Friday, April 25, 2008

Sunday, April 27, 2008

How can the CAVS win by 30 on one night, and lose by 36 two nights later? I don't know, but that is what playoff basketball is all about! I hope they pull it together for the next game this Sunday.

And I hope we all "pull" together this Sunday as we recover from yard work, outdoor activities, bridal showers, etc. This has been a wonderful week as far as the weather goes - my sore muscles and sunburned arms attest to it.

We will have all our regular Sunday school, Adult Bible Fellowships (all at 9:30 AM), Morning Worship service (10:45 AM), and Evening Service / Activities (6:00 PM) this Sunday. In our 10:45 AM service we will look at "What the Bible Shows Our Worship Is to Be" as we continue this important series. Worship is our ultimate priority as one author says, so we should be concerned about doing it acceptably. Our 6:00 PM time will feature AWANA for kids where they are once again to wear something fun. Our Teens will meet and continue a new study, and our Adults will meet and continue looking at "Our Rewards in Heaven" through the various crowns available. Don't miss your opportunities this Sunday.

Ladies, remember the Bridal Shower for Nikki Carroll tomorrow (Saturday) from 2:00 - 5:00 PM.

Thanks to many (about 20 or more) who helped last Saturday for our Spring Clean Up day at church. Much was done, but if you missed and want to help please let us know as there are always things to do. See Ron Sterner if you want to help with the lawn mowing schedule.

Please plan to be with us on Sunday, May 4 for a special day together. I will say more about it next week, but to plan it involves Communion in our AM service, an all church dinner (sign up and bring items) after that service, then an early service / AWANA time where we will have a Baptism service, testimonies, welcome new members, and a brief quarterly report time. These are important items and all of it should be done by 3:00 PM with no other services, etc. at our 6:00 PM time.

I must close this note in order to leave for a special seminar day at Baptist Mid Missions in Cleveland. Jeff Sheldon and I will attend the seminar on "Progressive Dispensationalism" at the home office. This is a fairly recent issue that can affect churches like ours if not careful. We look forward to an informative time.

And I look forward to seeing you this Sunday. Prepare through prayer and cooperation with the Holy Spirit. And look for ways to encourage one another in our faith as we walk it together.

Pastor Don Workman
www.faithbaptiststreetsboro.org

Friday, April 18, 2008

Sunday, April 20, 2008

What beautiful days we have experienced here in Northeastern Ohio the past few days! Very summerlike. So much so that I got outside on Thursday to fish for awhile and got a sunburn on my face and arms. It hurts, but in mid April it feels good - does that make sense? I hope you are enjoying your weather wherever you are. By the way, here are all the fish, safe and sound in the river where I found them (see the shadows?):

This Sunday we have all our regular services at their regular times. Tom, Pete, and Bill are our ABF teachers and their groups will meet at 9:30 AM with our children and teen classes. I have not heard the following in our childrens' Sunday school classes, but with them being more saavy technologically than we were, I wouldn't be surprised to hear:

A Sunday school teacher asked her class, "What is prayer?"
One of her pupils answered, "That's a message sent to God at night and on Sundays, when the rates are lower."

At 10:45 AM we will have our morning worship service with a lot of music and a message from God's Word for our lives today. We will begin a series on the subject of "Our Worship to God." I find that it is good for me to review the principles of worship that is acceptable to God from time to time, and hopefully it is that way for you as well. And for those new to our church in the past few years it will be beneficial for you to get our more in depth understanding of what true worship is and involves. This Sunday we will consider, "Understanding What Our Worship Is."

At 6:00 PM (the beginning of the Jewish Passover this year) we will continue our adult study on our appearance at the judgment seat of Christ. I have received many encouraging comments and good questions from this study. Our AWANA season is winding down soon, so be sure to finish well. I think I heard this Sunday for AWANA is "Silly Sock Night" - don't forget. Sometimes I have mornings like that! Our Student Ministry continues their study in the video series, "The Best Question Ever" as well as a lot of fun and food.

Don't forget about our Church Work Day tomorrow (Saturday, April 19). It begins at 8:30 AM and will last until a little after noon or however long you want to stay. Bring any tools and supplies you can - this will be a great time to fellowship as well.

We are finalizing some plans for a special Sunday on May 4 for us all, and I wanted to give you a little advance notice on it so that you will be sure to be here. We will have our Communion service in the 10:45AM service, then enjoy a potluck dinner together where some of our new members will have a chance to get to know everyone in a more informal way. Right after the dinner we will have an early afternoon service where we will have baptism, some testimonies, and end with a very important quarterly report time where we would like to have all members and other regular attenders present. AWANA will be meeting for part of the early afternoon service, then we are trying to make plans so that the leaders will be in for the meeting. We will not have any other services that evening. Please put this on your calendar now, it will be a blessing and special time together.

In closing, let me share a blessing - thanks to the help of Pastor Tom's help in searching the internet, Beth and I were able to secure airline tickets to Portland, Oregon for $500 roundtrip for both of us! I understand that is quite a deal, and in checking it out, found out that it was. We plan to visit Jon and Hannah for two weeks this mid summer which will coincide with the 30th wedding anniversary for Beth and me. We look forward to a good time finally seeing where they have lived for three years. And we thank the Lord for special blessings such as this that He does to encourage us from time to time.

Write and tell me of the blessings He is doing in YOUR life - it is always good to hear of God's activity. Be here this Sunday ready to worship Him and be blest in the process! Pray for yourself and for others to be ministered to and challenged by God's Word and His Spirit.

Pastor Don Workman

Here is Nicholas trying his best to finish the last drops of Papa's coffee - don't worry he hardly got any out of the cup and wondered, "what was that all about?"!

Friday, April 11, 2008

Sunday, April 13, 2008

We had a fun day last Sunday (except for my evening migraine headache) celebrating the 20th anniversary of Pastor Tom and Sandi Goodrich's ministry primarily through our music and worship here. They have actually been in our church almost 30 years, and for 20 of them Tom has led almost all facets of music / worship here. He and Sandi are key parts of anything musical and special, primarily our weekly worship services as well as our annual Good Friday, Christmas Eve, VBS, and any other special events. Since this was a surprise to them, I could not include it in my note last week. They were presented with a commemorative clock with plaque in the AM service, then following the evening service we had a reception in their honor. It was fun and proper, and a good way to show our love and appreciation for their ministry.

You can show your love and appreciation for the Lord Jesus Christ by attending services here this Sunday. Our regular Sunday school and ABF's continue at 9:30 AM, at the same time our Membership class continues to meet. We will be finished with that class soon, and will have a baptismal service sometime in the next month. We will let you know when that date is set.

In our 10:45 AM service we will sing and worship God in a great way together. I plan to talk about "Important Last Words" from the Bible and relate it to our lives. This stems from a recent program I saw the other night (as well as featured in last Sunday's PARADE magazine) which featured "The Last Lecture" by terminally ill professor, Randy Pausch, maybe you saw it or have heard of it. As I watched I appreciated what he did but thought there could be more said, especially from a spiritual perspective. Millions have been moved by this lecture which has been seen worldwide on YouTube. I wish I could say the same about the talk I will give this Sunday! But it is important to me that YOU are here to hear and interact with it. Don't forget that during our morning service we also have our Children's Church which is for those age 3 through 3rd grade. These children begin together with us in our regular service, then part way through we have them come up front and pray for them before they go to their time. Be sure to bring your kids and grandkids for this important time!

At 6:00 PM all our regular ministries for the whole family will continue. AWANA for Kids, our Student Ministry, and our time for Adults will bless and encourage you. Our adults will continue our look at "Our Heavenly Rewards" as we continue to consider the Criteria on which our rewards will be based when we "appear before the judgment seat of Christ." It is good preparation for that time, don't overlook the opportunity.

A reminder to our Missions Commission: we plan to meet at 4:30 PM this Sunday for our regular meeting. Please bring any items of interest for consideration to that meeting. If anyone has any Missions / Outreach related ideas, questions, or suggestions, please get them to me before this meeting.

An important calendar item is an All Church Work Day scheduled for Saturday, April 19 (a week from tomorrow.) General cleaning in the building and around the grounds will take place. This is always an important time for us, and a great way to fellowship together. Bring any tools and cleaning supplies and a willing spirit.

We appreciate your consistent giving to our ministries, and soon we will have a brief quarterly meeting to get the details of our finances and ministry. I know that we are running somewhat behind in our budget currently, and consistent giving without taking a week off will help remedy that problem. If we would all consider tithing our upcoming tax rebate, we would probably erase any deficit we have - please consider it.

How about a smile for the day: Elmer says, "First, I got tonsillitis, followed by appendicitis and pneumonia. After that I got erysipelas with hemachromatosis. Following that I got poliomyelitis and finally ended up with neuritis. Then they gave me hypodermics and inoculations."
Calvin says, "Boy, you had quite a time!"
Elmer replies, "I'll say! I thought I'd never pull through that spelling test."

That reminds me to have us all pray for any college students you know - they will be going through more than spelling tests in the next few weeks. Many college seniors will graduate, Lord willing, within a month! Pray for them to finish well and begin the next phase of life on a good foundation. Several are looking for or being interviewed for jobs, and underclassmen will be searching for summer employment. Pray for them all.

Pray as well for yourself and your church for this Sunday's services. I appreciate the prayers of many of you as I prepare and preach each week. Pray that God will use me to be consistent and clear in presenting His Word, and that the Holy Spirit will continue to work in hearts as He has in recent weeks. And begin to prepare your heart NOW for this Sunday.

God bless you!


Nicholas is ready for Spring! Please pray for him, Sarah, and Sam as they travel back from the Chicago area on Saturday where Sam has attended the SHIFT! Conference hosted by Willow Creek Community Church.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Sorry for no "looking toward sunday" note last week - I was preoccupied with someone very important in my life: Beth and I spent a few days with Nicholas and his parents, which cut into my week but was well worth it. And you know, my back never did hurt from this "horsie" ride! And Beth was thrilled with her opportunity to help Nicholas learn to "color." Now our refrigerator is beginning to look like it hasn't looked like in many years!

I just saw this one and it brightened my day, maybe it will for you, too if you need it:

Our boss told us that she is planning a salary raise. One of the guys asked, "When does it become effective?"
The boss answered, "As soon as you do."

And, I am not proud to admit it, but this one made me laugh as well:

An 85-year-old widow went on a blind date with a 90-year-old man. When she returned to her daughter's house later that night, she seemed upset.
"What happened, Mother?" the daughter asked.
"I had to slap his face three times!"
"You mean he got fresh?"
"No," she answered, "I thought he was dead."

For this Sunday we look forward to a great day weather-wise (if we can trust the forecasters) as well as a wonderful day worshipping the Lord. We have had some new attenders in our Adult Bible Fellowships at 9:30 AM and they are thrilled with the learning opportunity. We offer three studies for adults from which to choose in the Bible books of Daniel, Psalms, and Ephesians. All are related to life and include great fellowship as well. If you don't know which to attend, come and we can help you. We will also continue our Membership Orientation / Class in my study. Our Sunday School for kids and teens also continues during this time, I don't know all their subjects of study, so maybe the teachers can let me know.

In our 10:45 AM worship service we have a great blend of songs, hymns, scripture memory (2 Timothy 1:7, 8a) and some other special things. I plan to talk with you from the Bible about the Constant Temptation we face as the People of God. If you read Hosea 3 and the surrounding chapters, it should prepare you for this talk. We will also see how to put off or overcome this temptation in our lives and live as the "overcomers" God intends for us. Please pray about this time.

At 6:00 PM we will hold our AWANA time for kids - be sure to wear your favorite team's colors for "Spring Sports Night." I hope there are not any Chief Wahoo protesters around then! Our older Students will view the next segment in the video series, "The Best Question Ever." This study was so helpful to the adults that I asked our leaders to go through it with the teens, and they have found it very helpful and life changing. Our Adults will sing, fellowship, and continue our look at 2 Corinthians 5 by studying the Criteria for establishing Our Heavenly Rewards. We have been blessed by the many adults who gather after this service in the lobbies talking and getting to know each other better, so don't run off too quickly.

Thank you for giving to our Easter Offering this year which totaled $1,230 and will go toward window replacements in our building. We hope to get going with the lower level very soon, probably with glass block, then as funds come in we will replace the auditorium windows (I can't believe I just typed, "winders" and had to correct it!)

Don't forget the special things on Saturday, April 5 - the Women's Missionary Fellowship at 1st Baptist in Green in the morning and then the special 85th birthday celebration for Art Goodrich at the Maplewood Care Center. Bring a card and stop in and see Art from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and be a blessing. We have a lot of other opportunities for growth and ministry in our weekly bulletin and on the bulletin board in the lobby, so please be sure to look them over. We will are planning our annual spring clean up around the grounds and building and will let you know more when we set that date. I hope you will help.

As you know, this note I write goes out to many, many of my family and friends outside our church who have interest in what is going on in our church and the lives of our family. Thank you for your interest and prayers. I have told you a lot about Joshua' basketball successes recently, but we also have another huge success in our family that is equally as exciting. As Jon and Hannah (Young) work out in Oregon at the Brookings Harbor High School, their team (the Bruins - Yea!) recently played all the way through to the Oregon State High School Athletic Association Championship basketball game for their division (4A) at Oregon State University in Corvallis. They lost by only 3 points and were runner up in the state! WOW!! Though disappointed, they are excited about the prospects for next year as they have the core of their team back, including the Oregon state coach of the year and the player of the year! Our Jon serves as an assistant coach with the team and is the school's Athletic Director. He is also overseeing a huge sports complex renovation and other improvements through this coming year. Hannah has been to most of the games to cheer them on, even in the midst of her own teaching and graduate work. So, they are busy, but God is blessing, especially through the spiritual impact they have in a public school. Please pray for them and all the public school personnel and students you know.

We have about 15 who have signed on to our group ("Faith Baptist Church Streetsboro Faithful") through their "Facebook" account - join us if you haven't yet. And be sure to check it and contribute your thoughts and improvements. Pictures and videos are welcome. And even if you are not part of our church but are interested, you are welcome to join as well. Hey, maybe this is the beginning of our "virtual church!"

Well, pray for and attend your REAL church this Sunday. God has been doing some wonderful things among us here, and I hope the same goes for your church. Pray for all and yourself to be ready for what He has for you this Sunday

Pastor Don Workman