Weekly Update

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:

• 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

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):

• 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 138
• Assurance of Pardon: 1 John 1:9
• Scripture Reading: Exodus 33:1-11
• Sermon Text: Acts 1:1-8
• Benediction: Numbers 6:24-26
  

• Baptist Catechism Questions 35-36 "On Effectual Calling"
  • Question 35: What is effectual calling?
    • Answer: Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, to convince us of our sin and misery, to enlighten our minds in the knowledge of Christ, to renew our wills, and thus persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel.
    • Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:9; John 6:44, 45; 16:8-11; Acts 2:37; 26:18; Ezekiel 36:26; Romans 8:30; 1 Corinthians 1:24; 12:3.
  • Question 36: What benefits do those who are effectually called receive in this life?
    • Answer: Those who are effectually called receive in this life justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life accompany or flow from them.
    • Scripture: Romans 8:30-32; Galatians 3:26; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 6:11; Ephesians 1:5.
  • Comment: We must distinguish effectual calling from the general call of the gospel. Not all who hear the gospel believe. But all who are effectually called by God do believe. The call creates what it commands
  • Visit this link for the full catechism: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-baptist-catechism

• KIDS' CLUB ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING, just after worship today in the library. If you are interested and able to help with this Wednesday after school ministry, plan on attending this meeting. 
• WORSHIP IN THE PARK, 4:30 pm families begin to gather for games and recreation at Bartlett Park; 6 pm will be the cookout; 7 pm brief devotional service. The church will provide burgers, dogs, buns, and some condiments (mustard, ketchup, relish, pickles), you bring the rest! Invite a friend!
  • NOTE: We will need someone with a ball and hitch to pull the grill over to the park, a team to start up the grill and supervise the cooking, and a group to haul a few tables to the park, so let me know if you are available to help. We will have a brief organizational meeting following worship on the 27th. 

MONDAY (8/28)

• Monday "Sunday School" online via ZOOM. 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 (8/30)

• Women's Wednesday morning ZOOM Bible Study.  (CURRENTLY ON HIATUS until October 11)
• Men's Discipleship Groups on hiatus until September 6 (see announcement below)
• 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 19:10 and following, which is Moses and the people 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 

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:

• Wednesday, Sept. 6 - MEN'S DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS will start back with 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. We have four groups, tentatively meeting on Mondays at 1 pm, Wednesdays at 10 am, Wednesdays at 6 pm, and Thursdays at 7 pm (dates/times subject to change). We will have signup sheets out soon, and all men are encouraged to join a group. The paperback version is $7, and I will have several copies available before the first meeting.
• Wednesday, Sept. 6 - KIDS' CLUB Resumes, 3:35-5:15 pm
• Thursday, Sept. 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.
• 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, 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.
• 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.

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