IN THIS ISSUE : Church Announcements ...............................................page 2 Church-wide Calendar .................................................page 3 A Letter from Pastor Ross .............................................page 4 Music Ministry .............................................................page 5 Adult Discipleship ........................................................page 6 Encore Ministry ............................................................page 8 Youth Ministry ..............................................................page 10 Children’s Ministry .......................................................page 11 Preschool Ministry........................................................page 12 FBC School ..................................................................page 13 Special Announcements...............................................page 14 From Troy’s Heart ........................................................page 15
CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS NO REGULAR WEDNESDAY EVENING ACTIVITIES - Through the summer. Watch the bulletin and newsletters for upcoming events. HOMEMADE ICE CREAM FELLOWSHIP - Wednesday, July 1, 5:30-6:30pm in the gym. Bring your ice cream and enough to share. The church will provide the fixings for the ice cream. We will also hear testimonies from the Honduras mission trip. CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED - Friday, July 3, for July 4 holiday. COFFEE WITH THE PASTOR - Wednesday, July 22 6:00pm Rm112. BUSINESS MEETING - Sunday, July 26 5:00pm in the gym. MOTHER’S DAY OUT FALL ENROLLMENT - Enrollment for the new school year is going on now. MDO will start back up on September 8. Packets are available online, or at the church office. Enrollment fee of $100 secures your Spot.
Welcome New Church Members: Audrey Shelton Tom and Doddie Messick
Mark Your Calendars Now! SEPTEMBER 2nd - Regular Wednesday evening activities resume.
CHURCH STAFF
Ross Shelton, Pastor rshelton@fbc-brenham.org Troy Sikes, Associate Pastor tsikes@fbc-brenham.org Charles Covin, Music Minister ccovin@fbc-brenham.org Alex Morrison, Minister to Children amorrison@fbc-brenham.org Chad Marrs, Minister to Students cmarrs@fbc-brenham.org Stacey Strickland, Preschool Ministry sstrickland@fbc-brenham.org Teresa McGlasson, Office Manager tmcglasson@fbc-brenham.org
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Annette Guenther, Comptroller aguenther@fbc-brenham.org Donella Peevler, Church Receptionist dpeevler@fbc-brenham.org Ernie Lewis, Graphic/Media Tech elewis@fbc-brenham.org O’Dell Merryman, Facilities Manager omerryman@fbc-brenham.org Nancy Jahns, School Administrator njahns@fbcsbrenham.org Kristie Mendoza, Mother’s Day Out Director mdo@fbc-brenham.org
CHURCH-WIDE CALENDAR JULY: 2 5 5 5-11 6 7 13 13-17 14 22-23
Sweet Hour of Prayer Sycamore House 10:00 - 11:00am Lord’s Supper Services 8:30 and 11:00am Deacons Meeting Rm111 2:00 - 3:00pm Youth Camp-Panama City, FL EEC Decorating & Luncheon Gym 9:00am - 2:30pm Piece Makers Student Center 9:00am - 12:00pm Finance Committee Meeting Pastor’s Office 6:30 - 7:30pm Camp Tejas Security Committee Meeting Pahl Garage 6:00 - 7:00pm 2:4 The Mission Gym Register online. 1:00pm Drop Off and 1:30pm Pickup The Next Day.
AUGUST: 2 Lord’s Supper Services 8:30 and 11:00am 2 Deacons Meeting Rm111 2:00 - 3:00pm 4 Piece Makers Student Center 9:00am - 12:00pm 16 Church Council Rm111 4:00pm 11 Security Committee Meeting Pahl Garage 6:00 - 7:00pm 22 Sunday Bible Study Leadership Training Gym 9:00am-12:00pm 23 Promotion Sunday 9:45-10:45am 29 BACKPACKIN’ Bak 2 Skool Partee, 1st-6th grades CHURCH OFFICE HOURS: Mon - Thurs: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Fri: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm. 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 & SCHOOL WEBSITE: www.fbc-brenham.org CHURCH FACEBOOK PAGE: www.facebook.com/BrenhamsFirstBaptistChurch SCHOOL FACEBOOK PAGE: www.facebook.com/Brenhamfbcs
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FROM PASTOR ROSS By the end of July, our offices will no longer be in the Chase Bank Building. We are in the process of moving our offices into the education building that is shared with our school and Early Education Center (EEC). In order to help you prepare for this change, here are some items you will need to know: - You will get to the church offices by entering through the Pahl St. entrance. This is the same entrance for the school. In order to get in, you will need to ring the buzzer, and someone from the school or church office will let you enter. - The church office reception area will be where the school library used to be (the school library has moved upstairs, and the church library remains in the same spot). Our receptionist, Donella Peevler, and our office manager, Teresa McGlasson, will office out of the reception area. - The rest of our offices will be sharing parts of already existing education space that is not currently being used by the school or EEC. For example, my office will in the corner of room 112. During the week, it will be my office, and on Sundays and Wednesdays it will be a place for Bible study. Even with my office, there are the same numbers of chairs in the room available for Sunday school. - Security will be important as we share space. When you come to visit during the day, we will have you check in and someone accompany you. There will be bathrooms that are designated for the adults; we don’t want adults and children sharing bathrooms. If you are a member with a key, please still enter through the Pahl St. There will be other items, but security will be an important part of this transition. - The church will have the same mailing address (PO Box 600, Brenham, TX 77834) and phone number. You may wonder why we are doing this. Here is why I am leading us to do this: 1.) It’s an opportunity to steward our financial resources differently. Chase Bank has been good to us, but with our move, we will no longer have to pay rent and utilities for the office space in the bank building. 2.) This will be an opportunity to better integrate the lives and ministries of our church, school, and EEC. 3.) Most of us will be closer to our ministry spaces and have better access to these during the week. 4.) We will learn some important lessons about sharing space. This will be especially important as we move forward with our relocation. Instead of hypothesizing what it may be like to share space, we will know what it will be like. 5.) It will help us keep better track of facility maintenance needs. It can be hard to track these when we’re only in our facilities on Wednesday night and Sunday morning. I want to thank everyone in our office and in the school and EEC offices. This is a big change, and everyone has worked hard to make this happen. I especially want to thank Teresa McGlasson and Troy Sikes. They have worked especially hard in thinking through the details and what needs to happen. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the church office. 4
WORSHIP & MUSIC MINISTRY I recently came across an article that reminded me how important daily habits are to our overall success in life. The article was focused on financial success and teaching your children to be financially successful throughout their lives, but I believe the principles apply to just about any area of life. If you want to be successful at something, you have to develop good daily habits that, over time, will help you achieve whatever accomplishment you focus on. Rarely does a person achieve any noteworthy accomplishment by accident. Usually the results happen because of the vision, planning, discipline, and perseverance the individual or group maintained over an extended period. The problem is, very few of us exhibit the determination to focus on a goal and do whatever it takes to see it completed. How many times over the years, have we said or heard someone tell a great musician, “I would give anything to be able to play an instrument” or “sing like you!” However, truthfully, we do not really mean that. What we really mean is, “It would be really nice if I could roll out of bed tomorrow morning, miraculously knowing how to play the piano without having to work at it!” The great musician they want to be like has likely spent hours rehearsing most every day of their life. They have sacrificed and shown abnormal determination in their pursuit of excellence. What does that mean for us as followers of Jesus? If you are like me, you have often looked at the lives of others and thought, “I would give anything to have that kind of faith.” On the other hand, “I would give anything to have the knowledge and insight of the scriptures that they have!” What we fail to realize sometimes are the daily habits and disciplines that these who are so spiritually mature have developed and practiced, in some cases over decades of following God. Take Daniel, for example. Now, very few people would envy the predicament he was in, standing in the middle of a den of lions. However, the remarkable faith he exhibited in the midst of it is certainly something that any of us would aspire to. So where did that faith come from? Certainly, it did not just appear out of thin air the moment he faced adversity. He developed it through his daily routine and spiritual disciplines. Daniel 6:10 says, “(Daniel) went home to his upstairs room… three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” Daniel was ready for this trial because, in his daily routine, God was able to grow his faith and refine his character. As we pursue God, let us follow Daniel’s example, knowing that God builds a person of great faith over time through each prayer prayed, each scripture meditated on, each trial persevered, and each act of obedience. He honors a life of discipline by increasing our faith and making us more and more like His Son. 5
ADULT MINISTRIES SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE CLASSES At BFBC we offer fifteen different Sunday Morning Bible Studies for YOU! Each Sunday @ 9:45am, you will find people eager to meet you and engage you in friendly discussions of faith and life from the Bible. Agape (various ages) Rm 213 Virtuous Women (Ladies - various ages) Pahl Living Rm Life Applications (various ages) Rm 110 Family Life Class (various ages) Rm 214 Choices (various ages) Rm 103 CSI: Brenham (Open to All) Rm 205 Adult 1 (Sr. Adults) Rm 112 Joy (Ladies) Rm 112
Friendship (Ladies) Rm 104 Scripture Searchers (Men) Rm 111 Adult 2 (Sr. Adults - all ages) Syc Liv Rm Hope Class (Ladies all ages) Syc Gar Covenant Keepers (Senior Married Couples) Syc Liv Rm Adult 3 ( 60’s) Pahl Garage Adult 4 (50’s & 60’s) Rm 105 Adult 5 (50’s) Stone House
SEWING GROUP PIECE MAKERS If you have fabric that you no longer need please consider donating it to FBC’s new Piece Makers quilting group. Piece Makers is currently focusing on baby quilts, receiving blankets, and quilts for Mission Trips. Please bring fabric to the church office. Monetary donations are also accepted for fabric, batting and other quilting necessities. Piece Makers would like to thank everyone for their fabric and monetary donations. For more information? Call Sara Byman at 979-830-8555. What On Earth Am I Here For? CSI: Brenham will begin a new Bible study July 12th. Throughout this six-session video-based study by Pastor Rick Warren, we are going to discover the answer to life’s most fundamental question: What on earth am I here for?” And here is a clue to the answer: “It’s not about us…We were created by God and for God, and until we understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.”
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
The six sessions Include: You Matter to God You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure You Were Planned for God’s Family You Were Created to Become Like Christ You Were Shaped to Serve God You Were Made for a Mission
BIBLE STUDIES & MORE CONNECT & SHARE LIFE TOGETHER IN ONE OF THESE GROUPS!
Schroeders - Study: Marriage, 620 Country Place West, 1st & 3rd Sundays @ 5pm Koenig/Sossaman (Ladies/Widows) Study: Walking by Faith - Breaking for the summer Bishop/Doebler - Breaking for the summer Yeakleys - (Excellent Way Bible Study Group)- Study: The Acts of The Apostle, 800 Loesch St, Tuesdays @ 6:30pm Atkins - 9250 Lake Dr. Various times this summer
Weekl y Bi ble St udi es & Fel low sh i p *Unless noted below, there will be no Wednesday activities this summer. The schedule for choir and praise band on Wednesdays will be provided by Charles Covin. Pastor’s Noon Bible Study Each Wednesday in July, Noon-1pm in the Pahl House Livingroom. Bring your lunch, your Bible and a friend and let’s search the book of Philippians together! Men’s Study/Prayer Breakfast: Wednesdays @ 6:00am, Sycamore House Sweet Hour of Prayer: Thursdays, 10-11am – Sycamore House Garage The Hilltop Experience! Last month a group of ten of our Encore Members went to the Hilltop Experience at East Texas Baptist University. They had a wonderful time!! When they arrived back at FBC they raved about the speakers, especially Dr. Robert Jeffress, and the music. The group was blessed by the hospitality of the ETBU campus staff and felt the whole experience was worth doing again next year. So, mark your calendars for June 1-3, 2016
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ENCORE MINISTRY NEWS THE ENCORE MINISTRY IS ALWAYS UP TO SOMETHING! Our Encore Ministry is comprised of Adults 55 yrs of age and above who know God has more for each of them to accomplish for His kingdom. Therefore, our Encore adults are growing in faith, community, ministry, missions and their love for others. GREAT STUFF Encore VBS - What a Comeback!! By the time, you receive this newsletter we will be wrapping up our 3rd Encore VBS at FBC. This year almost 50 adults enjoyed the music and Bible teaching of Guy Cagle and his wife LaRinda. We also did ministry through our crafts of toiletry bags for families in South America, cutting shoe patterns for children in Uganda through Sole Hope, and making candy jars to take to area nursing homes. In addition, we learned about the mission work of Miracle Farm, New Beginnings Ministries and our Honduran mission team. A VBS like this does not happen without a lot of help from some wonderful people. I want to thank: Kelley Sikes, Bobbye Marrs and the lunch crew, the Life Applications, Choices, Family Life and Agape Classes for lunch and desserts, Stacy Strickland and Sara Byman for leading crafts, Chad Marrs for helping me with games, Alex Morrison for helping with sound, Charlene Craigen and our office staff for pulling off all of the nametags and promotional material. CELEBRATE OUR JULY BIRTHDAYS! Margaret Cothern 7/1 Laurece Maresh Lu An Yarnold 7/1 Rola Doelitsch Loretta Davis 7/5 David Ruley Sandra Winkelman 7/5 Kathy Standley Carey Easterling 7/6 Bill Holmes LJ Grauke 7/7 Wren Grauke 7/7 Aleta Thistlethwaite Swepson Armour 7/8 Jim Turner Harold Nolte 7/9 Pam Young Flo Blevins 7/11 Linda Upchurch Susan Appel 7/11 James Hare Carolyn Robertson 7/12 Sandy Batt Kathy Markward 8
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A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Friends, As I sit here today waiting for the arrival of Tropical Storm Bill and thinking of safety and where to turn in times of concern. I think of all the times God has protected us as individuals or as a country. I am thinking ahead to July 4th and the independence that is ours by the grace of God and the struggles our forefathers went through to assure our safety and liberty. Our choir is singing a song on July 5th and I would like to share the words with you now. God of the Ages or God of our Fathers. God of the ages whose almighty hand leads forth in beauty all the starry band, Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies, our grateful songs before Thy throne arise. Thy love divine hath led us in the past in this free land by Thee our lot is cast. Be Thou our ruler, guardian, guide and stay, Thy word our law, Thy paths our chosen way. Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way; lead us from night to never ending day; Fill all our lives with love and grace divine, and glory laud and praise be ever Thine. Alleluia Amen We need to pray for our country and our leaders. We need to continue also to pray for our next mission trip later this year. I hope every one of you can stay cool as we reach the hottest time of the year. Blessings, Reba Pair BIBLE VERSE OF THE MONTH “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” Psalms 34:7
THOUGHT OF THE MONTH “God, who gave us life, gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are a gift of God? Thomas Jefferson
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STUDENT MINISTRY I recently talked about being on Mission while serving at home. It is always in the midst of a big event like DNow, Camp or a mission trip when those who serve the youth ministry are especially appreciated. I wanted to highlight one more special person who I have come to love and value even more in the last couple of months. Mrs. Merlene Schumacher has been a true servant, both to the church and to her family. I admire her so very much and have given her what I think is the highest compliment - she reminds me of my wonderful Meemaw who led me to Christ. Merlene recently designed the decorations for the Graduating Seniors breakfast. I gave Merlene a budget to purchase flowers and decorations for this event and she only spent $6.00! I was amazed at her resourcefulness and the phone calls, legwork, and hard work that went into securing donations. Merlene is a wonderful artist and the student ministry is so grateful for her sharing her talent with us. In Him, Bro. Chad
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CHILDREN’S MINISTRY “For we walk by faith, not by sight,” – 2 Corinthians 5:7 One week I am walking through the bottom of a 132’ waterfall in Honduras and the next week I am leading a Family VBS here in Brenham, TX. At first glance, you might think that these two things are unrelated. However, they are both quite similar. First, both events are first in my lifetime occurrences. Before my last trip to Honduras, I had never walked through and behind a waterfall. I even crawled into the creepy little hole behind the fall that they called a cave. Before this year, I had never even attended a Family VBS let alone the idea of leading one. Yet, standing on the other side of both events, I would do them both again. Next, both events are rare. There are not many waterfalls that have a cave hidden behind them (to the best of my limited knowledge – remember, this was my first time). Equally, family VBS programs are few and far between. In fact, in my years of ministry (since ’92) I have not crossed a VBS program that includes the entire family throughout the program. Finally, both require me to “…walk by faith and not by sight,” (2 Cor. 5:7). It was very important to listen carefully to the waterfall guide; to step where he said to step; to follow where he led. At more than one point, we could not see because of the force of the waterfall upon our heads. We could only look down and follow the guide to a safe spot. During the week of the Family VBS, it was very important to listen very carefully to the Spirit as my Guide; to step where He said to step; to follow where He led. The force of the week kept my head bowed and my knees bent. I could only look down and follow the Guide. What events is God calling you to follow Him in faith? What is keeping you on the shore instead of in the waterfall? Trust me. You will not regret following God anywhere. His Servant & Yours, Bro. Alex BFBC KIDS KLUB MONTHLY BIG IDEA Conviction is standing for what is right, even when others do not. WEEKLY BOTTOM LINE 1. If you want to stand for what is right, listen to someone who listens to God. 2. You can stand for what is right, even when it is not popular. 3. Get in the habit of standing for what is right. 4. We can stand for what is right because Jesus is alive. MONTHLY MEMORY VERSE “Finally, let the Lord make you strong. Depend on His mighty power.” Ephesians 6:10 SAVE THE DATE! Camp Tejas (3rd-6th) - July 13th-17th 2:4 The Mission (1st-2nd)- July 22nd-23rd
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PRESCHOOL MINISTRIES SUNDAY MORNINGS IN JULY BASIC TRUTH: GOD LOVES ME. KEY QUESTION: WHOSE WAY IS PERFECT? BOTTOM LINE: GOD’S WAY IS PERFECT. MEMORY VERSE: “GOD’S WAY IS PERFECT.” 2 SAMUEL 22:31 NIRV
We have had an AWESOME time at Camp Splish Splash! Camp Splish Splash will continue through the month of July helping everyone know that God’s way is perfect. In July, our preschoolers will hear all about Moses. They will learn how God had an amazing plan to save him by having his mother place him in a basket in the reeds. Then, they will hear how God led Moses to part the Red Sea by holding up his staff. Finally, they will hear how Moses used that same staff to hit a rock and provide His people with water. Do you see what is going on? Lots more water stories. It is Camp Splish Splash after all! Our little ones will end the month by learning the story of Naaman and how they can do what God says even when it is hard. Why should they do what God says? God’s way is perfect! I cannot wait for all the fun! See you in July. Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers for helping out during our VBS. Without you all, it would not have been a success. You are all ROCK STARS!
Stacey
FUN AT CAMP SPLISH SPLASH
Happy Birthdays!
Sandra Winkelman 7-5 Leah Oehrlein 7-6 Linda Upchurch 7-26 Brittany Rawls 7-30 12
FBC SCHOOL & EEC
SUMMER EEC PROGRAM! Grab your Passport! First Baptist Church School and Early Education Center invites you to Travel Around the World with Us this Summer! Two’s – Sixth Grade 7:15 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. *Crafts *Music *Languages *Famous Places *Show ‘n Tell *Country’s Local Cuisine *Sports *Themed Attire *Animals *Field Trips All Teachers are CPR and First Aid Certified 302 Pahl St. (979) 836-6411 MOTHER’S DAY OUT - KRISTIE MENDOZA
Mother’s Day Out is closed for the summer but will start back up on September 8. Enrollment for the new school year is going on now. If you are interested in picking up a packet, please go to the church office or you can download the packet online at fbc-brenham.org. 13
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS Our Sympathies To:
James and David Korth and family in the loss of their mom Carolyn Korth. Joy Moser and family in the loss of her mom Joann Moser. Condron family in the loss of Christine Condron. Schumacher family in the loss of EJ Schumacher. Kathy Markward and family in the loss of her dad, Edwin Sidebottom.
Church Thank Yous:
Dear Church Family, Thank you for keeping us and our mother in your prayers during her illness and death and for the lovely peace lily plant you sent in honor of her. Your kindness will always be remembered. James & Sherry Korth, David & Callie Korth Dear Brenham First Baptist Church, Our family wishes to convey our sincerest appreciation for your prayers and support during our mother, Meg Lonero, passing. We were also blessed and comforted by the beautiful flowers sent to her memorial service. Thank you for the gift of your friendship and support during this difficult time. Sincerely, Larry & Robin Lonero Dear Church Family, Thank you so much for the prayers the kindness and gift shown to me and my family during this difficult time. I know mom is happy where she is and I’m so thankful to have a church family that cares for me in her absence. Love, Joy & Jon-Michael Dear Staff and Members, What a blessing it is to be a member of a wonderful caring church. Thank you for sending a beautiful potted plant; and for the prayers and visits. In Christ, Merlene
Say Hello:
Ed Boettcher, a longtime FBC member (69 years), is now residing at Crestview Assistant Living in Bryan. If you would like to send him a welcome card, call or visit. Ed’s new address is: Ed Boettcher 2505 E. Villa Maria Rd., Apt. 1205 Bryan, TX 77802 979-703-1580
Flowers:
The altar flowers for July 5th have been donated by Mike and Roxie Cowan’s children and grandchildren in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary.
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FROM TROY’S HEART Last week, in preparation for our church office relocation, a storeroom was cleaned out. The room was a collection of church documents, ministry materials, as well as, boxes of personal items from our ministerial staff. Being at BFBC as long as I have, several boxes were directed my way and stacked on my office floor. Going through one box with my name on it yielded some ministry treasure that took me on a wonderful memorable journey. The box was filled with pictures from my days as a Minister to Students dating back to 1987. Yes, I am old!! Mission trips, camps, disciple nows, scavenger hunts, games, relays, retreats were all depicted in the joy-filled eyes of hundreds of students, leaders and parents. As I scanned through dozens of pictures, first, I remembered the time, event and person in the picture. Second, I quietly asked, “I wonder what they are doing now.” I knew the answer for some of my ex-students, but for many I did not. For ALL of them, I prayed for them to grow in Jesus and experience the joy shown on their photographed teen faces. Time passes quickly. We age. We grow. We learn. We change. We cherish. We let go. All that has happened in the past has shaped us today. I am thankful to each of those students...for what they taught me and how they challenged me to lead. There is a line in a song entitled, “Old Clothes”, I love, “I see the light of morning with different eyes today and I’m giving my tomorrows to the Lord.” Take some time to thank God for the people who made you who you are today. Determine that each tomorrow will bless others who will be on your path. I love you, Troy
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy... Philippians 1:3,4
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Brenham’s First Baptist Church P. O. Box 600 Brenham, TX 77834-0600
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