313 N. Main Grand Saline, TX 75140 903-962 962-4536 CHURCH STAFF Dr. Bruce Smilie... Pastor Mike Claibourn. Interim Music Minister Johnny Knowlton... Youth Director Rowland Jones. Financial Heather Good...... Children s Director Nancee Reddick..... Church Secretary Benjamin Aguilar....... Maintenance http://www.churchonmainstreet.com To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven Ecclesiastes 3:1 Hello October!
Dear MSBC, Life is brief. It really is. This is not a breaking news bulletin; I m not telling you anything you don t already know. Personal experience teaches us this, but more convincingly Scripture emphasizes this stark reality. In Ps. 39:4-5, David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, aptly says: Show me, Lord, my life s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man s life is but a breath. The apostle James echoes the same sentiment: You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14). Because of the brevity of our lives, time management is extremely important. To live as completely committed Christ-followers, it is essential we make the best possible use of our allotted time. This is why Moses prayed, Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Ps 90:12). A great way to gain wisdom and to make the best use of our time for Christ is to learn to live each day with an eternal perspective. Our Creator has set eternity in our hearts (Eccl. 3:11). Knowing that we will have to give an account in eternity (1 Cor. 3:10-15; 2 Cor. 5:10) to the One who gives us time should motivate us to use it well. C. S. Lewis clearly understood this: If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. We should heed then the admonition of the Apostle Paul in Eph. 5:15-16, who said, Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. And more specifically when it comes to opportunities in reaching those with no relationship to Christ, Paul further instructs us in Col. 4:5-6 to be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. It is to this last emphasis in the use of time toward those outside Christ to which I want to focus your attention. This month we as a church have two great opportunities to use our time efficiently and effectively in evangelistic outreach to our community. First, National Night Out is on Tuesday night, Oct. 6 (6:30-8:00 pm) at Depot Park Plaza in downtown Grand Saline. We will have a couple of booths to represent MSBC and a bounce house for children to enjoy. We will give away 24 ounce water bottles with our new church logo imprinted on the bottle. Each water bottle will be filled with candy and include an attractive church business card which contains our new church logo, website (our new website will go live the weekend before National Night Out), and phone number. Additionally, we will give away Bibles and receive prayer requests from any who share them. I urge you to make the most of this opportunity by keeping this event in prayer, coming out on Oct. 6th, meeting and greeting your neighbors as members of MSBC, and checking out and manning the MSBC booths in support of our church. Second, the Grand Saline Goody Trail/Trunk or Treat event is on Oct. 31 st. This year the event will extend across Highway 80 down Main Street beside our church. We will have need for approximately 30 cars to provide trunks for candy treats for children. MSBC will work in conjunction with Harvest Bible Fellowship Church in grilling hot dogs and providing drinks outside our doors. We will have a large outside slide and our gym will be a carnival filled with games for children to enjoy. There will be prizes for the best decorated trunks and costumes as well as prizes for the best decorated pumpkin. We will again be distributing imprinted water bottles and information about the church to all comers. This is another great opportunity to make the most of your time for Christ by volunteering to help in this outreach event to the children and adults of this and surrounding communities. For more information, contact the church office or see our Children s Minister Heather Good or Wilma Davis of the Acts 1:8 Team about both of these outreach/mission opportunities. Remember, keep an eternal perspective and keep Oct. 6 th and 31 st clear on your calendars as we reach out together to Grand Saline and surrounding communities as a church family for the glory of Jesus Christ. Blessings! Your Friend and Pastor, Bruce
YOUTH NEWS In 1965, The Byrds released their recording of the song, Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There Is a Season). The lyrics of this song were taken from the 3rd chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes. In this writing, Solomon tells us that there is a time and place for all things: A time to gain, and a time to lose, a time to keep, and a time to cast away. Another way of phrasing this can be found in this lyric from the song, Closing Time, by the band Semisonic: Every new beginning comes from some other beginning s end. With that thought in mind, October ushers in the end of an era, as we transition from LiveWire to our new Wednesday night meeting, called The Following. We strive to be intentional in all that we do with the youth, therefore we wanted to rebrand Wednesday nights in a way that would remind our students of exactly what they are called to do as Christians: Whoever wants to by my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me. We are excited about this transition, as it is just another step in striving to help our students find their identities in Christ. In Him, Johnny Knowlton See You At The Pole is an annual day of student prayer. It began in Burleson, Texas, in 1990, and has, in 25 years, grown to global proportions. I still remember meeting around the flag pole at Eisenhower Middle School, when I was an 8th grader in 1991. I remember that there was just a handful of students there maybe 20, out of a student body of over 1,000 - and, that we weren t really sure what to do, or how to lead it. We had no adults present to guide us. We prayed, but we really had no idea of the potential that our small group had to affect change within our peers. James 5:16 tells us that, The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.. We missed the boat back then. Fast-forward 24 years, and now I get to watch our students take the lead and they GET IT. They understand that when two or more are gathered in the name of Jesus, He is there. They understand this, and they pray together. And, the amazing thing is that they had teachers and administrators out there with them, joining them in prayer. I can t tell you how proud I am of our students or how appreciative and inspired I am by those educators that so boldly (and bravely) joined them. In a time in which we seem to be attacked for our beliefs on a daily basis, I m so thankful that we still have Christian role models, who are positively influencing our students on a daily basis. Witnessing these students boldly stand for our Savior is just one more reason I consider myself blessed in getting to be their Youth Director. 1 Timothy 4:12 5th quarter October 30 After the game until midnight
KINGDOM KIDZ! We are back!! Every Wednesday from 5:45-7:15pm For anyone interested, you may sign your children up any Wednesday night. This ministry is free and open to all. Kingdom Kidz, feel free to bring a friend any Wednesday. We are always in need of more adults to love on the children that come. If you are interested in helping in any way come on any Wednesday and we will find you a spot to help in. For questions please contact Heather Good at 903-368-1432 Evening Bible Study Morning Bible Study Mondays 7:00 p.m. Meeting at Wilma Davis 800 W High There will not be a Tuesday afternoon Bible Study Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. Meeting at The MSBC HUB
Saturday October 24th We will travel to Terrell for Lake Country Jubilee s Gospel Music s Finest! Featuring: Greater Vision (trio), Southern Raised(Group) and Legacy Five(Group) We will leave the church @ 5:15p.m. Tickets are $20 each and money is due by October 12th ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tuesday October 27th Fun After Fifty Five!! We have a great musical treat this month! Matt Motley Bring your favorite covered dish and be prepared for a lot of fun! Sunday October 11th After Morning Worship Service Meet For Lunch At Red Dome in Grand Saline Thursday October 22nd 10am ~ HUB Bring a sack lunch Meet at the Youth Building Come out and Meet the Community! 6:30-8:00P.M. DOWNTOWN GRAND SALINE Free! Free! Free!
Choir Notes Its is a great blessing to have friends who know and love you and will be close to you in all circumstances of life. Proverbs 3:3-4 says: Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and high regard in the sight of God and man, and you will earn a good reputation. Both loyalty and faithfulness are very important traits of God. As we grow in our Christian lives these traits should become a part of what and who we are. These traits portray a loving man or woman of God who can be counted on to treat others with kindness, respect, loyalty, and who can be counted on to keep promises and secrets. They are key elements to being a good friend and having lots of friends. Proverbs 18:24 says: Thank God for your friends and pray for them daily by name. To have friends we must be a friend to others. Even though we have friends who know us and love us, our very best friend is God. He knows us better than any other possibly can. In Luke 12:7: the hairs on your head are all numbered. God knows all about us because He made us and He loves us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is always there for us to talk to at any time of night or day. We can tell him anything and ask for help and comfort. The old well known hymm, What A Friend We Have in Jesus was written in 1855 by Joseph Scriven after some tragedies in his life when he needed a true friend. What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer. Please consider joining one of our choirs. You will find some friendly faces there who will welcome you. Our Sr. Adult choir meets each 1st and 3rd Wednesday morning at 10:00a.m. in the choir room and then we go to the nursing homes. Our Sanctuary choir meets each Wednesday night at 7:15p.m. in the choir room. We are presently working on our Christmas music and could always use more singers. Shirley Bailey COME JOIN US IN OUR ADULT CHOIR These ministers of music, Baptist professors, and church staff members find great joy in lifting each other in prayer, and singing together at eight concerts annually. On most Sundays, you can find the Singing Men in churches across Texas leading worship in a diversity of styles. Their music has been heard around the world, inspiring audiences and encouraging churches in England, China, Australia, Brazil, Spain, Romania, Czech Republic, Austria and Ukraine. The concert is free. An offering will be taken to offset the expenses of their mission and recording projects. Don t miss this exciting night of worship.
1 Christie Nations 10 Gene Lockhart 23 Gabriel Miguel 1 Brandon Nations 15 Robert Snyder 25 Ellen Ritchie 4 Gerald Heddins 15 Lois Carver 27 Dennis Elliott 6 Celeste Tolar 17 Jill Tanner 30 Marvin Peel 6 Lyndsey Gillentine 18 Sherry Fisher 31 Amanda Hazel 7 John Janes 19 Tami Elliott 7 Judy Lanham 20 Alison Lanham 9 Shirley Yarbrough 21 Bobbie Peden 9 David Crain 21 Barbara Hogue 10 Trey Knapp 22 Michael McCown Tithes/Offerings Analysis January-December 2015 Month Month To Year To Date Date January 32,753.00 32,753.00 February 33,722.00 66,475.00 March 45,696.00 112,171.00 April 36,724.00 149,895.00 May 54,465.00 203,358.00 June 34,135.00 237,493.00 July 38,589.00 276,082.00 August 48,115.00 324,197.00 September unavailable this month October November December Sunday, October 4, 2015 9:00 a.m. ~ 1:00 p.m. Main Street Baptist Church Gym WEEKLY OFFERINGS WEEKLY WORSHIP ATTENDANCE Weekly Offerings for September 06 : $ Unavailable Sunday, September 06 : 256 Weekly Offerings for September 13 : $ This Sunday, September 13 :224 Weekly Offerings for September 20 : $ Month Sunday, September 20 :243 Weekly Offerings for September 27 : $ Sunday, September 27 :179 AVERAGE SEPTEMBER SS ATTENDANCE On Campus Sunday School : 193
Saturday October 31st Hours: 5-7 p.m. Please Bring Your Hot Dogs Or Money Donations to the Church Office. We will Freeze The Hot Dogs So Bring Them Now. We Need To Start Collecting Candy And Hot Dogs And Money Donations NOW M S B C There Will Be Boxes For The Candy Donations In The Church Foyer And By The Church Office Sunday Wednesday 9:40 a.m. - Sunday School 5:45 p.m. - Kingdom Kidz 10:50 a.m. - Worship Service 6:00 p.m. - Youth The Following 5:00 p.m. - Heather s Song - (Grief Support) 6:00 p.m. - Adult Bible Study/Prayer Time 5:30 p.m. - All Church Prayer Time 7:15 p.m. - Sanctuary Choir 6:00 p.m. - Evening Worship Service Library Hours Sunday 9:15-9:45 a.m. Wednesday 5:30-6:00 p.m.