Church bulletin announcements for the week of 02/05/12
Transportation for Sunday Morning Services
A group of men from the church are re-startingthe van ministry. If you need a ride to church please call Bill Barker at 410-939-2334 no later than 12 noon on Saturday each week. You will be picked up between 9:00 and 9:30 and returned home after the second service (i.e. after the 11:00 a.m. service).
Marriage Works of Harford County
The Fifth Annual Marriage Conference sponsored by Marriage Works of Harford County will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Saint Margaret Parish Callahan Center at 1716 Churchville Road in Bel Air. Early bird rates are: $29.00 for individuals and $59.00 per couple. Conference includes: Continental Breakfast, two keynote presentations: One Key Attitude for Marital Success and Making the Most of Personality Differences; lunch; and four breakout sessions: The Spiritual of Marriage; Understanding Your Financial Personality; Love Thinks; and Smart Stepfamilies (Blended Families). To register please contact: Marie Dekowski at 410-879-2670, ext. 126 or marie.dekowski@gmail.com.
Health Insurance and Food Drop Opportunity
Answered Prayers Ministry is hosting an event that could provide both health insurance and food for those needing either. On March 6 from 3:00-6:00 p.m. we are partnering with Priority Partners to help Maryland residents who don’t have health insurance. Social services will be here to sign people up. We are looking for about 80 people so invitations are going out to other congregations in Havre de Grace as well. The Maryland Food Bank is bringing us 6,000 pounds of food. That is, enough to feed 200 families. This will be the first of monthly food drops on the first Tuesday of the month until June. Make plans to join us now. The location will be our church’s Fellowship Hall.
Business Meeting Reports
All reports (Ministry Team Reports) and agenda items (ministry proposals, calendaring events) for the February Business Meeting must be in the church office by Thursday, February 9.
Church’s Visitation Ministry
The G.R.O.W. Outreach Team has begun meeting to finalize details for the launch of a visitation ministry. They are working through some training material for themselves and they have looked at what resources we have and what we don’t have. Following is a list of volunteers we are looking for. If you are interested in and available for any of these responsibilities, please fill out your name, phone number and the responsibility on the tear-off strip of your bulletin and turn it in to the pastor. Please be praying for this ministry effort.
Scribe – person(s) to neatly transfer name, address, phone number info to visitation cards.
Snacks – person(s) willing to provide light refreshments once a month for the visiting team.
Phone callers – people to make phone calls to individuals/families we are trying to reach.
Visitation Team – folks willing to go with our G.R.O.W. Team members for the purpose of silently praying for the visits and supporting the G.R.O.W. Team member.
Letter or note writers – people who will send notes out to those we are trying to reach through our outreach ministry.
Men’s Retreat
The church’s annual Men’s Retreat is scheduled for Friday-Saturday, March 9-10 at Skycroft. We try to leave about 3:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon, to get to Skycroft in time for dinner. Some men have joined us later due to work schedules, driving down on their own, but our goal is to begin the fellowship among the guys as we travel together. This year, Seth Hawkins, youth pastor at Pleasant View Baptist Church, will be our speaker. He is a dynamic speaker who has taught evangelism and has preached at First Baptist over the past few months. We leave Skycroft in the late afternoon and stop for dinner on the way home Saturday evening. So make plans now to join us. The cost is $70.00, but if finances are a problem, be sure to speak with Don Ratzlaff or Jerry Wiggins so we can arrange a scholarship for you.
Church Survey
In the past two church business meetings, we have voted to do some research on our Sunday morning worship services. The consideration is whether we should go to a single Sunday morning service or not. A team has been voted into the responsibility of researching, surveying and dialoguing with the congregation and that team has been diligently laboring. In the month of February, we will be conducting a survey of the congregation on one Sunday to get some feedback from our members about a number of aspects regarding our Sunday morning worship services. We will be bringing that survey to folks in both morning services, in the Sunday Morning Bible Study and the evening Praise and Prayer service. Be praying for the research team and your part in helping us determine what God’s will is for our services. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Prospective Deacon
The Deacons and Pastor met with and interviewed Greg Sampson, and his wife Ginger, for consideration of ordination as a deacon in First Baptist. We, including Greg and Ginger, believe God is calling Greg to be ordained as a deacon. Therefore, Greg will be preaching at both Sunday morning services on February 26 for your consideration of his call. He and Ginger will share their personal testimonies with the congregation. At the end of each of the services, we will ask you to vote whether you believe indeed God has called Greg into the deacon ministry. Upon the church’s affirmation of this call, we will schedule an ordination counsel and service the following month.
Youth Ministry Developments
Jeremy Simmons has finished his initial class work at Harford Community College and has been accepted at Lancaster Bible College. This is his next step in preparation toward the ministry. This investment will require us as a church to find some people to take up the responsibilities for the youth ministry. Pastor Ron has been co-teaching Survival Kit with them on Wednesday evenings with Jim Hovatter in extensive support efforts. The church voted Duane Dawson and Rick Murray into teaching positions for Sunday Morning Bible Study, but their work and family obligations have limited their involvement. So we are needing teachers/workers for Sundays and Wednesdays by the end of February. Please see William Allen, our Sunday Bible Study Director, to share your interest in this need. |
