Latest - Ardmore Baptist Church

Volume 58 • Number 19
May 11, 2015
Announcing the Mission and Ministries of Ardmore Baptist Church, Inc., Winston-Salem, NC
The Mwangaza African Children’s Choir
In Concert - May 20, 6:00 p.m.
his inspiring group of 20 hopeful and talented children,
ages 8-14, from East Africa represents the orphaned and
poverty-stricken youth of Uganda. Touring as a ministry
outreach of Africa Renewal Ministries, they share a special
message of hope through authentic Ugandan song and
dance. Please join us that evening as these children touch
our hearts through dancing, singing, and sharing testimony
about their experiences.
Childcare will be provided for children birth - 3 year olds. Older children are
encouraged to attend the concert. This will take the place of Prayer, Praise, and
Proclamation.
We only need one more host family to house them overnight for two nights.
Please contact me if you can serve as a host home (dfitzgerald@ardmorebaptist.org).
T
Worship Connection
May 17
Morning (8:15 & 10:45):
Lord’s Supper
Biblical Perspectives on Love,
Marriage & Sex:
“What Women Wish Men Knew”
Ephesians 5:25;
Colossians 3:12-17;
1 Corinthians 13
Dr. Don Gordon
6:00 p.m.
Choir Recognition Service
P
Living In The Light!
lease join us Sunday, May 17, at 6:00 p.m. as we celebrate another year of our
preschool, children’s, and youth music and arts ministry at Ardmore! The
preschoolers and children will share songs and the Hymn of the Month participants will be recognized. The Music Makers and Young Musicians choirs will
present their spring musical, “Living in the Light,” featuring the scriptures,
hymns, and songs they have learned this year. The focus of the musical is about
knowing Jesus and becoming a reflection of His light, recalling His words, “You
are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14) Our Youth Choir and Youth Handbells
will also share in this service.
Bring a Friend!
I
H2H Golf Tournament
Friday, May 15; 12:00 noon
Reynolds Park Golf Course
egister with Susan Denton in the
church office or Jeff McIntyre (jeff@
mcmetals.com). You don’t have to golf
to join us. We will eat around 5:30 p.m.
Dinner: $10 for non-golfers. Brochures
are available at the Welcome Desk.
R
Reception For Jo West
n our worship service this Sunday, May 17, we will recognize Jo West for her
ministry to the children of Ardmore’s Weekday Early Education program. That
afternoon, please join us between 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. for a drop-in reception in
the Fellowship Hall. I know we all want to express our gratitude for her love and
commitment to this ministry of our church before she retires at the end of this
school year.
Caregiver Group
May 14, 7:00 p.m. - Ardmore Room
t’s important for caregivers to take
care of themselves. This group can
help you do that.
I
Music & Arts Series
North Carolina Brass Band Concert
Friday, May 22; 7:30 p.m.
Page 2
May 11, 2015
Our Pastor Writes ...
We Finished!
few weeks ago I used this column to encourage you to join us at the Finish
Line and end our debt at Ardmore. We owed $586,000 on our mortgage for
the sanctuary, preschool, and music space we built in 2003. You responded to that
call with enthusiasm and generosity. On Sunday, May 3, you brought your contributions and your commitments to the baskets at the front of the church, in the
balcony, and in the choir loft. The aisles were packed with cheerful young and old
bringing their gifts to the Lord. We exceeded our goal by $19,645, which goes
into a newly established “Vision Fund.” We have commitments to solidify our
certainty that by the end of this year, all of our debt will be erased.
What lessons can we learn from this remarkable 12 year journey?
First, God is great and God is good all the time. God has blessed us as individuals and as a body for 12 years and longer. It is not precisely clear why God
has called and chosen this church to be a leading beacon of light in WinstonSalem and in the Baptist world across North Carolina. All we can say is that God
has shed his grace on us, we have been enfolded into his great purposes for the
sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Second, we can do exceedingly more than we think we can do. We too often
limit our visions and stifle our dreams, because we forget the first truth. Since
God has shed his grace on us, we can do more than what the pure economists
predict we can do. Churches have to be pruned from the unfruitful branches of
doubt, pessimism, and small thinking. God bless the leaders, prayers, dreamers,
and givers who push through our tendencies to scale down and scale back from
bold faith.
Third, cooperation with God and one another is a recipe for success. God
wants us to do great things. He is in the business of great things. In the days of
Moses he parted the Red Sea. In the time of Jesus he resurrected the dead. In the
days of the early church he overthrew the Roman Empire. Many people are writing
the obituary of the church in 21st century America. They believe the future is destined to be one filled with empty churches and lost young people. What they have
forgotten is that darkness is the greatest time for God’s light to break through.
Just when people are giving up on the church because of its dullness, pettiness,
and confusion, God calls a person, a people, a group of people to move forward
with vitality, generosity, faith, hope, and love. That’s us! That’s what God is calling us to do.
Good for you! Good for us! Good for God, the author of goodness, miracles,
and the one who brings light into darkness.
- Don Gordon
A
T
Vacation Bible School Volunteer Training
his is a big week for VBS at ABC! If you are planning to help with VBS, please
plan to join us in the Fellowship Hall for one of these training sessions: tonight,
Monday, May 11; 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. OR Thursday, May 14; 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Childcare is provided. You will learn the overall feel and focus of VBS as well as
receive any materials you need to do your job well. Anna Rubin, Julie Jones, and
I are so excited to help you prepare to share the good news with the children of
our church and community. See you then!
T
Celebrate And Pray
he excitement of our Finish Line
Sunday still lingers in the hearts
and minds of Ardmore folks – and
rightly so. Now that the finish line on
our building debt is in sight, the time
has come for us to shift our focus to
discerning what God has in store for
us next. Without a monthly loan payment, we now have the opportunity
and freedom to dream new dreams.
Let’s join together in praying for the
Lord to show us what is next and begin
sharing our ideas with each other.
PMBA Senior Adult Lunch
Thursday, May 14; 12:00 noon
Old Town Baptist Church
ontact Joanne Mount for tickets
($6) today.
C
Blood Drive
Thursday, May 14
3:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Fellowship Hall
indy’s story is not only her own,
but that of her almost 25 year old
son. Born 27 weeks premature, blood
transfusions were his gift of life. He
was transfused many times during his
first eight weeks of life. While only
small amounts of blood, it was what
his tiny body required. At the time,
Cindy says she didn’t think much
about where the blood came from or
who was giving his body this gift.
Looking back, she is thankful for the
generous gift of blood that has allowed
her son to reach his 25th birthday as a
healthy young man! You can give that
same kind of gift by donating at our
upcoming blood drive. There are open
appointments still available, so please
contact Rob Lemons today (416-6187;
fourlemons@aol.com) to sign up and
help us reach our goal of 50 donors
and give the gift of life! We need 15
more donors to reach our goal.
C
Page 3
May 11, 2015
Ardmore ABCs ...
Deacon of the Week
Our sympathy and Christian concern are expressed to the following in the loss
of loved ones:
Inez White in the death of her husband, R. S. White;
Maxine Kelly in the death of her sister, Nell Whitlock;
Diana Perkinson in the death of her sister, Linda Mulligan
Gracious notes of appreciation have been received from the following and are
posted on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall:
Dallas Warden and Peggy Parker
Charity Baptist Church, Booneville, NC
Lincolnton Avenue Baptist Church, Lincolnton, NC
Congratulations to:
Ed & Lucia Williamson – 30th wedding anniversary on May 11th;
Matt & Kelly Trenchard – 15th wedding anniversary on May 13th;
Daniel and Kristen Beavers on the birth of their son, Owen Gregory Beavers,
born May 4th. Big sister is Maddie;
Caleb and Kerry McFaddin on the birth of their son, Hayes Moore McFaddin, born May 7th. Big sister is Kerrington.
May 11 - 16
Chris Hull
Phone: (c) 287-7298
Weekend Call
May 16 - 17
Paul Mullen
Phone: 416-1058
Wednesday Opportunities
M
ay 13 is the last class of Smart
Money, Smart Kids.
May 20: African Children’s Choir (see
FaithHealthNC
Volunteer Training
May 13, 20, 27, & June 3
6:00 p.m.; F221
olunteers are asked to help people
with transportation, make home
visits, provide emotional and/or spiritual support, provide meals, make
phone calls, pick up groceries/medications, etc. If you are interested, contact
Debra Norris in the office (725-8767,
ext. 113). It’s not too late to join us.
V
W
Memory Books
e are assembling memory books
for each High School graduate.
We would like for church members to
contribute their thoughts and encouraging words. Blank cards and a list of
the senior class are located at the main
Welcome Desk, second floor lobby, and
Sunday Bible Study office. Thank you
for your support and encouragement
of our youth.
front page for more information)
May 27: RA/GA Pinewood Derby;
Preschoolers & Popsicles on
the playground
2015 College Graduates
A
re you or one of your children
graduating from college this year?
We want to know! E-mail Betty (bwright
@ardmorebaptist.org) with the graduate’s name, degree, and school.
Where Do You Park?
Did You Know …
♦♦ Ardmore has 9 spaces reserved for Guest Parking, and 65 total “Guest” families that frequently visit;
♦♦ There are 18 handicap spaces, and 106 Ardmore members who are 80 years
old and older;
♦♦ There are 101 general parking spaces, and Ardmore averages 578 people in
worship attendance each week.
Please help us accommodate our guests and older adults by parking in the overflow parking lot. Join us on the Ardmore Express this Sunday!
May Special Offering Emphasis
S
ince 1924 North Carolina Baptists
have given to the Mother’s Day
Offering to “extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ, especially to the
needy.” Today, your gifts continue that
work to assist patients in financial
need at Wake Forest Baptist Health.
Ardmore Announcer is published weekly by Ardmore Baptist Church, Inc., 501 Miller Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27103. Publication Number USPS 545780.
Postmaster: Send address changes to Ardmore Announcer, 501 Miller Street, W-S, NC 27103-3610.
Church Phone: 336-725-8767; Fax: 336-725-2487; E-mail: Postmaster@ardmorebaptist.org; Web Site: www.ardmorebaptist.org
Memorials and Honoraria
Building Fund
In Memory of Shirley Livengood Baker
Archer Livengood
In Memory of Ira Ousley
Adult 10, Coed 2
In Memory of Dr. J. L. Wilson
David & Debbie Newsome
Mother’s Day Offering
In Memory of Mike Richardson
Sara Richardson
In Memory of Betty Taylor and Sybil Taylor
Martha & Marvin Taylor
In Memory of Cornelia Berry
Becky Berry
In Memory of Mary Mullen and Helen Brown
Paul, Bonnie, and John Mullen
Special Ministries
In Memory of Gloria Warden and Linda
Mulligan
Wilma Brown
In Memory of Lois Ragsdale
Scott Ragsdale
Beth Eskridge
Handicrafters
In Honor of Linda Cline and Jacki Todd
Maurice & Mabel Hall
For the Record
May 10, 2015
Sunday Bible Study
Morning Worship
8:15 a.m.
10:45 a.m.
581
I
Ardmore Scholar Named
W
e are pleased to report that, at
the General Assembly of CBF
NC, Seth Hix was named as the first
recipient of the Ardmore Scholarship.
Seth, a member of Ardmore, is now a
second-year student at Wake Forest
Divinity School. This scholarship from
the Lolley Fund was established to defray the educational costs of seminary
training for ministers. We congratulate
Seth on this significant award.
92
476
Stewardship
Weekly Budget Needs
Budget Receipts 05/10/15
Needs-To-Date
Receipts-To-Date
Over/(Under)-To-Date
Want A Church Puzzle?
f you would like to have your own
puzzle of the church like the large
one displayed in the lobby, all you
have to do is let the office know. We
will order a smaller version (16 x 20)
for anyone who requests one. Cost is
$40 each. Please notify Janet in the
church office before the end of May to
get your very own puzzle.
$
$
$
$
$
Let’s Finish
Receipts 05/10/15 $
Receipts-To-Date $
33,425
30,981
635,084
640,715
5,631
166,437
2,326,600
A
PMBA To Relocate
t a called meeting on May 7, the
Pilot Mountain Baptist Association accepted an offer from Kelly
Properties to sell the resource center
building at 1105 Long Drive to make
way for new student housing. This
decision means that PMBA will relocate to a yet-to-be determined location
after July 31, 2015.
O
ur Vacation Bible School theme
this year is Everest, as in Mt.
Everest, and we need your help in
gathering backdrop/decorating items.
If you have any of the following items
we could borrow during the week of
VBS (June 22 - 26), please leave them
at the church office or contact Barbara
Hudgens (945-4154).
♦♦ Flat white bedsheets, or large pieces of white cloth or cotton batting (for creating snow scenes)
♦♦ Hiking/camping gear: parkas, boots, rope, lanterns, small tents, sleeping bags for outdoor use, camp cookware, etc.
♦♦ Artificial Christmas trees
Y
Courtyard Bricks
ou can add your name to our
“Walk of Faith” on a brick in the
courtyard in front of the sanctuary.
Order forms ($40 per brick) are available at the Welcome Center - give to
Janet Hellard in the office by June 1.
Monthly Building Debt Payment
Date of Payment: May 7, 2015
Amount of Payment: $
Minimum Due:
$
16,980
Outstanding Balance: $
235,544
352,096