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Weekly Update, 25 December 2008 |
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Written by Matthew M. Thomas
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Tuesday, 23 December 2008 10:51 |
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Merry Christmas! By the time you read this, I will be in Illinois enjoying the holiday with my family. I pray that you may have God-filled times with your families and friends this holiday as well. Next Sunday, 28 December 2008, we will have a special guest speaker in my absence. You certainly have heard of her - Michelle Stoutamire, our music director. Last month, she was recommended to me by the Council to be the person to bring the Sermon message for that Sunday. Please make sure to be there to hear the message God has given her. Many people have heard of the Twelve Days of Christmas in that rather rediculous counting song with the turtledoves and french hens, drummers and maids-a-milking. Long before the popularity of that particular song, Christians have celebrated twelve days of feasting at the Christmas season, from December 25 through January 5 (inclusive). This is because Advent (the four weeks before Christmas) was seen as a time for fasting, repentance and preparation for the coming of the Lord. These days, we tend to do feasting the whole time - but there are some famous traditional remembrances we can make during some of these Twelve Days of Christmas. On the Second Day of Christmas (Dec 26), we can remember the life, ministry and witness of Stephen the Martyr, whose story is told in Acts 6:1 - 8:1. He was the first person recorded to die for the message of Jesus. On the Third Day of Christmas (Dec 27), we can remember the life, ministry and witness of John the Apostle, the brother of James and the author of the Book of John. On the Fourth Day of Christmas (Dec 28), we can remember the children of Bethlehem who died at Herod's hand when he attempted to be rid of Jesus. On the Fifth Day of Christmas (Dec 29), we can remember Rev. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canturbury, who was killed by the knights of King Henry II of England for standing up to corrupt political authority. On the Eighth Day of Christmas (January 1), we can remember Jesus' participation in the old covenant, since on the 8th day he was circumcised and formally given his name - that he might save his people from their sins. Let us continue to celebrate God's presence with us as he has declared himself to be Emmanuel: God With Us! Merry Christmas! |
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Weekly Update, 18 December 2008 |
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Written by Matthew M. Thomas
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Thursday, 18 December 2008 21:25 |
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Christmas is nearly upon us! For many people, this is a very busy time of the year. There are parties to go to, and shopping to do. There are end-of-the-year reports to file, and other things that get done only in December. But for many in our community, this is a very hard time. Many families are scattered across the country - and have trouble getting back together for holidays. Other families are close by, but have serious trouble when they get together. Others are realizing that the winter, which began early this year, has already reduced their finances and times are getting harder. This week, we have received a number of calls for food and other assistance. These hard economic times are causing people to turn to the church for help. This provides us with an amazing opportunity to bring the Good News to those who are in need. This Christmas Eve, we will provide an opportunity to help those in need by bringing non-perishable food items to the Christmas Eve service. As a part of our time at the Table, we will present these gifts to God for the relief of the poor and needy in our congregation and community. Our Christmas Eve service will be at 7:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall. Please invite your friends, neighbors and family to join us for this night of worship and of service to God. May God bless you this Christmas! + Pastor Matt Thomas |
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Weekly Update, 11 December 2008 |
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Written by Matthew M. Thomas
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Thursday, 11 December 2008 18:15 |
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God has truly blessed us this year as he has miraculously sustained the ministry here at First Baptist Church! This week, we will receive our 2009 envelopes for regular giving at FBC. I believe that God desires to do great things with us and through us in 2009. Those who give regularly will notice a change in the designations on the offering envelopes that I believe reflects our growth as a congregation, as we live out the values of the Kingdom of God. There will still be three choices on the envelopes. First, there will be Missions and Benevolences. This will be for money you choose to designate for the work of the Body of Christ outside of FBC, and also to the Deacons' Fellowship Fund, as a supplement to the monthly Communion Offering. This will allow us to become a conduit for the support of the Body of Christ beyond FBC. The second choice on the envelopes will be called Operating Funds. This will be for money you choose to designate for the regular operating budget, and the default category if you do not designate anything at all. Third, there will be a Reserve Funds category. This will be for Capital Maintenance, Roof Fund, for new ministries and for financial emergencies. These are funds that we hope to have available for growth, for unexpected expenses, and for troubled times. In order to meet our basic operating expenses this year, we hope to raise $82,000.00 for the Operating Funds for 2009. In faithfulness to Christ, we also hope to give $9,600.00 to Missions and Benevolences this year and contribute $4,800.00 to our Reserve Funds this year. That is a total of $96,400.00. We understand that in order to raise this kind of money, we will have to look beyond the 25 current families and individuals who give actively to FBC. We know that people are already giving sacrificially in finances, time and energy to keep the work of God going here, for which I am truly grateful. We ask that those who can give us an estimate of how much they believe God is leading them to give faithfully - whether little or much. This will help us to plan and seek out other sources where necessary. If you have been active in giving this year, we invite you to consider becoming active and involved in the ministry in this way. We understand that finances are tight for many these days, but we also know that God is faithful to provide for his people, both personally and as a congregation. It is not the intention of the leaders of this congregation to make anyone feel badly about their inability to give at whatever level; we speak to these issues as a way of being open and honest with you as to our financial picture. It is our intention to make a 2009 budget summary available as soon as possible, with an estimate of how much on average is necessary for us to bring in each month based on how many individuals, families, or outside sources are involved. Thank you for your continued prayers and support of the work God is doing with us here at First Baptist Church! In Christ, +Pastor Matt |
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Written by Matthew M. Thomas
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Sunday, 14 December 2008 16:49 |
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This evening, I came across an article written by Skye Jethani of Leadership magazine on the topic of mission in a time of recession. Take a look. The original article, published on 10 December 2008, is available here. The article follows beyond the line.
The financial talking heads are attributing the current economic crisis to a number of things: lack of regulatory oversight, bad mortgage lending practices, and globalized market structures. But some of the more plainspoken pundits sum up the mess in a single word: Debt. Simply put, for too long people have been spending more than they have. We have been purchasing homes we cannot afford, saving less than we should, and racking up debt at an unprecedented rate. The average American currently has a negative savings rate and over $8000 in credit card debt. As Dave Ramsey says, we are not “acting our wage.” On a national level, we have been importing more than we export and borrowing money from foreign governments to make up the difference.The picture is not pretty. We’ve made the foundation of our economy consumer spending rather than manufacturing, saving, or production. All that debt simply cannot hold the weight of the economy over time, and now we’re starting to see the system crumble. How does this apply to ministry? |
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