Ramblin' Road Trip

We are in the midst of VBS this week, and having a great time. We have been having more than 100 students, both children and adult, and enjoying a great time of fellowship and fun.
Time does move right along, doesn't it? Here we are halfway through 2005 and wondering where the time went. Did you realize that it is almost football time again? The season starts in August for some schools, and that is just around the corner.Then our annual rivalry around the church is between the Clemson Tigers and the SC Gamecocks. As always, us SC supporters are hoping that THIS WILL BE THE YEAR!
Joan and I have been busy trying to put the finishing touches on the Church Directory which will be distributed soon. We are making some corrections, adding some pictures, and trying to present a beautiful, as well as historical, document. I think the pictures look very good, and it will be a keepsake for many of our church family. More details later. Each family who sat for the pictures will receive one Directory for free. If you would like to have an extra, they are 5 dollars each, and must be ordered ahead of time. Once we get the Directory, it will be too late to order more. Will have more to say about this in the church bulletin each week.

As many of you know, we are still searching for a part time minister of music. We did have one applicant who called this week, and our Personnel Committee is in the process of setting up an interview, and also having the young man come and work with our choir and lead in the worship services perhaps on the 10th of July. Please be much in prayer for this person, that he will be the man the Lord has prepared for us.

With our new Minister of Students and Youth, our church seems to have a more exciting attitude these days. Our young people are stirred up and eager to go and do and we are eager to help them. We will be having special activities for the younger children also. Our Youth will be leading the missions action at the nearby Santee State Park for one week in July. God is so good to us!!

"PRAYER WORKS....HAVE YOU TRIED IT?"

Good day to all the blogspot readers. Here it is, Friday again, and lots to things going on in North First Baptist Church. We are getting excited about Vacation Bible School which commences Sunday evening at 6:00 PM with a light meal. We have classes for all age groups, and are expecting a good crowd of students. I am teaching the adults again this year. A special thanks to Lori Creech and to Sarah Wannamaker for all the work they have done, and for those willing workers who helped them. You know, VBS has developed into a theme based emphasis, and this year, we are going on a "Rambling Road Trip". So, the fellowship hall and the classrooms are decorated with road signs, travel signs, traffic lights and such, to really give you an impression of going on a trip. Sounds like a fun week each night next week through Thursday.

Pastor Donny and the Youth got away to their conference on Thursday morning. Donny called me from Gainesville, GA in the PM and said the brakes on the church van had gone out, so he was at a Firestone store waiting for them to repair the brakes. He was able to safely deposit the Youth at their motel before the repair job was necessary. Sondra had followed along behind the van on the trip, so they had transportation until the van was repaired. I did not hear back, so I am assuming they were all able to attend the night session of the Youth Conference last night. Now today, according to his schedule, they will spend from 10 AM to 4 PM at Six Flags over Atlanta, and then from 6:30PM until 11:00PM at the Conference again. Tomorrow, Saturday, they will check out of th motel and go to Turner Stadium for the Braves baseball game. Following that, they will be on I-20 heading back to North. I know some folks who are going to be tired out, but won't they have a good time!

We are into the first week of Listening To The Old Testament audio tapes, and having a good time in the Word of God. We will be doing this for six months at 20 minutes each day, but most listeners are already so far ahead of the planned schedule that they will finish much sooner. What a great way to spend 20 minutes each day.

Pastor Larry and wife Brenda are returning from the annual Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville this weekend. We are looking forward to seeing them, and hearing all about the Convention activities.

Well, that is about all I can think of for this post, just a few announcements and thoughts concerning our church and the programs we are trying to enjoy. We are looking ahead to Sunday and the great time of worship we have. I always try to say that "we are God's people, in God's House, doing God's things, in God's way." It all should focus God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Someday, soon perhaps very soon, we will hear the voice and the shout and the trumpet, and we will be changed and raptured? What a day that will be!

GOD IS SO GOOD....ALL THE TIME!

HELLO ALL: I pray that you are having a great day in the Lord and that you are praising the Lord for it. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I just wanted to post a few comments about the activities of the FBC of North and help to keep you informed of the things that are either going on or that are planned. Of course our big interest now is this coming Sunday, which is Father's Day. We are thankful for our Fathers and for the leadership they provide in their Christian homes. I will be preaching the morning sermon in the absence of our pastor, who will be away to the SBC convention in Nashville. The title of the message is "A man is a man. . ." and is using the text of Psalm 8:1-9 to get us started. A man is really a man,and only a REAL man, when he is a man in Christ. For the evening service, Donny will be speaking for his first time as our minister of children and youth. We look forward to that.

Donny will be taking the Youth on a trip to Atlanta this next week, with a Youth Rally in Gainesville, GA, followed by a visit to see the Braves baseball team play, and an exciting day at Six Flags over Georgia. After three days of that, the youth will be ready to come home!

I am still seeking Bible Listeners as we start our Old Testament Listening program on Father's Day, and extend it through the Old Testament at twenty minutes each day until Christmas Day. What a blessing it will be to hear the Old Testament come alive with the narration of skilled and eloquent speakers reading each precious word. I hope that you will participate along with the others who have committed to do this. Let me know if you need to purchase the tapes, or if you have tapes already. Don't wait too long to start, because it will be difficult to catch up.

More later..don't forget to pray for your church family, and remember that God loves you...and so do we!

BUSY SUMMER APPROACHING!

Yes, we are planning an exciting summer of activities for our church family, especially the Youth. Now that Donny is on board, the children and youth can expect a busy summer. Already this month a trip is planned to Atlanta to see the Braves baseball game with the Baltimore Orioles, and then to an all day trip to Six Flags. Of course, there is also a Youth Bible Conference going on that they will spend most of their time attending. Sounds like a great time for all.

Our new roof on the Fellowship hall is still in progress. The shingles should be installed soon, and then the leak problem will be solved, we pray! Plans are to add a storage building to the rear of the Youth building to hold the sports equipment and such.
We are getting ready to start the Faith Comes By Hearing Bible listening program as we listen to the Old Testament each day for six months. The program stretches from Father's Day, June 19th, to December 25th and asks that folks listen to the Bible for 20 minutes each day. We just finished the New Testament, and now we can get deep into the Old Testament. Not as many of our church family are committing to this program, probably because it requires such a long period of time. I try to encourage our listeners to try each day, and not get behind, because it is easy to do. The main interest is in listening every day, at work, at home, on the way to work, etc.

Also, Vacation Bible school is here again, starting June 26 and going through the 30th. We had a great time last year, and pray for an even better VBS this year. If you can come, please do. We have classes for every age, and I will be teaching the Adult VBS section again this year, and am looking forward to it very much.

Please remember to pray for pastor Larry and his wife, Brenda, as they attend the annual Southern Baptist Convention this month in Nashville, TN. In our pastor's absence, I will be preaching the Father's Day sermon and Donny will preach in the evening service. Come and share with us. This will be the first time most of our church family has heard Donny preach.

Thank you for taking the time to read these ramblings from time to time. I just wanted you to be kept fairly up to date about the activities of your church, and remember that as I write these notes, I have you in my mind and heart. You are a grand church family, and I do praise the Lord that I am able to serve you in some way as your staff member. And I do especially want those who are away from North to know that we love you and pray for you. Let us know how you are doing.

By the way, you can leave a comment on any of these pages by clicking on the red star beside the minister of education tag on these pages. Try it and send me a note.

Thanks again, and my God Bless you in special ways.