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A weekly update from First Baptist Church of Strafford
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From the Staff of First Baptist Church of Strafford
Rick, Josh, Brittany, Brianna, & Garett

Thank you, church family, for the generous Christmas gifts!
It is a blessing and privilege to serve the Lord alongside you!

The Birth & The Resurrection


<<First Name>>,

On Friday of this week, we will celebrate the first advent of our Lord’s birth. The Prophet Isaiah announced, “the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). The beautiful arrival of Jesus in a little town called Bethlehem was a time of hope, peace, joy, and love. The Gospel of Luke iterates that “Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:4-7). Jesus arrived into the world as a human being, being fully God and fully man.  He came to identify as one of us, as the Son of Man, as a Baby born in a manger. He came for us, He came for you, and He comes into our lives and into our hearts.  He is coming again in great power and glory to bring His kingdom into fruition.  
 
The true Christmas celebration is in the resurrection of the Baby Jesus. Our hope, peace, joy, and love remains in our resurrection made possible by Him! None other is more important than having a personal relationship with Jesus. Yet, many do not believe the resurrection even took place or even the narrative in Scripture has any basis of truth about Jesus Christ, God’s One and Only Son! Why is this? It is because of our own denial, our own disobedience to His Word, and unacceptance of His truth in our lives, that the Jesus born in Bethlehem, the Jesus that died on a cross and the same Jesus that rose from the grave, has little influence in many lives. May we never forget that Christmas is “more than a baby, He is a Savior!” Tell someone this Christmas about the Savior, Jesus Christ, the true reason for coming.
 
In closing, I want our church to begin praying with me and staff over my next sermon series, “Ten Percent: A Call to Biblical Stewardship.” The author of this study is Ronnie W. Floyd, current Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee president and former Convention president. This six-week sermon series will begin on January 3, 2021. You might be asking why six weeks? It is because it will help us define the biblical principles of stewardship, standing upon the Bible’s authority in the name of Jesus’ teachings. This series will assist our church in prioritizing, elevating, and accelerating generosity to our church’s entire ministry. I’m asking our church family to give me the first six weeks of 2021 and believe God will do something in your life that He has never done before.   
 
Merry Christmas,
 
Pastor Rick & Belinda

Worship With Us This Sunday!


Join us for worship this Sunday, December 27, as Pastor Rick concludes our Christmas series, More Than A Baby, with the message "I Wonder As I Wander" from John 1:14-18. Josh Erisman and our band will lead us in some familiar carols and Christmas songs and we will finish up our emphasis on the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. 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.

2020 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering


Your giving (above and beyond your tithe) to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions enables Southern Baptist missionaries to be sent to make disciples and multiply churches among unreached peoples and places for the glory of God. What will YOU give so that others can go?

We have received $1,334 toward our 2020 church goal of $3,500. A special basket for the Lottie Moon offering is available at the back of the worship center. You can also designate an amount to Lottie Moon in the memo line of your tithe check or give online through Tithe.ly. We will receive the offering through this Sunday, December 27.

SBC Missionary Highlight

For more than 17 years, Charlie and Shannon Worthy have invested their lives in Italy as International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries. Italians are warm, loving, and open people; however, many are ambivalent and don’t know they need a Savior.

As church planters, the Worthys’ work bridges the worlds of local pastors and U.S. churches to make strategic connections that bring the Gospel to areas of Italy with little to no evangelical witness. Whether leading a group of students, Baptist state convention executives, or from a church, the Worthys strategically place these partnering groups in areas of Italy where the church does not exist, thereby engaging with the locals and creating relationships that impact the kingdom for eternity.

THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM (CP) is the financial fuel for reaching every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state, and every nation. Your support of both CP and THE LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING provides for the practical needs of missionaries like the Worthys while serving on the field such as a house, a car, and healthcare.

PRAY that many Italians will come to faith in Christ as a result of the Worthys’ witness and that new Italian believers will gather to reach the people of Italy with the Gospel.

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.

New Message Series


Our personal financial security and our church’s financial security are more certain when we follow God’s financial plan as revealed in Scripture. Beginning Sunday, January 3, Pastor Rick will preach a six-week message series titled Ten Percent: A Call to Biblical Stewardship, based on the book by Dr. Ronnie Floyd, president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. This stewardship focus builds upon biblical financial principles to help you prioritize, elevate, and accelerate generosity.

Ten Percent: A Call to Biblical Stewardship focuses on six principles:
  1. God is the Owner of Everything
  2. We Own Absolutely Nothing
  3. Honor God with at Least the First Ten Percent
  4. Bring the Full Ten Percent to the Church
  5. Practice Over and Above Giving
  6. Focus on the Great Commission Always
Study notes and extra content that corresponds to the series will be made available each week on the "FBC Strafford Family" Facebook group. Request to join the group if you haven't already done so.

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


Wednesday, December 23
Office closed through January 1
No NOW (Christmas Break)

Thursday, December 24
Christmas Eve

Friday, December 25
Christmas Day

Sunday, December 27
9:30 a.m. | Sunday School
10:45 a.m. | Worship Service

Tuesday, December 29
9:30 a.m. | Christmas Décor Teardown

CLICK HERE to view full calendar.

This Sunday, December 27


ECM | Colleen A. & Emily E.
Greeters | Sandy S.
Audio | Jeremy F.
Video | Gibson D.
Security | Ray S. & Kenny W.
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.


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