Dr. Don Y. Gordon Interim Senior Pastor

Transcription

1 I m Going to Be a Grandfather The life of an interim senior pastor isn t all about balancing budgets, filling pews, and building bridges to the future. It s also about the daily stuff of life that makes you shout with joy and cry in sorrow. Last week my oldest daughter, Sarah, gave me permission to share the news that I m going to have a grandson in late December. Sarah is my first born, gracing my life and the world 30 years ago. When she was a toddler people said she looked so much like me it appeared I spit her out. We immediately began to pray for this malady and the Lord answered our prayers, and now she doesn t look much like me at all. An intelligent introvert, she is a graduate of UNC in Chapel Hill and later received an M.Div. at Campbell University Divinity School. Today she is an excellent children s minister at Hayes Barton Bap/st Church in Raleigh, one of the strongest CBF churches in North Carolina. I have never known anyone who loved children as much as she does. When she was in college, if she had the choice between going to a party with her best girl friends or babysi2ng any child for free, she would choose the later. I ll admit I was concerned about her capacity for becoming pregnant a3er five years of marriage and s/ll no jackpot. Well, she and husband Bryan hit the jackpot. I helped raise 3 daughters so I spent a good deal of my younger adult years playing dress up, tea par/es, hide and go seek, overseeing slumber par/es with a house full of girls, exploring the creek and woods across the street from our house and many other fun things. I really didn t mind if the girls and their friends would dress me up at their slumber par/es, put on a dress, put lips/ck on my face, a hat on my head, and a set of pearls around my neck. Oh, that kind of photo wouldn t go on my resume, but this wasn t resume /me. It was daughter /me. Later, I would coach Sarah in soccer as well as her other sisters in tennis and basketball. My parental mo5o was: I will only have these girls for a li5le while, so they will be my priority over my work and play. James, the brother of Jesus, wrote, Every good and perfect gi3 is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shi3ing shadows (James 1:17). I consider my three daughters a gi3 from God and I will consider this new grandson a gi3 from God as well. And if my peer grandparents are anywhere close to right, it will be a gi3 that is good beyond my imagina/on. So praise be to God. Dr. Don Y. Gordon Interim Senior Pastor

2 BUDGET You will have the opportunity to attend one of two budget presentations. The first budget presentation will be held on Wednesday, September 5, with a Fiesta Celebration beginning at 5:00pm. The budget presentation will follow the meal at 6:00pm. The second budget presentation will be on Sunday, September 16, immediately following worship service. A lite lunch will be served. Each presentation will last approximately one hour. NEW JOB TITLE The Personnel Commiee in consultaon with the Interim Senior Pastor has changed the job tle for Rendell Hipps from Minister of Educaon and Discipleship to Associate Pastor of Discipleship. This change came about through a review of job descripons for all ministerial staff led by the Interim Senior Pastor. The raonale for the change is two-fold. First, Rendell has been carrying out the role of an associate pastor in many respects for a number of years. Second, the modern church has moved away from the language of educaon which is a term from academia, to the language of discipleship which is more directly biblical. Rendell will be connuing to help the FBC Hickory make disciples of Jesus Christ and sending them into the world to make other disciples. We are grateful for his commitment and competency in this sacred vocaon. This will not be another boring budget presentation. On Wednesday, September 5, we will begin the evening with our first new food service style. Our theme will be Fiesta Night. The evening will continue after dinner with a fun-filled budget presentation including prayer, video, testimonies, humor, and yes, a little bit of seriousness. New Wednesday night meal reservation process and pricing apply. Children s fall activities are provided. NOMINATING COMMITTEE Please prayerfully consider where you can serve at FBC. The nominang commiee is beginning its work, and there's a place at FBC for everyone to serve. Before ge=ng a call from the nominang commiee, pray in advance for God to lead you to the place He wants you to serve. DEACON NOMINATIONS Deacon nominaon have been sent to all members. As you determine someone to nominate, you must review the informaon on the card with them and have them sign the nominaon card showing their willingness to perform the dues required. Be sure all other informaon is filled out including your signature, and turn the card in to the church office no later than noon on Sunday, September 9. You may pick up addional nominaon cards in the church office. When nominaons are closed, a list of nominated persons will be distributed to all church members. NEW MEMBER We welcome Emma Brown who professed faith in Christ and was bapzed on August 19. CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED The church office will be closed Monday, September 3 in observance of Labor Day. In the event of an emergency please contact the minister on call. The minster on call can be reached by calling the church office and pressing opon 0. The church office will reopen Tuesday, September 4 at 8:30am. MISSIONS OFFERING An opportunity to give to the NC Missions Offering and CBF Anniversary Campaign will be September 2 9. Envelopes will be available around the church or you can designate gihs on your regular giving envelope.

3 SAVANNAH MISSION TRIP The CMT mission trip to Savannah, GA was a blessed and fruiiul mission event. Our FBC team of 58 responded to God s call to be obedient stewards of our me and talent. The team was salt upon the earth. A total of 6 roofs were replaced, 2 fences were replaced, 3 houses were painted, 2 floors at a community center were repaired, a day-care facility was prepped for the coming school year, and a VBS was conducted. The team wishes to express its thanks to FBC for their faithful financial and prayer support. We were your hands and feet in Savannah! WEDNESDAY NIGHTS THIS FALL Be sure to come on Wednesday nights for Wednesday night family supper (5:00-6:00pm), followed by prayer me (6:00 6:15) and our Wednesday night Bible study beginning at 6:15. will begin a study of the book of Exodus: From Oppression to Restora/on on September 12. Children s Music and Missions Ac3vi3es are as follows: 6:00pm Preschool Music & Missions (Room 133) Mission Shakers K-2nd (Room 167) Young Musicians 3rd-6th (Room 179) 6:30pm GA s 3rd-6th (Room 233) RA s 3rd-6th (Room 163) Music Makers 3rd-6th (Room 179) Refuge Student Ministries 6:00pm LIFEGroups (Youth Suite) On the cover Emma Brown is bap zed professing new life in Christ.

4 September 2-10:30am Our Father September 9-10:30am Whatever Happened to Reverence? September 16-10:30am September 23-10:30am Thy Kingdom Come FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 339 Second Avenue, Northwest Hickory, North Carolina Volume 18, Issue 9 First Bap3st Church, Hickory, NC Return Service Requested Phone: (828) Fax: (828) info@uc.cc Website: Don Gordon, Interim Senior Pastor Rendell Hipps, Associate Pastor of Discipleship David Wachter, Interim Minister to Students Steve Clarke, Minister of Music & Worship Cindi Morrison, Director of Children's Ministry Bert Schmid, Church Administrator Andris Rozukalns, organist Staff (last name)@uc.cc September 30-10:30am Give Us What We Need Study of Exodus lead by. Beginning at 6:15pm. American Red Cross Bloodmobile First Bapst Church September 9, :30 5:00 PM Sign up at church or Online at redcrossblood.org or Call

5 MINISTER ON CALL September 7 Rev. Rendell Hipps on call ( ) September 14 Dr. Larry Phillips on call ( ) September 21 Rev. Mike Sigmon on call ( ) September 28 on call ( ) DEACONS OF THE WEEK D?@ABCD EBF GH? W??I BE S?JG?KL?F 1-7 Jack Pressly, Coordinator Gary Woods Jim Woolf Kiy Yount D?@ABCD EBF GH? W??I BE S?JG?KL?F 8-14 Tom Guthrie, Coordinator Alan Benne Kelly Clark Brenda Bost D?@ABCD EBF GH? W??I S?JG?KL?F Ashley Hightower, Coordinator Norma Flores Ruth Ann Carreira Greg Watson D?@ABCD EBF GH? W??I BE S?JG?KL?F Kris3n Herring, Coordinator Chris Paulsen Daniel Lucaciu Susan Haire D?@ABCD EBF GH? W??I BE S?JG?KL?F 29-OAG. 5 Dwight Has3ngs, Coordinator Terry Johnson Jim Meade Ron Miller SECURITY TEAM September 2 Bob Parlier September 9 Phillip Burns September 16 John Carreira September 23 Bernie Whitmer September 30 Thomas Hand September 2 9am - Kara Wi5enberg 10:15am - Kara Wi5enberg Infants Walkers & Two s Phillip Bumgarner Three s & Four s Jewell Mabery & Jerry Long Coordinator: Ruth Ann Carreira Children s Church: Children in Worship September 9 9am - Ashley Dyson 10:15am - Gail Ford Infants Walkers & Two s Aaron Bliss & Becky Icard Three s & Four s Christy Greene & Danielle Paulsen Coordinator: Sandra Foster Children s Church: Beth Watson & Kristen Keener September 16 9am - Kris/n Herring 10:15am - Infants Walkers & Two s Traci Palmer & April Teague Three s & Four s Tiffany Hightower & Ruth Hasngs Coordinator: Mechele McCormack Children s Church: Fran Ballengee & Caroline Trado September 23 9am - 10:15am - Dana Woods Infants Eric Johnson & Linda Wike Walkers & Two s Ashley Dyson Three s & Four s Jeanne Davis Coordinator: Sally Johnson Children s Church: Carolyn Icard & Adrianna Bailey September 30 9am - 10:15am - Kara Wi5enberg Infants Becky Hedrick & Debby Cook Walkers & Two s Rebecca Tanner & Greg Watson Three s & Four s Noelle Wachter & Evelyn Terry Coordinator: Terry Starnes Children s Church: Krisn Herring & Ruthann Waters

6 A Fresh New Model for Wednesday Night Supper We will begin a fresh new model for Wednesday night supper on Wednesday, September 5 as we launch into an excing season of fellowship and Chrisan discipleship. The meals will be catered from local high quality restaurants (Chic-fil-a, Liazzo s, Salsarita s, just to name a few) and will be served from 5:00 6:00 pm in the fellowship hall. Following the meal, our children s music and missions, youth discipleship groups, and adult Bible study and prayer me begin at 6:00 pm. Here s how the meals will work: 1. Reserva3ons must be made every week The deadline each week for reservaons will be Monday at 5:00pm. Reservaons can be made as early as the prior Wednesday at the cashier s desk. In order to eliminate the possibility of individuals with standing reservaons not showing up for a meal, thus causing the church to lose money, we will not have standing reservaons. But for your convenience, reservaons can be made in the following easy ways: 1. At the cashier s desk weekly for the following week 2. On the Connec/on Card in each Sunday s worship bullen 3. Online at (click the meal reservaon buon) 4. By phone ( ) 2. Costs Adults and Youth: $8 Children (K 6 th grade): $5.50 Preschool: Free Maximum cost per family: $28 3. Payment As usual, meals must be paid for at the cashier s desk prior to entering the serving line. If someone makes a reservaon and doesn t show up, he/she will receive by postal mail or a reminder that reimbursement to the church for the cost of the meal is due. Because catered meals will be ordered and paid for in advance based on the exact number of reservaons made for that week, any church member who does not pay for a meal for which they made a reservaon must pay for that meal before being served the next meal. For example, if you made a reservaon for Wednesday, September 5 and didn t show up, the next me you come for a meal you will need to pay for two meals, the one you missed and the one that evening. Payments can be made by cash, check, or credit card. 4. Meals The meals will be catered from local restaurants. An effort will be made to ensure that the meals are child-friendly and are delicious favorites that most people will enjoy. A schedule will be publicized ahead of me so you will know which restaurant is providing the meal each evening. The catered items will be the main dish and side dishes. FBC Hickory will provide our fresh salad bar, beverages and desserts as part of the meal.