The Lamplighter Newsletter of Fredericktown First Baptist Church ~November 2017~ From the Desk of Pastor Mohon Dear Church Family, There are many symbols of our faith that exist to identify us as followers of Christ and even speak to deeper understandings to a walk with our Lord. While not as well-known today, the most ancient of these is the fish. What does a fish have to do with faith in Christ? Quite a bit actually. The early Church frequently endured oppression. It appeared to individuals by the loss of a job or by being shunned by others for their hope in Christ. It even came through widespread official persecution that culminated with imprisonment and even death. With this environment, one did not make it easy for imperial forces to find gatherings of believers. They had to develop another way to let others know where they were meeting. In the catacombs of Rome (yes, the tombs were a place that early Christians would gather for worship), a frequent symbol found is the fish. What looks like to us the letters, I X O Y E, are the five Greek letters Iota, Chi, Omicron, Upsilon, and Sigma. These five spell out the Greek word Ichthus or fish. Why did they choose a fish to represent their faith? These five are an acronym for the Greek phrase, Iesus Christos Theou Uiou Soter, which translated into English says, Jesus Christ, God s Son, Savior. What is fascinating to me is that the titles of God s Son and Savior were frequently claimed by the Roman emperor. Even amid persecution, our brothers and sisters denied any claims of deity for Caesar and faithfully clinged to their Lord and Savior alone. I believe it is appropriate to recall this symbol of our faith during this month of November. Each year on the first Sunday of this month is the observance of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. May we be dedicated always in lifting up the Persecuted Church of today in our supplications. Let us claim this ancient symbol as a sign of our faithfulness in bringing our sisters and brothers from around the world before our Lord s throne of grace. With Love for You All, Pastor Tim. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:3 In This Issue *Thanksgiving Dinner * Congratulations New Church Officers *Mission Moment And much more!
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 107:1 THANKSGIVING WORSHIP & CHURCH FAMILY DINNER In a spirit of Thanksgiving, please join us for a special fellowship dinner following worship on Sunday, November 19. The church will provide the meat, rolls, Drinks and gravy. Please bring Thanksgiving-type side dishes to share and invite a 11/1 Trudy Tharp 11/2 Dave Hatton 11/9 Jeff Dickerson Emily Ebert 11/11 Casper Schmidt Tom Orsborn 11/16 Dan Bird 11/19 Monica Shira 11/20 Wayland Stricker 11/21 Pam Mohon special friend! We look forward to seeing you! Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes We will be collecting shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child again this year. Items need to be turned in by November 5. You can find information at: www.samaritanspurse.org. See Jenny Sargent if you have any questions! First Baptist Church 22 E. Sandusky St. Fredericktown, Ohio 43019 Come and experience the sights and sounds of Bethlehem following the birth of Jesus. Get your hands busy making a craft and taste the foods of the day. Listen to the gossip that was spreading through the town. Search for the miracle in the manger. Thursday, December 28 th & Friday, December 29 th 7 PM 9 PM
Coming up in NOVEMBER November 5 Daylight Savings Time Ends (Don t forget to Fall back one hour!) November 8 Election Day November 9 Deacons 7:00 PM S E R V I N G I N N O V E M B E R Greeters 11/5 Tammy Hubb 11/12 Jim & Sally Fox 11/19 Carolyn Seymour & Earl Ferguson 11/26 Casper Schmidt If you are unable to attend on your scheduled date, please contact the church office. Thanks! November 11 Veterans Day November 12 - Nursing Home Ministry 1:00 PM November 13 Mohican Men s With Alexandria Baptist @ 7:00 PM November 19 Trustees Meeting 11:30 AM Church Family Thanksgiving Dinner November 22 Elders 6:30 PM November 23 Thanksgiving Day November 26 Dedication of Elizabeth Grace Alverson DECEMBER December 2 Christmas Walk Ministry Team Pastor Tim Mohon 567-231-7714 Elders Jim Ronk -740-504-2507 Mike Follin 614-562-7211 Tammy Hubb 419-564-2113 Deacons Dave Hatton 740-397-7058 Catherine Klever 740-694-6282 Sarah Alverson 740-501-2735 Trustees Mark Stricker 740-398-6035 Andy Fox 740-225-0201 Gene Biggs 740-398-0045 December 9 Food for the Hungry Drive December 14 Turn the Tide Ends December 24 - Christmas Eve Service ~ 7 PM December 25 Christmas Day! December 28 & 29 BUZZ IN BETHLEHEM 7 PM 9 PM Congratulations to our new Church officers who were elected at our Fall Quarterly Business Meeting. The following will serve three-year terms, beginning on January 1: Leora Schmidt, Elder; Butch Bates, Deacon; Wayland Stricker, Trustee. Thank you to those who are completing terms as officers on December 31: Jim Ronk, Elder; Catherine Klever, Deacon; Andy Fox, Trustee. Thank you one and all for your service! The end of the year is drawing near! Its time to start thinking about getting those annual reports done. All reports should be turned into Nicki by January 7th. Thank you in advance!
Interchurch News Monthly Mission Moment Rick & Anita Gutierrez South Africa Drs. Anita and Rick Gutierrez serve in Durban, South Africa together with IM partner the Baptist Mission of South Africa. They train and equip local churches, pastors and missionaries to combat life-style related diseases like HIV/AIDS, heart and artery disease, diabetes and malaria. Portable rapid screening tests for these conditions are offered by trained health builders. The doctors continue to develop a health education DVD series that can be studied individually or in small groups. A holistic approach from the Christian perspective is offered in order to help people acheive their health and life goals. The vision is to train two or four health builders in each participating church. They would like to see this model of health building become a part of local church missions throughout Africa and other resource-limited settings. INTERCHURCH UPDATES It is almost time for Food for the Hungry (food collection can start in November) and some churches and businesses are asking for a list of what is needed in our Food Pantry; fruit juice (apple, orange, grape), canned pasta, chicken noodle and tomato soup, saltine crackers, bottled water and individual drinks (juice, tea, sports drinks), boxed potatoes (mashed, au gratin, scalloped), boxed or pouch pasta and/or rice side dishes, box stuffing mix, elbow macaroni, canned tomatoes (stewed, diced), canned vegetables ( lima beans, creamed corn, baked beans, beets, spinach, carrots NO CORN, GREEN BEANS, BLACK BEANS, GARBANZO BEANS OR CHICK PEAS!), canned fruit (pears, pineapple, mandarin oranges, apricots, peaches), bar soap, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper, pickles. Because we have such little storage, please limit donations to what is requested as these items are not available through our resources and are what our clients request and use the most. See the church list below for specific items. Keep our Thrift Store in mind if you are doing fall cleaning, we are in need of sheets (all sizes), blankets and towels, pots and pans, dishes and seasonal decorations. We will accept your leftover garage sale items BUT, items must clean, no tears or stains, zippers and buttons must work, and free of pet hair, and please remove your price tags our pricing may not match yours and we do not have the time or staff to remove all price tags. Interchurch is taking applications for Christmas assistance and adoption will take place starting November 6 th Please make an appointment with me if you or your church would like to adopt a family(s). Church list for specific food item donations; Presbyterian canned fruit (pineapple, mandarin oranges, apricots, peaches, pears) Baptist box stuffing mix New Life canned vegetables (lima beans, creamed corn, baked beans, beets, spinach, carrots NO CORN, GREEN BEANS, BLACK BEANS, GARBANZO BEANS OR CHICK PEAS!) FUMC rice and pasta side dishes (such as Knorr pouches), elbow macaroni and egg noodles Waterford UMC, Salem chicken noodle and tomato soup Berlin, Batemantown canned pasta (ravioli, spaghetti & meatballs, macaroni & beef ) Green Valley UMC boxed potatoes (au gratin, scalloped, instant mashed potatoes) Seventh Day Adventist fruit juice (apple, orange, and grape) First Church of God Hamburger, Tuna, Chicken Helper Waterford Church of Christ fruit juice (apple, orange and grape) THIS NEWSLETTER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 22 East Sandusky Street P.O. Box 125 Fredericktown, OH 43019 ~~~~~ Pastor Rev. Timothy Mohon Cell phone: 567-231-7714 Email timohon@yahoo.com Sunday School ~ 9:15 AM Worship Service ~ 10:15 AM Church Office: 740-694-2856 Office Hours: Mon-Thurs 8:50 AM - 11:30 AM office@fredfbc.org WWW. F R E D F B C. O R G