September Newsletter 2018

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 and 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

SEPTEMBER-

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Lord’s Supper - Both Services Labor Day Holiday - Church Office & FBCS/EEC Closed Piece Makers 9:00am Student Center Wednesday Night Activities Resume Sweet Hour of Prayer 10:00am Sycamore Hse Hope, Joy & Virtuous Classes Brunch 10:00am Gym Deacon’s Meeting 2:00pm Room 111 Church Council Meeting 4:00pm Room 112 Precept Bible Study 9:00am Pahl House Ladies Bible Study Fellowship 9:30am Sycamore Hse Sweet Hour of Prayer 10:00am Sycamore Hse Christmas in September - Both Services Sanctuary Connecting @ FBC 4:00pm Room 112 Finance Committee Meeting 6:30pm Room 112 Precept Bible Study 9:00am Pahl House FBCS Fair Holiday/EEC Open NO WEDNESDAY NIGHT ACTIVITIES Ladies Bible Study Fellowship 9:30am Sycamore Hse Sweet Hour of Prayer 10:00am Sycamore Hse Area 9 Progressive Ring Clinic for Handbells 8:00am Gym Precept Bible Study 9:00am Pahl House FBCS -See You At The Pole 8:15am Ladies Bible Study Fellowship 9:30am Sycamore Hse Sweet Hour of Prayer 10:00am Sycamore Hse World Hunger Offering - Both Services Churchwide Business Meeting 4:00pm Gym

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 Sunday, September 9th, we will begin an evangelistic sermon series titled, “Ask the Pastor: Answers to Questions People Ask.” The primary hope of these messages is that they will provide you an opportunity to invite someone to church who is not a Christian or has disengaged from the church for whatever reason. The questions that will be asked and answered are the ones that many people ask, although they may make us uncomfortable. In asking and answering these questions, I hope they will provide an opportunity for people to desire to learn more about Jesus. I also hope they will help you think through how to answer these questions when they come your way.

Here are the messages: •September 9: “If there is a God, why are there so many religions?”

•September 16: “If the Bible says, ‘Do not judge,” then why do Christians judge people?”

•September 23: “Why are there so many hypocrites in the church?”

•September 30: “Can you really believe the Bible in today’s world?”

•October 7: “If there is a God, why is there is so much suffering?”

•October 14: “How can God be loving and send people to Hell?”

On the Wednesday night after each of these messages, I’m going to use my Wednesday night Bible study at 6:30 in room 112 to go into further detail about these questions and provide an opportunity for people to ask any question they may have. That is, if someone comes on Sunday and has many questions, they can come back on Wednesday night and ask any question (no question will be off-limits). In preparation for this series, can you do the following?

•Can you please pray for God to use these series to draw people to Himself?

•Can you pray for someone to invite to church?

•Can you pray for our church that we will have the heart and passion Jesus does for people who do not yet know Him?

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MUSIC MINISTRY September 2018This fall is the PERFECT TIME for you to come and be a part of some the awesome things happening in the music ministry! Here are just a few of the ways YOU can get involved:

Christmas Choir

Christmas Choir rehearsals are just getting under way! I want to invite any of you who are interested to come join us for, what promises to be, a fantastic experience this December. Practices are on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm in the sanctuary. Come sing with us!!!

Praise Choir

Worshippers wanted for our 11am Contemporary Service Praise Choir! No handheld microphones, no sheet music, no mandatory rehearsals. All that’s required is that you be a least high school age, love to worship, and are willing to listen and learn a few great worship songs at your leisure each week!

Kids’ Choir

Kids’ Choir will kickoff on Wednesday, September 5. 1st graders – 6th graders are invited to join us in the Choir Room for music, fun, and food! We will also be needing a couple of parent volunteers to assist us (mainly with crowd control, passing out books, etc.), so if you’re available, let me know!

For more details, see Charles Covin. ccovin@fbc-brenham.org

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THANK YOUS & SYMPATHIES

Dear BFB Church, Thank you for the beautiful flowers you sent in memory of Greg. Thank you for the cards, prayers, and for attending the funeral. Also thank you for the kindness you have shown us during our loss. We will always remember and appreciate everyone.

Love, Peevler Family Thank you for prayers-thoughtfulness.

The Merryman Family During a time like this we realize how much our friends and relatives really mean to us. Your expression of sympathy will always be remembered.

Bob Cook Family

SYMPATHIES: -Cook family in the loss of Bob Cook.

-Blevins family in the loss of Ralph Blevins.

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BIBLE STUDIES & MORE

Men’s Prayer Breakfast Studying “Deuteronomy” Wednesdays, 6:00am Sycamore House Pastor’s Bible Study: Ask the Pastor Wednesdays, 6:30pm - Room 112, Begins 9/5/18 Bible 101: How It Fits Together Wednesdays, 6:30pm - Room 111, Begins 9/5/18 Young Mom’s Bible Study: Wisdom for Mothers Wednesdays, 6:30pm, Upstairs in Sycamore House, Begins 9/12/18

Sweet Hour of Prayer Thursdays, 10:00am Sycamore House Garage “Undaunted” by Christine Caine Women’s Bible Study Wednesdays, 6:30pm, Sycamore Downstairs, Begins 9/12/18 Precept Bible Study, “Covenant” Tuesdays, 9:30am, Pahl House, Begins 9/11/18

HOME TEAM GROUPS ·Scott and Tricia Schroeder – 620 Country Place W., Meets 1st & 3rd Sunday at 5pm. Begins September 9th ·Roger and Juanita Atkins – 9250 Lake Dr. Chappell Hill - Begins September 9th ·Rick and Diane Houston – 808 Spinn, Every other Sunday at 5:30pm, Begins September 9th. ·Ronnie and Debbie Fathauer – 1607 Longhofer, Meets 2nd & 4th Wednesday at 6:00pm. Begins September 12th. ·Widows & Single Ladies – Pahl House, 2nd & 4th Monday at 6:00pm.

Begins September 17th.

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ENCORE MINISTRY NEWS

CELEBRATE OUR BIRTHDAYS! Debbie Goss Steve Mossbarger Chris Dalrymple Kitty Cook Ron Upchurch Howdy McCracken J W Burchfield Danny Batdorf Florence Smith Terry Roberts Dayle Burkhart James Carstarphen Cheri Baker Mary Helen McDaniel Gail Cole Allan Michalak Jack Brannen Jeff Stoltenberg Donna Culliver Dodie Miller Rodney Williams T K Condron

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Susan Karisch David Yeager James Presswood Jerry LeGard Sylvia Price Jeanette Carlson David Meier Sidnie Byrket Sherry Lacy Marsha Dannhaus Lavangie Dillard Don Smith Gilbert Welty Susan Jenkins Joanne Sossaman Bud Lovell Michael Jenkins

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A LETTER FROM REBA As I begin this letter I am thinking about school starting for some today, tomorrow, and next week here at our church school. Every year in our family we have a fun tradition. The week or two before school starts I get all the boys together and I buy their backpacks for the new school year then take them to a fun place for lunch. This year I only had two to buy for, and only one needed a new one. I did have our special lunch in Katy with those two boys. We always have fun with them. But as I look deeply I know I have given them much more than new backpacks. I love to hear them talk of their plans for their life and being outspoken about how they will choose to live their life as young adults. I have heard both tell adults that they intend to never drink like Doc and I have chosen not to, because they have seen in others how alcohol affects lives. That make my heart sing with joy, that they are watching and learning. We need to be so careful what we are showing others around us, because we never know how what we do will affect others who are watching us.

September 9th is Grandparents day this year. My prayer for you is that you get to spend some time with your precious grandkids. Tell them some stories of how you grew up. They may not think they want to know, but I know one day they will be glad you took the time to tell them. I know I would have loved to have been told stories about my grandparents from actual stories they shared themselves. Enjoy them everyday you can.

God Bless all of you who are grandparents or who hope to be one day down the road. It is a treasured time that God blesses the aged with.

Blessings, Reba

PIECE MAKERS Piece Makers presented 20 hand sewn pillowcases to Adult & Teen Challenge of Texas in August. Shown in the picture are Piece Makers Diana Batdorf and Shirley Herring, Jonathan Mitchell, Director of Adult & Teen Challenge, Deborah Walter, Marketing Staff and DJ Calhoun. The pillowcases will be distributed to the young men living at the Brenham facility. Sewing of these pillowcases will be an ongoing Piece Makers project as new classes arrive throughout the year.

If you would like to serve our community through sewing, come join us! Piece Makers meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month in the Student Center of First Baptist Church from 9 am until 2 pm. All are welcome.

STUDENT MINISTRY Have you every been somewhere and felt like an outsider? Maybe you looked different than everyone else. Or you spoke a different language.

Something just made you feel out of place and out of your comfort zone. I have never felt more out of place than on my first trip to Africa a year and a half ago when we visited one of the largest flea markets in East Africa. The market itself was 3 blocks wide and 12 block long. Imagine thousands of people shouting in Swahili and English and moving shoulder to shoulder through the streets.

People were waving and banging tambourines to get our attention. The aroma of spices and cooking food mingled with sweat and diesel. The chaotic shops sold everything from clothes to automobile parts. I felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie. And with the exception of my traveling companions, everyone else was African. So, to say I felt like an outsider is a total understatement. But I was in African to help give others life saving, life changing, life giving water. So being out of my comfort zone was totally worth it.

Have you ever felt like an outsider as a Christian – completely opposite of the culture around you? Back in the “good ole days” Christianity (or at least morality) was very much a part of our modern culture and to be against Christians or to glorify immorality was completely counter-culture. BUT, times have changed.

And in fact, being a Christian now seems counter-culture. We don’t look like everybody else. We don’t speak the same language even. A lot of times, Christians are the odd ball in the room. But we have Someone who is life saving, life changing, and life giving. Taking the gospel to the world is worth going outside your comfort zone.

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CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

(Quote adapted from a line in “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns)

“Whatever you do,

Good Morning, do your work heartily, Welcome back to school. Is it just me, or does as for the Lord rather anyone else have the opinion that summer was than for men,” shorter this year? Even though the kids were released from school earlier than in years prior, it Colossians 3:23 seemed as if summer flew by. One day I am cheering with the kids at our Flip Floppin’ end of the school year party and the next day, having bittersweet fun at our BackPackin’ Bak 2 Skool Partee.

Although we change our clocks to save daylight, and in a sense, make the days longer, the hours in each day seemed to end faster. Five O’clock came way too soon each day and the hours past 5 sped to a quick end of the evening. I blinked and summer was gone.

I know this is the usual sentiment from kids, but parents like summer as well.

We enjoy having downtime with our family. I wanted to take my kids out fishing on the boat. My wife and I wanted to get away for a weekend. We hoped to have 1 or 2 cookouts with friends. In short, I failed to make the time for my family.

Yes, summer is my busy time of the year. However, the above mentioned goals are not very time intensive. They just needed timing and dedication to follow through. Now that I have confessed this sin of mine, let me challenge you. How was your summer? Did you make time for your family? Did you make time for yourself? Did you make time for God? If you failed, as I did, you still have time. Pull out your planner and gather all of the many schedules that can overwhelm us as families. Then, plan a cookout or a game night. Maybe it is as simple as a time around the dinner table with all members oft he family present. Whatever it is, plan it, dedicate time to it and do it. When you are doing whatever, talk, laugh, question, giggle, but enjoy each other because the greater loss of this past summer for me was not the time. It was the moments that can never be regained. Join me in making moments last in our future.

His Servant & Yours, Bro. Alex

Upcoming Events:

KidsKlub on Weds Night begins – 9/5 6pm: Dinner; 6:30-7:30 Bible Study Washington County Fair Parade – 9/19 (No KidsKlub on Weds Night) Homecoming Parade – 10/3 (No KidsKlub on Weds Night)

PRESCHOOL MINISTRIES

Our annual preschool mission project is here.

This year it is our mission as Super Kids to raise donations for Hope Rising, a local group who is bringing hope to young people who have come out of human trafficking. Hope Rising Ministries focuses primarily on sex trafficking in the United ANDREW HOLSTER 9/5 States, with special focus in Texas. They are a LIAM MOORE 9/13 licensed Child Placement Agency and place minor girls who have been trafficked in specialized foster JORGE ARBELAEZ 9/23 care homes and they provide the wrap around services necessary for lasting results. One way they help these young girls is through Equine Therapy. This is where they incorporate horses experientially for mental and behavioral health therapy and personal development. If you would like more information please let me know and we can get you connected with the right person.

Right now, here is how we are asking for your help. On September 16, 2018, our preschoolers will be out in the hallway and at the front entrance to the church after each church service.

We are asking for donations to help us raise money to give to Hope Rising to help in their efforts to provide support to these young girls. We are asking for any amount you are willing and able to give. We have made some delicious treats to give with every donation received. Please make sure you stop by and support our preschoolers in their new mission.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

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FBC SCHOOL & EEC We have had an “Incredible” start to the school year! Incredible Faith is our theme this year. It is “Now faith is centered around Hebrews 11:1. Our goal is to build our faith in Him in the small stuff and the big stuff! confidence in what God has been so faithful already by providing an we hope for and amazing staff! They have worked hard to create an excellent place to nurture and love the kids God has assurance about what placed with us. we do not see.”

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. We will be raising funds through candy and pickle sales for Adam’s Angels Ministry for our first mission project. This will be later in the month.

We have a few openings in the 3 year old classes and elementary. Please help spread the word about this opportunity to join the FBCS & EEC family.

In His Service, Nancy

SEPTEMBER

Hebrews 11:1

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Labor Day School & EEC closed School pictures Fair Day - School closed/EEC open See You At the Pole 8:15 a.m.

School Committee @ 9:00 End of 1st Six Weeks 14

FROM TROY’S HEART In August I had the privilege of going on our mission trip to Honduras. I had a great time.

Highlights from the mission trip in Honduras included: ·The people of Honduras are kind and generous. They cared for us with genuine spirits. I was blessed. ·The people on the mission team were so much fun to be around, Chad included. ·Spiritually, we were challenged and encouraged on a daily basis as we spoke the message of Jesus from village to village. God moved seven people to give their lives to Jesus! ·Physically, we endured as we built tables, roofs and bathrooms. We also were protected through mountain roads, running rivers and reckless Honduran drivers.

In the middle of all of these highlights, a recurring question plagued me, “How do we go from joy to just getting by?” This question formed as I saw two opposing pictures in the streets and villages of Honduras. One was the picture of joy on the faces of almost every child I saw. The other picture was the drudgery I saw on the faces of the men on the streets as they went about their daily work. When did the smiles and laughter of childhood change into a pained facial picture of getting through the day? How does that transition happen?

The answer I came up with is this: The sad transition from joy to drudgery happens slowly as we allow responsibility to overcome a playful loving spirit.

It happens when we focus on adult living, not on child-like loving.

Jesus said let the children come unto Me. Jesus said the kingdom of God was in childlike faith. I think Jesus knew that there is something in childhood we should all hold on to. Is there something in our childhood we have left behind that has caused us to our lives to be less joyful? If so, go back and get it!

I Love you, Troy

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

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