THE BRIDGE PAGE 1 VOL. 11 NO. 20 MAY

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1 PAGE 1 VOL. 11 NO. 20 MAY 9, 2018 We have a series of significant emphases coming up over the next few weeks including Mother s Day this Sunday, May 13, and Graduate Recognition the following Sunday, May 20. I m looking forward to honoring moms in particular and all of our ladies in general this Sunday and to celebrate the coming graduation of our seniors the next Sunday. These are always special days for us. I would like to fast forward to Sunday, June 10. On that day, we will be live-streaming the Harvest America Crusade being held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Greg Laurie, who is, in my belief, the most effective crusade evangelist since Billy Graham, will be preaching that evening. Tens of thousands of people are expected to fill the stadium. (There were 82,000 inside the stadium two years ago and 10,000 more watching on the monitors outside.) Hundreds of thousands more will be watching the real-time broadcast of the crusade around the world. We are blessed to be one of the locations where this broadcast will be offered. If you can drive to Arlington to be there in person, it would be well worth your while. If you cannot, the next best thing is to make your way to our sanctuary before 6:00 p.m. There will be great music and testimonies and a powerful gospel presentation by Greg Laurie. Here is my challenge to you: Invite someone who needs to hear the gospel to be (Continued on page 2) WHAT S INSIDE Harvest America Simulcast... 2 Welcome New Members... 3 From the Desk of David Procter... 4 Prayer Walk in May Call to Prayer... 5 New Study in Maranatha BFG... 5 From the Heart of John Parker... 6 Music Notes by Dodie... 7 African Children s Choir Concert... 7 Baby Bottle Campaign... 8 New Study in SALT BFG... 8 Lamplighters BFG... 8 Adults on Mission & Acteens... 9 Children s Ministry Electrify by Matt Gillum Student Ministry Events Calendar & Reports Lamplighters Catfish Event Retrospective... 17

2 PAGE 2 (Continued from page 1) STAFF Dr. Gary Dyer SENIOR PASTOR Cell garyd@austinbaptistchurch.com Dr. David Procter EXECUTIVE PASTOR Cell davidp@austinbaptistchurch.com John Parker ASSOCIATE PASTOR OF MUSIC & WORSHIP Cell johnp@austinbaptistchurch.com Matt Gillum MINISTER TO STUDENTS & THEIR FAMILIES Cell mattg@austinbaptistchurch.com Cathy Smith MINISTER TO CHILDREN & THEIR FAMILIES Cell cathys@austinbaptistchurch.com Kati Dobbs CHILDREN S MINISTRY ASSOCIATE katid@austinbaptistchurch.com your guest that evening. Never will they hear the truth declared any more clearly or directly. Pray for their souls and for the souls of the thousands upon thousands of people around the world who will attend, watch, or listen that night. This Sunday we will be placing material in each worship guide to remind you to pray and to participate. In a day when darkness seems to be falling over America, Harvest America will shine the light into the hearts of many people. Your friend or acquaintance could be one of them! Gary Dyer, Pastor John 3:30 Dodie Morris MUSIC & WORSHIP ASSOCIATE dodiem@austinbaptistchurch.com Christina Mendoza MINISTERIAL STAFF EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT / IT SPECIALIST christinam@austinbaptistchurch.com Jennifer Koret FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR jenniferk@austinbaptistchurch.com Rita Jones OFFICE MANAGER ritaj@austinbaptistchurch.com Derek Tackett FACILITIES MANAGER Cell derekt@austinbaptistchurch.com Kim Warner FOOD SERVICE MANAGER kimw@austinbaptistchurch.com Joe Pere DIRECTOR OF MEDIA MINISTRY joep@austinbaptistchurch.com Bill Dickson FINANCE CLERK billd@austinbaptistchurch.com Karen Fawcett ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT karenf@austinbaptistchurch.com

3 The grass isn t the only thing growing around here! Austin Baptist Church is pleased to welcome these new members! Marvin and Eileen Friesz joined in the traditional service on May 6, They transfer their membership from Hyde Park Baptist Church. They have worshiped with us from time to time, even at our former location. Marvin is from Twin Bridges, Montana (northwest of Yellowstone National Park). Marvin owned and operated his own manufacturing company (components of concrete mixing trucks) and is now retired. Eileen is from Houston: she and Marvin met as high school students and were married in They have three adult children and two grandchildren, all here in Austin. They attend Lamplighters Bible Fellowship. Three others joined in the Pastor s Membership 101 Class. Olivia Ivison joins by believer s baptism. Olivia is the daughter of Jayme Ivison, our worship leader in the 11:11 service. Olivia was born in Dallas and graduated from Leander High School in Leander. She has also graduated from cos-metology school and works at a salon here in Austin. She works with Robbie Walters in our weekday preschool program. Ashton Holloman transfers his membership from Hyde Park Baptist Church. He is nearing completion of his degree in gov-ernment and economics at The University of Texas. Ashton recently began worshiping with us in the 11:11 service and on Wednesday evening for Bible study. He has earned his real estate license and will work in commercial real estate with Keller Williams. Ashton attends 18:29 Bible Fellowship. Sedgewick Redding transfers his membership from First Bap-tist Church, Port Neches. Sedgewick was born in Bay City, lived in various parts of Texas, and moved to Austin a year ago. Sedgewick served three years in the United States Army. He works at HEB, and attends Sojourners Bible David Procter Fellowship. PAGE 3

4 PAGE 4 Bible Fellowship attendance for the five Sundays of April set a new all-time monthly record: 861, compared with 764 one year ago. Our previous best monthly average was March 2016, when we averaged 837. The time for our May 12 Prayerwalk is upon us. A member of the Outreach Team will be at the main church entrance from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Saturday to provide packets. They are also available now in the main foyer. Below is a short course on the Why s and How s of Prayerwalking as a refresher prepared by Sheree Wolfe, one of our team members. We want to hear of your encounters, so send a note to Paul Boggs at pdboggs@yahoo.com. A Short Course in Prayerwalking for the ABC Community (With excerpts from Prayerwalking by Steve Hawthorne and Graham Kendrick) What is Prayerwalking? Prayerwalking is simply walking and praying on behalf of our neighbors and communities. It is praying for God s presence, guidance, mercy, and purpose to be realized in the lives of people we see and the homes we pass by. How To Prepare for Prayerwalking Congratulations and thank you to our staff, Matt Gillum, Cathy Smith, and Kati Dobbs, our administrative assistants Rita Jones, Christina Mendoza, and Karen Fawcett, and our wonderful Bible Fellowship leaders. Attendance was strong in every age group. Let s continue to reach out to our members and guests and build a growing Bible Fellowship ministry! David Procter Prepare Spiritually: Ask God to guide and direct you according to His agenda. Pray Scripture for effectiveness. Pray in repentance and faith (Mark 1:15). Pray for open doors to share Jesus boldly (Col. 4:2; Acts 4:31). Pray for spiritual eyes to pray strategically and powerfully during your prayerwalk (Eph. 1:18). Pray that through requests, intercession and thanksgiving, people will receive the truth and be transformed to live peaceful lives in all godliness and holiness (I Timothy 2:1-4). Prepare Logistically: Target a specific area and decide how long you will walk (typically, about an hour). Join with two or three other believers and map out the area that is to be prayerwalked. Meet together before the prayerwalk and pray specifically for protection, divine appointments, wisdom, discernment and boldness to share the Gospel. Note: individuals who cannot prayerwalk because of physical or other limitations, can offer support from home or a central meeting place and pray strategically for the field teams. (Continued on page 5)

5 (Continued from page 4) During the Prayerwalk Walk, observe, and pray with insight from the Holy Spirit. Pray for people you see and if led, offer to pray with them about their needs. Invite them to ABC services and events. Observe surroundings, keeping prayers pertinent to the specific community you are in. As you pray, focus on God s promises and empowerment to bring forth His intended blessings. Above all, pray Scripture. Below are Scriptures you can declare as you prayerwalk. Pray for Unbelievers: Pray for receptive and repentant hearts (Luke 8:5-15) Pray for their spiritual eyes and ears to be opened to the truth of Christ (2 Cor. 4:3-4; Matt. 13:15) Pray for them to have God s attitude toward sin (John 16:8) Pray for obstacles to be removed (Isaiah 57:14) and a transformed life (Rom. 12:1-2) Pray for their salvation (Acts 26: 17-18) Pray for Believers by asking for: Christians to have a spiritual awakening (II Chronicles 7:14). Christians to have Christ s joy made full in themselves (See John 17:13). Christ to guard and protect believers from the evil one (See John 17:15). Christ to sanctify believers in the truth of God (See John 17:17). Christians to be unified in one mission, purpose and spirit, as the Father and Son are one (See John 17:21-22). Christians to be filled with spiritual wisdom; pleasing in all ways to Christ; strengthened spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally; and bearing fruit in every good work (See Col. 1:10-11). PAGE 5

6 PAGE 6 SUNDAY MAY 13, :00 AM TRADITIONAL WORSHIP The River Medley HANDBELLS O Worship the King We Will Glorify Wonderful, Merciful Savior SANCTUARY CHOIR & ORCHESTRA Amazing Grace A Mother s Love BILL LOVE Open My Eyes That I May See 11:11 AM CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP Your Love Never Fails Faithful to the End From the Inside Out Trust It All 1) It takes EVERY singer to make a choir. If God has gifted you with a good singing voice, we have a place for you in worship leadership. When every member of our church does their part, we are at our very best for the Lord! 2) Our DIVERSITY is our strength. Sanctuary Choir is one of the few ABC organizations where adults of all ages interact weekly. 3) You ve been looking for that place of FULFILLMENT and JOY in ministry? Look no longer. Sanctuary Choir members find great joy serving others in worship. Just ask them! 4) Upper Room and Easter are behind us and our work on CHRISTMAS MUSIC will begin sooner than you think. 5) We NEED you! Our goal is simple: to enlist every capable singer to lead in worship to the glory of God. If you re a singer and you re not among our ranks, we need your voice. We want you to join us. African Children s Choir in Concert at ABC The African Children s Choir is composed of African children, ages seven to ten-years-old. The children in the choir represent the potential of the thousands of children in Africa who are trapped in the cycle of poverty. Over the past 30+ years, the children have appeared in thousands of concerts around the world, including concerts at the Pentagon and the United Nations. They have been featured on popular television shows, including The Tonight Show and American Idol. The Choir has had the privilege of performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the BBC Proms series. They have performed for the Queen, as well as other royalty and world leaders. They have performed alongside some of the biggest names in the music industry and even recorded music for Hollywood movie soundtracks. We are delighted to announce the African Children s Choir will be singing at ABC on Sunday evening, June 17 in the Sanctuary at 6:30 p.m. You will not want to miss this delightful music-filled evening. Start inviting your family and friends to join you. A love offering will be taken to help support this world-touring choir. For more details, click here. Blessings, John Parker

7 PAGE 7 Many, many years ago, when I was a small child, our church had an unusual custom on Mother s Day. Everyone wore a flower: red, if one s mother was still living; white, if one s mother had already passed away. I remember being so glad that I could wear red, and concerned for my grandmother because she wore white. The church is still there, but they no longer follow the flower rule probably because it traumatized little kids. We were reminded graphically of two things: 1) Everyone has or has had a mother, and 2) Mothers do not live on this earth forever. My own mom lived on this earth for ninety-four years. I discovered more about her every year right up to her death. I am fairly sure that Heaven does not get The Bridge; but if somehow Mom could read this article, I would tell her a few things I did not get around to while she was here: Your courage was jaw-dropping. You were right about everything. Everything. I did not appreciate you from the time I was nine years old until I turned nineteen; but I tried to make up for it later. I enjoyed singing with Daddy; but you were the one who taught me to sing harmony over a sink of dirty dishes. I admired your gift of hospitality and your ability to make friends. You were the light and laughter of our family. You checked all the boxes in Proverbs 31, but I like this one best: She s quick to assist anyone in need, reaches out to help the poor. Proverb 31:20 THE MESSAGE Dodie

8 PAGE 8 For more information, please contact Teresa Sandlin

9 PAGE 9 Acteen Japan Mission Team 2018 ABC Acteens May 2018

10 PAGE 10 AWANA reaches kids for Christ through fun, learning through scripture memorization, missions, and the gospel so they will know, love and serve Him throughout their lives. The AWANA program reaches children, which makes a lasting influence for our world for Christ. ABC leaders, along with parents, are training children to be disciples for Christ, helping them along their faith journey. We had fun theme days this year. Some are FROG Day (Fully Rely on God), Stuffed Animal Day, Crazy Hair Day, Western Day, Packed 200 Operation Christmas Child boxes, AWANA Grand Prix, T & T Lock-in, to name a few. We had our AWANA AWARDS this past Sunday. Several finished books, allowing them to receive awards. The children took turns saying their favorite Bible verse; some reciting long verses. Nothing is sweeter than hearing the WORD of God come out of children s mouths. In His Love, MORE AWANA PHOTOS

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13 PAGE 13 Mother s Day is always such a special time in the life of the church. It is so great for us to spend a day honoring all the women who spend so much energy and love in growing the world around them. And this applies not just to mothers, but to all those women who invest in the lives of others. Being on church staff, it is a real blessing to see how much the world is impacted for Christ through the work of God-honoring women. I m excited to spend time this weekend honoring my mom, Debbie Gillum, and my mother-in-law, Kay Leitch. They have both poured out their lives for Adrian and me. I know that the measure of our ministry here at Austin Baptist Church would not have been possible without the depth of their love and care for us. It ll be a joy to spend time with them and honor them. As I prepared for Bible Fellowship Groups this week, I challenged the Students to take time to think through the character traits that they have gained from their mothers (or the significant women in their lives). I think primarily of Proverb 31:25-26 for my mom. She is clothed with dignity and strength; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. There is not a more adventurous woman in the world that I know than my mom, and I m glad that she instilled in me a craving to explore the world and to impact it for Jesus. As Mother s Day approaches this Sunday, why not take on this exercise for yourself? What Scripture and character traits do you think your mom or the significant women in your life have passed on to you? And how are you acting to pass on those things to the next generation? The best gifts we can pass on in life are often the things we receive from those we love. May we be a church that passes the love of Jesus Christ beyond generational lines! Happy Mother s Day y all! By Christ s Love, Matt

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15 PAGE 15 NEXT WEEK AT ABC Sun, May 13 Mother s Day 9:00 am Traditional Worship, Sanctuary 10:10 am Bible Fellowship Groups 11:11 Band Rehearsal 11:11 am Contemporary Worship, Sanctuary Mon, May 14 10:00 am Adults on Mission, Chapel Wed, May 16 5:00 pm Fellowship Meal, Great Hall 6:00 pm Bible Study on Romans, Great Hall Handbells 6:15 pm Sunday School Matters, Rm :15 pm Sanctuary Choir 7:30 pm Orchestra SUNDAY Joyful Noise 2 pm, May 20 WEDNESDAY Sunday School Matters 6:15 pm, Rm 240 Handbells 6 pm, Rm 171 RECURRING EVENTS DEACONS ON CALL WEDNESDAY cont. Sanctuary Choir 7:15 pm, Choir Suite Orchestra 7:30 pm, Worship Center THURSDAY American Heritage Girls & Trail Life May 17 6 pm, Rm 137 Week of May 14, 2018 Charlie Meeks... (512) Kirk Kriegel... (512) MAY 20 Graduate Recognition Sunday VBS Music Team Rehearsal 22 VBS Leader Training 23 Finance Committee Meeting 27 VBS Music Team Rehearsal 28 Memorial Day - Church Office Closed 29 Deacons Meeting (moved from Monday due to holiday) 30 Church Business Meeting ON THE HORIZON JUNE 3 Super Summer Spaghetti Spectacular 10 Membership 101 Missions Committee Meeting Greg Laurie Crusade 13 Finance Committee Meeting 17 African Children s Choir Concert Student Beach Camp (thru June 22) 20 Business Meeting 25 VBS Begins (thru June 29) Sports Camp Begins (thru June 29) 29 Student Ministry Dive-In Movie OUR RESPONSE TO GOD S FAITHFULNESS Account General Fund Designated Bldg/Strong Total Giving Annual 2018 General Fund Budget $3,800, $100, $ $2, $104, YTD $1,030, $46, $55, $1,132, Our Attendance Sunday, May 6, :00 Service :11 Service Bible Fellowship Groups Building on a Strong Foundation May 6, 2018 Offering Total-to-Date: $5,201, FOR PUBLICATION CONSIDERATION Articles and items for The Bridge are due to Rita Jones by the Friday (5:00 p.m.) before the Wednesday publication date. Your cooperation is very appreciated!

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