FirstUpdate | July 23, 2020

A weekly update from First Baptist Church of Strafford

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What Have We Lost?

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This Sunday, Jeff Taylor will be bringing a message titled “What Have We Lost?” In Del Fehsenfeld’s book Ablaze with His Glory, he states, “The church is waiting for the world to come to Christ and get saved, but the world is waiting for the church to come to God and get right. God does not judge a nation simply because of the wickedness of the ungodly. He also judges a nation because of the disobedience of His own people” (p. 56). One of the most crucial disobediences in a Christian’s life is the loss of power, love, and joy of one’s faith. There is an abounding need for the refreshing power of God’s presence in the life of the church. The inner joy of the church in Jesus Christ seems to have vacated.

Think with me, “Do you remember what it was like when you first got saved?” There was an overarching joy of peacefulness in the presence of the Holy Spirit. We were so in love with the Savior, God’s One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. We were immersed in spiritual things, and talk of God edited everything that came out of our mouths. Have you noticed the amazing joy of the newfound love and relationship with God?They approach the presence of God differently in worship, life’s actions, and the excitement to testify about Christ's saving love.

Sadly, many believers, new and old, lose all their enthusiasm of participating in endorsing the saving love of Jesus to a lost world. The zeal erodes and disappears. No longer do believers share their excitement they once cherished in their newborn faith. What happened to the new believers? They distance themselves from the relationship with God. Like the glory of God gradually, reluctantly departing from the temple, God slowly withdraws the manifestation of His presence. Unfortunately, we let God slip away a little at a time until we feel empty inside. Regrettably, we are too proud to let anyone know that we are slowly dying spiritually.

I close by sharing a painful story that most all of us will face if we do not share the gospel:

A father was dying. He had his family come around. He only had a few minutes left to live. He had four children. He said, “Goodnight John, goodnight Butch, goodnight Betty, goodbye Ralph.” Ralph said, “Wait a minute. You said goodnight to my siblings, but you said goodbye to me!” The father told his son, “Because the other three children have accepted Jesus, I will see them again in glory, but because you have not, I will never see you again.”

What have we lost?

Pastor Rick

Sunday School Is Back!

After a 15-week hiatus, Sunday School classes have resumed meeting in-person on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. As we seek to gather for Bible study and fellowship in the safest way possible, here are a few reminders:

We are continuing to encourage physical distancing in classrooms and hallways as much as possible, as well as standard safety practices (handwashing, sanitizer, etc.). We are conducting temperature screenings at the children's check-in desk for all volunteers and children in that hallway (this includes the nursery during worship). We are also asking those who have been sick or are at-risk to continue to stay home. Jeff Taylor will continue recording weekly videos and we will share those via Facebook and FreeOnlineChurch on Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m.
The coffee station in the kitchen will remain shut down for the time being and we are asking classes not to bring food to "share." To clarify that, it is fine for folks to bring their own coffee/beverage and breakfast to eat in class or for someone to bring individually-wrapped breakfast items and lay them out for your class to pick up in a sanitary way. What we want to avoid is sharing utensils, dipping food out of a common dish, touching the same coffee pot, etc. Common sense is the key to keeping everyone safe and healthy.
Promotion Sunday for children and youth will still take place on August 2 as originally planned. For the month of July, everyone will remain in the same classes they were in when we stopped meeting in March.

If you have any questions about Sunday School or need help finding a class, talk with minister of music and education Josh Erisman.

Worship With Us This Sunday!

Join us for worship this Sunday, July 26, as Jeff Taylor continues our series based on Del Fehsenfeld's book, Ablaze with His Glory. This week's message, "What Have We Lost?" is drawn from Chapter 4. The key Scripture passage is 2 Kings 6:1-7. You can preview the service plan HERE and download the sermon outline HERE as soon as it is available.

If you would like to purchase a copy of the book to read along, there are two versions available from Life Action Ministries (which Fehsenfeld founded and led before his death in 1989):

Paperback ($14.99 + shipping)
Digital ePUB ($5.00) - works with Kindle, Apple Books app, etc.

We hope to see you and your family for Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. and worship at 10:45. We are also continuing to post our services online for those who can't join us in person. The service video will be posted Sunday evening or Monday to our Facebook page. It will also be available at FreeChurchOnline if you do not have a Facebook account. Be sure to comment and let us know that you're watching with us! If you need any technical assistance, email Josh Erisman.

Mom L.I.F.E. July Gathering

Moms of all ages and stages are invited to the next Mom L.I.F.E. gathering this Sunday, July 26 at 6:30 p.m. behind First Baptist Church. This outdoor event is "bring your own lawn chair," but dinner will be provided. Speaker and author Carla MacLachlan will share with us that evening, so you don't want to miss it! Contact Brittney Taylor or Brittany Erisman if you have any questions.

Missions Yard Sale Donations

To coincide with Strafford's Citywide Garage Sale, the FBC Missions team will be holding our annual Yard Sale on Saturday, August 8. We are now accepting donations! We cannot accept TVs, computer monitors, beds, hideaway couches, desks, and exercise equipment. Talk with Shannon Peelor if you have any questions.

Church Library Update

Our church library has not been widely used in several years, so we are taking advantage of the upcoming yard sale to sell off the contents and put the proceeds toward our missions fund. However, we want our church family to have an opportunity to look through it first! This past Sunday, we provided an opportunity for anyone who donated books or had sentimental attachment to any of the books to take those.

The library will be open to our entire church family this Sunday, July 26 before Sunday School and after worship. Feel free to peruse the books and take whatever you wish! Everything is free of charge; however, there will be a donation bin at the door if you wish to give a contribution to the missions fund. If you don't have time to stop by on Sunday, feel free to call the office and schedule an appointment to come in next week and look at what's left. Everything left after Sunday, August 2 will be sold in the yard sale on August 8.

Messengers Needed

First Baptist Church is entitled to send messengers (voting delegates) to the annual meetings of the Greene County Baptist Association (Thursday, August 27, 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Boulevard Baptist Church, Springfield) and the Missouri Baptist Convention (October 26-27, St. Charles Convention Center). If you are a church member and would be interested in representing us at either of these important events, contact Josh Erisman by Friday, July 31.

"FBC Strafford Family" Facebook Group

One way we are staying in touch as a church family is through our “FBC Strafford Family” Facebook group. This group is being used to share live videos, prayer requests, devotionals, and internal announcements through the week.

If you are a regular attender here at FBC and you are not yet a part of the group, click the link, request to join, and start connecting with your church family online!

Giving Options

Even if you aren't joining us for in-person worship on Sunday, please continue to remember your tithes and offerings. The church’s ministries and operational expenses go on in spite of the current situation. We want to be a blessing to our community and it takes resources to do that. Your faithful giving makes it possible!

In addition to dropping cash or checks in the offering box on Sunday morning, there are multiple ways to give your tithes and offerings:

Online through Tithe.ly or the Tithe.ly app
Mail a check to First Baptist Church, PO Box 367, Strafford, MO 65757
Several of our members have begun using online bill pay through their bank to send in their offering. This is a free service that some banks provide. All you have to do is add the church’s name and address as a vendor, just like you would the electric company or any other business.
You can also drop your offering by the church office, but please call ahead to make sure that someone will be in the office.

Thank you again, church family, for your generous and faithful giving! If you need help setting up online giving or have any questions, contact Josh Erisman.

Website

Facebook

FB Group

Instagram

Give Now

Tithe.ly App

This Week @ FBC Strafford

Sunday, July 26
9:30 a.m. | Sunday School
10:45 a.m. | Worship Service
6:30 p.m. | Mom L.I.F.E. Gathering behind the church

Wednesday, July 29
7:00 p.m. | "Wednesday Night Sunday School" with Jeff Taylor on Facebook Live and FreeChurchOnline

CLICK HERE to view full calendar. The August calendar will be updated next week.

This Sunday, July 26

ECM | Richmond J. & Courtney E.
Greeters | Dennis & Wenda N.
Audio | Jeremy F.
Video | Gibson D.
Counters | Kenny W. & Brenda M.

If you cannot serve on your assigned Sunday, please arrange a substitute and let the church office know by calling 736-2148 or emailing church@fbcstrafford.org. Thank you to all those who serve our church in these important roles each Sunday morning!