The MESSENGER. A Message from Pastor Jason White. Inside this issue: Special Points of Interest:

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1 The MESSENGER January 2019 Volume 7, Issue 1 One of the biggest goals that people have at the beginning of each year is to get in shape! Many of us will be checking out all of the newest and best diets and workout plans, trying to figure out which one might be the best one for us to try. One of the workout plans that has become extremely popular over the last several years is called CrossFit. Participants work at a high intensity rate across a variety of exercises, and if you stick with it, you will get in shape. Being in good physical shape is definitely a good thing. Scripture communicates that the bodies we have are temples that the Holy Spirit indwells and we are to honor God with our bodies (1 Cor. 6:19-20). One of the ways we honor God with our bodies is to work out and keep it in good physical shape, so programs like CrossFit are definitely something we should consider as we enter into a new year and take evaluation of our lives. However, Scripture also communicates that physical training isn t the only kind of training that is good for us. In 1 Timothy 4:7b-8 Paul says, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. So as we head into 2019, we are going to be doing our own Cross Fit on Sunday mornings! Don t worry, I m not going to have you doing burpees and pull ups in the Worship Center! On January 6, we will be starting a new message series titled Cross Fit. If we want to live godly lives, it all starts at the cross. So we will be looking how to draw on the finished work of Jesus at the cross to experience the life that many of us are looking for at the beginning of each and every new year. It ll be good for those of us who have been in church for years as well as our unchurched friends who are looking for something as a new year starts but aren t sure where to find it. So be thinking of who you can invite to come to church in I m looking forward to learning and growing with you and meeting the friends you invite to come with you! In His Name, Jason White, Lead Pastor , x14 jason@manchacabaptist.org A Message from Pastor Jason White Inside this issue: Freedom Initiative Update Music Ministry News Family Ministry News Student Ministry News January Calendar Exercise Classes Help Needed Women s Conference 5K & Kids Dash Special Points of Interest: New Sermon Series

2 ONLY 3-MONTHS TO GO! We only have 3-months left in our 3-year Freedom Initiative Campaign that we started in March of 2016! We are hoping to be completely debt free at the finish line, but we still need your help! You can give during the offering time at one of our services (mark Freedom Initiative on your check), online (at manchacabaptist.org), or in person at the church office throughout the week. Did you know that you can also donate stocks, bonds, property, etc. by contacting the office as well? Thanks in advance for partnering with us to set the church up for future success in this community! Music Ministry - Surrounding Ourselves in the Spirit (Part One) So.. what s your new year s resolution. I m not doing them anymore. Society puts so much pressure on us to make drastic changes overnight that we know we can t sustain but try anyway. January is the record month for new gym memberships and personal trainers schedules book up and then decline over the next several weeks. I can think of so many goals in my life that I never achieved, and each failure came with its own feelings of defeat and guilt. I can t say that I ve ever made a drastic change that I was able to sustain, long term. Wait, there was one thing I did a few years ago that actually stuck and it changed my life forever. I d like to tell you about it. I have always been a musician. There was never a doubt in my parents minds that it would be so. From the time I was big enough to hold a guitar or sit at a piano, I was. I wanted to be John Denver, when I was little, and by the time I was 15, my father was driving me to paid gigs. I always believed in Christ and knew he was the one true Messiah, but I straddled the line between understanding the gift God gave me and wanting to use it for fame, money and self-worth. On the 4th of July 2012, God called me into ministry and Bart Millard, the singer of the band Mercy Me gave me some advice on repentance. He said that it wasn t just about asking for forgiveness, but it meant turning 180 degrees from my sin. For me to do that, it meant leaving behind my career and the way of life I had always known. God told me to, so I did it and never looked back. Listening to country music reminded me of where I had been, so I didn t want to do it anymore. I started listening to Christian music and more specifically, worship music. New stuff, old stuff- anything I could find. I submersed myself in music that glorified God. It was life changing. I realized quickly that the music that we listen to influences our behavior in many ways. What you surround yourself with will influence you subconsciously. Basically, we are what we eat, metaphorically speaking. If you spend your commute to work listening to a politically charged podcast, you will naturally find yourself making conversation about it and even sometimes adopting the commentator s point of view. If you listen to angry music, you may find yourself personalizing someone else s anger to fit yours. I m not saying that all secular music is bad. Not my place to judge. I will say this, though.. In 1 Corinthians 15:33, Paul says Do not be deceived, bad company ruins good morals. What kind of company are you keeping when you drive from point A to point B? Are you fueling yourself with the holy spirit or are you surrounding yourself in humanity s failures set to a catchy tune? I never thought about it until that day my life changed. It was like I woke up from a deep sleep and realized that I can worship God in my car, on a plane, on a train in the grocery store or really anywhere. I started leading worship at a church and I challenged the people of the church to listen to nothing but Christian music for 30 days and then to give testimony. Some did and it was amazing to see that entire families were changed. People that had road rage where worshipping in their cars on the way to work. Someone even told me that it s hard to yell at your kids for fighting in the back seat when Chris Tomlin is singing in the background. Page 2 The MESSENGER

3 Music Ministry, continued Being a pastor, sometimes it s hard when people come up to me and say. I like that song you lead today in worship, but I don t recognize it. Sometimes I want to say It s literally the number one Christian song in the country, how have you not heard it? I want people to have the joy of worship that I experience all the time, not just on Sundays. I still like all kinds of music and I always will, but as a Christ Follower, I feel that it is imperative for us to surround ourselves with the Spirit at all times and music just seems like a really easy way to do it. When I was a Deputy, I wore a bullet proof vest every shift. Some of my co-workers didn t and I couldn t understand why. My training officer told me he didn t wear a vest because it was bulky and uncomfortable. Sometimes things that save us are uncomfortable at first, but we need protection. I challenge you to pray about this. Don t use the fact that you don t like what s on Christian radio right now as an excuse, because it s not a good one. In this day and age, with Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music and all the other formats, there is no reason not to try to submerse yourself. My family (6 people on 6 smart phones) has access to all the recorded music in the world for $15.99 a month. I could listen to a different worship song all day for years, if I didn t like what s on Christian radio. Who is with me? 30 days. I want to know. I want to see who reads this. Call me. me. Text me. Come by my office. You hired me to be your worship pastor, so here s my pastoral advice. We can change this community and experience true biblical growth, but the enemy is going to attack us. Let s surround ourselves with the Holy Spirit, lift each other up in prayer and worship Him through everything we do. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. - Psalms 34: 1-4 (and a really good worship song by Shane and Shane) Keith Davis, Worship Pastor keith@manchacabaptist.org Family Ministry - It s Not Just A New Year, It s A New You! Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone, the new is here! - 2 Corinthians 5:17 As I (Tanner) look back in my life I can think of several times that I have tried to recreate myself, but one sticks with me most. In 8 th grade I was actually a bit of a shorty, standing at 4 11, it was so bad people thought my younger sister and I were twins, which I absolutely hated. But, by the end of 8 th grade I started to grow very quickly and grew to 5 5 by the beginning of freshman year. So, during this time of growth I decided I was going to recreate myself before high school started. Be a new and better me! I was tired of being bullied for being smaller and for my interests in the chess club as well as the band, so I saw this as the perfect opportunity to change that. I started growing out my hair, I ditched the collared shirts and the Jynco jeans, and traded them for band or skate board shirts, vans, and skinny jeans, quit band and being in the chess club and pursued my talents in baseball and even played football my freshman year. I successfully recreated myself from the outside. The thing was, after a while, it didn t last because on the inside I was still me when it was all said and done. I think many of us try and do the same thing with New Year s resolutions. We try and figure out things that will recreate or rebuild or reinvent or change something about us we don t like. It can be our appearance, our health, our relationship status, our financial situation, or family structures and time. Heck, even doing more stuff for God can be a New Year s resolution. We feel like we need to be this better Christian and clean ourselves up for Jesus and the more and more we try to meet this standard we have built up in our heads, the more and more frustrated we become when it doesn t work out because we can t recreate ourselves. (continued on next page) Volume 7, Issue 1 Page 3

4 Family Ministry, continued Please, don t take away that the list of things above are bad goals. I would argue that many of them have self and kingdom value! But we (Jenny and Tanner) want to encourage you to sit and live from 2 Corinthians 5:17 this year. This is written for all believers. You no longer have to try and recreate yourself, because Jesus has made you completely new. The Greek used in this verse points us to a couple things. First, the word used for new means made in amazing quality that has never been seen before and is permanent. Second, the word creation is meant for us to look back to Genesis 1, when God looks at what He has made and says it is good. So, if you are in Jesus, God looks at you and says, wow, you are amazing in quality, permanently new and you are good! We want to encourage you to live in and from that new life you have been given this year and remind your families of their new lives as well. Because, you are never alone, you are deeply loved by Him, you are infinitely desirable to Him, you are always in His company, you are fully accepted. So, let us ask you, can you embrace this new identity you have been given? Can you see yourself as God sees you? Let s not believe the lies we are fed from society and maybe even ourselves, our old selves are dead and have no power. You are new, and you are good. Let this new identity flow from your life into your families. Because, this is your new identity, this is the new you! Love, Your Family Ministry Team Tanner Shumake, Student Pastor , ext. 22 tanner@manchacabaptist.org Jenny Childress, Children s Pastor , ext. 26 jenny@manchacabaptist.org Student Ministry News After much prayer and consideration it has been decided that MBC Students Main Service will no longer be on Sunday nights but instead on Sunday mornings during Bible Fellowship. During the morning we will have worship (still working on a long term solution for this), and a message. We feel this will be a benefit because we can reach more students during this time. For small group time we will be switching over to MBC Student Community Groups. During this time we will discuss the message given on Sunday morning in greater detail and facilitate discussion around it, as well as dive in deeper to how it applies in everyday life. For HIGH SCHOOL students it will be on SUNDAY NIGHTS from 5:15-6:30pm at Tanner and Ashlee s house in Kyle. For MIDDLE SCHOOL students it will now be on WEDNESDAY NIGHTS from 6:30-7:45pm at the church. We are really excited about this time and feel it can be so much more intentional with small group discussions and with peers their own age. This change will take place beginning January We are excited about these changes and the direction the Lord is leading MBC Students and would encourage you to be praying for what God is going to do next year. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Tanner Shumake, Student Pastor, tanner@manchacabaptist.org. Page 4 The MESSENGER

5 Exercise Classes to Begin Is your new year s resolution to be healthier in 2019? If so then you are invited to attend a lunch time exercise class led by MBC s own Lindsey Lear. Classes begin Jan. 10 th and will be held on Thursdays from 12:00-12:30pm in the Gym. This class is for adults of any age, and will be exercises that can be adjusted for any fitness level. Got questions or want to know more? Contact Lesa Yanes in the Church Office at Help Needed Sad to see it go but it s time to take down the Christmas decorations here at MBC - and we need your HELP! If you are available, please join us Friday, Jan. 4th at 10am and again Saturday, Jan. 5th at 10am to put all decorations back in storage. Operation Christmas Child Operation Christmas Child (OCC) is a ministry of Samaritan's Purse. MBC collects various items all throughout the year. Items to be donated all year are: shoeboxes, and cash donations which we will use to buy items for the boxes and for shipping. To find out more information about OCC, or to volunteer to serve in this ministry, please contact Marta Knight O.A.S.I.S. O.A.S.I.S. (Older Adults Still In Service) ALL Senior Adults are invited for our monthly gathering on January 11, at 11:30am, in, for some good food, wonderful fellowship and dominoes! Wednesday Dinner Menu Ladies Ministry Events Jan. 9 Sausage Wraps, Hot Dogs, Chips, Dessert Jan. 16 Breakfast: Biscuits & Gravy, Pancakes, Fruit Jan. 23 Baked Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Dessert Jan. 30 Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Chicken Noodle Soup, Dessert IF:TABLE - ALL LADIES are invited to our Jan. IF:Tables. For locations and times, please contact Amanda Burchett: burchett.amanda@gmail.com LADIES BIBLE STUDY - All ladies are welcome for Bible Studies on Fridays at 9:30am in. LADIES COFFEE - Ladies meet at the Texican Café at 9:00am the 4th Sat. of each month (excluding Nov. & Dec.) for coffee, Dutch-treat breakfast and great fellowship. Volume 7, Issue 1 Page 5

6 January 2019 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Strickland School 5:30-7:30pm Gym 13 Deacon Meeting 2:30pm 20 Marcy Richie Baby Shower Kids Worship Room 2:00pm MBC Kids Weekday 9:00am-2:00pm 14 Strickland School 5:30-7:30pm Gym MBC Kids Weekday 9:00am-2:00pm Central TX Badgers Gym 5:30-8:30pm MBC Kids Weekday 9:00am-2:00pm Central TX Badgers Gym 5:30-8:30pm *Adventurer s Acad. 9KW 9:00am-2:00pm - Family Meal 5:45-6:30pm Gym - Men s Study 6:30-7:30pm Room S204 - Women s Study 6:30-7:30pm Room S207 - Sr. Adult Study 6:30-7:30pm - AWANA 6:30-7:45pm 16KW 9:00am-2:00pm - Family Meal 5:45-6:30pm Gym - Men s Study 6:30-7:30pm Room S204 - Women s Study 6:30-7:30pm Room S207 - Sr. Adult Study 6:30-7:30pm - AWANA 6:30-7:45pm 23KW 9:00am-2:00pm - Family Meal 5:45-6:30pm Gym - Men s Study 6:30-7:30pm Room S204 - Women s Study 6:30-7:30pm Room S207 - Sr. Adult Study 6:30-7:30pm - AWANA 6:30-7:45pm 30KW 9:00am-2:00pm - Family Meal 5:45-6:30pm Gym - Men s Study 6:30-7:30pm Room S204 - Women s Study 6:30-7:30pm Room S207 - Sr. Adult Study 6:30-7:30pm - AWANA 6:30-7:45pm 10*Adventurer s Acad. 17*Adventurer s Acad. 24*Adventurer s Acad. 31*Adventurer s Acad. 4 Ladies Bible Study 9:30-11:30am 11 Ladies Bible Study 9:30-11:30am O.A.S.I.S. Pot-luck Lunch & Games 11:30am 18 Ladies Bible Study 9:30-11:30am Central TX Badgers Gym 5:30-8:30pm 25 Ladies Bible Study 9:30-11:30am Central TX Badgers Gym 5:30-8:30pm 12 Sunshine Soccer 8:00-9:00am Gym 19 Project Linus 10:00am 2:00pm 26 Ladies Coffee 9:00am, Texican Cafe Page 6 The MESSENGER

7 Baby Shower HLCC Women s Conference Every year, women from across Texas come together at Highland Lakes Camp and Conference Center to experience life change and celebrate in community with other sisters in Christ. They leave refreshed and ready to take the next step towards the heart of God. Your heart will be encouraged through thought provoking Bible study, authentic worship, uplifting praise, relevant topical seminars, hands-on ministry, laughter and lots of sweet fellowship. Registration is now open on the Highland Lakes Camp and Conference Center website: 5K and Kids Dash Manchaca United Methodist Church s annual 5K Run and Kids Dash is fast approaching and they have asked for help! This event is their biggest fundraiser in support of three area South Austin Schools Menchaca Elementary, Paredes Middle School, and Akins High School. In years past, the proceeds from the race have been used to purchase interactive technology at Menchaca Elementary; send 8 th graders from Paredes Middle School to Texas State University for an all-day field trip; and fund college entry exams, college, tradeschool, and vocational training applications, prom, and graduation activities for homeless students at Akins High School. You can help by signing up to run, being a financial sponsor (as an individual or through your own business), or volunteering along the way. They need everyone s help for the race to be a success! The race is scheduled for Saturday, February 23, 2019, at 8:00 a.m. The Kids Dash will begin at 9:00 a.m. Please visit their website for more information: Sign up for the race at: tinyurl.com/2019sochac Questions? Contact Jena Abel, SoChac5K@gmail.com Volume 7, Issue 1 Page 7

8 December 28, 2018 Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit #2 Manchaca, TX 1215 W. FM 1626 P.O. Box 400 Manchaca, TX Phone: Fax: Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart. - Psalm 119:2 Return Service Requested New Sermon Series