February Newsletter

CHURCH INFORMATION CHURCH STAFF Ross Shelton, Pastor

rshelton@fbc-brenham.org

Annette Guenther, Comptroller aguenther@fbc-brenham.org

Troy Sikes, Associate Pastor

tsikes@fbc-brenham.org

Donella Peevler, Church Receptionist

dpeevler@fbc-brenham.org

Charles Covin, Music Minister

ccovin@fbc-brenham.org

Jodi Beckendorf, Graphic Designer jbeckendorf@fbc-brenham.org

Chad Marrs, Minister to Students

cmarrs@fbc-brenham.org

Stephanie Sheffield, Custodian Manager

ssheffield@fbc-brenham.org

Alex Morrison, Minister to Children

amorrison@fbc-brenham.org

Nancy Jahns, School Administrator

njahns@fbcsbrenham.org

Stacey Strickland, Preschool Ministry

sstrickland@fbc-brenham.org

Kristie Mendoza, Mother’s Day Out Dir.

mdo@fbc-brenham.org

Teresa McGlasson, Office Manager

tmcglasson@fbc-brenham.org

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS: Mon - Thurs: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Fri: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm.

Brenham’s First Baptist Church Contact Info: Ph: (979) 836-2807 Fax: (979) 830-0122 info@fbc-brenham.org Mailing address: PO Box 600, Brenham, TX 77834

LINKS TO CHECK OUT ONLINE CHURCH WEBSITE: www.fbc-brenham.org CHURCH FACEBOOK PAGE: www.facebook.com/BrenhamsFirstBaptistChurch SCHOOL FACEBOOK PAGE: www.facebook.com/Brenhamfbcs 2

I N THI S I SSUE:

Special Announcements...................................................page Church-wide Calendar .....................................................page From Pastor Ross ...............................................................page Music Ministry ....................................................................page Thank yous & Sympathies................................................page Bible Studies and more ....................................................page Encore Ministry...................................................................page A Letter From Reba & Piece Makers ..............................page Student Ministry ................................................................page Children’s Ministry ............................................................page Preschool Ministry ............................................................page FBC School & EEC ..............................................................page From Troy’s Heart ..............................................................page

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

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CHURCH-WIDE CALENDAR

FEBRUARY-

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Lord’s Supper @ both services Piece Makers 9:00am Men’s Cake Bake 4:00pm Preschool Valentine’s Tea Party 8:00am Valentine’s Sunday School Party 6:00pm Texas Ministry Conference - Church Office Closed

Student Ctr Gym Pahl House Sycamore House

For more information on any of the above events please visit the church website: www.fbc-brenham.org www.facebook.com/BrenhamsFirstBaptistChurch

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FROM PASTOR ROSS On Friday, March 1st, we will be having our annual Texas Celebration fundraiser for First Baptist Church School (FBCS) at the Washington County Fairgrounds! This is our largest and most important fundraiser our school has each year, and your support is crucial. Here is some helpful information: -BBQ Dinner (sliced beef and sausage) tickets are $10 each and can be purchased (1) from children on Sunday mornings who will be at the information desk or (2) from the school office (979-836-6411).

-The drive-through is from 4:00 – 6:30 pm (directions and map are on the back of the ticket).

-Dine-in is from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.

-There will be games and entertainment for the kids from 4:30-6:30.

-There will be a dessert, silent, and live auction.

-The live auction begins at 7:00 pm!

If you are not familiar with our school, here is some information I hope is helpful. Our school began in 1977 and is a ministry of our church, which was reaffirmed in 2016. Literally thousands of children have experienced a Christcentered education through our school in its 41 years of existence. Our school director is Nancy Jahns, and she oversees two divisions of our school. The first is our daycare and preschool, which is called the Early Education Center (E.E.C.). The EEC Director is Cherry Fratus and the Assistant Director is Megan Pritchard. The second is our Pre-K – 6th grade. Each of these divisions serves to meet the different needs of families. Think about this: every day, children and families are walking through the doors of our church buildings and are being cared for, taught, and have the opportunity to hear about Jesus. Once again, your support is crucial for the current and future health and growth of our school.

Here are some ways you can support FBCS: -Pray. Pray for our administration, staff, teachers, and families. Pray for the safety of our school. Pray for people to grow in knowledge, especially the knowledge of Jesus. However God leads you to pray, the key for the health and growth of our school is prayer.

-Financially support the church. In terms of fundraising, our church is the largest financial supporter of our school. When you give to our church, you give to our school. As the financial health of the church goes, so goes the financial health of our school.

-Support our school financially by one of the following ways: -Support the Texas Celebration and/or by giving a certain amount annually.

-Provide funding for scholarships.

-If you are interested in the long-term financial health of our school, you can give to our school endowment. When you give to our endowment, interest off the endowment goes to help our school each year. This is a great way for a gift to last a long time.

-You can volunteer in some capacity.

If you have any interest in supporting FBCS in one or more of the ways above, please contact our director, Nancy Jahns, at 979-836-6411 or njahns@fbcsbrenham.org. If you are already supporting our school in one or more of the above ways, THANK YOU! 5

MUSIC MINISTRY Something I’m really excited about in 2019 is a study that we are going through with our Praise Team called, WORSHIP MATTERS, created by worship pastor and author, Bob Kauflin. I thought I might share a few excerpts of our first session for you all to digest as well! Be praying for us that God will mold our hearts into the worshippers and leaders that He is calling us to be for His glory. Blessings!

– Charles “Now, someone came up and asked Jesus this question in Matthew 22: “What is the greatest commandment?” And this is how Jesus responds in verse 37: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” - Matthew 22:37 While worship involves more than love, it doesn’t involve less than love because whatever we love most becomes our God, whether that’s for a moment, or a lifetime, or an eternity. And whatever we love, want or desire more than God becomes god to us, although it’s not God, it’s an idol. It’s a false god.”

“Now, when we talk about worship we often equate it with music, but worshipping God doesn’t begin with music, it begins with God. Not God as we conceive Him to be, or think He should be, but who He’s actually revealed Himself to be in His Word. Because the only thoughts about God that matter, the only thoughts about God that are truly authoritative, that are going to last, are found in God’s Word.”

“God doesn’t want our love for Him to be groundless. He wants it to be rooted in His Word. He wants us to know Him for who He really is and to love Him in response because that knowledge is what leads to God-honoring worship. Worship without true knowledge leads to misguided emotionalism. Doctrinal knowledge without love, leads to rigid, harsh, lifeless orthodoxy. God never intended for our hearts and minds to be separated. And He’s given us everything we need for both in His written Word, the Bible, and in the Living Word, Jesus Christ. What other response can we have the more we get to know God truly in Jesus Christ than to love Him more and worship Him more with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength?“

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THANK YOUS & SYMPATHIES Dear Church Family, Kelley and I want to thank you for honoring our 20 years of service at Brenham’s First Baptist Church. The evening of celebration was so much fun as we dressed in our Astros gear, ate chili and feasted on desserts galore! In addition, the Piecemakers Ministry gave us a Houston Astros quilt that will be cherished for a lifetime. Thank you to the Ministerial Support Team, our staff members, Sunday Bible Study groups, Piecemakers, Steve Ponder and our whole church family for making the night memorable. Thank you for loving our family and allowing us to do life with you.

Let’s do another 20!

Love you, Troy and Kelley I do want to thank you sincerely for the very nice plant you sent in condolences after my mother passed away. Family is precious and it is very comforting to be in our church family. Thank you again for your warm regards.

God bless, Jesse & Rae Lin Ladd family Dear FBC, Thank you, thank you, for the beautiful job you did on the funeral bulletin.

Thanks for the beautiful plant, the cards, food and prayers in this difficult year for Mickey and me. God blessings be on all of you.

Geneva, Mick Jr. and Kim Our Church Family at Brenham First Baptist Church, Thank you so much for the lovely plant you sent for my mother’s funeral service. Our family truly appreciated the thoughtfulness.

With our love, Gerald, Sidnie Byrket and family

SYMPATHIES: -Sidnie Byrket and family in the loss of her mother, Myrtis Luquette. 7

BIBLE STUDIES & MORE

Men’s Prayer Breakfast Studying “Deuteronomy” Wednesdays, 6:00am Sycamore House Pastor’s Bible Study: The Signs of Jesus in the Gospel of John Wednesdays, 6:30pm - Room 112

Sweet Hour of Prayer Thursdays, 10:00am Sycamore House Garage “Unexpected” by Christine Caine Women’s Bible Study Wednesdays, 6:30pm, Sycamore Downstairs

Life at the Mountaintop: Sermon on the Mount Wednesdays, 6:30pm - Room 111

HOME TEAM GROUPS ·Scott and Tricia Schroeder – 620 Country Place W., Meets 1st & 3rd Sunday at 5pm. ·Roger and Juanita Atkins – 9250 Lake Dr. Chappell Hill, Meeting one Sunday a month. Please call 281-389-2859 to confirm meeting time. ·Rick and Diane Houston – 808 Spinn, Every other Sunday at 7:00pm, ·Ronnie and Debbie Fathauer – 1607 Longhofer, Meets 2nd & 4th Wednesday at 6:00pm. ·Widows & Single Ladies – Pahl House, 1st & 3rd Monday at 6:00pm.

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ENCORE MINISTRY NEWS

CELEBRATE OUR BIRTHDAYS! Joe Hnatek Nelda Van Dyke Nancy Humphrey Cheryl Autrey Mary Kay Billington Louis Ware Dayle Presswood David Karisch Jerry Culver, Sr Ernie Lewis Betty Bradley Sandra Eargle Lynne Stoltenberg Karen Bell Brian Baird Ruby Lange (Kobs)

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Gerald Byrket Juanita Atkins Truett O’Brien Karen Drummond Billie Schulze Alice Henderson Paula Little Sheran McCants Merlene Schumacher Doug Baker Lynn Koronka

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A LETTER FROM REBA Dear Friends, As you know there is a lot of talk in February about love. There is no greater love than Gods Love. It always brings to mind this song that was written in 1917 by Frederick M. Lehman.

The Love of God The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell.

It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell; The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His son to win; His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain: O love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure The saints’ and angels’ song.

My prayer for you today is that you know how much God loves you! As Christians we should walk daily in God’s love. Go out today and share some love with everyone you meet.

Love and Blessings to you all, Reba Pair

PIECE MAKERS Texas Celebration benefiting FBC School is coming up on March 1, 2019.

Two quilts made by Piece Makers are entered in the live auction. Shown with members who worked on it is a queen size Heart Quilt pieced from bright floral fabrics.

The second quilt is an A & M stadium quilt made from denim and Aggie themed fabrics. Both quilts will be displayed in the church hallway during the month of February.

Piece Makers meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month in the Student Center from 9 am to 2 pm.

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STUDENT MINISTRY Ladies & Gentlemen! Come one, come ALL to the 7th annual Men’s Cake Bake on February 10, 2019.

Men – dust off those cookbooks, find an apron and grease those pans.

As always, I’m on a mission to get those BRAGGING rights for Best Men’s Baker. Whether you’re a seasoned baker with years of strawberry-dipping experience or you’re a newbie who doesn’t know ganache from goosefeathers, we NEED all your cakes.

Every. Single. Cake matters. (Yes, even Pastor Ross’s cake!) This is the ONLY fundraiser our students do for the year so we want to make it the best year yet. Don’t forget that there is a silent auction for those in 16th place or higher (no losers here.) In years past we’ve had families, Sunday School classes and other groups team up to purchase a cake.

We will be serving a hamburger dinner with CAKE for dessert. Tickets will be on sale after Sunday services. $5 per person or $20 for a family. This is a fabulous time of fellowship for the whole church to come together and laugh, eat, make great memories, and truly make a difference in our students’ lives.

(I mean who could forget Charles’ “I’m Proud to Be An American” cake!)

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CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,” (Philippians 1:29, NASB) Good Morning, “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear” (Phil. 1:12-14, NASB).

Paul was not saying, “poor me.” He was saying, “Don’t worry in the midst of struggles. Look to God.” God was using his imprisonment to share the gospel even with his captors. Most would look at Paul’s situation as a consequence from the Lord for discipline. Paul saw it as opportunity offered from God to spread the gospel.

When we are in the pits of life, how often do we seek God’s purpose for allowing those trials? How often do we use the lemons God has provided to make lemonade with the sugary sweetness of the gospel? “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me” (Phil. 1:27-30, NASB). We have been called to “believe in Him” and “to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29, NASB). I don’t believe Paul is calling for Christians to pursue arrest. However, I do believe that he is setting the precedence that we are to be ready to endure the cost necessary to follow Him obediently as Lord.

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21, NASB). Am I ready to adopt this mantra of Paul’s as my own? Are you?

His Servant & Yours, Bro. Alex

Camp Tejas - July 9-13 Register @ fbc-brenham.org

PRESCHOOL MINISTRIES These cuties bring us such joy every week. It was so much fun sharing them with all of you this past January as they sang in worship services.

We hope you enjoyed them as much as we do. We look forward to sharing them with you again soon.

Memory Verse:

“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” Exodus 15:2a

Big Picture Question:

What is worship? Worship is celebrating the greatness of God.

JAYSON FASKE

2/12/13 BEAU NANNEY

JILLIAN BRANNON 2/24/14

2/15/17

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FBC SCHOOL & EEC Our Bible verse in chapel this week is 1 Peter 4:10.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

I selected verses for each week last summer. It is not a mistake that this one is hitting at this time. It is not by my doing; it is by His leading. There are so many things going on that it would be easy to become distracted. Last week, our verse was about loving others (Proverbs 17:17); and this week we are called to serve by sharing our gifts wisely. I love how God uses isolated things to show the big picture! As I encourage students and staff to love others and be a good steward of our gifts, I pray the same for you and me. What an opportunity we have been given by God! Let’s not miss it!

We are currently re-enrolling current student for the 2019-2020 school year.

Enrollment for church members begins on February 11th, and enrollment to the public beings on February 12th. If you know of someone interested in the school, please send them our way. We would love to give them a tour!

We invite you to come to Texas Celebration on March 1st at the Washington County Fairgrounds Event Center. We will have good food, good company, and many neat things to bid on! Contact a student or the school office for tickets.

The kids are selling tickets until Friday, February 15th; the school office will have them available until Monday, February 25th.

FEBRUARY

So many good things are happening at First Baptist Church School! A good way to stay in the loop is through our Facebook page. We share activities of the school, announcements, and our weekly Bible verse. You may follow us at https://www.facebook.com/Brenhamfbcs/.

Serving Him, Nancy Jahns

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Re-enrollment begins 100th Day of School PTO Meeting @ 5:30 Ms. Lou-Lou for preschool Ms. Lou-Lou for elementary Class pictures Enrollment open for church members End 4th term Student holiday/Staff development & workday; EEC open Talent show forms go out Report cards go home 6th grade to Tx Capitol Tx Celebration Ice Cream Party School Committee meeting

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FROM TROY’S HEART Happy February, the month of love! In a few weeks we will celebrate Valentine’s Day. On that day we will express our love to family, friends and special loved ones.

In this edition of the newsletter, I would like to say to our church family, I love you!

Last month, our church family(that’s you) threw a celebration for my family in honor of 20 years of service. What a fun time! We dressed in our Astros gear, ate chili and feasted on pie, cake and cookies like good Baptist! We were also blessed to have our former Pastor, Steve Ponder, come and share his heart with us. Please disregard his comments about my mistake at his wedding, that is the only mistake I have ever made at a wedding. LOL As a part of the evening, the Ministerial Support Team asked for people to write note cards of encouragement to us. We received what seemed like over a hundred notes and cards. When we got home, we opened and read each one with eager anticipation of the joy we would receive from the words shared from your hearts. Many times I would read a note and remember an experience with that individual where God ministered to both of us.

Sometimes that moment was a wedding or a funeral. Other times were past events in our student ministry or a time of counsel or maybe a baptism.

Whatever the situation, it was a reminder to me that life has given me the opportunity to love people through Jesus AND that is what is ministry is about.

I am so grateful the people of this church opened their hearts to us over 20 years ago. Thank you for your encouragement, joy, care, support and love.

Let’s do another 20!!

I Love you, Troy

fbcs prayer requests / needs Please pray for our re-enrollment process. Pray specifically for the families as they make educational decisions for their children, God’s leading for our staff, and give thanks for what He has and will continue to do!

Texas Celebration is on March 1, 2019. Please continue to be in prayer for the event. We would love for you to be a part of this event by attending and showing God’s love to the families we serve. We are collecting live and silent auction items as well as monetary donations. Please contact Judy Hyman at 836-6411 with questions, to make a donation, or to volunteer. You may also reach her through email at 5 511 jhyman@fbcsbrenham.org .

Brenham’s First Baptist Church P. O. Box 600 Brenham, TX 77834-0600

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MAIL TO:

Non Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit 235 Brenham, TX 77834-0600

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