First Baptist Church Montgomery Beacon bring them in...build them up...send them out Volume 68 Week of July 19, 2015 Number 29 FBC Website/Social Media Information Class Want to learn more about how to use the FBC website, online member directory and our social media options (including Facebook and Twitter)? Join us for a Q&A session that will help you stay connected with all that is happening at First Baptist Montgomery. Sunday, July 19 4:30 pm 443 www.montgomeryfbc.org Office: 334.834.6310 Prayer Line: 334.834.4585
CONNEC IONS from your Pastor s Heart Don t Curse the Darkness but Share God s Light! Beth Birchfield is an amazing example of a completely committed follower of Jesus Christ who refuses to surrender to the darkness of our culture, but shines a radiant light of witness for Christ. Beth recently made her 18th trip to Haiti to share the Gospel and make an earthly and eternal difference. She had learned about an area outside of our Children s Hope base-station orphanage in Jacmel in the adjacent mountains called Bossier, which was encased in darkness and needed a Gospel witness. She proposed a seven-day crusade in the region. When the issue of finances arose, Beth affirmed that she would provide the money. She designed a ceramic cup adorned with a map of Haiti and a scripture. She sold them through Facebook and raised $980.00 to fund the crusade. Beth writes, This week, I was in the beautiful mountains of Haiti with 13 Haitian sisters in Christ, along with a local pastor who is completely sold out for our Savior. He has discipled this church so they are on mission. Our mission was simple: Share the Gospel! We did door-to-door evangelism in the morning and held crusades in the evening by sharing the JESUS film. We saw God do big things. We saw lost become found, lives were transformed before our eyes, and we experienced a sisterhood through the blood of Christ. We worship a big, big God. The love we shared created a pure transparency between us. These women of faith inspired me, loved me, laughed with me and taught me. They taught me boldness and showed me shameless faith. They taught me how to carry water on my head, showed me graceful interdependence and whole-hearted worship. I learned to love big because our God is big. But the greatest truth of all is that all of God s children have their citizenship in heaven. Therefore, our location of natural birth is irrelevant in terms of forever. I thank God for this truth and the miracle of sharing the hope of the Gospel that unites the body of Christ. Because of this bold Gospel-sharing effort, 16 people stepped out of death and darkness into God s love, light, and eternal life!! The commission and command of Jesus is simple and clear: Go and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19-20) If Beth can do it, so can YOU. Find a place of darkness and bring the light of Christ by sharing His love and liberating Gospel. Inspired by Jesus and Beth, let s keep sharing the Gospel TOGETHER, FBC Faithfulness Sunday, July 12, 2015 ATTENDANCE Bible Fellowship Enrollment 4976 Bible Fellowship Attendance 1674 Weekly Attendance 2145 Discipleship Attendance 419 OFFERING Required Weekly $123,557.69 Received Sunday $150,036.42 Required To Date $3,459,615.32 Received To Date $3,237,081.10 Building Fund Sunday $920.05 Building Fund to Date $22,749.35 Under Budget $222,534.22
OUR PRESCHOOL NEEDS YOU! Ministry Announcements Children s Ministry Don t miss Something Far Out on Wednesday, July 22 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. We will be going to the Haney s for a swim party. For more information, contact Glen Leathers at 241.5164 or gleathers@montgomeryfbc.org. Student Ministry All students who have just finished the 6th, 7th or 8th grade are invited to a Crossover Beach Retreat on Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1. We will spend the night at the Laguna Beach Christian Resort in Panama City. You can register and pay online at www.montgomeryfbc.org/event-registration. Cost is $35. For more information, contact Spencer Jones at 524.5974 or sjones@montgomeryfbc.org. Adult Ministry Bible Fellowship Classes are invited to hear Creation Expert David Rives in the Stakely Sanctuary on Sunday, August 2 at 10:00 am. With a unique combination of creation science, Biblical astronomy and original worship music, David has built a solid case for our Creator, Jesus Christ and the world is taking notice. He is involved with historical, archaeological, and scientific research, and his work on Dead Sea Scrolls projects have been featured on the History Channel. Many tune in faithfully for his television program Creation in the 21st Century on TBN. A songwriter and recording artist as well, the addition of creativity to traditional scientific findings truly puts David in a league all his own. David is the grandson of Dorothy Rives in our church. Don t miss this exciting opportunity. Senior Adult Ministry Join us for a trip to the Celebrator s Conference on Monday, October 19 through Thursday, October 22 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The conference will feature David Jeremiah, Charles Billingsley and Ken Davis. There will also be a First Family Dinner Wednesday, July 22 No reservations required! Adult & Children s Meal: Chick-fil-A Adult Family Meal $5; Child s Meal (12 & under) $3 Maximum Family Amount $20 (immediate family only) Weekly and quarterly teachers for Sunday School as well as Worship Care Volunteers for both 8:30 & 11:00 services. Contact Nancie McQueen at 241.5166 or nmcqueen@ montgomeryfbc.org to find out more about areas you or your Sunday School class can serve.
homecoming concert by Sandi Patty, Larnelle Harris, Wayne Watson, and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Singers. Cost is $259 per person (2 per room) or $379 per person (1 per room). The package includes transportation, conference and lodging. Call Mary Virginia Crum at 241.5180 to make your reservation. A nonrefundable deposit of $25 is due at sign up. Deadline to sign up is Wednesday, August 26. Payment balance will be due Wednesday, September 2. Missions Ministry Are you going or do you know someone going out as a Summer Missionary? We want to join you in prayer as you take God s Message to the nations. Please let us know by contacting Brian Gay at 241.5131 or briang@montgomeryfbc.org. First Baptist Foundation Save the Date! PhilanthroCorp s Dave Keesling will be here to provide some Stewardship Coaching on Sunday, August 23 and Monday, August 24. For more information, contact Alissa Irvin at 241.5127 or airvin@ montgomeryfbc.org. Often times, we will procrastinate on making important decisions that involve creating plans for the unknown future. The First Baptist Foundation is here to offer you some assistance in making plans that involve your estate. We want to help you create a plan that best fits your needs, honors your family, and recognizes your faith. We offer free Estate Planning as a service through our partnership with PhilanthroCorp. You can start by filling out the Estate Plan Organizer at www.montgomeryfbc.org/legacy-linc, or by calling Alissa Irvin at 241.5127. Children s Hope New Members By Baptism Tyler Johnson 3184 Fernway Drive Montgomery, AL 36111 Mr. Eddie Leon Lane, Jr. 1449 Prairie Oak Drive Montgomery, AL 36117 By Letter Mr. James Johnson Mrs. James Johnson (Mary Ann) 2516 Darrington Road Montgomery, AL 36111 Mrs. Sara Steindorff 424 Bridlebrook Blvd Pike Road, AL 36064 Our Church Family If you would like to add someone to the prayer list, contact Carolyn Bryan at 241.5120. Sympathy Extended to Mr. & Mrs. Steve Harris (Karen) in the death of his father; Trent Harris in the death of his grandfather Mr. & Mrs. David Bunn (Virginia) in the death of his sister, Myra Fisher Mr. & Mrs. Joe Watkins (Pat) in the death of his mother Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Hancock (Mary Lee) in the death of his sister, Annette Rich Baptist East Elizabeth Thompson Jackson Stacy Allen Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare Chad Lynn HealthSouth Diane Choyce Ministerial Staff Birthdays Chuck Ashley (July 24) Ed Cleveland (July 25) Children s Hope is in need of child sponsorships! For just $35/month, you can provide a child with housing, clothes, food, education, and a place to learn about Online Pictorial Directory The FBC Online Member Directory is now ready. This up-to-date directory is available as an APP or by visiting the website. You will be asked to enter in your email address as it s listed in our directory. Please email Amanda Smith at asmith@ montgomeryfbc.org to get your valid email address added or to update your family s photo. For full instructions on using the online directory visit: www.montgomeryfbc.org/member-directory
God s love. To sponsor a child, you can go to www.children-hope.com, make a check payable to Children s Hope, or contact Ann Amster at teamamster@mac.com. Community Ministries The Caring Center is in desperate need of paper grocery bags. Please drop them off at the Caring Center or the receptionist desk at Scott Street. For more information, contact Judy Nuss at 241.5144. Check out the Nehemiah Center Blog at nehemiahcenterblog.blogspot.com. Join us for Friday Night Basketball in the Nehemiah Gym (217 Broadway Street). We will meet every Friday at 5:30 pm. Groups or individuals are welcome to join the Chisholm Community Youth for a great workout and fellowship. Cosponsored by City Parks and Recreation and the Nehemiah Center. Also needed are volunteers to share a brief devotion. For more information, contact Todd Carmichael at 430.5817 or hemanministries@gmail.com. The Nehemiah Center needs your help! Volunteers needed: grass mowers, painters, floor sander, and weeders for the Master s Garden, and football coaches for the Nehemiah Program. For more information or to volunteer, contact Jane Ferguson at 241.5141 or jferguson@montgomeryfbc.org. Churchwide News & Events Save the date for the Back-to-School Block Party and Medical/Dental Clinic at the Nehemiah Center on Saturday, August 8 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. School supplies needed at this time are: pencils, pens, pencil sharpeners, highlighters, first grade writing notebooks, children s scissors, notebook paper (wide-rule and college-rule), spiral one-subject notebooks, index cards, crayons, rulers, glue, glue sticks, tape, report covers, dry erase markers, paper towels, Kleenex, Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, copy paper, and nap pads. Supplies can be dropped in the bins in the main sanctuary foyer or in the Scott Street entrance. For more information on how you can help, contact Kathy Cooper at 241.5125 or kcooper@montgomeryfbc.org. Families are invited to participate in this home mission project. Have you recently moved, changed jobs or just changed a phone number? If so, please let us know, so that we can update our membership information. You can update your information online at www.montgomeryfbc.org/update or you can contact the Membership Office at 241.5130 or pthurman@montgomeryfbc.org. Volunteer Opportunity of the Week: Prayer Room Prayer Room Volunteers are needed to serve one hour a week to pray for the people in our church and our community. There are open hours available Monday through Friday. Check the schedule on the Prayer Room door or contact Sally Frazier at 274.8989, 224.9895 or salfraz45@aol.com.
This week at FBC Montgomery For the complete calendar, visit www.montgomeryfbc.org. Sunday, July 19 8:30 Worship Service 9:45 Bible Fellowship Classes 11:00 Worship Service 3:30 Deacon Training 4:30 FBC Website/Social Media Information Class 5:00 Visitation 6:15 Worship Service Monday, July 20 5:30 Men s Bible Study Tuesday, July 21 10:00 Terrific Tuesdays (FBC Tour) 11:00 GriefShare 2:00 Children s Ministry: California Yogurt Kraze 4:30 Children s Learning Center Board Meeting 6:00 Narcotics Anonymous Wednesday, July 22 4:45 First Family Dinner 5:30 Sanctuary Orchestra Rehearsal Children s Ministry: Something Far Out 6:00 First Family Prayer Time 6:35 Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal 6:45 Ejamat Prayer Time Thursday, July 23 10:00 Caregivers Support Group Friday, July 24 6:45 Friday Morning Men s Group 5:30 Celebrate Recovery Saturday, July 25 6:00 Narcotics Anonymous In Home Ministry Member :: Jean Chandler 1462 Stowers Road Mathews, Alabama 36052-4733 Morning Worship (8:30 & 11:00 am) Call to Worship Sanctuary Orchestra Days of Elijah Sanctuary Choir Offertory Solo Mary Kate Houlditch Message Jay Wolf Evening Worship (6:15 pm) Kids Kamp Review Offertory College Praise Team Message Blakeley Winslow CrossRoads Broadcast Schedule 305 South Perry Street Montgomery, AL 36104 Watch the sermon at the time below or online at www.montgomeryfbc.org. Frazer Channel 13 (Montgomery & Prattville) Brighthouse Channel 122 (Elmore County) Sunday, 1:30 pm (full hour) & 6:00 pm Tuesday, 7:30 pm Thursday, 9:30 am & 6:00 pm WSFA-TV Channel 12 Sunday, 10:30 am The Beacon (USPS #046-620) is published and printed weekly by First Baptist Church, 305 South Perry Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36104-4292. Periodical postage paid at Montgomery, Alabama. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Beacon, 305 South Perry Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36104-4292. FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH montgomery