Old Town Baptist Church 4386 Shattalon Drive Winston-Salem, NC 27106

Transcription

1 Old Town Baptist Church 4386 Shattalon Drive Winston-Salem, NC Return Service Requested Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Pfafftown, NC Permit # 61 Old Town Baptist Church Staff Senior Pastor Dr. Ricky D. Speas Missions Pastor Mark Harrison Family & Discipleship Pastor Jason Ledford Student Pastor Joe Maye Children s Ministries Director Shannon Callahan Administrative Assistant Maxine Brown Church Pianist Pam Newsome Old Town Baptist Children s Center Director Linda Barham Weekend Minister on Call May 3rd & 4th Pastor Rick May 10th & 11th Pastor Mark May 17th & 18th Pastor Joe May 24th & 25th Pastor Jason May 31st & June 1st Pastor Rick CHURCH INFORMATION Church Office address office@otbclife.org Fax number Web Site

2 Old Town Baptist Church - A church leading people to become fully committed followers of Christ SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT The Personnel Committee announced on Wednesday, April 16 that it is excited to present to the church candidates for the Worship and Discipleship Pastor and the Director of Contemporary Worship and Discipleship Positions. The candidates will be at OTBC on Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4. The schedule is as follows: Saturday, May 3 1:00-2:15 PM Praise Team/Praise Band Rehearsal 2:30-3:45 PM Choir Rehearsal 4:00-5:00 PM Deacons Meeting 5:00-6:00 PM Church-wide Reception in Multi-Purpose Room (Light refreshments will be served.) Sunday, May 4 9:30 AM Bible Study/Sunday School 10:45 AM One Combined Worship Service in the Sanctuary Called Business Meeting for church vote to affirm candidates. Wednesday, May 7 th 5:00 pm 6:15 pm Family MAY-hem The Next Generation Team invites you and your family to come join us for a great evening of food, fellowship and lots of fun (for all ages)! *Paid Childcare will be provided for the littlest members of our families* You are invited to a special evening in the life of our church on Sunday, May 18 5:45 pm in the CLC! Please join the PowerUp children as they present a very special musical program Hallelujah, What a Savior! and our annual AWANA Wow Celebration, where we will rejoice with our kids over their growth in God s Word. We will have cake and homemade ice cream following the program. If you can provide a freezer of homemade ice cream please contact Shannon Callahan.

3 FROM OUT PASTOR THE WORD OF GOD RECORDED by the prophet Jeremiah when God said, For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me. When you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13) I shared these verses with you in my article in January of this year. I explained to you then that God has some exciting things in store for us in Since August we have been seeking God and expecting great things. God has not disappointed us as He never does as He continues to bless us in great and mighty ways. IN FEBRUARY I SHARED WITH YOU A STRATEGY that I believe God placed on my heart to help us more effectively reach lost people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The strategy comes under the banner Impacting Lostness through Disciple-making. A part of the strategy includes a restructuring of our staff to include disciple-making or discipleship in each staff member s responsibility. Also we are restructuring our worship ministry responsibilities to include two people to lead our two services. As I have stated repeatedly, we are one church, one worship ministry, two styles of worship in the two services. AFTER MONTHS OF PRAYING, SEARCHING, AND SEEKING THE LORD, our Personnel Committee is prepared to bring the two candidates to the church for your affirmation on this coming Sunday, May 4, You can find the full schedule for the weekend elsewhere in the Crier. I simply encourage you to pray, come, and support the work of your committee in the candidates they have chosen to present to join our church staff. I have spent a considerable amount of time with each of the candidates individually and I have spent some time with them together. I believe they are godly people, with a tremendous love for Jesus, His Word and possess God-given ability to lead God s people to worship and they both have a heart and desire to make disciples. I am excited about them joining our staff team and I hope you will be as excited and supportive as well. GOD REALLY DOES HAVE GREAT PLANS FOR HIS CHURCH here called OTBC. Because He does, we are continuing to expect great things. This is the first step toward becoming more effective than ever before as a church at impacting lostness through disciple-making locally to globally! MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS YOU RICHLY! See you on Sunday! The suggested items for collection in May are toys for girls. Some gift suggestions you might consider are: Doll Doll Clothes Stuffed Animal Jump Rope Play Doh Balloons Dominoes Finger Puppets Jigsaw Puzzle Clip-on Earrings Bangles Rings Necklace Feathers (Boa) Sunglasses w/plastic lens Paddle Ball Etch-a-Sketch Sewing Kit Manicure Set Party Favors Musical Toys Contact Shelba Finger ( ) or Amy Baker ( ) if you have any questions. Join the shoebox wrapping class on Mondays, May 12th & 26th at 6:00pm. Bring an unchurched friend.

4 Jack Ashbaugh, Jr. 313 Maverick Trail Drive King, NC By transfer of church letter! Macy Nance 3956 Velinda Drive Winston Salem, NC Profession of Faith and Believer s Baptism! Lilly Ann Godfrey Born: April 6, 2014 Weight: 6 lbs. 7 oz. Proud Parents: Kenny and Sabrina Godfrey Proud Grandparents: Chuck and Sandra Coone Proud Big Sisters: Addie and Kailynn Proud Big Brother: Zachary Dear Life Application Sunday School Class and OTBC Family, We would like to thank God first of all for the miracle of healing Bob. We would also like to thank our Sunday School class (the Life Application class) for all of the prayers, cards, calls, visits and food that you have provided for our family during Bob s sickness and surgery. Thank you also to the entire church for all of your prayers, love and support during this time. We are truly blessed to be a part of such a loving and caring church family. In Christ, Pam & Bob Spittler and Allayna WE ARE SPRING CLEANING! We ve enjoyed our past Musicals, VBS, and Plays And now we must clean - LAST DATE IS THE 22 nd OF MAY. We have seen incredible scenery and wonderful Props, But storage is limited - especially for Backdrops. If you are interested in taking one home...some have a few dings, They are located above the medical clinic, in the hall of the old youth wing. Questions? Please contact Debbie Brannon at T People of Southeast Asia Update God is working among our people, the T-People. Three new followers have recently requested baptism. Persecution is an ongoing issue in several villages. The Gospel is being shared. During the next eight weeks, four teams will serve among the T-People. A team from Oakview Baptist in High Point will serve during the last half of May. The Baptist State Convention Next Generation team will serve in early June. Pastor Mark will lead a team (of nationals and IMB personnel) between May 31 and June 15. And, Pastor Joe will lead an Old Town student team June Of course, James and Elihu, as well as K.A.N. serve continually as national evangelists to the T- People. Please pray for these teams serving over the next two months. Ask the Father to break down barriers to the Gospel, to draw T-People (men, women and young people) to Himself, and to initiate His church among this people group. God is working through our obedience to His Great Commission.

5 Gifts Received (12/1/13 4/20/14): $ 40, Investments Made (1/1/14 4/11/14): $ 18, Jerusalem Locally: $ 7, Judea North Carolina: $ 2, Samaria North America: $ 2, Ends of the Earth Globally: $ 5, Helping Hurting Children... Healing Hurting Families. This is the goal for the ministry of North Carolina Baptist Children s Homes. Through residential services, foster care, developmental disabilities ministry, and emergency care, Baptist Children s Homes meet the developmental, emotional and spiritual needs of children in crisis as well as adults living with special needs. Baptist Children s Homes is our Acts One 8 Challenge partner for May. Your gifts to the Acts One 8 Challenge offering help make possible this ministry in locations across our state. You can learn more by visiting the ministry s website, Bread of Life Food Pantry The Bread of Life Food Pantry serves dozens of families and individuals each week. Volunteers distribute both physical and spiritual nourishment for our neighbors. You and your family can help keep the pantry stocked. The pantry uses the items: breakfast cereal, canned fruits, canned meats (especially tuna), peanut butter, jelly canned vegetables, instant grits, instant oatmeal, pasta sauce, and macaroni and cheese. The pantry also can use paper towels, bars of soap, and toilet paper. To learn how you can get more involved, contact Susie Weddle at sweddle@phoa.org or or Debbie Gambill at Church Goal: $ 24, Given-to-date (4/20/14): $ 17, Whatever It Takes: Reaching the One The Great Giveaway Saturday, June 7 The Great Give Away will take place at the Bread of Life Food Pantry (Forest Hills Baptist Church on Polo Road) Saturday, June 7. To help meet the needs of our neighbors served by the pantry, some household and clothing items will be given to food pantry clients. The following items are needed: dishes, cookware, cooking utensils, silverware, bed sheets, lamps, curtains, small furniture (like end tables, chairs), as well as children s clothing. Items can be dropped off at the Bread of Life collection boxes near the Media Center and the CLC entrance. Or, they can be delivered to the Pilot Mountain Association Office on Long Street between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Monday through Thursday or 9:00 a.m. noon on Fridays. For more information, please contact Debbie Gambill at

6 On the Mark for Missions I am reading through the Bible this year chronologically. Praise the Lord I have waded through Leviticus and wandered through Numbers! I am almost ready to cross over into Joshua! So, exciting times are ahead once I finish Deuteronomy. In this book, Moses reviewed the history and Law of God s people just before his life and leadership ended. Second Law is the literal meaning of the book s name. There are many interesting (to say the least) laws, some of which I do not understand very clearly. Yet, there are many things I definitely get. One of them is the repeated command to care for foreigners, widows and the fatherless. From an Old Testament context, these people along with the poor were the most vulnerable among all people. They are still the most vulnerable today, even in our modern, prosperous society. Our God has a heart for vulnerable people, especially the poor, the foreigner, the widow and the orphan. What fascinates me is the reason for God s compassion for these particular people. Of course, there is the practical matter of these people not being able to provide basic needs for themselves: food, shelter, clothing, security, etc. So, God placed responsibility on the community of His people to care for the most vulnerable. Though we have delegated much responsibility in caring for the frailest among us on the government, God has given His people the privilege of tending to society s most needy people. What a joy it is to hear about ways God s people are caring for widows, the poor, the foreigner and the orphan through His Old Town Baptist family. I enjoyed so much attending the recent Ladies Luncheon hosted by the Faithful Sunday school class. Present were women up to 98 years old! Single moms. Widows. Always Single. Single Again. Wow! I often hear stories about Deacons and Sunday school class members caring for widows. Around a dozen church members serve regularly with the Bread of Life Food Pantry and scores work with needy neighbors in the Medical Mission all serving the poor. Several of our church members currently serve the needs of refugees (from other countries) who now live in our city: transporting them to doctor s visits, assisting them in settling in their homes, attending the births of babies and more. What a beautiful picture of God s love and a special demonstration of the Gospel. See, aside from the practical purpose in meeting the needs of society s most vulnerable, there is also a theological purpose. In the Old Testament, God s command to care for vulnerable people is always connected to God s care of His vulnerable people specifically in His delivering them from slavery in Egypt! You can read about this connection in Deuteronomy 24: See, God s Old Testament people had been foreigners in Egypt; they were weak and helpless; they were like fatherless children. Then, God stepped in to redeem them to bring them unto Himself, to give them a home, and to provide abundantly for their needs. In much the same way through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus we have been redeemed. We who were vulnerable to sin and powerless to help ourselves have been adopted into God s family and welcomed as citizens of His eternal Kingdom. Now we have the opportunity to demonstrate His redemptive love to the most vulnerable people in our world today: the poor, the widow, the foreigner and the orphan. God has gifted our church family with many adoptive and foster families. The intentional act of adoption is a beautiful picture of God s redemption of us His Family. You can read about this connection in Romans 8:15, 23; Galatians 4:5 and Ephesians 1:5. Between Mother s Day and Father s Day, we will celebrate God s plan of adoption (and foster care) through the Father to the Fatherless emphasis. During this time, you will have the opportunity to learn about our adoptive families, discover how everyone can share in the joy of adoption and/or foster care, and how our church family s mission to the fatherless is developing. This includes the establishment of the Old Town Baptist Church Adoption Fund which is made possible by your gifts to the Acts One 8 Challenge Offering. Join the celebration! After all, each of us knows Jesus as Savior was once Fatherless and have now been adopted into God s forever family! Celebrating Adoption with You! Pastor Mark OTBC Medical Mission Medical Clinic: May 5 and 19 Clinic opens at 6:30 p.m. Volunteers welcome at 6:00 p.m. Pray this month for: patients to experience God s love and understand the Gospel through our volunteers words and actions. Thank the Father for faithful volunteers medical and nonmedical people. The medical clinic will take a summer break in June and July. Clinics will resume the first Monday of August.

7 KIDZTOWN A Note from Mrs. Shannon It s May! We have some very exciting events happening this month, and in the coming months, in Kidztown! Awana is quickly coming to an end for this school year. May 4 th will be the last night to say verses and complete sections. We will not meet on May 11 th ~ Mother s Day. We will have a very special Awana Awards Night for May 18 th, where we will celebrate the wonderful year that we have had together. I hope everyone will come on May 18 th to our Awana Wow Celebration to support the children of Old Town! We will also enjoy some yummy cake and delicious homemade ice cream! We need volunteers to make freezers of ice cream. The Power Up children (Grades K-5 th ) are continuing to prepare a very special spring program, Hallelujah, What a Savior, that will take place on Sunday evening, May 18 th. Yes, the same evening as the Awana awards celebration that I mentioned above. We are going to have one fabulous night, on May 18 th, led by the children of Old Town! I hope you will make plans to attend this very special evening as the children lead us in singing praises to our Lord and Savior, Jesus! Please continue to pray for them as they prepare to share with everyone. We will have a special time for our littlest ones on Sunday, May 11 th, Mother s Day, during the 11AM worship service at the Parent/Child dedication. Parents completed a First Steps Parent Seminar on April 27 th. Our Mother s Day Parent/Child dedication is always a special time at Old Town. CentriKid campers will have a special meeting, with their parents, on Sunday, June 1 st, directly following the 11:00 AM worship service. We will meet upstairs in the Big Town classroom, where most campers will already be located. At this time the remaining $90 will be due. Campers will be selecting their special track times that they would like to participate in. You will also be completing a health form that will be notarized by Mrs. Maxine on that day. A front and back copy of your insurance card will also be needed. Please make plans to be at this meeting on June 1 st! Hope you have already marked your calendars for Vacation Bible School! The theme of our 2014 VBS will be Agency D3 Discover, Decide, Defend 1 Peter 3:15. It will take place Monday, June 23 rd through Friday, June 27 th from 5:45-8:30. Dinner will only be provided for VBS workers and their families each evening. We have had a lot of people volunteer to help, however there are still some spots needing to be filled. If you are willing to help with VBS in any way (praying, passing out information, teaching, guiding, singing, preparing snack, keeping our littlest ones, etc.), please contact the church office! Thank you for your continued support and encouragement! Please contact Mrs. Shannon to find your spot to volunteer with KidzTown at Old Town or with any questions that you may have either by calling the church office or by at scallahan@otbclife.org. Hope you have a marvelous May...looks like an exciting one in KidzTown! Save the date! June 23rd -June 27th 5:45 P.M. - 8:30 P.M. Family Night will be on Sunday, June 19th at 5:45 P.M.

8 Welcome to Old Town Baptist Children's Center where Fun and Fellowship go hand in hand... Our Preschool is fully committed to teaching your children about the love of Jesus Christ as well as providing an age and developmentally appropriate program for early learning. Our teachers are experienced and prepared to help your children grow and develop spiritually, emotionally, socially, physically and intellectually. Our philosophy is that children learn best through play and engaging in developmentally appropriate activities. Our Before/After School program offers a safe, loving environment where he/she is met daily by experienced caring adults. The children receive opportunities to learn about God, develop social skills, enjoy healthy snacks, and receive homework assistance. Our School-Age Summer Camp children have a blast with our many field trips and activities. We do several field trips weekly, in addition to having in-house educational programs. We have weekly themes, a Bible story, and activities that tie together to make a fabulously fun week! SUMMER 2014 THEME IS: EXPLOR- ING THE DECADES..OUR STYLES MAY CHANGE, BUT GOD NEVER CHANGES! Our Pre-School Summer Camp registration for 2014 has begun! The dates are June 30th through August 7, totaling 6 weeks. Days and hours are Monday through Thursday, 9am to 1pm (pack their lunch please). IF REGISTRATION ($75 for new enrolling students), AND FULL TUITION ($360) IS PAID BEFORE MAY 1ST, 2014, THEN SUMMER CAMP IS $60 PER WEEK. AFTER MAY 1ST, SUMMER CAMP FOR PRESCHOOLERS IS $100 PER WEEK. Our children s center is looking for volunteers who have a CDL license to drive the bus for field trips this summer. The field trips will be every Wednesday beginning June 18th. If you are interested in having a wonderful time while investing time in a child's life please contact Linda Barham at or lbarham@otbclife.org.