Volume 6, Issue 3. March Newsletter of Petal First Baptist

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1 Volume 6, Issue 3 March Newsletter of Petal First Baptist Greetings! The news is full of terrible things such as the mass shootings in Florida, that have become all too common in our country, to the sad but wonderful news of the passing of the much loved and respected Billy Graham. Both of these events and others have caused me, and I hope you too, to take a step back and look at my life. Life is short and we are never promised tomorrow. Though Billy Graham passed away at the age of 99, he would tell you that his life flashed before him like a blink of an eye. It's like the flowers that I got Emma for Valentines Day, they were so pretty but then just a week later they began to die and she was so sad that we had to go pick some outside! It too reminds us that our life is like a vapor or a flower that is here and gone tomorrow. The 2 questions I would ask each of us are: (1) Are we ready to meet Jesus and do you have that hope and assurance (do we have that personal relationship with Him)? (2) Will your life and mine count for eternity with what we leave behind? I pray that you are ready and that you are making your life matter for eternity! I love what Billy Graham said in a quote well before he died: Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God. We continue our march through Route 66 as we journey through the entire Bible in Again, I hope that you are hanging in there with the 3D (Digging Deeper Daily) Bible weekly reading plan. If you get behind, start reading where we are currently and then catch up on what you missed as you have time! The Lord has brought some incredibly challenging and encouraging words to us as a Church Family both in LifeGroups and in Worship as we all together Listen, Learn, Love and Live His Word more than ever before! Remember there is a great website that has some incredible videos and other teaching material that many of our LifeGroups are using at Check it out! Messages for the month of March March 4-1st & 2nd Samuel - "The Rise of a King" March 11-1st & 2 Kings - "The Beginning of the End" March 18-1st & 2nd Chronicles - "A History for Hope" March 25 - Ezra - "A Remnant & It's Renewal" We will talk more about this in our next newsletter but Easter is early this year (just 4 weeks away) on Sunday, April 1st and also Ingathering Sunday for our Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. We are planning to offer once again 2 identical Easter Services at 8:45 and 10:30. Please start praying now about who you will invite and also about your sacrificial gift for North American Missions which can help us

2 reach the over 240 million people in America who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I am hoping and praying to see each of you here this coming Sunday as we come together to worship our wonderful Savior and dive deep into His Word in both LifeGroups and Worship! In Christ Alone, Brad The Garage Sale is this Saturday, March 3rd, at 7 am. Come shop and support our Haiti Team! Contact the church office at for more information. Daylight Savings Time is only a little over a week away! We will be "Springing Forward" so don't forget to set your clocks!

3 Easter Sunday is April 1st! LifeGroups will not meet and there will be two services: 8:45 am and 10:30 am. Childcare will be provided for both services. Come celebrate our risen Savior with us and invite someone to join you! The in-gathering for our Annie Armstrong Easter Offering will be on Easter Sunday, April 1st. Petal FBC's goal this year is $16,000+ and the national goal is $70 million. 100% of your gifts to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering supports North American missionaries. You can visit anniearmstrong.com for more specific information about the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.

4 We will observe the Lord's Supper, Sunday, March 25th. Plan to join us for this special time of remembrance. All high school guys are invited to join us for a hiking trip March 15th-17th, which is the Thursday-Saturday at the end of Spring Break. Contact Chris or Charley for more information.

5 Dates for MFuge 2018 are June 18th- The annual Empowered to Connect Conference will be simulcast April 13th-14th here at the church. Come experience practical teaching in a safe and supportive community as we work to equip families, churches, and professionals to better serve children impacted by adoption and foster care. Contact the church office at for more information. Secret Church will be held April 20th from 6 pm - 12 am. The topic this year is "Cults and Counterfeit Gospels". It will answer such questions as "what false gospels are being taught today?" and "how can we recognize the true gospel among the counterfeits?". The cost is $10. Call the church office by March 25th to sign up or for more information.

6 23rd. It will be at the University of Mobile in Mobile, AL. Make sure to get your deposits in if you haven't already. For more information, contact Chris at Kid's Camp 2018 will be June 25th- 27th. Camp is open to children who have completed 2nd to 5th grades. A deposit of $50 is due by March 18th. To register, complete a form which can be found on the counter in the children's area. Call Denise with questions at A team will be going to Haiti July 7th-13th. A deposit of $50 is due this Sunday, March 4th. Contact Melanie Blanton ( or ) if you are interested in going or have questions.

7 If you are interested in going to Southeast Asia in the Spring or Fall of 2018, please contact Melanie Blanton at or Be a part of helping us reach our unreached, unengaged people group. Don't let cost be a hindrance! A companion devotional with the reading plan along with extra resources to help you get the most out of reading through the Bible in Cost: $10 Our journey through the entire Bible is underway! Each Sunday Pastor Brad preaches on a book of the Bible and the next Sunday LifeGroups work their way through that book. It's an exciting journey already and we've only gotten started! If you miss a message, listen to it on our Facebook page, or the church app. The Chronological Bible we are encouraging everyone to read through in It is also on the Bible App. Hard copies will be $15. Family Friendly Wednesday Nights continue 5:30 p.m. with Family Supper followed by opportunities for the entire 6:15 p.m. Pastor Brad has begun a new series in Refuel entitled Sharing Jesus Without Freaking Out. Learn practical ways to connect the Gospel to everyday conversations. Books are available for

8 $5 each. Wednesday Night Supper Menu for MARCH: March 7 Loaded Baked Potatoes Kid Option: PB & J Sandwiches Blueberry Pie, Pineapple Cake, Cookie & Cake Bars March 14 SPRING BREAK - No Wednesday Night Activities March 21 Chicken Sandwich, Corn, Steamed Broccoli Kid Option: Chicken Nuggets Buttermilk Pie, Brownies, Banana Pudding March 28 Tacos, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans Kid Option: Cheese Quesadillas Cinnamon Cream Pie, 5-Flavor Pound Cake, Cookies 3D (Digging Deeper Daily) MARCH READING PLAN Week 9 (February 26-March 3) Day 1 - Numbers 6-9 Day 2 - Numbers 10-13, Psalm 90 Day 3 - Numbers 14-16, Psalm 95 Day 4 - Numbers Day 5 - Numbers Day 6 - Numbers Week 10 (March 5-10) Day 1 - Numbers Day 2 - Numbers Day 3 - Deuteronomy 1-3 Day 4 - Deuteronomy 4-7 Day 5 - Deuteronomy 8-11

9 Day 6 - Deuteronomy Week 11 (March 12-17) Day 1 - Deuteronomy Day 2 - Deuteronomy Day 3 - Deuteronomy Day 4 - Deuteronomy Day 5 - Deuteronomy Day 6 - Joshua 1-2, Psalm 105 Week 12 (March 19-24) Day 1 - Joshua 3-6 Day 2 - Joshua 7-10 Day 3 - Joshua Day 4 - Joshua Day 5 - Joshua Day 6 - Joshua 22-24, Judges 1 Week 13 (March 26-31) Day 1 - Judges 2-5 Day 2 - Judges 6-9 Day 3 - Judges Day 4 - Judges Day 5 - Judges Day 6 - Ruth 1-4 Click this link to start the reading plan on the Bible App: petalfbc.com LifeGroups continue at 9 am each Sunday. It's not too late to jump into a small group as we are walking through the Bible book by book in connection with our Route 66 Message Series and reading through the Bible in Here is the link to the listing of our LifeGroups. You can also check out this website that we will be using that has some great resources to help in this journey.

10 Thank you so much for the plant you sent and all the love and prayers. It's so wonderful Kylind Wittenberg by baptism Reid Palmer by baptism James Spiers by baptism Dear Church Family,

11 to have a church family that cares so much. I love and thank you all, Larry Collins Click the link to access the Monthly Church calendar! Connect with us