THE BRIDGE PAGE 1 VOL. 9 NO. 37 SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

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1 THE BRIDGE PAGE 1 VOL. 9 NO. 37 SEPTEMBER 21, 2016 We have a team of six of our ABC members led by Sherwood Moffett who leave for Japan this Thursday, September 22. Those joining Sherwood include Virginia Kreimeyer, Darlene Higgs, and Scott, Debbie, and Allison Agthe. They will be working in student ministries in Fukuoka, Japan. Let s carry them to the Lord each day that God will use their ministry to draw students to Christ and will provide safety to them in their travel. This Sunday, September 25, we will concentrate on the second Beatitude: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Mourning is not typically something that the world would call a blessing, but Jesus does. I look forward to showing you why this week. Pray that God will minister to hearts that are heavy through this Beatitude and teach us all the value of genuine mourning. One of the things that I truly appreciate about Austin Baptist Church is that we are a congregational form of government where every member has the opportunity to have a voice and a vote. More and more churches are abandoning such congregational government which I personally believe is the form of church government you see in the book of Acts. Our records are an open book and our business conferences are open to members and even guests. If you did not already know this, our business conferences are typically held the Wednesday after the 4 th Monday of the month. (The 4 th Monday of the month is ordinarily the night of our Deacon s Meeting.) Because we have a wellorganized committee system, those business meetings are usually brief. This gives us time to have Bible study together (I am presently teaching through the book of Revelation). I appreciate the strong interest shown in participating in these meetings and cordially invite any who have not yet attended to join in when you can. Gary Dyer, Pastor John 3:30 WHAT S INSIDE Staff Anniversaries... 2 Membership From the Heart of J. Parker... 3 Music Notes from Dodie... 4 Call to Prayer... 4 Russell Goodbye Reception... 4 Electrify (Matt Gillum)... 5 Mom2Mom... 6 Women s Bible Study... 6 Lamplighters... 7 APRC Extravaganza... 7 Retrospective... 8 Book Drive... 9 Trunk or Treat... 9 Parents Night Out... 9 Student Activities Upcoming Events Construction Photos... 12

2 PAGE 2 THE BRIDGE Staff Anniversaries STAFF Dr. Gary Dyer SENIOR PASTOR Cell garyd@aus nbap stchurch.com Dr. David Procter EXECUTIVE PASTOR Cell davidp@aus nbap stchurch.com John Parker ASSOCIATE PASTOR OF MUSIC & WORSHIP Cell johnp@aus nbap stchurch.com Ma Gillum MINISTER TO STUDENTS & THEIR FAMILIES Cell ma g@aus nbap stchurch.com Cathy Smith MINISTER TO CHILDREN & THEIR FAMILIES Cell cathys@aus nbap stchurch.com Dodie Morris MUSIC & WORSHIP ASSOCIATE dodiem@aus nbap stchurch.com Jon Marc Burge CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP ASSOCIATE jonb@aus nbap stchurch.com ADMINISTRATION Chris na Mendoza MINISTERIAL STAFF EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT / IT SPECIALIST chris nam@aus nbap stchurch.com Jennifer Koret FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR jenniferk@aus nbap stchurch.com Rita Jones OFFICE MANAGER ritaj@aus nbap stchurch.com Derek Tacke FACILITIES MANAGER Cell derekt@aus nbap stchurch.com Cli een Samuelson EVENTS COORDINATOR events@aus nbap stchurch.com Joe Pere DIRECTOR OF MEDIA MINISTRY joep@aus nbap stchurch.com SUPPORT STAFF Bill Dickson, FINANCE CLERK billd@aus nbap stchurch.com Elena Samper, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT elenas@aus nbap stchurch.com Ka Dobbs, CHILDREN S MINISTRY ASSOCIATE ka d@aus nbap stchurch.com Four years ago, two people became members of our wonderful staff. Jennifer Koret became our Financial Accountant on September 10, Derek Tackett became our Facilities Manager on September 24, We were moving into our new facility that month. As the scope and complexity of church business operations expanded, the need for a full-time inancial accountant was obvious. Jennifer is a blessing to our church and to our staff. Her understanding of inancial data and attention to detail are important in our day-to-day operations and in record-keeping and reporting. We anticipated the need for a facilities manager as we prepared to transition to our new campus in Derek has been a friend and coworker for many years, at Hyde Park and at Austin Baptist Church. We love his family and appreciate the long hours of hard work that Derek gives to our congregation. He does an incredible job of keeping our facilities beautiful and ready to use. And his job is growing as new buildings are completed! Abel Medina has served on our facilities staff for two years as of September 25. Abel is a friend to all of us, and helps keep our expanding facilities in wonderful condition. He serves daily in the spirit of Jesus Christ. David Procter Considering Joining the Church? Membership 101 is for those interested in inding out more about ABC and are considering membership. If you ve been worshipping with us and would like to learn more about our church, we invite you to attend. The ABC family wants to encourage and disciple those who God brings to our church and help them feel welcome and truly a part of the family. Participation does not commit you to membership. No need for reservations! Just plan to attend! The next class meets on Sunday, October 9, 2016, at 10:10 a.m. in the Choir Room. Pastor Gary Dyer invites all interested persons to attend!

3 THE BRIDGE PAGE 3 CHRIST LIFE We are off to a great start with our young adult Bible Study, but there s plenty of room for more. Let me know you re interested and I ll you the PowerPoint from our irst session, so you can easily catch up. We meet in room 243-A on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 7:00 p.m. Childcare and KIDZMUZIK is available for children of all ages. THANK YOU, FAMILY CHOIR...for leading in worship so beautifully last Sunday. It was so heart-warming to watch parents and children singing together for the glory of God. Room 108 MEN: MAKE PLANS NOW! Our last Men s Choir was such a huge success, we re doing it again! Men of all ages, make plans now to come rehearse on Wednesday, November 9, and lead in worship in the 9:00 a.m. service on November 13. MUSIC IN WORSHIP Sunday, September 25, :00 a.m. Leaning on the Everlasting Arms Standing on the Promises The River Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine Blessings He Hideth My Soul 11:11 a.m. Your Love Awakens Me For Who You Are Healer Resurrecting Sovereign Over Us Blessings, John Parker

4 PAGE 4 THE BRIDGE From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2 The music for Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. is old, solid stuff. Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, Standing on the Promises, and Blessed Assurance are all statements of steadfast faith in God and His love and care for us. And they are fun to sing! Leaning and Standing could be old bluegrass tunes; and they both make the men sing twice as many words as the women! Blessed Assurance just begs to be sung revival -style with the sopranos competing for airspace on the ending, all the day long! The invitation hymn has special signi icance for me. You guessed it my daddy used to sing it. I still remember the irst time I heard it. When I was about ten years old, we visited a church that was using screens long before it became a requirement for worship. Trying to learn a song without the printed A Safe Place score was almost unheard of, but we managed to sing along a little bit as the congregation sang He Hideth My Soul. Dad was so taken with the melody that he began immediately to pick out the notes on our old piano, and he sang it as a solo (sometimes in church sometimes on the roof of our house) many times over the years. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock That shadows a dry, thirsty land. He hideth my life in the depths of His love And covers me there with His hand, And covers me there with His hand. As I got older and discovered the dif icult childhood my dad had experienced, I realized that the text of this old hymn must have been a balm for his wounded spirit. Just imagine being hidden from all danger and covered with God s hand! No wonder he loved to sing it! I have found a beautiful recording of it. Take a few minutes and listen: He Hideth My Soul v=gcsk_m-nnmc Dodie Goodbye Recep on for the Russells Sunday, September 25 1:00 2:00 p.m. ABC Great Hall Join us as we bid farewell to Jeb, Kayla, Elizabeth, and Ada Russell. This will be a good chance to spend time with this family that has served in so many areas of church, both as staff and volunteers. A gift card tree will be available. Light refreshments will be served. PHOTO BY CATHY SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY

5 THE BRIDGE PAGE 5 Ever get irritated by the news? It seems like day in, day out, there s someone else that is making everyone outraged. One of the latest outrages is over Tim Tebow. If you ve not followed baseball lately, Tim Tebow is attempting to make a transition to playing Major League Baseball. Currently, he is in the middle of instructional league for the New York Mets. Many in the sports media world are outraged that he is trying this, saying it s a publicity stunt that is keeping minor leaguers from getting the shot they deserve. There is a bias against Tim Tebow, and the media is acting out undeserved anger toward him because of some kind of perceived hypocrisy. In Galatians 2, Paul gives an account of deserved anger that he felt toward the Apostle Peter. Apparently, Peter had been spending time in Antioch with Gentiles (i.e., non-jews). He associated with them and was glad to welcome them into the church. However when folks from Jerusalem came, he started separating himself from the Gentiles. This enraged Paul for a very good reason. Peter was supposed to be one of the truthbearers for the young church. Yet his actions produced a lie: that to be a Christian, one had to be Jewish and could not associate with unclean people. As Paul says, this kind of action was not in line FORMER NFL QB TIM TEBOW MAKES MINOR LEAGUE DEBUT with the truth of the Gospel. Paul goes on to write one of the most beautiful passages of the entire Bible, sharing the truth that our identity is found in the cruci ied Christ and not our own actions. And as Paul so poignantly shares: I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the Law, Christ died for nothing! (Galatians 2:21) We are the truthbearers to the world. As we act like people who have earned their way into the Chris an club, we stand in the same guilt as Peter. This is the eternal struggle we face as human beings. We constantly push and strive to earn our salvation. We place an enormous amount of stock in being good people and doing good things. But the truth is, Christ has done the work for us. He has saved us, and it is through His sacri ice that we can see heaven. The only results of works-righteousness are judgment, criticism, insecurity, and shame. Any good works we do should low from our gratitude for the grace of God and not from some desire to honor ourselves! It is this grace that invites all to enter into the Kingdom of God. As it has been said, The world says Do! but Christ says, It is Done. We are the truthbearers to the world. As we act like people who have earned their way into the Christian club, we stand in the same guilt as Peter. We have to approach our world with the attitude that anything good we do is by the grace of God and that through Christ we can live our lives in freedom. That will be the truth that will draw people toward the saving grace of Christ! May we be a church that lives without hypocrisy, illed with grace and focused on glorifying Jesus! By Christ s Love, Matt

6 PAGE 6 THE BRIDGE In this study, you will discover evidence of God s mission for motherhood and His greater purpose for each and every woman. Ques ons? Contact Ginger Tew at gingertew@yahoo.com.

7 THE BRIDGE PAGE 7 Members & Guests: Leadership is crucial to the success of nations, states, cities, communities, and, in fact, our families themselves. Join us Sunday as we see God s perspective on leadership as expressed in the book of 1 Samuel. Zack Note: Lamplighters is our largest Bible Fellowship Group for adults. They currently meet in the Sanctuary. A new meeting room for them is planned within the current construction project. Always wanted to go on an Alaskan Cruise/Land Tour but wanted to go with someone who knows the land well? Gary and Teena Dyer will be hosting a 14-day, 13-night trip on August 6-19, Included in the tour will be three nights in Denali National Park, two nights in Anchorage, and a night in Vancouver, Canada. The Dyers have extensive experience traveling to Alaska and look forward to helping others enjoy the special and scenic wonders of America s largest and northernmost state. Learn more at an informational meeting on Wednesday, September 28, 7:15 p.m. in the Chapel.

8 PAGE 8 THE BRIDGE Adrian Gillum, Audra Parker, Mark Caesar, and Ma Gillum are pictured in last Sunday s worship which included a Family Choir of all ages in the 9:00 a.m. service. The new Wednesday night program for children, KIDZMUZIK, kicked off with lots of fun and games, and even a bouncy house inflatable (see five photos above). KIDZMUZIK is for children from age 3 (they must be po y trained) through 5th graders. Meets at 6 p.m. in the new Children s Area of the East Building. The West Aus n Chamber of Commerce (photos to the le and below) met for their monthly luncheon at ABC and, while they were here, celebrated the opening of the new ABC East Building with a ribbon cu ng ceremony.

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11 THE BRIDGE PAGE 11 NEXT WEEK AT ABC Sunday, September 25 9:00 a.m. Traditional Worship Service 10:10 a.m. Bible Fellowship Groups 11:11 a.m. Contemporary Worship Service 1:00 p.m. Goodbye Reception for the Russell Family Monday, September 26 6:30 p.m. Deacons Meeting, Great Hall Wednesday, September 28 5:00 p.m. If My People Prayer Time, Rm 108 Fellowship Meal, Great Hall 6:00 p.m. Church Business Meeting/Bible Study, Great Hall FELLOWSHIP MENU Wednesday, September 28 Fried Chicken, Potato Salad & Baked Beans DEACONS ON CALL Week of September 26, 2016 Demetrius Loukas Randy Wilt RECURRING EVENTS AT ABC Sunday 2:00 p.m. AWANA Clubs for Kids Joyful Noise Rehearsal, Choir Room Monday 9:30 a.m. Tiny Tots & Tunes Tuesday 9:30 a.m. Tiny Tots & Tunes 10:30 a.m. Tiny Tots & Tunes 6:30 p.m. 11:11 Band Rehearsal Wednesday 10:00 a.m. Tiny Tots & Tunes 4:30 p.m. Student Ministry AXIS Hangout/Study 5:00 p.m. Fellowship Meal 5:30 p.m. Student Ministry AXIS Early Bible Study 6:00 p.m. Handbells Kidzmuzik Christ-Life Young Adult Bible Study, Rm 243-A Life s Healing Choices, Rm 205 6:30 p.m. Student Dinner (AXIS) 7:00 p.m. Student-Led Worship (AXIS) 7:15 p.m. SM Bible Study for Latecomers (AXIS) Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal 7:45 p.m. Orchestra Rehearsal Thursdays 9:45 a.m. Mom2Mom, Rm. 244 Women s Bible Study, Rm. 243 ON THE HORIZON OUR RESPONSE TO GOD S FAITHFULNESS Our Tithes & Offerings YTD General Fund $71, $2,031, Designated $3, $55, Bldg./Strong Foundation $2, $385, Fill the Rooms $ $329, Total Giving $78, $2,802, Building on a Strong Foundation Total to Date $4,189, October 2 Acteens Fall Food Drive Begins 5 i-serve: Vandergrift Homecoming Parade Outreach & Evangelism Team Meeting 7 Parents Night out 9 Membership Adults on Mission Meeting 12 Students: Field of Faith 16 Mission Committee Meeting Finance Committee Meeting 22 Students: The Climb 23 Trustees Meeting 24 Deacons Meeting 26 Church Business Meeting 30 Trunk or Treat Our Attendance :00 Service :11 Service 198 Bible Fellowship 789 Amistad 17 Mary Hill Davis Offering Goal $7, To-Date $4, November 2 Outreach & Evangelism Team Meeting 4 Parents Night Out 5 Turkey Bowl 10 Hill Toppers Event, Great Hall 13 Membership 101 Finance Committee Meeting 14 Adults on Mission Committee Meeting 16 Churchwide Thanksgiving Dinner 23 No Midweek Meal or Activities 24 Thanksgiving Holiday - ABC Of ices Closed 25 ABC Of ices Closed AUSTIN BAPTIST CHURCH 7016 RIBELIN RANCH DRIVE AUSTIN, TX

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