Change In Our Janitorial Service A NEWSLETTER FOR FORCEY BIBLE CHURCH - DECEMBER 2015

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1 A NEWSLETTER FOR FORCEY BIBLE CHURCH - DECEMBER 2015 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh (Romans 8:3, NASB) A deluge of superhero movies has flooded the screens these last few years: Batman Begins, Superman Returns, Spider -Man 3, Spectre (James Bond), The Dark Knight (Batman), Ant-Man. Superheroes. They come through every conceivable disaster and mayhem untouched, unscathed, intact. Not even the most devious and despicable schemes of a host of malefactors can touch 007, the Caped Crusader, the arch Arachnid, or that character from Krypton. Superheroes. How we yearn to see these knights accomplish their world-saving missions triumphantly. No wonder Hollywood churns them out. Whoever your favorite strongman du jour, there is a hunger in mankind for these heroes and their fantastic fables that transcend reality, as they combat the nefarious purposes of noxious predators. Oh, if only such a person were real, rescuing us from all the evils and evildoers in the universe! Good News He is real! Skin and sinew, bone and blood. God the Son who came in the likeness of our sinful flesh, a fully human Savior, grieving, eating, weeping, dying. And fully God, He was without any sin, the perfect offering for all of ours. Jesus Christ accomplished (Continued on page 3) Change In Our Janitorial Service Milbert Lyons and his cleaning crew have been friends and co-laborers of the Forcey family for many years. Effective January 1, however, we plan to begin using another janitorial service to take care of our building. We have great appreciation for Mr. Lyons work and will greatly miss his kind, helpful presence in the building. We pray God s blessings and all the best for him as he moves on from his work at Forcey. When you see Milbert this month, please join church leadership in expressing your appreciation to him for his years of service here. Hebrews 6:10 - God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

2 This celebration of Christ s birth will feature music by our choir, orchestra, praise team AND a special drama presentation!! Tickets are not required and this event will be enjoyable for the entire family! A love offering will be taken for Bill and Karen s non-profit evangelistic ministry. The Itzels will be celebrating 25 years of full-time ministry at Forcey Bible Church on New Year s Eve beginning at 6 pm. There will be a lot of corporate worship, some favorites from down through the years, as well as some new songs from the whole family. Make plans to invite your friends, neighbors, and family to this special concert of worship as we bring in the new year!

3 (Continued from page 1) what no law or human contrivance ever could. Sin condemned. Satan judged. Strongholds overthrown. The price of sin paid fully, finally, freely, forever. Salvation for all who believe in Him. Our SUPERHERO beyond compare, par excellence! And the best is yet to come. While sequels to the ongoing sagas of celluloid superheroes await box-office unveilings, we know where From Linda Reynolds, Forcey missionary serving in Hong Kong with Biblical Ministries Worldwide: Dear Friends at Forcey Bible Church, Thank you for your generous gifts toward the ministries here in Hong Kong. Thank you, too, for your prayers for our team and people the unsaved family members. The work is to pray. Thank you for praying. Pray for wisdom as we look for methods to provide stable ministries in the community that will grow and produce leaders to help in expanding the work. Pray for the spiritual growth of believers pray for men to be saved. Thankful for you! Love, Linda Reynolds everything is headed with our SUPERHERO, the Lord Jesus Christ. The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15, NASB). RESERVE YOUR TICKETS! [By Dr. Abraham Kuruvilla, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministries, Dallas Theological Seminary] ~ Phil Powers, Lead Pastor This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:14b, 15). A close brush with death may be used by God to awaken a careless sinner to consider their need to prepare for eternity. Recently a Forcey member met just such an individual while conducting visits at a local hospital. As the Forcey member was completing his visits for that Sunday, he entered the room of a middleaged patient named Cherri. She had suffered a heart attack and was deeply concerned about her long-term prognosis. Cherri s religious training had been quite limited, with essentially no church background, but only a short-term exposure to a false cult. As the Forcey member explained the gospel to her, Cherri listened very attentively. She seemed especially concerned about God s judgment against sin - the second death - and asked him to explain further the meaning of that phrase. When the Forcey member gave the invitation for her to receive Christ, Cherry earnestly called upon the Lord Jesus to forgive her sins and to save her soul. This encounter highlights the importance for the soul winner to ensure that the prospect understands that they are a sinner and that sin brings eternal judgment from God. Only then will the sinner recognize that all-sufficiency of Christ s atoning death and bodily resurrection as payment for their sins. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). ~ Ralph Zimmerman, Evangelism Team

4 GENERAL INFORMATION GAiN Food Packing Event Sunday, December 6 th 1:30-3:30 p.m. Join us as we once again collaborate with Living Stones Church and Global Aid Network to pack 120,000 meals for refugees of the Syrian War. Please keep in mind - these meals aren't free. Each participant is asked to donate $25 for 2 hours of meal packing fun! The money will cover the costs of the food & shipping. Like last year there will be great music, food and fun. Forcey is looking to put together a team of 100+ people to roll up our sleeves & change the world. Where will the event take place? The event will take place at Fire Station Corridor Rd. in Savage, MD Please register asap with payment by Friday Dec. 4th, (checks payable to Forcey Bible Church/ payable by credit card online). Will there be transportation from Forcey? Yes, there will be up to 2 vans able to take people to the facility. We will leave Forcey at 1 PM, and we will return at about 4:30 PM. Contact Ann Hunt if you d like a ride (annhunt@forcey.org, ) How much does it cost? It costs $25 for two hours. The money pays for the costs of the food, materials, and shipping. (It actually works out to 16 cents per meal!) What time should I arrive? Please arrive by 1 PM. This will give you plenty of time to be trained before your shift begins. How do I sign up? Please sign up on our provided sign up sheet, or through the Forcey website ( - then click on the GAiN logo). To whom should I make my check payable? Please make checks payable to Forcey Bible Church. Would this be your first packing event? Want to know more? Click to watch a video on the Global Aid Network site.

5 WHAT IF.. is Pastor Phil s current Sunday sermon series. The sermons and Taking Strides are available online if you missed a Sunday or maybe you just need a refresher! Click to be directed to the sermons. The Toolbox Ministry is a fairly new ministry run by the Men s Ministry. We ve been fairly low key over the past year or so as we try to navigate the road bumps of a new start up ministry. Presently, the Toolbox team is a small volunteer group of guys who have a passion for serving others by using their skills, talents and sometimes sweat. The guys share God s love and serve Him by assisting widows, single moms, handicapped and the elderly by taking care of basic needs such as minor house repairs and yard work. The ministry is for men of all ages and stages who have different skills and talents and who want to live out their faith in a very genuine way. The biggest qualification is the desire and willingness to serve God. Home repair related experience is helpful, but certainly not required. We re able to do some carpentry, general home repairs, landscape, clean-up, light hauling, painting, electrical, plumbing and drywall repair. Service opportunities are generally on Saturdays but guys go out whenever they can. Demand determines how often we work. Men can volunteer as much or as little as they are able. There is no minimum commitment required. However, our team is small right now and we need more volunteers. In the past year, we ve been able to help most everyone who has sought help but we ve also had to pass on some jobs due to lack of volunteers. If you are willing to help us from time to time please fill out the simple questionnaire (available at the men s table or online) and tell us about your talents and interests. You will be placed on a list and called when we have a need for someone with your skills. If you have additional questions please contact Mike Hollidge (toolbox@forcey.org or ) or Walter Fountain ( ) Goals of the Toolbox Ministry To reach out to those in our body or in our community who have needs of services offered by the Toolbox Ministry. To promote friendship, discipleship, fellowship, and have fun among the men involved in the Toolbox Ministry.

6 Saturday, February 6 th, 2016 It s not really a workshop and it s not really a seminar It s just a bunch of presentations Whatever you want to call it, it s a chance for FBC men to gather and hear each other s stories, learn about their skills and adventures, hear their wisdom and insights on a variety of topics..and it s all done in a fast and furious way. Each man presenting is given 5 minutes to share their story. It is a time to get to know some guys you might not otherwise hear from or learn something new from guys you already know. It will be fun, serious, and well, anything could happen! The presenters are men you most likely see each Sunday at FBC or men who are in your Home Group. You might hear from an Elder, a schoolteacher, rocket scientist, politician, athlete, entrepreneur, accountant, baker or candlestick maker. We re looking for 15 men willing to speak for just 5 minutes each. Call it whatever you want, just don t miss it! SOME IDEAS: Tell about an experience that radically shaped your faith. Tell about a time you failed miserably and why it was a good thing. Tell about a moment you understood God s grace. Teach us something only you know how to do. What is an extraordinary skill God has given you? What is the greatest piece of advice ever given to you? Do you know how much wood a woodchuck can chuck? Explain it. We already have 9 men booked to speak so we re looking for 6 more guys to speak. If you are interested in sharing your story with your brothers at Forcey, contact Walter Fountain at the men s table or at home ( ) as soon as possible. RULES: Your presentation must be exactly 5 minutes it cannot go beyond that. You can have up to 5 power point slides. You can talk about anything but topics chosen are up to the discretion of the event organizers You may bring props instead of slides You must turn in your slides at least 48 hours prior to the event. All presenters must fill out a contact and bio card at least one week prior to the event. Your presentation must not go any longer than 5 minutes.we can t stress this enough!!

7 Forcey Worship Arts will sponsor our inaugural Visual Arts Exhibit from January 30 Feb 7, 2016 We are encouraging artists to create original works (in your preferred medium) that are inspired by themes from Handel s Messiah. The title of our exhibit will be THE MESSIAH revisited. Nine passages have been selected to serve as inspirations (see our website finearts) and our galleries will be assembled by movement. All entries must be submitted by January 6, Prizes will be awarded for: Best of Show - $250 First Place - $150 Second Place - $75 Third Place - $25 Because this is a juried exhibit, there is a $25 entry fee. If you use the PROMO CODE: FAMILY you will be able to register for $15 before December 25 th. Artists may enter as many pieces as they wish (ie. You can do multiple pieces inspired by different movements). This event is open to our congregation as well as artists in our community. Please feel free to share the promotional cards (like the one below), available at the Welcome Center, with your friends. If you have any questions, please contact Jonathan Ford in the church office or by jonathan-ford@forcey.org