Give Glory! Stewarding God's Grace
by: Gerrit Dawson, Senior Pastor
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We have many things to look forward to in the life of the church this fall. One thing to be excited about is the return of our Sunday school classes which resume August 13. I talk to so many in our church who long to have a growing relationship with Christ, long to know his Word better and long for deep connections within the church. Our Sunday school classes offer a perfect opportunity for all three objectives to be accomplished. Scripture tell us to “not be conformed to this world, but renew our minds” (Romans 12:2). Our teachers would love to help you do just that. Each of these returning classes would love to welcome you: Barry Phillips’ CrossRoads class, the rotation of teachers in the Tom & Jerry class, Ryan Dickerson’s Kingdom Builders class or the Journeys class led by Kyle Beall, Jeff Swarner and Shawn Wilson. For the young adults, we have The Bridge with Jade and Katherine Tomeny. In every class, you’ll find seminary-level depth taught by teachers who are loving and eager to help you get grafted in!
And, in the words of a 1980’s game show host, “But, that’s not all!” This fall we launch The Well, a brand-new class taught by Scott Graham. One of Scott’s outstanding qualities is his passion for helping Christians grow in spiritual formation. Join him in the Library for a new study on spiritual gifts. You’ll learn about the Holy Spirit and how he empowers every believer with gifts to edify and bless. Explore how God has gifted you, how you can be a part of blessing Christ’s body and make some great friends in the process!
Small Group Update
As you plan your fall calendar, don’t forget to leave room for small groups! We will follow along with Gerrit’s sermon series on Ephesians. Group discussion questions will be available starting Sunday, September 10. If you are interested in joining a group or leading a new one, connect with Kelly Wood (kelly@fpcbr.org).
Right Now Media
Do you know that our church pays for a subscription for all congregants of FPC to Right Now Media? Not sure what Right Now Media is and why we’d make this subscription complimentary to you? At First Presbyterian, we believe that God is to be worshiped in spirit and in truth. To do so, Scripture tells us to renew our minds and think about things that are pleasing to the Lord. Right Now Media is an online platform of countless videos and resources to help equip you in your journey to follow Christ. Looking for a good Bible study on a particular book of the Bible? Looking for an engaging and educational kids series for your little ones? Do you want practical Christian teaching on a topic like battling anxiety or forgiving those that have harmed you? Right Now Media has a treasure trove of content waiting for you to discover. Many have compared the entertainment section to a Christian version of Netflix, or the teaching section to an online seminary experience. Visit our church website to create your account and enjoy all that Right Now Media has to offer. We trust it will benefit you greatly in your effort to be a disciple of Christ and disciple others.
Many times we look at our church financials as if we were a business with income, expenses and net profit. What we are really looking at are our offerings to God given out of love and obedience and the investments we hope to make advancing God’s kingdom. In advance of each budget year, we try to balance anticipated offerings with our investments in God’s work. It is much easier to plan for those investments than it is to anticipate the amount of offerings. Please know your Finance Committee is praying that God will enable all of you to give generously.
The outpouring of love from everyone has made for a brighter Christmas for the children in Iowa, Louisiana. We have blessed 600 families with gifts that included bicycles, Barbie dolls, sports equipment, puzzles, books, board games and a variety of toys. The love continued with the purchase of food for 75 Christmas boxes which were delivered to the poor in Iowa. These residents were overwhelmed with your generosity this Christmas. Thank you from everyone in Iowa and especially for supporting all of our efforts the past four months in hurricane relief cleanup. A huge thank you to all of the volunteers who have traveled with me since August 30 and to our First Presbyterian Church family for donating money and resources to help our brothers and sisters in southwest Louisiana after two hurricanes! Relief work resumes January 6. Anyone is welcome to join us. We leave the church parking lot at 6.30 am sharp. Bring sturdy work gloves!
Last Sunday, we gathered for worship and worked through the newness of masks and social distancing. The joy was palpable from singing and praying in the same room. It was great to be back.
So join us! No need to sign up. Just come for 9 am Contemporary and 11 am Classic Reformed.
As of now, there is no gathered Sunday school or nursery, but we will let you know as soon as this is figured out. For the foreseeable future, we will continue to follow guidelines regarding wearing masks, using the North Blvd entrance, and sitting in designated distancing areas by household groups.
Wonderful because we can be together in our Sanctuary.
Weird because we have to wear masks and continue with those annoying social distancing practices.
Service times have changed to 9 am and 11 am.
For those worshiping in the Sanctuary, plan to arrive early and use the North Boulevard entrance. We're asking everyone to please wear a mask.
Both services will continue to be livestreamed.
There will be no Sunday school or nursery provided.
No matter what happens, God's seed and harvest time never stops: even during a pandemic. Albert & Adraine White of sister church Abounding Love Ministries, share how our seeds of love via social media, texts, phone calls, food donations . . . are the seeds of Christ's love. Genesis 8: 22.
Darin Travis is the First Presbyterian Church Director of Discipleship. He and his wife Barat, have tapped into the RightNow Media resource of over 20,000 Biblical videos. It's like Netflix for Christian Bible study!
Retired oncologist, hematologist and FPC member Frederic Billings tells us why we should give blood, not only during the COVID crisis, but always.
Caring to Love is also doing extraordinary ministry during the pandemic. We praise God for Dorothy Wallis and all she does for women seeking counsel on what to do with their pregnancy.
Abounding Love Ministries is doing well as they have received help with the Payroll Protection Program. We praise God for our sister church and all that God is doing through them. Albert and Adriane White, John Norwood and other church members pray at the state capital for our elected officials each Saturday morning during the pandemic.
Ministry Executive Barry Phillips reports on how your financial generosity is helping at this time.
What is God teaching the Magruders in isolation from the field?
Counselor Cheryl Brodnax has some tips on how to help your kids combat anxiety during these stay-at-home times?
1) Be mindful of what you discuss in front of your children
2) Give your kids opportunity to talk
3) Structure is a good thing
4) Help them feel connected to friends
5) Give your children grace
Pastor Ben Cunningham of Church of the Resurrection in NOLA helps us understand the Great Commission and saying "yes" under seemingly impossible circumstances.
Middle School and Girls Ministry Leader Paula Walker shares what God is doing in our students' lives in these days at home.
Noah Pourciau, Assistant Director of Youth for High School and Boys, discusses what he has learned after a month of confinement.
Mitzi and Chuck Barber discuss what they've learned being in the house together every hour of every day.
Associate Pastor of Missions Whitney Alexander shares ways to keep these days meaningful through helping others.
Nancy and Rick Spiller & friends reflect on isolation on Good Friday and our Lord's passion.
Elder and professional counselor Sue Miley discusses the difficulty people are having in making decisions in uncertain times and the process she uses for moving forward.
Gerrit explains how to prepare for participating in Thursday’s 7 pm Service of Shadows. Four candles, a piece of bread and a cup of wine or juice, and you’re set to interact with the passion of Jesus and connect to him, together with our whole church, through the Lord’s Supper.
Links to watch the Service of Shadows are below. The video will be available at 7 pm Thursday, April 9.
Our beloved pastoral care minister Jim Solomon invites us to the challenge of Tuesday lunch-fasts and how such practice can ignite your prayer life. Jim also asks that you check out the guidelines and insights on fasting that are included on our denomination’s website (epc.org) especially if you will fast not only on Tuesdays at lunch time but also the entire day on Good Friday, April 10.