Friday, August 31, 2007

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Last week I was not able to get this note to you because I had to deliver Joshua and Leah to BBC to begin their new school year. Joshua is a senior and Leah a sophmore, and they both anticipate a good year. Beth and I always miss them, but are grateful for God's continued leading in their lives - please pray for them.


Also this past week Beth began her 14th year teaching the 4 year old "kindergarten prep" class at Northfield Christian School with about 16 students. Please pray for her as well. (her traditional "first day of school" picture)


On my way home last week I was able to bring back Beth's "heirloom" - the family antique pump organ (and yes, it works.) I got it back safely and it is now displayed in our living room: Thanks to Mike and Ben Cobb who came over at midnight to help unload it! I think Beth now feels that things are "settled."


We also appreciated your prayers in regards to our stove situation (it caught on fire last month and is ruined.) Just this past week I was able to find a good used one that works for $100: Thanks to Bud Kean for helping me get and move it and to Jim Horley for making sure it was safely hooked up. Thanks to some of you who unexpectedly gave to help us in this need. And obviously to the Lord for bringing it our way.


Well, this is Labor Day weekend and it looks to be a beautiful one! We will have our regular classes at 9:30 am for all kids and adults. And in our 10:45 am worship service we will be looking at 2 Corinthians 12:1 - 10 in our continuing study. This week the talk will be about "Our Adversities and God's Answer" from this familiar passage about Paul's "thorn in the flesh." Often we feel we can identify with Paul in this, but I am not so sure. Pray for me as I strive to carefully explain it from Paul's perspective and what this means to each of us today. As with Paul, God is faithful in helping us through our times of adversity and trials in life, even if ours are not necessarily "messengers from Satan."


Due to the holiday weekend we will NOT be holding our 6:00 pm service or other activities. This has been our pattern for the past many years and has served us well. We really get into our new season the following Sunday, September 9 as we begin our AWANA program and student ministries. And for all adults we will have our monthly Communion service - plan to come and testify to God's goodness in your life recently.

On Sunday evening, Sept. 16 we will begin Andy Stanley's video series, "The Best Question Ever" for adults. This will be a great study to help you live more effectively for the Lord guided by His Word and Spirit. If you desire a study guide please let me know by signing up for one in the lobby or emailing your request to me.



Also, don't forget to get your workbooks for the upcoming Ladies ABF on "Seeking Him" and the "Men's Fraternity" ABF - sign up or email us to order yours if you have not done so yet. These ABF's, as well as our senior adults and a general, mixed ABF will begin at 9:30 am on September 9 - be sure to attend!


Some of you inside and outside our church knew Rev. Paul Schenck and that he has been suffering with cancer. Just yesterday the Lord Jesus gave him a very peaceful and gracious welcome to his heavenly home. The calling hours will be held this Sunday from 2:00 - 6:00 pm at the Johnson - Romito Funeral Home on Rt. 82 in Northfield. The service will be 7:00 pm Tuesday, September 4 at the Northfield Baptist Church. Pray for his family in the coming days.


We look forward to seeing you this Sunday, but if you are traveling, please be safe and find a church where you can worship. Prepare spiritually to sing to God and hear from Him in His Word. Pray that some will come to know Christ as Savior - we praise God that a 20 year old young man named Frank trusted Christ here this past Sunday! It was wonderful to pray with him and see his commitment mean something. May the Lord work in all our hearts as we give this Sunday morning completely to HIM.


Don Workman, pastor (and Beth and Nicholas)

Friday, August 17, 2007

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Last week Beth and I had a great trip to Indiana. I attended the Leadership Summit, and Beth stayed with Sarah and Nicholas. It was a very helpful and encouraging time, and we anticipate the results God may bring our way because of it. Over this past summer we have traveled many hundreds of miles, but have not missed very many Sundays ( I think just one.) One place we have not gone is down south, and this story makes me glad I have not:

Atlanta State trooper pulls over a pickup truck on I-75.
He says to the driver, "Got any ID?"
The driver says, "Bout what?"



This Sunday will be a "normal" type of Sunday, meaning we don't have any special events or speakers planned (but still come!) We will continue our study in 2 Corinthians in the 10:45 AM worship service by looking at chapter 11 - read it over ahead of time. The sermon will be about, "When Our Boasting is Beneficial" and there are not many times that it is. In fact, we teach our children they should not "boast" or brag about themselves, but in this passage the Apostle Paul breaks those rules. As I read it I felt bad for him in that the circumstances brought him to this uncomfortable point. But we gain insight into his heart as a pastor for a people that are sometimes difficult to deal with. Read it a few times prayerfully.



Be sure to be early on Sunday for our 9:30 AM Adult Bible Fellowships and Sunday School. Many of our adult groups are studying about the Apostle Paul's life or other writings, so it should support what we are looking at in the worship service.



At 6:00 PM our "Sports 4 Life" will wrap up for this summer. It has been a helpful ministry for the first time through. We will do some things differently if we do it again, but pray that we will have good success in trying to follow up with some of those families who are not usually a part of our church. I appreciate those who have taken this ministry "by the horns" and been faithful to it. Josh Workman and Gary Leech, two of our main sports leaders deserve special mention. And all others who faithfully helped during this "Summer of Service" are to be commended - thank you all!



Several of our college students have already returned for the fall semester, and some more will venture back in the coming week. Please pray for safety in travel and a good start to the new semester. Our high school kids are not far behind, and if they are in sports or music for the fall, they have already begun practices. And our teachers have already set up their rooms and are preparing for their meetings this week and school starting later this week. I think there should be a rule that if it gets to 88 degrees up here in the north that school should be cancelled! That is too hard to concentrate when you would rather be at the beach!!



Next Sunday, August 26 is our annual "Dinner on the Grounds" day here. We will celebrate our church's 44th anniversary (even though the actual date of incorporation was March 30, 1963) and we will host the Michael and Kelly Banks family who will minister that day. Plan to dress casually, stay for the picnic (bring your meat to grill), and wrap the day up with an early afternoon service where the Banks will present their anticipated future ministry. It should be a great day.



We praise the Lord that our own Bruce and Kim Havens and family were just voted in last Sunday as the new pastor at the Calvary Baptist Church of Brewerton, New York! It has been a wonderful adventure for us all to see how God worked in their hearts over the past 8 years to minister so effectively here at Faith, then lead them through their training at Baptist Bible College and Seminary, and now to this first vocational ministry. Keep them in prayer as this is not the culmination, but now the beginning of exciting things in God's work.



Enjoy these last few days of summer vacation, but not so much that it keeps you from God and His church. Pray and prepare for this Sunday as we look forward to being together in Him. Pray that His work will continue in all our hearts, and that new folks will hear a clear message of God and His love for them. May the Lord have the preeminence in all our churches!!



Pastor Don Workman

http://www.faithbaptiststreetsboro.org/

Nicholas and Aunt Leah on the Panama City Beach, Florida a few weeks ago at the "Bigstuf" camp for teens. (Aunt Leah at "Bigstuf" with "Littlestuf"!) I think Leah said he was "slathered" with SPF 90! Sam and Sarah were able to attend the sessions with their teens and it was a profitable time in the Lord for all. Plus I heard Jeff Foxworthy the comedian even showed up! Maybe our teens should go next year.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Sunday, August 12, 2007

No, it isn't Friday yet! I am writing early this week because Beth and I are leaving on Wednesday to travel to Kokomo, Indiana to stay with Sam, Sarah, and Nicholas as I attend a Leadership Summit with their church staff. This conference is based in a large church north of Chicago, but is broadcast live by satellite to over 130 other locations around North America. By attending with their church, I will be able to go (to the Indianapolis location) with other guys, and Beth will spend quality time with Sarah and Nicholas. This will be a nice "summer ending" event for her as school preparations begin in earnest next week. Speaking of school, I saw this special news bulletin to give all teachers a "heads up": A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption. --- I suppose it could be a weapon of disruption in other classes, too!


Ministries for this Sunday will continue at full throttle. 9:30 AM brings our Sunday School and ABF's as usual. We have discontinued our ABF opening time, so grab your coffee and snack and head straight to your ABF for prayer requests and sharing. That way your teachers can get into their Bible discussion sooner. And all teachers, including high school and younger, need to be here early and ready to go by 9:30.


In our Morning service at 10:45 AM we will continue our look through 2 Corinthians by finishing chapter 10 (vv. 7 - 18.) This passage is where Paul gives us his feelings about whose opinion counts when everything is said and done in life. "The Most Important Opinion of All" is what we will consider, and I hope we will remember it when we feel less than we should when others hurl verbal attacks at our character and motives.


Our "Sports 4 Life" ministry has gone very well the past few weeks, and we anticipate another good evening of ministry this Sunday. Last Sunday we deviated a little from the plan due to the rain we experienced. But thanks to Doug Carr, our AWANA "game master" for providing a fun time for the second half of the evening. I don't remember the name, but the "crawling in the dark with out getting tagged" was a real hit! Our character trait for the night was "Listen" which we defined as "to pay attention to all that is being said." And we pay attention with our ears, eyes, mind, and posture. In Mark 9:7 God says of Jesus, "This is my beloved Son, LISTEN to Him!" That is a great truth for us all! Another trait will be featured this Sunday.


Plan now to attend our annual "Dinner on the Grounds" day on Sunday, August 26. In addition to our all church picnic (instructions to come on what to bring) we hope to have some games for kids and even adults. And a special feature will be hearing from the Michael Banks family about the ministry that God has called them to which is exciting. Plan to be an encouragement to this great family.


If you haven't yet, why not try our sermon podcast ministry? You can review recent sermons from our Sunday morning services, including special speakers. Last Sunday almost all of our Communion service was recorded for you (no, I didn't preach for 55 minutes - only 35) and I think it will be a blessing if you had to miss it. Notice as well that you can get to this "Looking Toward Sunday" page from our home page on our church website (link on the bottom left menu.) Pray for our tech team ministry as we try to improve in this vital area.


I will tell you more about some upcoming ministries for the fall season in the next couple of weeks. For now enjoy the remainder of the summer with your family and friends. Hopefully you will attend our Wednesday night prayer time and Bible study, then continue to pray for yourself and others for the work of God in our lives this Sunday. That is something GREAT to look forward to.


God bless,

Pastor Don (and Beth) Workman (with Nicholas last Saturday)

Friday, August 3, 2007

Sunday, August 5, 2007

I was standing in line at the bank when there was a commotion at the counter. A woman was distressed, exclaiming, "Where will I put my money?! I have all my money and my mortgage here!! What will happen to my mortgage?!"


It turned out that she had misunderstood a small sign on the counter. The sign read, WE WILL BE CLOSED FOR GOOD FRIDAY.


This is just a little joke I read, but it does drive home the point that we should think through what we write and how we word what we say. It probably also speaks to how careful we are in reading and hearing. I have read and thought a lot about the art of communication lately, and this joke emphasizes the importance of clear communication.


If there is any area in which we should communicate clearly, it is in teaching from God's Word and sharing the Gospel of God. Though not always perfect, I do my best to communicate both clearly each Sunday. This Sunday will be no different. Another challenge is to say it each week with variety so that it does not become mundane. Please pray for me and other preacher / teachers as we try again this Sunday to clearly and creatively communicate the Good News through God's Word.


Our Sunday school and Adult Bible Fellowship teachers will be doing that this Sunday (9:30 am), please pray for them. Three of the ABF's are studying about the Apostle Paul or some of his writings. Another ABF is discussing general topics which may arise at your place of work. Our kids learn about the Bible regularly, pray for proper application.


In our worship service at 10:45 am we will have our monthly Communion Service for part of the time - prepare, confess, restore, and medidate on what the sacrifice of Christ is in your life. Then come to participate in the elements and the Benevolent Fund offering. We will also briefly consider 2 Corinthians 10:1 - 6 in our continuing look through this book. This passage will center on "Help for the Battles You Face" with weapons from God. I am grateful that God has not left us to our own devices in facing Satan or his cohorts. We need to expect the battles in spiritual, emotional, psychological, and even physical areas of life. But thankfully God has given us unique weapons with which to fight these battles. Read the passage then come to hear more about these weapons.


"Sports 4 Life" grew greatly last Sunday evening and was a GREAT time of learning and fellowship. We lowered the ages to preschool for the wiffle ball area, and expanded up through 8th grade for basketball. It begins at 6:00 pm and ends about 7:15 pm. Come and bring others with you, and pray for the contacts we make. We have briefly discussed a character trait each week from the Bible - last week "Obedience" and the week before was "Personal Discipline." These obviously have to do with athletics, but also have much to say in regard to daily living. This week will be another trait, pray that all will learn how to practice these traits along with new athletic skills.


We had a great time last Sunday with the missionaries from Baptist Mid Missions. It is our privilege to host these new ones, pray for their work as they become fully engaged in it.


This past week our Leah was in Panama City Beach, Florida to babysit Nicholas while Sam and Sarah attended a Youth Conference ("Bigstuf Camp"). They had a great time with over 1,500 kids, and Nicholas had a chance to "swim" in the Gulf of Mexico! I told Leah to watch him as he would make a nice "M&M" (or is one just an "M"?) for a shark! They are now all back home resting after their flight (Sarah and Nicholas) and 16 hour bus trip (Sam, Leah, and youth.) What a big trip "Bigstuf Camp" was!!
Make sure YOU are not too tired out for worshipping the Lord this Sunday. Plan your Saturday activities to end early evening, lay out your Sunday clothes Saturday night, get up early, eat a good breakfast, read you Bible instead of the Sunday newspaper, and pray - then leave early enough to enjoy the blessings God has in store for you. And pray that in all our churches Jesus would be lifted high, and some come to know Him as Savior.
Pastor Don Workman