The Messenger. this sunday. August 17, FirST ThoughTS David hull, Pastor

Transcription

1 Volume 65 / Week Number 33 / August 14, 2014 The Messenger first baptist huntsville FirST ThoughTS David hull, Pastor I am overwhelmed by your outpouring of love and appreciation on my last day as your pastor. The celebration began on Saturday when Jane and I were totally surprised at a dinner party which included two people from each of the five churches we have served over the past 35 years. What a delight that was to get all of these folks together for a special evening! Sunday was a day that I will always remember. The experience of worship was very moving for me as we offered our praises to God and gathered around the Table of the Lord. The Scriptures and benedictions helped us all to remember the goodness, grace and love of God in the past, and to move with trust into the future where Christ is already preparing the way. Then we moved from one Table to many tables. What a great cloud of witnesses gathered in our new facilities for a celebration lunch! I know that this was quite a logistical challenge, and I am so thankful to all staff and volunteers who worked hard to make the event happen in a beautiful way. The words which were expressed by friends from the church and our larger Baptist family around the state truly touched me. The gifts presented to Jane and me remind us once again of how thoughtful you are as a church. Special thanks go to the Personnel Committee who made the plans for the day of celebration. I will look forward to using the new computer that was given to be a tool for my ministry of writing, teaching, consulting, and preaching in the days ahead. I do need such a gift, and you were most gracious to think of my needs in this way. The stained glass window of the baptistery cross will be a wonderful visual reminder of the ways that we have all gathered at the cross to follow our Lord together. The humorous presentation of the countdown clock helped us all to laugh a bit when things were getting pretty serious. Finally, the very generous love offering is received just as the name indicates as a deep expression of your love. Please know that we love you in return and always will. You might think that once lunch was over that would be enough celebration for the day. But you were not through yet! A most beautiful reception was given through extra mile efforts and creativity of our Food Services staff, Personnel Committee, and other volunteers. We came to the table once again for great food, but more importantly the occasion allowed our family to have personal moments of conversation with so many friends from the church and the community. I will end by echoing the words of Philippians 1:3 which were read in worship on Sunday. I thank my God every time I remember you... (Please read on in The Messenger for some Last Thoughts from David Hull) this sunday August 17, 2014 SermoN - TrAViS collins Play the Ball Where the monkey Dropped it Jeremiah 29:4-11 FirST FelloWShiP - 8:15 Am Music from the First Fellowship Band morning BiBle STuDy - 9:15 Am Bible Study for all ages SANcTuAry WorShiP - 10:30 Am Anthem by the Sanctuary Choir If You Search with All Your Heart - Courtney Flute duet by Amy Helser and Emily DePlachett FouNDATioNS For life classes Chapel Class - Taught by Travis Collins 5:00-6:00 PM, Chapel Women s Bible Study 4:00-6:00 PM, Room and 2 Thessalonians by Beth Moore Let s Talk about Marriage 4:00-6:00 PM, Community Room Student Choir 5:00 PM, Choir Room Sunday Night Classes for Children 5:00-6:00 PM Grades 1-6, Room 229 Preschool 3s-Kindergarten, Room 216 Babies-Preschool 2 s, Room 213 knowing, loving, serving Christ...together

2 ministry calendar Sunday, August 17 First Fellowship Worship 8:15 Am morning Bible Study 9:15 Am Sanctuary Worship 10:30 Am Trout Fishing interest meeting 12:00 Pm ham radio club 2:00 Pm Student Praise Band rehearsal 3:00 Pm Preschool/children August Bday Party 4:00 Pm men s ensemble Practice 4:00 Pm Foundations for life classes 4:00 & 5:00 Pm Student choir 5:00 Pm Student Blast off celebration monday, August 18 letter Writing ministry cooking outside the Box Tuesday, August 19 library hours Sunday 9-9:15 Am 10:10-10:45 Am 11:40-12:00 Pm Tuesday 10:00 Am-12:00 Pm Wednesday 4:00-5:00 Pm NEW MEMBERS Ana Lankford 703 Owens Drive Huntsville, AL FAMILY MATTERS Chuck & Andra Chamberlin 6901 Ridge Pointe Drive SE Huntsville, AL :00 Am Spiritual Formations 7:00 Am Silk meeting 5:00 Pm 2345 ministry gym griefshare Boy Scout Troop 70 6:30 Pm Forum 6:30 Pm mosaic ringers rehearsal 6:30 Pm Wednesday, August 20 Supper/Fh employment Peace Seminar Financial Peace university children s music & missions The Daniel Plan Women s Bible Study: James marriage Study: his Needs/her Needs Prayer meeting & Bible Study/Fh Student liftoff orchestra rehearsal First Fellowship Band Practice/lc Sanctuary choir rehearsal Thursday, August 21 esl Walkie Talkies 4:45 Pm 5:45 Pm 5:45 Pm 7:00 Pm 7:00 Pm 8:00 Am 10:00 Am last ThoughTS David W. hull During the past twelve years most issues of The Messenger have contained First Thoughts. These articles were my way of reflecting on our life together in First Baptist Church. My preacher friends probably did not get many good sermon illustrations from my articles, but hopefully everyone caught a sense of the life and ministry of our congregation. Now, in a final article, I write some Last Thoughts about your future and mine. I am very excited about the future of First Baptist Church. You are a great church with a heart for the mission of God and you live this out in caring and creative ministries. You have outstanding church leadership who will guide you through the interim period. Excellent staff will continue high quality ministry in the years to come. Beautiful and functional facilities equip you to maximize ministry and mission as you continue to reach out to the community. The location of the church has always been very strategic, and it becomes more so each year with the redevelopment of downtown Huntsville all around the neighborhood. The reputation of First Baptist in our city and in the larger Baptist family is highly respected. The future looks bright for the old First Church. A pastoral interim can be an apprehensive time. It can also be a time for great growth and development. Everything about the interim that lies before you leads to the way of health. My friend Travis Collins will provide sermons and biblical teaching that will bless your life. If you were present on August 3 you already know that. I encourage you to get to know him, to listen carefully to what he will say, and to allow God to bless you through him. Another friend of mine, Bill Wilson, will help the church look to the future in a strategic visioning process. This sends a great message of church health to prospective pastors who can see a church that is not sitting around waiting, but a church who is moving forward as God leads during a transitional time. Throughout this interim season, you will have great leadership from the church staff in addition to the lay leaders. I hope that you will look back at the end of the interim season and see the healthy growth in your own life and in the life of the church. You have selected an outstanding Pastoral Search Committee. They will represent you well as they listen to God s leadership in their search. Please pray for them, as I will, and be patient with them. Allow them to take the time that is needed for this kind of search, waiting for the person God has already selected to be your next pastor. As Jane and I begin our new adventure in ministry, we do so with a splendid farewell from our church family. We are excited about what lies ahead. Jane is off to a wonderful start as Pastor of Union Christian Church in Watkinsville, GA. She is loving her work there and leaders in the church have told me that she is a keeper. I am so proud of Jane, who teaches me about faith and following the call of God. Her seven-year journey of calling, preparation, waiting, and now serving is an inspiration to me. I look forward to her being my pastor. What will I be doing? We have talked about retirement, but that is only from the pastoral ministry. I plan to continue to serve in ministry in new ways. I will write, teach a course on leadership in a School of Theology, assist churches by coaching them through transitional seasons, and do interim and supply preaching. I expect that these four things will grow to be full-time ministry. The difference is that I will be specializing in certain areas of my giftedness rather than the very general work of a pastor and I will be connecting with many churches in ministry rather than focusing my energies on one congregation. I look forward to learning and growing in order to meet these new opportunities in ministry. While I will no longer be doing the work of your pastor, I will still be your friend. Jane and I would love for you to stay in touch with us in the years to come. If you are ever in the Athens, GA area we would love for you to worship at Union Christian Church and to visit with us. CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY Greg and Marcia Newman in the loss of his mother, and Patrick Newman in the loss of his grandmother, Mary Newman knowing, loving, serving Christ...together

3 Wednesday Night Dinner menu Wednesday, August 20 Adults chicken cordon Bleu corn casserole italian green Beans with New Potatoes roll Our new address is 1151 Manor Ridge Drive, Bishop, GA and our home phone (which will also be my office number) is You can reach Jane at or and my new is Come see us... write us... give us a call. We would love to hear from you. I trust that you understand why it is appropriate for me to stay away for awhile so that the leadership baton may be passed to someone else. However, that does not mean that you need to stay away. Keep in touch. Salad grilled chicken Salad (reservations for salad must be turned in by 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday.) Chap Taug I ended my remarks at the lunch on Sunday with these words from Dag Hammarsjkold, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations. Let me end with them again: Wom Child Augu STeWArDShiP report For all that has been Thanks For all that is to come Yes! Week # 45 08/10/14 Pam s Beach Bon Voyage You are invited to help celebrate Pam McDaniel as she retires from 20 years of service at FBC! year-to-date goal $ 3,572, offering This Week $ 53, ytd $ 3,655, Faith Steps - Admin Suite This Week $ ytd $ 120, To Date $ 813, Faith Steps to the Future Wednesday, August 27 6:00-7:30 p.m. Gathering Place This Week $ 4, ytd $ 508, To Date $ 5,474, Everyone is invited for fun, games and food! This is set up for you to come and go as your Wednesday night schedule will allow, so drop in for a few minutes and have some fun and bid farewell to Pam! FBC s interim preacher, Travis Collins, will be leading the Chapel Class as part of Sunday Night Foundations for Life this fall. His book, Directionally Challenged: How to Find and Follow God s Course for Your Life is available for purchase ($8.00) in the church office or on Sunday nights in the Chapel. ATTeNDANce Sunday School Preschool 84 children 76 Students 145 Adults 661 Visitors 79 Brookdale Datin Let s Augu Cost Paren Septe Ann Paren Septe Russ Paren Nove Stude Begin Led b Cont 18 ToTAl 1073 Worship Service combined Worship Service Total 1185 ThANk you A thank you note has been received from lucy glover. it has been placed on the bulletin board across from the music Suite. Sund Grad Presc Babie *Sun

4 Foundations for Life Classes Fall 2014 Sunday Night Bible Studies Chapel Class 5:00-6:00 PM Chapel Taught by Travis Collins Women s Bible Study 4:00-6:00 PM Room 111 Children of the Day 1 and 2 Thessalonians by Beth Moore August 17 November 9 (9 weeks) itator: Nannette O Dell Dating, Engaged, or Newlywed Couples 4:00-6:00 PM Community Room Let s Talk about Marriage August 17-September 28 (6 weeks) itators: Bob and Cherry Saint, guest couples Cost is $10/couple. Parenting Class: Mom Talk 5:00-6:00 PM Room 253 September 7-September 28 (4 weeks) itators: Teresa Bailey, Carlene Braun, Robin Chambers, Susan Field, Susan Gravlee, Linda Jeter, Nan Kirk, Susan McClung, Mary Ann Moon, Kristi Taylor up online through Mosaic Available Small Groups or cindy@fbchsv.org, Parenting Class: Dad Talk 5:00-6:00 PM Room 252 September 7-September 28 (4 weeks) itators: Austin Boyd, Mark Braun, Steve Chambers, Scott Field, DeWayne Jeter, Mike Kirk, Pat Lewallen, Phillip Roberts, Mark Russell, Randy Taylor, Wayne Westerhouse up online through Mosaic Available Small Groups or cindy@fbchsv.org, Parenting Class: Hands-Free Parenting 5:00-6:00 PM Room 253 November 2-November 16 (3 weeks) itator: Joy Moore, joy@fbchsv.org up online through Mosaic Available Small Groups or cindy@fbchsv.org, Student Choir 5:00 PM Choir Room Begins August 17 Led by Billy Orton, Anne Reasons, and Sherry Upshaw Contact: musicministries@fbchsv.org, Sunday Night Classes for Children 5:00-6:00 PM Grades 1-6, Room 229 Preschool 3s-Kindergarten, Room 216 Babies-Preschool 2 s, Room 213 *Sunday night care for children is available for 4:00 classes if advance reservations are made.

5 Monday Classes Cooking Outside the Box 6:00-7:30 PM Community Room August 18, September 15, October 20, November 17 itators: Charlotte Davis, Rebecca Dean, Terry Jarnagin, Mary Ann Moon, Janice Owen, Mecia Stapp Tuesday Classes Women s Bible Study 9:00-11:30 AM Room 327 Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy by Beth Moore August 26-November 25 (12 weeks) itator: Becky Soutullo Cost of book: $17. Childcare is available with advance reservations through the Childhood Ministry Office, Forum: Young Adult Supper, Fun, and Bible Study 6:30-8:30 PM Student Center Ages 20s and 30s Resumes Tuesday, August 12 Contact: 2345adults@fbchsv.org, Childcare is available by calling the Childhood Ministry Office, by Sunday noon before the Tuesday. Wednesday Classes Prayer Meeting and Bible Study led by Dan Champion Fellowship Hall 4:45 Supper 5:45 Prayer Meeting and Bible study Women s Bible Study 5:30-7:00 PM Room 111 James Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore August 13-October 8 (9 weeks) itators: Lisa Wilson and Mindy Hyatt Cost of Book $15. The Daniel Plan 5:30-7:00 PM Room 114 August 13-October 1 (8 weeks) itators Beth Hoffman Employment Peace Seminar 5:30-7:00 PM Room 118 August 13-November 19 (14 weeks) itator: Austin Boyd Financial Peace University 5:30-7:00 PM Room 254 August 13 (Preview Class)-October 29 (9 weeks) itators: Hunter and Alison Hoskins Cost is $90 for materials up at or contact alison@fbchsv.org His Needs, Her Needs: A Marriage Study 5:45-7:00 PM Community Room August 13-September 17 (6 weeks) itators: Bob and Cherry Saint Participant s Guide: $10 each

6 Fellowship Club First Baptist Church 600 Governors Drive Huntsville, AL fbchsv.org office: weekend minister on call: hour prayer line: Friday, August 15 at 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall Program: Joe Berry, story teller Non-members may call Sue Mauldin to RSVP, The MESSENGER (USPS ) is published weekly except the week of Christmas by First Baptist Church, 600 Governors Drive, Huntsville, AL Periodical postage paid at Huntsville, Alabama POSTMASTER send change of address to THE MESSENGER, 600 Governors Drive, Huntsville, AL Dominican Republic Mission Trip November 21-30, 2014 Cost is $1, with some financial scholarships available. Wednesday Classes (continued) Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage 5:45-7:00 PM Community Room September 24-October 29 (6 weeks) itators: TBA up online through Mosaic Available Small Groups or 2345adults@fbchsv.org, Jesse Tree Bible Study and Ornament Making 5:30-7:00 Room 107 Creative Crafting for Adults! October 1-October 29 (5 weeks) itators: Joy Moore and Kristin Wilkerson up online through Mosaic Available Small Groups or 2345adults@fbchsv.org, Beginner & Intermediate Spanish Class Wednesdays, 5:00-6:50 PM Room 141 Begins August 20 - November 19 Taught by Alberto Duarte Contact lisa@fbchsv.org or call Student LiftOff 6:00 PM Student Center Grades 7-12 Children s Music and Missions 5:30-7:00 PM Preschool 3 s Grade 6 Loving Care for Babies Preschool 2 s 4:30-8:30 PM The team will work in Santiago, Dominican Republic with local Haitian Pastor Wilfrido Brunache. The team will be holding medical, dental and eye glasses clinics with local Haitian churches. No medical experience is necessary. Workers are needed for evangelism and witnessing. Deadline to sign up is August 24. For more information contact Dr. Jerry Graham, (256) , or Laura Elrod at lauraelrod@juno.com. A recital of Music for Brass and Organ will be presented on Thursday evening, September 11, at 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary. Featured will be our 21-piece brass choir (The First Baptist Brass), smaller chamber ensembles, soloists, and the magnificent 80-rank Casavant organ. For more information please contact our Music Ministry Office ( ) or visit