This document is the December newsletter from First Baptist Church of Franklinton. It includes information about upcoming church services and events in December, including Christmas Eve services. It encourages members to commit to 30 days of prayer for the Darzi Muslims of India from November 30th to December 29th. It also provides details about the church's annual Lottie Moon Christmas offering for international missions and opportunities for members to engage in missions work.

1. Phone (985) 839-3427
Fax (985) 839-3572
E-mail:
fbc.natasha@gmail.com
Website
www.fbcfranklinton.org
Wednesday Evening Worship
5:00 p.m. Family Supper
6:00 p.m. Activities
Sunday Bible Study 9:15 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship 8:15 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
Sunday Evening Worship
6:00 p.m.
The BridgeDecember 2014
Monthly Newsletter of First Baptist Church Franklinton

2. Paul Watts, Pastorfbc.paulwatts@gmail.com
30 Days of Prayer for the darzi
Each year we come to the Christmas season and prepare to celebrate a blessed moment in God’s redemptive plan. We pause and remember the birth of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus. The King of Glory born in a stable in a little town called Bethlehem. This was a birth hardly noticed by the world in that moment, yet it was celebrated by all of heaven. Why? Why was heaven so excited about the birth of the Christ Child? It is really pretty simple. Those who love and serve God are overjoyed by His plans, which reflect His nature and bring glory and honor to Him. When the angels were able to announce the birth of Christ to the shepherds the heavens burst forth in praise to God Almighty! Are we as excited about the plan of God? Do we long to see it realized? Jesus told His disciples: Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:46-48, ESV) God’s plan is pretty clear. He desires for the Gospel to go out to all nations. We are blessed and should be overjoyed to be a part of this effort.
The theme for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions is “One Sacred Effort.” We all have a part in the sacred effort to reach the nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to pray for the Word to be shared effectively by believers in every part of the world, prayerfully consider how God might want to use us in this effort and give to the work of those who have been called to leave their homes and families in order to take part in this holy work. Our church offers opportunities for all of our members to engage and support international missions through Operation Christmas Child, the ongoing work in the Honduran villages of Guayabo and Buena Vista, and our adoption of the unreached and unengaged Darzi Muslims of India. In view of our Lottie Moon giving emphasis focusing on reaching the ends of the earth with the Gospel, I would like to challenge our church to commit to 30 days of prayer for the Darzi Muslims, November 30-December 29.
The Darzis are considered unreached and unengaged by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention because there is no evidence of any evangelical witness among this people group. The Darzi of India are a group numbering between 1.6 and 3 million. They are spread across Northern India, but they are not difficult to find. Last January a small group form our church was able to travel to India on an evangelistic vision trip and had little trouble, with the aide of some IMB contacts, to find, meet and share Christ with numerous Darzi in the region. We made several discoveries. The Darzi we met were very hospitable, willing to listen and curious about America. Our group was overwhelmed by the scope of the task to proclaim Christ amongst such a large people group. We met some IMB personnel in the country who were very sensitive to the plight of the Darzi, yet their main focus was directed toward other regions or people groups. The Darzi are a group that has common language, lineage, customs, family trade (tailoring) and faith in Islam. Would you pray with us for these who are languishing in the darkness of Islam? Would you pray that these who dwell in great darkness would see a great light, that the light of Jesus would dawn for these who dwell in the shadow of death? (Matt. 4:16, paraphrased) Please pick up one of our 30 day prayer guides and listen for ways you may be involved in this ongoing mission effort! Let’s get excited about the Lord’s plans and be about doing His work until He comes!
A Cup with Pastor Paul
http://acupwiththepastor.blogspot.com
2
Our
Christmas Eve
Candle Light Service
will be Wednesday Evening,
December 24th
at 5:30 p.m.
The people who live in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those living in the shadowland of death,
light has dawned.
Matthew 4:16 HCSB

3. Dale Parker,
Minister to Senior Adults
& Discipleship Training
fbc.daleparker@gmail.com
3
As the Christmas season approaches many people hurry from store to store, and mall to mall in search of the “perfect” gift. But wouldn’t it be nice to give a gift that would last a lifetime? A gift that has a personal touch that no store bought item can match, a gift that anyone can assemble and give because it comes from us; it’s our story.
In the fall 2014 issue of Southern Senior magazine, contributing author Mary Beth Magee lists “8 Reasons Why Senior Citizens Should Be Writing”. I’d like to give you the abbreviated version.
I. No one else can tell your story. You’ve lived a life that is different from everyone else in the world. Your experiences have shaped your perspective. No one else can speak in your special voice.
II. Writing keeps your mind working. The old adage “use it or lose it” applies to mental skills as well as physical ones. The very act of composing sentences and describing situations gives you a mental work out.
III. Writing helps you remember special moments of your life and treasure them. A written account can provide details that a picture or video can’t capture. A photo can show the scene but not the emotions.
IV. Writing can be therapeutic as you work through old issues in a journal or deal literary justice to past experiences.
V. Writing gives you a “do-over” for situations where you don’t feel you did your best.
VI. Writing touches lives. When you share the insights you’ve gained, you help others through their own dark times. How did you make it through? Who helped you?
VII. Writing preserves the story of the human struggle. Young people don’t remember a world of cars without computers, music on vinyl, movies without sound and special effects. What did you do for entertainment? What was your social life like? What was family life like? How did you come to faith in Christ? What was church life like?
VIII. Writing lasts. It outlives the author and creates a legacy for family and friends and people you will never know. Decades from now some reader’s life may be impacted by something you wrote, but what would happen if you didn’t share your story?
I’d like to add a 9th item. Writing allows you to put into words things that may be difficult to say person to person. What are your desires for your children and grandchildren? What do you want to see them become? What are you proud of in their lives? Are there disappointments?
Writing for some may be difficult, while for others it comes easy. Why not start with a favorite memory and then go on from there? Why not start today? Christmas is right around the corner.
God bless,
Bro. Dale
Memory Verses for the
Month of December
December 7 - “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
December 14 - “Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.” Isaiah 7:15
December 21 - “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
December 28 - “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom to order and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:7
If you’re interested in being part of the 2015 mission team to Honduras, there is a Team Interest Meeting, December 7th at 5:00 p.m. in the Fireside room.

4. Cody Thomas, Student Pastor
fbc.codythomas@gmail.com
Christmas is here … and I’m a huge fan of Christmas. If you or I were to ask any child and/or youth in our church what their favorite part of Christmas is, they would most likely say the gifts. We all love getting gifts. A gift is something you do not deserve. A gift cost you nothing. Gifts are great. Gifts are given out of love. Sometimes we don’t appreciate the gifts we get. The “worst” gift of my life happened when I was a little boy. Before I tell you the story, you should know that the reason I put “worst” in quotes is because now I do not think it is my worst gift, but at the time it was.
When I was about eight or nine I had a fascination with dinosaurs. I had all kinds of dinosaur toys. Jurassic Park was my favorite movie, and I pretended to be a dinosaur at times. It was awesome. Dinosaurs were awesome! On Christmas morning I ran into the living room full of excitement. We started opening gifts; one by one my excitement increased because every gift seemed to be better than the last. Everything was going great until I opened a box of bed sheets. I opened the box of bed sheets and then immediately looked up at my mom and said, “sheets!?! Who gets a kid sheets for Christmas?!?” My mother responded with laughter, which didn’t help my situation at all. In my mother’s defense they were dinosaur bed sheets. As a child I missed the point of the gift, I focused too much on the gift itself instead of the giver of the gift. My mother worked hard to find those bed sheets, she got those bed sheets for me because of my love for dinosaurs, she spent time and money on those bed sheets, all for me … and I missed it. I missed the sacrifice of my mother, I missed the love she put into the gift, and I missed the time and energy she put into finding those bed sheets. I missed it.
Sometimes with Christmas, we miss it. We miss the true meaning of Christmas … the Great Giver of Gifts and the Gift. We miss the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, what He had to endure so that you and I can receive the gift of eternal life. We miss the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ, when we cloud our Christmas celebration with things of this world. We miss the true meaning of Christmas when we are too focused on ourselves rather than focused on Christ. John 3:16, “For God (the Great Gift Giver) so loved (the reason He gives gifts) the world that He gave (His sacrifice) His one and only Son (the Greatest Gift), that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Our God is the Great Gift Giver; let us worship Him in this holiday season.
Side Note – Now twenty plus years later, I still know what those Dinosaur bed sheets look like. I know exactly what they look like. I do not remember any other toy from that Christmas, just those bed sheets. That Christmas, I ended up putting those Dinosaur bed sheets on my bed and sleeping on them every night. What I thought was a terrible gift turned out to be one of my favorites.
- Brother Cody
REACHING In & REACHING Out
Student
Ministry Events
Mall Trip
Sunday, December 7th
following the 10:30 a.m. service
Christmas Celebration Wednesday, December 17th 6:00 p.m. bring a
White Elephant gift
Parish Wide D-Now
January 16-18 at
Camp Living Waters
Cost is $55
4

5. Butch Reviere Minister of
Music
fbc.butch@gmail.com
Note from Brother Butch
5
Thank You Mrs. Jerry!!
You’ve seen the Energizer Bunny; well, he would be hard-pressed to keep up with our own Mrs. Jerry Dick. However, her energy comes not from the physical realm but from the spiritual. Her love for Jesus, First Baptist Church, and our community was the driving force in another very successful Keyboard Praise. There were other leaders, of course; but Mrs. Jerry has been the “hub of the wheel”. We do sincerely appreciate all who were part of the presentation…the players, the singers, the bell ringers, and the “stage” crew. There were too many to name here; but it was truly a blessing to see folks from several area churches come together to use their talents to honor our Lord and offer our community a great “kick-off” to Thanksgiving and Christmas.
THREE GIFTS:
Our Christmas Offering
My Life, My Heart, My Praise
“Three gifts, gifts of great significance; gold, frankincense and myrrh were laid at the feet of the Christ Child. These were gifts that could only come from royal treasures. The gifts we bring are of much greater value to the Lord; my life, my heart, my praise, all of my desires, all of my accomplishments, all of my failures, all of the thanksgiving I can comprehend, all of me, the surrender of my imagined authority to the Author of all life, the Giver of every good and perfect gift—Jesus. Messiah.” So there you have the theme as envisioned and penned by the composers of this Christmas musical.
On Sunday morning, December 14th, in both services, our Sanctuary Choir will present this offering of praise, so you will want to be present to share in this worship experience as we all pray the Lord would help us to get focused on the birth of our Savior. Please invite your family, friends, and neighbors to worship with us and pray for our choir as they continue to prepare.
Kids Praising Jesus
On that same day, Sunday the 14th, in the evening service (6:00pm), our Children’s Choirs will be sharing with us Christmas music that they have been preparing. Mrs. Robin Perez directs our older children and will lead them in several familiar carols set to contemporary music. Our younger children, under the direction of Mrs. Sarah Robins, will also be singing for us.
Another part of this evening of worship will feature the piano students of Cara Williams, so you will want to come and encourage these young singers and instrumentalists as they use their talents to lead us in worship.
“Gloria in Excelsis Deo”
Consider these lyrics from one of the songs in the Christmas musical:
My life SURRENDERED
My heart now TENDER
My praise an offering
Lord, to You I bring
My life COMMITTED
My heart SUBMITTED
My praise an offering
Lord, hear me as I sing:
“Gloria, gloria in excelsis Deo.”

6. Wow! And just like that another year is about to come to a close! I am so thankful for the blessing of being able to work with your children over the last six months and can’t wait for the fun things we have planned for the New Year!! And since a perennial favorite New Year’s Resolution is to be more organized, let’s go ahead and get out our brand new calendars and begin marking important dates!
To kick the New Year off, we’ll be hosting How Great Thou ART II on Saturday, January 24th from 10 am until 12 noon. Our project will be a Valentine themed painting called “Create in Me a Pure Heart”. Mrs. Kristina Varnado will again be leading our painting session and the cost will be $5.
Also, it’s not too early to start signing up for summer camps. In 2015, we will be going to two different camps. The first camp is going to be June 15-18 (4 days, 3 nights) and will be held at Tall Timbers in Alexandria, LA. It is limited to the first 40 children currently in grades 3-6 and 10 chaperons. While the final cost of the camp has not been determined, it will likely cost about $150. The $50 deposit is due April 1, 2015, but to sign your child up and hold his spot until then, please see the sign-up sheet in my office on the bulletin board. This is a new camp experience for us and I am so excited to see what it holds!
The second camp is CentriKid. We will be going to Timber Creek Campgrounds in Pulaski, MS for our 8th year at CentriKid! The children and chaperons had a blast at this location and we have reserved 40 camper spots for children currently in grades 3-6. There are 8 chaperon spots available. I expect all of the spots to fill quickly. The dates for this camp are July 27-31 (5 days, 4 nights) and the $50 deposit is due no later than February 1, 2015. The total cost of this camp is $302. Sign-ups for CentriKid are also in my office.
One of the new things we will be doing this year is changing how we raise funds for our summer camps. Instead of the annual cake auction, we will be hosting one or two dinners in the spring. Each student going to camp will have the opportunity to sell tickets for the dinners, with the sales going toward their camp cost.
And while you are marking your calendars, please also go ahead and mark down our Vacation Bible School! It will be June 1-5. If you would like to help out, let VBS Director Mrs. Emily Phelps or myself know!
So, in the midst of the Christmas season, I’ve already got you thinking about the summer! While I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I hope you have a happy and blessed Christmas!
P.S. Don’t forget about the Columbia Christmas Train on Sunday evening, December 21st!
6
“Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world.
The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son.
The only requirement is to believe in Him.
The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.”
-Corrie ten Boom
Kelly McElveen
Director of Preschool/ Children’s Ministries
fbc.playschool@gmail.com
Happy Birthday!
9th - Caroline Sherlin
12th - Hannah Ezell
13th - Abigail Sherlin
17th - Conner Tullos
19th - Lauren Burris
20th - Joseph Carter
20th - Bankston Northcutt
Are you in 6th grade or below? Let me know so I can add
you to my list!

7. 7PlaySchool News
“A grateful heart is a happy heart.”
Always giving thanks to God the Father
for everything, in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ.” - Ephesians 5 : 20
Bears Class
Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. Debbie & Mrs. Marsha
Aiden – the Saints
Allie – my toys
Anna Kate
– my mom & dad
Aubree – NaNa’s house
Brylie
– Mommy & Daddy
Brynlee – my puppy
Carter – Steve
Caydon
– my baby puppy Rocky
Chevy-Rae – dinosaurs
Easton
– my puppy Daisy
Harper
– my mom & dad
Jaxson
– my mom & dad
Kylee – working with my mom & dad
Lucas – my dog Spots
Luke B. – my sisters
Luke C. – God
Makenna – my momma
Parker – my family
Preslee – my dog Lacy
Riley – pajamas
Rylee – my dog Molly
Rylan – Kaydence
Tristen
– my mom & dad
Victor – The Fair
Birds Class
Mrs. Sara & Mrs. Angela
Blair – Mommy, Daddy & Bram
Braelyn – horses
Ely – my cat
Fielder – my mom and dad & Barkley
Graham
– Mommy & Daddy
Grant
– Ninniebelle (his dog)
James – my kitty cats & my cows
Jessie – cows & dogs
Kassi – horses & toys
Katie – God & pizza
Knox – my house & Mommy and Daddy
Liam – my brother Wyatt & colors
Logan – my fishing pole & my sissy
Madelyn
– my family & cows
Marceline
– my Nanny & Poppy
McKinley – my dog Daisy & my slide
Riley
– my dogs & my kitty
Ryland – Mia Claire
Tucker – Mommy and Daddy & food
During November, we spent a lot of time talking about the many things that we love that God has given us. So here is our list of what we are thankful for.
What We’re
Thankful for...

8. Leslie Westmoreland WINGS Coordinator lwestmoreland.ees@wpsb.org
WINGS
Ministry
8
Rooted in Christ,
Wednesday Night Ladies Class starts December 3rd
“The Family of Jesus” Bible Study by Karen Kingsbury
NEW Ladies class starting on January 4th in the Senior Adult Center at 5:00 p.m.
Books Cost $15.00
There will only be childcare for
nursery age children.
(Birth thru 3 years old) for
Sunday night Bible study.
Save The Date:
Pine FBC Women’s Conference
February 27th & 28th, 2015
Speaker: Julie Woodruff
Worship Leader: Lara Landon

9. Children’s Church
Month of December
Kelly McElveen
for ages 3
to
Kindergarten
We will be meeting in
Mrs. Cindy’s Kindergarten
Sunday school room in the
Preschool Department
Sunday Night
Supper
12/7
Cruce, Cowart, Westmoreland, McDaniel, Varnado, Barber & Thomas
12/14
Watts, Schilling, Varnado, Bell, McElveen, Lebo & Thomas
12/21
No Evening Fellowship Meal
12/28
Schilling, Bankston, Burris, Galloway, Waskom, McElveen, Raybourn, & Sandifer
12/7 Stephen McElveen & Hunter Knight
12/14
Jeff Driskill & David Sylvest
12/21
Rusty Knight & Robbie Stringfield
12/28
Jimmy Stafford & B. Burris
Sound Schedule
(Please note schedule changes)
12/7
Stephen McElveen
12/14
Darren Schilling
12/21
Jordan Dale
12/28
Johnny Burris
Wednesday Night
Supper
12/3
Group C - Meatballs & Spaghetti
12/10
Group D - Country Fried Steak
12/17
Group E - Chicken Rotel
12/24
Christmas Holidays No Supper
12/31
New Year’s Holidays No Supper
9Our
December VOLUNTEERS
Nursery Schedule
12/7
Kay McElveen & Judy Simmons
12/14
Whitney Crowe & Sandy Morgan
12/21
Carolyn Knight &
Kathy McElveen
12/28
Hallene Magee & Lou Fussell

10. Announcements
10
$19,000.00
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
Our Goal:
Deacon News:
An ordination will be held on Sunday, December 7th. the following deacon nominees were chosen as active deacons for the term 2015-2018.
*To be ordained.
* Eric barber
Howard gibson
mike hickman
jim morgan
* dick parish
Robbie Stringfield

11. 11Lynn LebourgeoisRhonda Berthalot
The Help Center of Churches
is asking FBC Franklinton
to continue collect spaghetti sauce. The Ezell FamilyWelcome Our New MembersRebekka Stafford
Please join us as we go out
CAROLING
on Wednesday evening,
December 17th
in lieu of our regular
Wednesday night services
at 6:00 p.m.

12. PRSRT STD
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
US POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT NO. 27December 2014
950 Self Street
Franklinton, LA 70438
www.fbcfranklinton.orgFirst Baptist Church Franklinton