Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Panama City, FL Permit No W 15th Street Panama City, FL April 27, 2017

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1 3010 W 15th Street Panama City, FL Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Panama City, FL Permit No. 106 April 27, 2017 Even before the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Americans were participating in Days of Prayer in response to the pleas of their various governing bodies and leaders. A notable Day of Prayer was in 1746, when French Admiral d Anville sailed for New England, commanding the most powerful fleet of the time 70 ships with 13,000 troops. He intended to recapture Louisburg, Nova Scotia, and destroy from Boston to New York, all the way to Georgia. Massachusetts Governor William Shirley declared a Day of Prayer and Fasting, October 16, 1746, to pray for deliverance. In Boston s Old South Meeting House, Rev. Thomas Prince prayed, Send Thy tempest, Lord, upon the water... scatter the ships of our tormentors! Historian Catherine Drinker Bowen related that as he finished praying, the sky darkened, winds shrieked, and church bells rang a wild, uneven sound... though no man was in the steeple. A hurricane subsequently sank and scattered the entire French fleet. With 4,000 sick and 2,000 dead, including Admiral d Anville, French Vice-Admiral d Estournelle threw himself on his sword. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in his Ballad of the French Fleet: Admiral d Anville had sworn by cross and crown, to ravage with fire and steel our helpless Boston Town... From mouth to mouth spread tidings of dismay, I stood in the Old South saying humbly: Let us pray!... Like a potter s vessel broke, the great ships of the line, were carried away as smoke or sank in the brine. We have...thought fit...to appoint...a Day of Fasting & Prayer, exhorting all, both Ministers & People... to join with one accord in the most humble & fervent supplications that Almighty God would mercifully interpose and still the rage of war among the nations & put a stop to the effusion of Christian blood. (Taken from History of Prayer in America nationaldayofprayer.org.) Do we need the intervention of the Almighty less than they? Then let us pray! This year, the goal of our church is to have people individually, in small groups, or as families come to the Worship Center to pray at the time of their choosing between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 4. There will not be a program. There will not be a leader. A Prayer Guide will be available to use if desired. People will pray individually or with others as they choose. We hope to have a chain of continual prayer throughout the day. A sign up sheet is available online in 15 minute increments. Go to our church website, sabc.org, and sign up for one or more of the 15 minute time slots. While we are trying to fill every 15 minute increment, as many people as desire may sign up for any particular time period. Do you believe that America needs prayer? Then be a part of praying for America, Thursday, May 4. The Shepherd Loves the Sheep, Bro. Mike As raids from France and Spain increased, Ben Franklin proposed a General Fast, which was approved by Pennsylvania s President and Council, and published in the Pennsylvania Gazette, December 12, 1747:

2 Discipleship Evangelism Following the Panama City Passion Play, outreach for St. Andrew Baptist Church is a priority. We had somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,600 individuals attend this year s play, and a large number of those left us contact information so that we could follow-up with them. Of those leaving us contact information, many have made decisions to follow the Lord or to recommit their lives to following the Lord. Others specifically asked us for more information about what it means to follow Christ, and some for more information about the ministries of St. Andrew. Outreach is a priority! What is outreach? Outreach is meeting the needs of our community while expressing God s love in ways that build relationships and provide opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The greatest need of our community is to know Jesus Christ as Lord. The Passion Play meets that need through the portrayal of the life of Christ on stage. Although many were ready to make a decision for the Lord immediately, there are still others who attended that need to hear again of the love of Christ. Fortunately, many of these left phone numbers, s, and physical addresses for us to contact them. Why is outreach important? Outreach is important because it provides opportunities for us to build relationships within our community with the intentions of sharing the Hope that we have in Christ. Many have already begun to make calls, write letters, and send s. Would you consider joining us in this effort? If you are interested, contact me at jeremyjohnson@sabc. org. God bless, Bro. Jeremy FromRick sdesk As I read through the book of Leviticus in my daily quiet time, I m struck by the intricate acts required to approach God. Moses was detailed in the procedures that the priests had to observe in the sacrifices presented to God. As I watched the Passion Play four nights last week I was also impressed in the intricate details of the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. Father did not allow Christ to be taken and killed too soon nor did He allow circumstances to keep Jesus from being crucified when those in charge wished to wait for the end of the observance of Passover. God had a plan. It was designed before the foundation of the World and Jesus knew the plan and obeyed. I heard Bro. Mike say that the Living Word obeyed the Written Word and I was struck by the details again. There was no detail so small or act so hard that it was neglected. Jesus fulfilled every jot and tittle. I was reminded that reading and knowing God s written Word was important to Jesus and that it should be just as important to me. In Praying The Bible by Donald S. Whitney, the author outlines the reasons for his belief that Jesus was praying the Psalms while He was hanging on the cross. As I read that section of his book and compared it to what Christ said from the cross, I can see his reasoning. His argument becomes more convincing when I recall that Jesus used Scripture in defeating Satan. Praying the Psalms from the cross and quoting Scripture in times of great trials or temptations was important to Jesus. His Word should be just as important to me in the middle of my trials and temptations. We should read the Bible to search for principles and commands that we can apply to our lives. We should pray God s Word relying on the promises He makes in faith that He will accomplish His Word. We should explore God s Word for verses that we can use when we are tempted or find ourselves in trials. God s Word is important to Him and it should be important to us. See you in small groups Sunday as we look to learn how to Exalt Christ Meet Needs Reach the World by making Christ and His Word preeminent in our lives.

3 Youth Ministry UNLEASHED I am sitting here in my office trying to stay clear-minded through the jet lag. I am thinking about our trip and trying to quantify all that the Lord has done in our team and the work He has done through our local missionary on the ground. It is hard to put into words all that we saw and experienced. Our team saw the hand of God and His sovereign control over everything. We experienced success and failure, ups and downs, but through it all God was glorified. Our team landed in country and began working on a college campus with students who loved music and skateboarding. Our team was able to use relationships, music, and sports to share the good news of Jesus. The team took over a music store to sing praises to Jesus. We were able to work with college students in a coffee shop to share the Gospel. We spent some time on the college campus with an entrepreneurial club to exchange ideas for marketing that led to building relationships to share the Gospel. Everything the team did revolved around sharing the Gospel with college students. God proved Himself faithful. Listen, first hand, to the testimony of one of our team members, Kelela, as she tells about what God did in her life during the week: Our senior mission trip to SE Asia was one of many surprises and was unlike anything we had ever experienced before. We often had no idea what our day was going to consist of and at any moment the schedule was subject to change. We were forced to be completely reliant and trusting of God s plan for this trip. For example, on several occasions God allowed us to use our musical talents to encourage fellow believers and spark conversations for the Gospel. This was something none of us ever expected! On the second night we were there, we were given the opportunity to play a few songs at a nearby coffee shop. This turned into a pizza party hangout which allowed us to further talk with some university students we had met nearby. I personally had begun forming a friendship with a girl a few years older than me who also had a passion for music. It was through our common interest of music that we were able to bond, but something we struggled with was the language barrier. Something we all soon encountered as we began to direct our conversations to the truth of the Gospel. However, after we had been playing a while, one song in particular struck the interest of my new friend, Amazing Grace. She began to tell me how she had once heard this song in a movie and it inspired her to learn how to play it on her flute. This led to a conversation about God s mercy and forgiveness as well as some of her own beliefs, but was sadly cut short as we had to prepare to leave the shop. However, God proved yet again how complex and perfect His plans are. A couple days after, my friend and I were able to get in touch through a social media network. She continued to ask questions about different songs we had played that night in the coffee shop which led into a presentation of the Gospel in Romans. I was able to share with her the love of Christ through Romans 5:8 and the true cost of our sins from Romans 6:23. These verses led to a discussion of God s love for us and of who Jesus is. However, my dear friend has not yet come to an understanding of faith in Christ. While she has felt God s love for her, often through music, there are still many questions and truths that she is pondering. Even so, I praise God for His perfect plan and the work He continues to do within my friend and within others we were able to meet. So, why do we go? Simply put, we go because God has called us to go. Matthew 28:19 says, Go, make disciples of all nations. Two billion people live in South East Asia, but 90% of those people have never heard the message of the Gospel. NEVER. Not even once. The name of Jesus Christ is completely foreign to them. So we go! But as we go we meet Jesus ourselves. We see Him working ahead of us, in us, and around us. On mission, our eyes are opened to see God in ways we never have before. Our distractions and the pressures of American life are left behind us, leaving us open and vulnerable to the crazy love of God. So we go! We go because people need to hear the name of Jesus and the love He offers. Where will God lead you this year? -Mark and Kelela

4 We all know! There are children all around the world that have been left as orphans because of war, disease, or extreme poverty. It breaks our hearts and more and more families are stepping up to reach out in love and adopt these precious children. They can be rescued from their hopeless condition in this world and even better they can come into a home that can teach them about and model the love of Jesus. But do we also know? Within a few blocks from our church and stretching for miles, there are children who have parents at home and a roof over their head, but they are spiritual orphans. What do we mean by spiritual orphans? Dr. Shane Garrison of Campbellsville University shares: It means these kids have no spiritual influence in their homes. Neither parent is a believer. Their home life may be stable or completely dysfunctional. There is no Gospel presence for them. They don t attend church. They don t know anything about the Bible or what it means to be a Christian. So, what can we do? You can make a difference! An eternal difference! June in VBS we will have the opportunity to touch the lives of hundreds of spiritual orphans in our community! They will be here! Let s be ready! On the first day of VBS, kids will learn that the God who created the universe the visible and the invisible wants a relationship with them, and during the week they will have the opportunity to invite Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of their lives. This is great news and God is calling all of us to step up and make a difference in the lives of the spiritual orphans literally on our door steps! You can still go to sabc.org and sign up today to serve in VBS. And beginning today, PRAY! Pray that many will come to faith in Christ, pray that we will be faithful in adopting them into our church family and discipling them in their walk with Jesus. Let s do this! For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgement. 2 Timothy 1:7 THE VBS GALACTIC RALLY FOR ALL WORKERS IS MAY 2, AT 6:00, IN FH!

5 LIVING IN THE GAP Church Family, I want to tell you something the Lord has been doing in my heart over the last few weeks both through things going on at St. Andrew and things in my own quiet times. Simply put, I have been reminded of the importance of completely engulfing my day in devotion to the Lord. This started with our Holy Week services a few weeks back. Because it was so early in the morning, I was not able to do my quiet times first thing as I normally do. For that week, Holy Week service became my morning devotion and I moved my own personal time into the afternoons. The very next week, our young adults study through Exodus brought us to Exodus 29, where we see the consecration of the priests for the work in the Tabernacle. We saw that they offered two sacrifices a day; one in the morning and one at twilight. This was to be a symbol that their day began and ended in devotion to the Lord. We see that this was to be a pleasing aroma to the Lord (Ex. 29:41). This was to be a constant reminder that their entire lives were to be offerings to the Lord, that everything they did was to be pleasing to Him. In the same way, Paul tells the church in Ephesus to be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph. 2:1-2). My prayer these last two weeks has been for God to remind me all day long, not just in my morning quiet times, of this fragrance I am to be lifting to Him. That everything I do, whether at church, home, hanging out around town, or anywhere else, is an offering to Him. I wonder if you would join me in that prayer. May God make us people who live lives pleasing to the one who has redeemed us. Grace and Peace, Thomas MUSIC MINISTRY MOMENTS PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING Church Family, I do not have adequate words to tell you what a blessing it was to be on mission with you as we presented the 2017 Panama City Passion Play. More than any other year (which all have been good) I became increasingly aware of the magnitude of your service, involvement, witness, and encouragement! We began this ministry with some key goals in mind to share the life of Christ so others can know Him, to raise the spiritual climate of the community with the hope of Christ, to pray for believers to be renewed and revived with a portrayal of Jesus on stage, that this event would provide visibility for SABC and other churches, and that our church unity would be strengthened through the journey together. It is amazing and exciting to know that God answered all of those prayers! I was thrilled to watch God use all ages this year in telling the story, helping backstage and on the different parts of producing the play! To the many new faces who got involved in choir and in the drama cast, God bless you! Your personalities and efforts brought a newness to the productions. Special thanks to Cynthia, Lindsay, and Dan for great preparedness with our drama team. Celebration Choir & Orchestra you were outstanding!!!! While I wish I could recognize all of you who participated I do want to say to Derek, Steve, and the many who do the tech thank you for your God given talents. This is an amazing world you folks set up, tweak, and focus, as you skillfully operate audio for all the music and spoken drama roles, projections, video, mic changes backstage, and the recording post under stage. Derek put pictures of the tech team on Facebook - go check it out and be amazed and thank God for these talented men and women who serve our Lord! Of those who turned in response cards we can praise the Lord for the 37 who put their trust in Jesus for salvation, 185 who rededicated their lives, and 72 who want to know more about SABC. If you d like to help us follow-up on these decisions, please see me or Jeremy! Praise God today for the ways He uses everyday people like us who give Him our greatest ability availability! To God be the Glory!!!

6 PostingBoard News & Information Coming for Membership By Baptism: Isaiah Markham, Maddox Markham, Ethan Crow By Letter: Christan Crow By Statement: Yuly Ricaurte Sympathy Is Extended To Jana Manuel, family, and friends, in the passing of her brother s motherin-law, Deborah Liles, on March 24, in Jacksonville, FL. Debbie Hyde, family, and friends, in the passing of her mother, Patsy Baker, on March 29, in Panama City. Family and friends of Catherine Brewton who passed away on March 30, in Destin, FL. Dana Taylor, family, and friends, in the passing of her step-father, Mike Marino, on April 1, in Crestview, FL. Mason Brown, family, and friends, in the passing of his mother, Terry Highfill, on April 2, in Cape Coral, FL. Lynn Hudson, family, and friends, in the passing of her mother-in-law, Fosteen Hudson, on April 23, in Panama City. Alicia Whitehead, family, and friends, in the passing of her grandmother, Alice Hunt, on April 24, in Georgia. Thank You Notes were received from: The family of Sherri Davis Martha Lloyd Media Center Mary Ann Fanton donated STREAMS OF MERCY by Lauraine Snelling in memory of Margaret Mix Washburn. The Friendship LCG donated A LOVE TRANSFORMED by Tracie Peterson in memory of Jean Stockham. WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS by Shel Silverstein was given by Ginny Singletary in honor of Harris Dobbs. LAND OF SILENCE by Tessa Afshar and UNDAUNTED HOPE by Jody Hedlund have also been added for your reading enjoyment. Homeschool books are also available for check out. See you in the library! Budget Information As of April 27: YTD Budget Goal: $698, YTD Received: $609, Global Outreach Budget: YTD Budget Goal: $107, YTD Received: $78, Announcements Did you know that this newsletter can be ed to you? To sign up please send an to jenniferstrickland@sabc.org. Volume 131, Issue 4 St. Andrew Baptist Church glorifies God as we worship, equip, minister, fellowship, and share Christ at home and around the world. The Lighthouse is published every month by St. Andrew Baptist Church to keep members informed on news and events of the church. The deadline to submit information for the next issue is Wednesday, May 17, Information & Change of Address: St. Andrew Baptist Church 3010 West 15th Street Panama City, FL Office: (850) Fax: (850) Equipping Staff: Join our group on Facebook Michael Claunch, Senior Pastor mikeclaunch@sabc.org, (850) Rick Mitchell, Administration rickmitchell@sabc.org, (850) Doug White, Music & Worship dougwhite@sabc.org, (850) Jeremy Johnson, Adults & Evangelism jeremyjohnson@sabc.org, (850) Mark Bateman, Students markbateman@sabc.org (850) Karen Claunch, Children karenclaunch@sabc.org, (850) Sharon Urquhart, Preschool sharonurquhart@sabc.org, (850) Lynn Briley, Missions lynnbriley@sabc.org, (850) Thomas Gamble, College thomasgamble@sabc.org, (850) Morris Denman, Shut-ins morrisdenman@sabc.org, (850)