The. essenger. January - February New board members begin terms now - Deaconate to meet soon. Reports due soon

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1 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 157 W. JACKSON ST. VIRDEN, IL REV. JOHN PARRISH PASTOR CHURCH PHONE: CELL PHONE: DEBBIE KERSHAW, EDITOR New board members begin terms now - Deaconate to meet soon new members of each board elected at the December business meeting should plan to attend their board s first meeting in the coming months. Deaconate board typically meets on the second Sunday of each month following the morning worship service. Because the deacons and deaconess are currently researching a new benevolence policy, the two retiring members may be asked to sit in on the January 11 meeting in order to finish that process. Each Deaconate member should have a copy of the proposed policy by now to review. Any changes or suggestions should be ready to be discussed at this meeting so that the policy can be adopted and ready for use in If you are currently serving as a Deacon or Deaconess and do not have a copy, please see Debbie Kershaw soon. Reports due soon This year s annual meeting will be held on Sunday, January 25 following worship. Committee reports should be turned into the office or to Debbie Kershaw by Wednesday, January 21. 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 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. 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! 17 attending this year s SKWIM event! Thirteen youth and four adults 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, and beginning ski lesson. Daytime skiing will take place on Saturday, and Sunday the youth will have their choice of night time skiing or 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: Alex Walters, Zach Lemar, Newt Sidener, Michael Moughan, Cody Stiltz, Henry and Cooper Davis, Abby Dixon, Brianna Walters. Adult attendees and sponsors include Pastor John, Kyle and Pam Hawkins, and Mary Pritchett Wyatt Morgan, (Kelsey s aunt). Please pray for everyone s safety in travel, and on the slopes!

2 January 2 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday January-3 rd Sunday, we are collecting items for the Elizabeth Ann Seaton Program 1 Pam Hawkins 2 Jim Hotarek 3 Justin Liles 4 Communion Sunday Deaconate meets after worship Patty Englert Abigail Snodgrass Zach Lemar 16 SKWIM 17 Kyle Hawkins Alyssa Britenstine 18 Kyle Brown Rick & Linda Gerson Mathew Daniels 25 Annual Business Meeting after worship 19 SKWIM 26 Kelsey Parrish 20 Rob Liles 27 Exercise 6:15 Quarterly planning mtg 7:00 Carol Britenstine Jill Wright Anna Kiel Quarterly Planning for all ministry committees If you are a part of a committee that helps with the planning of any ministry or celebratory events at First Baptist Church, then this message is for you. On Tuesday, January 27 th at 7 PM, we will meet in Pitman Hall to set the calendar, and make plans for all the events in the rest of the first quarter of 2015 and to get a head start on the second quarter. idea is then to meet regularly to plan and prepare for the church events for the following quarter. On the agenda for the January 27 meeting is to set dates and start to plan for things like Easter, Mother s Day, Father s Day, Graduation Sunday, and even summer Kid s Club! So whether you are involved with the SWAT or Wednesday Kid s group, the choir, the ABWM, Sunday School, Children s Church, or anything else ministry related please, please, plan to attend this meeting, or at the very least please send your suggestions and dates that your group already has that will affect the church calendar. goal is to have a more planned and effective ministry in 2015 at First Baptist Church.

3 1 8 February Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Lily Snodgrass David Lewis 2 9 Cottage Prayer meeting 7 PM 3 10 Wanda Hein 4 Dale Mullen 11 Valentine s Thank You Supper, served by the kids 5 6 Don Price 7 3 IF Gathering - see details in article below Linda Snodgrass Andrew Clark This month we are collecting for the Virden food pantry Nevonda Daniels 25 Julius Turner S.W.A.T. Lock-In beginning with worship at 7:30 on Friday Hayli Moughan Fellowship breakfast at the home of Mike and Janis Hawkins 8 AM Wednesday Night Kids would like to give the kitchen ladies a break and prepare a special meal for them and any other adults that want to attend, on Wednesday, February 11 in Pitman Fellowship Hall beginning at 6 PM. Please RSVP to Janis Hawkins or to Debbie Kershaw by Monday, February 9 so that we can prepare enough food for everyone. youth will help prepare and serve the meal, so all the grown ups need to bring is their appetites! IF: VIRDEN Our church will again be hosting a live stream of the IF: GATHERING on February 6 and 7. This is a special kind of women's gathering and conference unlike any other. Come relaxed, bring some food to munch on, and share about faith - what it looks like and how we live it out! Friday 6-10 pm Saturday 9 am-6 pm Meals are not provided. re will be a lunchtime, where you can go and get lunch at one of the surrounding fast food restaurants or you may bring your own sack lunch. Register at: If you have questions, please contact Kelsey, or go to the church Facebook page for more details.

4 4 Friends, Not often am I short on words to say or write, but with New Year we have all heard the usual comments, speeches, and words of wisdom about resolutions and goal setting. Many of us grow tired of the new year/new you talk so instead of involving all of us in a drawn out approach to goal-setting for 2015 let me share with you a different perspective. What if this year when choosing a new year s resolution we considered putting Christ first in the midst of our choices? For instance losing weight is a great goal to set for ourselves, when it isn t done out of vanity or selfishness. Saving money isn t wrong in and of itself in fact it is favored if it doesn t lead us to greed. However if we make choices centered around Christ, centered on becoming more holy, then we are setting goals with eternal implications. You see church what would our lives look like, what kind of testimony would we have to share if we didn t waste our time on vanity and greed? I wonder if year after year we are upset or become disappointed because our self-focused goals only lead to despair? If we centered our minds on Jesus and we pursue holiness, godliness, and righteousness think about how different our lives would be. Without Christ being in the center of all we do, especially life-altering decisions we make, then the weight-loss, savings, self pursuit of other goals will not only lead us to despair but it will lead to eternal death. This year church let s stand together choosing Life, and life eternal that only comes from Jesus Christ. In 2015 may our desire not be to just lose weight, or save money, or get healthier bodies because it s what we want or what s best for us. Instead let us live our lives for Jesus trying to be holy in all we do, making Him the center or what we do, so that our improvements don t bring us glory, instead they lead others to Jesus. It s in Him that all things are possible, and not by man alone. This year church let s live by Hebrews 12:14 Make every effort to live at peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. I pray that in 2015 we do better ourselves and improve our lives, but only with the goal of becoming holier and closer in our walk with Christ. I hope 2015 is a year that FBC Virden strives to become a church more on fire for the Lord, and more serious about living for Him first above ourselves. This year will you live for you, or will you live for Christ? Happy New Year Church, Pastor John

5 5 First Baptist Church Birthdays and Anniversaries 1-Jan Pam Hawkins 2-Jan Jim Hotarek 3-Jan Justin Liles 7-Jan Abigail Snodgrass 7-Jan Patty Englert 11-Jan Alyssa Britenstine 14-Jan Carol Britenstine 15-Jan Zach Lemar 17-Jan Kyle Hawkins 18-Jan Kyle Brown 18-Jan Matthew Daniels 18-Jan Rick & Linda Gerson 20-Jan Rob Liles 26-Jan Kelsey Parrish 31-Jan Anna Kiel 31-Jan Jill Wright 1-Feb Lily Snodgrass 2-Feb Hannah Henry 3-Feb Wanda Hein 4-Feb Dale Mullen 6-Feb Don Price 7-Feb Linda Snodgrass 8-Feb David Lewis 18-Feb Nevonda Daniels 21-Feb Hayli Moughan 22-Feb Andrew Clark 25-Feb Julius Turner 1-Mar Diane DeSmidt 4-Mar Lonnie Crawford 4-Mar Peyton Parrish 7-Mar Aiden Snodgrass 9-Mar Jane Primrose 14-Mar Bob Dibler 16-Mar Cole Langley 17-Mar Bart Rogers 20-Mar Kent Riffey 20-Mar Trent Cain 21-Mar Danny & Nevonda Daniels 21-Mar Maddie Lomelino 22-Mar Kaye Liles 27-Mar Patty Sloman 30-Mar Rita Langley 1-Apr Craig Paisley 2-Apr Drew & Alicia Hawkins 4-Apr Beverly Britenstine 7-Apr Carter Dibler 7-Apr Debbie Kershaw 7-Apr Mary Agnes Cain 7-Apr Michael Moughan 10-Apr Jim Smith 11-Apr Sophia Hawkins 23-Apr John Liles 29-Apr Ayden Liles 30-Apr Helen Burris 2 -May Kathy Price 13-May Felicia Horne 14-May Janis Hawkins 15-May Don & Helen Burris 18-May Josh & Felicia Horne 21-May Ben Clark 21-May Ryan Brown 25-May John Parrish 31-May John & Kelsey Parrish 2 - Jun Ben & Amanda Clark 2- Jun Ciera Sneyd 6-Jun Rick Gerson 7-Jun Tom Dibler 11-Jun Norma Hotarek 13-Jun Lynda Hotarek 15-Jun John & Linda Liles 16-Jun Cole & Sue Langley 18-Jun Steve & Debbie Kershaw 22-Jun Ray Klocke 23-Jun Kristin (Hein) & Tom Cervellone 23-Jun Kristin (Hein) Cervellone 30-Jun Jim Wright 30-Jun Mark Wright 1-Jul Roger & Gloria Smith 5-Jul Dale & Betty Mullen 12-Jul Debbie Liles 14-Jul Audrey Price 18-Jul Linda Gerson 21-Jul Don & Audrey Price 21-Jul Sharon Crawford 29-Jul Debbie Klocke 2-Aug Macie Brown 5-Aug Jay Turner 8-Aug Lonnie & Sharon Crawford 9-Aug Kim Liles 14-Aug Steve Kershaw 15-Aug Tim Snodgrass 16-Aug Ray & Libby Klocke 17-Aug Della Phillips 17-Aug Drew Hawkins 18-Aug Linda Liles 20-Aug Aiden Brown 25-Aug Alex Walters 26-Aug Tracy Lewis 26-Aug Amanda Clark 27-Aug Libby Klocke 28-Aug Breighyn Schwehr 31-Aug Carroll Morony 1-Sep Jim & Lynda Hotarek 9-Sep Betty Mullen 10-Sep Cole Dixon 19-Sep Brianna Walters 22-Sep Tony Kershaw 24-Sep Jan Morony 24-Sep Mike Hawkins 28-Sep Ryan Burch 29-Sep Barb Taylor 30-Sep Jennifer Brown 30-Sep Justin Dibler 2-Oct Stacy Moughan 7-Oct David Liles 7-Oct Jim & Pat Smith 7-Oct Mike & Debbie Liles 11-Oct Katie Marshall 12-Oct Jaylie Clark 12-Oct Gabriel Horne 15-Oct Josh Horne 17-Oct David Dibler 19-Oct Sue Langley 22-Oct Paisley Parrish 22-Oct Tim & Katie Marshall 27-Oct David & Kaye Liles 28-Oct Peg Vidakovich 29-Oct Joshua Snodgrass 31-Oct Kathy Tibbs 2-Nov Danny Daniels, Jr. 3-Nov Tyler Burch 9-Nov Carol Paisley 10-Nov Jill & Mark Wright 14-Nov Roger Smith 18-Nov James Cole 23-Nov Gloria Smith 26-Nov Alicia Hawkins 1-Dec Justyn Moughan 3-Dec Danielle Burch 6-Dec Kyle & Pam Hawkins 7-Dec Mike Liles 11-Dec Danny Daniels, Sr. 11-Dec Breanna Davis 12-Dec Justin Dixon 13-Dec Piper Parrish 17-Dec Maggie Hawkins 20-Dec Mike & Janis Hawkins 22-Dec Edgar Lewis 22-Dec Joey Langley 23-Dec Pat Smith 23-Dec Rev. Carroll & Jan Morony 24-Dec Gerald Phillips 27-Dec Don Burris 29-Dec Ruby Lewis PLEASE REPORT ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS TO DEBBIE KERSHAW ASAP - THANK YOU!

6 6 S.W.A.T. Lock - in planned - your help is needed Our S.W.A.T. Youth will host an overnight lock-in Friday, February 20 starting at 7:30 PM with a special contemporary evening worship. S.W.A.T. Youth are inviting and encouraging all of our congregation to come out and be a part of this special service. After the worship the kids and their sponsors will gather in Pitman Hall for a fun night of games, music, food, and much more! event ends at 7:00 AM on Saturday morning, with very little, if any sleep planned. re will be plenty of food, games, and yes prizes! While the other participating churches will be bringing some food as well, we are also asking for food donations (soda, chips, dips, cookies, cakes, etc.) y would like to be able to give away some gift card as prizes. One larger denomination, one medium and several smaller cards. Anything you feel led to and are able to give would greatly appreciated. Please see Pastor John on how you can help. Please be in prayer for a great night! To forgive is to love We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. re is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies. Martin Luther King Jr. Reminder: Study resumes Monday, February 2 at 8 PM and meets each Monday after that. If you can provide snacks for this group please see Pastor John! What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year. Vern McLellan Fellowship Breakfast planned If God were small enough to be understood, He would not be big enough to be worshiped. Evelyn Underhill Mike and Janis Hawkins will host another Fellowship Breakfast on Saturday, February 28 beginning at 8:30-10:00 AM in their home at 80 Sugar Creek Hills. This is open to anyone reading this newsletter right now! It s a great time of food and fellowship so plan to join us!

7 7 Watch for prize table bargains As you shop in the coming months, please keep your eyes peeled for those clearance priced toys, games, and puzzles to help fill the prize table downstairs for the Wednesday night kids program. children earn beans for completing projects, answering questions about the lesson, helping clean up and much more. y can even lose beans for bad behavior, but luckily that doesn t happen often. n, about once a quarter they get to buy a gift off the table with those beans. We ve had all manner of toys from little things like bubbles, and jump ropes all the way up to skateboards. Nearly everything on the table has been donated by someone in the church. youngsters especially love grab bags filled with little items like pens, candy, and small toys like the kind of thing you might find in your Christmas stocking! So please, as you shop check those clearance item tables for things you believe the younger children might want to spend their beans on! Thank you for helping restock our prize table! next Cottage Prayer meeting will be held in the home of Steve and Debbie Kershaw on Monday, February 2, at 7 PM. If you would like to attend but need a ride, please let Pastor John know and we will make arrangements. This is a time of prayer and thanksgiving made special by the comfortable atmosphere of fellow believers in a home setting. You can pray aloud, in silence, or just simply meditate on the prayers of others. important thing is that we continue to pray for the needs of our nation, our community, our church, and each other. First Baptist Church 157 W. Jackson St. Virden, IL RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED