THE BELL RINGER Jan uary 2019 Volum e 5, Issue 1 Calling all to gather in His name First Baptist Church of Blue Hill, 53 Pleasant Street, Blue Hill, ME 04614 www.firstbaptistchurchbluehill.org fbcbluehill.office@gmail.com (207) 374-5093 Greetings in Jesus Name We are so glad you re interested in our church. We are people who love Jesus and who want others to know the joy and purpose that come with following Him. We are a friendly American Baptist Church committed to Jesus Christ and the work of His kingdom. We aim to be a loving, growing family in Jesus, and we seek to walk humbly with God, obedient to His Word. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are working to love and serve others. We invite you to join us in experiencing and sharing this abundant life. From the Pulpit Pastor David Chenoweth INSIDE THIS ISSUE Page Greetings 1 From the Pulpit 1 Signs of Faith 2 LOL 2 Spirited Moments 2 Community Outreach 2 Special Events 3 Our Missions Team 4 Bloopers 4 Sympathies and Concerns 4 Children s Ministry 4 Member News 7 Coming Attractions 8 Birthdays and Anniversaries 9 Kids Korner 9 Calendar Happy New Year! This prayer from the late evangelist Billy Graham, written for The Saturday Evening Post in 2008, is just as relevant more than a decade later. Will you adopt his prayer as your own? In the midst of life s inevitable disappointments and heartaches, help us to turn to You for the stability and comfort we will need. In the midst of life s temptations and the pull of our stubborn self-will, help us not to lose our way but to have the courage to do what is right in Your sight, regardless of the cost. Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year, we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future. We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So, help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year. In the midst of life s uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging love. 1 And in the midst of our daily preoccupations and pursuits, open our eyes to the sorrows and injustices of our hurting world, and help us to respond with compassion and sacrifice to those who are friendless and in need. May our constant prayer be that of the ancient Psalmist: Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end (Psalm 119:33). We pray for our nation and its leaders during these difficult times, and for all those who are seeking to bring peace and justice to our dangerous and troubled world.
We pray especially for Your protection on all those who serve in our armed forces, and we thank You for their commitment to defend our freedoms, even at the cost of their own lives. Be with their families also and assure them of Your love and concern for them. Bring our divided nation together and give us a greater vision of what You would have us to be. Your Word reminds us that Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord (Psalm 33:12). As we look back over this past year, we thank You for Your goodness to us far beyond what we have deserved. May we never presume on Your past goodness or forget all Your mercies to us, but may they instead lead us to repentance, and to a new commitment to make You the foundation and center of our lives this year. And so, our Father, we thank You for the promise and hope of this new year, and we look forward to it with expectancy and faith. This I ask in the name of our Lord and Savior, who by His death and resurrection has given us hope both for this world and the world to come. In Jesus name, Amen. Signs of Faith Faithfully your pastor, Pastor Dave LOL Joan Pettengill starts our year off with another funny one: When my daughter, Kelli, said her bedtime prayers, she would bless every family member, every friend, and every animal (current and past). For several weeks, after we had finished the nightly prayer, Kelli would say, And all girls. As this soon became part of her nightly routine, to include this at the end, my curiosity got the best of me and I asked her, Kelli, why do you always add the part about all girls? Her response, Because we always finish our prayers by saying All Men! Spirited Moments God created us in His image for the purpose of reflecting Him. As believers, with Jesus life in us, we are God s hands, God s feet, God s mouth on earth. He has no other! Ian Thomas, Major, UK (Ret.) True faith requires more than to believe everything God has said about Himself. It requires also that we believe everything He has said about us; that we believe everything He has said about us. A. W. Tozer Lobbying God successfully is not the purpose for which He established prayer. Michael Youssef Community Outreach John Clapp reports that the Tree of Life continues to need condiments - ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, etc. In addition, they could use donations of peanut butter and canned tomato products for the month of January. Also, John wants us to remember that the pantry can't buy pet food, so there is always a huge need for both dog and cat food. Your donations do so much to benefit our neighbors. Please put your contributions in the Tree of Life basket in the vestibule. The pantry could not provide the amazing selection of food without the efforts of dozens of volunteers. Help is always needed unloading the Good Shepherd delivery every other Tuesday and helping on distribution day every Thursday. Please drop in on Thursday between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., call 374-2900 or visit their website at treeoflifepantry.org/volunteer if you are interested in being a volunteer. 2
Special Events You will recall that this year our church joined the local Chamber of Commerce, along with other various organizations and businesses around town, to celebrate the annual lighting of the town s Christmas tree on December 6. Our participation involved staging a live nativity on the church s front lawn, during which participants sang Christmas carols and free cocoa and cookies were offered to all visitors. By all accounts, our live nativity was a huge success and there wasn t a single cookie left at the end. Live Nativity Joseph and Mary with Baby Jesus at the Live Nativity Live Nativity Choir Wise Men at the Live Nativity Live Nativity 3
Sympathies and Concerns Please remember to keep all loved ones who are unsaved in your thoughts and prayers. A Prayer for the New Year A new year is unfolding like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within. Lord, let this year be filled with the things that are truly good with the comfort of warmth in our relationships, with the strength to help those who need our help and the humility and openness to accept help from others. As we make our resolutions for the year ahead, let us go forward with great hope that all things can be possible with Your help and guidance. Anonymous Angels and Shepherds at the Live Nativity Our Missions Team Sandy Woodward, our Emmaus Meal Service organizer, reports that the Emmaus meal for January is pasta casserole, green salad, Italian bread and bars for dessert. Thank you to all the volunteers who make it possible for us to continue this special mission, which means so much to those we serve. Have you signed up to be a server at the Emmaus Homeless Shelter yet? What a blessing it is to have the opportunity to show those less fortunate that we care for them. Here s your chance to volunteer because that is what Jesus asks us to do!! Look for the signup sheet in the vestibule. And remember to save your returnable bottles and cans to take to the Water Street redemption center with instructions to credit the deposit to Emmaus. Church Bulletin Bloopers This month s blooper: Next Friday we will be serving hot gods for lunch. Children s Ministry Train a child in the way he should go Prov. 22:6 Sunday School teachers for the 2018-19 year are: Pre-school Carrie Clifford Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2 Allison Charles Grades 3 and 4 Alma Mote Grades 5 and 6 Sharrie Curtis Grades 7 through 12 Darin Gray Our wonderful Sunday School staff and children, under the direction of Worship Team leader Sue Fenders, turned in a spectacular performance of the interactive play Bethlehem Inn on December 23. We had a packed house for the community meal in Fellowship Hall that was the opening of the play followed by a full sanctuary to witness the true story of the birth of Jesus with special performances by many of our children. 4
Bethlehem Inn An Interactive Christmas Program 5
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Member News The Chenoweth family shared lighting of the Advent candles on the final Sunday of the Advent season. Rob and Patty Clapp sent in photos of their three grandchildren s Christmas celebrations: It has been a truly joyous Christmas season for our church family. Of course, the best part of Christmas celebrations is sharing the joy of the youngest family members on that special day. Jackie Butler reports on her family s Christmas celebrations... The Butlers report a very happy Christmas with many days of being together. The annual Butler family Christmas party on December 22 hosted about 35 family members; a great time to get caught up with the children of Connie Bridges and Walter Butler. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was enjoyed with our three kids and their children here. Broden's first Christmas is our special gift this year. We are very blessed. Vera Gribbin Evie Gribbin 7
the Pastor, Church Clerk and the Nominating Committee (comprised of members of the Advisory Board). Please make a note of this important deadline in your paper or digital (or better yet, both!) calendar. American Baptist Churches of Maine Maine Mission Summit January 26, 9 a.m. til Noon China Lake Conference Center Who: You and any member of your church are invited to participate in this conversation. This is a conversation for local churches, with local churches, and by local churches. Robin Hughey Coming Attractions What: This Maine Mission Summit is a local church conversation about making disciples for Jesus Christ. Discipleship is the primary function of the local church. Many churches today are searching for that thing which will reinvigorate their mission and ministry. That thing may be youth or Sunday School or the right pastor, or more workers. However, the Scriptures make it clear, Jesus sent His disciples into the world to replicate themselves, to go and make disciples. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 ATTENTION MEN: Are you looking to connect with other men in the Lord s word, fellowship and prayer for about an hour so you can get your weekend off to a good start? Our new Men s Ministry group meets at 8:30 a.m. the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, beginning Saturday, January 12. Come check us out and be inspired. Annual Reports Deadline January 16, 5 p.m. The deadline for filing of annual reports to be read at the Annual Business Meeting is Wednesday, January 16. Reports are due from the chairpersons of the following boards/teams: Deacons, Trustees, Christian Ed, Finance, Fellowship, Missions and Worship. In addition, annual reports are due from 8 Why: Because the local church is commanded by Christ to go and make disciples. Because our communities need disciples who are willing to transform them with the love and grace of Christ. Because the size of a local church does not matter. Because the commitment of a local church to making disciples does matter. How: Conversations lead to ideas. Ideas lead to experiments. Experiments take place in local churches. Your church has been given the unique privilege of making a disciple for Jesus Christ. This is an opportunity to engage in a disciple-making conversation with other American Baptists. Annual Business Meeting January 27, Noon Our Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, January 27. The meeting will be preceded by a potluck lunch immediately after the worship service. Although only those who are members of First Baptist Church of Blue Hill may vote at the business meeting, everyone is welcome to share the potluck lunch and to stay for the meeting that follows.
Birthday and Anniversary Greetings Happy Birthday to Sandy Hill January 10 Katherine Charles January 22 Joan Pettengill January 15 William Chares January 22 Nancy Stoner January 16 Danner Curtis January 26 Morgan Clifford January 17 Michael Astbury January 27 Sandy Snow January 18 Donnie Bates January 27 Josh Astbury January 21 Happy Anniversary to Danner and Dewey Curtis January 6 Are you on our Birthday or Wedding Anniversary list? If not, please let us know by e-mail to fbcbluehill.office@gmail.com so we may celebrate with you! Kids Korner Color me! 9
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January 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 Sundays 9 a.m. Prayer Meeting 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Women s Bible Study 1 p.m. Christian Ed Prayer Meeting Men s Ministry 8:30 a.m. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Women s Bible Study 1 p.m. Deacons Emmaus Meal Service 4 p.m. DEADLINE Prayer Meeting 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Family Movie & Pizza Night 5 p.m. Women s Bible Study 1 p.m. Prayer Meeting Men s Ministry 8:30 a.m. 27 Annual Business Meeting and Potluck Lunch after Worship 28 Women s Bible Study 1 p.m. 29 30 31 Prayer Meeting A lot of church members who are singing "Standing on the Promises" are just sitting on the premises. Greeters January 6 January 13 January 20 January 27 Morgan Clifford and Halle Clifford John Clapp and Peter Clapp Ken and Allison Charles William Charles and Katherine Charles Notes