This past Monday during staff meeting we went though and put all of the upcoming events and meetings we had coming up in the next few months to spend some time praying for our church and the initiatives that are coming up.
I thought I'd use this weeks email to fill you in on those upcoming dates as well as some specific ways you can pray for our church this coming summer.
Certainly having lots of meetings and events can be a sign of fruitfulness in the life of a church. But the fruit we need most is "spiritual fruit" and that is only produced by God through prayer (John 15:7-8)
To make things simple, I'll just list the upcoming events and then I'll spend a little bit of time explaining a few ways you can pray.
Upcoming Events
May 15 - Lord's Supper Sunday
May 15 - Member Meeting (5:00PM)
May 18 - Last Wednesday Night (6:30-8:00PM)
May 21 - Men's Cornhole Tournament (3:30PM)
May 22 - Senior Recognition Sunday (9:30AM)
May 22 - Adult Small Group Leader Meeting (12:15PM)
May 22 - Youth Camp Parent Meeting (3:00PM)
May 22 - Family Mission Trip Meeting (5:00PM)
May 26 - School is OUT FOR SUMMER!!
May 29 - Fifth Sunday Hymn-Sing (5:00PM)
June 2 - Women's Dice & Ice (6:00-8:30PM) (register)
June 3 - Kids & Youth Pool Party (8:00-11:00PM) Abilene Swim Club
June 4 - Men's Rangers Game (8:30 AM) (sold out!)
June 12-15 - SBC Annual Meeting (Anaheim, CA)
June 12 - Youth Camp Parents Meeting (2:00PM)
June 12 - Preteen Camp Parent Meeting (3:00PM)
June 19-23 - Vacation Bible School (6:00-8:30PM) (register)
June 26 - Clarke Family Sending Service (5:00PM)
July 3 - Family Service (no preschool/children's programming)
July 7 - Women's Ministry Movie Night (6:30-8:00PM) (register)
July 14-15 - Children's Ministry Summer Camp (learn more)
July 14-18 - Youth Ministry Summer Camp (registration closed)
July 17 - Family Mission Trip Meeting (5:00PM)
July 18-21 - Preteen Summer Camp (learn more)
July 25-29 - Family Mission Trip (Houston, TX)
July 31 - Fifth Sunday Hymn-Sing (5:00PM)
August 4 - Women's Ministry Movie Night (6:30-8:00)
August 7 - Harvest Sunday (Baptism Service)
August 21 - Broadview Members Meeting (5:00PM)
August 24 - Wednesday Night Programming Resumes (6:30PM)
How You Can Pray
As you can see, there is a LOT going on. Summer time at Broadview is always busy. From summer camps to mission trips there's something going on almost every single week.
But being busy for the sake of being busy isn't why we exist as a church. We exist to be a Great Commandment, Great Commission, Acts 1:8 Church. We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ here in Abilene and around the world. That means we need the help and empowering of the Holy Spirit to take these events and cause them to bear spiritual fruit for the glory of God.
So here are a few ways you can pray:
Pray for a renewed passion and excitement around global missions at Broadview. During 2020 and the COVID-19 lockdowns we pretty much pressed pause on all of our international mission trips.
We still finally support our missions partners (all of them) but the lack of actual trips lowered the visibility of world missions in our congregation. As a result, a passion for missions and evangelism has seems to cool off.
The opportunity we have to send the Clarke family to Krakow is a significant one. Pray for them. Pray for the work they will be doing in Krakow. Also pray that this sending initiative along with the sending of Charytie Barlow raises the visibility and importance of global missions in our congregation.
Pray for a great harvest of souls from our VBS, summer camps, mission trips and weekend services. There are a host of these summer events that include specific appeals to lost people to respond to God's offer of salvation in Christ.
Knowing this and believing God has a desire to save people this summer, we are planning a Harvest Sunday at the end of the summer to celebrate those who've made first-time decisions with their baptism. Salvation is a miracle of God's grace. It's an act of the Holy Spirit from beginning to end. That's why for us to see it happen we must pray to the God of the harvest. So lets do that!
Pray for deeper relationships in our congregation through these longer term gatherings. Jesus said the world would know we belong to him because of the way we love one another. Spending a week with someone gives you time to really bond and form deeper relationships.
Every time I go on a mission trip I form deep relationships with the others who go on the trip. This year our Family Mission Trip is with a church plant down in Houston's fifth ward. The name of the church is Cross Community Church. Pray not only that we see many people get saved but that the people participating develop deep Christ-centered relationships as a result of the time spent.
Pray this same thing for our VBS, children/youth camps and men's/women's gatherings. People might come to a church because they like the preaching or the music. They STAY at a church because of the friendships that are formed. Relationships matter. Ask God to use these summer events to develop meaningful Christ-centered friendships that will last a lifetime.
Final Thoughts
In addition to these things, you can also pray that the volunteers who are getting a break come back refreshed and recharged. Pray for our leaders and sponsors who are in charge of the camps/mission trips. Pray for our weekend worship services to continue reaching new people for Christ.
One of the things not mentioned our our upcoming events that you can still pray for is our youth pastor search team. We were unfortunately not able to advance our final candidate to the last phase of the search process and so we are going back to the drawing board. Pray that God raises up the perfect candidate at the perfect time and that our search team will have the eyes to see and the faith to act.
In addition to prayer, if you'd like to help with our Vacation Bible School we need financial support for covering the meals for our volunteers. We're looking to raise $1,500. If you'd like to donate just put VBS on the bottom of your check or when select VBS when you give online.
On that front, our Preschool Ministry is collecting the following craft supplies. If you'd like help with a donation you can drop off the following items in the church office.
Empty Paper towel rolls
Cotton balls
Pipe cleaners in various colors
Washable paint in various colors
If you're interested in helping out with the Vacation Bible School the registration is open. There will be a VBS training meeting on May 25th from 6:30-8:00
Finally, if you haven't yet registered for the family mission trip, summer camps or other related events then please make plans to do so. You can find most of the registration links online or sign up sheets in the Gathering Place.
That's all I've got for this week.
If there is any way I can pray for you please let me know!
Looking forward to some great Sunday services and an encouraging members meeting Sunday night.
We are starting a new young adult small group at 11:00am on Sunday mornings! This small group will begin by studying through the book of Ephesians. The class will be led by Dustin Malone and consist of a blend between expositional Bible teaching and group discussion.
The book of Ephesians is one of THE BEST New Testament letters for understanding the truth of the Gospel and how it applies to your every day life. It's also a great book for understanding God's design for the local church.
No matter what season of life you find yourself in, you will benefit from this small group. The group is open to all (not just young adults). It will launch on May 17th. You can go ahead and preregister if you think you might be interested.
Contact Dustin at (325) 370-9777 for more information.
We've rescheduled our Men's Ministry corn hole tournament for May 21st. So bring out your A-game and compete in our corn hole tournament this coming February 5th. We will have at least four corn hole boards going at one time. Whoever wins the tournament will be eligible for a prize and bragging rights.
We will start the games at 3:30PM and go until whenever the tournament is over. This will be a laid back time of fun and fellowship. Food will also be provided (hot dogs, chili, chips, condiments and drinks.)
We will assign teams after everyone arrives.
There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.
Spark: Vacation Bible School
June 19-23
6:00-8:30PM
4yrs - 5th grade
Help your child see they were Created In Christ and Designed for God's Purpose. They will discover that their creativity is a gift from the infinitely creative Creator who designed them for His glory. God's creativity didn't stop in Genesis! The Master Artist is working to redeem, reclaim, and transform us-His creation-to the original design He planned for us.
We are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)--a masterpiece in process. So what are you waiting for? Spark your imagination and kick your creativity into high gear at Spark Studios. We invite you to bring your 4yr old - 5th grader.
How to Register
For Preschool registration, please register your child for the age they will be on June 19, 2022.
For Elementary School Registration, please register your child for the grade they will have completed by June 19.
We will only be ordering a shirt for volunteers/ children who have prepaid for their shirt by May 28. We will not have additional shirts available during VBS. Shirts are available in Youth S-Adult 5X and are $13 each. Payments can be made by cash, check, or below.
The Broadview Men's Ministry is inviting all men to watch the Rangers play the Mariners at the newly renovated Rangers Stadium in Arlington, Texas! We've got a block of 20 tickets in the "all you can eat" section. (so dinner is covered).
There are only 11 tickets remaining as of the writing of this email!
Tickets are $50. This covers the cost of the ticket plus $5 for gas. The game starts at 3:05PM. We will leave the church at 10:30AM and get lunch on the road. Games typically last 2.5 to 3 hours so we plan to be back in Abilene later that evening (8-9PM).
If you are interested in signing up please contact Brian at (713) 204-7458. You must pay your $50 to secure your spot. You can pay online here or in person at church (checks payable to Broadview Baptist Church.)
Who is invited: Children's Camp is for those who have completed 1st - 3rd grade.
Registration: $70 December 1 - May 31
Late Registration: $90 June 1 - June 15
Registration:
June 15th is the last day to sign up, and June 23rd is the last day to complete registration.
Click here to register for children's campand enter password: summercamp2022
Preteen Camp
COMPLETED 4TH - 5TH GRADE
Circle Six Baptist Camp
When: July 18th-21st, 2022 (Session 2)
Who is invited: PreTeen Camp is for those who have completed 4th - 5th grade.
Early Registration: $180 December 1 - January 31
Registration: $190 February 1 - May 31
Late Registration: $210 June 1 - June 15
Click here to register for preteen camp and enter password: summercamp2022
Family Mission Trip
Houston, TX
July 25-29
This year our family mission trip is going to be in Houston, Texas in partnership with Cross Community Church just north of Houston's Fifth Ward. We will knock on doors in the community to share the Gospel, invite people to church and inform folks about the ESL classes provided at CCC.
If you're interested in taking your family on the Family Mission Trip then there will be an interest meeting on May 22nd at 5:00PM. There is also a sign up sheet in the Gathering Place. We call it the family mission trip because the location and the work done is something the whole family can participate in (children welcome!) However, you don't have to have children or bring them in order to participate.
