"Therefore, encourage on another and build
each other up."April 2003
>>| The Encourager | April 2003 |
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February 2003"Therefore, encourage on another and build
each other up."April 2003
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| In This Issue Valentine's Banquet |
Our 3rd Annual "Battle of the Decades" Car Show IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE!!! March 15, 2003 the Student Ministries will be holding its 3rd Annual Battle of the Decades Car Show. We are anticipating on having the biggest and best car show yet! There will be food, drinks, prizes, and finger printing for kids of all ages. There will also be a 'story time' for children through-out the day. This will help keep them entertained as well as letting the parents enjoy looking at all the cars. The purpose of this ministry is to help raise funds to send our students on a variety of mission opportunities. As it says in Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it". If we, as a church, can make a difference in the lives of our youth by sending them on mission trips while they are still young and seeking answers, then we have the promise from God that it will not be in vain. Our youth today are seeking for some kind of 'spirituality' and introducing them to Jesus Christ will lead them to the One true Holy Spirit! We can't do it alone, so get involved in one of our many youth activities to help 'Train up a child...' It's a great way to meet fellow church attenders and students! You can start by coming by the church to get any information on this event or calling the church office at 924-3458. An Evening of Excitement !
We love and appreciate each one of you! May God Bless all who were involved!!!
We are your American Baptist Missionaries serving in Thailand. Larry is from California and has served in Thailand for 12 years. Jan is from Australia and has served in Thailand for 17 years. We met and married there ten years ago. We work in evangelism and church planting in helping to start new churches. Previously we worked in Bangkok but in the last four years we have helped in a new church plant in a rural area of Northern Thailand. God has opened the doors to many ministries including; Income Generation Projects such as fish raising, weaving, ice-cream making, small restaurants and selling cooked items. We also ran children's programs, community ministries, and taught cooking, budgeting and English. Church members, neighbors, workers from the local hospital and people from neighboring villages have benefited from these programs. We have been blessed to see many people come to know the Lord and to see a small fellowship of believers develop in the area. Helping in the discipling and baptisms of new believers has been a special privilege. We will continue to send you reports and stories over
the next few years as we seek to share the stories of
faith that we have found in Thailand. The Mom's and Munchkin's would like to send out a great big "Thank You" to Robert Schlosser, our friendly church highway patrolman, who came by and did a car seat inspection for all our attenders who requested it. It gives us a peace of mind to know that our children are secured safely in their car seats as we travel down the road. Our deepest thanks to you Robert!! Our 1st bike rally for the little ones was quite a success with 15 moms and 23 children attending! We made an obstacle course in the parking lot and let the children ride around on their bikes, trikes, wagons & scooters. The fun will continue this month with a tour of the Cameron Dairy Farm on Monday, 3/24. We ask that you be at the church that Monday by 9:30 am so we can caravan together. The tour starts at 10:00 am and ends at 11:00 am. In April, we will have a regular playdate at the
church on April 7th at 10 am and then on April
28th , we'll be heading up to the Fresno Zoo
for a fun-filled morning and picnic lunch. We'll be
leaving the church at 9:15 a.m. to caravan up for those
who are interested. You can also meet us at the Zoo's
front gate at 10 am. The zoo is located at 894 W.
Belmont. Tickets are $6.00 for adults, $4.00 for children
ages 2-11 and free for those under 2. Feel free to bring
a sack lunch for a picnic afterwards. If you have any
questions about these events, please contact Kellie Heidt
at 924-5789 or Tamara Lennard at 924-1934. First Baptist Welcomes Frank Caudell with Open Arms Frank Caudell has always followed his heart. Even as a child, his love for music was evident in his attempt to start a high school band. Although the band wasn't too successful at that time, Frank continued with his musical efforts and three years later found himself in another band where he would meet his wife, Teresa (church secretary) and form a stronger relationship with the Lord through his musical talents. The Caudell's combined their musical talents and recorded and produced a cassette tape and followed their hearts to share the Lord's message through song. "Music, in my estimation, plays a vital role in worship. It is so important, that God included an entire book of the Bible that is largely made up of songs of worship," explained Frank. Frank began sensing that the Lord wanted him to spread his wings into other areas of ministry back in 1986. Frank listened to his heart and more importantly listened to the Lord and became a licensed pastor later that year. He began preaching at church and at a Convalescent home in Hanford on a monthly basis as well as spreading God's Word at the State Prison in Corcoran. Both Frank and his wife, Teresa continued teaching scripture to inmates for five years. He accepted a position as pastor at the First Southern Baptist Church serving as a bi-vocational pastor until January 2001. Then the Lord led Frank and his family to the welcoming doors of First Baptist Church in Lemoore in April of 2001. Just one year later, Frank came on staff at First Baptist Church in Lemoore in April of 2002 as the worship leader and in February of this year accepted the position of associate pastor. "Why the need for two pastors at one church? Simply because the ministry of shepherding the flock of God is too vast for one man to handle. As a congregation grows, so does the need for pastors to come along side them to encourage, train and equip them for the work of ministry," said Frank. "With God's guidance, I would like to develop a broad educational and training system so that we can effectively disciple those whom God leads to our church family." On March 9, Frank began one of many discipleship classes to be offered called "Survival Kit: 5 keys to Effective Spiritual Growth." It is a class designed to help Christians begin to establish some basic good habits that help them in their walk with God. Frank's genuine love for God and His Word as well as a love of people, makes him a warmly respected leader in our growing church family. Frank and Teresa have been married for 23
years and they have three children; Leslie Ann, 23; Adam,
21; and Krystal Lynn, 20; and one grandson, Jayden, 2 ½
years old.
We sure have had a busy February in the way of
baptisms!!! We witnessed the baptisms of the following
people who have trusted Christ as their Savior!
We would also like to welcome those who completed the 101 CLASS in February and became church members:
Several others will unite with our church family upon their baptisms! A BIG WELCOME to all of you. May God continue to
bless our church family with new members and people who
are willing to be involved in the ministry that God has
set before them.
We were blessed last month in
witnessing the dedication ceremony of eight children from
our church!!
"Lighthouse will enable the kids to have a better understanding of God and the world we live in," explained Ron. Lighthouse meets each Monday evening from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the student ministries room located on the church campus. "We do a number of activities including games, plays, movies and discussions. The first week, we do a play from the Bible to familiarize the students with the story. The second week, we follow-up on the story with games and questions. The third week, we continue with interaction and a message is given pertaining to the story. The fourth week, we enjoy our time together through games and discussions," said Ron. Getting the kids off the street and getting the street out of the kids is just one of many advantages of having your child involved in a weekly youth group. Other advantages include fellowship, prayer, knowledge and a growing relationship with Jesus. "The atmosphere the kids have created in Lighthouse is interesting and fun. My number one goal is to reach out to those who do not understand Christ Jesus," said Ron. "We have many outreach programs like sleep-overs, 5th quarter, summer parties, girls night out and boys night out." Ron's heartfelt concern for our youth in understanding
God's powerful message is evident in how the kids respond
and interact with him. It takes a special person to
recognize and meet the needs of "I feel that God has worked in my life in such a way that I couldn't be any place else other than right here. My need to lead this ministry is for the great plan that God has designed," explained Ron. Ron and Reagan have been married for nine years. They have two children, Brooklyn, 7 and Payton, 17 months. If you would like more information or are interested in having your child join Lighthouse, please contact the church office at 924-3458.
Have A Ball Remembering It All! Are you a scrap-booker or would you like to start? Come and join us for some cropping fun! We will be gathering here at First Baptist Church to set our family heritage preservation in gear. In addition to the Saturday morning introductory classes, there will be a Crop Class for those who would like to get started or those who already scrapbook. For the crops, some cutting tools will be provided for use. You will need to bring photos and your own scrap-booking supplies such as book(s) or pages, pens, stickers, adhesive and so on. If you need advise on what to get or bring, just let us know. We would like to have at least 3 people signed up for each class for it to be held. The following dates have been set aside for the Introduction to Scrap-booking & Crop Classes:
On April 26th we will be celebrating "National Scrapbook Day" The theme is, 'Having A Ball Remembering It All'. The cost for this class is $500 per person for the NSD
Materials The kits are limited, so please reserve your
spot early. If you have any pool, beach, or vacation
photos, they would be perfect to bring. You may bring a
lunch and snacks for the day or some of us will be
pitching in for pizza! To sign up for the classes, you
may contact the church office 924-3458 or Tracy Conkey
997-7638. The Power and Purpose of Worship! I look forward to worshiping with you next Sunday!
Frankly, I'm not so sure there really is a foolproof way to escape it. After all, the only perfect Person that ever lived was crucified, and not until he had first been severely and unduly criticized. Peter reminds his readers that "He [Jesus] committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth", and yet He was the constant recipient of slander and malicious talk. If Jesus couldn't please everybody, I am certain that we can't either. Besides that, let's face it, some people are just habitual 'wrong finders' and aren't happy until they have pointed out the only cow pie in the meadow. Perhaps in the past, you have been the recipient of someone's caustic words. They stung you and continue to eat at your joy like a corrosive acid. If the criticism wasn't bad enough, now you have to deal with the anger or bitterness that usually follows such and event. Let me offer a couple of suggestions. First, even though it may have been said in a wrong manner, was the criticism accurate? Be honest. If so, humbly thank God for the rebuke, then carry on. Remember, God doesn't feel that way about you. Secondly, if the criticism wasn't accurate, thank God that they didn't know something about you that really deserves criticizing. All of us have those things. Remember, Jesus lived perfectly, and you know what they did to Him. Perhaps you yourself have been on the delivering end of criticism. At one time, with a critical word or letter, you were the cause of hurt to someone else. Here is a good rule of thumb, write no letter or make no comment that you yourself would not be willing to receive. A lot of ministry, joy and enthusiasm has been shipwrecked on the jagged corral of thoughtless, un-loving criticism. Remember Paul's words to the Christians at Ephesus, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." [Eph.4:29] Most of us have heard it said at one time or another,
(probably by our mothers), "If you can't say
something nice, don't say nothing at all." That's
probably good advice. The only problem might be that, for
a while, some Christians might appear to be mute. C.L.A.S.S. #301 - Discovering My Ministry The next Christian Life and Service Seminar will be on April 6th from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm. The seminar will help you identify your unique SHAPE (Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences) for ministry. If you've committed to membership and to the habits necessary for spiritual growth and now you want to start serving, this course if for you! Lunch and childcare will be provided. Register with the communication cards or by calling the church office at 924-3458 by April 3rd. CLASS #201 is a prerequisite to
this seminar.
It is so exciting to watch God work in the lives of
our children. After a lesson on giving in Promise Seekers
the second grade class decided to start a campaign to
collect canned food, clothing, and other items to donate
to Lemoore Christian Aid. This campaign quickly expanded
when the third and fourth grade students learned of a
family who lost their home in a fire.
Ladies - Ladies - Ladies - Ladies -Ladies
We will be having an Easter Celebration here at the church on Saturday, April 19th. The festivities will begin at 9:30 am and will last until ???? The kids will all decorate their own bags & eggs, do an Easter craft, have a story time, and have a game time. There is a sign up sheet for anyone willing to do a 20 minute rotation during the day in any of the areas needed. There is also a sheet for donations of many kinds (pre-filled Easter eggs, large bags of chips, cookies, small white or brown bags, and Easter grass) and a sheet for crews to help serve food & drinks, set-up, and cleanup. In order to make this a successful event, we will need
your help. Please come, sign up to help, and enjoy the
fun and fellowship of your church family as we remember
the true meaning behind Easter and share that meaning
with the children of our church. For more information,
please contact Reagan Tuman at 924-0251. Babies, toddlers and more babies! Did you know that we have the cutest babies and
toddlers in all of Kings County?? Are you someone who
loves babies and toddlers, especially when you can play
with them for an hour or so and give them back to their
own parents? Did you also know that we have ministry
opportunities available at Noah's Nursery? We have a
variety of times available to cuddle and play with little
ones if you have a heart for our most special church
members!! To help out, please contact Ronda Schlosser at
924-8203.
Do you need a little
'pampering' time of your own??
For more
information, contact Reagan Tuman at 924-0251. |
Announcements I Calendar I Newsletter I Home
What a great time of
fun, fellowship, and dining we had at our Ladies
Valentine's Dinner. The evening began with the women 
being treated to the
talents of some of our men singing 'Barber Shop Quartet'
style music. What a great job they did entertaining us
with their 'harmonious' voices. As the dinner was served,
we enjoyed more fellowship with one another and, later,
we were blessed with the sounds of "Men of
Promise" out of Fresno. WOW, what talents we had
this evening! Once again, the men of the church out did
themselves with
the
meal and presenting us with a great evening. A big thank
you goes out to ALL the young (and not as young) 
men who were involved in the
set-up, preparation of food, serving, entertainment, and
clean-up. 
Our Awana clubbers got to
enjoy the fun and excitement of participating in the
Awana games in Fresno on March 8th. There were
10 or more churches represented at these games and the
Lemoore T & T Boys and Sparks came back as the 1st
place winners. Congratulations to all who played and had
a great time!!
What do you think of when you
see a lighthouse? The very building represents an
everlasting presence, hope, light and guidance. The same
principles that God delivers to those who believe. Here,
at First Baptist Church, Lighthouse Youth Group was
created to reach out to the fourth and fifth graders to
equip them with a better understanding of our Lord.
(Beginning in June, 2003, sixth graders will be included
in Lighthouse.) Helping these children to learn more
about Jesus and to aide them in their spiritual growth is
youth leader, Ron Tuman. "It is very important to
reach all ages with the message of Jesus Christ, but
especially the children for they are our future,"
explained Ron. "Lighthouse was created to help
glorify our Lord." Lighthouse offers a safe
atmosphere for the children to hangout while learning the
good news of Jesus Christ our Lord. There are so many
outside influences affecting our youth today, but one
thing remains the same, God's love.
today's youth. God
spoke to Ron and he listened with an open heart and mind.
The result: the creation of Lighthouse and other
children's ministries which will be focused in future
newsletters.
I once
saw a sign that read, "How to Escape Criticism:
Say nothing, Do nothing, Be nothing." 
Promise
Seekers -"Jesus said, ' Let the little
children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the
kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.' "
Matthew 19:14
The children held a bake sale after worship
services on March 2nd and again on March 9th.
We want to thank you those of you who supported the kids
in their efforts. Due to the open hearts of the children
and your generosity they will be able to donate almost
$350 to the Herrejon family of Lemoore. The food and
clothing drive will continue until Easter - so if you are
doing any "spring cleaning" keep us in mind.
Easter
Celebration!
ATTENTION MILITARY
WIVES!!!