March Newsletter - Woodburn Baptist Church
Transcription
March Newsletter - Woodburn Baptist Church
NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID BOWLING GREEN KY PERMIT NO. 9 WOODBURN BAPTIST CHURCH PO BOX 38 WOODBURN KY 42170 The Steeple RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Who are You Inviting to... DNow 2015 WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday, March 1 [SERIES BEGINS: Stories Jesus Told—Lessons from the Parables] A.M. The Farmer (Mark 4:1-20, 33-34) P.M. The Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-13) Sunday, March 22 A.M. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14) P.M. CARE Night Choir Musical: The Story Sunday, March 8 A.M. The Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32) P.M. Family Experience Sunday, March 29 PALM SUNDAY A.M. The Barren Tree (Luke 13:6-9) P.M. The Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21) Who do you know who’s story needs to be affected by THE STORY? Sunday, March 15 DNOW Weekend A.M. The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) P.M. Ordination Service for Tim Brown New Sermon Series Easter Egg Hunt CHURCH STAFF Church Office: 270-529-5221 Office Hours: 8 am - 4 pm, Monday thru Friday Small Groups Feb. 1 Worship 351 8:30 - 228 11:00 - 191 Café - 75 Pastor: Dr. Tim Harris . . . TimHar r is@woodbur nbaptist.or g . . .cell 270-996-7735 Minister of Education & Administration: Warren Weeks . . . . . home 270-529-3028 E-mail: WarrenWeeks@woodburnbaptist.org Youth & Young Adults Pastor: Matt Betts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cell 270-202-1244 Email: MattBetts@woodburnbaptist.org Worship Pastor: Rod Ellis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cell 502-229-0114 Email: RodEllis@woodburnbaptist.org Director of Children’s Ministries: Nichole Buckman . . . . . . . . . cell 270-405-6165 Email: NicholeBuckman@woodburnbaptist.org Custodian: Judy Chaffin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . home 270-529-2031 Easter Musical March 21 & 22 at 6:00 pm Feb. 8 394 8:30 - 282 11:00 - 210 Café - 64 Feb. 15 380 8:30 - 270 11:00 - 244 Café - 76 Feb. 22 307 8:30 - 208 Café - 54 11:00 - 211 March 28th, 10:00 am Sisters and Brothers, Pastor Thomas was a man of faith, a good preacher, and a wise counselor. He had been there for others through every circumstance of life and death. He was always an encourager, always a comfort. But after years of effective faith and ministry, everything fell apart for Pastor Thomas, when his daughter—his only child—was raped and murdered. Ten days after the funeral, he returned to the pulpit to preach. His eyes brimmed with tears. With a voice quiet as a whisper, he looked out at the people and said, “It’s impossible for me to see how anything good can come out of my daughter’s death.” No one had known exactly what the pastor would say, but they expected him to bring some word of comfort for them. In that moment, Pastor Thomas didn’t rush to make a sensible explanation of his daughter’s senseless death. The congregation was breathless, uncomfortable. Faith isn’t always clean or easy. Nevertheless, we church people don’t always deal well with the hard questions. We lack patience with people whose faith is shaky. Jude 22 instructs us to have mercy upon the doubters—to cut them a little slack. But in order to face the doubts of others, we would have to be willing to acknowledge our own doubts. There are probably three categories of doubt. Some people doubt God’s basic existence, ever wondering if God is really there at all. Others believe in God but doubt his basic goodness. These are the people always asking, “God, why would you let this happen? Don’t you care?” Still others accept that he is real and good, but they doubt God’s power or his willingness to get involved. They ask, “Does God really answer my prayers? Can I believe he will make a difference?” During certain seasons of my life, I have struggled with doubts of my own. I tend to overthink things, to ask a lot of questions, and I like my questions to have solid answers. That’s why I like being reminded that Jesus doesn’t require full, perfect faith in order to help me. He says that mustard-seed faith is all that’s required. In other words, it’s not the quality or amount of faith that matters—it’s the one in whom I put my faith. I must go with the faith I have, even if it’s mixed with doubt. I don’t always know what God will do, but not knowing is not the same is not believing. Faith simply leaves room for God to do something, something good. It can be messy, mixed with doubt; but whatever faith I have, it will be enough, as long as I place my faith in Jesus. Ten days after the funeral, Pastor Thomas came into the Sunday pulpit to preach. Voice quiet as a whisper, he read his text: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” Visibly struggling, Pastor Thomas said, All of this is being done to give you a chance to invite someone to hear how God’s story can change their story. And maybe the person you are sensing in your soul that needs to be invited is you. If so, please join us. I cannot make my daughter’s death fit into this passage. It’s impossible for me to see how anything good can come out of it. Yet I realize that I only see in part. I only know in part. It’s like the miracle of the shipyard. Almost every part of our great oceangoing vessels are made of steel. If you take any single part—be it a steel plate out of the hull or the huge rudder—and throw it into the ocean, it will sink. Steel doesn’t float! But when the shipbuilders are finished, when the last plate has been riveted in place, then that massive steel ship is virtually unsinkable. Taken by itself, my daughter’s death is senseless. Throw it into the sea of Romans 8:28, and it sinks. Still, I believe that when the Eternal Shipbuilder has finally finished, when God has worked out his perfect design, even this senseless tragedy will somehow work to our eternal good.” Now that’s messy faith, but it’s faith nonetheless. It works for me. See you Sunday. Tim _______________________________________________ 2015 Baptism Goal 36 Our next Baptism Event is Easter Sunday, April 5. We want to have baptism during our Easter services this year. If you want to be baptized, please let Bro. Tim know. Remember Our Shut-Ins Regus Hopkins Lena Van Meter Tressie Vice Dorothy Davidson Dewey & Mabel Pharris Ruth Evans Langdon Dyer Juanita Tabor Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22 at 6pm. Grace. Peace. Rod _________________________________________________ Do you know anyone who needs a change in the direction of their life? One of the most powerful Easter experiences I remember is our musical from last year called The Story. You may recall that the core concept is that when God’s story intersects our story, it changes our lives. Toward abundant life. Toward eternal life. The response from our congregation was immense. There was more positive feedback about the power of that experience than any of the Easter musicals I’ve been part of—more than 20 of them, by my count. It was amazing. Maybe it was the giant screen with the film footage of the story of God. Maybe it was the profound and life-changing lyrics on the side screens. Maybe it was the scripture-rich narration, or the stunningly beautiful and powerful music. Maybe it was simply the clarity of the life-changing truth of Jesus—expressed in these lyrics: Tell me your story, Show me your wounds, And I'll show you what love sees When love looks at you. Hand me the pieces, Broken and bruised, And I'll show you what Love sees When Love sees you. March Homebound Visitation Schedule 1st week - Brenda Maxwell 2nd week - Dianne Harris & Martha Murray 3rd week - Vi Cato & Laura Spencer 4th week - Jennifer Jones 5th week - Norma Palacios Hopkins Nursing Home Ministry Mar. 1 10 am - Billy Wemyss, Billy & Faye Lawrence Mar. 15 10 am - Larry Winn, Chuck & Sylvia Harris Whatever the reason, now that we’ve seen how powerful this musical is, we’re going to do it again and give you the opportunity to invite anyone you know who may need a change in the direction of their life. Wednesday nights between now and then we’ll study God’s Story and pray. The devotional guide Warren and I have been preparing will give you the chance to read stories of dozens of lives that were changed when they realized that Jesus, that Love saw us. March Our Seniors will be traveling to Pig, KY on Friday, March 27th. We will leave the church at 10:30 and will have lunch at “The Porky Pig Diner”. This promises to be an eventful outing you don’t want to miss! April On Tuesday, April 28th, we will be going to the Senior Living Celebration 2015 held in Bardstown, KY at Parkway Baptist Church. If you have paid your $10.00 by our March outing on March 27th, this will cover breakfast, lunch, and the conference. Otherwise it is $25.00 at the door. In the event that you would like to go on any of our outings but do not have the extra money, please see Margie Weeks or Darleen Atkerson. _______________________________________________ A note from: Campbellsville University Chorale Dear Woodburn Baptist Church faculty and members, On behalf of the Campbellsville University Chorale, I would like to thank you all for allowing us the pleasure of sharing our gifts and talents with your congregation. Your people are all wonderful and show Christ well. This church is a blessing to all of us. Thank you. What’s NEWS with our Youth/Parents: Family Meetings Every year Dnow is a highlight that goes well beyond just the fun of being together, games, and good music. It is a time of intense worship and discipleship that becomes a defining moment in many of our teens lives. It is a time when God puts His finger on some area or areas of our teen’s lives that need attention and focus. It is a time of relational growth in our youth group that just can’t happen in any other way. It is a special time for the youth ministry that every teen should be a part of. This year the theme is “REFLECT.” We are focusing on the characteristics of Christian maturity (Relationship, Evangelism, Fruit of the Spirit, Listening, Edification, Christ-likeness, Transformation). Our speaker is John Nix and our worship leader is the band Exodus from Liberty University. The schedule is packed with a variety of things. We will have our traditional services and worship. There will be games and the annual poster party. We will also have service projects on Saturday afternoon and an elective session with a variety of topics to choose from. It is going to be a great weekend for everyone involved. Be in prayer for our teens and workers during Dnow. We all need God to work and we want Him to be glorified and lifted high in everything that we do. DNOW Dates – March 13-15, 2015 Registration – Cost $15 Host Home Meeting – Wednesday, March 4th at 7:00pm in Youth Room Small Group Leaders Meeting – Sunday, March 8th at 5:00pm in Youth Room Senior Year Stretch – Sunday, March 8th 6:00pm in Youth Room Meeting for all parents of 12th graders and teens who are in 12th grade. This is a meeting designed to open up conversation to help with the transition out of high school. We will discuss various issues, topics, and network together to help with the transition. “Double Your Small Group” Night – Wednesday, March 25th Emphasis on getting friends to come to church. We will have a regular service, small groups, and food and games. Camp Dates – June 13-17 Camp Payment Due March 1st - $60.00 Matt Betts Youth and Young Adult Pastor *If you would like to be put on the weekly parent email list, let me know at: mattbetts@woodburnbaptist.org or 270-202-1244. Daylight Savings Time begins March 8 Prayers & Sympathies to . . . . Nickie Lanham on the death of her grandfather. Don’t forget to turn your clocks forward 1 hour! Jessica Johnson on the death of her grandmother. Vernon Long on the death of his mother, Dorothy Sneed. Family Meetings are important to our church because it is a time when we have the opportunity to make decisions together. Yet, unfortunately, attendance at Family Meetings is usually very low. Family Meetings are a part of a Baptist distinctive called congregational polity. While other churches and other denominations may use different forms of church governance, Woodburn Baptist practices congregational polity. Congregational polity simply means that all of the members within the church fellowship are to have equal voice in the governance of the church. We see this model for making decisions in Act 6:1-7 when the early church had a problem with the distribution of food to widows which caused some division in the fellowship. The apostles first of all called everyone together. They wanted the church to make the decision not just them. They proposed a solution (If they would have had Robert's Rules of Order back then, they would have called this a motion) and the church approved it. Church governance is not in the hands of one or of a few but of all the members. Family Meetings are important because it is the church gathered together to be the church and make decisions together. Family Meeting are usually held on Sunday night after the evening worship service. Many members may have never attended a Family Meeting. The church council decided to try and have a Family Meeting on a Sunday morning and the best time for that seemed to be at 9:45. So on Sunday, March 22 at 9:45, we will have a Family Meeting in the sanctuary. Church council is not proposing that we do this every month but one time to allow more members to see the importance of Family Meetings and encourage them to attend in the future. I hope you will plan to be at the Family Meeting on March 22. We all have a voice and a vote in church decision-making. Serving Together, Warren Weeks _______________________________________________ Family Meeting Special Time: 9:45 am, March 22nd Our next CARE night is coming up on March 22 beginning at 4:00 PM in the fellowship hall. We will be focusing on letting our community know about our upcoming Easter activities. During CARE night, we will be stuffing eggs for the Easter Egg hunt, preparing a special mail out to the community, youth from DNow will be following up on service project homes, sending Easter cards to our church homebound, deacons will be making ministry visits and taking communion to the homebound and small groups and members are encouraged to come and write cards, make phone calls or visits to group members. Also, during CARE night, we will have a special class at 4:00 to give you some ideas and ways that you could invite the folks on your street to Easter Sunday. March 22 _______________________________________________ Easter Activities March 21 & 22, 6:00 PM — Easter Musical March 28, 10:00 AM — Easter Egg Hunt April 2, 6:00 PM — Maundy Thursday Dinner and Service The evening will begin with a soup and sandwich meal followed by worship, special music, and a communion service. Please bring soup and sandwiches. The church will provide the drinks. April 5 — Easter Sunday 6:30 AM — Sunrise Service and Breakfast 8:30 – Early Worship 9:45 – Café Worship and Small Group Ministry 11:00 – Morning Worship Easter Baptism _______________________________________________ Communion March 1st morning services "Hope After Terror." The title sounds promising, right. How does this sound? "She was very happy to receive a shoebox gift, but smiles don’t come easy for Amal after his sister was killed by ISIS terrorists." This is the caption I read underneath the picture of a 14 year old girl, who honestly didn't seem very happy. I'm sure she appreciated the shoebox she received from Operation Christmas Child, but I can't help but consider all the other emotions she must've had hearing the gospel being shared, the Good News. The week of February 15th our elementary kids learned about how Jesus instructed us to care "for the least of these." It was part of our month spent learning about kindnessshowing someone they are valued by how you treat them. For each shoebox that is delivered a child is told, "You are valued. You are loved." When kindness is shown it’s a step towards that person knowing their worth to God. It helps them see Jesus in us. As we prepare for Operation Christmas Child this year I challenge you to pray now about how you can be used by God in this process. You might be able to pick up items for each month's collection. What if you are an extreme couponer? You can use those skills to look for items we will need. Maybe you are a thrifty bargain shopper who spots a deal, or better yet the deals come running to you. Are you good at networking? Building shoeboxes and collecting items aren't dependent on WBC alone. Do you have organizational skills? Collecting is only one part of the process, and we can always use help keeping track of how many items we have and how to store them. What role do you play in your small group? If you are a greeter and spend time catching up with everyone in your group regularly then take time to briefly mention the collection to others in your group. Or maybe you have an incredibly strong prayer life. Franklin Graham says the gifts are just items but with prayer they hold power. Those prayers can begin now. Whatever your talents or abilities there is a way for you to get involved with Operation Christmas Child and extend the gift of showing someone else they are valued. It doesn't just apply to OCC though. In February we talked with the kids about the "invisible" people in their lives, the people that exist but are never noticed. We feel good to put together a shoebox, send it off, and then see the video reports of happy faces and big smiles. It can cause us to think that we did something good when really we were just being obedient. How can we truly be obedient and show kindness to those "invisible" ones on a daily basis though? How can we show them they are valued even though we may not see the after effects? God doesn't want us to limit his love to those in other countries we can't see, but he wants us to be hands and feet to our local community. Encouraging a quiet co-worker, thanking the janitor at work or school, offering help or fellowship to an elderly neighbor, and intentionally looking for ways to bless others. I have noticed over the years that I am most blessed when I can bless someone else. When I show kindness to someone it helps them know that God does love them and it opens doors for sharing God's promise of hope. More about . . . Here’s a glance as to what our kids will be studying during the month of March: I can't imagine being Amal. She, at 14, with her 12 year old sister and the entire village were attacked, driven out of their home, away from their town, and were separated from their parents. After seeing others their age executed in front of them they found an opportunity for escape. In the midst of trying to escape Amal's sister was shot and killed by ISIS. She kept running. She didn't know if her parents were alive, she didn't know if she would live, and she had no one with her in that moment. I have been in that moment where I felt myself running but not sure of my destination, if I will make it, and feeling alone. Haven't you? Hope after terror doesn't have to be a title limited to this story. It can be the title of anyone's story. Won't you help them find that hope? We are starting to collect items for the boxes that will be packed by the Preschool and Children’s Ministries. During the month of March we are collecting: Toboggans/Baseball Caps Socks Thank you for your help in making this project happen! Come experience an evening of fun together as a family as you learn what God’s word has to say about patience. It’s our way of helping you leverage the time you have because we know that time is valuable. We’ll also be giving away a widget, which is simply a tool to help you revisit the topic of patience at home. This evening is geared towards you, the family, because even though we think that what we get to talk about with your kids is important we believe that what you do and talk about with them at home is even more important. Details for the... Candy Collection We are in need of 2000 individually wrapped small pieces of candy for the Easter Egg Hunt. Please drop candy donations in the boxes provided in the church lobby by March 22. March 1st March Birthstone: Aquamarine 2015 March Flower: Jonquil Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. 1 Communion 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 am Hopkins Youth Camp Payment 4 pm Deacon’s Meeting 6 pm Room In The Inn 9:30 am Ladies Prayer Group 8 Daylight Savings 9 Time Starts 5 pm Worship Leader Academy 9:30 am Ladies Prayer Group 13 D-Now 14 D-Now 15 D-Now 16 20 21 10 am Hopkins 6 pm Ordination Service for Tim Brown 8:30 am Moms in 6:15 pm Worship Prep Prayer 6 pm Children, Youth, & Adults meet 7: 15 pm Worship Choir Practice 10 23 9:45 am Family Meeting 4 pm CARE Night 6 pm Easter Musical 9:30 am Ladies Prayer Group 29 30 Blood Pressure Checks 5 pm Worship Leader Academy 9:30 am Ladies Prayer Group 12 8:30 am Moms in 6:15 pm Worship Prep Prayer 6 pm Children, Youth, & Adults meet 7: 15 pm Worship Choir Practice 17 18 9:30 am Ladies Prayer Group 22 19 8:30 am Moms in 6:15 pm Worship Prep Prayer 6 pm Children, Youth, & Adults meet 7: 15 pm Worship Choir Practice 24 25 26 6 pm Easter Musical 27 28 8:30 am Moms in 6:15 pm Worship Prep 12 pm Senior Adult 10 am Easter Egg Prayer Lunch Hunt 6 pm Children, Youth, & Adults meet 7: 15 pm Worship Choir Practice 31 MARCH -- Birthdays & Anniversaries: Day Name 1 2 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 8 8 9 10 10 11 12 13 13 14 14 11 Elliot Wright Laura Morris, Win Simmons, Kaley Burnette Tina Norris Sarah Martin, Luke Rice Emma Tuggle Rose Cobb, Paisley Harris, Dustin Norris Ken Sparks, Andrew Causey Tim Harris, David Ward, Melvin Norris Nate Oliver Mark Perdue, Logan Williams Braden Armstrong Rhodes Hester, Billy Lawrence Ethan Hunt, Lauren Milam, Candace Willingham Kayla Bowles Anthony Jones, Kelley York Mark Roberts Jane Jones, Phil Wilkins, Lindsey Brinkley Emily Mann, Katie Milam Angela Richmond, Kim Wren, Karon Tucker Braxton Brown, Brody Johnson 15 15 17 18 19 20 20 21 22 23 24 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Sherri Brown, Brodie Simmons, Whitney Mann Drake Graves Logan Willis, Martha Weeks, Jeff Carlock Sandy Mefford, Cindy Sheehan Teddy Martin, Rhea Dean Wren Chris Brown, Nancy Stadler, Oliver Sawyer Sherry Wren, Susie Jasper, Toryn Cornell Matt Powell, Samuel Pearson Garrard Sparks, Sally Smalling, Shelley Hickman Scott Chaffin Clayton Warden, Brandon Renner, Laurie Tingle Jann Jones Alyceah Andrews, Jeramie Briscoe Amanda Duvall, Linda Cornell Melissa Baker, Larry Payne, Carrie Sweeney Butch Spencer, Tim Cornell, Odell Brown Robert Hall River Manley Anniversaries: 2 Steve & Allyson Gibbs 2 Erick & Melissa DeVries 9 Bobby & Krysti Floyd 11 Scott & Ann Maxwell 12 Kevin & Misty Mason 13 Andrew & Lisa Causey 19 Byron & Susie Lucas 21 Tommy & Marla Hardcastle 23 Phil & Linda Wilkins 26 Sean & Leslie Heltsley 31 Kenton & Rhonda Powell 31 Matt & Kortnea Powell 31 Steve & Donna Rigdon 31 Anthony & Lindsay Jones