Mark Your Calendar.........

You will need to find a calendar and mark down all the activities that are store for us this month. There are many things taking place and no one should be left out. Our pastor has stated in his note in April's newsletter that there are several opportunities for us to be witnesses in our community, beyond our community and even the other side of the world. We can volunteer our time to sponsor a program called "Good News Club" at Dover Elementary School here in North. We can also volunteer to be trained and equipped to respond to disaster areas in order to minister to people's physical and spiritual needs during a difficult time. We can even allow the Lord to lead us as the International Mission Board is encouraging churches to sponsor teams that on the field doing God's work. The area we have been asked to partner with is an Indonesian Island where 99% of the people there don't know Christ. Allow the Lord to speak to you to see if He would have you participate in a short-term trip or if you would be willing to support someone else that feels led to go. God has so richly blessed us, pray about these opportunities and go where God would have you go.

Our Youth and Children's Minister has also been hard at work. The St. Patrick's Day gathering was a big success. There are some other events on the agenda for the youth and children. The Youth Retreat has been changed. This year the youth will be going to SummerSalt at White Oak Conference Center. They will be at camp June 25-29th. The total cost for the trip is $215.00. Fundraisers will be held to help raise money to cover the cost. If you wish for your child to participate in the fundraisers, they must be present at the fundraisers in order to earn the money. A deposit of $40.00 must be turned in no later than Sunday, May 20th. More info will be provided in the next few weeks. The first fundraiser will be a spaghetti dinner/cake auction April 22nd.

The children will have an Easter Egg Hunt/pizza party Saturday, April 7th from 1-4pm. Sounds like a lot of fun!!!

Big Day Out: more details will be given on Wednesday nights. The first Big Day Out is April 28th.

The adult choir will be performing "The Seven Last Words of Christ" tomorrow evening at 6pm. Light refreshments will be available in the fellowship hall after the service. Communion will be observed during the morning worship hour tomorrow morning. There will be a Deacon's meeting April 1st as well at 8am.

Women on Mission will meet Wed., April 18th at 7pm in the choir room in the fellowship hall. All ladies are invited and encouraged to attend.

The XYZ group will be going to Park Seed in Greenwood, SC on Sat., April 21st. They will leave the church at 8am. They will travel to Greenwood, tour Park Seed, have lunch and return home. Remember to keep them in your prayers during their outing that day.

Craft night is being held each Tuesday evening in the trailer between the McAlhany's and the funeral home. Work continues on the crafts being made for the Christmas bazaar. Proceeds will go toward the purchase of a new church bus. Craft night is held from 6:30-8:30pm.

Revival services will be held Sunday, April 29 through Wed., May 2nd. The Director of Missions from the Orangeburg-Calhoun Association will be the guest speaker. The services on Sunday will be held at regular times (11am and 6pm). The weekly services will begin at 7am. Please remember to prayer for the speaker as well as the services.

Our pastor has a message series prepared for us entitled "Are You Ready for Battle". The services will be based on scripture from Ephesians 6:10-17. Satan is always ready to snare a child of God. Are we truly prepared for the battle of Spiritual Warfare that Satan hones himself for daily?

The Community Sunrise Service will held at North United Methodist Church on Easter Sunday, April 8th at 7am. The minister from North Pentecostal Holiness Church will be bringing the message that morning. There will be no evening services at North FBC on Easter Sunday.

Remember to be in prayer about the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. The church goal for this year is $2,700.00. The total gift goes to support North American Missionaries and their ministries. There are many people who need to hear the love that God has for them. Allow God to speak to you and give as He would have you give.

I believe this covers everything I have for now. I apologize for things being a little out of date order. As you can see, there is a lot going on. I pray that each of you will enjoy the remainder of your weekend and that you will have a blessed week.

Take care and God bless!

Love in Christ,

Tina :-)

P.S. I neglected to mention these two items previously. Please accept my sincere apology.

Men's Breakfast will be on Sunday, April 15th at 8am. All men are invited to attend. Breakfast will be served in the fellowship hall.

Also, there will be a quarterly conference that morning at the end of the morning service.

Holy Week

Many churches across the land will be observing Holy Week this week. It begins tomorrow (Palm Sunday). The story in the Bible begins with Jesus coming into the town on a donkey. People gathered together to welcome Him and sing praises to His name. As the events continued...........the opinions of those same people changed. They went from praising the Holy One to casting many hurtful words and wanting Him crucified because He didn't fit their idea of the Messiah. They wanted to see spectular things as if being presented by a magician. Jesus came to us a humble man. One not given to lavish displays of His power. When He spoke, the winds ceased and a sense of peace fell over all.

And so it went.........Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb. He brought truth to His words 3 days later by rising from the grave and finishing the work He had been sent to do at that time. He ascended into Heaven to be with God. The truth of the matter is........are we any different from those that sing His praises when it suits our needs and turn our backs on Him when things don't go according to our plan? We must remember that He always has our best interests at heart. Whether we understand the outcome or not. It is not for us to know. There are many things we will never understand. The only thing He requires of us is to come to know Him as Lord and Savior. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Through Jesus and only Jesus, will we be allowed to enter into Heaven's Gates.

I encourage each of us during this upcoming week, to truly reflect on the events that led up to Christ's crucifixion. May we find ourselves in the place where God would have us to be. For if we are truly children of God, it will make the resurrection an even greater accomplishment today and all those years ago. Let not His death be in vain, let be a glorious and wondrous thing to proclaim. God loved us enough to send His only son to die for us so that we may live with Him in Heaven. What greater gift is there than that?

Much love to each of you!

Love in Christ,

Tina :-)

Hello and good Tuesday evening to each of you. I hope everyone is having a good week. It's hard to believe we are almost in April. Easter will soon be here. We have so much to be thankful for. The most important thing to be thankful for is that Jesus died to save us from our sins. If we believe in Him, we will see Him in heaven in all His glory! What a wonderful day that will be!

Here are few items on the agenda for the next week or so:

The adult choir Easter cantata is this Sunday, April 1st. It begins at 6pm. It is entitled "The Seven Last Words of Christ". There will be several other folks from other areas joining in the performance. It will surely be something you don't want to miss! Refreshments will be served in the fellowship hall after the service. Come out and bring a friend to hear the message to be received in song!

Craft night is being held each Tuesday from 6:30-8:30pm in the trailer beside Culler-McAlhany Funeral Home. All ladies are invited and encouraged to attend. Work continues on the crafts being made for the Christmas bazaar in December. All proceeds will go toward the purchase of a new bus/van.

There will be a Deacon's meeting this Sunday, April 1st at 8am.

We will be observing Communion on Palm Sunday (April 1st). This is a good time to focus on our walk with Christ and making sure we are walking the walk and talking the talk that God would have us doing.

There is an Easter party planned for the children on Saturday, April 7th from 1-4pm. There will be an Easter egg hunt, games and pizza will be served for lunch. Sounds like a fun time will be had by all!!

I believe that is all I have for now. Until next time, take care and God bless!

Love in Christ,

Tina :-)

Spring is in the Air!

Hello and good Tuesday evening to each of you. I trust you are having a good weekend so far. It is hard to believe that spring will be here tomorrow! As I have stated before, spring is one of my favorite times of the year. I love to watch everything turn green and the flowers blooming. The sense of rebirth and renewal. Tis a wonderful time of year to remember our Lord and Savior and the sacrifice that He made to save us from our sins. We are so unworthy of His salvation and amazing grace. We take so much for granted. From His love for us to the little things in life that most would give anything to have. We need to count our blessings everyday and be thankful for the health we have and the roof over our heads. Praise God for His almighty power and never ending love!

We have lots of exciting this taking place over the next few weeks. The children have been working hard on their upcoming program. You want to be in attendance Sunday, March 25th for the presentation of "Alive, Alive". While preparing for their sunrise service, the children will learn new treasures about God's love for them through the sacrifice of His son. The program will begin at 6pm. Come out and bring a friend.

Speaking of programs............the adult choir has also been hard at work preparing for their Easter cantata. It is entitled "The Seven Last Words of Christ". This muscial was written by Theodore Dubois. Everyone is in for a real treat. Members of the choir of FBC, North UMC, members of Columbia Voice, Lake Murray Symphony and the Columbia Choral Society are combining to make this a memorable and wonderful experience. Come out and reflect on the sacrifice made by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The program will begin at 6pm on Sunday, April 1st in the church sanctuary. A nursery will be provided and a reception will follow in the church fellowship hall.

Women on Mission will meet Wed., March 21st at 7pm in the choir room. All ladies are invited to attend.

The deadline for the newsletter is Wed., March 21st at 9am. Remember to submit any annoucements that need to be included.

I hope I mentioned everything. May the rest of your week be a true blessing. Until next time, take care and God bless!

Love in Christ,

Tina :-)

Hello and happy Thursday to each of you! Hope your week has gone well. We certainly have had some beautiful weather as of late. That is going to change this weekend. Prepare for temperatures hovering around 60 degrees during the day and 34 in the evening. Spring will soon be here............I am thankful for that.

Unfortunately, due to the pollen and the ever changing weather, I have had the joy of a wonderful cold. It's not as bad as it was, but it still lingers. Being sick always makes me happy. On a more positive note, I am thankful that it isn't any worse. There certainly are folks who have far more severe illnesses than a minor seasonal cold. Makes a person thankful for such a blessing. Things can always get worse.

Anyway, on to more important things. The youth will have a St. Patrick's Day party this Sat., March 17th. The gym will be open from 7-10pm. Remember to bring/wear your green. You don't want to be pinched! There will be games and refreshments will be served. Make plans to join in the fun and fellowship!

Craft night is now being held in the trailer beside Culler-McAlhany Funeral Home. This time of creativity and fellowship is held every Tuesday from 6-9pm. All ladies are invited to attend. Work is in progress in making crafts to be sold at the Christmas bazaar this year to raise funds for a new church bus. If you feel that you're not able to make it on the given Tuesdays..........an opportunity to work on crafts for the bazaar can be arranged.

Attention men: Men's breakfast will be this Sunday, March 18th. Invite another gentleman to join in this time of food and fellowship. Breakfast is served at 8am in the fellowship hall.

Women on Mission are scheduled to meet Wed., March 21st. This organization meets in the choir room after Wed. night supper. All ladies are encouraged to attend.

Don't forget about the upcoming performances. The children and adult choirs have been hard at work preparing for these events. You don't want to miss either one!

I hope I haven't left anything out. If there are other items that need to be mentioned here, please email me and let me know. My email address is nricha4903@hotmail.com. Hope to hear from you!

Until next time, take care and God bless!

Love in Christ,

Tina :-)

Daylight Savings Time

Hello and good Saturday morning to each of you. Don't forget to "spring forward" tonight before going to bed. Daylight savings time begins tomorrow. It is starting 3 weeks earlier this year. To avoid being late for any activities you might be involved in, remember to set your clocks up 1 hour before going to bed.

The XYZ had their monthly meeting Friday, March 9th. I am sure they had a fun time of food, fellowship and bingo!

There will be a Youth Committee meeting Sunday, March 11th at 4pm. The meeting will be held in the gym.

Speaking of our youth................there will be a party in the gym Sat., March 17th (St. Patrick's Day) from 7-10pm. Remember to wear/bring your green. Invite a friend to join you and make plans to enjoy the games and refreshments provided!

Work continues on the remodeling of the pastor's/ministry assistant's office. Please remember to check your mailbox (which is located in the hallway outside the counting room). The temporary offices are upstairs in the old Will Connelly class (at the top of stairs).

Let's remember to be in prayer for our children and adult choirs as they prepare for their Easter programs. Much time and effort goes into these programs and your love and support is greatly appreciated!

I believe that covers all I have for now. If I have overlooked anything, please accept my apologies. Until next time, take care and God bless!

Love in Christ,

Tina :-)

Craft Night

Attention ladies: don't forget about craft night Tues., March 6th. This night has been designated as the time to work on crafts for the church bazaar in Dec. Proceeds will go towards the purchase of new church bus/van. Even if you think you might not be able to make anything, you are still welcome to join in the fun and fellowship. So remember to be at the church next Tues. from 6:30-9pm.

Take care and God bless!

Tina :-)

My How Time Goes By!!

Hello and good Thursday evening to you! My how time goes by so quickly. It has been 2 weeks since I last posted anything here. I do apologize. I wanted to take a few minutes to mention some activities that will be taking place.

First off, there will be a deacon's meeting this Sunday, March 4th at 8am.

Our pastor will be bringing some very thought provoking sermons over the next few weeks. The morning series is entitled "The Journey to a Missional Church". The purpose of this series is to allow every member of the church to see and understand his or her role in the local church and the universal body of Christ. As we are aware, we know how important all the parts of our body are. Without certain parts, we wouldn't be able to do the things we do. This also applies to those that make up the church. For without each person doing the work he or she is designed to do, it makes reaching the goal a lot harder.

The evening series will be entitled "What is a Baptist?" This series will explore baptism and who runs the church. While it takes many parts to get the work done, we must remember that God is in control and is the head of the church. If God is not in His rightful place, His desires for us can not be carried out. We must allow Him to lead us down the path He would have us travel.

Men's breakfast will be Sunday, March 18th at 8am in the fellowship hall. Remember to mark your calendars and bring a friend for a blessed time of food and fellowship.

Daylight savings time is right around the corner. Don't forget to "spring" forward Sat. night (March 10th) before going to bed that evening.

The XYZ will have their gathering/meeting on Friday, March 9th. More details to come!

Women on Mission will be meeting on Wed., March 21st right after Wed. night supper. Meetings are usually held in the choir room in the fellowship hall. All the ladies of the church are invited to attend!

The children have been working on their Easter Cantata entitled "Alive, Alive". The program will be performed by God's Kids and Preschool Praisers. The cantata will be Sunday, March 25 at 6pm. Hope to see you there!

There will be an associational Vacation Bible School training at North FBC Tues, March 20 from 6;30-9pm. Speaking of VBS, it will be held during the week of June 3-7th. Remember to be in prayer about this and make plans to be in attendance!

It's hard to believe that Easter will soon be here! We will have Communion on Palm Sunday, April 1st during the morning service. During the evening worship hour, the adult choir will be performing "The Seven Last Words of Christ". You are in for a treat!

The Annie Armstron Easter offering will begin soon. The goal for this year is $2700.00.

Our Minister of Students is hard at work planning activities for the youth and children. Remember to keep the Student Ministry in your prayers and be supportive of its leader and the young people involved. He (MOS) has several activities planned that he would like to have mentioned.

1) There will be a youth party Sat., March 17th in the gym from 7-10pm. Come out and join in the fun. Remember to wear your green! Refreshments and games will be available. Invite a friend or two!

2) Plans are in the works for a Youth Retreat this year. If all goes well, the youth will be going to Centrifuge at North Greenville College in Greenville, SC. Keep an eye out for more information pertaining to this retreat. A sign up sheet will be available soon. They will be going during one of the following weeks: July 9th-14th or July 16th-21st. If you would like more information, go to Lifeway.com and type "Centrifuge" in the search box.

3) Attention students and parents: Listen up during the annoucements during the annoucements for open gym dates!

I believe that covers everything I have for now. Until next time, take care and God bless!

Love in Christ,

Tina :-)