October 2017
Volume LX No. 8
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By: Dr. Paul Baxley, Senior Minister October will be a wonderful month in the life of our congrega on. A!er ďŹ ve months of holding worship in Fellowship Hall, we will return to the Sanctuary for worship! This newsle)er carries the announcement that we project to resume worship in the Sanctuary on October 15! So mark your calendars and plan to join us that day. Once the en re renova on project is complete, we will plan services of rededica on not only for the Sanctuary but for the en re campus. As October begins, we will also enter the heart of our fall sermon series Reforming Ques ons. Each Sunday in worship I will preach on a ques on that either refocuses us on an essen al element of our Chris an faith or invites us to explore on how we oer faithful ministry in the context of our rapidly changing culture. Then, each week we are oering several opportuni es for you to par cipate in small group discussions about those ques ons. I hope you have already signed up to par cipate in those discussions either on Sunday a!ernoons or on Wednesday evenings. The Sunday groups will meet from October 1 through November 12, and the Wednesday groups will meet from October 4 through November 15. Several of the Wednesday evening groups will meet in homes, and others will meet on the third oor of our church building. The Wednesday night groups will also incorporate a meal. Because our Fellowship Hall is out of use the remainder of the fall, these Reforming Ques ons groups will take the place of our normal Wednesday night ac vi es. Please read the addi onal informa on in the newsle)er and contact the church oďŹƒce by phone or online to sign up for a discussion group if you have not done so already! This fall we are also beginning prepara ons for our congrega onal process to discern our next steps in mission and ministry as we seek to live more fully into our vision of being a thriving community in Christ where we all par cipate in worship and are all transformed by mission. The Deacons have elected a leadership team to guide this process, which will be very similar in style to the original vision process we experienced in 2012 and 2013. That commi)ee will spend the fall developing the process, so watch future publica ons for the schedule of congrega onal conversa ons that will take place this winter and spring. For now, I ask you to begin praying for this process of discernment and prepare for it by engaging our Reforming Ques ons series fully. That series is designed to help us prepare to discern our next steps together. This month we begin to experience some of the results of the physical regenera on of our campus. Let’s enjoy the newness that brings, but also commit ourselves personally, and as a congrega on, to making the physical renewal of our campus an outward symbol of a spiritual renewal in our lives!
M Paul Baxley Senior Minister
Frank Granger Minister of Christian Community
Randy Bri.ain Minister of Music
Brandon Pendry Minister of Youth and Mission
Janet Cleland Minister of Children, Families and Outreach
Emily Harbin Minister of College Students
Anne Bri.ain Organist/Music Associate
Alan McArthur Pianist
Church oďŹƒce: 706.548.1359 www.firstbaptistathens.org
and to all who are giving generously. As we enter the ďŹ nal months of our As is o!en the case, however, gi!s to the opera ng budget lagged during congrega on’s ďŹ scal year and the the summer months. But costs of calendar year, it is appropriate to ministry do not decrease during the provide an update on our church’s summer, in fact some of our more ďŹ nancial posi on. signiďŹ cant costs are experienced The good news is that overall giving during the summer. It is very to First Bap st Church con nues at a important as we enter the ďŹ nal record level. Gi!s to the Regenerate months of the year that we each review our budget giving to this capital campaign con nue to take point in the year. If for any reason place ahead of the schedule we your giving fell behind during the expected based on pledges and summer, please prayerfully consider normal trends in such campaigns. catching those gi!s up as soon as is When combined with budget gi!s, possible. If you have any ques ons our congrega on is experiencing a regarding your giving, please contact season of tremendous generosity and we should oer gra tude to God Cheri Rose in the church oďŹƒce.
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C 9 9 V P 2018 B 9 Ques on and Answer Opportunity October 8 As announced in the September church newsle)er, the church will be called into conference at the close of worship on Sunday, October 15 for the limited purpose of vo ng on the proposed 2018 church budget. That proposed budget was included in the September newsle)er. If you need addi onal informa on regarding the proposed budget, a ques on and answer session will be hosted by Finance Commi)ee Chair Steve Barton on Sunday, October 8 at 9:00 a.m. in Room 7 on the third oor.
C U — S P R -O O 15 We are pleased to announce that we project re-opening the Sanctuary of First Bap st Church for worship on Sunday, October 15! Our contractor (Van Winkle Construc on Company) conďŹ rmed at the monthly mee ng of the renova on management team that they were conďŹ dent the Sanctuary could be ready for use on that date.
Following Sunday, October 8, extensive renova ons will begin in and around Fellowship Hall as well as on the ďŹ rst oor of all of our campus and in the second oor areas between the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall. In future publica ons we will provide updates on the schedule for those renova ons. But by mid-October, access to the ďŹ rst oor and the Fellowship Hall will be restricted to construc on workers only.
So even as we encourage you to join us each Sunday for worship, we especially encourage you to make worship a priority that day. When the Sanctuary re-opens, we will s ll have a season when the pipe organ is not available as its reconďŹ gura on cannot begin un l all other work is completed, but otherwise the Sanctuary will be en rely ďŹ nished.
The exterior work around the Sanctuary building should also be completed during the month of October. That includes ďŹ nishing the waterprooďŹ ng along the Hancock Avenue side of the Sanctuary building, the installa on of protec ve covers over the shaved marble windows and the comple on of the arrivalhood at the Branyon Foyer. Already we have regained use of the main entrance to the church oďŹƒce.
Beginning October 15 we will hold only one worship service. Un l then, we will oer two services in Fellowship Hall at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Watch future publica ons for further updates regarding the renova on of our campus 2
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L @ T B N D S P At their regular September mee ng, the Deacons of First Bap st Church unanimously approved a mo on from the church council authorizing the beginning of a process to discern our congrega on’s Next Steps as we live into our vision of being a thriving community in Christ where we all par cipate in worship and are all transformed by mission. That process will be highly par cipatory and the opportuni es for full congrega onal engagement will come in the winter and spring of 2018 and will be structured very much like the congrega onal conversa ons that took place in our 2013 vision discernment process. The Next Steps process will be coordinated and implemented by a Leadership Team. Upon the recommenda on of the Church Council, The Deacons also elected the following persons to serve alongside the ministerial sta on this Leadership Team: Co-Chairs: Craig Ellis Helen Mills Daniel Haygood and Je Randa Zach Graves Margaret McDonald Livy Baxley (youth representa ve) Pam GriďŹƒn Zeke Williamson (youth representa ve) GiGi Las nger Fred Young Gary Blasingame Mary Colley John Marshall The commi)ee will hold an orienta on mee ng in October and spend the remainder of the fall designing the process by which our congrega on will discern our Next Steps in mission and ministry. Watch future church publica ons for more informa on!
WORSHIP AND MUSIC NEWS H/0/ 12 T415 P678/
By: Randy Bri;ain, Music Director
In this season of “reforming ques onsâ€? I share with you a hymn text by Marty Haugen, liturgical composer, workshop presenter, performing and recording ar st & author from Eagan, Minnesota. Haugen’s hymn, Here in This Place, seems to capture the life of our congrega on at this moment in me, when we an cipate moving into a renovated worship space and we seek to discern God’s “next stepsâ€? for our journey of faith together. The hymn is a corporate prayer to God on behalf of the diverse congrega on who have assembled for worship, longing to be transformed and used as God’s witnesses and for God’s purposes. The Sanctuary Choir will sing an anthem based on Haugen’s hymn in the month of October and I hope you will pray this text in the days ahead as we ready ourselves to worship God together in a beau ful new space. Here in this place the new light is streaming, now is the darkness vanished away; see in this space our fears and our dreamings brought here to you in the light of this day. Gather us in, the lost and forsaken; gather us in, the blind and the lame; call to us now and we shall awaken; we shall arise at the sound of our name. We are the young, our lives are a mystery. We are the old who yearn for your face. We have been sung throughout all of history, called to be light to the whole human race. Gather us in, the rich and the haughty; gather us in, the proud and the strong; give us a heart, so meek and so lowly; give us the courage to enter the song. Here we will take the wine and the water; here we will take the bread of new birth. Here you shall call your sons and your daughters, call us anew to be salt for the earth. Give us to drink the wine of compassion; give us to eat the bread that is you; nourish us well, and teach us to fashion lives that are holy and hearts that are true. Not in the dark of buildings conďŹ ning, not in some heaven, light years away: here in this place the new light is shining; now is the kingdom, and now is the day. Gather us in and hold us forever; gather us in and make us your own; gather us in, all peoples together, ďŹ re of love in our esh and our bone.
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COMMUNITY NEWS T415 H=>/ W/ H7@/: S/6/8A/B S/0C=25 72B M/B1A7A1=25 =D J=2 A>>6/A=2 : F S G 9 , M C@ C BB Jon G. Appleton served as Senior Pastor of First Bap st Church, Athens, Georgia from 1976 to 1999. His 23 year-plus ministry with this congrega on included Sunday sermons, Advent, Easter, and Holy Week sermons, Communion medita ons, and various other special service messages. A special collec on of these has been edited and compiled by John Pierce, editor and publisher of Nurturing Faith. On Sunday, November 5, All Saints Sunday, special recogni on of this work will be made in worship, and a recep on will be held that a!ernoon. Below is a ques on and answer interview with Frank Granger with the editor John Pierce.
demands Jesus made of his followers. Right now, while Nurturing Faith is envisioning some new congrega onal resources to advance a Jesus worldview, that perspec ve is needed and appreciated.
FG: This is a book of Jon Appleton’s sermons. Are these sermons all from his years in the pastorate here in Athens, or do they span a longer period? JP: All of the collected sermons and medita ons were delivered by Jon to the congrega on of First Bap st Church of Athens. As with most preachers, however, some sermons probably had roots in earlier pastorates.
FG: Preachers have dierent styles in their preaching, how would you describe the preaching style of Dr. Appleton? JP: These descrip ons come to mind: rela onal, FG: How are the sermons arranged? Are they in a chronological order, a themaNc arrangement, or a conversa onal, biblical, relevant, comfor ng yet challenging. And as everyone who knew him knew: humor dierent approach? JP: When edi ng the book, including selec ng the sermons was used eec vely. and medita ons for publica on, I looked for some natural groupings. Overall I was struck by the common thread of FG: My assumpNon is that you have more sermons available to you than you were able to include in the hope throughout Jon’s preaching ministry. So I tled the book, This Hope We Have, a phrase that jumped out at me. book. How do, as an editor, determine what not to include? The selected sermons in the ďŹ rst chapter (“Sermons for Hopeful Livingâ€?) all speak to this theme in some way as JP: I looked for sermons and medita ons with a sense of well. Other divisions are “Sermons from the Gospel of melessness. Some addressed a very speciďŹ c concern at a Johnâ€? (obviously Jon’s favorite book in the Bible), "Sermons speciďŹ c me and place. I wanted to be sure that the for Special Occasionsâ€? (such as deacon ordina on, message Jon sought to convey was s ll something readers need to hear today — in any me and place. And I looked Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Thanksgiving), “Sermons for Advent and Christmas,â€? “Communion Medita onsâ€? and for ones that didn’t include cryp c notes in the margin (like “Tell Alpine storyâ€?) which I couldn’t decipher. Sermons are “Sermons for Holy Week and Easter." wri?en for proclama on (and o=en altered by the preacher FG: You have known Jon Appleton for many years, leading up to delivery) rather than for publica on. So it including when he was acNvely pastoring here in Athens takes a li?le eort to move from one medium to another eec vely. and you were on the sta of the ChrisNan Index. What did you discover or learn about him from your work with FG: Was there a sermon that you really wanted to include these sermons? but didn’t? If so, what determined the choice? JP: As with many pastors I’ve known through the years, I JP: There were several good ones that were not included had few opportuni es to hear Jon preach. So engaging with these sermons was insigh;ul. First, I discovered how either because of a lack of melessness in their applica on poe c he was — especially when conveying the essence of or because they were wri?en more in outline form or with Christmas, Easter and Holy Communion. Second, Jon didn’t notes designed to prompt Jon to say something rather than being wri?en out verba m. try to make the Gospel too palatable by so=ening the 4
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, M F B , C@ O @ Our children in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade spent the month of September experiencing the story of crea on. They had lots of fun and hands-on learning about all the days of crea on through cooking, art, music and games. The month of October begins a new unit in the crea on story with a focus on Adam and Eve. Speaking of crea on they made a few crea ons of their own and here are just a few samples: Our 5th and 6th grade “Submerge� ministry on Sunday morning has been diving deeper into the book of Genesis and will be moving on in the month of October to dive into the books of Exodus and Judges. They are having a great me journaling in their “diver’s logs�!
W N 9@ A T Our Wednesday Night Adventure in Choir and Missions for our children will be changing the day and me it meets. Beginning Sunday, October 1, we will meet at 4:30 p.m. for children’s choir and at 5:15 p.m. for Mission Kids ending at 6:00 p.m. The children will be in the same rooms they were in when choir and missions was on Wednesday night. Please note that the Music Makers Choir and the Joyful Singers Choir will be singing on Sunday, October 1 in the 11:00 a.m. worship service in the fellowship hall. Please make every eort to have your child in a)endance to sing in worship on that day. On October 1 we will get the children from Sunday School at 10:35 a.m. to warm-up their voices and prepare for singing in the service. “Jon Appletonâ€? continued from previous page
FG: Do you have a favorite sermon, or story within a sermon? JP: Yes, a sermon preached in 1990 tled “When Death Comes.â€? He tells the story of making a blunder as a young pastor and how God used that situa on. I loved it because it was confessional — another mark of Jon’s preaching and overall ministry. He called his error “one of life’s ‘li?le’ deathsâ€? and conveyed the importance of being a fellow traveler on the road of faith rather than an expert talking down to others. And since this volume was published posthumously (though Jon knew it was coming) I appreciated his aďŹƒrma on near the end of the sermon: “Death is cuGng, but in Christ there is release." If you are interested in purchasing the book, you may do so at the November 5 recep on or online at h)p://books.nurturingfaith.net/ product/this-hope-we-have-appleton.
Sunday, October 29th Instead of a Fall Fes val this year the children’s ministry team is planning a Fall Family Mission Event. Going out as families we will deliver treat bags into the neighborhoods near the church. Instead of having people come to our campus for candy and treats we will take the treats to them!
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#MOMS Our #MOMS group gathered for oats and fellowship on Wednesday, September 20. We shared a great me of brainstorming lots of ideas for a monthly event to plan for October, November, and December. Our plans are in the works and we will be announcing dates, mes and events in the near future. We hope you will join us!
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C BB C@ 9 When the world wide web came into existence, it would have been impossible to foresee the ways in which it would u)erly change our lives. While many of us would like to go back to the days when we weren’t constantly connected and there wasn’t an “appâ€? for everything, you can’t put the Genie back into the bo)le and church communica ons have faced the same challenges in keeping up with evolving communica on tools. At FBC, we use a variety of tools to keep you informed. Our Facebook page has more than 250 followers, we launched a new website last summer with announcements updated each Monday. Members can choose to receive weekly email communica ons and we oer a weekly printed ‘mininewsle)er’ each Wednesday night. Announcements are now in our worship bulle n, and once a month, we mail nearly 400 printed newsle)ers to every address on record.
So that you don’t miss any important informa on, below is a quick reference guide to FBC publica ons: FBC website: www.ďŹ rstbapNstathens.org There is a “Members Onlyâ€? area of the website which includes our current prayer list, a link to our church directory, and addi onal informa on. If you are not already a member, please email Sharon Jenkins for instruc ons. Midweek Messenger This is sent via email every Wednesday and includes all current announcements, an abbreviated prayer list, links to registra on for events and more. Email Sharon Jenkins to be placed on the list if you are not already receiving this. FBC Weekly This is printed each Wednesday and available during the week at church. This includes announcements as well as the current prayer list and calendar. This is also included in the Sunday School folders. BulleNn A calendar and current announcements are included in each week’s bulle n. An abbreviated prayer list is also included. Building Signage Upcoming events are highlighted on signs around the building. Once our renova on is complete, we will be moving to digital signage. FBCAthens Facebook Page The Facebook page oers photographs and links to ar cles of interest. There are occasional announcements also included on the Facebook Page.
A!er a review of our internal communica ons it was clear that there was one thing missing — a vehicle to dive deeper into the story of who we are at First Bap st Church. Because we have so many op ons for sharing announcements, the decision has been made to change this newsle)er to a quarterly publica on which will be more reec ve in nature. Beginning in Advent, a new magazine style publica on will be launched to help us be)er tell our story. The content will be based on the theme of the season and will share reec ve wri ng from our clergy and others with the goal of highligh ng the ways in which God is working in our community. Any me-sensi ve news will s ll be shared with As always, if you have any ques ons or comments about FBC the congrega on through an appropriate forum — and we Communica ons, please contact Communica ons Manager may expand some of our current publica ons as needed. Sharon Jenkins (sharon@ďŹ rstbap stathens.org).
MISSION NEWS I @ H N W
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N W B Thanks to a North Georgia United Methodist Housing and Homeless Council grant, IHN of Athens was able to purchase new Bemco Rollaway beds. This is an upgraded version of the beds we have now, with a 1" thicker ma)ress, trampolinelike decking (instead of springs), and one set of fully turning wheels making it easy to move. It is comfortable, durable and weighs a li)le less than our current beds. We hope that the new beds will help us extend greater hospitality to our families and greater apprecia on to our volunteers. The current beds will be placed permanently in the Day Center upstairs space, so move in will be easy during upstairs host weeks.
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While our connec on with members of Chestnut Grove Bap st Church has recently expanded to include worship, Bible Study and prayer, we have actually been partners in service at IHN Athens for some me. We hope you’ll consider deepening our rela onship this fall with an addi onal opportunity for service together at our next IHNA host week from November 5-12. Please consider joining members of Chestnut Grove to put our hands and hearts together in service to our community. If you have never volunteered with IHNA before, a one hour training session will be oered at FBC on Sunday, October 8 at 2:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Contact Brandon Pendry (brandon@ďŹ rstbap stathens.org) with any ques ons on how to get involved with IHN. 6
S T 9 T 9 @ Co-Deacons for the Weeks of: October 1-7: Shaun O’Rear, Ray Noblet October 8-14: Helen & Milton Mills October 15-21: Doug & Evelyn Mar n October 22-28: Julie Jenkins, Gigi Las nger Oct. 29-Nov. 4: Jane Hubert, Connie Ivester
Fellowship Team for October
J W @ O Un l we return to the Sanctuary on October 15, we will hold services in Fellowship Hall at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Beginning October 15, there will be one service at 11:00 a.m. Sunday, October 1 –17th Sunday a=er Pentecost World Communion Sunday/ Children’s Choirs Sing Sermon: “The Founda onal Ques on: What is a Chris an?� Texts: Mark 1:16-20, Acts 2:37-47, Romans 10:9-13
Kathy Coleman, Mary Conley, Jill Dawson, Pam Dillard
Usher Team for October Jerry Gouge, Carl Hedrick, Jimmy Thomason, Milton Mills, Randan Ashmore, Steve Smith
Welcome Team October 1: October 8: October 15: October 22: October 29:
Beth Sanders, Janice Love Martha & Connie Ivester Brenda & Bob Cain Be)y & Wayne Jordan Margaret Earnest, John Marshall
CounNng Commi.ee: October 1: October 8: October 15: October 22: October 29:
Al Lee, Ray Noblet Lane Chasson, Kelli Smith Jackie GriďŹƒn, Bevan Hopper Michael Jenkins, Mike Lacy Dallas Cannady, Steve Barton
Sunday, October 8 – 18th Sunday a=er Pentecost Sermon: “The Mission Ques on: Why Church?â€? Texts: Luke 4:14-21, II Corinthians 5:16-21, Ma)hew 28:16-20 Sunday, October 15 – The 19th Sunday a=er Pentecost Sermon: “The Evangelis c Ques on: How Do We Invite People to Faith in Jesus Christ?â€? Texts: John 1:35-42, Acts 2:29-42 Sunday, October 22 – The 20th Sunday a=er Pentecost Sermon: “The Calendar Ques on: How Do We Oer Faithful Ministry When Sunday Morning is no longer Sacred?â€? Texts: Exodus 20:8-11, Luke 24:13-35, Hebrews 10:19-25 Sunday, October 29 – The 21st Sunday a=er Pentecost Sermon: “The Forma onal Ques on: How Do we Pass Faith to Our Children?â€? by Janet Cleland Texts: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Mark 10:13-16
C@ @ F B N W Sympathy We extend our Chris an love and sympathy to: • Carole DuVall and her family in the loss of her husband, Tal Duvall, on August 30. • Julia Yocum in the death of her husband, Steve Yocum, on September 6. to the family of Miriam Drewry who passed away on September 9. • the family of Maxine Davis, who passed away on September 20. • the family of Nancy Eason, close friend of Linda Moon and a vic m of Hurricane Irma in who passed away on Monday, September 10.
New Members We welcome new members: • Zach & Rachel Graves, who joined by Le)er of Transfer on September 3. • Debbie Carrier who joined by Profession of Faith on August 27.
Food Bank Needs: Canned Soup, Canned Pasta, Peanut Bu.er Please place items for donaNon in the marked bins in the Branyon Foyer. T@ S Y N
Dear FBC friends, I would like to express my hearYelt thanks to the First Bap st Church family for your outpouring of love and encouragement given to me as I've transi oned to another job opportunity. Words cannot adequately express how much I have enjoyed and been fulďŹ lled by suppor ng the ministry of FBC. Each of you has been a blessing to me and you will always remain close to my heart. It has been my privilege to serve alongside you as the hands and feet of Christ. Love and blessings, Suzy Moon 7
First Baptist Church (USPS 193-040) 355 Pulaski Street Athens, Ga 30601
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FIRST BAPTIST NEWS (USPS 193-040) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY AT NO CHARGE BY FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, 355 PULASKI STREET, ATHENS, GA 30601-2860. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ATHENS, GA. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO FIRST BAPTIST NEWS, 355 PULASKI ST., ATHENS, GA 30601-2680
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Thanks to all of you who have par cipated in our worship, prayer and study opportuni es this fall as we seek a closer rela onship with the congrega on of Chestnut Grove Bap st Church. Our next opportunity for Bible Study and Prayer will be Thursday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m. at Chestnut Grove. Please plan to join us!
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