Copy
A weekly update from First Baptist Church of Strafford
View this email in your browser

Three Keys to Prayer


<<First Name>>,

The rest of the prayer books are here! Stop by the Information Desk and pick up your copy of If My People: A 40-Day Prayer Guide for Our Nation. This is a wonderful little guide in prayer for our nation. Our nation is in trouble and it is desperately in need for people to return to God. 
 
When you review history, no one has ever understood prayer better than Jesus. No one has ever believed more strongly in the power of prayer, and no one has ever prayed as He did. His disciples recognized His expertise. Once they stumbled upon Him while He was praying privately: One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples" (Luke 11:1 NIV). They were so moved by His earnestness and intensity that when He finally got up from His knees, one of them timidly asked, “Would you teach us to pray?” The disciple knew that in comparison to Jesus, they were mere trainees – first-graders in the school of prayer.
 
Jesus did not object to their question. Instead, He took the opportunity to teach them how to pray. This is what He said: "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.  But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.  And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.  So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.  Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]'” (Matthew 6:5-13).
 
No other passage in Scripture tells so straightforwardly how to pray, and the advice Jesus offered His disciples 2,000 years ago applies to all of us today:
  1. Pray secretly
  2. Pray sincerely
  3. Pray specifically
Why the emphasis on privacy? Why close the door? There is an obvious, practical reason. A private place insures a minimum of distractions, and most people find distractions deadly when it comes to making connection with God. Not only did Jesus tell His disciples to pray secretly; He also told them to pray sincerely. “Do not use meaningless repetition [babbling],” he said. Be careful of clichés. It is so easy to use sanctified jargon while praying! Certain phrases sound so appropriate, so spiritual, so pious, that many believers learn to string them together and call that prayer. In addition to praying privately and sincerely, Jesus counseled His disciples to pray specifically. He showed them what He meant by giving them a model prayer, the prayer we have come to call the Lord’s Prayer.

Next week, I will share an in-depth meaning of the Lord’s Prayer. Remember, Jesus gave this prayer as a pattern to suggest the variety of elements that should be included when we pray.

 
If My People,

Pastor Rick

Worship With Us This Sunday!


Join us for worship this Sunday, October 4, as Pastor Rick resumes our series based on Del Fehsenfeld's book, Ablaze with His Glory. This week's message, "There Is Always A Price Tag" is drawn from Chapter 9. The key Scripture passage is John 3:16-18. You can preview the service plan HERE and download the sermon outline HERE.

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 worship service video will be posted no later than 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.

Melvin Ogle Memorial Service


Longtime FBC member Melvin Ogle passed away on Wednesday in West Virginia at the age of 85. A memorial service will be held here at the church this Sunday, October 4 at 2:00 p.m.  

For everyone’s safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, the family has requested that everyone observe social distancing precautions and avoid handshakes, hugs, etc.

40 Days of Prayer for Our Nation


Thursday, September 24 marked 40 days until the general election on November 3. We are calling on everyone in our church to commit to pray for our nation each of those 40 days.

To that end, we have ordered a copy of the 40-day prayer guide, “If My People,” for each family in our church. This book contains a Scripture passage and a prayer prompt for each day. Pick one up at the Information Desk.

VBS 2020 Wrap-Up


After five action-packed Wednesday nights, our "Concrete & Cranes" VBS 2020 has concluded. Thanks to everyone who made this "very different" VBS possible! Sunday's service will include a VBS highlight video. Here are the attendance totals:

122 total enrollment (49 kids, 21 youth, 52 adults)
99 average attendance (101, 102, 101, 94, 96)

Our regular NOW schedule will resume this Wednesday, October 7, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Missouri Missions Offering


The annual Rheubin L. South Missouri Missions Offering (MMO) supports various ministries of the Missouri Baptist Convention, including Christian foster care, church planting and revitalization, disaster relief, collegiate missions, and leadership development in our state.

We received $796, surpassing our 2020 church goal of $750. To God be the glory! Thank you, church family, for your generous giving to the MMO!

Quarterly Business Meeting


Our next quarterly business meeting will take place on Sunday, October 11, immediately following our worship service (approximately 12:00 noon). We will NOT share a fellowship meal this quarter.

The following teams/committees will be meeting this week:
  • Leadership Team - Sunday, October 4 @ 5:00 p.m.
  • Nominating Committee - Tuesday, October 6 @ 6:30 p.m.
  • Finance Committee - Thursday, October 8 @ 6:00 p.m.

"Trunk or Treat" Donations Needed


"Trunk or Treat" is coming up Saturday, October 31! This fun outreach to our community will look a little different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep participants and volunteers safe, we will be doing a "drive-through" event in our parking lot. Watch for more details coming soon!

We are beginning to gather truckloads of candy to hand out that night. You can donate to this effort in two ways:
  1. Place a special offering for "Trunk or Treat" in the orange pumpkin at the back of the worship center (or designate an amount on Tithe.ly if you give online) and we will purchase the candy for you!
  2. Bring bags of individually-wrapped candy and place them in the tub under the offering table.
If you are interested in volunteer for "Trunk or Treat" or if you have any questions, talk with Ashley French or Sandy Strecker.

SBC Missionary Highlight

Churches are needed all over North America, but some areas need more churches than others.

This week, we’re going to pray for our missionaries Will and Tiffany Forrest, who are planting a church in the Pacific Northwest – just east of Seattle, Washington, in the city of Issaquah.

Our church supports them through our Cooperative Program giving.

This is one of the fastest-growing cities in the region, so many new churches are needed: Further, the Pacific Northwest is one of the least evangelized areas in the nation. Sometimes people are even hostile to churches.

Will was serving a church in Idaho when he became aware of such needs. He studied church planting for two years at a church in South Carolina before he and Tiffany moved with their four children to Issaquah.

Summit Life Church meets in a public school on Sunday, but is growing. They have delighted in seeing lives impacted by the gospel. Will has gotten to know community leaders, which will help multiply the church’s impact.

Let’s pray for Will and Tiffany and ask God to bless their ministry as they take the living water of the gospel to a dry, thirsty land.

In every edition of the FirstUpdate, we are highlighting the efforts of the International Mission Board (IMB), the North American Mission Board (NAMB), the six Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) seminaries, and the various Baptist state conventions. Each month, our church and the other 47,000+ churches in the SBC contribute a portion of our undesignated offerings to these important Cooperative Program (CP) ministries. For more information about CP, click HERE.

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
Website
Facebook
Facebook
Instagram
Instagram
FB Group
FB Group
Email
Email
Give Now
Give Now
Tithe.ly App
Tithe.ly App

This Week @ FBC Strafford


Sunday, October 4
9:30 a.m. | Sunday School
10:45 a.m. | Worship Service
12:30 p.m. | Ogle Family Lunch
2:00 p.m. | Melvin Ogle Memorial
3:30 p.m. | Choir Rehearsal
5:00 p.m. | Leadership Team Meeting

Monday, October 5
6:00 p.m. | Men's Group

Tuesday, October 6
6:30 p.m. | Nominating Committee

Wednesday, October 7
6:00 p.m. | NOW Free Family Meal
6:30 p.m. | KidsNOW & StudentsNOW
7:00 p.m. | LivingNOW (Adults)

Thursday, October 8
6:00 p.m. | Finance Committee

Saturday, October 10
9:00 a.m. | Men In Service @ Common Grounds


CLICK HERE to view full calendar.

This Sunday, October 4


ECM | Colleen A. & Emily E.
Greeters | Dennis & Wenda N.

Audio | Jeremy F.
Video | Gibson D.
Security | Randi R. & Steve I.
Counters | Clarence B. & 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!
Copyright © 2020 First Baptist Church of Strafford, All rights reserved.


unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp