Inside this issue: Page 1. Front Desk 2. Our sign (cont.) Pastors pen Meetings Financial. Men's group Ladies group

Transcription

1 Page 1 September 2018 SUNDAY 10:30 am Sunday Morning Worship 10:30 am Children s Sunday School MONDAY 9:30 am Walking in Family Center 6:30 pm Band of Brothers (1st Monday of month.) TUESDAY 11:00am Senior Woman s Bible Study (biweekly) 1:15 pm Shuffle Board WEDNESDAY 9:00-10:00 am Exercise Class 9:30 am Walking in Family Center 4:45 pm Men s Prayer Meetings THURSDAY FRIDAY 9:00-10:00 am Exercise Class 9:30 am Walking in Family Center Inside this issue: Front Desk 2 Our sign (cont.) Pastors pen Meetings Financial Men's group Ladies group Movie night Exercise & volleyball Choir Bell Choir September Birthdays October Birthdays Bunco & children's ministry Right now media F I R S T B A P T I S T C H U R C H N E W S L E T T E R Pastor s Pen Pastor Andy Smith The times they are a-changin Such was the title of my Pastor s Pen article just over two years ago August 6, At that time, there were a number of changes we were dealing with. I won t bother to list them here because, as the old saying goes, The only thing permanent in life is change. Well, we certainly know the truth of that statement. This time, however, the change I want to write about is the very real possibility that Calvary Church may be on the move, after having rented space in our building for nearly four years. Now I hasten to add nothing is certain at this point, and as of my writing this article, no decisions have been made. But the plan at this time is for Bethel Baptist Church of Fruitport to vote on September 9, 2018 whether or not to Dissolve and Donate i.e., Dissolve the corporation (a legal term) that is Bethel Baptist of Fruitport, and Donate their current building to Calvary Church. If Bethel Baptist votes to do so, then Calvary would vote on either September 23 or September 30, 2018, on whether or not to accept the donated building. If that vote were to be Yes, then Calvary would give us the six months notice stipulated in our contract, and they would then move out at the end of March, Again, as I said, this is not a done deal. Calvary would have a lot of deferred maintenance to do on the Bethel Baptist building, including a new roof and an elevator two costly jobs. But having said that, my sense is that if offered the building, Calvary would accept it. So what does that mean for us? What would be the new realities for us? Let s list just a few: First, the financial realty Calvary has been paying us $4500 per month, which is a huge part of our budget. As a result, we would need to find ways to increase our financial input to make up for that loss, as well as likely cut our budget to save money. Perhaps God is leading you to make a major contribution to FBC. If so, we would be greatly blessed by it. But besides increasing our giving as best we can, we might need to see if we can find other forms of income perhaps from hosting events in our building, including the Grosa-Meyer Family Center, etc. These are conversations we will need to have going forward. ( Pastors Pen continued on page 3)

2 Page 2 From the front desk AUGUST REVISITED At least once a year we put a coating on the Family Center Floor. Joe Lihan, Bob VanderWal and Ken Rollenhagen took care of this job in August. It requires two coats of finish so this is not a small task. Thank you guys for a job well done. The floor looks great. Calvary s janitor took care of the other half. August 12th we had a beautiful Sunday service. There was a baby dedication and two baptisms. Preston Avery Montalvo was dedicated to the Lord by his parents Stephanie and Richard Montalvo. Stephanie Montalvo and Terry Smedley were baptized. Thank you for choosing First Baptist as a home for your faith. Coming up this fall: September 9th the Sunday Bible class will resume. It will be at 4:00 pm. The 10 of September the Band of Brother s will resume with a light meal, prayer and Bible Study, at 6:30pm. September 17 the Women s Bible Study will resume at 6:30 pm. September 20th, Bell Choir will start practice again. It will be from 5:30 to 6:30. Choir practice at 6:30pm. Contact Karen Polland for Bell Choir or Denny Powers for choir. Fellowship Treats There is a new list out in the Narthex. Please check it out and see if there is a Sunday you would be willing to provide the treats. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY The start of the school year brought this thought about Electives and Non- Electives. What in life are electives and what are not. Some challenges we have we have been contributors to because of our electives. Such as those that come from years of smoking or choice of activities. Some non- electives are age-related. We can try and slow the process but hopefully those that persist we handle with grace. Some non-electives struck me this morning when I thought of TJ Morrell who in 1985 had breast cancer, she got it again 7 years later. She is 87 years old and even with a bad heart, is a busy woman. Deitra Durbin who four years ago began her journey with cancer. Deitra is cancer free now but will be tested yearly. When strength permitted she continued to sing in choir while she was going through treatments, Jane Jewett did not elect to have kidney failure, but is still sending out her cards of encouragement. Nancy Bennett did not elect to have breast cancer but still worries how to help her brother Matthew with the house and Jeremy. Lloyd Lankford has lost both legs, but comes to church when he can, in a wheel chair but always has a smile. Gail Brogren s ongoing health issues left from her battle with cancer, reaches out to others who are struggling. Juanita Loss and Darlene Burns each have lived through times of the non- electives with their health and the health of their husbands. They are serving others. There are many more people we all know who live with the challenge of the non-electives. The one elective these people have chosen is (Faith, Hope and Courage) which they do with grace.

3 Page 3 (Continued Pastors Pen here) Watch your bulletins for ways you may serve. Second, we would need to institute our own children s ministry, which is exactly what we have done. The FBC children s ministry begins this coming Sunday, September 2, 2018, and the ladies of FBC have undertaken a herculean task in getting this done. Our new Sunday school room (at least through March of 2019) is in the conference room. The room has been redecorated and set up as a one room school house (for now) Sunday school program. Third, we will need to grow our church. We can do this by evangelism always the best way bringing men, women, and children to faith in Christ. Do you have some friends and neighbors whom you would like to invite to FBC? Do you know someone who used to attend FBC who would be open to coming back? Why not invite them to come back for a Sunday or two, and perhaps they will come permanently. Trustees meeting is September 16th, 2018 After church Diaconate meeting after church on Sept 9, 2018 Only 11 letters to go. $100 per letter to help fund the new sign. Feel free to share a letter with a friend! Whatever the specifics are, do understand that there are likely challenging times ahead for us at First Baptist. Perhaps the most important thing we can do, of course, is to pray for the future of First Baptist Church. Let us continue to love one another, care for one another, forgive one another for past grievances that we have not let go of, and just continue to be an outpost of heaven from which the light of the gospel can shine at the corner of Apple and South Quarterline Road. God bless you all as you serve Him! Monthly need General Fund is $12,400. Amount actually Donated or TV ministry $45 collected $9, August Donated for sign $1,616 Monthly need Building fund is $2,200. Amount actually collected $1,730. Average in attendance 7 8 Find us on the

4 Page 4 The Band of Brothers will start meeting each week starting on September 10th :30pm There is a sign up sheet available if you would like to provide dinner. Join us for Men s prayer group 4:45pm Ladies Group We will start September 17, 6:30pm Ladies please join us. If you have previously done this study, then please bring your study guides. If you have not, no problem. You can just order your book from amazon.com for $16.08 ( If you have prime there s no shipping cost) or Lifeway.com for $ shipping. Or you can always join us on Monday evenings with out a study guide, and just listen in. ( before you order a book, ask Terri if she has any extra books left over ) 7-Session Video-Driven Women's Study from Best-Selling Author Priscilla Shirer All day, every day, an invisible war rages around you unseen, unheard, yet felt throughout every aspect of your life. A devoted, devilish enemy seeks to wreak havoc on everything that matters to you: your heart, your mind, your marriage, your children, your relationships, your resilience, your dreams, your destiny. But his battle plan depends on catching you unaware and unarmed. If you're tired of being pushed around and caught with your guard down, this study is for you. The enemy always fails miserably when he meets a woman dressed for the occasion. The Armor of God, more than merely a biblical description of the believer's inventory, is an action plan for putting it on and developing a personalized strategy to secure victory.

5 Page 5 Join us for September 21st, 7:00 pm Join us Tuesday nights At 6:30pm Ages 16 and older Exercise class On Wednesday & Friday 9:00 am This is a sit down exercise meant for gaining strength. Fire Creek Spared by a God he didn t believe in, Jason Malek comes home with shrapnel wounds in his legs and the memory of his best friend dying in combat. As Jason struggles with the question of why he heard a voice that saved his life, he meets new neighbors who have challenges of their own. As he grows closer to them he discovers they have needs he is uniquely prepared to meet. He also learns more about his relationship to his father, who had been killed in a tragic accident when Jason was a young boy. In the end, he finds that coming home meant much more than what he had thought. Choir 2018 Anyone interested in singing in our Choir, See Denny Powers Bell Choir will start Sept 20 th 5:30-6:30pm Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV) 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. looking for some new Ding-a-lings to add to our group! Will train. Praising God with Hand bells - Make a Joyful Noise! - contact Karen Poland

6 Page 6 SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS 3 Linda Wood 5 Jerry Peterman, 5 Cade Alderink 8 Ione Krueger 11 Barbara Fore 14 Warren Wezell 16 Donna Barns, 16 Bob VanderWal 23 Tim Rogers 27 Shirley McCarthy 28 Buster Davis 30 Juanita Loss So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord s service is ever useless. (1 Corinthians 15:58) OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS 2 Judy Wilcox 3 Joanne Hall 4 Karen Poland 6 Elaine Harkness 7 Marty Levandoski 13 Cindy West 14 Steve Estelle 16 Alberta Schram 16 John Arter 17 Terri Gleason 20 Darlene Anderson, 20 Jill Wezell 22 Julie Grinwis 23 T.J. Morrell Starts September 12th 6:30 pm and continues on the 2nd Wednesday of the month through the school year. * some changes in schedule may appear. First Baptist Church's Children's ministry Starting Sunday, September 2nd,2018 FBC Children's program has begun with starting Sept Children sit in the sanctuary with your family until released for class. Teachers will lead kids to class just before the sermon. Each week there is a take home page and it will be posted here - groups/1stbaptistkids/ Also if you miss a week go to that page to get sort of a recap. We are excited to take this step forward and are praying that God will bless

7 Page 7 or Text to give As a church, we re always looking for ways to help develop and strengthen our faith. We believe that RightNow Media will be a tool to serve all of you as you live out your faith at home, at work and in your neighborhood. RightNow Media has videos for everyone kids, youth, parents, married couples, college students, single adults, working professionals all aimed at helping you grow. Contact Pastor Andy for an official invitation by , to give you FREE access to RightNow Media.

8 Page 8 CELEBRATING FREEDOM IN CHRIST 1070 S. Quarterline Rd. Muskegon, MI Phone: firstbaptistmusk@frontier.com We re on the web Mifbc.com Or on Facebook First Baptist Church ABC or Text to give