weekly Update

Greetings, everyone! It is good to be back home after a quick trip to the Cape Girardeau/Jackson area of the state on Sunday and Monday. Your Missouri Baptist Historical Commission met in semi-annual session at First Baptist Jackson on Monday morning. Monday afternoon, we drove out to the "Old Bethel" historical site on the outskirts of Jackson. "Old Bethel" is the restored structure of Bethel Baptist Church, the oldest non-Catholic church west of the Mississippi. The meeting house was originally built in 1806, with the church disbanding officially in 1867, two years after the end of the Civil War. A combination of war and the anti-missions spirit caused the decline and death of the once vibrant church. Over time, the log building was dismantled and the logs stored in an unknown location. By 2006, the logs were found, and the effort to restore "Old Bethel" began. Today, many of the projects referenced on the Bethel Historical Data page have been completed: rebuilt and fully restored 60-seat meeting house, complete with electricity, heat, and air; metal roof canopy over the entire structure to preserve it from the elements; adequate parking for roughly 25 vehicles; gravestone restoration and maintenance in the cemetery; modern restroom facilities (still under construction).

TODAY is Martha Spiers' 97th birthday. Please take time to wish her a happy birthday. Martha is our oldest living member.

TOMORROW is...

• Graduate Recognition Sunday. If you are graduating or have a loved one graduating from high school, college, or grad school, please join us for breakfast at 8:30 am. We want to celebrate with you! The whole church body is invited to join in the breakfast. We will recognize those graduates who are present in the worship service later that morning. Each graduate present will receive a copy of John Piper's contemporary classic book Don't Waste Your Life.
• MHS Baccalaureate at 7 pm in the Old Gym. Join us as we recognize, pray for, worship with, and encourage the class of 2021. We still need a few dozen cookies for the reception following, which you can sign up for by following the link below. Click on one of the "sign up" boxes" then click "submit and sign up." That will take you to a page where you can enter your information including how many and what kind of cookies you will be bringing. Bring covered plates of cookies no later than 6:45 pm to the gym, or drop them by the fellowship hall anytime tomorrow before that time. Here's the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4aadaf2eabfa7-cookies

THE LORD’S DAY
"O day of rest and gladness, O day of joy and light, O balm of care and sadness, most beautiful, most bright!
On thee the high and lowly before th'eternal throne sing 'Holy, holy, holy" to the great Three in One."
-- Christopher Wordsworth, 1862

As we gather for worship on the Lord's Day, remember the "rest" that worship represents: resting from regular labor, trade, and commercial enterprise done on the other six days so that the day may be set aside for the work of worship, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, studying God's word, reading those authors and classic Christian works that will build you up in the most holy faith, engaging in acts of mercy, kindness, and compassion, and not neglecting works of necessity. The Puritans called the Lord's Day a "market day for the soul," and so let it be for us as we approach the feasting table of our Lord to partake of the bread of life.
Take a few moments to meditate on these Scriptures which will be read during the service. Click anywhere on the link to go to a printable version:Fighter Verses: Psalm 1
Call to Worship:Psalm 98
Scripture Readings: Acts 8:26-40; 1 John 4:7-21
Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 32:1-2
Sermon Text: Luke 5:33-39
Benediction: Numbers 6:24-26

THIS WEEK

• MAY 6 (Thursday):
  • National Day of Prayer, gathering on the courthouse lawn at Noon, weather permitting. Rain location will be inside the courthouse basement. We will be praying for our nation and our leaders at the national, state, and local levels. Encourage everyone who is able to attend this time of community prayer.
• MAY 9:
  • Mother's Day!
  • Monthly Member Meeting, 6 pm

COMING UP

• May 13 (Thursday) 4:30 pm, tentative Widows and Deacons Outing to Toot Toot's Restaurant in Bethany
• MAY 16:
  • Graduation Commencement Exercises at 1:30 pm on the football field, weather permitting.
• JUNE 15-16
  • Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Nashville, TN
• JUNE 27-30
  • Community REVIVAL Services with M. R. Hamilton, June Conley Building each evening
  • Noon Bible Study with M. R. Hamilton each day at First Baptist Church
• JULY 5-9
  • SJBA Youth Camp at Grand Oaks
• JULY 12-16
  • Vacation Bible School at FBC
• AUGUST 9-13
  • SJBA Children's Camp at Grand Oaks

ICYMI Last Sunday’s Message "Christ's Call to Discipleship" Luke 5:27-32
Please visit our YouTube Channel to see the edited service video. 



READ THROUGH THE BIBLE
Week 18 of the 5 Day Bible Reading Program.
Read through the entire Bible following this plan, or read only the New Testament (in italics).
Day One: 1 Samuel 18-19; 1 Chronicles 3; Psalm 59; Acts 13
Day Two: 1 Samuel 20; 1 Chr. 4; Psalm 56, 57, 142; Acts 14
Day Three: 1 Samuel 21-22; 1 Chr. 5; Psalm 52; Acts 15
Day Four: 1 Samuel 23-24; 1 Chr. 6; Psalm 54; Acts 16
Day Five: 1 Samuel 25; 1 Chronicles 72; Acts 17
Visit the website for more up-to-date information!

MAN KNOWS NOT HIS TIME
Richard "Dick" Lionburger, longtime pastor in our association (Big Lake, FBC Savannah, FBC Stanberry), died unexpectedly on Thursday morning. His services will be Monday at 1 pm at Heaton-Bowman-Smith Chapel in Savannah. Please pray for his wife Linda and the rest of the family as they grieve his passing. His obituary is available here. 


See you in church!


Grace and peace,


Pastor Greg Dixon