August 2008 A publication of Byromville Baptist Church Inside Pastor s column...... p. 2 Revival... p. 2 New Wed. study...... p. 3 GO Ministry meeting... p. 3 Youth Discipleship Now p. 3 About revival preachers p. 4 About the cover...... p. 4 Speechless 2008..... p. 4 Baby comfort station... p. 4 Monthly info......... p. 5 Mexican dip......... p. 6 Assn l Brotherhood.... p. 7 History... p. 8
Page 2 Pastor s column Motivation for a vision What motivates a person like Andy Blankenship? What makes him tick? These are questions that some of you might find yourselves asking as you have gotten to know your pastor over the past 8 months. What in the world would spur a 28 old man to preach like he Andy Blankenship might not be in a pulpit the following Sunday? Is it the zeal of my youth or is it the obvious lack of experience I bring to the position of pastor? I pray that it is neither. My prayer is that my sole motivation in preaching, teaching and shepherding is the biblical calling that God has placed upon each of us as followers of Christ. I think the most motivating factor in my ministry and what causes me to thirst for a vision is the reality that if we are not pressing forward and striving for excellence then we could very well die in a matter of generations. Let me paint a picture or better yet share a nightmare of mine with you. Lamentations 1:1 says, How lonely sits the city that was full of people! She has become like a widow who was once great among the nations! She who was once a princess among the provinces has become a forced laborer. This verse adequately captures the overwhelming fear that I use as my motivation and heart-cry for vision. You see Christ exclaimed in Matthew 5:14, you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. The light of the world! How incredibly overwhelming is that statement? Christ wants to use us to reflect His light to the masses; to be used to draw people to salvation and then assimilate them into our church. He desires for Byromville Baptist to be a city that is visible; full of life and a source that others can look to. My nightmare is we would be so disobedient or blinded to God s calling that our city on hill would die and become the desolate place of Lamentations 1:1. The million dollar question then becomes: How do we not perish as a covenant community of believers? The Bible speaks to this as well. In Proverbs 29:18 the scripture says, Where there is no vision the people perish. Another translation says, Cast off restraint. Either way the reality is that without a clear and healthy vision Byromville will become the city of Lamentation 1:1. Over the next few months I will be preaching through various scriptures that help communicate the vision that God has given me for our church. I pray that first and foremost you would make every effort to attend the morning services and hear this vision for yourselves. Secondly I pray that as you are seeking the Lord s will that you would not simply give lip service to the vision but that you would buy into it and support it in order that our city on a hill would continue to grow and share its light with this community. Because He Lives Brother Andy
Page 3 Outreach/evangelism meeting set for August 3 at 6:00 p.m. Pastor Andy Blankenship will share his plan for the GO Ministry at a meeting on August 3 at 6:00 p.m. The basic plan is to have two teams. The green team will focus on current members, and the orange team will focus on getting new people. Some team members will visit members and prospects and some will pray during the visitation period. You can join one or both teams, but you need to come to this important meeting to get the details and to sign up. Contact the pastor for more information (or just come to the meeting!). Powerful study Downpour offered Wednesday nights Hosea reminds us that, when we return to Him, he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth." [Hosea 6:3] That is the message James MacDonald speaks of in Downpour, a powerful study you can experience on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. With its powerful call to revival, this study leads believers to lift up their eyes and return to the Lord. The landscape of our lives has become dry and scorched. So if you are thirsty for spiritual renewal, heaven is bursting with the blessings God wants to rain down upon you. Not a trickle, but a torrent - a deluge of Himself, an intense saturation that covers all your past. Take hold of this unique opportunity and make yourself wholly His. Let nothing come between you and God's downpour. Youth Discipleship Now Weekend August 22-23 Contact the pastor for details. Adult volunteers are needed to provide and help with snacks and meals. Also, please pray for the leaders and the teens participating in this event. Contact Pastor Andy Blankenship at 478-433-2505 or 433-5985 for more information.
Page 4 About our revival preachers Realizing we have a lot of people who haven t been at BBC that long, here s some information about the former pastors who will be preaching in our August revival. Ken Haag was our pastor from 1975 1978. He retired in 1999 from First Baptist Church of Locust Grove after 15 years of service and began an itinerant ministry, serving as transitional or interim pastor to local churches. He currently is serving as pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Pike County. He and his wife Linda live in Jackson. Georgia Baptist news Speechless 2008: Seeking to Hear the Voice of God This prayer conference September 29-30, 2008, at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa will include focused prayer and training opportunities. For more information visit gabaptist.org. A registration form is posted on the bulletin board across from the nursery also. Registration deadline is September 24. Dennis Phillips was our pastor from August 1999 through December 2006. He currently is the director of missions for Pulaski-Bleckley Baptist Association. He and his wife Rose live in Hawkinsville. Jeff Powell was our pastor October 1995 through February 1999. He currently is employed as a budget analyst at Robins Air Force Base and is pastor of Unity Baptist Church in Lizella. He and his family live in Macon. Pray for the nominating committee and their task Please pray for nominating committee chair Mark Smith and the rest of the committee (to be announced) as they seek to find officers, teachers, leaders and committee members for the new church year About the cover Rhonda Youngblood does a great job of maintaining our two church signs. Pictured on the cover is the sign on Highway 90, which inspires travelers passing through Byromville with constantly changing words of wisdom, sometimes with a humorous twist. Volunteer to help with baby comfort station at Perry fair Information about and a signup sheet to volunteer at the baby comfort station at the Perry fair in October is posted on the bulletin board across from the nursery. Sunday Mornings at 10:00 AM Examing Our Vision (Jeremiah 17: 7-8) Sunday Evenings at 7:00 PM Verse by Verse through The Book of Acts
Schedule of Volunteers for August Please remember it is up to you to arrange coverage if you are unable to serve on your scheduled day. Page 5 Date Flowers Nursery AM Nursery PM Deacon of the Week Ushers Aug. 3 Dianne Thompson Beth/Arthur Roney Laura/Keith Lamberth Jimmy Lockerman Mark Smith Quint Smith Aug. 10 Era Mae Youngblood Paula/Mark Smith Paula/Mark Smith Arthur Roney Jimmy L. Hendrix George Massey Aug. 17 Dianne Thompson Kimberly Godfrey Terri Gregory Vicki/Steven Lamberth Mark Smith William Preston Monta Averill Aug. 24 Open Jill Brannen Sharon Thompson Brenda/Jimmy Lockerman Frank Thompson Arthur Roney Mark Peavy Aug. 31 Open Vicki/Steven Lamberth Paula McKinley Marsha Taylor Curtis Lamberth Bob Latimer Kyle West July Stats Sunday School Bible study for all ages Senior Adults 13 FBIC 11 CIA 4 VOC/Berean 9 Young Adults 12 Older Youth 3 th th th 6, 7 & 8 Graders 4 rd th th 3, 4, & 5 Graders 5 st nd 1 & 2 Graders 5 Older Preschoolers 8 Younger Preschoolers 4 Nursery 4 General Officers 6 TOTAL 87 Financial $ummary June receipts General offerings $9,657.65 For stove 5.00 TOTAL 9,662.65 June disbursements General expenses 8,815.06 Vacation Bible School 800.60 GA Baptist Children s Homes 100.00 Cooperative Program 1,174.54 Houston Baptist Association 489.39 TOTAL $11,379.59 Wonderful Wednesdays Youth 10 Older Children 4 Younger Children (Children in Action) 9 Preschoolers (Mission Friends) 9 Nursery 4 TOTAL 36 Blood Drive; August 7; 2 7 PM Unadilla First Baptist Church Bring photo ID. The need is constant. The gratification is instant. GIVE BLOOD!
Page 6 A Little of Eternity For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted. LUKE 14:11 Easy Mexican Dip 1 8 oz. cream cheese 1 8 oz. sour cream 1 jar of salsa 1 finely chopped bell pepper 1 finely chopped onion Finely shredded cheese (Mexican blend recommended) Mix softened cream cheese with sour cream. Spread in pizza pan. Spread salsa over mixture. Spread bell pepper and onion over salsa. Top with cheese. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips. Watch the Perseids meteor showers August 10-13 Although the showers will be present during the early morning hours (4:00 a.m. to predawn) August 10-13, the best show will be on August 12. Why does Jesus insist that our first consideration in prayer should be the honor of God's Name? Is this a device (as some have suggested) to appeal to the vanity and egotism of the Almighty? Can it be that our loving heavenly Father wants us to give Him what He wants (admiration and praise) before He gives us what we want? No, of course not! God encourages us to focus on Himself because He knows that in contemplating Him, we complete ourselves and bring all parts of our personality to health. To admire, appreciate, respect, and venerate the character of God is to awaken ourselves to reality. Not to do so is to deprive ourselves and bring about a depletion of spiritual power. We are designed for the worship and contemplation of God, and when, therefore, we stand before Him and gaze at His majesty and glory, the machinery of our inner being whirs into activity, and our characters take on the features of His character. God, therefore, has our interests at heart more than His own when He asks us to venerate Him. We "hallow" His Name, and our own name (our character) is hallowed. We gaze at His character, and our own character is made better for the gazing. A shop assistant put it this way: "I just go quiet and empty into His presence, gaze at His glory and loveliness, and give myself time for His disposition to get through to mine." Yes, that's the secret. Give God a little of your time, and He will give you a little of eternity. Congratulations to Gladys and Bud Johnson on the arrival of their third great grandchild. Jacob Dennis Hood was born on July 23 weighing 7 lb. 13 oz. Daily Prayer O Father, forgive me for the times I rush into Your presence intent only on getting my needs met. Slow me down and make me a more contemplative person. Then Your character can rub off on mine. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Page 7 What d you say? Five for One members enjoy food and fellowship in Saliba Hall after their concert on June 29 during the evening worship service. Many thanks to Charles Jones, Sydney Jones, Vernon Kirksey and our own Mark Peavy for sharing their singing talents with us. Visit our website for more photos of the concert and fellowship following. I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. Matthew 12:36 Speaking without thinking is like playing with a loaded gun, and careless words are its bullets. When the gun goes off and injures someone, the damage is done. You can retrieve the bullet, but you can't undo the harm it caused. Have you ever hurt someone's feelings with careless words, then shrugged it off because your target was just being overly sensitive? Have you ever spread gossip about someone, embellishing it a little to spice up the story? Have you cut down a friend's self-confidence with your "all in fun" jabs? Have you dishonored God by using his name disrespectfully even though you knew better? Learn how fishing can help feed the hungry at Assn l Brotherhood August 4 Dewey Mitchell of Fishermen for the Hungry, a nonprofit organization committed to reeling in hunger and malnutrition in our communities, will be the speaker for this quarter s Associational Brotherhood on August 4 at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. The meeting begins with a meal at 6:30 p.m. Pleasant Grove Church is located at 133 Emmaus Road (just off Highway 90 a few miles southeast of Cordele). For more information about Fishermen for the Hungry, visit their website at fishermenforthehungry.org. Most of us will admit that we don't always choose our words wisely. But if we really understood the power of our words, we'd never shoot them off as carelessly as we do. God knows how damaging our words can be, and he takes them far more seriously than we do. Jesus cautioned us, in fact, that one day we'll all be required to account for "every careless word" we've spoken. Imagine standing before holy God in heaven as every stray word we ever spoke on earth is revealed! If you tend to shoot off your mouth, ask God today to help you gain control over your tongue. Begin choosing your words wisely--thinking before you speak--so that you will have no need for regrets. How surprising to you is this little warning from Jesus? Read Up: Leviticus 5:4-5, 2 Chronicles 19:4-10 Get Deep. Get TQ
Page 8 Byromville children to attend circus and join choir th (Editor s note: I ve run out of old pictures to publish for this feature during our 175 anniversary celebration. At the risk of sounding somewhat scolding, I know there are more but no one is sharing them with me. Thanks to the few who have Martha Hill, Martha Peavy and Connie Raper. Therefore, I hunted around the church house and in an old filing cabinet found the following article from a September 1979 issue of The Vienna News. This was before our current pastor was even born!) A circus party will be held for the Children s Choir Enrollment Day at the Byromville Baptist Church on Monday, Sept. 10 from 5:30 until 6:30 p.m. All boys and girls in the Byromville area in grades one through seven are urged to attend the party and enroll in the choir program. This program is led by members of both the Byromville Baptist and Byromville United Methodist Churches. The circus will feature entertainment by Dune Buggy, The Magic Clown. He will delight everyone with his magic acts and sculpured balloons. Tim Walker, a ventriloquist from Montezuma will also be performing. Other activities planned are rides, games and races with prizes from the Treasure Chest! Refreshment will include visits to the popcorn machine, Sweet Shoppe, and hot dog stand. Our children s choirs are concerned with developing the whole child spirtually, mentally, physically, and muscially. Musical experiences in these choirs wil include activities in signing, listening, playing instruments, and moving to music. Boys and girls in grades one through three will be in the Music Makes Choir which will meet on Mondays at the Byromville Baptist Church from 5 until 5:45 p.m. Leaders of this choir are Kay West, Susie Burnam and Sheryl Burnam. The Young Musicians Choir is for children in grades four through seven and is led by Judith Brinson, Wilma Jean Gresham, and Joy Lanning. They will meet on Mondays at the Byromville Baptist Church from 5 until 6 p.m. Blessings is published monthly by Byromville Baptist Church. Send news items and/or comments to Editor Brenda Lockerman at POB 217, Byromville, GA 31007, email to brendalockerman@windstream.net or call 478-433-2791. Byromville Baptist Church 713 Patterson Street POB 126 Byromville, GA 31007 www.byromvillebaptistchurch.com 478-433-2505 Pastor: Andy Blankenship NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 2 BYROMVILLE ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED