trailer, Cargo trailer with supplies, tanker, shower unit and recovery unit. If you would like to give to help support  disaster relief projects, including Hurricane Idalia, visit https://modr.org/give/  . If you would like to participate in DR training events, visit https://modr.org/dr-training/ . One is coming up September 8-9 in Eureka, MO (St. Louis area) and October 6-7 in Houston, MO (south central Missouri).
• 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 (9/3):

• Bible Study for All Ages, 9:30 am. Nurser through Senior Adults, we have a group for you.
• Worship Together at 10:40 am in the Sanctuary.  The sermon will be an introduction to the book of Acts and an overview of things to come as we begin the exposition of what might just as easily be called "Luke, Volume 2." We will highlight portions of the book to help get an idea of what the first 30 or so years of the early church looked like and how we can apply its truth to church life today.
• 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

• Call to Worship: Psalm 105:1-6
• Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 32:1-2
• Scripture Reading: Exodus 33:12-23 
• Sermon Text: Acts 1:1-11
• Benediction: Numbers 6:24-26

• Baptist Catechism Questions 37-39 "On Justification, Sanctification, and Adoption"
  • Question 37: What is justification?
    Answer: Justification is an act of God’s free grace, by which he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.
    Scripture: Romans 3:24; 5:19; Ephesians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; Galatians 2:16.
    
    Question 38: What is adoption?
    Answer: Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, by which we are received into the company of God’s children and have a right to all the privileges of his sons.
    Scripture: 1 John 3:1; John 1:12; Romans 8:16, 17.
    
    Question 39: What is sanctification?
    Answer: Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace by which we are renewed in the whole person after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.
    Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 4:23, 24; Romans 6:11.
  • Visit this link for the full catechism: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-baptist-catechism

MONDAY (9/4)

• Monday "Sunday School" online via ZOOM. (THIS GROUP MAY NOT BE MEETING DUE TO LABOR DAY HOLIDAY) See Pastor Kyle to join this virtual Bible study group.  To join Zoom Meeting, follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87573789453?pwd=Zjg5ZWZ2N1h5WklxOEFjM3IrVUt1QT09      Meeting ID: 875 7378 9453       Passcode: 478672   

WEDNESDAY (9/6)

• Women's Wednesday morning ZOOM Bible Study.  (CURRENTLY ON HIATUS until October 11)
• Men's Discipleship Group, 10 am in the Library (Russ Wright, leader). Kickoff with a study of Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. We hope to have the books available, but there has been a delay in delivery. The print version is $11. Those who would prefer the Kindle version can go ahead and download it. If you have a copy of the book already, feel free to bring it with you. The initial session will be introductory.  This is an 8-week video-driven study of C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. Arguably his most famous non-fiction work, Lewis' Mere Christianity has achieved the status of a "modern classic." Eric Metaxas and others have put together a 20-minute video to aid discussion for each session. 
• KIDS' CLUB Resumes, 3:35-5:15 pm. All children, K-6, are invited to attend. We have some fun and educational things planned that we haven't done before, so we are really looking forward to it. We will pick up children from Maysville school at 3:30; parents/guardians may pick up children from the old sanctuary at 5:15 pm. 
• Men's Discipleship Group, 6 pm in the Library (Robert Kendall, leader). (see the above announcement)
• YOUTH BIBLE STUDY meets at 6:30 in the Youth Room. All students in grades 7-12 are welcome to attend as we journey through the book of Mark. 
• Bible Study and Prayer, 6:30 pm in the Great Room, live and via ZOOM.  Join us for a time of prayer and time in God's Word walking through the book of Exodus. We will be in Exodus 20, Lord willing, which is the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai. To join Zoom Meeting, follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87573789453?pwd=Zjg5ZWZ2N1h5WklxOEFjM3IrVUt1QT09    Meeting ID: 875 7378 9453    Passcode: 478672 

THURSDAY (9/7)

• REAL Women’s ministry is back!! We will kick off on Thursday, September 7 (6:30-8:00) in the fellowship hall. Our theme of the night will be “The Gift of Gab.” REAL stands for Relationships/Encouragement/Accountability/Laughter. This is a monthly get-together and Bible study for all women from teens to senior adults. Come join us and bring a friend! Please see Lorrie Dixon if you have questions, 816-312-8031.
• Men's Discipleship Group, 7 pm in the Library (Greg Dixon, leader). See the announcement above.

FRIDAY (9/8)

• Friday, Sept. 8 - Life Celebrators (SJBA Senior Adult Ministry) trip to Leavenworth. Cost is $25 and includes transportation and lunch at Solarium Lunch Buffet at Ft. Leavenworth. A flyer is attached to this email. Call Jodi at the SJBA office at 816-233-2504 to make your reservation as space is limited.

SATURDAY (9/9)

• Saturday, Sept. 9 - Baptist Homes Trap Shoot at Smithville, a fund raiser sponsored by Kansas City Trap Shooters Association. For more information, call Nick Davis with Baptist Homes at 573-822-4319. See the attached flyer.

MONDAY (9/11)

• Men's Discipleship Group, 1 pm in the Library (Greg Dixon, leader). See the above announcement.

COMING UP:

• Saturday, Sept. 16 - Missouri Quilt Festival, 9 am - 4 pm, Platte County Fairgrounds, benefiting Missouri Baptist Children's Home. If you are interested in helping in any way (set up, donating a quilt, tear down), contact Steve Noyes at 816-271-3891. 
• Sunday, Sept. 24 - Pregnancy Resource Clinic will present a "Be Informed" session 5:30 - 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Libby Owens, director of the PRC, will be the speaker. A light supper will be provided by Her PLAN, a support organization that facilitates collaboration between assistance providers and their communities to empower women and families through comprehensive medical, social, and material support. The purpose of the event is to provide relevant information to help rural communities be life-affirming. This is for all churches in the region.  All are invited, but please let us know if you plan to attend so we can have an accurate count for supper. 
• Saturday, Sept. 30 - Another Churchwide Game Night! 6 - 8 pm, in the Fellowship Hall. Bring your favorite board games, snacks, and drinks. We'll provide cups, plates, ice, and plasticware. Seventeen of us gathered last month and had a great time of fellowship and fun. This is also a wonderful way to make new friends in the congregation. Come out and join us!
• Sunday, Oct. 1 - SJBA Annual Meeting, 4 pm - 6 pm(ish), at Green Valley Baptist in St. Joe. Our speaker this year will be Mark Clifton, specialist in church revitalization and replanting. Mark is an engaging speaker, has helped a number of churches work through revitalization, and is very down to earth. You should plan to attend if at all able. You will be blessed.
• Tuesday, October 10 - PRC Cameron Fundraising Banquet, held at The Pearl at Crawford Farm, south of Hamilton, 6 pm (doors open at 5:30). If you would like to attend this event, there is no cost, the food is excellent, the speakers have been outstanding, it is a great time of fellowship, but you must RSVP by September 20. Let us know by Sunday, September 17, and we will sign you up for the church's table.

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