Annual reports due soon

Transcription

1 First Baptist Church 157 W. Jackson St. Virden, IL Rev. John Parrish Pastor Church PH: Cell Ph: Debbie Kershaw, Editor Annual reports due soon This year s annual meeting will be held on Sunday, January 21 following worship. Committee reports should be turned into the office or to Debbie Kershaw by Tuesday, January 16. You can also them to her at dkershaw71@gmail.com This meeting is for all members and is different from our regular bi-monthly business meetings in that it is a chance to recap the church s prior year s progress, growth, and issues. As in previous years the ABWM will be serving a soup and salad luncheon for a free will offering. The offering is used to help fund some of their quotas and goals for If you are a member of First Baptist, please make this meeting a priority! Board of Christian Education to meet following the Annual meeting There will be a Christian Education Committee meeting following the Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 21. We will be working on the 2018 calendar, as well as discussing other issues for the new year. The Christian Education board consists of all Sunday School teachers and aides. Those helping with Children s Church and Wednesday ministries are also invited to attend as we discuss programming for 2018 and how to get more involvement in all Wednesday and Sunday ministries. If you fit into the Christian Education ministry at First Baptist, please plan to stay after the Annual meeting and help make 2018 plans. Three youth, Kyle and Pam Hawkins, and possibly Pastor John Parrish will be attending this year s SKWIM event on January As in the past they will be staying at the Greenlake American Baptist Assembly in Greenlake, Wisconsin. Travel will begin on Friday arriving in time for the evening worship. Daytime skiing will take place on Saturday, and Sunday the youth will go to Kalahari Indoor Water Park. Of course there are daily worship sessions with special music and speakers geared toward the youth. This years S.W.A.T. attendees include: Sophie Hawkins, Brianna Walters, and Devon Downs. Refocus for Lent Give up complaining focus on gratitude. Give up harsh judgments think kind thoughts. Give up worry trust God to provide. Give up discouragement be full of hope. Give up bitterness turn to forgiveness. Give up hatred return good for evil. Give up anger be more patient. Give up pettiness become mature. Give up jealousy pray for trust. Give up gossiping control your tongue. Give up sin turn to virtue. Give up giving up persevere. Author unknown February 14 is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent

2 2 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Pam Hawkins 2 Jim Hotarek Justin Liles Rhyann Buzick 7 Abigail Snodgrass Patty Englert Opening & Close 7-7:30 PM Business Mtg 7-8 PM 11 Heather Walters 12 Allison Buzick Carol Britenstine 15 Zach Lemar ABWM luncheon and Annual Meeting following worship. CE Board meets after both Ryson Scott Rowan Hawkins 16 Annual reports due from all committee chairpersons 23 Abby Dixon Kyle Brown Mathew Daniels Rick & Linda Gerson Kyle Hawkins Kelsey Parrish Anna Kiel Jill Wright 27 Rob Liles Winter gift God does great things beyond our knowing. He says to the snow, Fall to the earth ; likewise to his heavy, drenching rain. He shuts up all humankind indoors, so that all people may know his work (Job 37:5-7, NABRE). Snow, ice and cold can make winter a hassle. Snow days due to a blizzard may thrill students but usually inconvenience parents. But now and then, winter blankets the earth so heavily that it seems to quiet everything. We re granted permission to hunker down at home, snuggle close with family or pets, enjoy a book or movie, make cocoa or cookies, and rest. It s like a surprise sabbath the gift of grace-time when no one s expected to get out the door or the driveway. Perhaps indeed, as Job declared, God sees fit on such days to put our busyness on hold and shut us all indoors so we pause and remember his work his place in our lives. Praise God for snow days!

3 3 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Lily Snodgrass Wanda Hein 4 Dale Mullen Thank you followed by games & fun Linda Snodgrass 8 David Lewis Remmi Scott First Sunday in Lent 25 Nevonda Daniels Julius Turner Trigger Lewis Andrew Clark Hayli Moughan From the correct perspective A child sat at his grandmother s feet as she embroidered. Looking up, he saw a mishmash of threads and ugly knots but no discernible picture or words. Nana, he said with concern, that s not very pretty. Come up here, Grandma invited, and look at it from this side. You have to see it from my perspective. Oh! the boy exclaimed then. It s beautiful! Seeing the world from our human, earthly viewpoint, we can t grasp the masterpiece that God is completing. But when we finally see it from his perspective, we ll discover that the threads and knots all contribute to a beautiful work of art. That work won t be finished until Jesus returns, but in the meantime, may God grant us an occasional glimpse of the work in progress from God s side! Directory taking shape - pictures now available The pictures that will be used in our new church directory are now available. For the next couple of weeks, you can view your pictures and place an order for additional prints to be made. The new directory will be a small 3 ring binder that can be easily added to when someone new joins the church. Your page as it will appear in the directory will also be available, and you will be given time to make sure all your information on your page is correct. If anything at all is incorrect, you will need to let Debbie Kershaw know before final printing.

4 4 Church Family, A few years ago Canadian rapper/singer Drake busted onto the music scene and he made a huge impact on the music industry. His music isn t my cup of tea, but there was no denying his influence on our society, especially those members ages But one thing I took away from his brand or product if you will, is a simple 4-letter phrase that became a slogan his fans and many others began to live by. YOLO! It stands for this, You Only Live Once. Now this phrase or acronym has become famous on t-shirts, used in songs, and featured as a popular tattoo, and it has become the motto many choose to live by. Just a couple of days ago I was informed that my former boss wife had passed away suddenly. She was only 57 years old, and left behind her husband of 30 plus years and 3 adult daughters ranging in their 20 s. I didn t know this woman really well, but I do know her husband very well, and their daughters. But this news of her passing has stuck with me over the past few days. Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever heard of someone s passing whether you knew him or her well or just in passing, and the news of the tragedy stuck with you? With the passing of this woman fresh in my mind, my thoughts over the past few days has been centered on the idea that this life we live on planet earth isn t guaranteed to us. There aren t an exact number of days we are assured to have, and we aren t guaranteed to accomplish or achieve everything we hope to. So basically, each day we are given should be considered a blessing, so we should live them to the fullest. For those of us who have a relationship with Jesus, it should be our desire to honor Him with our live every day, every moment, every second that we are given. In Colossians 3:23 Paul says, Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. Everyday we should center our hearts and minds to the will of the Lord. That is a hard pill to swallow but the results of doing so, usually bring blessings to our lives. What I love most about Paul s testimony and example to us is that he was an everyday person like you and I. He experienced rough days, death threats, hunger pains, and other personal afflictions yet he still made living for Christ his focus and desire. Paul lived everyday to the fullest. He worked by day being an example of Jesus to others through his profession. And at night he preached and taught, and was disciple by others personally as well. Everything he did, the Lord was made first priority. His relationship with God wasn t an afterthought. He did something that I struggle with daily; he put his schedule and priorities on hold and put Jesus first. Jesus wasn t the afterthought. He wasn t penciled in the calendar after all of the kid s practices and games, and day off plans. He was the plan for Paul, and everything else fell in place around his life for Jesus. Are you living everyday putting Jesus first in your life? If the answer is no, then you are missing out on the fullness of life that God has planned for you. Be encouraged in 2018 to live differently. Live life to the fullest for Christ. In 2018 will you put Christ before yourself, and will you become someone new? Live for Jesus today! 2 Corinthians 5:17 sums it up best for us choosing to live fully for Christ this year. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Blessings,

5 5 First Baptist Church Birthdays and Anniversaries 01-Jan Pam Hawkins 02-Jan Jim Hotarek 03-Jan Rhyann Buzick 03-Jan Justin Liles 07-Jan Abigail Snodgrass 07-Jan Patty Englert 11-Jan Heather Walters 12-Jan Allison Buzick 14-Jan Carol Britenstine 15-Jan Zach Lemar 17-Jan Kyle Hawkins 18-Jan Kyle Brown 18-Jan Mathew Daniels 18-Jan Rick & Linda Gerson 20-Jan Rob Liles 22-Jan Ryson Scott 23-Jan Abby Dixon 26-Jan Kelsey Parrish 29-Jan Rowan Hawkins 31-Jan Anna Kiel 31-Jan Jill Wright 01-Feb Lily Snodgrass 03-Feb Wanda Hein 04-Feb Dale Mullen 07-Feb Linda Snodgrass 08-Feb David Lewis 15-Feb Remmie Scott 18-Feb Nevonda Daniels 22-Feb Hayli Moughan 22-Feb Andrew Clark 25-Feb Trigger Lewis 25-Feb Julius Turner 03-Mar Rory Scott 04-Mar Lonnie Crawford 04-Mar Peyton Parrish 07-Mar Aiden Snodgrass 09-Mar Jane Primrose 11-Mar Kelsie Perkins 14-Mar Bob Dibler 16-Mar Cole Langley 17-Mar Bart Rogers 19-Mar Samantha Jackson 21-Mar Danny & Nevonda Daniels 21-Mar Maddie Lomelino 22-Mar Kaye Liles 30-Mar Rita Shafer 01-Apr Craig Paisley 01-Apr Mason Kindred 02-Apr Drew & Alicia Hawkins 04-Apr Beverly Britenstine 07-Apr Carter Dibler 07-Apr Debbie Kershaw 07-Apr Mary Agnes Cain 07-Apr Michael Moughan 10-Apr Jim Smith 11-Apr Sophia Hawkins 23-Apr River Hawkins 23-Apr John Liles 29-Apr Ayden Liles 30-Apr Helen Burris 02-May Kathy Price 05-May Tom Cervellone 09-May Britt Lilly 09-May Allie Wright 13-May Adam Cervellone 14-May Janis Hawkins 15-May Don & Helen Burris 21-May Ben Clark 21-May Ryan Brown 25-May John Parrish 25-May Steve Perkins 26-May Vicki Perkins 31-May John & Kelsey Parrish 02- Jun Ben & Amanda Clark 06-Jun Rick Gerson 07-Jun Tom Dibler 11-Jun Norma Hotarek 13-Jun Lynda Hotarek 15-Jun John & Linda Liles 16-Jun Cole & Sue Langley 17-Jun Tom & Kris Cervellone 18-Jun Steve & Debbie Kershaw 22-Jun Ray Klocke 30-Jun Jim Wright 30-Jun Mark Wright 01-Jul Roger & Gloria Smith 05-Jul Dale & Betty Mullen 12-Jul Debbie Liles 14-Jul Audrey Price 18-Jul Linda Gerson 19-Jul Kris Cervellone 21-Jul Sharon Crawford 29-Jul Debbie Klocke 30-Jul Kamden Blake 02-Aug Macie Brown 05-Aug Jay Turner 08-Aug Lonnie & Sharon Crawford 09-Aug Kim Liles 14-Aug Steve Kershaw 15-Aug Tim Snodgrass 16-Aug Ray & Libby Klocke 17-Aug Harrison Dibler 17-Aug Drew Hawkins 18-Aug Linda Liles 20-Aug Aiden Brown 22-Aug Justin Buzick 25-Aug Alex Walters 26-Aug Tracy Lewis 26-Aug Amanda Clark 26-Aug Justin & Allison Buzick 27-Aug Libby Klocke 28-Aug Breighyn Schwehr 01-Sep Jim & Lynda Hotarek 09-Sep Betty Mullen 10-Sep Cole Dixon 19-Sep Brianna Walters 22-Sep Tony Kershaw 24-Sep Mike Hawkins 28-Sep Ryan Burch 29-Sep Barb Taylor 30-Sep Jennifer Brown 30-Sep Justin Dibler 02-Oct Stacy Moughan 07-Oct David Liles 07-Oct Jim & Pat Smith 07-Oct Mike & Debbie Liles 07-Oct Jason Perkins 11-Oct Katie Marshall 12-Oct Jaylie Clark 15-Oct Loretta Lomelino 19-Oct Sue Langley 22-Oct Paisley Parrish 26-Oct Lizzy Dunn 27-Oct David & Kaye Liles 29-Oct Joshua Snodgrass 31-Oct Kathy Tibbs 01-Nov Myken Buzick 02-Nov Danny Daniels, Jr. 03-Nov Tyler Burch 09-Nov Carol Paisley 10-Nov Jill & Mark Wright 14-Nov Roger Smith 23-Nov Gloria Smith 26-Nov Alicia Hawkins 01-Dec Justyn Moughan 03-Dec Danielle Burch 06-Dec Kyle & Pam Hawkins 07-Dec Mike Liles 10 Dec Steve & Vicki Perkins 11-Dec Danny Daniels, Sr. 11-Dec Breanna Davis 12-Dec Justin Dixon 12-Dec Brendan Parrish 13-Dec Piper Parrish 17-Dec Maggie Hawkins 20-Dec Mike & Janis Hawkins 22-Dec Edgar Lewis 22-Dec Joey Langley 23-Dec Jesse Dixon 23-Dec Pat Smith 27-Dec Don Burris 29-Dec Ruby Lewis Please inform Debbie Kershaw in writing of any additions, deletions, or changes to the list above.

6 6 A special thanks dinner served by kids! The Wednesday Night Kids would like to give the kitchen staff a break and prepare a special meal for them and any other adults that want to attend, on Wednesday, February 7 in Pitman Fellowship Hall beginning at 6 PM. Please RSVP to Janis Hawkins or to Debbie Kershaw by Monday, February 12 so that we can prepare enough food for everyone. The youth will help prepare and serve the meal, so all the grown ups need to bring is their appetites! Though our feelings come and go, God s love for us does not. C.S. Lewis Don t forget that Wednesday nights end early on the first Wednesday after the first Sunday of the odd numbered months.whew! That means we only go until 7 PM on the following Wednesdays so mark your calendars NOW please! Early dismiss at 7 PM on: January 10 March 7 May 9 September 5 November 7 December 5 No Kid s club at all on July 4 th, and in fact most of July period! Be sure to let your family members know so that you can be picked up on time!! First Baptist Church 157 W. Jackson St. Virden, IL RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED