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Summertime is Wonderful

by Pastor Rick Watson

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.  Ecclesiastes 3:1

We are so blessed to live in an area where there are four seasons! Nancy and I lived in Alaska for four years and in Alaska there are only two seasons: winter and summer. Spring-time in Alaska will last only a few days and fall is the same way. It is either cold or hot in Alaska and yes it does get hot (85 to 90 degrees)!

West Virginia has many wonderful attractions that we can enjoy during the summer months. The Beckley area is famous for its Rhododendron Festival. My only regret is that this plants’ bloom is gone so soon! Did you know that this bouquet of beauty symbolizes beauty and energy? And it can also symbolize love and positivity?

As wonderful as summer is, as a pastor I have also learned to dread summer. You may ask why?

Even though I love the spring flowers, green grass and the warmth of the season. Even though I truly love Vacation Bible School, hearing the children talk and sing in the church, what I have come to dread is the summer time attendance at church!

A few weeks ago in Sunday morning worship I mentioned that June should be the month of commitment. Committed to serve, to give and to attend all church activities. What June has become is the month where everyone plans their vacation to the beach! I love vacation time just as you do but I also love the church and worshipping God and I know you do too! So what I am asking is when you are in town be sure and be in church. We miss you when you are gone.

I mentioned that the blooms on the rhododendron symbolize beauty and energy, also love and positivity. When people are looking for a church to attend, often times they look for the church with a “full parking lot” on Sundays. The assumption is that this is a good church, one you would want to be a part of. Conversely, an empty lot speaks volumes as well!

Help us fill the parking lot this summer revealing the beauty-energy-love and positivity of Christ and this church. We need you to be an active participant and attender at Beckley First Baptist Church.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-12 says “9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.”

Come and be blessed and then be a blessing to someone! My favorite song “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God.” What about you?

Hope to see you this Sunday with a smile on your face and a song in your heart.

Pastor Rick

ABW Continues to Work

Our ladies are continuing their two mission projects even though they are not meeting. They are collecting used postage stamps for one project. There is a container on the counter in the church office for these. The other project involves collecting quarters for Weirton Christian Center for their Quarters for Grades program. This program helps the Weirton Christian Center award their children for good grades which motivates the children to keep on the right track. These donations can be dropped off at the church office.

Your Helping Hands are Needed

The weather has warmed up (finally) we look forward, as does everyone, to sunshine and warmer days. We thank you for your generous donations of money food and clothing which helps us a great deal as we serve the people of Beckley and Raleigh County.

But what we need even more is some “helping hands”. We need at least eight people every day to work both the front desk, food rooms and clothing rooms and that’s where you come in. It’s only three hours a day Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 until noon and you will be truly blessed. See Edna Nasby and let her know when you can work.

We are also receiving spring and summer clothing as well as soap, toilet paper and non-perishable food items. These items can either be taken to Helping Hands or left in the black container outside the church office. Once again, thank you for your support and keep us in your prayers.

Operation Christmas Child Update

We here at FBC have been doing shoeboxes now for over 20 years and through your efforts and hard work thousands of children have received a box and felt the love of someone they don’t even know who packed a box that God put specifically in their hands and for this I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Even though collection week is still months away, we have been so successful so far in collecting items that we will need to back our shoeboxes later this year and for this I also thank you a bunch.

For the month of May, we will again be collecting small stuffed animals for our shoeboxes and these have to be small to fit in the boxes. (We didn’t quite get enough in April)). You can place your donations in the box in the Welcome Center.

News from the Backpack Room

by Helen Greene

Our Backpack Children will soon be on Summer Vacation. We have had a great school year providing our 25 children with tasty and nutritious meals for their weekends.

Our Backpack Team will spend the summer restocking our pantry with fresh food for the next school year. We have decided to ask our congregation for 16oz. jars of peanut butter to be donated for the months of May, June and July. We give a fresh loaf of bread to the children every week and peanut butter every other week. They should be able to make themselves a sandwich when they want one. You can leave your donations in the light blue container located in the Welcome Center.

Thanks to everyone who has donated food, money or prayed for our ministry. May God Bless each one of you!

April Showers Bring “May” Flowers

by Pastor Rick Watson

May flowers also mean grass cutting, car washing and vacation planning. The month of April flew by for me. Each day there was a promise of Spring but…one day it was 80 degrees, the next day there would only a high of 37! We seemed to be on a “roller coaster” up and down, hidden curves, lots of surprises. But isn’t that what life is like?

Did you know that the word “May” is used 14,936 times in the Bible? Interesting tidbit of information but this word has strong implications in life planning. When we use the word may, it implies that we have choices; “I may do this” or “I may do that.”

I saw on the Woodrow Wilson sign that prom will soon take place. That means that graduation will soon follow. I will often ask high school seniors “What are you going to do when you graduate” Some of these young people have their whole life planned with where they will go to school, post-graduation work and where they hope to work and live. While others answer with “I don’t know.”

When I was 18 I knew exactly what I wanted to do; go to college, play football there; graduate, get a job, buy a house, get married and settle down. None of that happened! As I have said before, God has a sense of humor… I met Nancy my senior year of high school, we dated and fell in love (That was not in my plans)! I asked her to marry me, she said “not till you join the church, so I did. (also not in my plans – FYI God got hold of my resistant heart and I was saved).

Proverbs 16:9 says “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

I did not attend church on a regular basis until I met my wife. So I didn’t know much about the Bible, church or God. For instance, Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know that plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” I didn’t know God had a plan for my life!

If I could say something to young people I would say “Look to the Lord for your future!” The plans that I had, none of them came true the way I thought they would!

If you are reading this you are probably not a high school senior but rather you are a “life senior” I am one of those now and we make plans, too. In retirement, I am going to go and do all the things I couldn’t do while I was still working” Oh really??! If retirement, no life, has taught me anything it’s this – start each day with the Lord, read His word (Jeremiah 29:11 is still there!) and as I close my prayer I say” Lord, what’s the plan? How can I best serve you?”

Matthew 6:33 tells us “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”. Our goal together should be to seek, to find and to serve. Are you serving the Lord” There are many opportunities! Hope to see you Sunday.

ABW: Continuing Their Missions

Our ladies are continuing their two mission projects even though they are not meeting. They are collecting used postage stamps for one project. There is a container on the counter in the church office for these. The other project involves collecting quarters for Weirton Christian Center for their Quarters for Grades program. This program helps the Weirton Christian Center award their children for good grades which motivates the children to keep on the right track.

Your “Helping Hands” are Needed

We here at Helping Hands have made it through another winter and now that spring has “officially” begun, we look forward, as does everyone, to sunshine and warmer days. We thank you for your generous donations of money food and clothing which helps us a great deal as we serve the people of Beckley and Raleigh County.

But what we need even more is some “helping hands”. We need at least eight people every day to work both the front desk, food rooms and clothing rooms and that’s where you come in. It’s only three hours a day Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 until noon and you will be truly blessed. See Edna Nasby and let her know when you can work.

Also, starting in April we will only be receiving spring and summer clothing as well as soap, toilet paper and non-perishable food items. These items can either be taken to Helping Hands or left in the black container outside the church office.

Once again, thank you for your support and keep us in your prayers.

Pulpit Committee Update

As Pastor Sisson shared with us in March, this is a process that we have to be patient with and wait for the right person that God has picked to be our next pastor. We ask for your patience and prayers as we move through this process.

An Invite from Our Choir Director

If you are not presently involved in God’s choir and would love to sing for the Lord, please join us on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm. For choir rehearsal. May God continue to lead and guide us until He calls us home. Thanks and God bless.