Jet Set. Worship God Equip Believers Build Community Share Christ. Jet Set. From Our Pastor. In This Issue. FBC Welcomes New BCISD Coaches

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1 Worship God Equip Believers Build Community Share Christ Volume 119 Number 14 September 2015 Breakfast at Diamond S Tuesday, September 8 9:00 am Great breakfast! Great fellowship! Games & Ice Cream Floats Tuesday, September 22 2:30 pm Pearl Morton Hall For more information, call Carolyn Hale at Dear Church Family, From Our Pastor I cannot recall a summer when I observed a congregation giving so much attention to the things of the Lord. The summer is routinely a time of backing off, stepping away, and easing up on significant pursuits. Personally, I feel refreshed in the Lord as I have experienced His Word and His Spirit filling me and pouring over me. I hear the same from many of you. Now that the scheduled time has concluded, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for your response to the Radical Challenge and your participation in this very special season with which God has blessed our church family. I may sound like a broken record but I want you to understand how I see this. Now the exciting part begins as we observe the Spirit s work among us from what we have already done and then see the Spirit empower us to set our sails for the voyage of doing what we have been hearing. Be doers of the word and not hearers only. (James 1:22). As I mentioned last Sunday, the Staff assembled a group of you to assist us in making sure that we are not hearers only. We conducted a Radical Retreat Friday night through Saturday morning. I look forward to sharing with you what we took away from that group, along with your comments, your suggestions, and expressions of your heart as we move forward in being a faithful church in this community. I look forward to seeing you Sunday. In This Issue Radical by David Platt New Member! Prayer Gatherings New Ladies Bible Study Men s Breakfast Benevolence Offering Sunday Notes of Appreciation September Monthly Calendar FBC Welcomes New BCISD Coaches Our church hosted a BCISD coaches dinner on Monday, August 10. Members of FBC who work at BCHS or BCJH helped provide and serve the meal. Thank you, Nan and your team, for coordinating the meal. The new coaches and their families appreciated our First Baptist version of Welcome to Bay City! This came from one of the coaches: Dr. Zimmerman, Thanks so much to you and your team for treating us to a coaches family dinner. What a great way to kick off the school year! Sincerely, Bob Button First Baptist Church, 2321 Avenue F, Bay City, TX Website:

2 Worship Ministry Commit Your Way to the LORD In Psalm 37:4-5 (NKJV), King David writes: Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. How is God speaking to you as you consider your response to this summer s Radical Challenge? If you are thinking of joining with one of our choirs or ensembles this fall, would you prayerfully consider the following commitment as you seek to serve the Lord? Priority, Practice, & Prayer Priority Make rehearsals a priority Practice Practice/review music at least 30 min. per week outside of rehearsal Prayer Pray for your ensemble and for God to use your music for His glory! I believe these components will make our music ministry an even greater tool in God s hands. Thank you for considering this commitment! God bless! First Kids Children's Ministry August 23 was an exciting day at FBC! Sydney was baptized; and Bryson and Mady came forward to announce their decisions to become believers in Christ! We are proud to see our kids planting their feet in faith in Christ and doing so unashamedly! AWANA begins September 16! I want to challenge you to pray about being an AWANA volunteer. AWANA is a great outreach and faith builder for our children. The curriculum challenges us to memorize scripture, be devoted followers, and to grow in our knowledge of His living Word. Let s talk. Jordan Sunday School NEED! We are in immediate need of a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher. Call me if God is calling you! New Member! Sydney Hudgins was baptized into our fellowship on August 23 We re glad that you ve come to walk with our Lord in fellowship with us! Deep & Wide Student Ministry Our Fall schedule starts in September. Our focus this month is on PRAYER as we prepare for See You at the Pole. We welcome our 7th graders to FBC Deep&Wide Youth Ministry! Aug 29 10:15am-3:30pm for War Room movie/lunch in Lake Jackson, $15-20 Aug 30 9:30am Sunday School Promotion Day 2:00pm Guys visit Mr. Gann; Girls prepare meals (Gym) Sept 2 7:15pm High School Lead Team meets after Encounter Sept 6 Labor Day Weekend no Sunday PM youth activities Sept 13 4:00pm Youth Committee 4:00pm Youth Praise Band; 5:00pm Journey w/christ 6:00-7:30pm Guys & Girls Groups begin, Brown/Bowman homes Attend youth group Sept 20 6:00pm Youth SNAC Fellowship at Mike Brown s barn from August 26 Sept 22 6:30pm Parent Info and Prayer Meeting, Youth Room through Sept 13 for Sept 23 See You at the Pole before school at your school flagpole a chance to win a Sept 25 After BCHS football game, Fifth Quarter Youth Outreach, FBC Gym SYATP T-shirt!

3 Radical by David Platt I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:12-14 If we are not careful, we will completely bypass this promise and miss out on the power of God s presence. Surrounded by the selfsufficiency of American culture, we can convince ourselves that we have what it takes to achieve something great. In our churches we can mimic our culture, planning and programming, organizing and strategizing, creating and innovating all in an effort that will show what we can accomplish in our own ability But there is another way. It is the way of Christ. Instead of asserting ourselves, we crucify ourselves. Instead of imagining all the things we can accomplish, we ask God to do what only He can accomplish. Yes, we work, we plan, we organize, and we create, but we do it all while we fast, while we pray, and while we constantly confess our need for the provision of God. Instead of dependence on ourselves, we express radical desperation for the power of His Spirit, and we trust that Jesus stands ready to give us everything we ask for so that He might make much of our Father in this world. Think about it. Would you say that your life is marked right now by desperation for the Spirit of God? Would you say that the church you are a part of is characterized by this sense of desperation? Why would we ever want to settle for Christianity according to our ability or settle for church according to our resources? The power of the One who raised Jesus from the dead is living within us, and as a result we have no need to muster up our own might. Our great need is to fall before an almighty Father day and night and to plead for Him to show His radical power in and through us, enabling us to accomplish for His glory what we could never imagine in our own strength. And when we do this, we will discover that we were created for a purpose much greater than ourselves, the purpose that can only be accomplished in His Spirit. Radical by David Platt; Published by Multnomah Books of Oracle Blvd, Suite 200 of Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921; copyright 2010 by David Platt; pp Benevolence Offering Sunday Thank you for donating to the benevolence ministry of FBC! Because of your generosity, FBC is able to help many people in need in our community. Sunday, August 30 is your opportunity to support our Benevolence Ministry. Donations are greatly appreciated and very necessary for the continuation of this ministry. Please give so we may continue to meet the needs of people in Jesus name. Please mark your check or envelope Benevolence We would like to thank the FBC family so much for the love and support provided during the time of my dad s passing. It is in times such as this that the love and goodness of God s holiness shines through in brothers and sisters in Christ. The Spirit was at work and we were so blessed during this time. Dear FBC Family, Yours in Christ, Ed, Irene, Zechariah & Skylar Payne Thank you for your prayers, love and acts of kindness during the loss of my mother-in-law, Marcelle Odom. Also to the ladies who fixed our great meal and Mom s Sunday school class for the food they brought to the house. Thanks to Bro. Mike for the beautiful service and a special thanks to Billy Mann, John McMillan and Bob King for being pallbearers. This is long overdue, but thanks for your thoughts and prayers earlier this year in the loss of my dad and my fatherin-law. Please continue the prayers. Thanks so much. Dear FBC, In Memoriam Jean Henry August 15, 2015 With Heartfelt Sympathy The FBC Family extends sympathy to the following members and their families in the loss of their loved ones: Herb Henry wife Mattie Sue Ringgold sister Thinking of You and Sharing in Your Sorrow Notes of Appreciation Love and God Bless, Betty Odom Charlotte Allgaier and family Rebecca Brown and family How much you are wished the kindness that you always give away. (sent in response to the encourager letter sent to him) Your friend, Cecil Roberts Prayer Gatherings in September Tuesday, September 1 & Tuesday, September 15 7:00 pm in PMH

4 September Mission Focus: State Missions Mary Hill Davis Offering Week of Prayer: September Every Texas Baptist has a role to play in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in our state. It doesn t matter your age, sex, ethnicity, or if you live in one of our huge cities or small rural towns. The theme of the 2015 Mary Hill Davis Offering and Week of Prayer for Texas Missions is Thirst. Physical thirst is the craving for water. Spiritual thirst can be described very simply as the craving for God. We all have cravings. We crave safety. We crave acceptance. We crave belonging. We crave significance. We crave love. Sometimes we crave forbidden pleasures. Often we crave things. Just as our bodies crave and thirst, so do our souls. We would not think of depriving our bodies of water, so why would we deprive our souls of Jesus? Challenge Christians to be thirsty for God s Word and His presence. Then when their thirst has been quenched with the Spirit of the Lord, ask them to turn their eyes to neighbors who need the Living Water only God can provide. Information Center Sunday School Report Date Enroll Attend Aug Aug Aug Aug Average Sunday School Att. YTD = 217 (through Week 53) Tithes & Offerings Report Date Given Aug 2 $14, Aug 9 $21, Aug 16 $11, Aug 23 $12, YTD 2015 Needed: $ YTD 2015 Given: $549, Designated Gifts Stuff-a-Stocking Benevolence Kans for Kids Scholarship Fund Love Gift Memorials Marcelle Odom Scholarship Memorial Jean Henry Benevolence Memorial Tuesday Morning Ladies Bible Study! All are invited and encouraged to attend Children of the Day By Beth Moore Beginning Tuesday, September 8 9:30 11:30 am In Pearl Morton Hall Cost: $10 for book Child Care Provided Men s Breakfast Bring a friend and your appetite and come enjoy the fellowship! You are all children of light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 Church Family Suppers Each week: Extreme Salad Bar, Fruit, Dessert & Drinks September 16 Sausage & Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, Rolls and Oreo Cake Serving: Steve & Brandy Stai Cleaning: John Cerceo, Melissa Cook September 23 Meatballs, Rice & Gravy, Carrots, Texas Toast and Megan s Brownies Serving: Mary Henderson, Chelette Payne Cleaning: John Cerceo, David & Kelly Winters September 30 Enchilada Casserole, Refried Beans, Spanish Rice and Tres Leches Cake Serving: Stan & Nan Eldridge Gwen Kirkpatick Cleaning: Carol Brown, John Cerceo

5 September 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat (August 30) (August 31) 1 Promotion 5pm Praise Band Reh 7pm Prayer Sunday! 2pm Youth visit Mr. Gann/make meals /Youth (Sanc) 6pm Ladies Bible 7pm Deacon Council (Choir Rm) Gathering (PMH) 6 7 Labor Day FBC Office & CDC Closed pm Youth Cmte 5pm Praise Band (PMH) (Sanc) 4pm Yth Praise Band 6pm Ladies Bible 5pm JwC Choir 6pm Girls/Guys Bible Study pm Yth Praise Band 5pm Praise Band 5pm Finance Cmte (Sanc) (Conf Room) 6pm Ladies Bible 5pm JwC Choir 6pm Youth SNAC (Brown s Barn) pm Girls/Guys 5pm Praise Band Ministry Day (gym) (Sanc) 4pm Yth Praise Band 6pm Ladies Bible 5pm JwC Choir 2 7:15pm Youth Lead Team (Youth Room) 8 9 9am Breakfast (Diamond S) 4:30pm CDC Cmte (Conf Room) am Jubilaires Ministry (Mat. House) 7pm Prayer Gathering (PMH) :30pm Games & Ice Cream Floats (PMH) 6:30pm Youth Parent Info and Prayer Meeting (Youth Room) 7am See You at the Pole (BCJH/BCHS) :30am Jubilaires Ministry (Bay Villa) :30am Sewing & Craft Day (PMH) 10:30am Jubilaires Ministry (Mat. Rehab) :30am Men s Breakfast (Gym) pm Youth Fifth Quarter Party (gym) 26