Letter from Pastor Rudd

Transcription

1 Letter from Pastor Rudd About two weeks ago, I experienced the first anniversary of my nephew taking his own life. The same week a sweet friend of mine died in his sleep. Here at Branch s we have three members that are in hospice care. Many of our members have family members who are very ill or are in various stages of crisis. The world news is full of natural and manmade disasters. All of this comes at us so fast until we want to yell, Why GOD do you make these things happen? I believe that I am writing these thoughts to remind myself of the truths I already know. GOD is not an old man sitting up in heaven moving us around like chess pieces, making some suffer, some rich, some poor and some healthy. Nor is He deciding that he wants more angels, so he takes our loved ones to heaven. Angels are beings that GOD created from the beginning. We as Christians will continue our purpose for all time of worshipping Him. So why? When GOD created mankind, He endowed people with the desire to commune with him and the gift of free will. All people seek to find GOD, but each person has the freedom to search in their own method. They choose what methods they will use. Sometimes they fill their hearts and minds with the ways of GOD. Sometimes they choose methods that move them away from GOD. We often call this sin. Whatever our choices, there will be consequences for good or bad. These consequences will have a direct effect on us personally and those around us. Most consequences will be effective for generations to come. GOD did not make the situations that we find ourselves involved in, our collective choices did. God forgives us our bad choices; however, He does not remove the consequences of any choice. When first man and woman decided to disobey GOD for more knowledge, they were forgiven, but the consequence was the fact that now our bodies are weak and vulnerable to disease. People make choices that lead to war, violence, financial ruin, etc. for themselves and multitudes of others. Do I despair? Branch s Office hours are 9am 12pm and 1:00pm 4:00pm, Monday Friday. Please time your phone calls and visits during office hours. so as not to miss us. Please your information for the Sunday publications to office@branchs.org by Tuesday. The deadline for the Columns and for QBM reports is the 20th of the month. 5:00pm Light Supper and Bible Study in CR Sign-up required 7:00pm Children s Choir in the Choir Room No Chancel Choir in July 1

2 No! GOD did not leave us to flounder in our own darkness, but sent His son, Jesus. Jesus was our example of how to find GOD. Then as he paid the price for our decisions, he left us a guide for all time, the Holy Spirit. This part of GOD now lives in us, to comfort, strengthen, instruct and calm us in all situations. We are never alone. We now do all things in the presence of GOD. Our souls will worship him for all time to come. ~ Dorrcye Ann Rudd (Editor s note: Pastor Sam Grozdanov is on vacation and will be giving us a letter next month). The summer is off to a busy start with school ending and vacations beginning. About 22 folks enjoyed an evening of Christian music at KingsFest, the Christian music festival at Kings Dominion. This year s Saturday session featured Mercy Me, so with the popular movie I Can Only Imagine making a splash at the box office, we knew there would be a crowd. Branch s Kids Praise All Branch s elementary age children (rising 1 st 6 th ) are invited to join us on Wednesdays, July 11-August 15, at 7:00 PM, for summer music. Watch for more details. It will be a fun time. Chancel Choir The Chancel Choir will be taking a summer break in July and will resume in August to begin working on Christmas and our fall schedule. If you would like to sing for the fall, please join us. Please watch the bulletin and August newsletter for more information. Mark Your Calendar: Dallas Holm In Concert at Branch s Branch s Baptist Church is hosting Dallas Holm Praise Ministries on Friday, July 20, 2018, at 7:00 PM. We invite you, your friends, your families, and all to come and enjoy an evening of worship. This is a FREE concert, but a love offering will be taken at the concert. Please register and share the Eventbrite link ( ). You can also or call Bonnie Surma (bsurma@live.com or ) to reserve your space. You can read more information at We hope you will enjoy this special time. May your summer be a season of rest, nourishment, and renewing. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 Blessings, Bonnie 2

3 Coming Next Month! Vacation Bible School for all ages August 19th 24th 6:30-8:30pm Please bring a dish to share at the Potluck Supper, at 5:00pm in Kincheloe Hall, then stay for the Quarterly Business Meeting at 6:00pm. Committee Chairs, please send your committee reports for the QBM to office@branchs.org by July 20th! PLEASE HELP CLEAN UP! The kitchen needs a major cleaning prior to the fall schedule starting in September Please meet us on July 9th at 10am in the kitchen. call Anna Harris-Showalter at 804/ to volunteer. Come on board and help with VBS! There is a place for each one of you. Help us reach our community and our children for Christ. If you can volunteer to help prepare for the big week, contact Rachel Contreras (804/ ) or Wanda Vargas (804/ ) Watch upcoming Sunday School bulletins and the August Columns for more information. 4 th Annual Senior Safety Day First Baptist Church, Richmond is hosting the 4 th Annual Senior Safety Day on Thursday, July 12, Registration is from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. with vendors, workshops, and a free lunch. Each person may bring three bags of paper to be shredded. There will be some great prizes from the vendors given away by drawing at 3:00pm. You may go individually or as a group on the bus if enough people want to go. The event is free, but you must sign up to get a free lunch. The deadline for signing up is Sunday, July 10 th. The workshop will include such choices as: Food and Cooking Safety, Home Safety, Insurance Planning, Decluttering for Safety, Senior Domestic Abuse, Scams, Frauds, and ID Theft, Keeping our Medicare Dollars Safe, Senior & On-Line Dating, Travel Safety, Documents That Protect and many, many more. For more information and registration forms, see the bulletin board by the Sanctuary. Also next month CAN YOU SWING A HAMMER?...or wield a paintbrush, use a saw? If you can, and you are at least 18 years old, please consider going on a Mission Construction trip to Lumberton, NC, Aug Call Barry Grantier ( ) for more information and to volunteer. SHOE MINISTRY Q & A Please meet with Dorryce Ann in the Family Room after service July 1st if you are interested in learning more about the shoe ministry for this Labor Day. The meeting will be brief. 3

4 Pray for Governments and Governing Bodies of Metropolitan Richmond. He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8 ) July 1, For the Mayor and City Council of Richmond, the City Administrator, and all city employees. July 8, For the Boards of Supervisors, Councils, Administrators, and government employees of Charles City, Goochland, New Kent, Powhatan, Ashland, Petersburg, and Hopewell. July 15, For the Supervisors of Chesterfield County, the County Administrator, and all county employees. July 22, For the Supervisors of Henrico County, the County Administrator, and all county employees. July 29, For the Supervisors of Hanover County, the County Administrator, and all county employees. The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets on the 2nd & 4th Tuesdays at 10am to knit shawls for our members or friends who are ill or in need of special comfort. The knitters also lift up in prayer the recipients of the shawls. If you are interested in joining, call Ginaree Llewellyn, or come to the next meeting on July 10. Reserve Yours Now! The flower calendar for 2018 is in the Welcome Area. Reserve your special dates now! Flowers may be donated in memory of loved ones, or in thanksgiving for blessings received. Flowers are only $40 for a pair, and they are yours after the Sunday services, or you may direct that they be delivered to shut-ins. Call Paula Moore if you have questions. If you have vases from the church flowers and no longer need them, we would like to have them back. "Red, white and blue" is the name of the game; America the beautiful is our name! Come one, come all, to Kincheloe Hall; July 26th is your call! Good friends, food and fellowship you can't beat; plus Wayne Joyner (The Good News Gospel Band) is our treat! "Y'all come; ya heah!" Call Barry Grantier if you have questions. YOU ARE INVITED...to a light supper and brief Bible Study in the Conference Room on Wednesdays at 5:00pm. We need a head count, so please call the Office to sign up. Rev. Dorryce Ann Rudd is leading the study. Please speak with her if you have questions.

5 Sundays 9:15am Prayer Time ~ C216 9:30am Sunday School/Bible Study 10:30am Announcements & Fellowship~KH Puppet Ministry ~ C113 11:00am Worship Services in the Sanctuary (English) and in Kincheloe Hall (Spanish) Mondays 8:00am Bon Secours Care-a-Van (2nd Monday only) 9:00am Tellers Committee 7:00pm Deacons Meeting (July 9th) Tuesdays 9:30am Ladies Bible Study 9:30am Staff Meeting 10:00am Prayer Shawl Ministry (2nd & 4th Tuesdays) Wednesdays 5:00pm Prayer, Bible Study and light dinner in the Conference Room 6:30pm Spanish Prayer & Bible Study 7:00pm Children s Choir (beginning July 11) (No Chancel Choir in July) Thursdays 9:30-10:30am Food Pantry 6:00pm Biblical Counseling Course (note time change) Zackary Kennedy July 5 Raymond Lowman July 5 Dorryce Rudd July 6 Daniel Shelton July 6 Yesenia Padilla Torres July 6 Marilyn Zandy July 6 Steve Carnes July 7 Selvin Torres July 10 Selvin G. Sevilla July 11 Jonathan Lowman July 14 J. Spann July 14 Victor Kontopanos July 15 Shirley Corbin July 16 Rupert Ferguson July 16 JoAnne Duke July 20 Vernon Abbott July 21 Loyda Montanez July 23 Marvin Hair July 24 Selvin Sevilla July 25 Eloise Stahl July 30 SPECIAL EVENTS July 1 Brief Meeting re the Shoe ~ Family Room July 9 Kitchen Deacons in the Conference Room July 15 Personnel 2:00pm in the Conference Room July 20 Dallas Holm in the Sanctuary July 26 in Kincheloe Hall July 29 Potluck Supper in Quarterly Business 4

6 Dear Branch s Church Family, Again, I want to thank each of you for the fantastic job you did on the Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes! Many churches are collecting year round; some are doing a different item each month. We have a box in the Welcome Center for your donations throughout the year. We will keep some empty shoeboxes, so if you want to pack your box early, that will be fine too! Here are the items we are emphasizing in July: School supplies, pencils, notepads, composition books, small bibles, calculators, batteries. Don t worry about toothbrushes. We have dentists who have been giving us those items. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE candy of any kind, toothpaste, used or damaged items, war-related items (toy guns, knives, military figures), seeds, liquids or lotions, bubbles, medications or vitamins, razors, breakable items like snow globes, or glass containers, aerosol cans. PLEASE REMEMBER: It costs $9 to mail each box. If you are giving items, please also give for the mailing of a box (or two, or more). Checks must be made payable to Samaritan s Purse. Thank you! Marie Hines, Chair of the Samaritan s Purse Operation Christmas Child Branch's Baptist Church Condensed Financial Report Year-to-Date as of May 2018 Actual Budget Over/ (Under) Account Description Year-to- Date Year-to- Date Budget YTD Regular Offering 180, ,907 (8,644) Expenditures: World Programs 12,522 13,658 (1,136) Personnel 97, ,019 (9,313) Educational Ministries 4,423 8,238 (3,815) Service Ministries 9,275 8, Building & Equipment 75,278 50,885 24,393 Miscellaneous (162) Total Expenditures 199, ,907 10,297 Net Surplus/(Deficit) (18,941) 0 (18,941) Sunday Services 9:15am Prayer Time ~ C216 9:30am Sunday School/Bible Study 10:30 am Announcements & Fellowship ~ KH 10:30am Puppet Ministry ~ C117 11:00am Worship Service- Sanctuary 11:00am Spanish Worship ~ KH Wednesday Activities in July 5:00pm Light Supper & Bible Study in Conference Rm. 7:00pm Kid s Choir Rev. Sam Grozdanov Senior Pastor sam.grozdanov@branchs.org Rev. Dorryce Ann Rudd Minister of Visitation & Seniors dorryceann.rudd@branchs.org Rev. Arlene Guzman Pastor to the Spanish Speaking Members arlene@wbtk.com Bonnie Surma Director of Music Ministries bonnie.surma@branchs.org Keith Wilmoth Organist/Pianist klw728@aol.com Lorena Markowski Office Manager & Financial Secretary office@branchs.org Karen Collins Missionary to Taiwan kc2204@pobox.com Ernie Moore Treasurer treasurer@branchs.org Joshua Zalesky Sunday School Superintendent & Director of Outreach 5

7 BAPTIST CHURCH 3400 Broad Rock Blvd. Richmond, VA Office: Fax: website: Office Hours: Monday Friday 9:00am-12:00pm (staff breaks for lunch) and 1:00-4:00pm