The. essenger. Worship and Celebration highlights the month of March at First Baptist Church

Transcription

1 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 157 W. JACKSON ST. VIRDEN, IL REV. JOHN PARRISH PASTOR CHURCH PHONE: CELL PHONE: DEBBIE KERSHAW, EDITOR March - April 2014 Worship and Celebration highlights the month of March at First Baptist Church At the last planning meeting we were shaking our heads and wondering how the next couple of months were quickly filling up with activities! What a wonderful sign of growth at First Baptist and we want YOU to be a part of all of it! Here s what s happening in March: Breakfast at the Hawkins - Saturday, March 1-80 Sugar Creek Hills - 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Everyone is welcome, the food is wonderful and the company is the best! Cottage Prayer Meeting - Monday, March 3 - Kershaw home S. Church - This is a special time of prayer and meditation. Pray aloud if you feel lead to do so, or pray silently and meditate on the prayers of others. It is only through constantly lifting each other up to God that we can truly be blessed by God s power. Come experience the power of small group prayer. Wii Bowling Tournament - Saturday, March 8 th at 5 PM in Pitman Hall This is a S.W.A.T. Youth fundraiser. Cost is $10 per team if signed up by March 5 th, otherwise $15 at the door. re will be a 50/50 raffle, Cash Prize for the winning team, Concession stand food for sale, and there is NO age limit! Anyone in any shape can Wii Bowl!! Come have fun!!! Celebration of Baptism - Michael Moughan - Sunday, March 9 We celebrate with Michael as he comes to baptism on expression of faith. Be sure to join us for this ceremony during morning worship at 10 AM - A reception will follow in Pitman Hall. Hearts at Home National Convention - March 14 and 15 in Normal Illinois Nine ladies from our area will be attending this special time of growing, sharing, and worshiping with thousands of other women on the campus of Illinois State University. Dozens of workshops and nationally recognized speakers will teach and inspire! Informal Worship Service Sunday, March 23 at 5:30 PM Come casual and enjoy a time of praise with your friends! Community Men s Prayer Breakfast Saturday, March 29-7:30 AM Please join the men of our church as they play hosts to this month s prayer breakfast. See Pastor John for ways you can help serve. March isn t over yet! See Page two for more!

2 2 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Breakfast at Hawkins 8-10 AM 2 Communion 3 Cottage Prayer meeting at Kershaw home 4 Lonnie Crawford Peyton Parrish 5 6- Business Mtg 7: Aiden Snodgrass Diane DeSmidt 8 Wii Bowling Tournament 5 PM Daylight Savings time begins 9 16 Baptismal Service for Michael Moughan Jane Primose Cole Langley Bart Rogers 18 Pastoral Relations Mtg Kent Riffey Trent Cain 21 Bob Dibler Danny & Nevonda Daniels 15 Hearts at Home Conference Contemporary Service 5:30 PM Patty Sloman Men s Prayer Breakfast 7:30 AM - our church hosts in Pitman Hall th Church Anniversary Celebration and Potluck after worship 31 Don t forget to Spring forward one hour on Sunday, March 9 So you won t be late for Church! First Baptist Church of Virden celebrates 160 years of serving God If you are a new member of the First Baptist Church of Virden, we encourage you to go out to the church web page: virdenfirstbaptist.org and click on the History link to read about how this church started with only 17 charter members and how our first pastor, Rev. John B. Jackson made an annual salary of $ (well, it was 1854 after all) Though the actual church charter was signed on April 30, 1854 we will be celebrating our church s founding a month earlier on Sunday, March 30 after worship. With Easter falling in late April it just seemed a better fit. We ll celebrate as all good Baptist s do with what else? A potluck meal! plan is to have tables set up and decorated with two month s to each table. You ll sit at the table of your birth month and mingle with those who share your birth month. re will be a birthday cake provided for dessert, so bring your favorite meat, vegetable, or salad dish to share with everyone. Let s have a great turnout to celebrate the ministry of First Baptist Church of Virden!

3 3 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Quarterly Plan Mtg Communion Sunday 7 Cottage Prayer - Hawkins Mary Agnes Cain Carter Dibler Debbie Kershaw Michael Moughan 8 Craig Paisley Drew & Alicia Hawkins 6-16 Holy Week No Wednesday Night activities Jim Smith Maundy Thursday Beverly Britenstine 11 Sophia Hawkins 18 Sanctuary open for prayer from 10 AM - 1 PM Presented at worship 20 Easter Sunrise Service 7 AM at First Christina Breakfast to follow in Pitman Hall EAS Sunday 21 Karen Browning Aaron Snodgrass 22 Jenna Cormier John Liles Iva Flynn NMMA Good Friday service AGAPE Music festival in St. Charles Ayden Liles Helen Burris This year s Easter Cantata will be presented on Palm Sunday, April 13 during worship. I Know That My Redeemer Lives is a time to share His story especially the story of His cross and His resurrection. He could have stopped the painful parade up to Calvary with a word, but He never uttered it. Instead, He opened His arms to the beam, He opened His hands to the nails and He allowed Himself to be crucified. What is the best part of this story? It s the part we, as believers, tell about the truth of who Jesus is what He did, and how He penetrated our hearts and changed our lives forever. Through His death and resurrection, the sacrifice had been made. debt has been satisfied. Our redemption has been secured. Christ has been raised. Our hope is real. Our future with Him is certain. We know our Redeemer lives!

4 4 What If What if just for today we didn t buy into the negative perceptions that the media broadcast all around us? What if just for today we didn t allow our minds to tell us that we weren t good enough to accomplish our goals and dreams? What if just for today we didn t sell ourselves short, and we gave ourselves the benefit of the doubt? What if just for today we quit saying, I can t or I don t know how and we just stepped up? What if just for today, we chose to put all negativity behind us and choose to see things in a different light? What if just for today, we gave people, places, and things a chance? What if just for today we chose to see the good in someone instead of the bad everyone else chooses to see? What if just for today we welcomed the loner, the addict, the afflicted, the abuser, the abused, the homeless, the widow or widower, and everyone else with arms wide open? What if just for today we worried less about labeling sin, and ranking which one is worse than others? What if just for today we didn t judge the people we encounter? What if just for today someone would love us despite our mistakes, our flaws, our imperfections? What if just for today someone forgave us no matter what the sin was? What if just for today, I was given a second chance? Oh wait! Someone already did these things! His name is Jesus Christ, and many of us reading this today know Him pretty well. Many of us have made Him our savior and Lord many years ago. But did you know that when you chose to give up your life and live for Him, you promised to follow his commandments? Yeah even that one that says, Love one another as I have loved you So what if just for today, we loved just like Jesus. What if just for today our love looked like this unconditional, no restrictions, equal opportunity. What if just for today we loved our enemies, our haters, our doubters? What if just for today we truly believed in John 3:16 and the fact that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that WHOSOEVER believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life? What if we believed in loving whosoever? Can you imagine what this church, this community, this world would look like? I don t know how it will all unfold, or what this place would look like, but I am willing and ready to leave the what if s behind. So how about today we no longer say or think what if? How about just for today, we live life loving the WHOSOEVERS! Great things are happening here at FBC, let s step up and continue to love others as HE First loved us. Love Jesus, Love Others! Love Jesus by loving others! We have a great opportunity to do so as we prepare to celebrate the Love of Jesus and the Resurrection this Easter season. What will you do share His Love? Blessings, Tuesday, April 1 - Quarterly Planning Meeting Monday, April 7 - Cottage Prayer at Hawkins Thursday, April 10 - ABWM at noon Holy week: Sunday, April 13 - Choir Cantata Wednesday, April 16 - No Wednesday Activities Thursday, April 17 - Maundy Thursday Service Friday, April 18 - Sanctuary open for personal prayer from Good Friday Services - Sunday, April 20 - Easter Sunrise at 7 AM followed by SWAT Easter Breakfast April Opportunities Wednesday Supper and Kid s club 6-7:45 and Bible Study at 6:30 each week except for 4/16 ***************************** This month s pantry needs are to support the EAS program ****************************** Sunday School every week at 9 AM Sunday Worship every week at 10 AM Nursery Available for infants-pk Children s Church for K-2 nd Grade

5 5 Here s your chance to get to know our youth a little better as we feature a S.W.A.T. Member who has answered a questionnaire compiled by their Wednesday night directors: Meet Danielle Dani Burch. Dani is a 7 th grader at North Mac Middle School. She says she can t choose a favorite thing about S.W.A.T. Because she likes everything! Dani is one of the original Wednesday night kids, and has been a faithful attendee since Her favorite band/artist is Hollywood Undead and Black Veil Brides. Her favorite subject in school is science because of the many fun times in class. She loves the Bible story about Noah s Ark because she s such an animal lover (especially cats). When asked what she would most like to see happen at our church, Dani writes: Be more like family and friends than groups of people who only talk to those in their group. And if she could change the world she would do so by finding a way to stop murder, and violence. Cody Stiltz is 14 years old. His favorite thing about S.W.A.T. is going on trips. Cody has also been attending First Baptist since he was a little boy probably 7 or 8 years now. He likes the rock band Skillet, and his favorite subject in school is Math. He thinks if he could change the world he would do so by making money and if you know Cody you know he would share it! He would like to see our church begin to grow even more and his favorite Bible verse is Luke 21:25 where Jesus talks about his return. Reflections of SKWIM 2014 Tyler Burch, a senior in High School really loved snowboarding and just wants to thank the church...for allowing me to participate in something that brings us closer as a your group and church family. Cody Stiltz hopes that next year at SKWIM he won t fall at skiing or at tubing. Erin Turner, another high school student enjoyed watching all of us fall down the slopes. And he especially liked the road trip to get there and back. During the worship time Erin learned how one person can change the world. This was the first year for middle school age to attend so Brianna Walters was especially happy to be allowed to go and would like to thank the church for allowing her the chance. She had fun tubing on the slopes and the most important thing she took from the worship times was to keep on trying and to listen to yourself. Michael Moughan also had fun tubing in the snow, and next year would like to try snowboarding. Jenna Cormier said she really enjoyed worship and could feel God with us, celebrating his glory with peers. From the worship times Jenna learned that We as Christians sometimes worry too much about if someone is judging us for praising the Lord, when we just need to let go and give it all to our God. Jenna says she can t wait to try new things next year, like a bigger hill on the slopes. Jenna says, I just want to say thank you to the church for making everything we do possible. We highly appreciate your kindness. It enables us to learn more about God with others and keep sharing his name. Joe Langley is the pro at SKWIM, and his favorite memories are the amazing worship and connecting with my roomies the biggest thing I got from worship that weekend would have to be to not wait. We are never promised another day so why wait.we really can t wait if we are Christian, it has to be now. Next year at SKWIM Joe can t wait to see all the younger ones come up and be able to share this experience. Joe wants to tell the church: Thank you for supporting all of us as much as you guys have. And although you guys don t get the opportunity to see what God is doing in our lives at the event firsthand, know that He works in all of our lives and it is beneficial to all of us on our journey with Christ.

6 6 Summer Church Camp registrations due soon! Lake Springfield Baptist Camp has announced the dates and times for this year s camp. y are: K-4 grade Day Camps at a cost of $30 per child (two dates: 6/14 and 7/3) 24-Hour camp for Grades 1-5 at a cost of $50 per camper (6/27-6/28) Four-Day Camp for Grades 2-5 at a cost of $130 (6/29-7/2) 6-Day Camp for Grades 4-6 (6/22-6/27) at a cost of $199 Week long camp for Jr High Grades 6-9 (July 6-12) at a cost of $260 Week long camp for Sr High (July 13-19) at a cost of $260 (Pastor John director) While the church wants every child to attend camp that wants to, the cost can be overwhelming. Youth are earning money from fund raising activities to help pay their way, but parents are asked to consider contributing at least a portion of their child s fee. For a camp costing less than $50, a $5 camp fund donation is requested. For $130- $199 camp a $10-$15 donation is reasonable and for the week long camps $20 is requested. Any family struggling with any amount is asked to apply for a scholarship, see insert in this newsletter for an application. re are fewer camps this year, especially the week-long Junior and Senior High Camps, so those will fill up FAST! Inside this month s newsletter is a Registration form and a Scholarship application. See Debbie Kershaw for more copies you will need one per camper. Please turn in all forms by April 1 or BEFORE to Debbie so that we can be assured of a spot for the date you want. If you want to help sponsor a child for Church Camp just make a check payable to First Baptist Church and designate Camp Fund in the memo section. That money will then be used to help send a child to summer church camp! First Baptist Church 157 W. Jackson St. Virden, IL RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED