Our sanctuary choir is a vital part of our morning worship and they could always use some new volunteers. You don’t have to sing well – just be willing to use your singing talents to praise God. Choir rehearsal is Wednesday evening at 7:00 following prayer meeting in the choir room.
The ladies of the American Baptist Ministries will be handing our doughnuts and coffee on Friday, November 11th before the Beckley Veterans Day Parade. They are asking for donations of doughnuts. They can be brought to the church either November 10th or first thing on November 11th. We do this to show our appreciation to those who have served in our country’s military and your help will be greatly appreciated.
The Lizzie Lewis Circle meets the first Thursday of each month at 12:15 here in Fellowship Hall. They have various mission projects that they are working on and all ladies are invited to attend.
As the calendar turns to November and the weather starts to get colder, the needs at Helping Hands grows also. Our numbers increase and the need for blankets and coats as well as food grows as well. For the month of November, we are packing the pulpit with blankets and coats (new or slightly used) as well as food items. Our goal is to give every person in a family a blanket and we are aiming to collect 1,000 blankets. That may sound like a huge number but like everything else we do; we trust that God will provide the needs of those less fortunate. So, let’s pack the pulpit so full that Pastor Bryan has to preach from the floor by the end of November
On Sunday, October 30th the church was recognized by Samaritan’s Purse for its 20-year participation in Operation Christmas Child. During that 20-year period, a total of 54,645 shoeboxes were collected from the Raleigh and Fayette Counties. That’s 54,645 gospel opportunities that were handed out to children around the world to share your love and the name of Jesus and it all started with a simple empty shoebox. Those opportunities could not have been sent without the hard work and dedication of the people of FBC and you are to be commended for your efforts.
Looking forward to collection week this year is just around the corner. Tracy Salango has taken over as the relay center coordinator and she needs your help. Collection week starts on November 14th and concludes on November 21st. The hours we will be receiving boxes are listed below.
Mon. 10AM-noon; Tues. 4PM-6PM; Wed. 10AM-2PM; Thurs.10AM-2PM; Fri. 3PM-6PM; Sat. 1PM-3PM; Sun. 1PM-3PM; Mon. 9AM-11AM.
Don’t wait for her to call you – reach out to her and let her know when you can help.
For the month of November we are asking for donations to cover shipping.
November brings seven extra days of no school for our Backpack children. We try to send extra food to them to help with those days that they are not fed at school. We must be mindful of the extra weight each item adds to their food bag and pack accordingly.
Soon we should have the Christmas wish lists for our students and start shopping. We need volunteers to help shop and wrap the gifts. If you are interested in helping let me know.
Thanks to everyone who donates food, money and prayers for our Backpack children. May God bless each one of you.
For the month of November please donate pudding cups.
Without a doubt, if I were to ask you all to list the many ways in which God has blessed you this year, your lists of blessings would be long. The question concerning these blessings is, “Are we showing God what our thankfulness looks like?” Several of you may reply that you thank Him every day, but that’s not the question. The question is, “Are we showing God what our thankfulness looks like?”
Abundant blessings can sometimes cause a case of complacency. It’s that moment when we settle into our secure routine life where we don’t allow disruptions or interferences. Most pastors are concerned with how quickly young Christians grow, but wonder how many mature Christians have stopped growing. Shepherds love to observe young Christians when they are bold and expressive about what they’ve just experienced, but it’s the mature Christian that has forgotten that thankful feeling. So how do we express our thankfulness to God outwardly? It’s what I call God’s “Truffle of Stewardship”.
Romans 12:1-2, “1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Paul sums up our roles as Christians in these two verses. We are to pursue this renewal of our minds! Renewal—ἀνακαίνωσις—anakainōsis—a renewal, renovation, complete change for the better. This word “renewing” leads us directly into God’s will for our individual lives, and it’s good, acceptable and perfect. This renewal model deserves thankfulness to God.
There are two wonderful areas where thankfulness is outwardly expressed toward God. In Psalm 100:4, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.” Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Church, the only way to express biblical thankfulness is to “enter His gates” and “called in one body”, this is developed through church fellowship!
Being stewards of God in the body of Christ fulfills the good, acceptable and perfect Will of God. This area of stewardship is an all-encompassing church wide response. Only then are we able to act upon our individual stewardship and apply them into our church body. This is all driven by the Holy Spirit compelling us to listen to Him and act upon His convictions.
In conclusion, we are approaching a new year in our church administration. In order to fulfill our Vision/Mission of Preaching, Teaching and Reaching our church family must fill roles/duties/responsibilities. I’m asking you to please pray about how God can use you and how you can get plugged into our mission. Church unity inside the walls must be pursued in order to impact the community outside the walls. Be thankful for opportunity to use your gifts, be thankful God has allowed us to have a base to prepare. Blessings
Pastor Bryan Knight
Undie Sunday has been a great success thanks to our generous congregation. On Sunday, August 28th, we collected 62 pairs of girls panties and 33 pairs of boys briefs as well as 3 boys undershirts. We also received 36 pairs of girls socks and 49 pairs for boys.
For September 25th we collected 69 pairs of girls panties, 4 camie tops, 10 pairs of girls socks, 43 pairs of boys briefs, 10 undershirts and 18 pairs of boys socks.
All of these items were taken to Helping Hands to be distributed to the children they serve. We will continue to collect undies on the last Sunday of each month to provide Helping Hands with an adequate supply for their clients. Our next Undie Sunday will be October 30th. Thanks to everyone!
Now that there is a little “nip” in the weather, Operation Christmas Child moves into high gear. With collection week about six weeks away, there is still much work to be done. Tracy Salango is our new relay center coordinator and she will be asking for your help during collection week in November. Don’t wait for her to ask you – contact her and let her know when you can help.
We will be having a shoebox packing party on a Saturday in October but a firm date has not been set yet. This is where we get to have fun packing the shoeboxes with all the donations we’ve collected all year. Keep your eyes and ears open for that date.
For the months of October and November what is needed are your dollars. We will be packing 120 shoeboxes and at $10 a box – well you do the math. (It’s $1,200). If you are writing a check to the church just put shoeboxes in the memo line.
Finally, please keep this program in your prayers daily. Shoeboxes are being distributed around the world 365 days a year. The national goal is 11 million shoeboxes. While this number sounds very unreasonable, it’s11 million opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and it all happens one shoebox at a time.
As the calendar turns from summer to fall, the needs of Helping Hands also change from providing summer clothing to winter coats and blankets. BLANKETS ARE ONE OF THE MAJOR THINGS THAT ARE ASKED FOR. We also give out non-perishable food as well as soap and toilet paper. We are open Tuesday through Friday from 9AM to noon. Clothing donations are taken on Tuesday’s over at Helping Hands. There is also a container located outside the church office for your donations. Please remember those less fortunate than you – someone always needs a HELPING HAND.