October 2013 The Newsletter of Calvary Baptist Church Volume 162 Issue 10 The Knocking Kingly Knees (Dan. 5) The music was playing and the dancers were dancing. It was the King's great feast with a thousand lords in attendance. The king was making merry and called to bring forth the golden and silver vessels taken out of the temple in Jerusalem by his father, Nebuchadnezzar. When they were brought out, he, his lords, wives and concubines drank from them and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. Suddenly a hand appeared and wrote on a wall. The king was frightened... so frightened that his knees began to knock together and finally gave out from beneath him. He called for the soothsayers and the enchanters and proclaimed that anyone who could interpret the writing on the wall would have bestowed upon them a purple robe, a golden chain and would be given the position of 3rd most powerful person in the kingdom. But none of them were able to decipher the writing on the wall. The queen heard the kings fear and told him of a man named Daniel who had served his father. She spoke of Daniel's wisdom and recommended that her husband send for Daniel. The king summoned him and told him of what would be given if he could just interpret the writing on the wall. Daniel told the king that he could keep his riches and give his rewards to someone else but that he would still render an explanation. Daniel first told how the king's father Nebuchadnezzar had become aragent and prideful that he was stripped of his glory and given the mind of an animal and was sent to live in the fields like a wild donkey. He remained like this until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men. But then Daniel turned to the king... But You have not humbled yourself despite knowing all this that your father went through. Instead you have set yourself up against the Most High God. You had the goblets brought from His temple and used them to drink wine and to praise false gods. This is why he has sent... the hand. (I doubt the Adams family realized that Hand's ancestry went back to the ancients.) It has written Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin. This means that you have weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Daniel received the awards despite his objections but then that night the king was murdered and Darius, the Mede, took over the kingdom. Reach Ruston, Saturday, October 5th, 8-Noon, Lunch at 11:30 $2 per person
No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. John Donne (Poet and preacher) Men have an uncanny ability to come up with any number of excuses for why we don t want to get real with others. While we may not want to admit it, most men prefer to be isolated from others. We may be willing to sit in a stadium filled with thousands of people and show our emotions during a sporting event; or join hundreds of others in a worship service and publicly declare our praise for God; or discuss Bible stories and life issues with a small group; or even meet a good friend at the coffee shop to hang out together, but when it comes to opening up and sharing what s really going on in our personal lives, most men choose isolation. Psychologist and author, Larry Crabb describes this as bodies turned inward, but souls turned outward. We may be willing to face one another and look at one another, but when it comes to getting real with one another men tend to shut down. No matter the excuse, withdrawing from others and living an isolated life is dangerous living. A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment. A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart Proverbs 18:1-2 (NKJV). When God created the first man, Adam, He knew that man needed companionship; it was not good for him to walk through life alone (Gen 2:18). Men who think they are self-sufficient and need nobody else are sure to fall, and, when they do, there will be nobody to help them up (Ecc 4:9-12). In order to protect ourselves, men choose to sever relationships marriages, friendships, business associations, and even church involvement failing to realize that we actually have become more vulnerable and will cause more hurt in our own lives and in the lives of others. Author Daniel Henderson writes, The willingness to be genuinely connected and accountable cannot be reduced to a legalistic series of discomforting questions or a written report to a heavy-handed spiritual advisor. Real accountability springs from the willingness of the heart to be in biblical relationship with other believers. Men, as spiritual leaders of our families and our church, we must have a willingness of the heart to be in biblical relationship with other believers and we must demonstrate that biblical relationship for others. We have had some really powerful Men Encouraging Men events lately, and I encourage all of our men to prayerfully consider joining us for a Men s Retreat, October 18-19 th. Please place this event on your calendar and make yourself available and willing to attend. Honored to be your pastor, Bill Volume 162 Issue 10 Page 2
Kids Worship at 10:30am; 1st--4th Graders *No Kidstyle Worship on Oct.13 PARENTS NIGHT OUT Friday, October 11th; Sign up on Facebook or the office by the Wednesday before. Parent Night on Wednesday, October 9th, 6-7:30pm, $3 for dinner Pinecove: November 8th-10th; Cost: $95; Deposit Due by October 20th ($45); 2nd-6th Grade; Sign up online or contact Sandra Volume 162 Issue 10 Page 3
Children s Musical Practice Sundays 5:30 p.m. Our fall children s music has gotten off to a great start! Each Sunday children not only rehearse drama and music, but they also experience a Bible study / devotional time. It s not too late for your child 3year old-6 th grade child to be a part. Children s Choir Leaders and Meeting Locations 3years Kindergarten Teachers: Vickie Bennett, Carol Harrison, Molly Johnston in the Safari Room. Grades 1-3 Teachers: Cindy Basco & Penney James in the Ocean Room. Grades 4-6 Teachers: Shannan Inman, Dandy Monroe & Brenda Lofton in the Multi-Purpose room. Our children s musical will be presented in Calvary s worship center at 5:30 p.m. on December 8 th. WANTED: More brass and woodwind instruments for the first service. Contact Cary Tolar if you can play a horn and have an interest in this area. Adult Christmas Choir This fall we will form a Christmas choir which will present a medley of songs from Phil Barfoot s The Light of Christmas. We will practice on Wednesdays beginning November 6 th at 7:30 p.m. This will be a great opportunity for you to be part of a wonderful musical celebration which keeps Jesus as the focal point of Christmas. We will present this medley during both services on December 15 th. Discipleship News Becoming a Matthew: A Lifestyle, Not Just an Event Whenever we first put forth the idea to join a nation-wide evangelistic effort with the Billy Graham Association, I love what one of our Calvary members said: well, this is a great encouragement for us to do what we should be doing all the time anyway. That comment referred to leading people to Christ through friendships we naturally form and through our everyday activities. The event part My Hope with Billy Graham is hosting a party during early November and watching a Billy Graham presentation on TV. What we re really hoping is that through this organized effort, our church members will become more intentional about using relationships as a means to lead people to Christ. If you believe it is not the Lord s Will for you to host a Matthew party in your home, then consider showing your support by attending or maybe even helping with someone else s party and also by lifting up all these parties and Matthews in prayer. I ask that you have an open mind and heart as your church staff seeks to lead in this effort to strengthen our evangelism efforts. New Sunday Night Discipleship Opportunity Multiply: A five week Bible study will begin on Sunday, October 27th that is designed to equip you to become a disciplemaker. The groups will be facilitated by Rick Schroeder, Jerry Houston, Tim Colvin, and Bill Reid. If you are interested in joining one of these groups, please contact Sandra George by Sunday, October 20th. Volume 162 Issue 10 Page 4
Upcoming Events October 5.Reach Ruston Service projects all over our city 8am to Noon. October 6..Life Chain prayerful protest to end abortion, 2:30 to 3:30, in front of the Ruston Civic Center. Oct. 27 @ 5:30 October 27 Igroups to Judgment House at Cook BC. Leave from Calvary at 5:30pm Upcoming Events: First Sunday Fellowship (Red Beans & Rice and Shockwave) -- October 6 @ 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall Engage 24 (an evangelism effort through the LA Tech BCM) -- October 10 Homecoming Tailgate and Game -- October 19th at 12 noon Adopt-a-Student -- We are postponing our Adopt-a-Student program until later in the year. We will send out more information then. Mentoring -- We have several students who are looking for an adult mentor to meet with regularly. If you are interested in investing in the life of a college student, email jessicabufkin@gmail.com. College Schedule Sundays 9am LifeGroups (Breakfast provided) 10:30 am Worship 7:30pm Ekklesia (College Worship and Bible Study) Wednesdays 7:00 pm Discipleship Groups (Fellowship Hall) Thursdays 6:30 pm South Campus Bible Study (Lomax Hall) Please pray for our students as they serve as campus missionaries at Louisiana Tech. They have identified areas on campus that the Lord has specifically called them to minister, and they are seeking to be intentional with their time in serving people and sharing Christ with them. They covet your prayers as they give an Answer for the Hope they have. Look us up online at our: Website: www.calvaryruston.org Twitter: @cavarycollege Facebook.com/calvarycollege
01 James Davis 02 Katie Miller 03 Anna Logan 04 Joe Aulds Steve Coyle Patrick Beatty 05 Roy Pye Michelle Coker 06 Sarah Rehage 07 Timothy Babcock Candy Lolley Addison Barham 08 Jennifer Gay Deborah Stevens 10 Chrissy Bryant 11 Margie Cooper Tyler Horton Natalie Brooks 12 David Doss Jennifer Giddens 13-Vicky Carroll 14-Craig Crawford Shannon Davidson Bethani Davis 16-Breyanna Gordon 17 Bill Cary Nathan Neal 19 Kevin Inman Shannan Inman Tarl Gay Isabella Watson 20 David Reid 21 Rosemary Reeves Kyle Hanna 23 Heather Knippers Mark Milstead D.J. Ferdis 24 James Kjellin Bryant Hollins Daniel Kimrey 25 Jordan Raggio 27 Sarah Smith 28-Ellen Carter Sue Ellen McCallum Brayden Steward 29 Jessica Bryant Madelyn Howard New Members Zachary Yell By Statement Ken Monroe By Letter Dandy Monroe By Letter Trent Humphrey By Letter Emily Humphrey By Letter Darlene Bryant By Letter Cameron Ray By Letter Rachael Kleinpeter By Letter Men s Event October 26th from 6pm-8pm at Calvary Volume 162 Issue 10 Page 6
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 8am 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Deacons Meeting BALL Team Business Meeting 6pm Las Vegas Mission Trip 11-14 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 MENS RETREAT 18th-19th 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 JAARS Mission Trip 19th-27th 27 28 29 30 31 Men's Event
NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #267 RUSTON LA 71270 5200 Hwy 167 Ruston, LA 71270 318-255-3594 www.calvaryruston.org info@calvaryruston.org Return Service Requested Reach Ruston, Saturday, October 5th, 8-Noon, Lunch at 11:30 $2 per person We hope you will plan to be a part of this morning of serving others in our community. Here's some of the projects we already have planned: (others will be added) Coat Give-Away at County Market Painting a Room at the DART Shelter Putting Ornaments together for Life Choices Yard work at Life Choices Center Baking and Delivering Cookies to Local Businesses and Firemen/Police Officers $3500 If you have not yet given to this mission offering that provides funding for needs right here in our own state, please prayerfully consider giving. The last Sunday to give to Georgia Barrnett State Offering is October 13th. Offering envelops are provided in the pew racks in the worship center. Pray For Our October Mission Trips Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes will be available for pickup on Sunday, October 13th. Once you have filled your shoebox, please place it at the alter in the worship center around the Christmas tree. All shoeboxes must be turned in by Sunday, November 17th. Please remember to include the $7 for shipping and checks should be made payable to OCC. Las Vegas Mission Trip: October 11th-14th: The Las Vegas team will be partnering with Tropicana Christian Fellowship church to host the "Love Our City" event. Hundreds will be in attendance and there will be many opportunities to share the gospel on that Saturday evening and Sunday morning JAARS Trip: Oct. 19th-27th: The JAARS team will Be in NC to serve in the Missions Mobilization Center.