Sunday, September 16, 2007

Thanks for praying about the things I mentioned last week: my poison ivy is better; Sarah and Nicholas are better; and our Hannah is better as well. Praise the Lord for His healing work and how He has made our bodies. There are many others to pray for, and on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm we spend time doing just that. We also have a short Bible study, and a lot of time for sharing - give it a try if you have not done so recently.

We had a great start to our new ABF's last Sunday at 9:30 am. The Ladies "Seeking Him" study was well attended, the "Men's Fraternity" had more guys than we anticipated, the continuing ABF on "A Harmony in the Life of Paul" was almost too full, and our senior adult ABF studying "Living For Christ in a Fallen World" (Ephesians) had a great time. All our children and teens moved to new classes for Sunday School, so it was an exciting time last week. If you didn't make it, plan to come this Sunday and join the blessings.

In our 10:45 am Worship service we have a great blend of hymns and other worship songs as always. We will sing one of my all time favorites, "My Hope is in the Lord" - study the theological background of the words and you will see why I love it. We will also sing a new song for many (but not all), "Holy is the Lord" originally done by Chris Tomlin. And then we WILL finish our 2 Corinthians study by looking at chapter 13, especially v. 5 where they (and we) are commanded to "test" & "examine" ourselves to see if we are "in the faith." This is a good exercise for all to do, and a lot of it will come from the book of 1 John. Please pray that as some do "examine" their spiritual standing that the Holy Spirit will reveal any need they have.

At 6:00 pm our AWANA program for children will continue after a great start last week. It is for those age 4 through grade 6 and it is not too late to join - invite friends and neighbors. Our Student Ministry for teens also began with much enthusiasm and excitement. Their overall topic of study for the Fall is "Dares from Jesus" where they discover the truth and are dared to live by it. This Sunday in addition to a lot of food and games they will study from Matthew 5:38 - 42 discovering the "Truth about Retribution." Read it over ahead of time. On September 22 they will enjoy a Picnic at the Hudson Springs Park, plan now to attend.

Also at this time our Adults will begin the video study, "The Best Question Ever" with Andy Stanley who is one of America's most engaging speakers - and not just because he is related to his dad! Don't forget your study guide, and please be prompt as we will need to begin right at 6:00 pm. And don't miss this first session as you will find out what the Best Question Ever is!

Coming up in about a month will be our Third Annual "Trunk or Treat" outreach event. You will be hearing more about it soon, but this Sunday we will begin collecting candy to hand out to those who come. With this being our third year, we have established an excellent track record in the community, so much so that our local school superintendent agreed to allow us to distribute flyers to all the children in our elementary schools - all 1100 of them! So, you can see that we really will need a LOT of candy! In the past we have had about 200 visitors, but I think this year will be much more. Visit your local Wal-Mart, CVS, or Walgreens and pick up some candy and drop it off at the display in our lobby. Thank you.

I want to thank Rosemary Scott, Ray and Marge Linderman, Ron and Chris Sterner and many others for initiating a gathering of senior adults from across northern Ohio to enjoy a "retreat" of sorts in lieu of the Seniors Retreat that Camp Patmos on Kelly's Island had in the past. This year they didn't have it, so our group decided to have their own! About 30 came from as far away as Bowling Green and Marblehead, OH to enjoy great food, many games, and a time of fellowship in singing and the Word of God. A highlight was having Pastor Lynn Rogers and his wife, LaVerne here to enjoy it. Pastor Rogers was director at the camp and this retreat in particular for many years. All had a great time on a beautiful day! The only thing missing was Lake Erie. Here are a few pictures of their gathering here at Faith:

Pray and prepare your heart for all services this Sunday in all of our churches. Here at Faith we are so thankful for a good mood and spirit from God and toward one another. May God's people be challenged and instructed as they are encouraged in His Word and by great songs. And why not invite someone to attend with you this week? All they are waiting for is for you to ask them to come with you.

God bless,

Pastor Don Workman

www.faithbaptiststreetsboro.org