The Annual Celebration was held on January 12^th at the Senior Center. This was an event filled with praise to our Lord for the work He has done in our church throughout 2002.

The evening began with an outstanding meal that everyone helped to provide. Then, we had a time of singing praises to our Lord followed by a slide show presentation of the past years church events. As everyone came in, the members were told to pick up their ballots to vote on our church budget, deacons, treasurer, financial secretary, and church clerk. The congregation approved the budget unanimously and the other items on the ballots were all approved. Every family who came was offered a new church directory from Olin Mills with new pictures of our church family.

Pastor Jeff came and shared his vision and excitement about our new church facilities that we are all praying about. His meetings with Jay's Construction are continuing and plans are still being made on when we can start the building process. How wonderful to be a part of such a growing church.

As the evening came to a close, we celebrated with Reagan Tuman as she was presented with the "Servant of the Year" award. She has done such an outstanding job in her service for the Lord. Praise God for her and others who are willing to give so much of their time and efforts to help in the ministry of our Lord here at First Baptist Church of Lemoore.

To end the evening, we sang some of the songs we have learned in our 9:45 am contemporary service. We let the 'Glory of the Lord, Rise Among Us' literally as we sang a new song unto the Lord. What a blessing to hear so many people lifting up praises in song to our Lord. Let us not forget that we are such a blessed church family and a nation to whom we owe our freedom to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let's go out and share the wonderful news to others about Him and all that He has done in our lives and in our church.

God really does work in mysterious ways. Ask Teresa Caudell. This time last year, she never imagined that she would become the church's secretary.

"God truly led me to this job. I really wasn't looking for a different job when Jackie left and never thought about being a secretary. "When I was approached about applying, I was a little apprehensive at first. Then as I prayed about it and talked it over with Frank, it just seemed right!" Teresa is used to stepping up to the challenge and has worn many hats in the past. Her experience includes a photo lab tech for Newman Studios, a magazine distributor for Tulare County and Anderson News, Huffy Services First who specialize in store layouts and design, and a teachers aide at Central Union School District.

"I absolutely love my job as church secretary. Just being part of something exciting that God's hand is in is amazing," said Teresa. "I feel that this job is a ministry in a lot of areas. I'm able to encourage people when they need it. I have had the opportunity to help people outside of the church by praying with them and/or finding answers to needs that they might have. I feel that, most of all, I need to help Pastor Jeff and the other church leaders out as best as I can."

When Teresa is not busy working in the church office. You will find her sharing one of her greatest gifts. The gift of song. A passion that both her and her husband enjoy together and share with the First Baptist Church family during worship services and special events.

"We love to sing and we feel so blessed that God has allowed us to do something for Him and enjoy ourselves so much," said Teresa.

Teresa is married to Frank Caudell for 23 years and counting. Frank serves as the worship leader and Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church. He recently came on staff at First Baptist Church full time.

The Caudell's have been blessed with three great children and one grandchild. Leslie, 23 years; Adam, 21 years; Krystal, 20 years and their grandson, Jayden, 2 years.

God is continuing to bless our church with unprecedented growth. As a result some of the information we have about our congregation is sketchy at best. In order to serve you better, we are currently trying to bring our records up to date. Enclosed in this newsletter is a Family Profile sheet. Please take time to fill it out and return it to the church. (If you picked one up at the Annual Celebration and have already turned it in, Thank you!) The information you provide will help us keep you better informed about events, activities, and ministries opportunities that you might be interested in.

On February 22, the men will be hosting a Ladies Valentine's Day Dinner. The men from the church will be preparing and serving the meal to the ladies. Ladies, this meal is by reservation only. Call the church office at 924-3458 or use the communication card to register. Deadline for reservations is Tuesday, February 18, 2003. The evening's menu will be a choice of either.

quiche, fruit salad and stuffed baked potato

lemon chicken, stuffed potato and salad.

Indicate your choice when you register. Men, you may contact Tom Butts (924-1493) to find out where you are needed.

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. John 4:23 (NIV)

In His divine appointment at Jacob's well, (John 4) Jesus meets a woman who is carrying a lot of baggage. Her life is marked by hard ships and disappointments. It is obvious from the text that time and circumstances have taken their toll on her heart. We see hints of cynicism and sarcasm as we read the account of her meeting with Jesus. These attitudes are often characteristic of people who go through extended times of hardship or loss. Her response to Jesus' offer of living water that would satisfy her thirst forever (v.14) reveals to us that she is a woman searching for meaning and significance in her life. At this point, she is not aware that the One who knows the secrets of her heart is standing right in front of her.

I remember as a young boy that my mother seemed to have an uncanny way of knowing what my older brother and I were up to. Seems we could scarcely get away with anything. I remember her telling us once that she had eyes in the back of her head. She could see what we were doing even when she wasn't looking at us. Even as a small boy, there was something unsettling about the thought that someone might know your every move. "Better not do it. Mom will know." I can only imagine that Jesus' next words to her must have had a similar unsettling affect. Read their dialog and imagine how you would feel if a complete stranger knew such details about your life.

She must have squirmed a little as this perfect stranger accurately points out details of her past and present life. What would you do in this circumstance? Perhaps we would do as she did and quickly try to change the subject.

Every one of us has a past. All of us, to some extent, have those "skeletons" in our closet. Decisions we wish we could undo. Things we'd rather forget. Things we have done that we're really not too proud of.

In His search for true worshipers, Jesus finds people who are not at their best. He finds people who have become cynical about life and about Him. He find them when they are living in ways that are completely wrong. He's not shocked at their behavior. He's not put out with them because of their past. He is willing to accept them, skeletons and all.

Moses was guilty of murder. David committed adultery and then had the woman's husband killed. Mark bailed out on the ministry in Acts 13 (cf. Also 15:37-38) and yet was used by God to write the gospel that bares his name. Acts 9 tells us that it was while Paul was "breathing out threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord" that the Lord stopped him in his tracks on the road to Damascus and turned his life around. Jesus still does that. He comes to us right where we are, past and all, and takes the initiative to have a relationship with us.

I'm certain that the woman at the well wasn't proud of her past. Having and losing five husbands was extremely painful, but choosing to live with a man outside of a marital relationship indicates an even deeper problem. Her conscience was becoming hardened. Jesus' command to go and call her husband was designed to prick that conscience. To her credit, she was honest about her current living situation. "I have no husband." Jesus acknowledges her truthfulness and then pin points her sin. While not excusing or even condoning her current lifestyle, I don't see any sign of condemnation from the Lord in the text. With Him, the past is always one second ago. He is concerned about the 'now.'

As with the woman at the well, our Lord is still seeking those who will worship God in spirit and in truth. True worship requires us to always be honest with God and ourselves. "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts…" (Ps 51:6a) We might as well be, God already knows everything about us anyway. His grace is sufficient for all of our past and present failures. He is always in pursuit of a deep and abiding relationship with those who will come to Him. John's gospel says that she left Jesus and went into town and told the men of the city to come and meet the One "who told me all of the things that I've ever done. Is not this the Christ?" Her life was changed by that brief encounter with Jesus at the well that day. Now her words flow with hope. You can sense the excitement she felt. That's the way it is when you truly meet the One who not only knows you inside and out, but loves you in spite of everything you've ever done.

I appreciate what Warren Weirsby once wrote. He said "Don't let your past be an anchor to weigh you down, but rather let it be a rudder to guide you into the future." That's good counsel. The past was one second ago and our Lord is still in the business of forgiving and accepting all of those who are willing to repent and turn to Him. It's no wonder that the Apostle Paul spoke of the God's grace as being abounding and all sufficient. It truly is.

If you sense that something is lacking in your life, come to the well that still flows with living water. It changed the woman of Samaria forever and it can do the same for you .

This spring and summer we will have a number of temporary spots available in Sunday School and Promise Seekers. Our Preschool Sunday School teacher, Kellie Heidt, will be taking maternity leave in April. If you have a heart for this age group, please pray about filling this spot. We will also need volunteers over the summer months when members of our regular staff go on vacation. We will need some help with all age levels. If you love children and would like a chance to get to know about our programs please contact the church office, Gary Abbott 924-3138, Lori Martin 924-5180, Sarah Streib 924-2097.

If anyone is interested in joining or working with the College & Career ministry, a meeting is scheduled for February 23^rd at 12:30pm after the 11:00 worship service. Lunch will be provided. We ask that everyone pray for our new ministries that are being started as well as the on-going ones. For more information, please contact Mellanie Woodcock at 924-7234.

We are starting a hospital ministry and anyone who is interested in visiting our brothers and sisters who are hospitalized can contact Ski Skoblicki at 924-7477.

Our giving to our Retired Ministers & Missionaries Offering (RMMO) was $1,038.00

We've had great fun at our January meetings making bird feeders, enjoying a "snowball" fight and running on tumbling mats. Our meetings in February will include a Valentine's party on Monday, 2/10 where the children will be able to decorate their own valentine cookies. We will be having a regular play-date on Monday 2/24 and have tentatively scheduled the California Highway Patrol to come perform safety car seat checks during our playtime if enough interest is shown. Please contact Kellie Heidt at 924-5789 if you are interested in the safety car seat check and have not signed up yet. (Mom's & Munchkins are for children ages infant to 5 years old.)

February 5^th Letter Night (Bring a pen & notebook)	March 5^th Sports Night (Wear clothing w/logo's or jerseys)
February 12^th Bring A Friend Night	March 12^th Parent Game Night (Bring mom or dad)
February 19^th Patriotic Night (Wear red, white, & blue)	March 19^th Evangelist Night (Bring a lifesaver)
February 26^th Popcorn & a Movie Night	March 26^th Crazy Hair Night

March 15, 2003 the Student Ministries will be holding its annual car show. This ministry is led by Pat Webb, Scott Thayer, and Charlie Welborn. Because of their hard work and months of preparation, we should have the biggest and best car show yet! We are anticipating over 200 cars being here. There will also be food, drinks, and prizes. A new idea that we are considering is having a 'story time' for any of the young children through-out the day. This will help keep them entertained as well as letting the parents look at all the cars we will have here that day.

The purpose of this ministry is to help raise funds to send our students to a variety of mission opportunities. If we, as a church, can make a difference in these students lives, then just think of the difference that they will be able to make in this community by bringing others and introducing them to Jesus Christ. This all sounds great because it is and you can help us achieve this purpose in different ways.

Pledging money to help with all the necessary supplies for this event	Donating supplies needed
Helping to get the word out to the community	Volunteering for 'story time'
Helping with the event in any other way needed	PRAYING FOR OUR YOUTH!!!

If you have been waiting for an opportunity to get involved, then here's your chance. Not only is this a good way to contribute to this community, it's a great way to meet fellow members, students, and people from all over the valley!! Plus, this gives you an opportunity to come out and enjoy in all the activities of the Car Show. The only thing that is required when you give, is that it's done with a heart to make a difference in someone's life.

You can start by calling the church office at 924-3458 or stopping by the church to get any information on this event.

Thinking of joining a women's Bible study? Now is a great time to put those thoughts into action and get closer to God and the women you worship with.

Women of GRACE will begin a new study in March. These studies are divided into small groups and weekly meetings are held every Tuesday morning from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

"Our studies range from 4 week to 13 week studies depending on that particular study," explained Lori, Bible Study leader. "We try and keep groups together for the whole year in order to help develop relationships." One of the main advantages of a group Bible study is the friendships that are formed. You may start off as strangers, but certainly will not end up that way. Members grow together in unity and oneness because they become one in the truth that sets them free.

"It is important as a Christian to know God's Word in today's society because we are bombarded with so much information due to the media. We need to be able to discern what God wants," explained Sherry, Bible Study facilitator. "As the church continues to grow, it is so important to be in a small group so you can get to know other Christians and develop Christian friendships for support."

Daily devotions and studying the Holy Bible are two surefire ways of improving your daily life. The Bible is God inspired communication to all of mankind and was written to give us guidance, not only for our daily walk of faith, but also for all our "modern" emotional and spiritual dilemmas that we face today. It contains all the answers to today's problems. "People who partake in a Bible study walk away with a greater under-standing of God's Word and how to apply it to their everyday lives," explained Lori.

By coming together in a group setting, you gain new perspectives and insights into the teachings of the Bible from the other members because everyone processes information in different ways.

"Being in a Bible study helps to keep you accountable to be in God's Word and by being in His Word, prayer and faith are a natural result," said Sherry.

As you learn from God's Word, your spirits are lifted, your anguish is calmed and your faith is strengthened. A Bible Study will not only bring you closer to God, but to the other women in your church family. Through them, you will also get to know their families through the fellowship that takes place in the Bible Studies.

Don't delay, take that first step to improving your life. Sign-up for a Bible Study today.

Following God - Life Principles from Women of the Bible - #2 will begin the first week in March. It is a character study of women from the Old and New Testament. The lives of these women offer life-lessons dealing with the ultimate surrender to God in obedience, or the failure that comes from a choice of rebellion. Women of the Bible will also provide insights for today's women in dealing with their homes and the raising of their children. This is a 12 week study and the cost of the book is $15.00. We will have a table in the foyer with a copy of the study for your review. For more information contact:

Tuesday Morning - Sherry Kristenson 924-5756

Wednesday Evening - Lori Martin 924-5180

On Saturday, February 22 at 10:00 a.m. Women of GRACE will meet for brunch in Fellowship Hall. We will hand out the books for the new Bible study -Life Principles from Women of the Bible #2 - and hold orientations for that study. After that we will have a time of fellowship and celebration in honor of the "newest" members of our church family. We have had a number of babies born into our group in the last few months and several more are on the way. Please come and join us!