April/May Birthdays & Anniversaries April Birthdays May Birthdays 2 Pam Vineyard, Julie Miller 2 Jim Reed 3 Freda Walker 4 Brian Queen 4 Herb Mayfield 9 Toni Stevens 5 Stephen Mustain, Jr., Darlene Barker 11 Pam Herken 6 Jeri George, Dana Shopfner 16 Vickie Kenton, Barbara Pitts 9 George Honaker 21 Joyce Adkins, Jerriann Wells 10 Anna Hundley, Max Allen 22 Katie Johnston 11 Alex Mustain 23 Allen Brown 15 Jo Barlow 25 Bernie Blankenship 18 Jerry Smith, Becky Ketchum, Mary Slavens 28 Linda Hayden 22 Charles Beltz 29 Jessica Lingle 23 Jonathan Terrill 24 Ross Perkins May Anniversaries 25 Bridgid Schwilling 5/10 M/M Ryan Lingle 27 Jenny Forge 5/10 M/M Patrick Shelton 5/13 M/M Bruce Shopfner April Anniversaries 5/17 M/M David Redford 4/14 M/M Daniel Sparks 5/20 M/M Bob Leath 4/22 M/M Mark Cox 5/28 M/M Charles Mullins M/M Ed Hawkins 5/28 M/M Jim Creighton 4/27 M/M Jim clay 5/29 M/M Mike Fleming Attendance Record 3/3 3/10 3/17 3/24 Morning Worship - 132 137 149 Evening Worship - 21 22 20 Wed. Evening 50 - - - First Baptist Church 340 North 13th Street Leavenworth, KS 66048 913.682.4426 April/May 2019 Volume 5, Issue 4/5 The Baptist Beacon April 14: Palm Sunday - For all ages Service: Choir Cantata No Stone Could Hold Him 6:00 pm - Creative Worship April 18: Maundy Thursday Worship Service 6:00 pm - Communion Service Meal with the Master April 20: Easter Egg Hunt 2:00 pm - Children s Easter Egg Hunt (For Pre-K-5th Grade) April 21: Easter Sunday 7:00 am - Easter Sonrise Service 8:00 am - Easter Breakfast for All ages 10:30 am - Easter Worship Service No Evening Service We invite you to Like our new Facebook Page. Browser searching: fb.me/forthesakeofthegospel
Guest Rev. It Up! Parting Words By Dr. Nathan Marsh our Departing Associate Executive Minister (He will be Pastoring First Baptist Church of Topeka.) I will never be able to adequately express how thankful I am to have served among you on region staff. I have found the Central Region to be a welcoming group of people dedicated to the mission of Jesus Christ. The future of the Central Region is bright. I will be your biggest supporter and encourager as you move forward. When I was growing up, there was a childhood toy that I loved. Ninja Turtles were famous at the time and the toy I treasured the most flung plastic pizzas in the air! One day, however, I lost it. I came crying to my mom, and she went back into my room with me to help find it. When she stepped into my room, she said, Nate, you can t find your toy because your room is a mess! She asked me to clean it, and after, I found my prized toy. As I ve traveled across our beautiful region, I realized that many churches have lost something they miss the way things used to be. Sometimes it s the reminder of a sanctuary that was full, a choir that sings loudly on Sunday morning, or a tradition, program, or event that no longer exists. Change is difficult. Losing something we love so dearly is difficult too. As I have traveled our region, many have told me, Nate, things are a real mess. It makes me wonder, is God telling us to clean up? About every 500 years the church goes through a massive transition. We are at the 500-year time now. In the 500-year season the Body of Christ learns how to share and show the good news of Jesus in unique and wonderful ways. It is exciting, but it is also scary. Church in the way that we used to do it is not longer effective. Just like my illustration with my prized toy, we need to go in, clean up, and find out what means the most to us. Maybe, just maybe, we will find that our programs, traditions, and memories of what used to be are second to following God s mission in society today. Some churches in this reformation time will figure it out and do great things, while others, will continue to exist until their resources run out. I believe that in this challenging time, there is great opportunity! Three things excite me when I begin to think about this. First, we have the opportunity to step out and be the church. No longer do we huddle together and wonder why no one cones to us, but rather, we go to them. Churches who continually look outward, not in, will have the opportunity to be incarnational in a tangible way. Second, there is a great opportunity to try new things done in new ways. I believe that God invites us to be authentic in what we do. Sure, we may try something new, and it might not go as well as we planned, but God affords us more opportunities to try new things. You know the definition of insanity, don t you? Trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Does your church have a program, event, ministry, or worship service that is not getting good results? Try something new. Third, we have the opportunity to partner with others like never before. From my viewpoint, God wants us to partner with WHEN: Saturday, April 20-2:00 PM WHERE: First Baptist Church 340 N. Thirteenth, Leavenworth Join us for our annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 20 at 2 PM! This FREE familyfriendly event will include a huge egg hunt (for ages pre K-5th grade) with over 1,000 eggs, a bounce house, arts and crafts for the kids, an Easter photo booth, and multiple golden egg prizes! We can t wait to see you there! No Stone Could Hold Him A dynamic witness to the Loving Rock of our Salvation April 14, 2019, 10:30 a.m. No Stone Could Hold Him is a spirited witness to the ministry, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Rock of our Salvation. The Adult Choir will present No Stone Could Hold Him by Lloyd Larson during the 10:30am service on April 14.
Mother s Day Recognition & Muffin s with Mom On Sunday, May 12th (Mother s Day) AB Women will have a special recognition during our worship service for mothers and announce our Mother of the Year. Then after the service during the Fellowship Time we will honor our mothers with Muffins with Mom for everyone to partake in. You won t want to miss this special opportunity to recognize and honor all the wonderful mothers in our midst. Honoring our Graduates We will be honoring our graduates on Sunday, May 19 th during the morning worship service. If you are graduating or you know of someone graduating who is a part of our church family please call the church office (913-682-4426) and let us know. Easter Candy Needed With Easter just a few short weeks away, now is the time we need lots and lots of Easter candy and a moderate amount of plastic standard sized eggs. Please only bring individually wrapped candy and drop it in the donation box in the foyer. Keep in mind the candy needs to be small enough to fit into a standard sized Easter egg. Parent s Night Out The next Parent s Night Out is scheduled for Friday, April 5 th. If you plan to bring your children please sign up on the sheet at the Welcome Center. Pastor Jerry s Availability Schedule for in Office Pastoral Care Visits: Monday Day off Tuesday 1:30-4pm Wednesday - 9:30am-12 noon Thursday 1:30-4pm Friday 1:30-4pm Please contact the church office (913-682-4426) to set-up an appointment time. If the above times don t work for your schedule, call Pastor Jerry at the office to figure out an agreeable time. Wednesday Night Activities Each Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm First Baptist serves a home cooked meal. At 6:30 pm our kids attend Kid s Club in the gymnasium. At 6:30 pm we have our weekly Bible study. Currently we are studying the Acts of the Apostles and discovering how God used folks like you and me to spread the good news of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. This Wednesday our study of The Acts of the Apostles will conclude Paul s First Missionary Journey and examine Paul and Barnabas report to the Jerusalem Council. You are encouraged to read Acts 12:25-15:35 as preparation for this study. At 7:00 pm the choir meets for rehearsal. If you have an interest in singing with the choir you are invited to join them at 7:00 pm. other denominational families. Maybe in your town, you have churches who have a couple of handfuls of people at each church. Why not do ministry together instead of going into separate corners? Even some of our Central Region congregations are partnering together for Wednesday night programming, summertime Vacation Bible School, prayer meetings, etc. Isn t it exciting? God is doing something new. Not only within the Central Region but in the larger church as well. My prayer for all of us is that we can be courageous enough to meet God in the neighborhood, listen to and see what is going on, and do the mission of Jesus like never before. Book Review While we all should take time to read and study the Word of God, we often do so with no real direction at all. We all need to have direction to our reading and we can readily find that in a small publication by John MacArthur entitled How to Study the Bible. This small, 140 page, book is written in such a way that is easy to understand and quickly gives us timely tips. The book is broken into 4 sections: 1. The Power of the Word in the Believer s life Part 1 2. The Power of the Word in the Believer s life Part 2 3. Who can study the Bible? 4. How to study the Bible? As John MacArthur says in Part 1, it is vital for every Christian to know how to study the Bible. We need to be able to dig into God s work to glean and gain all the riches the Bible contains. I guarantee that you will be able to study the Bible with an increased awareness of what you are studying. John MacArthur makes it easier and more productive to read and understand the Book. John MacArthur pastors Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California and serves as president of the Master s College and Seminary. A well-known Bible expositor and conference speaker, he has written more than six dozen books, including the MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series and the MacArthur Study Bible. He is the Bible teacher on Grace to You, an international radio broadcast. Senior Adult Retreat Don t miss this opportunity to be inspired and informed at this year s Senior Adult Retreat Walking in the Light. This year s keynote speaker is Dr. Priscilla Eppinger, Executive Director of the American Baptist Historical Society. Registration forms are at the Welcome Center. Deadline for registration is April 4, 2019. Retreat will take place at Cross Wind Conference Center in Hesston, KS.
All-Church Work Day Scheduled The Trustees have scheduled an All-Church Work Day for Saturday, April 13 at 9 a.m. The focus will be on sprucing up the lawn & landscaped areas in preparation for Easter. Bring yard tools and leaf blowers to help with the spruce up. Blood Drive Results Thank you to those who came and gave blood last week at our Community Blood Drive. Our goal was 36 units which we exceeded. We collected 48 units. Thank you for giving the gift of life. Wednesday Evening Meal Change Please note that for accounting purposes the Wednesday Evening Meal Team asks that you bring cash only for the meal and only pay for one week at a time. No checks please. Movie Matinee The Movie Matinee for the month of April is entitled Creed of Gold. Creed of Gold is a cloak and dagger adventure about the Federal Reserve and an international financial conspiracy that threatens the world. Three heroic college students uncover the plot and risk their lives to expose a secret syndicate. If you would like to see this movie, please sign up at the Welcome Center. Grounds for Discussion A new opportunity for informal fellowship and discussion! This new once a month coffee group called Grounds for Discussion meets here at the church on Friday, April 26th at 9:30 a.m. This is NOT a forum for political debates but could discuss current events in how they relate to the Christian faith. Or folks may just want to discuss something that has been on their mind (like the Chiefs, Royals Baseball, fishing, travel, etc.), for enjoyment with fellow Christians or seekers who are invited. This group will aim to give folks the opportunity to build relationships with others (church member or not) and with Pastor Jerry, in a relaxed setting. Meetings will take place in the gym. We look forward to you joining us!
April 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 9:30 am - Lenten Study 2 4:30 pm - Grief 3 9 am - Morning Bible Hour 5:45 pm - Evangelism Team Mtg. 4 10:30 am - La Leche League 5 9 am - White Cross Women s Sewing Group 6 pm - Parent s Night Out 6 9 am - Private Event 7 Communion 4:30 pm - Choir Rehearsal 8 9:30 am - Lenten Study 9 10 6 pm - Finance Committee Mtg. 11 12 13 9 am - All Church Work Day 4 pm - Choir Rehearsal and Dinner 14 Choir Cantata No Stone Could Hold Him 15 6 pm - Deacon s Mtg. 16 4:30 pm - Grief 6:30 pm - Deaconess Mtg. 6:30 pm - Trustee Mtg. 17 5:45 pm - Discipleship Team Mtg. 18 6 pm - Maundy Thursday Service 19 Good Friday - Church Closed 20 8 am - Men s Breakfast/ Service Project 2 pm - Easter Egg Hunt 21 7 am - Easter Sunrise Service 8 am - Easter Breakfast 22 23 1:30 pm - Heart for Mission 24 25 26 9:30 am - Grounds for Discussion Grp - Gym 27 1 pm - Movie Matinee 28 5:15 pm - Potluck Dinner 6 pm - Quarterly Business Mtg. 29 30 4:30 pm - Greif
May 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 5:45 pm - Evangelism Team Mtg. 2 10:30 am - La Leche League 3 9 am - White Cross Women s Sewing Group 6 pm - Parent s Night Out 4 9 am - Private Event 5 Communion 6 7 8 9 am - Morning Bible Hour 6 pm - Finance Committee Mtg. 9 10 11 12 Mother s Day 11:45 am - Muffins with Mom 6 pm - No Evening Services 13 6 pm - Deacon s Mtg. 14 4:30 pm - Grief 6:30 pm - Deaconess Mtg. 6:30 pm - Trustee Mtg. 15 5:45 pm - Discipleship Team Mtg. 16 17 18 8 am - Men s Breakfast/ Service Project 19 20 21 1:30 pm - Heart for Mission 22 23 24 9:30 am - Grounds for Discussion Grp - Gym 25 1 pm - Movie Matinee 26 27 28 4:30 pm - Greif 29 30 31