Author:

You are Invited!

You are invited and encouraged to come and meet Lauran Bethell who is a global consultant on Human Trafficking.  Her main goal is to initiate and encourage new grassroots projects addressing the exploitation and abuse of women and children, many of whom are victims of trafficking.  While based in The Netherlands, she travels extensively throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas, teaching, training and consulting.

On Monday, October 27th from 10:00 to 11:50 am the Joy Circle will be hosting a Mug and Muffin here at the church in Fellowship Hall to meet Ms. Bethell and listen to her presentation.  Bring your favorite mug and muffin and share in some fun, fellowship and facts.   Later that day at 3:45 pm the women of the Greenbrier/Raleigh Association will meet with Lauran in the parlor.   To conclude the day, we will meet at Pasquale’s Restaurant at 5:00 for dinner and fellowship.

If you can attend even one of these sessions, you will be truly blessed.

October Youth Update

Fall is officially here and with it comes some great opportunities for our kids!

September 27:  We’ll be heading to a hayride and bonfire at Pipestem State Park.  Dinner and transportation will be provided.

October 5:  Our kids will have the opportunity to meet at Okes Family Farms at 2 pm.  Bring your lunch.  Some activities available at the farm include:  face painting, corn maze and bouncy houses.  You can also purchase pumpkins at the farm.

October 29:  We have a costume party planned for 6 pm.

We are also pleased to announce the formation of the FBC Youth Council.  This group provided wonderful ideas for programming, events and attracting new kids to join our group.  The Youth Council will meet regularly and continue to provide feedback and identify opportunities.

Stay connected with our kids for lots of exciting times.  Follow us on Twitter (@beckleyfbc)  and Instagram (beckleyfirstbaptist).

As always, we appreciate your prayers and support as we grow in friendship and faith!

ABW Ministries Plans for the Fall

by Sharon Volpe

The Executive Board of the ABW Ministries met on Sept. 8th.   This was a fall planning meeting and we have several events coming up in October.   That’s right around the corner ladies!   So get your calendars ready!

Saturday, October 4th at Breckenridge Baptist will be the Raleigh Baptist Association Fall Rally.  Registration is at 9:30 and the meeting will start at 10:00.  We will be taking our church van and will be meeting at the church at 8:30 am.  Parking will be available on the college side of the church.  This is always a fun event and I’m hoping to have a large turnout. The speaker is going to be Lisa Simmons who is a very dynamic speaker and should be very interesting.

We are  asked to bring individually wrapped snacks to the meeting which will be going to the Raleigh Regional Cancer Center.  There are times when patients are there for treatment all day and they need these snacks. Each church was asked to briefly speak about a “special community service” that their church provides.  Our special service that we are highlighting is the “Backpack Ministry”.  Helen Greene and Joyce Mills will be making this presentation.

There is also going to be a special surprise presentation for recognition for 93 years of service for Eula Stephens.   This should be an exciting day for all ABW members.  Please plan to attend.   There will be a sign up sheet in the office for van riders.

We will be having an ABW general meeting on Tues. October 14th at 6:00.  Dessert refreshments will be provided.  Each of our officers will be giving a brief comment of their office and their duties.   The devotion will be “Come To The Table” by Karen Nicholson of First Baptist Hurricane.   This will be presented by our officers.  Please come out and support our ABW ministries.

Also don’t forget Women’s Day at the West Virginia American Baptist Convention.  That will be Thursday, October 16th at the Vienna Baptist Church.    

So you see ladies?  We have a very busy month ahead of us.  It’s time to get up, get out and give God the Glory!!!

ABW October Update

by Norma Gunter

The Special Project, for 2014, Moorefield Hispanic Ministry is the other ABW project  I mentioned last month.  Back in 2005 the ABW Special Project was to provide seed money to hire Juan Aragon as the Hispanic Ministries’  Strategist.  He is now a permanent West Virginia Baptist Convention professional staff member.  Since then the church in Moorefield has become a field ripe for harvest.  The goal for this project is $15,000.  This money will be used to help fund a missionary and other outreach programs of the church.  Moorefield is a community with a large Hispanic population.  Through the ministry of Comunidad Luz y Vida (Light and Life Community Church) they have the opportunity to reach out for Christ to immigrants.

In the West Virginia Newsletter 2014 Annual Association Edition, Juan Aragon said, “Love removes the prejudices that hinder us from reaching those unlike us.  Love compels us to care.  In West Virginia we have been given the privilege to join God in what He is doing in the lives of Hispanic immigrants. These are women and men who have come to the USA motivated by the need to feed their families, to provide shelter, to survive violence, to obtain a future that might not be possible at home.  As we follow and remain in Jesus may the spirit of love open our eyes to see and serve them.” May we give generously to this project.

A short report on my families trip to Camp Cowen for Camp Global August 27-31.  When my daughter, Marcia, heard about Camp Global she remembered her many summers at Camp Cowen and wanted her 13 year old daughter, Lauren, to have a camp experience.  So, along with her husband and my two sisters we headed to Cowen.  Camp Global was a Family Mission Camp with missionaries, international guests and Bible study leaders.  There were programs for all ages along with music, vespers, hands-on activities and good food.  The theme for the camp was “We are Unstoppable With God.”  My 13 year old granddaughter enjoyed the camp so much that she wants to come to the Family Camp in 2015.  Camp Cowen is our Baptist Camp located on the Gauley River in the Monongahela National Forest.

Saturday October 4 is the Fall Rally at the Breckenridge Baptist Church.  Lisa Simmons, Associate in Mission Support and Adult Discipleship with the  West Virginia Baptist Convention, is the speaker.  We have invited the women from the Sunset Hills Baptist Church, Coal City, WV, to join us.  The church was voted into the Raleigh Association at the last meeting.  Ladies make plans to come, enjoy a great meal and meet the new women and make them welcome.

The West Virginia Baptist State Convention Women’s Day is October 16, 2014 at the Vienna Baptist Church.  Make plans now to attend the “Women as Agents of Change” day at the convention.

Watching the Pews on Sunday

by Rev Robert A Wendel

Most folks in the church know that being a chaplain at Beckley VA Medical Center is what, originally, brought me to Beckley nine years ago.  Before doing that specialized ministry, I had been a four-time pastor for congregations in New Hampshire and New York.

In my very first local clergy meeting in the Garden State, one of the more experienced fellow pastors said “Robert, over time you’ll be privileged to hear the stories of every person or family in your pews.”

So, I can’t help it.  Each Sabbath, I try and notice who has joined us in worship. Conversely, I make a mental note of who is not present that week.  There are a whole bundle of reasons why potential worshipers are missing:  the flu bug bites, health care or retail personnel must work, the car won’t start, the snow drifts are just too deep or grandchildren beckon.  My own mother worried, “I might start coughing, bothering those around me.” These days, being in church is merely a one weekend option.

A philosopher once observed that in life we always find time for the things that are really important.  Jesus put it another way “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  Luke 12:34.  He didn’t make church-going a pre-requisite for finding the kingdom of heaven; he only promised that he would be present whenever two or three were gathered in his name (Matthew 18:20).  That, it seems to me, is a good enough reason for his fans to huddle up regularly at the meeting house.

Fred Bauer, an editor and free-lance worker for Guideposts, a trustee and fellow pew sitter who became a supporter and good friend of mine while I was a student minister at Christ Congregation, Princeton wrote, “Whenever worship becomes a burden, heal my blindness O Heavenly Father.”

Thinking about adult discipleship, Lisa Simmons of WV/ABV advised “How often we in the local church experience and allow the slow fade of adults from our community of faith.  Make it simple.  Let the person know they were missed.”

You have the Power to Change the World Through a Shoebox

by Debbie Vanaman

It’s October, fall has officially begun and shoeboxes is in full swing again this year.   Your donations of school supplies and personal items were tremendous.   For the month of October, we will continue to collect personal items and will also be collecting small toys (stuffed toys, trucks, flashlights, & batteries, etc).  These can be left in the large Samaritan’s Purse cartons located in the sanctuary and also in fellowship hall

One of our OCC staff people went on a mission trip last year to Haiti and she shared a story with us.  They arrived at a local church to find over 300 children waiting for them.  They gathered them all inside, told them why they were there to talk about Jesus and to present them with a special gift.  When they started counting heads and shoeboxes, they realized they only had half the boxes they needed.  So they had to divide them into the group that would be getting a box and those that wouldn’t.  It broke their hearts to have to tell these children that they would not be getting a shoebox that day.  Luckily (or maybe how God planned it)  several weeks later after they had left a second shipment of shoeboxes came in and those children were given their boxes.   This is why it’s so important to support this ministry both with your boxes and your prayers.

A church-wide packing party is in the planning stages at this point to pack our shoeboxes – Remember I asked for 75 boxes.  I’ll keep you posted on the date. I will also be asking for some helping hands during collection week to receive and pack shoeboxes as they come in.   Don’t wait for me to ask you – ask me how you can help.   You can catch me in the church office any day or call the office at 304-253-4252 and leave a message for me.  As always, thanks for your support and continue prayers for this ministry.

The Autumn…A Season of Change

by Pastor Doc Adkins

My teenage autumns in Hinton hold precious memories—the fall revival at church, unpacking warmer clothing, steaming hot kettles of soup and the smell of baking cornbread and many other dishes would flood the old farm house with the “smell of autumn, an abundant harvest, fires in the “cook stoves and coal stoves”, a well-stocked pantry, and best of all—HUNTING SEASON AND FOOTBALL! I loved it.

The autumn of life is a strange mixture of nostalgia, blessings, and potential. It yields the harvest of seeds we’ve sown throughout life and braces us for colder days to come.

When life’s autumn arrives, we look back and better understand the way God led us; but we still have work to do—the best and fullest. It’s a good transition time.

“Autumn” only occurs once in the Bible. In Jude 1:12, false teachers are compared to “autumn trees without fruit,” implying that autumn should be a fruitful season, the most abundant of the year.

How can we take advantage of the “autumn of life”?

The Unchanging Nature of God

The seasons come and go, so focus on the God who remains unchanged and unchanging. “LORD, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psalm 90:1-2).

There’s a lot of unwelcome change in our world. Moral and societal changes bother us most when we turn on our television or glance at the magazines. We’re painfully aware our kids are growing up in a world far different from the one we knew as children.

And personal changes—children leaving home, the passing of dear friends, and the slow, steady decline in our vitality and health. Sometimes we feel outdated at work.

But amid all the changes, one thing, one person, never changes—our eternal God.

J.I. Packer points out that God does not change. His life is always the same. His character is always dependable. His truth, ways, and purposes do not change. His Son does not change. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

His children will enjoy His fellowship a million years from now. The world may fade, the stars may fall, the seasons may change, and winter may come. But the God who has been our help in ages past is our hope for years to come. In Him we have permanence, stability, joy unshakable, and life unending.

The Divine Foresight of God

We’ve all suffered setbacks along the way. But God promised, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten. . . . You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God” (Joel 2:25-26). His divine forethought knew it all in advance, and He can be trusted with what has happened to us in years past.

Our omniscient Savior knows the end from the beginning, and He will bless whatever is yielded to Him. Focus on His foreknowledge, providence, and sovereignty.

The Wonderful Blessings of God

The autumn of life is a great time to focus on God’s wonderful blessings—family, friends, strength, shelter, provision, guidance, care, fruitful ministry, opportunities to serve, more time to pray and study His Word, and eternal life still to come.

During life’s autumn, we have a richer perspective and can count more blessings than ever before.

A Renewed Commitment to God

Autumn is a good time to focus on your commitment to God. Some of the saddest words in the Bible are in Jeremiah 8:20, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” If you’ve never made a commitment to Jesus Christ, do it now, while there is still time.

If you are a follower of Christ, remember to remain close to Him during the shifting seasons of life.   During autumn, we all know that winter lies ahead, but if winter comes, can spring be far behind?

Life is always a matter of perspective!

School already?

Can you believe our kids are back in school already?  Where did the summer go?  To celebrate the end of a great summer, Beckley First Baptist hosted a back-to-school bash.  Fellowship, food, games, and a little karaoke worked to get our kids ready for school—at least tried to, anyway.  Twenty-three kids and their families participated.

The church picnic is coming up on September 14th.  Lots of games—including a watermelon eating contest—are planned.

The Fall Youth Rally at Camp Cowen will be held on Saturday, September 20th.  The cost to attend is only $5, and the church will provide transportation.  Please contact Pastor Doc or Debbie Vaught for more information or to register.

September ABW

by Norma Gunter

My job as Mission and Service Coordinator is to communicate missions to my whole church and keep you involved.  In the last BEAM I shared about several projects the ABW is working on this year.  The first is the MOP (Mission Outreach Project).  The goal has been set at $6,000 for the state.

The MOP is “Tablets for Education.”  Missionaries Rick & Anita Gutierrez are American Baptist Foreign Mission Society Missionaries in Durban, South Africa.  Together they discern unmet health needs of the people and train members in health skills that can be used in concert with evangelistic outreach.

Their job is to train health builders using the latest technologies, like computer tablets, to teach.  On these tablets they show videos about health and agricultural practices as well as record keeping of health encounters and an updatable health training manual.

The videos are used by members of Discovery Bible Groups, which is established by each health builder.  The members of this Bible Discovery Group are learning God’s word together on a weekly basis.  Scripture passage are shared and discussed and the people are challenged to obey.  People have said they learned more about God and Jesus in one session of Discovery Bible Group than listening to hours  long traditional Zulu sermons.  This way of approaching the Bible is unique, powerful and can spread and sustain itself without professional or trained facilitators.  It is also an important way to teach and build skills.

Lives are changed when people encounter the God of the Bible in a discovery format, and embrace God’s word.  Rick and Anita need our help to purchase a video camera/sound equipment, tablets and money to produce videos.  They need to create videos on “poultry egg incubation for the backyard gardener” in Zulu/English professionally translated, edited and voice over.  The goal of $6,000 will meet their needs and strengthen this vital ministry among the Zulu people.

Next time I will share another ABW project.  Earlier this month one of the biggest celebrations in the history of International Ministries was held at our Green Lake Conference Center in Green Lake, Wisconsin.  The celebration was for 200 years of overseas Global Missions.  All of our global missionaries and their families as well as representatives from most of our global partners and a full bus load of West Virginia Baptists were there.  John Simmons, WV Baptist  Associate Executive Minister, reported in the “West Virginia Baptist Newsletter” that, “Those of us blessed to be there on opening night heard the packed house of l,300 sing HOW GREAT THOU ART, each in their own language. The tent was filled with the awesome presence of God.”  How I wish I could have been there.  I’ve been blessed with two visits to Green Lake in the past and hope to go there again.

If you do not receive the “West Virginia Baptist Newsletter” notify the church office.  Another magazine is “Seasons” a publication of American Baptist Women’s Ministries.  Both are filled with information.

Ladies, start making plans to attend the next ABW state event, the Spiritual Growth Retreat September 26-28 at Parchment Valley.  The theme is “Catching your Breath:  Discovering Your Sabbath.”

Being a Bridge Over Troubled Waters

by Rev Robert Wendel

The worst word in the English language is hopeless.   It certainly is a negative adjective.  Hearing of the unexpected, sudden, premature death of actor/comedian Robin Williams who, reportedly, took his own life, I couldn’t help but wonder what might have prevented such a tragedy.

In my fifth year as pastor of Fredonia Baptist Church in New York, I had the sad duty of conducting the funeral service for a second semester freshman at the State University of New York in Fredonia.  Academically, he was doing fine.  But, to solve a temporary personal problem, he chose a solution that was final.

This young man was much loved.  The sanctuary was filled to overflowing with family, friends, classmates, teachers and college staff.  They all had lost a son, brother, nephew, grandson, friend and a good student who felt isolated and unable to see past the dark hole of his own pain.

During the service, I asked for a show of hands from those who would not mind a telephone call in the wee hours of the morning from a depressed friend who needed to talk.  Every hand was raised, without hesitation.  Literally, they all would have helped this guy had he only called.  Suicide is not a solution.

As one of only a handful of ABC endorsed institutional chaplains and pastoral counselors in West Virginia, one of my favorite Bible verses has become when Saint Paul advised the Galatians “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (6:2, NRSV).

Heartaches bring people together. Christian friendships have an immense power to mend a broken spirit.  A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.  We never forget those with whom we have cried.  Healing happens from the inside out, felt but unseen.

Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, whose own son committed suicide, turned to what Paul wrote to the young Christians in Rome saying “I mean I want us to help each other with the faith we have.  Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you” (1:12, NCV).

Rev. Warren explains “In authentic Christian fellowship people should experience a mutual dependency.   This mutuality is the art of giving and receiving: it’s depending on each other.  All of us are more consistent in our faith when others walk with us and encourage us.”  Be a bridge for someone !

The next Men’s Prayer Breakfast is Saturday, September 13th.   Mike White will be doing a presentation on his recent trip to the Holy Land.    This is something you won’t want to miss !!!