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Have you ever been to Kansas? I have. I went to college with a couple who were from Kansas, Dan and Leah. They got married after our sophomore year. So some other friends of mine and I loaded up for the road trip to Dan and Leah’s wedding. It was quite a trip. First, a couple of us headed out to the Oklahoma panhandle to pick up our other friend. It turns out this was just a warm up for what was ahead. There are a few points of interest in northwestern Oklahoma, but for the most part it’s pretty boring travel. Some bends and curves in the highway and some rolling grassland make up the scenery. Then... we went north to Kansas. A shorter trip as far as the time was concerned, but it took forever! The Kansas landscape is a flat, empty nothingness. Every forty or fifty miles, you’d see a silo and a gas station, sometimes accompanied by a few houses in the distance. It was like driving in a circle – a really boring one – seeing the same thing over and over for hours. Finally, we reached our destination… they got married… happy couple… then we repeated the monotonous journey back through Kansas. Sometimes I feel like our Christian walk and church life is like that trek into the plain plains of Kansas (that’s not a typo). We get on this road of boring repetition, seeing and doing the same things again and again. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us that God will direct our paths. But there’s no reason that path should be unexciting and dull or repetitive. Do something today to make your relationship with Christ more exciting and passionate. Change up the scenery a bit. Upcoming Youth Activities Back to School – Aug 25. Keep your eyes peeled for various activities surrounding this eventful time. See You At The Pole – Sept 24. We’ll be hosting a SYATP Pre-Rally on the 23rd. More details to come. DiscipleNow – Late October. www.plungeonline.com (fbcws youth website) |
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Monday, August 25, 2008 |
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Up coming Children’s Activities August 17, at 4:30 p.m. Drive-in Movie
International Student Household Supply Day for Southwestern Baptist Seminary These students need household items for setting up house keeping here in the United States. Items are to be taken on August 18 from 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the Recreation and Activities Building at 4617 Frazier Ave. For more information, see Gloria Hutchison.
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Happening Now |
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Vision – Part 2 Last time I addressed the priority we have as a church to reach young families. This does not mean we are excluding older adults (see last newsletter article). It does mean we see the necessity of reaching the younger generation of today because they will become the church members of tomorrow. They are also statistically more likely to respond to the gospel message. In regards to those specifically in their 20’s there have been a number of studies that show they are leaving churches in record numbers, more than any other age group. Here is what one study concluded: “A potential reason for this mass exit, Kinnaman says, is an overwhelming feeling among young adults that they are being overlooked by the church. Other deterrents include busyness, a skepticism of church, a lack of commitment and an aversion to traditional methods.” Our church has made a commitment to reaching people for Christ, and specifically young families. We now have on staff a Children’s Minister and a full-time Youth and Education Minister. |
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As many of you heard during the presentation at the last Business Meeting, we’ll be starting our Home Fellowship Groups the first week in September. These groups are an effort to provide a more intimate environment for developing closer relationships among the people of FBCWS and the community around us. This comes from Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” We’ll meet Sundays from 6-8 pm in the homes of some of our members. Our hope is that new groups will form because of the growth we anticipate as a result of the HFGs. The curriculum each group will use will be from one of three categories: Relationship to God, Relationship to the Church, and Relationship to Non-Believers. I personally am really excited about this ministry. It doesn’t replace any of our existing ministries such as Sunday School, but provides an opportunity for outreach in a way that resembles what the early church was doing in Acts 2:47, “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” That’s my desire for our church – that we would praise God with our lives in such a way that the people would notice and God would grow us for his Glory. |
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Coming Soon |
