FirstUpdate | October 23, 2020

A weekly update from First Baptist Church of Strafford

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Developing a Prayer Routine

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How many times have you decided it’s high time to get into good physical shape, so you start an investigation to find a nearby health club? If you choose doing the health club, most likely you are quickly overwhelmed by all the stations that will challenge you with an unbelievable sweat workout. You may be feeling at this point like backing out. Playing on exercise equipment is one thing; following an established regimen is quite another. You quickly realize the need for a routine in order to work all the muscle groups properly and consistently, to keep track of how many repetitions you have done at which weight, to chart your progress, and to avoid becoming imbalanced. Without a carefully structured plan, we’re all likely to become imbalanced. That is because we all tend to do what we enjoy and ignore the difficult or distasteful or untried.

Developing prayer fitness is like developing physical fitness: you need a pattern to avoid becoming imbalanced. Without a routine, you will probably fall into the “Please God” trap: “Please God, give me. Please God, help me. Please God, cover me. Please God, arrange this.”

On occasion, we all will toss a few thanks towards heaven when we notice that God has allowed some good thing to come our way. Every once in a while, if we get caught with our hand in the cookie jar, we will confess a momentary lapse of sound judgment. And now and then, if we are feeling really spiritual, we might even throw a little worship into our prayers, but only as the Spirit leads.

If I sound sarcastic, it is because I know all about imbalanced prayer. The truth be known, I’m a real pro in that department. I can tell you from personal experience where imbalanced prayer leads. Sensing the carelessness and one-sidedness of your prayers, you begin to feel guilty about praying. Guilt leads to faint-heartedness, and that in turn leads to prayerlessness. When praying makes you feel guilty, pretty soon you stop praying.

Has this happened to you? If so, it is time to set up a prayer routine. Over the next four weeks, I’m going to offer you a pattern of prayer to follow. It is not the only pattern to prayer, but it is a good pattern that has been used for many years in Christian circles. It is a balanced approach to prayer and easy to use. All you have to remember is the word ACTS, an acrostic whose four letters stand for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.

In closing, please continue to use the If My People 40-day prayer guide for our nation during your daily prayers. One of the Scriptures this week said, “The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide” (Psalm 37:30-31).

Keep Praying,

Pastor Rick

Worship With Us This Sunday!

Join us for worship this Sunday, October 25, as Pastor Rick continues our series based on Del Fehsenfeld's book, Ablaze with His Glory. This week's message, "When God Takes Over" is drawn from Chapter 11. The key Scripture passage is Matthew 5:6. 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.

Painting Class Day Change

After a long hiatus due to COVID, Jimmy Smith has resumed the painting class. Beginning this week, the class will meet on Thursdays from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. here at the church. Reach out to Jimmy if you have any questions.

"Trunk or Treat" Drive-Through Event

"Trunk or Treat" is coming up Saturday, October 31 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.! 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. Decorated trunks and treat stations will be set up and masked volunteers will fill each child's bag with truckloads of candy!

You can still donate to this effort in two ways:

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!
Bring bags of individually-wrapped candy and place them in the tub under the offering table.

If you are interested in volunteering for "Trunk or Treat" or if you have any questions, talk with Ashley French, Sandy Strecker, or Brittany Erisman.

SBC Missionary Highlight

This week, we’re going to pray for two of our missionaries who are probably more AWAKE than any other missionaries! That’s because Mike and Tisha Jones serve in Colombia, South America, where coffee is grown.

Many of the people they share the gospel with work on coffee farms. Those farms grow the beans that probably become the coffee you and I buy at our local grocery or coffee shop.

Most of the people Mike and Tisha witness to are not farm owners. They are the hired hands who do the heavy work of picking the crops or the like.

Their income is meager and so is their outlook on life: They find it hard to believe Jesus would have died for someone like them.

Can we commit to something right now? Most of us here will get up tomorrow and have coffee as the day starts. If that’s you, could we commit to pray tomorrow morning for Mike and Tisha, as you sip that coffee?

And let’s pray for them now. They are two more of the many, many missionaries our church supports through our Cooperative Program giving, across South America and around the world.

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.

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This Week @ FBC Strafford

Saturday, October 24
3:00 p.m. | Della Peelor Memorial Service

Sunday, October 25
9:30 a.m. | Sunday School
10:45 a.m. | Worship Service
3:30 p.m. | Choir Rehearsal

Wednesday, October 28
6:00 p.m. | NOW Bonfire
7:00 p.m. | LivingNOW (Adult Bible Study)

Thursday, October 29
12:00 noon | Painting Class

CLICK HERE to view full calendar.

This Sunday, October 25

ECM | Melody B. & Brittney T.
Greeters | Sandy S.
Audio | Wayne S.
Video | Jeff P.
Security | Gary M. & Randi R.
Counters | Kenny W. & Sandy S.

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!