Winn’s Messenger Published for Members and Friends of Winn’s Baptist Church 12320 Winn’s Church Road, Glen Allen, VA 23059 Phone: (804) 798.5512 ● Fax: (804) 752.2401 ● Web: www.winnsbc.org
March 2013
Join Your Winn’s Family For Family Easter Celebration March 23rd, 12:00-1:30 Lunch, Egg Hunt, Crafts, And a Skit Invite Family, Friends & Co-workers Please sign up at the “Welcome Center” or at the Children’s Ministry bulletin board near the Fellowship Hall. We are in the process of reconsidering what methods of Outreach would be the most effective and also what would be the best use of the Lord’s money and human resources that He has entrusted us with as Stewards. That being said this year we will be offering an in-house “Family Easter Celebration”. Complete with meal, crafts, skit/gospel presentation and a scaled down Egg Hunt for our Church Family and personally invited guests.
Dear Church Family and Friends, While much of Christian service is rewarding and filled with joy, sometimes even downright exciting, occasionally we can get worn down as we serve. Whether it is attacks from the enemy, an especially heavy load, or non-service related issues that leave us drained when we step up to the plate, following the Lord can often involve seasons of stress and strain. When these times come, I think most of us join David, who during such a time, in Psalm 55, wished that he had wings like a dove so that he could just fly away! And you know that’s not a bad idea! Certainly not to fly away to serve no more, but to give the Lord time to lead you beside still waters to restore your soul. But then, back to work! The Lord may lead you to change venues of service at different seasons of your life, but He will never lead you to permanently get out of Christian service! We must remember that, while Christian service is an obligation, it is so much more than that! It is an adventure with our Father! Not only will you be blessed by the time you spend with Him laboring in His fields, but He plans to use you to accomplish some wonderful things. I believe that is why the Holy Spirit led Paul to pen these words for us, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart”. (Galatians 6:9) Our Father has much in store for us. May we be found faithful in His service. See you in our Father’s fields, Pastor Jeff
History In The Making… As told to Rev. Tom Lacy, Historian Caleb Brauer, Director of Outreach and Discipleship I joined the full time leadership at Winn’s Baptist Church in July, 2012, but that’s not where my journey with Winn’s began. Let me briefly chronicle some of my history with this church. My father, Jeff Brauer, became pastor of Winn’s shortly before I started my junior year of high school. I was serving on a worship team at Grove Avenue Baptist Church at the time, and divided my time between the two churches until my commitment was fulfilled at Grove Avenue. My father desired for me to sit under his preaching as I had done for so many years of my life, and soon I made the decision to join Winn’s Baptist Church. Before long I found myself leading worship for various youth events at the church. Also during this time period I began courting a young lady from the church, Jenna Rath. God made it abundantly clear that this young lady was to be my wife, and we built a relationship with a view toward marriage. In 2004, we were married and continued our journey as one flesh. Soon after the contemporary worship service was started, I was given the opportunity to lead worship weekly in that capacity. I continued in this role through college and the following years, taking a brief hiatus to travel with a worship team for a few months. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies degree from Southeastern College in 2007. I felt that God would use this degree for His purposes even if it were only to refine me through the process. I did not seek a ministry position when I graduated. Instead, I discussed with my wife how I could serve God in a secular position. I needed a mission field. I was hired as a Deputy with the Hanover Sheriff’s Office in 2008, and greatly enjoyed the experience of full time law enforcement. During this time my family grew and my relationship with the Lord progressed further. I found it exciting to be surrounded by unbelievers throughout the workweek. Time and time again God provided me opportunities to share how I had come to faith in Jesus Christ, and how they too could follow God. What a thrill it was to be on this spiritual battlefield. God taught me much about biblical manhood and leading my family as these years progressed, and later developed into a heartbeat of my full time ministry. God’s timing is interesting. At the time I was asked to consider a full time position at Winn’s, I was very comfortable with my employment in law enforcement. All aspects of the job worked great for my family and the benefits were excellent. Ironically, this made me even more sure that it was God’s will for me to come full time to the Winn’s staff. It was evident that I was hearing God’s calling and not responding to my own desires. I made the transition to Winn’s full time, a decision that I did not take lightly. I determined to serve in this new position as long as God would have me to, and would do whatever He wanted while I was there. This sounds simplistic, but it was my way of leaving the future open to God’s leading and not imposing my objectives on Him. The job description for Director of Outreach and Discipleship includes various responsibilities. I won’t discuss each one here, though my work in each of these areas will be evident over time. The heartbeat of my ministry during this time, as already alluded to, is building families. Every other aspect of ministry in which I am involved is strengthened by this endeavor. If the church wants godly children, the answer is to build families. If the church wants godly teenagers and college students, the answer is to build families. When we follow God’s design for family, then ultimately we grasp God’s pattern for the church as well. When we understand the purpose of the family, then we understand biblical manhood and womanhood. Every ministry of the church is strengthened when the family is operating according to God’s plan. Though there are many important things to which I put my hand on a daily basis, none is more important than this part of my calling at Winn’s. God has been gracious to this church, and to my family. I will continue to seek His face and direction for my life. As long as God sees fit to have me serve on staff at Winn’s Baptist Church, I will use my passion, my energy, and God’s Word to move our corporate family into a position where we can more fully “reach out” to a lost and dying world, and where we can more completely disciple the next generation of believers as we fulfill the great commission in our homes and in all nations.
Brothers in Christ, As we continue building “family and foundation” at Winn’s Baptist Church, we must return again and again to the topic of men. Strong families are vital to the strength of the church and God has placed the man at the head of the family. When a man takes his God given role as leader of the family to heart, it has amazing effects on the entire family. Therefore, our goal is this: to equip and challenge the men of the church to step up and lead their families. Men- Leading Your Family Starts with Loving Your Wife In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul commanded the husbands saying, “love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.” (Ephesians 5:25) Do not try to disciple your children in the Lord while overlooking the spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing of your wife. This relationship must be cultivated and renewed daily so that Satan does not gain a foothold on your marriage. Your marriage will affect your children’s spiritual development. Men- Get Off the Bench and Get in the Game Too many husbands leave it to their wife to be the spiritual leader of the family. The husband’s job is not merely to drive the family to church each Sunday morning and Wednesday night and then check their spiritual lives off the to-do list. The explicit command from Ephesians 6:4 says, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” And Deuteronomy 6:7-8 tells us “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” This is an everyday task, at all times, and in all positions. You are not allowed to abdicate this responsibility! Men- Are You Prepared for Battle? You may agree with these things but still feel unprepared for the task. Maybe you have a hard time understanding scripture and don’t feel like you can lead your wife and children in Bible study. Let me encourage you- all you have to do is stay one day ahead. Read a section of scripture one day, pray about it, ask God for understanding, consult some good commentary if necessary, and then study the same passage with your family the next day. I can’t tell you how much I have learned just by preparing myself to teach my family! Maybe your wife is further along in her spiritual journey than you. Why not do a Bible study together after the kids go to bed? You will both learn as you go, and you are availing yourselves to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Another way you can prepare yourself as a leader is to join with other like-minded men that are following after God. Proverbs 27:17 explains, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” This month we will be conducting a study group specifically designed to accomplish the goal that I stated above, “to equip and challenge the men of the church to step up and lead their families.” Please take this opportunity to be encouraged and encourage others as we suit up for battle together. We will study Biblical manhood and challenge ourselves in our role as the head of the family. I look forward to seeing you there. Whether you have had your hand to the plow for years or are just starting to get your hands dirty, God will strengthen you as you work to set your family apart for the cause of Christ. Stay in the fight! Caleb
Good Morning Church, I was glad to have the opportunity to preach 2 evening messages in February. I preached on “How to have a good, healthy, & fulfilling marriage on the 3rd. We also enjoyed the Lord’s Supper that evening in addition to the children’s choirs. It was a great night in the Lord together and we were dismissed slightly early as I promised. I figured if people were going to come see their children and grandchildren sing the night of the Super bowl, I wanted to ensure that they knew that we would be respectful of their time and would want to come back next year as well. I also preached on How to address Conflict within the Church Biblically from Matthew 18 & 1 Corinthians 5. That was a hard message. I had never heard it covered before so I felt led of the Lord to endeavor to cover it. I learned a tremendous amount in that study. I learned 2 huge things while studying for that message: # 1 - The obligation to follow God’s command to maintain unity by confronting unbiblical behavior is not solely reserved to the offices of Pastors and Deacons… – BUT rather – it is the responsibility of each and every person in the body to ensure unity and fellowship is not broken by the sin of another. # 2 – If individuals would seek personal reconciliation one-on-one or along with 2 or 3 others when they have been offended most conflict would be resolved in the earliest stages, instead of adversely affecting the church body. I am looking forward to Spring. I really enjoy the mild temperatures. It is time to go outside and enjoy the outdoors with the family. Winter keeps you inside way too much. One opportunity coming up for all churches is Easter. It comes in March this year. It is one of the best opportunities to reach the lost for Jesus. We as a church will be refocusing our outreach this year to emphasize the true meaning of Easter, not just hand out candy. Upon evaluating the effectiveness of pass activities we realized that we were not reaching families for the long term. So this year we will be reshaping our activities to be more personal. Instead of advertising to the community at large we are asking you to invite personal friends, neighbors, and co-workers to come share a meal with us and enjoy a presentation of the Gospel. We will still do a scaled-down egg hunt for our church family. The goal is present the Gospel and what the Winns family is all about, not just do what we have always done. Family & Foundation: Challenge to Dads: I had a “daddy date” recently with Avery where we spent some time just me and her. We went to Taco Bell (her choice, but I was glad to go as well), followed by going to Family Christian Store and looking at the veggie tales stuff, and finally stopping by Sweet Frog for some yogurt to go with our topping . It made her day. She talked about it for nearly a week. As dads we need to spend special dedicated time with our children. If you have children or grandchildren I challenge you to make an even greater impact on their lives by spending a couple of hours with them and just catch up with each other – you will be so glad that you did! Grace & Peace, Pastor Doug
Recent Youth Events: 2/7/13 – the Youth attended Faith & Family Night @ Ashland Skateland. It was a huge success, but a few people missed out so we are planning to go back on Thursday March 21st. After that we will alternate with a few additional low cost fun night opportunities such as: Laser tag, bowling, house fellowships/pizza parties. Summer Camp 2013: Studentz Camp 2013 @ James Madison University - July 22-26, 2013 (Monday – Friday) A $50 non-refundable deposit is due by Sunday March 24th, 2013 to ensure a spot for camp. The remainder of the total camp registration fee of $250 is due no later than Sunday April 14th 2013. Although I will be collecting and submitting the registration forms for our church to the SBCV, I found a hard-and-fast deadline for late additions and therefore anything after May 31st will be out of my hands – so get those registration forms to the church office by Wednesday May 1st. In the months to come: I will announce a Youth Leadership Team. It will consist of 3 to 4 spiritually mature youth…more to come. One last Word: Pastor Brauer and I take our God-given responsibilities very seriously and if you have concerns please do not hesitate to bring them to us. We are here for you. It is vital that there be unity in the Body and that is our earnest desire as we carry out Acts 20:28: (Acts 20:28 NKJV) “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
Elmont Elementary Good News Club (7th Year)
We are blessed with 57 students 11 Adult Leaders 4 Youth Leaders Bible Study focus: Elijah & Daniel