THE BRIDGE PAGE 1 VOL. 9 NO. 45 NOVEMBER 16, 2016

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1 THE BRIDGE PAGE 1 VOL. 9 NO. 45 NOVEMBER 16, 2016 America has just participated in a historic and controversial election. The results of the election re lect what folks already knew: America is home to sharply divided beliefs and feelings on virtually every issue of national importance. Whether we will see mending of that division in the wake of the election remains an open question. However, the Word of God does commission believers to pray for those in places of governmental leadership (I Timothy 2:1-2). The Bible also calls on us to show these leaders respect and treat them with dignity (Romans 13). Though even the members of ABC did not all vote for the same candidates, we all bear the same responsibility to abide by Scriptural instruction. Never has our intercession for government been more needed. Let us covenant together to pray for the transition to a new administration and for incoming President Trump and his team. Even more importantly, let us intercede for spiritual awakening in our land. If America continues on its present trajectory morally and spiritually, no legislative initiative will be of much positive consequence. (Continued on page 2) WHAT S INSIDE Contact Information... 2 Call to Prayer... 2 Membership 101 Class... 3 New Members... 3 From the Heart of J. Parker... 4 The Voices of Christmas... 4 Christmas Eve Services... 5 Music Notes from Dodie... 5 Lottie Moon Banquet... 5 Salute to Veterans... 6 Church Holiday Calendar... 6 Alaska Tour... 7 Thank You... 7 BFG Class News... 7 Parents Night Out... 8 Operation Christmas Child... 8 Matt s Electrify... 9 Student Ministry Events Calendar of Events Retrospective... 12

2 PAGE 2 THE BRIDGE (Continued from page 1) STAFF Dr. Gary Dyer SENIOR PASTOR Cell garyd@aus nbap stchurch.com Dr. David Procter EXECUTIVE PASTOR Cell davidp@aus nbap stchurch.com John Parker ASSOCIATE PASTOR OF MUSIC & WORSHIP Cell johnp@aus nbap stchurch.com Ma Gillum MINISTER TO STUDENTS & THEIR FAMILIES Cell ma g@aus nbap stchurch.com Cathy Smith MINISTER TO CHILDREN & THEIR FAMILIES Cell cathys@aus nbap stchurch.com Dodie Morris MUSIC & WORSHIP ASSOCIATE dodiem@aus nbap stchurch.com Jon Marc Burge CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP ASSOCIATE jonb@aus nbap stchurch.com I hope you will be able to join us this Sunday, November 20, for a special Thanksgiving Lord's Supper. This will be a service heavy on congregational participation and will include utilization of some of our banners (in the 9:00 worship service) to remind us of reasons to be thankful for our Redeemer. I am really looking forward to sharing this communion with you all. If I do not have the opportunity to see you before Thanksgiving next week, I want to wish you a joyous Thanksgiving! Gary Dyer, Pastor John 3:30 ADMINISTRATION Chris na Mendoza MINISTERIAL STAFF EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT / IT SPECIALIST chris nam@aus nbap stchurch.com Jennifer Koret FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR jenniferk@aus nbap stchurch.com Rita Jones OFFICE MANAGER ritaj@aus nbap stchurch.com Derek Tacke FACILITIES MANAGER Cell derekt@aus nbap stchurch.com Cli een Samuelson EVENTS COORDINATOR events@aus nbap stchurch.com Joe Pere DIRECTOR OF MEDIA MINISTRY joep@aus nbap stchurch.com SUPPORT STAFF Bill Dickson, FINANCE CLERK billd@aus nbap stchurch.com Elena Samper, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT elenas@aus nbap stchurch.com Ka Dobbs, CHILDREN S MINISTRY ASSOCIATE ka d@aus nbap stchurch.com

3 THE BRIDGE PAGE 3 MIKE HUFFAKER SHERRI & JERRY WINNETT PATRICIA DUNGAN Welcome New Members Five of our guests became new members of Austin Baptist Church at the close of the Pastor s Membership 101 Class on November 13. Mike Huffaker transfers his membership from Mississippi Avenue Baptist Church in Aurora, Colorado. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but grew up in North Dakota where his father was stationed in the military. Mike earned a degree in political science from Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He moved to Austin in July for his new job as leet coordinator for the St. David s Foundation. Mike lives near our church and began worshiping with us in October. Jerry and Sherri Winnett are both long-time believers; Jerry comes for believer s baptism and Sherri joins by statement of faith. They began worshiping with us in October. Jerry and Sherri were high school sweethearts in Bonham, Texas, and married in They moved to Austin in 1975 and Jerry earned his degree in sociology and psychology at Texas State University in San Marcos. Following his graduation in 1978, he began a career in real estate in Lakeway. In the 1990s, Jerry started his own brokerage, The Winnett Group. Jerri and Sherri have one daughter, Kelsi, who will begin graduate studies at Colorado State next fall. Patricia Dungan joins by believer s baptism. Born in Chicago, her family relocated to Texas when she was in the 7th grade. Patti has lived in Austin for 25 years. She earned a master s degree in curriculum and instruction and has taught for 29 years. She has been teaching English at Austin Community College for 22 years. She and her husband Byron have been married for 28 years. Patti attends Crossroads Bible Fellowship. She began worshiping with us in October. Jasmine Britain joins by believer s baptism. She and her husband Richard live in Steiner Ranch and began worshiping with us in July. Jasmine earned a BBA from the University of Washington in Seattle, and an MBA from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. She is managing consultant for Catapult Systems (Microsoft software). The Britains have three children: Jadon (3rd grade), Lily (2nd grade), and Ricky (age 4). Jadon and Lily attend Steiner Ranch Elementary. Jasmine attends Mosaic Bible Fellowship. (Photo not available at press time.) David Procter

4 PAGE 4 THE BRIDGE Music In Worship Sunday, November 20, :00 a.m. The Old Rugged Cross ABC Orchestra Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Joyful Noise Give Thanks The Light of the World is Jesus Ensemble Shine, Jesus, Shine I Gave My Life for Thee His Name is Wonderful He is Our Peace My Tribute What Wondrous Love is This Blessed Redeemer At the Cross And Can It Be When I Survey the Wondrous Cross Amazing Grace ABC Orchestra Lamb of God ABC Orchestra The Lord s Prayer Great Singing, Men! Sixty of our men loaded the loft this past Sunday and led us in worship so beautifully. Thank you for your powerful expressions of praise. Also, thank you men s quartet (and those who accompanied them) for your outstanding presentation of Standing on the Solid Rock. Thank you, Judy Rowland, for creating the arrangement and for working with this ine group. Looking forward to hearing from you again soon! Christmas Devo onal Available Nov. 27 Room 108 Families may pick up their devotional book for the Christmas season on Sunday, November 27, in the lobby outside the Sanctuary or in Center. One per family please. May God bless your family as you worship together throughout the Christmas season. Lord s Supper Service This Sunday Make plans now to attend worship this Sunday as we remember and celebrate the Lord s body and blood. What a wonderful time of year to re lect on Christ s sacri ice as we stand on the doorstep of Thanksgiving week. May our hearts over low with thanksgiving and gratitude to God as we re lect and partake. Blessings, John Parker 11:11 a.m. Cornerstone Nothing But the Blood O, The Blood How Deep the Father s Love

5 THE BRIDGE PAGE 5 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 91:1 NIV Bill and I, along with The Family Upstairs, have been enjoying the moonlight this week. Have you seen it? As usual, I was so distracted with "things on the ground" I had to be reminded to look up. However, once I realized that the moon was the brightest and closest to the earth in my lifetime, moon-gazing jumped to the top of my to-do list. I noticed at least two things about the response of our little group to this beautiful display of God's creation: 1. We were united in complete, joyous awe. 2. We were united in agreement that having a party on the patio was appropriate. I also noticed that we each had our individual responses and contributions to this corporate worship service. Do you see similarities to worshippers in more conventional settings? I, always time-conscious, made sure that our evening schedule did not cause us to miss the main event. Austin, Grandson #1, wanted the telescope, binoculars, and a notebook to record his observations. Tanner, Grandson #2, with his great imagination, shared stories about the Super moon. Little Granddaughter Jemma demanded her "turn," wildly swinging the binoculars around. Sure enough, after a few minutes, she screamed I FOUND IT. Son-in-law Tyler patiently igured out how to get the telescope working, making sure that everyone got an opportunity to get a better look. Daughter Anne quietly slipped out to the patio after the children were in bed in order to enjoy a few more minutes of beauty. Bill, after three nights of peering through the trees, suggested that we ind a better place for the brightest night. It turned out to be one of the new Bible Fellowship rooms at ABC! I ve been thinking about this anthem, based on Psalm 8: When I gaze into the night skies and see the work of Your ingers, The moon and stars suspended in space, O, what is man that Thou art mindful of him? O Lord, our God, the glory of Your name Transcends the earth and ills the heavens. Alleluia! Dodie

6 PAGE 6 THE BRIDGE A Salute to Veterans The Lamplighters Bible Fellowship Group sponsored a Salute to Veterans on Veterans Day, Friday, November 11, ABC is blessed to have such a large number of veterans. Don Burnett was the Commanding Of icer, Clyde Danks led the pledge to the lag of the United States of America, and David Gilmore led in prayer. All veterans were recognized with individual slides showing their photos, military service years, and branch. Jill Burnett played the corresponding military branch songs. Parker Blevins created the multimedia program. Be sure to tell our veterans how much we appreciate their service to our country. NOW THRU NOVEMBER 18 Opera on Christmas Child WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 TONIGHT! Churchwide Thanksgiving Dinner, 5 pm, Great Hall SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20 The Lord s Supper Worship Services, 9 & 11:11 am WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 No Evening Events or Dinner THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24 Thanksgiving Holiday THURSDAY & FRIDAY, NOVEMBER ABC Offices Closed for Holiday TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6 Deacons Banquet WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7 Lo e Moon Missions Banquet, 6 pm, Great Hall SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11 Christmas Music: The Voices of Christmas 6 pm, Sanctuary SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18 White Christmas WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21 No Evening Events or Dinner FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23 ABC Offices Closed for Holiday SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24 Christmas Eve Services 4 & 6 pm, Sanctuary SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25 Christmas Day Worship One Service at 11 am (No Bible Fellowship, KidzCare, or Kidz Worship) MONDAY, DECEMBER 26 ABC Offices Closed for Holiday WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28 No Evening Events or Dinner FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30 ABC Offices Open 9 am to 5 pm (Doors Locked; Please Ring Doorbell for Admi ance) SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2017 New Year s Day One Service at 11 am (No Bible Fellowship, KidzCare, or Kidz Worship) MONDAY, JANUARY 2, 2017 ABC Offices Closed for Holiday God made two great lights the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. GENESIS 1:16 NIV See details of events on other pages of The Bridge or call the church office at Photo Credit: Moon Over Austin Photo by Linda Sheppard

7 THE BRIDGE PAGE 7 Members & Guests: Every day, we as believers have opportunities to step up and do the right thing. Sometimes we choose to stay in our comfort zones and ignore injustices around us and keep to ourselves. Join us Sunday as we explore the book of 1 Samuel and learn the importance of speaking up to help others. Zack Have you dreamed of taking an Alaskan cruise but prefer to not do it alone? Gary and Teena Dyer will be hosting a 14-day, 13-night adventure of Alaska on August 6-19, Three nights in Denali National Park, two nights in Anchorage, and a night in Vancouver, Canada, are included. The Dyers have extensive experience traveling to Alaska and look forward to helping others enjoy the special, scenic wonders of the country s largest state. Pick up an informational brochure from the church of- ice or Welcome Center to learn more about this unique travel opportunity to see more of God s beautiful creation! For more info, you can Gary at garyd@austinbaptistchurch.com.

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9 For THE the BRIDGE next two weeks, we will not have Axis due to Thanksgiving festivities. This is helpful as ABC Students inishes up a span PAGE 9 of 6 events in 5 weeks. From The Climb to On the Ropes, to serving at Trunk or Treat and Operation Christmas Child, to the competition of the Turkey Bowl and the relaxation of the High School Bon ire, it has been a really great span of Christ-honoring ministry events. One question that I often get deals with the subject of the amount of events we do as a Student Ministry. The question usually goes like this: With all of the craziness of people s schedules and between sports and other extracurriculars, why do you try to do so many things? The line of reasoning follows that because our calendar has many full squares, we are probably doing too much. However, it s precisely because of those hectic schedules that we continue to push the envelope in facilitating great ministry and events. When we see the Early Church in the book of Acts (speci ically Acts 4:32 36), it is easy to observe that they spent a lot of time together. In these times they would pray and give and serve and worship and love and learn. In fact, verse 32 says All the believers were one in heart and mind What an incredible community that must have been! Even though our world is shrinking due to electronic connections through Facebook, Instagram, , Snapchat, and on and on, nothing replaces time spent with one another. Many times on a youth trip, I will observe the difference between the kids interactions on the way to a place vs. on the way home. The transformation is incredible. A van that was quiet and awkward on the way out to an event is illed with laughter, conversation, jokes, and stories on the way back. And, through these wonderful connections, we continue to see more and more students come to hear about the Gospel of Jesus and to participate in His Body, the church. ABC Students consists of kids from 40 different schools in our metropolitan area. Most of the time, the only way that they can connect with one another is when we facilitate it. My constant prayer for our programming is twofold: that it brings honor to Jesus through worship and that it builds a community that represents Him well to the world. And God willing, we will continue to do so. Now the question turns to you: how do you connect in with the community of your church? Do you know that the more you invest and engage with the congregation, the deeper your affection and love for it will grow? Maybe this week is the time for you to begin to really invest in the other believers of this local church. May we at ABC continue to be a church that binds together in the Name of Christ to make His glory known through work and His love known through the way we love one another in His Name! (John 13:35) By Christ s Love, Matt

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11 THE BRIDGE PAGE 11 NEXT WEEK AT ABC Sunday, November 20 Lord s Supper Worship 9:00 a.m. Traditional Worship Service 10:10 a.m. Bible Fellowship Groups 11:10 a.m. ABC Trustees Meeting, Rm :11 a.m. Contemporary Worship Service 12:30 p.m. Missions Committee Meeting, Rm :00 p.m. Awana Clubs for Kids Tuesday, November 22 6:30 p.m. 11:11 Band Rehearsal Wednesday, November 23 No fellowship meal and activities due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Thursday, November 24 Thanksgiving Holiday ABC Of ices Closed ON THE HORIZON November 28 Deacons Meeting 30 Business Meeting December 2 Parents Night Out 6 Deacons Banquet 7 Lottie Moon Missions Banquet Outreach & Evangelism Team Meeting 11 Membership 101 Voices of Christmas Finance Committee Meeting 14 ABC Business Meeting 18 Missions Committee Meeting WHITE CHRISTMAS 24 Christmas Eve Services (4 & 6 pm) 25 Christmas Day One Service (11:00 am) Friday, November 25 Staff Holiday ABC Of ices Closed FELLOWSHIP MENU January 1 New Years Day One Service (11:00 am) 2 ABC Of ices closed DEACONS ON CALL Wednesday, November 23, 2016 No Midweek Meal Week of November 28, 2016 Randy Ferguson Charlie Meeks OUR RESPONSE TO GOD S FAITHFULNESS Annual 2016 General Fund Budget $3,670,000 Average Weekly Requirement... $ 70, Year-to-Date Requirement... $3,246, Account YTD Budget YTD Variance YTD Actual v. Budget General Fund $45, $2,563, $3,246, ($682,995.51) Designated $ $69, Bldg./Strong $9, $483, Fill the Rooms $ $333, Total Giving $56, $3,450, Building on a Strong Foundation Total-to-Date $4,288, Our Attendance :00 Service :11 Service Bible Fellowship Amistad AUSTIN BAPTIST CHURCH 7016 RIBELIN RANCH DRIVE AUSTIN, TX

12 PAGE 12 THE BRIDGE Row 1 Men s Choir During Worship Row 2 Hill Toppers, Row 3 Young Adults Pancake Fellowship, Row 4 On the Ropes Middle School Retreat, Rows 5 & 6 Construc on, (Linda Sheppard)