THE PROCLAIMER. July 1, 2017

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1 THE PROCLAIMER July 1, 2017 What does it look like to follow God? Jesus calls for us to take small next steps when we turn to follow. We do not jump into the deep end and swim strong; we wade into the water one step at a time. When we do, Jesus will increase our courage and strength so we do not need to be afraid. The promise Jesus makes to those who follow is that no matter what we face in life, we can be fearless because God will be with us in each and every situation. Beginning, June 18, we will discover the steps to following God as disciples of Christ. Join us as we take one step after another in our walk with the Father. Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. WOMEN S MINISTRY Hey Ladies we still have five spots available for the Women of Joy 2017 Conference in San Antonio. The dates are September Here is some information about the trip: We are staying in the La Quinta that is close to the convention center so we can walk to the conference each day. The hotel also provides a continental breakfast. The cost is $254 per person (two people to a room). We will leave at around 9:30 on Friday, Sept 22 and return on Sunday, Sept 24 around noon. The deadline to sign up is August 1 st. (On August 2 nd we will have to relinquish any extra rooms). All balances must be paid by August 6 th. Grab a friend and sign up to go! If you have any questions, please contact Lynda Schantz in the church office. To find out more about the speakers at the conference visit MUSIC MINISTRY Here is your Manchester-by-the-Sea mission team: Londa Henry Donna Jernigan Kathryn Wiseman Kaci Kesterson Jewelet Barnes Kylie Schantz Lynda Schantz Alan Schantz Justin Green This group will be leaving on Saturday, July 15 for a week of ministry with Cornerstone Church and Pastor Ryan Ackerman. We will be doing some interior painting and helping them prepare for their Vacation Bible School. Please be in prayer for this week of ministry! FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, BIG SPRING, TEXAS The mission of First Baptist Church is to evangelize the unsaved, disciple the saved and nur ture all church members.

2 FROM THE PASTOR Just a note to say thank you to all who were instrumental in providing a platform to tell the God s story in Vacation Bible School. Over 200 children heard of God s love for them through His Son, Jesus. I am grateful to Justin and Megan Green for their leadership, along with the many who gave of their time, talents, and resources. We are certainly a church who loves children! This Summer, I am challenging each of us to BLESS others by putting into practice the blessing strategy God gave Abraham for changing the world. And I will bless you and you will be a blessing. (Genesis 12:2) Because of God s blessing upon us, we can turn to bless others. Each day, put into practice at least one of these elements each day. Begin with prayer for those whom God has placed into your life. Listen in conversation with those whom God has placed in your life in order to discover their needs. Eat, share a meal with those whom God has placed in your life, thereby strengthening the relationship. Serve those whom God has placed in your life by seeking to meet the needs discovered in conversation. Story, share the story of Jesus with those whom God has placed in your life and how Jesus has made a difference in you. I would love to hear how the Lord is using you to BLESS others! On social media, use #blessfbc, or send your testimony to BlessFBC@yahoo.com. In conjunction with our Follow God series of messages on Sunday mornings and our study of I Am a Church Member Sunday evenings, our Summer is primed to receive a blessing and to be a blessing! I look forward to worshipping with you this Lord s Day! Bro. Mark ACTS 1:8 OPPORTUNITIES For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 2 Corinthians 2:15 KOSOVO. Thank you for the outpouring of love you showed the Shoshis when they were here and for the tangible gifts that you helped give to their medical practices which is touching the lives of those in their community. Below are some pictures of children who are receiving your gifts of toys through Buqe Shoshi s Pediatric office. DISASTER RELIEF. Several years ago many people in our congregation were trained and certified for Disaster Relief through the Texas Baptist Men. It is time for that certification to be renewed. If you are interested in having your Disaster Relief certification renewed OR you are interested in being certified in Disaster Relief, we will have training on a Saturday morning this fall. You may contact Sherry Lindsey at (870) or Steve Smith at (432) to tell of your interest. More information will be coming soon about dates and times for training. SALVATION ARMY. We are partnering with the Salvation Army in Big Spring in reaching children in our community through their Summer Day Camp. If you would like to donate to help sponsor a child to attend their Summer Day Camp, simply place your donation in one of the envelopes off of the tree in the west foyer and place it in the kettle beside the tree. The Salvation Army tree will be up until August 1. HELP NEEDED. There is a client who comes to the Mission Center with Cerebral Palsy who needs a ramp built at her home. If you have the skills and availability to help with this need, please contact Harvey Rothell. SCHOOL SUPPLIES. Let the shopping begin!!! We will be giving school supplies out at the Mission Center in the month of August. In addition to the Mission Center, we give out supplies to incoming Howard sports teams. You may bring any donations to the table in the west foyer. August. In addition to the Mission Center, we give out supplies to incoming Howard sports teams. You may bring any donations to the table in the west foyer.

3 KID S KORNER EXTENDED SESSION VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL VBS was a huge success! This outreach has grown tremendously in a short time frame. Last year, I prayed that we would have 100 kids show up for VBS. We had 120 on the first day. This year, I prayed for 150 children. We started off the week with 194 kids! God is blessing us as we work to line ourselves up with His will. VBS has made an eternal impact in people s lives. It was amazing to see how grateful parents were that we would go through all of this effort for their children. It was awesome to see so many kids excited to be at church. Through VBS, we had 35 families ask us to give them more information about our church. Many times in church, the ministers are given credit for the success of church events. However, in this case that would be a mistake. More than 60 adult and youth volunteers came every night to make VBS a success. They started working weeks in advance by coming to trainings and planning their week; they decorated their rooms, loved on kids, made connections at the Aquatic Center the following Monday, and then topped it all by coming back to visit every family that asked for more information about our church. TODDLERS AND TWO YEAR OLDS July 2nd: Kaye Barr & Kelli Wigington July 9th: Melissa & Sara Tarbet July 16th: Kristi & McKenna Couch July 23rd: Beth Spence & Wanda Driver July 30th: Pete & Mandy Buske THREE AND FOUR YEAR OLDS July 2nd: Mark & Brigetta Morgan July 9th: Caleb & Karli Smith July 16th: Tera & Garrett Evans July 23rd: Chase & Lindsey Pinkerton July 30th: Mike & Carrie Averette I guess, what I am trying to say is Thank You! It took a lot of people a lot of time to do VBS right. This church is an amazing group of people that worked really hard to reach into Big Spring and to show a lot of lost children an awesome Christ-centered week. SUMMERAMA Summerama is under way. Children are spending Tuesdays and Thursdays at church learning about God s heart for His people. They are averaging over thirty-five kids each day. Tuesdays are set aside for field trips to get the kids out and about. This is a great way to help kids maximize their summer and to teach them about Christ. If you are interested in getting your kids in on the action, contact the church office. FAMILY CAMP There is still plenty of space left for families to attend Family Camp. It is July 28 nd -30 th. The Friday to Sunday schedule will allow parents to minimize the amount of work they have to miss to experience this fun time of bonding and worship. The Big Country Baptist Assembly doesn t have wifi or cell signal. We are going to focus on teamwork and communication within families. There will be guided devotional and worship times as well as tons of recreation for the whole family. The amenities are hotel style suites for each family unit. If you are interested or just want more information, please contact Justin in the church office. I AM A CHURCH MEMBER The children are participating in the church-wide Sunday Night study of Thom Rainer s book I am a Church Member. They are meeting with everyone in the Family Life Center at 5:30 pm to worship and eat. The children then have their own class where we are learning the same concepts as the adults, but with practical application based on their abilities. July 1: Grey Owen July 4: Caylee Myers July 11: Daniel Morgan July 16: Logan Henry July 16: Kayleigh Daniel July 30: Zade Smith WEDNESDAY NIGHTS Over the Summer, families are vacationing and traveling all over the place. Because of this, church attendance can get intermittent. In respect of this fact, we are changing our Wednesday Night schedule for the Summer. We will meet at 6:00 pm in the Family Life Center and will have high energy times of fellowship, learning, and games. Below is a list of the days that we will be meeting. July 12 th Bowling/Skate Night July 26 th Minute to Win It games August 2 nd Water Park Trip August 9 th Ginormous Games Night This fun time is a great way to tackle the I m bored of Summer vacation.

4 ANNOUNCEMENTS Dear FBC friends, Thank you so much for welcoming our bundle of joy in such a sweet way. The prayers, shower and gifts were all amazing to us. We are so thankful for you all and for our baby boy. Hunter & Ashley Brown We are in the early stages of working to provide you with a digital newsletter. We are excited and know you will enjoy this new method of receiving the newsletter. If you have changed your address or have a new one, please let the church office know. MISSION OPPORTUNITIES MISSION CENTER/ FOOD PANTRY Thursday, July 13th 9:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. We are in need of items for the food pantry. We are serving approximately 55 families each month. A few suggested items to pick up when you do your grocery shopping: ramen noodles, canned vegetables (corn and green beans), canned meat (Spam and chicken), dried beans, rice, canned fruit, peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce or hamburger helper. Volunteers are always needed. If you would like to volunteer, come at 8:30 a.m. and be blessed by this amazing ministry. Deacons of the Month Vaughn Martin Eddy Spurgin Jimmy Shanks Ryan Walker Phone Numbers & s If you have changed your home or cell phone or address please let the church office know so we can update our records. : Kick-off June 26th Monday s 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm We will meet in the Dining Room Please come and invite your friends! The cost is $15 for the workbook Call Courtney Samsel ( ) or Lindsey Pinkerton ( ) with any questions. Childcare Provided CHURCH STAFF & OFFICERS Rev. Mark Lindsey Pastor Mike Couch Business Administrator Alan Schantz Minister of Music Jonathan Raffini Minister of Youth Justin Green Minister of Children John Long Minister of Discipleship Tracy Boeker Mother s Day Out Director Erven Fisher Media Center Director Tiana Hergert Financial Secretary Lynda Schantz Music & Youth Secretary Beth Spence Church Secretary SUNDAY SCHEDULE Sunday Bible Study Morning Worship Handbell Rehearsal Men s Ensemble Kids Connection Saturate Youth Evening Worship 9:30 a.m. 10:50 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. First Baptist Church of Big Spring 705 W. FM 700 Big Spring, TX Phone: fbcbigspring.org WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE Adult Bible Study Adult Choir Practice Real LYF Saturate Youth 6:15 p.m.

5 YOUTH NEWS Youth Camp Youth camp was awesome! Pray for the students and decisions that were made. Denver Mission Trip Mission trip to Denver is July Please pray for our students and other adults as we go and help Eric Sanford plant Journeymen Church. If you would like to help sponsor a trip participant you can call Jonathan or Lynda for more details. Parents. As you travel around this summer and hopefully enjoy your summer vacation let me encourage you to be praying for your children. I know that many of you already do that, but let me encourage you to do that a little bit extra. I know I don't have to tell you that your children are busy, stressed, and have many challenges and struggles as they navigate the teenage life. Also, as you do that, let me encourage you to utilize and redeem the time that you have with your students. As you travel the highways this summer, as you watch them be bored, wherever life takes you and them, find time to discuss their relationship with Christ. Ask them questions. See how their day has been, refuse to accept "fine" as an answer. As you know, to a teenager, "fine" can mean anything from, "I had the best day of my life" to "I just had the worst day of my life." I also know and I don't have to tell you, but your children are growing up faster than you wish. Mine are too! I tell my four year old Anna almost daily, "Stop getting bigger" and she replies with, "I can't, Jesus wants me to grow." And she is absolutely right. Jesus does want your child to grow. We as parents cannot stop it. but what we can do for our children is prepare them for the many rocky pathways they are on. Let me encourage you to prepare your children for the holes and rocks of life. They will come. We as parents cannot remove the challenges of growing up, but we can help them better navigate them. Lead them to Jesus. Proverbs 3:6 says "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Summer Youth Calendar If you did not receive a Summer Youth Calendar in the mail, please contact us in the church office and we will get you one asap. You can also download it from the church website: fbcbigspring.org - Youth Page. Highlights of the July Youth Calendar July 2: No Sunday Night Activities July 5: Youth Will Not Meet July 12: Youth Fun Night in Big Spring July 13: Mission Center: Food Pantry 8:45 am to 11:00 am July 15: Leave for Denver Mission Trip July 19: Youth Will Not Meet July 21: Return Home From Denver Mission Trip July 22: Pizza Pool Party at the Morgan s 1700 Allendale Road 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm July 24 25: Possible Six Flags Trip July 26: Youth Fun Night in Stanton Other smaller events my be added at a later date. All events are subject to change or cancellation

6 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Schedule 8:00 a.m. V.A. Ministry 9:15 a.m. Media Center Opens 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10:50 a.m. Morning Worship 4:30 p.m. Handbell Rehearsal 5:30 p.m. Kids Connection 5:30 p.m. Youth at Raffini s Sunday Night Study No Handbell Rehearsals This Month Wednesday Schedule Adult Bible Study Adult Choir Real LYF 6:15 p.m. Saturate Youth Extended Session Toddler to Two Year Olds: July 2: Kaye Barr & Kelli Wigington July 9: Melissa & Sara Tarbet July 16: Kristi & McKenna Couch July 23: Pete & Mandy Buske July 30: Jonathan & Rebekah Raffini Three to Four Year Olds: Mark & Brigetta Morgan Caleb & Karli Smith Tera & Garrett Evans Chase & Lindsey Pinkerton Mike & Carrie Averette If you are unable to work your scheduled day, you will need to contact another volunteer and switch days No Evening Service or Activities Quarterly Business Mtg 7:00 pm I Am A Church Member FLC at 5:30 pm No LLL Office is Closed NO Step Up Camp 7/9 through 7/12 No Choir Rehearsal No Youth Tonight No Children s Activity Youth Fun Night in Big Spring Children: Bowling & Skate Night NO MDO/UMMERAMA Mission Center: Food Pantry I Am A Church Member FLC at 5:30 pm I Am A Church Member FLC at 5:30 pm Deacons Meeting 4:00p.m. I Am A Church Member FLC at 5:30 pm Denver Mission Trip 7/15 7/22 Manchester-by-the-Sea Mission Trip 7/15 through 7/22 No Youth Tonight No Children s Activity Youth Fun Night in Stanton Children: Minute to Win It Night MDO Last Day of Summerama Youth Pizza/Pool Party at the Morgan s 6:00 9:00 pm Family Camp 7/28-7/30