"Therefore, encourage
on another and build each other up."
August 2003 >>| The Encourager | June
/ July 2003 |
<< May 2003
"Therefore, encourage
on another and build each other up."
August 2003 >>
| In This Issue
New Worship Schedule |
Starting July 6th, we will begin a new time schedule for our Worship services and classes. We are trying to make the transition from each service easier and so we have decided to try the new schedule as follows:
1. IT'S TIME TO GROW IN SPIRITUAL MATURITY!
2. IT'S TIME TO BUILD OUR NEW WORSHIP
CENTER!
3. IT'S TIME TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS IN OUR
CHURCH FAMILY!
4. IT'S TIME TO BUILD A SPIRIT OF
THANKSGIVING!
It's going to be the greatest six months in the history of our church!
The mental picture of a dog chasing a parked car is funny because it is so absurd. Of course, I suppose, from a dogs stand point, your success rate would be rather high. I mean, think about it, you'd be pretty much able to catch everything you chased. You could brag to all of your doggy friends by telling them you caught four out of the four cars you chased today. Think of the flexibility of such and endeavor. You wouldn't have to stand by the road and wait for one to pass by. You could chase them when you were good and well ready to. Sort of a 'set your own hours' kind of thing. You wouldn't even have to expend much energy. If you didn't want to run after the parked car, you could always just walk into it. That might even prove less painful. Certainly safer. Okay, okay, I'll give it a rest. I suppose even from a dogs point of view, (if dogs have those) chasing parked cars would really be a great waste of time and energy. Frankly, I'm not so sure that much of humanity spends their hours engaged in things of much greater significance than a dog would be if he chased parked cars. Aren't you sometimes amazed at what people put value on? It seems, in so many respects, that a large cross section of our culture is overly preoccupied with the most inane and shallow things possible. So many seem to have no real direction or sense of purpose. They just hasten after the latest trend and gimmick promoted by the media moguls of our day. After they've run into that parked car, they just wait to chase of the next one to come along. What a grandiose waste of life. Unfortunately, we Christians aren't exempt from the temptation to foolishly follow fickle, fruitless fads of fashionable folly. Listen to the words of the apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians. "Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly, I do not fight like a man beating the air." (1Co. 9:26) Paul is saying that what he does with his life must count for something. There is no time to waste. He runs with a purpose, not haphazardly, not without a goal. His running and fighting must produce things of eternal significance. This takes priorities (doing what is really important). It also takes discipline. (Doing what is important weather I feel like it or not.) Verse 29 says..."I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be...found chasing parked cars. (Forgive me) Paul was a man who lived life on purpose because he lived out his life with a purpose. He was able to say in the last New Testament letter he ever would write, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Tim 4:7) Those are the words of a man who didn't just spend his life, rather he invested it. Not a lot of energy spent on the frivolous pursuits. Such was the case with our Lord as well. After only three short years of ministry, he was able to say, "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do" (John 17:4) Even with a cursory reading of the gospels, one would notice that Jesus is never seen running madly after things trivial. "I always do what pleases him," Jesus said in John 8:29. Priorities and discipline were paramount with Him. Jesus even made rest and relaxation a priority at times. (see Mark 6:31) This is important for us to realize in our break- necked paced society. I like what Charles Swindoll once said. "The most spiritual thing you can do when you are tired is sleep." The longer I'm a Christian, the more I realize that it is not about how busy I can be for God, it's really about how effective am I for God. A lot of time and energy could be spent on chasing parked cars and a lot of impressive statistics could be printed on how successful I was at it. However, in the final analysis, it might just prove to be "wood, hay and stubble."
Paul told Timothy to "follow righteousness, faith, love, and peace"
(2
Tim.2:22). I'm convinced that what we
chase is more important than the chase itself. Let's be careful not to pursue things that don't move for Christ's Kingdom!
PRAISE GOD!! On Sunday, May 4th we had 35 people go through our Discovering Membership 101 CLASS and from that seminar we had 26 people join the church on Statement of Faith and 7 who will become members after they are baptized. We want to welcome our newest members:
More CLASS 101 participants became members after their baptism :
There are four requirements necessary in order to become a member of First Baptist Church:
If you have any questions about becoming a member, just contact the office to set up a time to meet with
Pastor Jeff. The web page has been completely redesigned. You can now check out current church information, a complete list of ministries, and pictures of our events and activities at www.lemoorebaptist.com. We also offer several web based services. You can subscribe to the web newsletter, e-mail prayer chain, special announcements or add you name to the church e-mail directory by e-mailing me at net@lemoorebaptist.com Happy Surfing!! New
from Thailand And so all things come to an end. We have just a few more churches to go and our time of deputation is finished. We are saying another set of goodbyes and readying ourselves for travel. We are once again packing up a house and boxing everything and getting ready to move. June 2nd we are scheduled to return to Thailand and don't know where we will live. Actually we know the district and probably the village that we are going to be concentrating on but our first priority on arrival will be to find a house to rent. The district is an area with about 20,000 people living in it but has no, as far as we have been able to find, no Christian fellowship or witness of any kind. We have appreciated meeting many of you for the first time as well as renewing old acquaintances. Churches everywhere are in transition and we will be praying for you as you seek to witness to the community that you are in and adjust to the changes that surround you. We talk about the unchanging Christ in a changing world. We are sure of Christ's love and we are sure that the world is changing. With the number of moves and changes that we have been through we have learned to trust more and more on Christ's unfailing love and assurance. When we return to Thailand we will move to a new area just South of Chiang Rai. Chiang Muan is an isolated rural district where most people will be subsistence farmers but it will still have a hospital, a high school and government offices. We will probably do some English teaching, cooking classes and income generation projects like we did before. We also plan to put into effect some of the things we have learned about Thai life, culture and religious practices. The dialect will be the same as we have used the past 4 years and we think most of the culture will be similar. We are counting on the Holy Spirit to work a change in the hearts of these people that we will be ministering with. We are also counting on your prayers and support. We believe that God has called us as a denomination of American Baptists Churches and individuals to reach out with the love of Jesus Christ in this way. If you would like to be more involved please contact us or International Ministries. Prayer Points:
SPLISH SPLASH, We’re having a Blast!! Our group had a great time in May at our pool party. We had 11 Moms and 15 Munchkins enjoying the sun and running from wading pool to wading pool. We will be continuing to meet twice a month throughout the summer. On Monday, June 2nd the group will be taking a ride on an Old-fashioned Fire Engine Truck and unlimited rides on the Carousel in Hanford. We’re meeting by the Carousel at the Courthouse Square in Hanford on the corner of Irwin & 8th street. We’ve reserved 1 hour for the two rides starting at 9:30 a.m. The cost will be $5 per adult. Don’t forget your cameras! Our second playdate will be on Monday, June 16tth at 9:30 a.m., we’ll be having another pool party at the church. Bring your lawn chairs and towels and relax while the children have fun! Come join us and don’t miss out on the fun and fellowship. Contact Tamara Lennard at 924-1934 or Kellie Heidt at 924-5789 for additional information. WOW!! Our group is having such a great time this summer! We had a wonderful turnout (18 Mom’s & 26 children) for our Old-fashioned fire truck and carousel rides. Cameras were flashing, children were begging for more rides and Moms were getting dizzy as we rode the carousel over and over again! The fire truck tour was a hit and we learned some interesting history about Hanford. Our 2nd pool party was enjoyed by many and the weather was perfect to enjoy some cool splashing fun. If you haven’t had a chance to join us yet, check out what we have planned for July & August. We would love to have you join us for fun & fellowship with other Moms. Monday, July 7 -- We’re meeting at the Lemoore City Park on the corner of Bush & Fox at 9:30 a.m. Come enjoy playing on the playground equipment as well as some fun activities with bubbles and a parachute. Contact DeeAnne Henry at 924-7406 for more information. Monday, July 21 -- We’re having another POOL party! The group will meet at Jodi Young’s house located here
in Lemoore at 1737 Fortress to enjoy her backyard pool. The fun begins at 9:30 a.m. -- feel free to bring any pool
toys, inner tubes etc. for a splashing good time. Call Jodi at 925-1790 if you need directions.
Vacation Bible School will be here before you know it and there are a few items that we will need to make this a successful week for our children. Please bring any items to the office or the sanctuary kitchen. Decorating
Items Needed:
Things that will not be returned
Snack Items Needed:
Craft Items Needed:
We are anticipating having over 150
children this year, so please We will announce our next meeting in the
church bulletin. Keep your eyes open for date and time! This will be
a very important work day (Childcare will be provided) We need all T-shirt sizes for the workers by June 15th. There will be a Mandatory Meeting July 27th - 4:00 p.m.
Around the World with Promise Seekers Promise Seekers will join Mr. Whittaker and the kids from Odyssey for a fun-filled summer adventure. Kids 3 yrs. - 4th grade are invited to travel the world with us celebrating life in Christ. Join us as we visit Africa, Ireland, South America, Australia, and China and learn more about Jesus. The adventure begins Sunday, June 15th at 11:00 a.m. in Promiseland (Fellowship Hall). Teachers Needed As the church continues to grow we are being blessed with more and more kids in Children’s Ministries. Sunday School and Promise Seekers are both full of children anxious to learn about Jesus. Our greatest desire is to provide a positive environment and a committed staff to guide these children in their walk with Christ. If you have a passion for children please consider volunteering. We have ministry opportunities available with all age groups and with different commitment levels. Sunday School Teachers/ Promise Seekers Leader Each Sunday - Need to have completed (or be in the process of completing ) CLASS 101, 201, & 301. Assistants/Subs 1 Sunday per month (or more) - Open to anyone with a desire to serve and a love of children. We ask that you be able to commit to serving for 1 year. Promise Seekers Toddler teacher. We have an immediate need for this position which is geared for 3 year olds. It is very loosely structured with story time, an activity, and guided playtime. We also need summer volunteers to help us cover vacations schedules. This is a great opportunity for you to come and see
our program in action without having to make a long-term commitment.
Student Ministries
June 10, 2003 Student Ministries went to Wild Water
Adventure! We had a terrific time and want the church to know that there
are Wild Water Adventure tickets available at the church office for only $12.00
each. If you want to have a family outing and wish to purchase some
tickets, just contact Teresa at the office (924-3458) and let her know how many
you will need. These tickets can be used any time during the summer! COMING SOON TO LEMOORE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. LEMOORE
THE JUSTIN FOX BAND JULY 5, 2003 There will be a Velcro Wall, Bungee Run & Joust Food, Water Events, and most of all, Fun-Fun-Fun! Keep your eyes open for the posters and flyers around the church & around town. Invite all your friends!!
Attention to all women going to Camp Sugar Pine September 5th - 7th. We will be having a potluck brunch at the church on Saturday, July 19th at 10:00 a.m. At this brunch we will decide what design we will use for our T-shirts and or sweat shirts that we will have made for us to wear at Camp this year. The cost will be:
If you have any questions about this brunch or Women's camp, please give Tina Peabody a call at 924-4353 or you can call the church office We will be having another Men's Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, July 12th at 8:00 a.m. Come and join the fellowship, food, and prayer with your fellow brothers in Christ. For more information you can contact Rick Krick at 924-3258. |
Announcements I Calendar I Newsletter I Home
Congratulations
to our Graduating Seniors:
STUDENT MINISTRIES WILL HAVE A
SUMMER LUAU BASH FEATURING:
