The Heartbeat. May What s INSIDE. A publication of Heartland Baptist Church

Transcription

1 May 2016 A publication of Heartland Baptist Church What s INSIDE D6 CONNECT TOUR Tuesday, May 24 from 10am to Noon Hosted by The Journey Church-Tower Grove Campus 2833 S. Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, MO Please sign up in the foyer by May 8 if you would like to attend. The cost is $10 per person for the first 25 people to sign up and $20 per person after the first 25 to sign up. 2 Pastor Jim s Gems 3 Family Ministry 4 Music Ministry/Nursery Ministry Inserts Calendar 5 Women s Ministry 6 Announcements 7 Volunteer Schedule

2 During the month of May there are many activities that will command our attention and participation. There are graduations, weddings, Mother s Day, National Day of Prayer and Memorial Day. How we choose to celebrate these special events is just as important. There are two specifically that I want to highlight in this article. My choices are Mother s Day and Memorial Day. Mother s Day is always a high point for families and church sermons. The moms are recognized and applauded for their great effort in raising children, keeping the household running smoothly and their own professional accomplishments in or outside the home. All well-deserved accolades; my focus really is on Memorial Day. It used to be called Decoration Day, a day that was initially set aside to remember the Civil War soldiers and their high cost of battle. It became officially Memorial Day in Major General John Logan, and representatives of the Grand Army of the Republic, observed Decoration Day at Arlington National Cemetery, by decorating the graves of the Union soldiers. Other places have claimed to be the originator of the day; one such place was in Columbus Mississippi, while placing wreaths on the Confederate graves, in plain sight were graves of the Union soldiers left barren; so the women also placed wreaths on the Union graves as well. In the passing of time Decoration Day came to be seen as a day of reconciliation for the nation, as well as honoring the dead. Now many of you know that I just returned from a trip from Washington D.C.; where I was able to take in many of the memorials that our nation has erected to recognize the many military personnel who have fought and died for our country. I was left with many emotions as I viewed each of the major war tributes to the fallen. I believe that it is absolutely essential to continue to recognize the Fallen Soldiers who fought for the rights of all people to be treated equally and fairly within our borders as well as foreign soils. As a retired military man, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the vast innumerable graves that dotted the landside overwhelmed me. I stood watching and listening to the dedicated Marines pace back and forth in front of the Tomb. I was equally impressed with the hush that enveloped the crowd of spectators. It reminded me of how important that every person s life is in the scheme of things. Often the Unnamed go unnoticed. Rather than being identified, they can quickly become just statistics on a piece of paper. I am proud that our nation continues to revere the men and women of our armed forces. Pastor Jim s Gems Today the world we find ourselves living in is a very confusing one. It seems that so many are fighting for their OWN individual rights. But this bothers me for the pursuit of personal rights and freedoms has deteriorated the rights and freedoms of the masses. We live in a day when the rights of the minority override the betterment for all of mankind. When I apply the various institutional and systemic battlegrounds I cannot but help think about what are we really fighting for anymore? I say we, because while I am retired from our country s military, I am still a Soldier. I am a soldier of the Cross. Again, when I read the scriptures, I read about love for God, fellow man and the betterment of the world. The Gospel is that power, not kings, queens and presidents. It is the Lordship of Jesus in our lives, being visible to others which make the difference. In light of the presidential election that looms over our nation; so many are fighting for things that are surface issues, not core issues. I grant you that our election will determine much of the future for United States, but also for the world. I have always viewed the USA as the model for the world to see, that may be a bit naïve. America use to be a place where all people could feel a self-respect and honor. Now I know we haven t always gotten it right, the Civil War is a clear example of that. But I am perplexed at the state of our Union. Instead of being a light of the Gospel it seems that there is a dark ominous cloud hanging over America. We all know there are many issues - mostly cultural issues that have really divided the people. Depending on your perspective, you will view these issues as absurd or worthy of the fight. As I looked across the grave filled cemetery of Arlington, there was a sense of pride and joy for a nation that got some things right. I walked away as a multi-faceted soldier and wondered to myself, are we just fighting battles, having already lost the war? Some of you may think this is just a politicallaced article, I hope not. Something I was reminded of recently If we desire to change our communities and country s moral and ethical culture, we have to first change the culture of our churches. It starts with us, soldiers of the Cross must wage war against the adversary I think we have lost who the real adversary is; let us fight the Good Fight and know what we are fighting for! Lovingly, Bro. Jim 2

3 FAMILY MINISTRY I know that more and more children are online and on phones earlier and earlier in life. It is up to each family and parent to decide how they are going to handle this situation, but I try to communicate thoughts to think through and pitfalls to try to avoid. This article was put out in publication by uknow.com. I was able to access it due to our connection with parentministry.net. This article can be found in the church foyer or by going to this link: It provides an explanation as to what a specific app or online media is; what the dangers are of that media; and what parents can do to avoid the pitfalls of these media platforms. The eleven media platforms that are dealt with are Burn Note, Instagram, Spillit, Snapchat, Vine, Ask.fm, Tumblr, Keek, TextFree, Dating Websites, and Online Gaming. Whether you have heard of all of these or not, it wouldn t be a bad idea to stay aware of the potential dangers. Tim Weihrauch Family/Discipleship Pastor I would like to thank everyone who participated in Spirit Night at Chick-Fil-A in Fairview Heights on Wednesday night, March 30. The weather was terrible, rainy and cold but Chick-Fil-A said it was the busiest night they have ever had. Katie said The Restore Network received over $ The next scheduled event is Parent s Night Out on May 21 from 4-7pm. If anyone is interested in spending some time with the kiddos please let me know right away. I am also looking for about eight others who would like to partner with me and this organization to foster, adopt, volunteer or give financially. LeAnn Parish 3

4 One of the few things in life that we can absolutely count on taking place is change. Many times we push against it, and even hold on to the familiar, but in most things change is bound to happen. In other things we can not wait to see change. Many times we give the word "change" a bad connotation, but allow it to be more acceptable when we give other terms to the word (i.e. progression, development, growth, next phase, etc.). If we did not see our children developing quickly we would be concerned and would be striving for there to be that form of change. As I write this article I am just days away from one of the biggest changes I will experience in life...marriage. It is a change that we expect in life, and we all get very excited about. Life is filled with changes, many are expected and desired, and some are pushed away. However, we have a God that is unchanging. The Bible says he is the same today, MUSIC MINISTRY yesterday, and forever. We even sing about there being the one thing that remains, that His love never fails. No matter how much our lives change, or "develop" we know that our God is the same God we read about in the Bible. He is the same God that saved us from the power and presence of our sin. He is the same God that we will spend eternity with. So, as we all go through our changes, or whatever other term you'd like to give it, remember that God is that solid foundation that is never ending, never changing, never failing. Let us embrace the changes that God brings us through. Jesus said he would rather us be hot or cold, but because we were lukewarm he spit us out. Don't stay the same! Don't become lukewarm! Stay hot for God, and in order to do that we need to be continually growing, changing, in Him. In Christ, Steven Trask Greetings from the Nursery Department! We have been busy as little bees all month and as we experience the April Showers we are fully aware that next comes May flowers!! Each child is a flower in God s great garden and we give thanks for the beauty and joy that each child brings! Our nursery is growing and we are so excited to see the new children come into the department. This month we want to give thanks to our dear mothers. As a child once wrote: My Mother kept a garden, A garden of the heart. She planted all the good things That gave my life it s start. She turned me to the sunshine And encouraged me to dream, NURSERY MINISTRY Fostering and nurturing The seeds of self-esteem And when the winds and rain came, She protected me enough- But not too much because she knew I d need to stand up strong and tough. Her constant good example Always taught me right from wrong- Markers for my pathway That will last a lifetime long. I am my Mother s garden I am her legacy- And I hope today she feels the love Reflected back from me. Author Unknown Happy Mother s Day from the Nursery Department!! 4

5 WOMEN S MINISTRY COLLECTION FOR OVERSEAS MILITARY PERSONNEL As one of our missions, our Women s Group is collecting items for deployed military personnel in Afghanistan and/or Iraq. We would like to give you all the opportunity to contribute to the care packages. Below is a list of items that was provided to us as items that are much appreciated. In addition to the items listed below, we would like to include letters or cards of appreciation and/or encouragement; daily devotions; compact bibles; and drawings, cards or craft items from our children s church group. Please feel free to purchase duplicate items. We will send more than one box and the items will not be for one person, but shared. The deadline for donations is 5/22/16. Please place your donations in the large boxes provided in the Fellowship Hall. BABY WIPES HOT COCOA INSTANT COFFEE TEA BAGS DRINK MIXES (FOR BOTTLED WATER) ENERGY/GRANOLA BARS TUNA FISH POUCHES BEEF JERKY SLIM JIM STICKS COOKIES GUM OR CANDY THAT WON'T MELT NUTS/TRAIL MIX DRIED FRUIT CRACKERS/GRAHAM CRACKERS AA AND AAA BATTERIES PEANUT BUTTER NUTELLA JELLY SUNBLOCK CHAPSTICK HAND SANITIZER DEODORANT SHAMPOO BODY WASH TOOTHBRUSHES/PASTE DENTAL FLOSS EYE DROPS ICY HOT VICKS VAPOR RUB COUGH DROPS CROSS WORD/WORD SEARCH PUZZLES BOOKS/MAGAZINES The men and women who serve our country sacrifice much more than you ll ever know. They see and experience the unimaginable. And, unfortunately, they aren t shown much appreciation. Please show how much you appreciate them for their service and sacrifice. Thank you! Karen Harris Women s Group 5

6 Amalie Weihrauch BUCKET BRIGADE Saturday, May 7 from 8:00am 1:00pm A sign up sheet can be found in the foyer. If you have any questions please contact Ed Kreitner. The rain date is May 21. GRADUATE RECOGNITION We will be recognizing our high school and college graduates on May 22 during our Morning Service. If you have a graduate that you would like to include please notify the office or Tim Weihrauch by May 8. THE KEY FAMILY Missionaries from Bulgaria The Key Family will be here at Heartland on Sunday, May 22 at 6:00pm. MONTHLY DEACON S MEETING May 29, 2016 at 5:00pm If you have a need or know of someone who needs assistance, has become ill or hospitalized, please contact the church office or Mike Harris at

7 Volunteer Schedule for May 2016 Nursery/Children s Church May 1 Babies: Linda Witcher & Amy Vatole Toddlers: Selma McAdams & Bridget Perkins Children s Church: Robyn Stolze & Tony Stolze May 8 Babies: Leona Barnett & Lisa Pimentel Toddlers: LeAnn Parish & Christine Allen Children s Church: Jack Pruitt & Matthew Payne May 15 Babies: Missy Denby & Susie Kreitner Toddlers: Linda Chapman & Linda McRoy Children s Church: Jackie Parish & Daniel Parish May 22 Babies: Karen Harris & Carole Fredrick Toddlers: Amy Vatole & Karen Burleson Children s Church: Sandy Stolze & Jeremy Sneddon May 29 Babies: Rachel Weihrauch & Kathy Grant Toddlers: Jessica Darr & Glenita Clendenen Children s Church: Jackie Parish & Matthew Payne Greeters May 1 Pat Bennett & Chris Bramstedt May 8 Lowell & Betty Porter May 15 Mary Hyndman & Minnie Johnson May 22 Gary & LeAnn Parish May 29 David & Linda Chapman For more information or to volunteer contact: Nursery: Mary Burger at Hazel Morgan at Heartland KIDS : Jackie Parish at Greeters: Linda Witcher at Bus - Driver s Schedule If you would like to set a pick up time, please call the scheduled driver. To volunteer as a bus driver please contact Ed Kreitner at May 1: Karen Harris May 8: Ed Kreitner May 15: Karen Harris May 22: Ed Kreitner May 29: Ed Kreitner Ed Kreitner (618) Karen Harris (618)

8 Church Staff Senior Pastor Dr. Jim Grant Discipleship & Family Minister Tim Weihrauch Music Minister Steven Trask Financial Secretary Jeanie Farrow Church Office Sarah Neuhaus preachbetweenthelines.com