First Baptist Owensboro
April 2018
GOD AT WORK
HAPPENING IN APRIL
WORSHIP & SS
FBC member, Chad Hall, tells us how
There's so much happening, so we made
Why is it important to attend both
he saw God working in East Asia.
it easy and put it all in one place.
worship and Sunday School?
Table of Contents A Word from Paul ................................................. 1 God at Work in East Asia .................................2–3 Chad recounts an experience he had on a mission trip to East Asia. He explains why he knows God is at work there!
Happening in April ...........................................4–5
Pg. 4–5
Priorities of Worship and/or Sunday School by Pastor Paul Strahan ......................................6–7 In this article, Pastor Paul talks about the importance of not only attending the worship service but also in attending Sunday School as well.
FOM: Sunrise Children's Services ...................... 8 Know Your Deacons.............................................. 9 Discover FBC .......................................................10 Discover FBC returns for four weeks on Sunday, April 15th.
Secret Church ......................................................11 Join us for this Secret Church Simulcast on Friday, April 20th. Our topic will be "Cults and Counterfit Gospels" and will be led by David Platt.
March: A Month in Review ................................12 Calendar of Events ..............................................13
Pg. 6–7
MEET OUR STAFF PASTOR Paul Strahan PStrahan@fbcowb.org WORSHIP Derry Billingsley DBillingsley@fbcowb.org DISCIPLESHIP Wesley Dunn WDunn@fbcowb.org
ADMINISTRATION & SENIOR ADULTS Bob Farmer BFarmer@fbcowb.org
RECREATION Dave Roberts DRoberts@fbcowb.org
CHILDREN Suzie Horner SHorner@fbcowb.org
FINANCIAL SUPERVISOR Barbara Wright BWright@fbcowb.org
PRESCHOOL DIRECTOR Ginger Mayfield GMayfield@fbcowb.org
OFFICE MANAGER Judi West JWest@fbcowb.org
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS Michele Burton MBurton@fbcowb.org Susan Dant SDant@fbcowb.org RECEPTIONIST Vicki Campbell VCampbell@fbcowb.org
230 JR Miller Boulevard • Owensboro, KY 42303 • 270.683.3505 • fbcowb.org
O
n Sunday, March 18th, we
man Studies. He is pursuing a Master of
had the privilege of hosting
Divinity with Specialization in Christian
the Chapman family at the
Education with an emphasis in Youth
request of the Minister of Students
Education at New Orleans Baptist Theo-
Search Committee. I am excited to an-
logical Seminary and anticipates gradu-
nounce that our church family unani-
ation in May of this year.
mously voted to call Jonathan Chapman as our Minister to Students. I am also excited to announce that he has accepted our call and will begin his work April 22nd.
Let me express my thanks to JJ Poole and Erica & Todd Houston for their leadership during the interim period. They have been invaluable to our students and the ministry. They have
Jonathan is currently serving as the
gone above and beyond the call of duty.
Minister to Students at Winchester
Thanks also to the Sunday School teach-
First Baptist, Winchester, Tennessee. He
ers who have carried on and have done a
has been in that position a little more
tremendous job in the interim.
than four years. In that role, he has been responsible for the overall student ministry, as well as training and recruiting volunteers to serve with him. A big part of his responsibility is developing a relationship with parents of students. While in seminary, he was a youth leader/teacher at First Baptist Church New Orleans. He has served as a youth and children’s intern and an interim student minister in Georgia. Jonathan comes to us with a diverse background of experience. He is from Murray, KY and married to JoLynne, and they have a son, Levi, almost fourteen months old. Jonathan did his undergraduate work at Union University graduating with a BA in Christian Studies and a minor in Hu-
Thanks also to the Minister of Student Search Committee. This committee consisted of Adam Overall (chairman), Peggi Clark, Jean Byrd, Erica Houston, Samantha Bacon, D.T. Dent, and Dave Booher. Jonathan was their unanimous choice from the get go. I am looking forward to his being on our team. Please continue praying for him and his family as they make the transition to Owensboro and say their goodbyes to their church family in Winchester. Also on March 18th, we welcomed Suzie Horner back! I speak for many people— including many children—when I say YAY!!!!! Welcome back, Suzie!
God at Work in East Asia
2 | Connect Magazine
By Chad Hall
W
hile standing on top of
chanic, warming our hands and enter-
“Go, Tell It on the Mountain," the old
a mountain somewhere,
taining the locals with our presence. It
Christmas song of my childhood.
around 7,000 feet above
was market day and several people were
sea level a thousand miles away from
in town. We must have sat there for four
home, I found myself looking off in to
hours. Dozens of people had come and
the distance and counting ridge top af-
gone, but we remained. Then we met
ter ridge top as far as I ould see. Figura-
Stanley (not his really name, just what
tively I wondered, “How did we end up
we called him). Stanley is who we had
here?” It’s at this point I realized God is
been praying for—“a person of peace”!
at work in East Asia.
After an introduction and some small
JJ, Brock, Jeremy, our East mission partner, and I didn’t just wander onto this mountaintop. It was planned! Long before we ever knew we’d be there on that sunny January day, God mapped out our journey. After traveling for sev-
talk, he invited us to his farm “just down the road.” We drove for an hour! Then we took a “short” twenty-minute walk up the hillside, and just as God had planned, there we were standing on top of that mountain.
eral days, we found ourselves gathered
As we stood there catching our breath,
around a fire in front of the local me-
the first thing that came to mind was
This was God’s plan; this was God at work! After traveling over the snow-covered roads at home, on three airplanes, staying in countless hotels, and spending hours upon hours in a van, we found ourselves just over the hills proclaiming that Jesus Christ is born! We spent our time there sharing, praying, and fellowshipping with someone we prayed would one day be a brother in Christ. While this experience stands out, it was repeated over and over again while on mission, becoming the evidence of God at work in East Asia. April 2018 | 3
EASTER SUNDAY Sunday, April 1 Join us on Easter to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! We will have both traditional and contemporary worship, as well as Sunday School, at our regular times. There will be no Children's Church or evening worship on this day.
NO CHILDREN'S CHURCH Wednesday, April 4 There will be no Wednesday activities during Spring Break.
CHILDREN'S SING-ALONG BEGINS Wednesday, April 11 Join us in Room 300 beginning Wednes-
Happening in April
day, April 11th, at 6:00 as we say Y-YY-Y-Yes to V-V-V-VBS by singing VBS songs from past themes and from our upcoming 2018 VBS!
PRAY LIKE THIS STUDY BEGINS Wednesday, April 11 at 6 PM Prayer is the most dynamic discipline in the life of a believer. Yet it may be the most misunderstood and the least taught. This six-session study shows believers that following Jesus’ Model Prayer will lead them to fall more in love with God and grow in their desire to engage in conversation with Him. Join us on Wednesday nights after Spring Break as
4 | Connect Magazine
we seek to understand the different aspects of the Lord’s Prayer and put them into practice in our own prayer lives.
CINDERELLA BALL
KENTUCKY YOUTH CHORALE Sunday, April 15 at 6 PM Pictured Left Middle
Friday, April 13 at 6 PM
Join us for this concert given by the
Pictured Bottom Left
Kentucky Youth Chorale on Sunday, April 15 at 6 PM in the Sanctuary.
I recognize the true gospel among so many counterfeits?” Answering these questions will be the aim of Secret Church 18. Gather with us at FBC as we join hundreds of thousands of others across the world on this night.
CHILDREN'S GROUP PHOTO
We encourage all fathers, grandfathers,
This group—a collaboration with the
Sunday, April 22 at 10 AM
and K-5th grade princesses to join us
Institute for Young Musicians and the
for a wonderful night at the Cinderella
Owensboro Symphony Academy—is
Pictured Top Left
Ball in the Fellowship Hall on Friday,
directed by Mrs. Julie White, and sev-
Get your best smile ready! Its been
April 13th at 6 PM. Food, a missions
eral child members of FBC are a part of
two years since our last Sunday School
project, and pictures will be a part of
the group.
Picture Day, and it is time for another.
SECRET CHURCH SIMULCAST
Picture Day for K–5th grades will be
this night. Cost is $30 per couple, $40 for three, and dress is dressy dress for girls and escorts. Registration is required. Register online at fbcowb.org or on the First Baptist Owensboro app no later than Monday, April 9th.
NO CHILDREN'S CHURCH Sunday, April 15
Friday, April 20 at 5:30 PM One evening a year, we join a worldwide simulcast with Pastor David Platt, President of the International Mission Board, to study the Bible in similar fashion to believers who meet in secret
April 22 at 10 AM sharp. Children will meet in their Sunday School classrooms and will be taken by their teachers to the steps. Copies will be available at a later date for those who participate.
LEGACY NIGHT Tuesday, April 24 at 6 PM
across the world. Each year is a different
The women of First Baptist Owens-
Children are encouraged to worship
topic of study, and this year the focus
boro have such a legacy to share. Come
with their families in the Sanctuary.
is Cults and Counterfeit Gospels. The
join us in the youth room for a night
DISCOVER FBC BEGINS
apostle Paul was astonished that some
of fellowship and listen to testimonies
followers of Christ in his day were
as women share their legacy in Christ.
“turning to a different gospel,” and he
This is a casual, coffeehouse environ-
pleaded with them not to be deceived
ment, so come as you are and bring a
by those who wanted to “distort the
friend!
gospel of Christ.” These warnings given
NO EVENING WORSHIP
Sunday, April 15 at 9:45 AM Discover FBC is a four-week Sunday School class designed to help those adults who may be interested in membership at First Baptist Owensboro or anyone who is visiting and merely wants to know more about the church. Help us have enough materials by registering at fbcowb.org/discoverfbc.
to the church in the first century are just as relevant today for the church in the twenty-first century. For the good of our souls and for the sake of the church’s mission, followers of Christ need to ask, “What false gospels are
Sunday, April 29 There will be no evening worship on Sunday, April 29th.
being taught today?” and “How can April 2018 | 5
Priority Of Worship and/ or Sunday School By Paul Strahan, Lead Pastor Most of you know I was raised in the deep South, seventy miles north of New Orleans, in Poplarville, Mississippi. Going to church and Sunday School was as common as roast, carrots, potatoes, and gravy for Sunday lunch. I grew up in a home never thinking Sunday morning church and Sunday School was a choice I could make. On second thought, in my home, it was not a choice you could make. My parents were firm believers about Sunday: it was the day set aside for worship and Sunday School. The only reason you could be absent was if you were sick, dead, or dying. 6 | Connect Magazine
Sundays were sacred and protected in
work which taught me the importance
many ways. I, like many of you, was not
of both worship and Sunday School.
allowed to fish, hunt, or participate in any extracurricular activities because it was a day of rest. Back in those days, vacations for our family were few and far between, and I don’t remember our having spring or fall breaks. So pretty much every Sunday you would find our family in church at FBC Poplarville. The point is Sundays were not free days to do as I wished, but it was the Lord’s day. Now I know that every day is the Lord’s, but Sunday was exclusively focused on worship and Sunday School. Our family was not better or more spiritual than others, but my parents laid the ground-
When I began seminary in 1983, believers were still very loyal to the Sunday morning worship and Sunday School. One thing I remember as I began serving on church staff was the fact that worship attendance was usually much higher than Sunday School. I soon discovered this was a pattern in Southern Baptist churches. There would be about ten percent more people in the worship service than those attending the Sunday School hour. There were a number of reasons why. People felt they could be anonymous in worship, in a small group
setting there was nowhere to hide, and
ity and you can find that more
they didn’t have to get up early because
in a worship service.
the worship service started later than Sunday School, etc. As time passed, I noticed changes in the attendance between the two, especially at First Baptist Owensboro. The number of people attending worship compared to the number of people attending Sunday School has virtually been the same. There is little discrepancy between them. You
• The worship service seems less intimidating to new people. • And finally, new people, guests, and those looking to find a church are more likely to make their first connection in a worship service.
might think this is a positive change but
I am not saying worship is more im-
I would disagree. I am convinced there
portant than small group Bible study.
should always be more people attending
I have said before, if you have only
worship than Bible study. Here are the
one hour to give each week, give it to
reasons why:
the Sunday School hour. I made that
• When new families are looking for a church home, most will come to worship first. • People when seeking a new church are looking for anonym-
statement because one thing we learn in Sunday School is the importance of worshipping as a family. In other words, Sunday School is a place where relationships are formed, the Bible is taught and studied, and corporate worship is
encouraged. Here is my plea! As followers of Jesus Christ and members of the local church, our priority should be corporate worship and Sunday School. Both hours are important! When Sunday comes, let’s not question if we go or choose to attend only one hour. Let’s choose this: Sundays are set aside for corporate worship and Sunday School as a family. Let’s be consistent in our attendance. I am saying every member of First Baptist Owensboro should make the commitment to be in Sunday School and worship. Will there be more people in worship than Sunday School? I pray there will be more people in both hours in the Sundays that come. Let’s reach as many as we can with the message of the gospel! April 2018 | 7
FIRST ON MISSION FOCUS "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." —James 1:27
What is the mission of Sunrise? Sunrise Children's Services provide care and hope for hurting families and children through Christ-centered ministries. Sunrise Children's Services have been at the forefront in the fight to protect Kentucky's children since 1869. Today, Sunrise is a home for children who have been abused and neglected—children whose lives have been scarred by unspeakable physical, sexual, and emotional abuse—and who have been removed from their homes. From the president of our organization down to our direct care staff, our goal daily is to provide a place of refuge, of hope, of love, and of healing to these children whose lives have been devastated. For these children, Sunrise is a place where they can begin to feel safe, a place where they encounter adults who give unconditional love, and a place where they can begin to learn that the world can be a good place.
How does Sunrise Children's Services help hurting children throughout Kentucky? SCS provides or assists those in need in the following: adoption, family services, foster care, independent living, psychiatric treatment, therapeutic residential care, VentureOn (support for those ages 18–21 who are no longer a part of the foster system), and youth support services.
How can I support Sunrise? You can give financial support by sacrificially giving to our First On Mission offering. Each year, First Baptist Owensboro gives 5% of our total First On Mission offering to Sunrise Children's Services. To give to the FOM offering, just designate FOM on your offering envelope, your check, or by designating an amount when giving online at fbcowb.org. Our online giving is located under the Resources menu item. If the Lord is calling you to give more than just financially, prayerfully consider fostering a child. SCS is seeking families to surround a child and invite him or her to experience a community that is the church made real in action, not just in word. Coming to the defense of the broken, showing the love of God to the helpless, creating an environment of love and support for the forgotten and seeking justice in the midst of chaos is the very calling of the church, Sunrise works to fulfill that calling every day. To learn more about how you can foster a child through Sunrise Children's Services, visit sunrise.org and click on the Foster Parenting menu item.
8 | Connect Magazine
Claude Bacon
Virgil Barker
What Scripture passage has recently impacted you?
Sandy and I, along with our children
When did you become a member of FBC? Since 2006
As Deacons, Claude Bacon and Virgil Barker are tasked with the mission of caring for the needs of our church. Pray
"Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in
for them daily as they seek to
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
serve our congregation and pursue unity in the church.
all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united." — 1 Corinthians 1:10 After studying this verse in a recent Sunday School lesson, it became more clear of how fragile unity in the church
Claude Bacon
Dale and Gayle, visited FBC for the first time on January 7, 1990. This was intended to be one church, among several churches, we would visit during our search for a church home. First Baptist wasn’t to be our only church visit. However, God had other plans, and we quickly became a part of FBC.
What Scripture passage has recently impacted you?
can be. “The enemy loves to divide and
“Do not say, 'There are four months,
destroy God’s people." Being mindful of
then comes the harvest!' Look, I tell you,
that fragile nature can help us walk on
lift up your eyes, and see that the fields
Christ’s path instead of our own. I don’t
are white for harvest. Already the one
want anything to interfere in joining
who reaps is receiving wages and gath-
with other believers for the loyal and
ering fruit for eternal life, so that sower
unified purpose of following Christ.
and reaper may rejoice together.”
What are your prayers for the congregation of FBC? I pray that God is glorified by the workings of those in our church, specifically through discipleship of each other and those outside the church. It’s critically important that we continue to learn how to better share the gospel with others. In a world where we see and hear about so many lost people; there is no single way to make a better impact than to share the gospel in some way and bring others ever so closer to spiritual maturity and closer to God’s perfect design for their
Virgil Barker
When did you become a member of FBC?
life.
—John 4:35-36
This passage reminds me I have opportunities right now to share the good news. There are people everywhere dying without the gospel, but there are few willing to go and tell. It doesn’t matter whether I sow or reap, sowers and reapers will rejoice together at the time of harvest.
What are your prayers for the congregation of FBC? I pray God fills us with wisdom, courage, and compassion enabling us to step out of our comfort zones and share Christ with family, friends, and neighbors.
Discover FBC is designed to help
those adults who may be interested in
•
Why does membership matter?
consecutive Sundays for the class.
•
What does First Baptist Owensboro
This is a wonderful time for anyone to
believe (as Southern Baptists)?
attend because it is either right before
membership at First Baptist Owensboro or anyone who is visiting and merely
•
What is FBC's mission and purpose?
or after one of our worship services on
wants to know more about the church.
•
What goes on at FBC (worship,
Sundays! In addition, it is a wonderful
ministry, and missions)?
time for families to attend since there
The class is primarily structured for adults who are new followers of Christ
•
Discovering your purpose at FBC
are Sunday School classes for all ages
or are seeking a new church home and
•
Introduction to the staff
of children/students that coincide with
attempts to cover the following topics:
•
A tour of the church building
our time.
•
Questions you may have
Please join us to learn and discover
•
What is the Gospel?
•
What does it mean to be a follower/
We conduct this during our Sunday
more about FBC and our wonderful
disciple of Jesus Christ?
School time at 9:45 AM, utilizing four
family of faith!
Begins Sunday, April 15th Discover FBC is now a four-week Sunday School class! Register online at fbcowb.org/discoverfbc. Contact Wesley Dunn with any questions.
Cults & Counterfeit Gospels Friday, April 20th at 6 PM The apostle Paul was astonished that some followers of Christ in his day were “turning to a different gospel,” and he pleaded with them not to be deceived by those who wanted to “distort the gospel of Christ.” These warnings given to the church in the first century are just as relevant today for the church in the twenty-first century. For the good of our souls and for the sake of the church’s mission, followers of Christ need to ask, “What false gospels are being taught today?” and “How can I recognize the true gospel among so many counterfeits?” Answering these questions will be the aim of Secret Church 18, “Cults and Counterfeit Gospels.” We will consider the claims of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and other groups that claim to teach the truth. We will also explore more subtle distortions of the gospel, including prosperity teaching that is rampant across the church. In the end, our goal is to walk away from this Secret Church not only enabled to discern false gospels, but also equipped to share the true gospel with people around us and with peoples around the world.
Register online at fbcowb.org/secretchurch April 2018 | 11
A panaramic view from the East Asia mission trip (see pg. 2–3).
MARCH A Month in Review
"If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together." —1 Corinthians 12:26
MEMBER REPORTS
FEBRUARY 15–MARCH 20
Sympathy...During their time of
an) Schrock (brother, Chad Simmons),
loss, we offer Christian love and sympa-
Beth (Tim) Hicks (father, Doug Beane),
thy to Jason (Faith) McGuffin (grandfa-
Jean & Jerry Byrd (granddaughter,
ther, William Robert Grimes), Carolyn
Kaia; daughter of Zach & Chelsea Byrd),
(David) Roberts (grandmother, Mary
and to the family of Luther Beatley.
Dennison), Misty (David) Boarman (grandmother, Carol Bivens), Susan (Scott) Dant (cousin, Jim Crouse), Joe Lee (wife, Barbara Lee, and his sister), the family of Ed Mazzara, Allison (Bry-
Births...We rejoice with Steve & Peggi Clark (grandparents) and Evelyn Clark (great-grandmother) on the birth of Olivia Caroline Clark (parents, Eric & Maria Clark).
The FBC Library is open again
BOOKS
and ready to serve you!
Life Beyond Amazing (David Jeremiah)
The children’s room has been remodeled and has a new treehouse loft. Check out some of our new titles and contact Glenda Evans (gevans@fbcowb.org) with any questions or recommendations.
Anxious for Nothing (Max Lucado) Love Story (Karen Kingsbury) DVDS Bibleman – Disabling the Disobey Ray Owlegories – The Sun/The Seed/The Water To Joey with Love
CLC HOURS OFFICE HOURS Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Monday–Thursday 6:30 AM - 8 PM
8 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
Friday
6:30 AM - 9 PM
Friday
6:30 AM - 1 PM
Saturday
9 AM - 1 PM
Profession of Faith on February 25th Jacob Burton
8 AM - 1 PM
Joined by Letter on March 11th Chris & Stacey Joslin
BROADCAST INFO
MINISTER ON CALL
Our service is broadcast on 90.3 WKWC (Sundays at 10 AM) and Channel 72 (Tuesdays at 7 PM and Wednesdays at 9 AM). Services are delayed by a week.
If you have an after hours emergency, please call 270.683.3505 and press 9 to reach the minister on call.
Note: Sensitive information cannot be broadcast. An older service will be aired in its place.
Coming in th e month of
APRIL
1SUNDAY
Easter Sunday No Children's Church No Evening Worship 8:30 AM 9:45 AM 11:00 AM
Classic Worship Sunday School Elevate Worship
2MONDAY 4WEDNESDAY 8SUNDAY 6:00 PM
Classic Worship Sunday School Elevate Worship Evening Worship
10 11WEDNESDAY TUESDAY 9:30 AM
Jo Nelson Study
Children's Sing-Along Begins 12:00 PM 4:45 PM 6:00 PM
Prayer Lunch Evening Supper Studies for All Ages
13 15SUNDAY
FRIDAY 6:00 PM Cinderella Ball No Children's Church Discover FBC Begins 8:30 AM 9:45 AM 11:00 AM
6:00 PM
12:00 PM 4:45 PM 6:00 PM
Classic Worship Sunday School Elevate Worship
6:00 PM Women's Uninvited Bible Study Begins 6:00 PM KY Youth Chorale
Seekers Prayer Group Prayer Lunch Evening Supper Studies for All Ages
20FRIDAY 5:30 PM Secret Church Simulcast
Seekers Prayer Group
No Wednesday Activities 8:30 AM 9:45 AM 11:00 AM 6:00 PM
16MONDAY 18WEDNESDAY
22SUNDAY 8:30 AM 9:45 AM
Classic Worship Sunday School
11:00 AM 7:00 PM
Elevate Worship Deacon Meeting
10:00 AM Children's Group Photo
24TUESDAY 6:00 PM Legacy Night 25WEDNESDAY 12:00 PM 4:45 PM 6:00 PM
Prayer Lunch Evening Supper Studies for All Ages
29SUNDAY
No Evening Worship 8:30 AM 9:45 AM 11:00 AM
Classic Worship Sunday School Elevate Worship