Sunday, January 27, 2008

Did you hear this one?:

In search of a new shower for our home, my wife and I went to a bathroom-supply store.
We discussed our needs with a young saleswoman. Since it was near closing time, we had to curtail our discussion and made plans to come back the next day to make our final decision.
Later that evening, my wife and I were at a restaurant, where the same young lady from the bathroom-supply store was now working a shift as a waitress.
As she passed our table, she suddenly recognized us and called to me in a loud voice, "HEY! You're the man who needs a shower!"

Hopefully that little story will bring a smile to your frozen, mid - winter face. Wow, is it cold here today (Friday)! The temperature this morning was 9 degrees, but now at mid morning it has risen to 11 degrees. But at least the sun is shining, and I am glad for that.

This Sunday promises to be a bit warmer so I hope you will plan to be here with us. Our 9:30 AM classes are a blessing and great opportunity for everyone. Nikki Carroll has been teaching a class on the "Basics of Bible Study" to several ladies, and others are encouraged to join. The "Men's Fraternity" class will be ending soon and it has been great to hear the good reports from the men. Another ABF meets in the worship center considering "God's Answers to Man's Questions" and all in it are enjoying that study. You are welcome to join them, come a little early and grab a snack.

At 10:45 AM we will worship together and resume our study on "Our Divine Navigation System" by continuing to look at the story of Jonah in the Old Testament. We are looking at some principles to help us navigate God's Will for our lives that arise from this familiar story to many of us. We have found that by looking more deeply at this story we have "mined" some great applications in our lives as we submit to God's will. I hope you will join us.

Our 6:00 PM ministries for children, youth, and adults continues this Sunday and is a blessing for all. For adults we include an informal time of music and consideration of a biblical passage which is applicable to life. It all finishes together about 7:10 PM, not very late. Fellowship often continues in the lobbies which sets a good basis for the coming work week.

On Sunday, February 3 I plan to offer at new member orientation class in my office at 9:30 AM. This would be for anyone who would like to know more about our church before committing to membership, but it is required for those officially joining our church. This class will continue for several weeks at the same time and place. If you are interested in this class, please let me know. Also, if you desire to attend it and join our church, please see me for a membership application so that you can fill it out ahead of time.

Our ladies have several activities planned soon, the first being their "Heart Sister Banquet" on Monday, February 11 at 6:15 PM. This is always a highlight of the year and we don't want any ladies to miss it. Sign up on the table in the lobby, and pick up and fill out a new Heart Sister form for 2008.

Don't forget to register your children for camp this summer at Skyview Ranch or Camp Patmos. Brochures are available in the church lobbies or you can register online.

Please pray for our ministries this Sunday. And help out by inviting someone to come with you - give them a call and tell them of the good things God has done for you through our ministries. I hear many will come if we only invite them and explain how we do things in our services to alleviate their misconceptions of what a "Baptist" church is about. They will be pleasantly surprised, and may find renewed spiritual meaning to life through Jesus Christ. That will definitely be worth any risk you take by just inviting them. Give it a try. I look forward to the results with you this week.

God bless you!

Pastor Don Workman

http://www.faithbaptiststreetsboro.org/

Nicholas and Mommy watercoloring - he was more enthused with putting the brush in the water cup!

Papa wishes he had this level of concentration!

(this picture did not "load" correctly - sorry)

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Here is a laugh to begin with: Tiring of the same old buzz cut from the base barber at Fort Dix, New Jersey, I went into town to get my haircut. The hairdresser noticed my accent and asked where I was from. "Trinidad," I said.
"Is that in Arabia?"
"The Caribbean."
She laughed, "Sorry, I never was very good at geometry."

Now, if you aren't laughing or wonder what is so funny about it, you need to contact me.

Some of you noticed there was no "looking toward sunday" email last week (thanks for noticing and mentioning it) and that was because Beth and I were at BBC last week to see 3 of their basketball games. With it being Joshua's senior year, we are trying to see as many as we can, which is never enough for us. BBC lost two close ones, and won one close one. This is what it is like after losing a close one that they really should have won: All our attempts to cheer up were to no avail - the only thing that helped was a win last Saturday, and another win this past Tuesday. So, hopefully they are on the right track.

When I am away I don't have my email list with me, that is something I am working on so that I can get these notes to you no matter where I am. If you sign up for the "atom" feed at the end of this note, you will be notified anytime a new one is up. Try it.

Last Sunday our missionary to Romania, Eugen Oana was here to report on that ministry. He was a blessing and I hated to miss him, but Beth and I hope to get with he and Felicia soon since they live not too far from us. By the way, tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 19) is his birthday.

This Sunday we are back to a more "normal" Sunday (everytime I write that I pray that God will come and interrupt the "normal") where we will have all our regular services and ministries functioning. A new study for ladies at 9:30 AM features Nikki Carroll teaching about basic Bible study methods and more - it has been a blessing to them for the past two weeks. Soon our Men's Fraternity will be finished, and we will be back to our 4 or 5 regular ABF's at this time.

I will be holding a newcomers orientation class / membership class the beginning of February for any interested. This will be during the 9:30 AM hour for those desiring to know more about us or to officially join our church. This is also necessary for baptism, so let me know if you are interested.

At 10:45 AM we will sing many songs, one of them a new one to us: "Your Name" I will continue the series we began two weeks ago from the book of Jonah about "Our Divine Navigation System" that will give some principles for us to follow when we are determining God's will for our lives. Read Jonah 1 again, and try to note some things in it you have not seen before. Hint: reading from a couple of different Bible versions other than your familiar one will help.

At 6:00 PM all our Adult, Student, and Children's minstries will be going. Adults will sing and study from God's Word (possibly about the Believer's Rewards in Heaven), Students will take a look at the subject of Sexuality, which will be appropriate to their age. If parents have any quesstions or concerns (a previous written notification was sent to you) please contact Dennis and Barb McMichael. Our children in AWANA will have their regular activities as well as their Talent Night try outs. I keep thinking we should try that with adults sometime! We never know what ministries might spring from it.

Also, here are a few reminders:

- The Crown Financial Ministries "Money Map Live!" seminar day at The Chapel in Akron is Saturday, January 26. Many signed up to attend, which is great! You can register online at: www.the-chapel.org/moneymaplive but you must do so by Monday.

- Our "Heart Sisters" annual banquet is coming Feb. 11 at 6:15 pm. See Nancy Cobb or Debbie Mace for questions. I think even if you were late getting involved or not involved this year, you can still attend and plan to be involved next year - but let them know.

- Summer camp at Skyview Ranch brochures are available on the lobby table. Don't wait too long to register your kid(s) as weeks fill quickly. You may also register online at: http://www.skyviewranch.org

We had a good Annual Ministry Reports meeting this past Wednesday. Extra reports are available, be sure to pick up yours this Sunday.

Don't forget our all church memory verses for this month: Lamentations 3:40 - 41 they are not long, but they are not as familiar as some others. Work on them.

Here is the preferred hairstyle of Nicholas for Beth and me: For some reason all my kids make fun of it, because it is "like Papa's hair." They keep trying this "mohawk" look on him when Papa is not looking: What is YOUR vote? One of the new, fun things Nicholas is trying is to help wash the dishes: I remember when his mother was his age and thought that was fun! Well, now it is not as much fun for her, but I think this is good training. Good for Sarah and Sam!

Thanks for reading, but more so thanks for praying for all our ministries and for yourself this weekend. May God be pleased with all our services on Sunday, and may our hearts be drawn closer to Him. And as always, pray that some may come into a new personal relationship with the Lord Jesus as their Savior.

Pastor Don Workman

http://www.faithbaptiststreetsboro.org/

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Well, here I am - while everyone in Iowa is out having fun "caucusing" I am working! I guess our time here in Ohio will come in a few months. But as I hear on our local Cleveland news, we are apparently ALREADY having fun since someone called "Hannah Montana" is in town. By the looks of these "fans" it must be quite a show. If I only knew who that was who is causing all the commotion!

Sorry I missed sending out this note last week, but I took time off to have fun with Nicholas. Bella (grandma Beth) also had him outside to get the mail while Papa waited inside. We truly appreciated the time with our family over the holiday, I hope you had some time to spend with yours.

Our Christmas programs the past couple of weeks were blessings. The adult choir did a wonderful job honoring the birth of Christ through music and drama. The next Sunday our children rose to the occasion through their play, "The Worst Christmas Tree." You had to be there to understand the meaning of this play. And by the attendance figures for both weeks, most of you were there. Thank you to all who had a part in making these programs happen. DVD copies of the kids' program are available for $5.00 each, check the media booth to get one.

Last Sunday Pastor Igor Bagirov ministered in our morning service. It was truly a blessing to see his zeal for the Lord in his ministry on Cleveland's east side. Thank you for giving in a special way through the month in our "Gifts for Christ" special offering. We were able to present this offering to Brother Igor in the amount of $400 - he was very encouraged by it. Continue to keep him in prayer.

This past Wednesday we were able to hear from our own missionary to Nicaragua, Shelley Grimm. Some of us were sick that night (slight flu going around), but Beth informed me that we still had a good group there to hear her. They were blest for their effort to be there. Keep Shelley in prayer, also.

This Sunday we will continue our 9:30 AM Sunday School and Adult Bible Fellowships. Our Ladies ABF and our Men's Fraternity are finishing their series and soon we will be back to our regular 5 ABF's for adults. Get involved now if you haven't been doing so lately.

In our 10:45 AM Worship service we will begin a short series about "Our Divine Navigation System." I will leave it for you to mull over as to it's meaning, but one hint is that you should review Jonah 1 (or the whole book if you desire.) Did you get one of those navigation things for Christmas? I hear they are pretty cool. In a small sense they are a foretaste of what God has for us as we cooperate with Him for our future. Think about these things as Sunday approaches.

In our 6:00 PM service we will have our regular time of Communion at the Lord's Table, come with your heart prepared to give a short testimony of God's goodness in your life recently. This is a combined gathering of teens and adults, and is most special as you examine your heart in preparation for it. We will receive our Benevolent Fund offering and it would be helpful if you can give to it.

Ladies, remember your Bible Study here at church on Monday at 7:00 PM. If you have not attended and would like information, contact Sandi Goodrich. All are welcome to come.

Next Sunday, January 13 we will be hearing from Eugen and Felicia Oana in our 10:45 AM service. They are our missionaries in Romania, and God has used them greatly there. Plan to be here and encourage them by your attendance and giving.

Our Annual Ministry Reports meeting is coming up on Wednesday, January 16 at 7:00 PM. To prepare I need your report as soon as possible. Please email it to me or submit it on some kind of disk. Our secretary, Mary Horley is gone to Arizona with her husband, Jim for the next two months, so I am alone to get it all ready. Your help and cooperation would be most helpful.

Here are a couple of pictures outside my front yard which I am sure makes my parents in Florida glad they moved there: My dad golfs literally everyday down there, and I wonder if he has seen a sign like this one on any courses around him: "Please don't find lost balls until they stop rolling."

This Sunday is suppose to be quite "warmer" than the past few days, so I hope you will make every effort to be in God's church with His people. Pray for His work in all our hearts and I pray that we will be closer to Him than we were before. God bless you, see you then!

Pastor Don Workman

http://www.faithbaptiststreetsboro.org/