Hello and good Saturday evening to each of you. I hope your week went well. May your weekend be restful and blessed!

I received our church newsletter in the mail this morning and was pleasantly surprised about the context of it. My point in saying that would be I have been struggling with some things lately and they have been consuming my thoughts. Most people who know me and have known me for quite some time know and understand my little quirks. I have always been pretty straightforward. I am reminded more times than not about watching what I say, how I say and to whom it is said. Doing so has caused me to be a little more agitated than I wish to be. One should never have to completely change or be the sole party in trying to correct a situation.

This thought process leads me to the note our pastor has in the April newsletter. He couldn't have selected a better time for that note. Unity is not only important in church, sports, and things of that nature. Unity also needs to be practiced on the job, in the home, in the day-to-day happenings with people in general. When a united front is not presented, it allows for chaos and confusion that can lead to hurt feelings.

When we act of our own accord, without putting God in control, we are allowing Satan to have a stronger hold on us. He doesn't need any more power than he already has.

Our Minister of Students also had a thought-provoking note in April's newsletter. His topic centered on refueling/recharging the "batteries". We all need to be encouraged and lifted up. No matter where, when or how. A quiet time away from the world spent in communion with our Lord and Savior is a very vital part of our walk with Christ. When we go astray it most always ends in discord and disappointment.

My prayer for each of you is that we all strive harder to work together and present a united front whether it's in the midst of adversity or not.

All of this leads me to our upcoming revival. It will be held the week of April 20-23. Services will begin Sunday night, April 20th at 6pm and the following evenings service will begin at 7pm. The guest speaker will be the pastor of Northside Baptist Church in West Columbia. Please be in prayer for our guest speaker as well lifting up our revival services. May God speak to us and we will be refueled/recharged; eager to do His work!

Tomorrow evening will bring a special evening service. Troy Widener will be performing at 6pm in the sanctuary. I haven't had the opportunity hear this young man, but it is my understanding that those who have have been blessed! God works in so many ways and through so many people. It is encouraging to see them using their talents for God's glory!

We will observe the Lord's Supper on Sunday, April 6th. Everyone is invited and encouraged to be in attendance to observe this special time of worship and reflection.

The April birthday celebration will take place on Wed., April 9th. If you or someone you know is having a birthday in April, invite them to join in the food and fellowship!

Our quarterly church conference will be held on Sunday, April 13th. One of the items of business will be electing our Nominating Committee and our Trustees!

The Women on Mission will meet on Wed., April 16th. All the ladies of our church are invited and encouraged to attend.

The XYZ club will have their monthly meeting on Friday, April 18th in the fellowship hall. The meeting will begin at 6:30pm in the fellowship hall. Those in attendance will be playing the fun game of BINGO! It is requested that those who are taking part in the fellowship, food and fun bring along a wrapped BINGO orize.

Vacation Bible School will be held June 8th-12th. If you are interested in or area willing to assist/teach a class, please refer to your newsletter or contact the church office to know who to contact.

The youth and children have a busy month ahead! The Children's Ministry consists of the following:

Kid's open gym on Saturday, April 5th from 10am-12pm. They also have a putt-putt trip scheduled for Sat., April 12th from 11am-3pm.

The youth activities are as follows:

Open gym on Friday, April 4th from 6-9pm.
SNAC will be held on Sunday, April 20th following the evening service.
Youth bowling trip on Friday, April 18th.
Lasagna fundraiser on Monday, April 21st.

Youth and Children's Committee meetings are as follows:

Children's Committee Meeting: Sat., April 5th during open gym.
Youth Committee Meeting: Sunday, April 6th beginning at 3:30pm.

Other items of interest are the Associational Meeting being held at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Thursday, April 17th. The evening meal will be served at 6pm and the meeting begins at 6:45pm.

Men's breakfast is scheduled for Sunday, April 20th. All the men of our church are invited and encouraged to attend.

I believe that covers all I have for now. May you have a restful evening. Take care and God bless!

In Christian Love,

Tina :-)

He is Risen!

Hello and good Saturday evening to each of you. Tomorrow we will celebrate our Savior's resurrection. It still amazes me that He would love us so much to die on a cross to save us from our sins. And I am so thankful that He did!

As Christians, Easter means a time of re-birth or renewal. Taking off the old and putting on the new. Very much like accepting Christ and being baptized.

Our services will begin at 7am, Sunrise service. The community is invited to attend the service followed by a time of breakfast, celebration and fellowship. Sunrise service will take place at North FBC this year.

Sunday School and morning worship will stay with their normal times (9:45am for Sunday School & 11am for worship). There will be no evening services.

May each of you be touched this Easter Sunday in a way that only God can do! Until next time, take care and God bless!

In Christian Love,

Tina :-)

Egg-Hunting Fun!

Good Friday evening to each of you. I hope had a good and blessed week. We have several items on the agenda for this weekend.

Tonight the XYZ Committee had their monthly meeting in the fellowship hall. The guest speaker was Deloris Zeigler. Her focus this evening was in regards to her experiences on her mission trip to Kenya. There are so many people who need to hear the word of God. The people He chooses to spread His word to those in need of hearing it are a blessing to those they meet. Praise God for them and the work they do!

There will be an Easter egg hunt tomorrow afternoon (March 15th) from 4pm-7pm for children of all ages. Everyone in the community is invited to share in the fun, food and fellowship. There will be games and activities for the whole family to enjoy as well. The afternoon will end with a cook-out of hamburgers and hot dogs with all the trimmings. If there is a family you know that would enjoy the festivities, they are invited to attend as well! May God be glorified!

Tomorrow morning FBC Swansea will host a community wide yard sale. This function is intended to raise money for Clay Dixon's medical expenses. This young man has touched the hearts and lives of many people. Some who know him and others who have only read, seen, or heard about him. Rest assured that God's plan holds something special for the Dixon family and all who know them. The yard sale will begin at 8am and will end at 12 noon. All items that aren't sold will be donated to charity.

Sunday evening March 16th will find the adult choir presenting their Easter cantata. The service will begin at 6pm. The cantata is named "In Christ Alone". If it weren't for God's love, we would truly be alone. A lot of work and time is devoted to these presentations. And you won't be sorry that you attended!

Attention Youth: The Awesome Race will be held Sat., March 22nd. Please see our MOS for more information.

There will be a Youth Committee meeting Sunday, March 16th beginning at 3:30pm.

The annual sunrise service is being held at FBC North this year. Sunrise service will begin at 7pm. The folks in and around our community are invited and encouraged to attend. Our regular Sunday morning activities will take place as normal (Sunday School at 9:45am & morning worship at 11am). There will be no evening service Easter Sunday. Come and share in celebrating Christ's resurrection with fellow brothers and sisters-in-Christ.

March 16th will also bring Men's breakfast. All the men of our church are welcome to attend. Breakfast will be served at 8am in the fellowship hall.

Women on Mission will meet Wed., March 19th following the 6:00 supper. All the ladies of our church are invited.

The first day of spring is Thurs., March 20th. The pollen has already started to settle on cards, porches, etc. Allergies will soon be effected and lots of sneezing will occur. Be sure to stock up on allergy medication. Make sure you aren't taking an over the counter product that can interfere with any medication prescribed by your physician. Doing so can result in some not-so-good results.

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

In Christian Love,

Tina :-)

Happenings for the week of March 10-16th

Hello! I hope everyone had a terrific Sunday. I accidentally left some things out in the posts I made last night. Please accept my humble apologies.

A reminder about the birthday celebrations for March. The monthly birthday celebration will take place this Wed., March 12th. Anyone having a birthday during the month of March is welcome to attend.

The XYZ meeting will be held this Friday, March 14th at 6:30pm in the fellowship hall. The guest speaker will be Deloris Zeigler. Ms. Zeigler will be sharing her experiences from the Kenya mission trip. A meal will be provided.

FBC Swansea will have a community-wide yard sale Sat., March 15th from 8am til 12noon to help raise funds for Clay Dixon's medical expenses. The funds already raised are a true blessing for this family, I am sure. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting this wonderful little boy, and I know that those who have will never be the same! I know there is a story here that God wants us all to learn from, I hope we each take the time to listen and allow God to guide us in ways that only He can. Much luck and love to Clay and his family. God speed!

If you would like to donate items to be sold, please drop them off at the church in Swansea, March 8th from 3-6pm. All items not sold will be donated to charity. Please refer to the insert in our March newsletter for further contact information.

There will be a community-wide Easter Egg Hunt Sat., March 15th from 4-7pm on the FBC North church grounds. An afternoon of fun is in store for the whole family. An Easter egg hunt will take place for children of al ages, games and activities for the family, too! The evening will wind down with a cook-out of hamburgers, hot dogs and all the trimmings. Everyone is invited to participate in the fun, food and fellowship!

The adult choir has been working on their Easter cantata. It is entitled "In Christ Alone". The cantata is scheduled for Sunday evening, March 16th at 6pm. Come join our church family as we celebrate through song and drama, the day God's redemption plan was fulfilled. As this Easter approaches, let us remember that Jesus Lives and that we have life in Christ! Amen!

Remember: there will be NO evening services Easter Sunday, March 23rd.

I hope your week is blessing-filled. Until next time, take care and God bless!

In Christian Love,

Tina :-)

Youth & Children's March Activities

Attention parents:

Our Minister of Students has a few goodies in mind for our youth and children for the month of March. Remember to mark the dates on your calendar!


Children's Ministry:

Easter gathering: Sat., March 15th from 4-7pm.


Youth Ministry:

SNAC (Sunday Nights after Church) will be held Sunday, March 9th after the evening service.

"The Awesome Race" will be held Sat., March 22nd. Please see our MOS for more information.

Student Ministry Committees:

Children's Committee Meeting: Sunday, March 9th at 3:30pm in the gym.

Youth Committee Meeting: Sunday, March 16th at 3:30pm in the gym.


Youth Newsletter:

Youth Specialties, one of the best resources for Youth Ministry, is putting out a newsletter made especially for parents that will help keep you better informed of things going on with today's youth. There will be a link to it on the FBC North Student Ministry site soon. Please let our MOS know if you wish to receive a copy of the newsletter in your email inbox.

Remember, the link to the Student Ministry website is: www.fbcnsm.blogspot.com.

A lot of time is put into these sites and I encourage everyone to read them as time allows. If there is anything I have failed to mention here, please email me at nricha4903@hotmail.com. I am happy to add it. And I am sure our MOS would be happy to hear from you as well.

Until next time, take care and God bless!

In Christian Love,

Tina :-)

A Very Windy Day!

The wind has blowing non-stop today. The winds outside can be much like the winds in our lives. There will be days when the wind will blow as a gentle breeze, then there will be days that it will blow with such strength you will think you have stepped directly into a wind tunnel. There are times when I hear people say "God is really testing me today." To them my usual response is "God isn't allowing those things into your life to cause hardship and turmoil." He uses those times in hopes that we would draw nearer to Him. Not farther away.

It is during two seasons that most people seem to enjoy the commercial way of celebrating these events. Christmas and Easter. Now, some people say they aren't going to teach their children about Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, or any of the other "commercially acceptable" characters that line the shelves of stores. That's fine. That's your choice. One important piece of advice though, you can't protect them from life. It's bound to happen. Would you rather be the source of the correct information or have them find out in other ways not acceptable to the manner in which you would have them exposed to such things? Santa Claus is a symbol of love and giving. The bunny is a cute and furry animal who hops around and isn't intended to cause harm. It is up to us as parents, teachers, friends, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc; but most importantly as Christians to teach children the true meaning of Christmas and Easter. As long as a child has a strong foundation in the home and in church, the commercial representatives remain in place, but they take on a different tone when their true meaning/place has been told to a child old enough to understand the difference. When we embark on these notions of not telling them about Santa, the Easter bunny, etc.......they will see it on tv, in stores, advertisments in the newspaper and they will hear it from their friends at school and yes, even at church.

As the Bible puts it, "Teach a child the way they should go and they will not part from it". In other words, if they do stray for a short amount of time or even for a long amount of time, if they have the basic Biblical principles taught to them by God-fearing (which means respecting God, not fearing Him) parents and those same parents live their lives in a way that is pleasing to God, that same child will remember those principles when the time calls for it.

God Himself knew we would stray from time to time. Being the faithful and loving "parent" that He is, He always welcomes us with open arms. Never judging or saying "I told you so" just "I am glad to have you back and I love you. Welcome home, my child."

The month of March has much activity in store. God's hope would be for us to participate in the upcoming events in order to bring honor and glory to Him. If people are attending things just to be seen, you are attending for the wrong reasons. And while I haven't been faithful in my attendance over these past months, rest assured that my faith is still strong and the passion I have for various things still remains.

First off, don't forget to "spring" forward one hour tonight before going to bed. If you don't, you will be late for church in the morning!

Wed., March 12th will be the monthly birthday celebration for March. All those celebrating a birthday this month are invited to be in attendance.

The XYZ will have their monthly gathering Friday, March 14th in the fellowship hall at 6:30pm. The guest speaker will be Delores Zeigler.

Men's breakfast will be Sunday, March 16th (which is also Palm Sunday).

Wed., March 19th will be the monthly meeting of the Women on Mission organization. All ladies are invited and encourage to attend.

Thursday, March 20th will be the first official day of spring!

Friday, March 21st will be Good Friday. And on Sunday, March 23rd, we will celebrate Jesus' resurrection as it will be Easter Sunday! The annual Easter Sunrise Service will be held at North FBC this year at 7am. Family and friends in and around our community are invited to attend! Breakfast will be served in the fellowship hall at 8am. There will NOT be a change in the times of the regular morning services Easter Sunday. There will be NO evening services Easter Sunday though.

I hope none reading this blog entry found this particular entry too harsh, etc. I get very tired of other people who try to force their opinions onto other people. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. You have that right, it doesn't make your opinion the correct one by any means. The only perfect being is Jesus Christ and His word is true!

Until next time, take care and God bless!

In Christian Love,

Tina :-)

March Happenings

Hello and good Saturday evening to each of you. I hope everyone is doing well. March is shaping up to be a busy month. Lots of good things in store.

The deacons will start off with their monthly meeting tomorrow morning (3/2/08) at 8am in the conference room.

The following Sunday will kickoff Daylight Savings time. Don't forget to set your clocks up one hour before going to bed Saturday night. Noone wants to be too late or too early to any upcoming engagements.

The March birthday celebration will be held on Wed., March 12th. Anyone having a birthday this month is welcome to join in the fun and fellowship.

Men's breakfast will be held Sunday, March 16th. Breakfast will be served at 8am in the fellowship hall. If you know of a gentleman who might be interested in attending, please invite him. These gatherings develop bonds with fellow church members that will last a lifetime.

Women on Mission will meet Wed., March 19th. If you know of someone who would benefit from taking part in this wonderful group, do invite them. The meeting is held right after Wed. night supper.

Sunday, March 16th is also Palm Sunday. Each year our church observes the events that led up to Jesus' crucifixion. When we think of how our Lord and Savior sent His Son to die on a tree in order for us to be free, there is no greater love than that. Each day we should strive to become more and more like Christ. Take the time to ask God to place His will and desires on you so that they may bring glory to Him.

Easter Sunday is March 23rd. The Easter Sunrise Service will be held at North FBC this year. There will be a time of fellowship, food and celebration. Everyone in the community is invited and encourage to attend. Sunrise service begins at 7am. There will not be a change in the regular morning services March 23rd; however, there will be no evening service that day.

The XYZ meeting will be held Friday, March 14th at 6:30pm in the fellowship hall. Deloris Zeigler will be sharing her experiences from the mission trip to Kenya. A meal will be provided.

FBC Swansea will have a community-wide yard sale Sat., March 15th from 8am to 12 noon to help raise funds for Clay Dixon's medical expenses. This young man has been such an inspiration. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him personally, but I know he is special and means a great deal to a lot of folks. The amount of money that has already been raised is remarkable. If you would like to donate items to be sold, please drop them off at the church in Swansea, March 8th from 3-6pm. Any items not sold will be donated to charity. Please refer to your monthly newsletter for contact information.

There will be a community-wide Easter egg hunt Sat., March 15th from 4-7pm for children of all ages. Games and activities will also be part of the festivities. The afternoon will end with a cook-out of hamburgers, hot dogs and all the trimmings. Come and bring a friend or two!

The adult choir has been working on the annual Easter Cantata. This musical/drama is scheduled for Sunday, March 16th during the evening worship hour. The title of the cantata is "In Christ Alone". Those in attendance are sure to receive a blessing.

Activities for the youth and children:

The children's ministry consists of the following: Kid's Open Gym Sat., March 8th from 10am-12pm. And don't forget the egg hunt on Sat., March 15th from 4-7pm.

The youth ministry consists of: Open gym Fri., March 7th from 6-9pm.

SNAC (Sunday nights after church) will be held on Sunday, March 9th after the evening service.

"The Awesome Race" will be held on Sat., March 22nd. Please see our Minister of Students for more information.

Student Ministry Committees: Meetings for the children's and youth committees are as follows:

Children's Committee Meeting: Sunday, March 9th at 3:30pm.

Youth Committee Meeting: Sunday, March 16th at 3:30pm.

Attention all Youth Parents: a newsletter is being compiled especially for parents who have children involved in our youth program. This newsletter is being designed by Youth Specialties. The goal for this newsletter is to help keep parents better informed about today's youth. Our MOS is hoping to have a link on the student ministry site soon.

Don't forget to check out the student ministry site from time to time. The link for it is: www.fbcnsm.blogspot.com. Parents will be able to download and print permission slips, etc. if necessary. A lot of hard work goes into these sites and everyone is encouraged to browse them both when time allows.

I believe that's all I have for now. If I missed anything, please email me and let me know. I can be reached at nricha4903@hotmail.com.

Until next time, take care and God bless!

In Christian Love,

Tina :-)