April 2013 Sunday 9:00 A.M. - Bible Study 10:00 A.M. - Morning Worship 6:00 P.M. -- Evening Worship 6:00 P.M. Jr. & Sr. High Youth

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1 April 2013 Sunday 9:00 A.M. - Bible Study 10:00 A.M. - Morning Worship 6:00 P.M. -- Evening Worship 6:00 P.M. Jr. & Sr. High Youth Wednesday 6:30 P.M. - Mid-Week Worship Service 6:30 P.M. - Jr. & Sr. High Youth Greeters East-Angelia Anderson West-Geneann & Jayden Dale Nursery Workers 7 Connie Liechty & Christy Knapp 14 Joe & Kara Randall 21 Geneann Dale & Jenni McCammon 28 Connie Liechty & Christy Knapp First Baptist Church Linton, IN Phone: firstbaptistlinton@gmail.com Or visit us on the web at: firstbaptistlinton.org April 2013 Sing I recently had the pleasure of spending four wonderful nights preaching in revival services for Pastor Tom East and the Williams First Baptist Church of Williams, Indiana. Williams is down near Bedford, more-or-less. You drive to Bedford, turn right, and then drive to the edge of the world. When Pastor Tom called to invite me, at first I turned him down. My first thought was: It sounds exhausting! Then I thought: I don t want to be the guy who just wants to sit in a rocking chair! I debated back and forth internally, talked to my wife, talked to our chairman of deacons and a couple others. Finally, after much vacillating and asking God what to do, I told Pastor East I d come. (Then I immediately had second thoughts!) Well, it was exhausting, but also renewing for me personally. I d have to let the people of Williams First Baptist tell you how they thought the meetings went; but for my part, I stood up at the right time, faced the right direction, and managed not to say anything too embarrassing. But I felt ministered to by this wonderful church and its pastor, way out there on a ridge in southern Indiana. I found in Tom East a brother and new friend, not only in Christ but in the ministry. And the personal conversations we had were such an encouragement to me. I hope they were to him as well. Williams First Baptist has a sweet spirit...such a sweet spirit! You can feel it when you walk in, and you can see it on the faces of their people. I told them how wonderful it was, and to guard it well because it really ticks the devil off! But the thing that surprised me most, for which I was totally unprepared, was the singing. They sang! When it came time for the congregational singing, some of them walked up on the platform and grabbed microphones, some of them picked up instruments, and all of the opened their mouths and sang! It was electric! I don t mean the instruments were electric (though some of them were). I mean the atmosphere of the meeting was electrifying, energetic, enthusiastic. It was joyful! And by the time they were done singing, even an Episcopalian could have preached! Let me let you in on a little secret: how the congregation sings and the musicians play in the first part of a church service is either an immense help or an immense obstacle to the preaching of the Gospel. The President of the Bible College I went to, Dr. W. E. Dowell, told our class of young preachers that the songleader, choir and musicians can either make or kill a service. He

2 said sometimes he d had to get up to preach after a real dead song service, and felt like he had an immense obstacle to overcome before he could get the message of the Gospel over to the people. I understand what he meant. Sometimes I have stood up to preach and felt as if I had to climb a 45-degree slope just to get going in the sermon. It really does feel like you re somehow trying to climb uphill. Now I will admit to you that Williams First Baptist has an advantage we don t have: they have a relatively flat, wooden ceiling. All the sound they make goes up, bounces off that ceiling, and is reflected right back down to the congregation. You are literally surrounded by the music and the singing. Not like a rock concert: not painfully loud. But the music and the singing fills the space and encourages people to sing! And folks: the first night we had 22 people. Twenty-two people sang their hearts out and blew the lid off the place! And I sat there and thought something I didn t want to think. I thought: These folks put our bunch to shame! God has given our church so much. We have great buildings, plenty of parking and a beautiful sanctuary. But If you build it, they will come only worked in an old Kevin Costner movie (and even that story was made up). Sometimes I think we have allowed all God has given us to lull us into spiritual complacency. Our sanctuary is so big, most people think they are invisible as part of the congregation. But you re not. What you do (or don t do) has a direct effect on the service. When you re sitting in a sanctuary that seats maybe 50 people, you automatically know everybody can see and hear you. But it s still true even in a larger space. And if you don t participate in the worship, if you don t sing, it has a direct and dragging effect on the church service. Folks have told me repeatedly how much they love the old hymns. Let me tell you something that is as true and important as anything I ve ever said to you: You re going to make people hate those old hymns unless you sing and play them with some life and energy and enthusiasm. Why should people who visit our services care enough to come back if we don t sing and play to the Lord Jesus like we care, about Him and the things we re singing about? Our coming together as a congregation is part of our Christian witness and testimony. Genesis 4:28 says that when Adam and Eve s son Seth was born, At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD. That didn t mean nobody prayed before that. The sense of the Hebrew wording is that at that time people began coming together publicly in order to pray and worship God. This, in the face of an increasingly ungodly society. Their coming together to worship and call on the name of the LORD was an important part of their testimony to the True and Living God before an unbelieving generation. But what we do when we come together is just as important as assembling as a congregation. You can t come in, plop down, fold your arms and exhibit an attitude of Bless me, I dare you!, and think that you are being a good Christian. You may be coming to church and being a bad Christian! (It happens, believe me.) There s a parody of an old Gospel song that goes like this: I shall not be, I shall not be moved! I shall not be, I shall not be moved! I ll sit right here and hinder those around me, I shall not be moved! You don t have to be a great singer to help make our services live and wide awake. Just sing: Make a joyful noise, Psalm 66:1 says (in the King James Version). The key concept is joyful. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together! (Psalm 34:3) Sing to Him a new song: play skillfully on the strings with loud shouts. (Psalm 33:3) Oh, church: let s do this, with all our hearts! It will make a difference in our services like nothing else we can do. Old songs, new songs, it doesn t matter: sing to the LORD! Let s let our brothers and sisters at Wiliams First Baptist stir us up to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). I really believe one of the reasons God had me go over there was to hear them sing, and to remind us how we need to sing together, too. It is part of our work together in bearing testimony to the Gospel of Jesus in our generation. And besides: it really helps me preach! Soli Deo Gloria! Pastor David

3 We re on the web! Come visit us at: Where you can check upcoming events, download archived sermons, or listen live over our streaming webcast Sunday morning! You can also learn more about our AWANA program and our dedicated youth ministry! APRIL ANNIVERSARIES 18 John & Marge Frayser 24 Douglas & Rita Marczak Brent & Jean Mccammon Andy & Susan Neal 27 Bryan & Shaye Place APRIL BIRTHDAYS 1 Doris Wall 2 Brent Slover 4 Jack Greenwood Aaron Mitchell 10 Gerald Carr 12 Bonnie Hutchison 14 Kim Collins 15 Nyla Thompson 16 Steve Mitchell 20 Jean Mccammon 25 Kyle Herndon Holden Nagy

4 MAY ANNIVERSARIES 2 James & Linda Hert Robert & Barb Kennedy 12 Jerry & Luanne Bellany Bill & Melody Ledgerwood Jarred & Jennifer Kincaid 26 Rob & Debbi Kendall MAY BIRTHDAYS 6 Terry Wesnidge 7 Dale Padgett 8 Shane Thornton Taylor Sloan Leona Moody 10 Melinda Williams 14 Reese Jackson 15 Bill Ledgerwood 21 Ann Hensley 27 Betty Trinkle 28 Harry E. Sherer Connie Liechty Kim Cramer 30 Tiara Abel What s Happening at 1BC. *************************************************************************** *Sarah Mission Circle Spring Luncheon: April 1, 12:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall. The guest speaker will be Jerry French from the Roosevelt Mission. *Due to a scheduling change the next Finance committee meeting will be 4/21,5:0 pm April 21 at 5:00 pm. *Ladies Bible Study: 3/14-5/23, 12:30-2:30 pm, Thursdays- A Heart Like His -(David) Although the deadline has passed for buying workbooks, anyone may still attend the sessions. See Linda Heaton with any questions. *The Tree House Children s Church for grades k-6 began upstairs on 3/24, 10:00 am. Little Sprouts Children s Church for toddler/preschoolers- the yellow Sunday School room at 10:00 as well. A mandatory meeting for those who volunteered to teach or assist will be 4/20, 9:30-11:00 am.brunch will be served and information will be shared on the teaching format of the Tree House, Teacher/assistant schedule, and instruction of Tree House audio/visual equip- ment. Please make every effort to attend. Thank you for all the donations as well. In Sympathy Pastor Tyra and the First Baptist Church wish to extend our love and prayers to the family of Jewell Smith. She will be sadly missed. Thank You Dear Pastor David and my wonderful church, Pastor David, thank you for the phone calls and your visits. This made me realize there is an outside world!! To my loving and caring church family, thank you for so many cards. To JOY class and Faith and Fellowship class, I could almost see your faces as I read each name. Thank you BYKOTA class for cards, calls & visits. In Christian love, Ruby Thank You Dear church family, most of you know I m from a large family. We could al- most fill the church. Sadly a lot of them are not Christians. They love me, but best wishes and thinking of you wasn t enough. I needed prayer. That s why we need to be in a church family. It s not just about membership, it s about being a part of the family of God. I knew when I was sick you would pray for me as I m a part of the family. Thank you all for the prayers. Some of you were called & asked to get on your knees and pray God would heal me. He heard them. I was so sick I couldn t pray myself. Thank you all. My dear Charlene saw me at my worst, spent hours nursing me & was a huge help to Michael. (James 2:22) Thanks for all the cards-they made me feel loved, the flowers and meals brought to us. We have 2 great pastors, lots of loving, caring people. We could not have come through this without you and your prayers. That s why we are glad to be in the church family. Thank you all so much, In Christ, Pam & Michael

5 Carl Carl was a quiet man. He didn't talk much. He would always greet you with a big smile and a firm handshake. Even after living in our neighborhood for over 50 years, no one could really say they knew him very well. Before his retirement, he took the bus to work each morning. The lone sight of him walking down the street often worried us. He had a slight limp from a bullet wound received in WWII. Watching him, we worried that although he had survived WWII, he may not make it through our changing uptown neighborhood with its ever-increasing random violence, gangs, and drug activity. When he saw the flyer at our local church asking for volunteers for caring for the gardens behind the minister's residence, he responded in his characteristically unassuming manner. Without fanfare, he just signed up. He was well into his 87th year when the very thing we had always feared finally happened. He was just finishing his watering for the day when three gang members approached him. Ignoring their attempt to intimidate him, he simply asked, "Would you like a drink from the hose?" The tallest and toughest-looking of the three said, "Yeah, sure," with a malevolent little smile. As Carl offered the hose to him, the other two grabbed Carl's arm, throwing him down. As the hose snaked crazily over the ground, dousing everything in its way, Carl's assailants stole his retirement watch and his wallet, and then fled. Carl tried to get himself up, but he had been thrown down on his bad leg. He lay there trying to gather himself as the minister came running to help him. Although the minister had witnessed the attack from his window, he couldn't get there fast enough to stop it. "Carl, are you okay? Are you hurt?" the minister kept asking as he helped Carl to his feet. Carl just passed a hand over his brow and sighed, shaking his head. "Just some punk kids. I hope they'll wise-up someday." His wet clothes clung to his slight frame as he bent to pick up the hose. He adjusted the nozzle again and started to water. Confused and a little concerned, the minister asked, "Carl, what are you doing?" "I've got to finish my watering. It's been very dry lately," came the calm reply. Satisfying himself that Carl really was all right, the minister could only marvel. Carl was a man from a different time and place. A few weeks later the three returned. Just as before their threat was unchallenged. Carl again offered them a drink from his hose. This time they didn't rob him.. They wrenched the hose from his hand and drenched him head to foot in the icy water. When they had finished their humiliation of him, they sauntered off down the street, throwing catcalls and curses, falling over one another laughing at the hilarity of what they had just done. Carl just watched them. Then he turned toward the warmth giving sun, picked up his hose, and went on with his watering. The summer was quickly fading into fall. Carl was doing some tilling when he was startled by the sudden approach of someone behind him. He stumbled and fell into some evergreen branches. As he struggled to regain his footing, he turned to see the tall leader of his summer tormentors reaching down for him. He braced himself for the expected attack. "Don't worry old man, I'm not gonna hurt you this time." The young man spoke softly, still offering the tattooed and scarred hand to Carl. As he helped Carl get up, the man pulled a crumpled bag from his pocket and handed it to Carl. "What's this?" Carl asked. "It's your stuff," the man explained. "It's your stuff back. Even the money in your wallet." "I don't understand," Carl said. "Why would you help me now?" The man shifted his feet, seeming embarrassed and ill at ease. "I learned something from you," he said. "I ran with that gang and hurt people like you. We picked you because you were old and we knew we could do it. But every time we came and did something to you, instead of yelling and fighting back, you tried to give us a drink. You didn't hate us for hating you. You kept showing love against our hate." He stopped for a moment. "I couldn't sleep after we stole your stuff, so here it is back." He paused for another awkward moment, not knowing what more there was to say. "That bag's my way of saying thanks for straightening me out, I guess." And with that, he walked off down the street. Carl looked down at the sack in his hands and gingerly opened it. He took out his retirement watch and put it back on his wrist..opening his wallet, he checked for his wedding photo. He gazed for a moment at the young bride that still smiled back at him from all those years ago. He died one cold day after Christmas that winter. Many people attended his funeral in spite of the weather. In particular the minister noticed a tall young man that he didn't know sitting quietly in a distant corner of the church. The minister spoke of Carl's garden as a lesson in life. n a voice made thick with unshed tears, he said, "Do your best and make your garden as beautiful as you can. We will never forget Carl and his garden." The following spring another flyer went up. It read: "Person needed to care for Carl's garden." The flyer went unnoticed by the busy parishioners until one day when a knock was heard at the minister's office door. Opening the door, the minister saw a pair of scarred and tattooed hands holding the flyer. "I believe this is my job, if you'll have me," the young man said.

6 The minister recognized him as the same young man who had returned the stolen watch and wallet to Carl. He knew that Carl's kindness had turned this man's life around. As the minister handed him the keys to the garden shed, he said, "Yes, go take care of Carl's garden and honor him." The man went to work and, over the next several years, he tended the flowers and vegetables just as Carl had done. During that time, he went to college, got married, and became a prominent member of the community. But he never forgot his promise to Carl's memory and kept the garden as beautiful as he thought Carl would have kept it. One day he approached the new minister and told him that he couldn't care for the garden any longer. He explained with a shy and happy smile, "My wife just had a baby boy last night, and she's bringing him home on Saturday." "Well, congratulations!" said the minister, as he was handed the garden shed keys. "That's wonderful! What's the baby's name?" "Carl," he replied What is it like to you? Mortal: What is a million years like to you? God: Like one second. Mortal: What is a million dollars like to you? God: Like one penny. Mortal: Can I have a penny? God: Just a second. The Visitors Sally was talking about an evening service with someone at the church they ve both attended for years. She and her husband usually sit in the back, but this time they moved up front to be sure to hear the Scritpure reading. They sat beside a long-time church member who cheerfully said, Good to have ya with us! Where y all from? Taken by surprise, Sally mumbled, The back. How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it! Ever Wonder A problem with teeth The minister just had all of his remaining teeth pulled and new dentures were being made. The first Sunday, He only preached 10 minutes. The second Sunday, he preached only 20 minutes. But, on the third Sunday, he preached 1 hour 25 minutes. When asked about this by some of the congregation, he responded this way. The first Sunday, my gums were so sore it hurt to talk. The second Sunday, my dentures were hurting a lot. The third Sunday, I accidentally grabbed my wife s dentures... and I couldn t stop talking!