Fall Semester Begins Sunday, August 17 th!

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1 AUGUST Runneburg PO Box 354 Crosby TX Fall Semester Begins Sunday, August 17 th! FAITH Evangelism Strategy 4:00-6:00 Fellowship Hall Youth (7 th -12 th grades) will attend 'Faith 101' unless approved for 'regular' Faith by Bro. Jeff. Veteran Faith participants may attend Discipleship Option of your choice following Faith Celebration Time. 'First-Timers' Special instructions: Meet August 10 5:00-5:45 in the Fellowship Hall, then again Monday August 11 th for training at 6:30-8:30 pm. The remainder of the semester will be Sunday afternoons 4-7. General Bible study: The Corinthian Letters Led by Henry Davis 6:00-7:00 Meet in Worship Center Live Free Christ-centered recovery Led by Lee Ann Lee 5:00-7:00 Meet in Green 163 Ladies' Bible study: Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted Led by Dianne Butler, 5:30-7:00, Room TBA Sunday School Done Right (first 6 weeks, then Learn to Do using text of I Timothy for final 8 weeks) Led by Andrew Harpold 6:00-7:00 Room to be announced Parent Fuel 6:00-7:00 Led by Bro. Jeff, Room TBA Youth Discipleship 6:00-7:00 Meet in the Youth Room Preschool and Children: Kids HD 6:00-7:00 Mission Friends (3-5K), Girls in Action (1 st -4 th ), Boys' Missions (1 st -4 th )

2 THE BUTLER SERVES How to Grow a Church I know how. I also know that we cannot do it. Only our wonderful Lord Jesus can build His church and the good news is that He promises to do so in these words: I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18 (NKJV) Through it all I have learned the three actions church members must carry out to join our Lord Jesus in growing His church. Are you ready? Here they are. There are no others. These three are true no matter where you are, what style of worship you do, what language you speak, what nation you are in, what the cultural nuances may be, or anything else. These are true everywhere, all the time, in any and every conceivable circumstance. Read them and you will say: That s all? And I will say, Yep, that s it. Do these three and you will see our Lord grow His church and if you do not do them the church is sure to shrink. So here goes.. 1. INCREASE THE NUMERICAL GUESTS FLOW ON SUNDAY MORNING (or whenever a church s primary worship services are held.) 2. KEEP THE GUESTS COMING BACK. 3. CONNECT PEOPLE SO THEY DO NOT LEAVE. That s all folks!! There are about a jillion variables that go into getting those three done. But that s it! They form collectively the least common denominator of church growth. Your staff is putting in some overtime right now giving close examination to everything we are doing as a church. Our goal is to complete this close examination before we put together our church calendar and our budget for There are some changes that will trickle out of our process. And you will do fine with those just like you always do, because you know that we can have change without growth but we cannot have growth without change. Thank God for a church membership that embraces change. But for now, here s what we can all do to get those three actions done. First, invite people to worship and Sunday School. We have a bright beautiful sign out front and we do some quality direct mail advertising, but there is nothing like word of mouth advertising. We need to couple word of mouth with social media and get the word out about how special First Baptist Crosby really is. Second, make sure our guests have a superb experience when they are here. First impressions mean just about everything. When you see people you do not know, go to them, introduce yourself, help them get where they need to go in our facilities. This is a matter of consciousness, intentionality, and effort on your part. You can do it. Act like it all depends on you. Third, get people connected to Sunday School and draw them into one of the many life-impacting ministries of our church. Make it your goal to make new people a part of everything we are and do as a church. Connected people come back. I ll see you Sunday! Robin the Butler

3 GENE'S NOTES L.A.F.F. / Music / Men's Ministries Life After Fifty Fun - On the Calendar Aug 6 - Men's breakfast at Ricky's, 9a Aug 13 - Men's breakfast at Ricky's, 9a - Ladies' lunch at Straight off the Road, 11:30a Aug 19 - Shut-in meals prepared and delivered, 10:30a Aug 20 - Men's breakfast at Ricky's, 9a Aug Ministries to Kemah Aug 27 - Men's breakfast at Ricky's, 9a Ladies' lunch at Straight off the - Road, 11:30a HELP! We need help with the preparation and delivery of our Shut in Meals on the 3 rd Tuesday of each month. Preparation of the meals takes only 2 hours once a month. Delivery takes about 1 hour. If you are willing to serve in this ministry, please give me a call! I ll put you in touch with the team and get you started. You will be blessed as you bless others! Don t forget if you have any ideas about trip possibilities or senior adult ministries, give Bro. Gene or Jan a call in the church office and let us know your thoughts. Just a Reminder: As our senior adult and special-needs populations grow, we need more parking spaces left open close to the entrances on Sunday mornings. If you are able to walk farther, regardless of age, please park in one of the remote areas. These include the two lots across the street (Runneburg at Pecan, and Runneburg at Crosby-Dayton), the Crosby Kindergarten parking lot, our Activity Center lot, and the grass areas north of the church campus. THANK YOU. NEED HELP WITH AN ELECTRIC BILL?? Harris County has a program that might help you. It is called the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program This can apply to those living in government assisted housing, those who rent, or those who own their home. We have information packets in the church office. Times are tough for everyone, medical bills are going up daily, and if you are on a fixed income this is one thing that might give you some financial relief. Here are continual reminders that there are places for you to serve our Lord both across the street (in our community), and during our worship services. Those that are serving are being blessed. (But they could use some more helpers!) Please pray about your involvement. Nehemiah Brothers Ministry of Helpers Our Nehemiah Brothers do small upkeep jobs in the homes of our Single Parents and our Senior Adults. Sometimes you need your gutters cleaned or a light bulb changed; maybe the commode or faucet keeps dripping. Rather than waiting until expensive repairs are needed, why not call on our Nehemiah Brothers to help? Contact John Kilgore ( ) if you need help, or if you have a skill to provide help! Can you help? We need volunteers for the 9:00 and 10:30 Sunday morning services! These are critical needs that greatly enhance our worship. Perhaps one of these positions might just fit YOU! 1. Helpers in both services to run our Easy Worship software (this is what you see on the screen all you have to do is pay attention and click!) 2. Additional sound board operators for the 10:30 service. 3. Camera operators for both services. BIG NEED HERE!!! You will be trained by the best! You will not be stranded! Only when you are ready, will you be turned loose.

4 Bro. Jeff Student Ministry The Big Swi ch Praise God!!! We are growing!!! Due to the need for space in Youth and Children s weekday Ministries Wednesday Night Middle School and High School Will SWITCH to: Tuesday Nights from 6:00-8:00 Starting August 27 th S U N DAYS 10: :45 AM Middle School and High School (7 th -12 th g rades) C ro s sover (5 th -6 th g rades) S U N D A Y S C H O O L e v e r y S u n d a y M o r n i n g! PRAYER BREAKFAST RETURNS SEPTEMBER 3 RD! Wednesday mornings (school days) at 7:45 in the fellowship hall All high school and middle school students in the Crosby district are invited! Come power up your day with a great breakfast, praise songs and prayer, then ride the church van to school! It's FREE! No reservations required!

5 KIDS STUFF Mrs. Lee Ann KidZone meets every Wednesday at 6:30 pm! WOW! THANK YOU to everyone who served in any capacity for our AgencyD3 VBS 2014! What an incredible blessing you were to those who participated. We ended up with 151 workers and 352 children (babies-6 th grade) enrolled! There were 32 SALVATIONS and 17 BAPTISMS! We can't wait 'for next year to see what God will do! UPWARD Basketball/Cheer Season If you are interested in coaching a basketball or cheer team, or volunteering in Upward League ministry, please contact Lee Ann Lee in the church office. Kids registration will start in October. Hope is: One mentor, One child, and One hour each week Will you give Hope to a child this school year? If you would like to learn more about, or volunteer for KIDS HOPE USA, please contact one of our directors: Dana Akers: Melissa McKeon: Jessica Camp: Honoring God by learning about missions, praying for missions, giving to missions, doing missions, and participating in the Lord's work across the street and around the world!! RETURNS AUGUST 17!

6 Ladies! Mark Your Calendars! Retreat at Round Top, TX September 19-21, 2014! We enjoyed Carla McDougal so much last year that we have invited her back this year! Come join us for a wonderful time of reflection, fellowship and fun! Watch for details coming soon! FBC offers many opportunities for mission and ministry! Stop by the Welcome Center and watch the TV on the wall! There you will see some of our upcoming mission trips being planned. There are also many ministries in which you can participate, including our shut-in meals ministry, Churches United in Caring, Youth mission camp, Loaves & Fishes ministry to the Bhutanese community in Houston, women s prison Bible study in Dayton, ministry to Houston s homeless community, Nehemiah Brothers, and others. If you have questions or are interested in these, please call the church office and we ll get you connected with the appropriate person! GARY AND CARLA SLOAN SHORT TERM MISSION OFFERING First Baptist Crosby is all about going across the street and around the world with the Gospel. Many of you have given sacrificially to help church members who were God-led to go on mission trips. Short term mission trips by members of our church are one part of our ongoing strategy for carrying out the marching orders of our Lord: Go into all the world and preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15). The Gary and Carla Sloan Short Term Mission Offering is our way of funding short term mission projects. We receive this offering to assist any member who participates in a CHURCH-SPONSORED mission trip. The amount any person can receive depends on the availability of funds given through the Sloan Short Term Mission Offering and the actual expenses related to the mission trip in question. In the last few years we've sent groups to Belize, Cambodia, Haiti, Mexico, Peru; Louisiana, New Mexico, Alaska, Washington State; the Grand Canyon, East Texas, and many other places. Trips are planned as we sense God's leading. The 2014 offering will be received August 24 September 28. As with all mission offerings, giving should be above your tithe. Please indicate missions on an offering envelope, and what portion is designated for the Sloan Offering. ALL giving listed as missions during these six weeks will go directly into the "Sloan Offering". Gary Sloan grew up in FBC Crosby. Gary and Gloria and their children, Alyssia, Rissa, Alan and Carla, were serving as our Southern Baptist Missionaries in Mexico when Gary and Carla tragically drowned. Gloria and the other children continued on the mission field, and maintain a close relationship with our church today. The children are currently living for our Lord in various roles, and Gloria is a Global Mobilizer, teaching indigenous people to plant churches. She is based in the MAC (Middle America and Caribbean) Region. The sacrifice this family has made is a constant reminder of the high price of reaching a lost world for Christ. GOAL TO BE ANNOUNCED IN THE SUNDAY BULLETIN AUGUST 17!

7 WELCOME to our new members! Jordan Arredondo Chase Landers Jake Leos Michael Moore Shelby Bingham Layne Holliday Skye Parker Joy Saldaña Colton Ballard Patrick Hannan Taylor Hannan Hayden Hubert Hadley Hubert Aaron Martinez Carly Thornton Emily Thornton Landyn Rocha Carol Aiken James & Rhonda Pavlu Kase Griswold Loretta Phlegm Congratulations to Johnathon & Jill Lee on the arrival of WYATT JAMES LEE! Welcoming him home is big sister Raegan. Proud grandparents are David & Lee Ann Lee; Great-grands are Ivan & Helen Lee. Our prayers are with Rona Stiles and family, on home-going of her brother Mary Harrison and family, on home-going of her grandmother Lianne Heinrich and family, on home-going of her mother With great appreciation First Baptist Family, Thank you for the beautiful plant you sent in honor of Lois Sullivan. Though she wasn t able to come to Sunday School and church in her later years, she was fond of her church family. Thank you, Sandra Moerbe and Angie Layne

8 Aug 3 Discovery Class, 10:30a Aug 10 Faith First-Timers, 5p Faith Team Leaders, 5:25p Baptism & Lord s Supper observed, 6p Aug 11 Faith First-Timers, 6p Aug 13 Ladies' lunch at Straight off the Road, 11:30a " " Monthly business meeting, 6:47p Aug 16 1,000 Hills Ministry to homeless; our group leaves FBC at 8a Sunday School monthly fellowships Aug 17 FALL SEMESTER DISCIPLESHIP begins Aug 19 Shut-in meals prep and delivered, 10:30a Aug 24 Sloan Offering begins Aug 27 Ladies' lunch at Straight off the Road, 11:30a Sept 1 LABOR DAY office closed Regular Weekly Schedule Sunday 8:00 am SundaySchool for Adults (no child care) 9:00 am Praise Band-led Worship Service " " SundaySchool babies-4th grade, all Adults 9:30 am Servicio de adoración (inglés y español) 10:30 am Choir-led Worship Service " " SundaySchool for every age, " " Estudio bíblico bilingüe (inglés y español) 5:00 pm 'Live Free' Christ-centered recovery Monday 7:00 pm HS Seniors/College/Young Adult Bible Study off-campus Wednesday 9:00 am Men's weekly breakfast at Ricky's 6:00 pm Wednesday Night Youth (7 th -12 th ) " " Fellowship dinner served ($3/plate) 6:30 pm 'Crossover' (5 th -6 th ); 'KidZone' (3 yr-4 th gr) 6:47 pm Adult Bible study and prayer meeting " " Choir rehearsal Thursday 7:00 pm Praise Band rehearsal 2014 Budget Needs YTD: $683, Budget Receipts YTD: $708,417 Sunday School / Worship Attendance Report 6/29/14 7/6/14 Holiday weekend 7/13/14 7/20/14 Preschool 43 Preschool 34 Preschool 48 Preschool 49 Children 63 Children 46 Children 57 Children 70 Youth 74 Youth 61 Youth 65 Youth 62 Adults 337 Adults 290 Adults 318 Adults 302 Total SS 517 Total SS 431 Total SS 488 Total SS 483 Worship 429 Worship 390 Worship 420 Worship 420 First Baptist Church ~ PO Box 354 ~ Crosby TX ~ Physical address: 615 Runneburg phone fax Visit us at and on Facebook Robin Butler Senior Pastor Gene Talbot Music/55+/Counseling Jeff Holloway Education/Youth/Administration Lee Ann Lee Children/Preschool/Counseling Karen Vandagriff Staff Secretary Jan Kilgore Financial Secretary Mitchel Ewell Facilities Manager