Contact us
950 Self Street
Franklinton, LA 70438
Phone: (985) 839-3427
Fax: (985) 839-3572
Prayer Line: (985) 839-3337
Office E-mail:
fbc.natasha@gmail.com
Prayer E-mail:
fbcfranklinton.prayer@gmail.com
Website:
www.fbcfranklinton.org
The Bridge March 2015
Monthly Newsletter of
First Baptist Church Franklinton
God is not calling
us to go to church;
He is calling us to
BE the CHURCH.
Paul Watts,
Pastor
fbc.paulwatts@gmail.com
A Cup with Pastor Paul
http://acupwiththepastor.blogspot.com
2
Christian Living....
Romans 12 is a beautiful chapter in a powerful book. Paul’s
letter to the church at Rome has been a great resource to
the church in defining church doctrine, and its verses have
helped many find salvation through a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ. Romans 12 changes the focus from theol-
ogy to Christian living. Paul wrote in this section, urging the
Christian to be wholly given to the work of the Lord and His
good purposes. This is seen in our worship but is lived out
daily through our relationships. The Christian life would be
so much easier if we only had to be nice to Jesus! He is not
hard to love when we meditate on His grace and mercy dem-
onstrated in the everyday blessings of life, and overwhelm-
ingly shown through the cross. He died in order to glorify His
Father through complete obedience, opening the way for us
to come to God through His perfect blood sacrifice. Through
one perfectly good act of obedience, He overcame the evil of
this world. Jesus is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. He
is our example. This is the basis of Paul’s assertions regard-
ing our love for our enemies and our relationships with a lost
world. Jesus was not overcome by the sin of this world. He
was not influenced to sin, to give into temptation or ever en-
ticed to hate and take vengeance. He was not overcome by
evil but instead completely overcame evil with good. This is
the language Paul used to urge the Christian to extend love
and kindness to his or her enemies: Do not be overcome by
evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21, HCSB)
I often long for the life of the monastery. Monastic life, even
with its self-induced deprivation, holds some allure for those
desiring to know and commune with Christ. Just imagine
what it would be like to be behind the monastery walls, able
to spend extended time alone every day in prayer and Bible
study, only interacting with other monks who love Jesus and
are there for the same purpose. It could not be too difficult
to get along with others, after all, since many of those there
would have taken a vow of silence. While there is great value
in the disciplines of prayer, Bible study, meditation and soli-
tude, Christ is glorified when we live for Him in the midst of,
often in spite of, this evil world. It is through our faithfulness,
patience and love that we overcome the evil of this world with
the goodness of Jesus Christ. When you love the difficult
person, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those
who spitefully use and abuse you, they see something on
display that is out of this world! They see the love of Christ.
This is why we minister to the sick and hurting through Be
the Church Sunday/Week. This principle compels us to
reach out to those overwhelmed by addiction and sin’s domi-
nation through a ministry like Celebrate Recovery. This is
why we would pick up a cross and carry it through the streets
of Franklinton on Good Friday. We are following the example
of our Lord as we seek to overcome the evil of this world with
the goodness of the love of Christ. To God be the Glory!
This year on
Sunday, March 22,
we will be engaging in a
BE THE CHURCH SUNDAY.
We will be encouraging the
entire church to look for ways
they can engage our community
with the love of Christ.
We will not have our regularly
scheduled worship activities. We
will worship our Savior by sharing
His love. In order for this to truly
be a church wide effort, we need
your help!
Do not be overcome by
evil, but overcome
evil with good.
(Romans 12:21, HCSB)
Dale Parker,
Minister to
Senior Adults
& Discipleship
Training
fbc.daleparker@gmail.com
3
	 You may not know this
about me, but I knew former
President Richard Nixon. When he
was selling a home that he owned
on Key Biscayne in Miami, he and
a few of his Secret Service men
came to the Coast Guard Air Sta-
tion while I was stationed there,
and I got to shake his hand.
	 Now you’re probably shak-
ing your head and thinking, “You
didn’t know Richard Nixon. You
may have shaken hands with him
and lived in the same city that he
had a house, but you didn’t know
him.” And you’d be absolutely
right.
	 It’s true, I did shake hands
with him once and told him that I
admired him. He did have a home
in the same city in which I lived.
I knew a lot about him, but our
families never visited each other or
shared a meal together. We never
vacationed together. We never
called each other to say hello and
find out how the other person was
doing. Actually, my knowledge of
him and admiration of him was
based on what had been portrayed
in the media and not a careful
study of his life or his character.
	 So do you see how absurd
it is for me to say, “I knew Richard
Nixon”? How much more absurd
is it for a person to say that they
know God when their knowl-
edge is based on a one-time event
at salvation or once a week at a
church service or a daily devotional
thought on a desk calendar.
	 A. W. Tozer said in his
book, “The Pursuit of God,”
“What a person thinks of when he
thinks of God is the most impor-
tant thing about him.” What do
we think of when we say the word
“God”? Who is He? What is He
really like? What would we say is
His most defining characteristic? Is
it love? Is it holiness? Is it grace? Is
it righteousness? How well do we
really know Him?
	 What does He have to say
about us? What about our sin?
What about the way we worship
Him? What about the level of our
love for Him and our knowledge
of Him?
	 To get to know God takes
time, lots of time, but out of the
168 hours we have in each week,
how much time do we really spend
getting to know God?
	 But God wants us to know
Him. Jesus said in John 15:3, 6,
“And this is eternal life, that they
may know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom You have
sent. I have manifested (made
known) Your name to the men
You have given Me out of this
world.”
	 The things that we pursue
in this life, whether good or bad,
are our gods. It takes great cour-
age to put those kinds of things
away or to put them in the proper
perspective in order to pursue
God. Yet that is the high calling of
everyone who calls himself Chris-
tian.
	 Why not start today? Let’s
ask ourselves how well we know
this God we profess to believe.
If we’re honest, we’ll recognize
that there is an enormous gap
between what we think and what
is reality. But then we can begin
to look deeply into His word and
look deeply into His face. Let Him
warm our hearts as we draw near
to Him. Let’s pursue Him to get
to know Him as if our very next
breath depended on it.		
		
					
	 As always, love in Christ,
					
		Brother Dale
			
“My soul, never be satisfied with a shadowy Christ. I can-
not know Christ through another person’s brains. I cannot
love Him with another man’s heart, and I cannot see Him
with another man’s eyes...I am so afraid of living in a sec-
ond-hand religion. Lord save us from having borrowed com-
munion. No, I must know Him myself. O God, let me not be
deceived in this...I must know Him on my own account.”
Charles H. Spurgeon
Memory Verses for the
Month of March
March 1: “For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
March 8: “All we like sheep have gone
astray; we have turned, every one, to his
own way; and the Lord has laid on Him
the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6
March 15: “For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
March 22: “And it is appointed for men
to die once, but after this the judgment.”
Hebrews 9:27
March 29: “So Christ was offered
once to bear the sins of many. To
those who eagerly wait for Him He
will appear a second time, apart from
sin, for salvation.” Hebrews 9:28
Cody Thomas,
Student Minister
fbc.codythomas@gmail.com
REACHING In & REACHING OutReaching In . . . . . Reaching Out
Student
Ministry Events
4
	 Imagine for a moment
that it’s the 1st century and you
are a disciple of Christ. You start-
ed following Jesus early on in His
ministry. You sat by Him while He
taught about righteousness. You
heard Him call His followers to a
lifestyle that surpassed the cultur-
al understandings of the law. You
listened as Peter told of the night
the soldiers came to arrest Jesus.
You saw Jesus on trial for crimes
He did not commit. You saw Him
beaten to near death all because
the crowd thought He spoke
blasphemy. You saw Him carry
the cross through the streets; you
wanted to help him but you were
afraid. You didn’t know what to
think. You had spent time with
Christ before this, and you knew
His heart. You knew that this
man was different than any other
man you ever met, but you were
afraid. You saw Him crucified
with thieves, and then you saw
your Leader, your Messiah, your
King dead. His body was pre-
pared for burial, placed in a tomb,
the entry sealed, and guards
placed on the outside. Days went
by, and then you heard the news
… Your Leader, your Messiah,
your King had been resurrected.
Your fear of following Jesus at
all cost changed into an unshak-
able faith. You began to see Jesus
for who He truly is, God in the
flesh. Then Jesus gave you these
words found in Matthew 28:18-
20. He gave you a mission, “Go
and make disciples …”
	 The mission that Jesus
gave His first disciples, we do
not need to imagine, because He
gives the same mission to us to-
day, “Go and make disciples …”
He calls us to follow Him, and as
we follow Him we are to make
disciples. A disciple of Jesus is
one who denies self, takes up
their cross and follows Jesus daily.
When Jesus calls us to make dis-
ciples, He calls us to go out into
the world and share with people
His call to follow Him. The word,
“Go” here is best translated from
the Greek, “as you are going”,
implying that Jesus desires for us
to make disciples whereever we
are; as we are going about our
lives we are to make disciples.
	 You and I are called by
Christ to make disciples as we are
going about our everyday normal
lives. He calls us to REACH out
to people in love and tell them of
the good news of salvation. He
calls us to help people all around
the world “make disciples of all
nations,” come to know this Jesus
that we know. Our church exists
so that we as a body of believers
can REACH out to the people in
our community and across the
world and make disciples. We go
to Honduras, India, and other
mission trips with the intention
of making disciples. The reason
for “Be the Church Sunday” is so
we can GO and make disciples
within our community. We are
called to make disciples; let us an-
swer the call and make disciples
as we are going so that our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ is glori-
fied.
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and
on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that
I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always,
to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20
Youth Committee
Meeting
(Parents Welcome)
March 8th at
7:00 p.m.
in the Senior Adult
Center
Butch Reviere
Minister of
Music
fbc.butch@gmail.com
Note from Brother Butch
5
The Cross Changes
Everything
“A borrowed tomb now empty. A
crucified Savior Risen. Once hal-
lowed lives now filled by the prom-
ise of life everlasting purchased by
the blood of the Lamb that was
shed for us. Christians everywhere
have reason to rejoice! Our victori-
ous Champion died on the cross,
but now lives and reigns and offers
forgiveness and redemption for all
who will believe! The thought of the
cross is no longer dark and frighten-
ing, but is instead the symbol of our
hope and freedom!”
“With narration from Peter’s per-
spective, The Cross Changes
Everything is a heart-stirring new
musical for Easter that takes us on
a journey from Peter’s call to leave
his fishing nets behind, the trium-
phal entry, the grueling walk down
the Via Dolorosa, the crucifixion,
and to Jesus’ ultimate victory over
the grave!”
The above is your introduction to
the Easter musical to be presented
by our Sanctuary Choir on Sunday
morning, March 29th, in both ser-
vices. Brother Dale will be in cos-
tume as the Apostle Peter and will
provide narration as we walk with
him through the unfolding of the
Gospel story. The musical is just 42
minutes long, so Brother Paul will
have ample time to present an in-
vitation to those present who may
not have yet committed their lives
to Jesus. Please join us in praying for
many to commit their lives to Jesus
during this Easter season.
Also Coming Soon . . .
Our children’s choir will be singing
and presenting a creative movement
interpretation of the classic song,
Arise, My Love. It is a stirring re-
minder of the crucifixion and resur-
rection of our Lord. Watch the bul-
letin for the date; you will not want
to miss it!
Another offering of worship mu-
sic by the combined Sanctuary
Choir, Senior Singers, and the Bell
Choir will be tentatively presented,
on March 15th. We appreciate Ben
Fussell and Jimmy Wales (and oth-
ers…you know who you are!!) for
helping get the bells and tables from
the choir room to the sanctuary and
back!
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your
hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God
the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:16-17
6
Kelly McElveen
Director of Preschool/
Children’s Ministries
fbc.playschool@gmail.com
Happy Birthday!
Kailey Cosse - 6th
Rhett Schilling - 7th
Rebekah Singleton - 13th
Lola Robins 16th
Grace Burris - 20th
June Westmoreland - 24th
Sammy Phelps - 26th
Belated Birthday Wishes to
Owen Parent - Feb. 4th
Trenaty Bragg - Feb. 11th
Are you in 6th grade or below?
Let me know so I can add
you to my list!
Summer Camp Parent Meetings (CentriKid & Tall Timbers)...
Please attend one of the two meetings. We will be discussing
fundraising opportunities.
Wednesday, March 4th at 7p.m. upstairs in the Children’s Dept.
OR Sunday, March 8th at 5 p.m. upstairs in the Children’s Dept.
$50 deposit for CentriKid is due at this meeting.
Preschool Committee Meeting
Sunday, March 8th at 7:00 p.m. in the Bears Room
(Preschool Dept.)
Children’s Committee Meeting on Sunday, March 15th
at 5 p.m. upstairs in the Children’s Department. Parents of 1st
through 6th graders are also welcome to attend as we will be
discussing our summer activities.
Be The Church Sunday is, Sunday March 22nd. Nursery will
be available throughout the morning and afternoon for infants
and toddlers whose parents are participating. Children ages 3
through 2nd grade will have other missions activities based here
at the church. A more detailed letter of the activities we will be
doing will be sent through the mail.
Preschool Easter Luncheon & Egg Hunt is Sunday, March 29th
following second service in the Family Life Center. Luncheon is
for Nursery age children-Kindergarten and their families. Egg
Hunt is for Nursery age children - Kindergarten. There will
be someone to keep older siblings during the egg hunt. Please
bring a basket with 12 filled plastic eggs.
Great Red Easter Egg Hunt (Grades 1-6) will be Wednes-
day, April 1st at 6:30 p.m. We will need drivers and “co-pilots”.
Please let me know if you are available to drive or assist. Each
car must have two adults.
If your child is participating in any local Spring sports, please send me a
copy of his/her schedule. I would love to come see them play!
	 Wishing you a
	 March filled with
	 His blessings,
				Kelly McElveen
7
PlaySchool News
Registration for the 2015-2016 School Year
for 3 & 4 year olds begins March 16th
Offering three different programs
from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
For more information, call the church office at
839-3427 or check out our website at
www.fbcfranklinton.org/Ministries/PreschoolChildrens/PlaySchool.aspx
“See that you don’t look down on one of these little ones,
because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually
view the face of My Father in heaven.”
-Matthew 18:10 HCSB
Leslie Westmoreland
WINGS Coordinator
lwestmoreland.ees@wpsb.org
WINGS
Ministry
8
Ladies Tea Planning Meeting
Sunday, March 1st at 5:00 p.m.
in the Senior Adult Center.
Save the Date:
	 Ladies Tea, Saturday April 18th, 2015
New Ladies Bible Study
A Confident Heart - By Renee Swope
Offered two different days
Wednesday nights at 6:00 p.m. - Starts March 4th
	 Sunday nights at 5:00 p.m. - Starts March 8th
Both meet in the Senior Adult Center - Book Costs $12
	 New WINGS Shirts are coming soon!
	 To get yours, sign-up on the
	 WINGS Bulletin Board.
	 Cost is $15 each.
March News
Women in
God’s Service
New Ladies Sunday
School Class to begin
Sunday, March 1st
in the Annex, Room 502.
Children’s
Church
Month of
March
Kristi Crain (1st, 8th)
Brittany Sherlin
(15th, 29th)
for ages 3
to
Kindergarten
We will be meeting in
Mrs. Cindy’s Kindergarten
Sunday school room in the
Preschool Department
Sunday Night
Supper
3/1
Knight, Rester, Varnado,
Branch, Wales, Kirby &
Fortenberry
3/8
McVea, Knight, Phelps, Knight
& Knight
3/15
Kennedy, Stringfield, Driskill,
Thomas, Tabor, Burris &
Waskom
3/22
No Supper,
Be the Church Sunday
3/29
Barber, Russell, Stringfield,
Perez & Keaton
3/1
Stephen
McElveen
& Hunter
Knight
3/8
Jeff Driskill
& David
Sylvest
3/15
Eric Barber
& Robby
Stringfield
3/22
Jimmy
Stafford &
B. Burris
3/29
Stuart
Varnado &
Warren
Cooke
Sound Schedule
(Please note schedule changes)
3/1
Mack McElveen
3/8
Matt Westmoreland
3/15
Stephen McElveen
3/22
Darren Schilling
3/29
John Burris
Wednesday Night
Supper
3/4
Group D - Country Fried 	
	 Steak
3/11
Men’s Group - Smoked 	
		 Chicken
3/18
Group E - Chicken Rotel
3/25
Group A - Pulled Pork
9
Our
March VOLUNTEERS
Nursery Schedule
3/1
Mary Mobley &
Stephanie Cavanagh
3/8
Brittany Sherlin &
Renee Sandifer
3/15
Sally Foy & Angela McVea
3/22
Jennifer Walle &
Carolyn Knight
3/29
Ann Hingle &
Velma Crowe
10
Be The Church Sunday, March 22nd
This year on Sunday, March 22nd, we will be engaging in a BE THE
CHURCH SUNDAY. We will be encouraging the entire church to look
for ways they can engage our community with the love of Christ. We
will not have our regularly scheduled worship activities. We will
worship our Savior by sharing His love. In order for this to truly be
a church wide effort, we need your help!
March 22nd Schedule
8:30 a.m. - Meet in the Family Life Center for Devotion and send-off.
Lunch - will be provided at ministry locations
2:00 P.M. - Return to Family life Center for a time of
Praise, Report and Testimony
Please help by praying for this Sunday of outreach and signing up to
participate through your Sunday School class.
Be The Church Week March 22-27, 2015
Monday – Friday: Teams will meet each day at 7:30 a.m. at
Hillcrest Baptist Church and head out to job sites.
Missions
The Lashey family has made
Middletown, Del., their home where
they helped launch LifeHouse
Church. Mark and Tammy are parents
of Abby-Jane, 14, Hudson, 12, and
Sophia, 9. Mark Lashey is a 2015
Week of Prayer missionary for Send
North America.
NAMB photo by Colby Ware
Our Goal is $10,000
Missions Opportunity:
Mission India 2015
October 17th-30th, a group from our church
will be heading to India to share the Gospel with
Darzi Muslims. The Darzi are an unreached,
unengaged people group. Please pray the Lord
will burden those He would have take part in this
trip. Prayerfully consider whether the Lord may
want you to step out in this way.
Please contact Brother Paul if you have any
questions or would like to sign up for the trip.
Local Missions
North American Missions
International Missions
11
Welcome to Our Church Family
Peyton Jason Russell
Proud Parents: Elizabeth & Jason Russell
Born January 8th at 3:43 p.m., he weighed 6 lbs. 6 oz. and was 19 inches long
Grandparents are Mr. Gary & Mrs. Kay Haynes of Franklinton, LA
and Rev. Larry and Mrs. Belinda Russell of Summit, MS
Big Sister is Hallie Elizabeth Garner
Paul Ashton Carpenter
Proud Grandparents: Cathy & James Milner
Born on January 18th, he weighed 9 lbs. and 7.2 oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long.
Parents are David and Miranda Carpenter
Big Brother is Judah Carpenter
Evelyn James Crain
Proud Grandparents: Linda & Robert Crain
Born on January 29th, she weighed 8 lbs. and was 20 inches long.
Parents are Matt and Heather Crain
Siblings are Hannah Grace and Wilson Crain
Maternal Grandparents are Suzanne & Jimmy Still
Truett Edward Morgan
Proud Grandparents: Sandy & Jim Morgan
Born on February 2nd, he weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was 20 inches long.
Parents are Justin and Cacy Morgan of Alexandria, La
Birth Announcements
        Operation
Christmas Child
March Items to Collect:
- Plastic cups, bowls and
Metal Spoons
Hunter Chapman
Brent Graham
with Daughter, Newman
New
Members
Seven-Fourteen Prayer Ministry
In preparation for the
National Day of Prayer on
May 5th, you are encouraged
to be a part of the “Seven-
Fourteen Prayer Ministry
from March 4th to May 4th,
simply by praying for at least
21 minutes each day.
When you pray, focus in two
directions. First: Praise and
Thanksgiving for What He is
Doing. Spend about 7 minutes.
Second:Intercessory Prayers,
Prayers for our church, our
school, our community, our
nation and leaders, and oth-
ers that God brings to your
mind and heart. Spend about
14 minutes.
You may find that designating
either 7:14 a.m. or 7:14 p.m.
as your prayer time helps you
to be faithful to pray. Select
the best time of day for you to
spend in prayer with God and
commit those 21 minutes to
prayer.
Can you imagine what God
can do in our hearts and lives,
in our church and schools, in
our commuity and nation, if
we obey 2nd Chronicles 7:14?
Let’s Pray.
“If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and
seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and
will forgive their sin and will heal their land. - 2nd Chronicles 7:14
PRSRT STD
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 27
March 2015
950 Self Street
Franklinton, LA 70438
www.fbcfranklinton.org
First Baptist Church
Franklinton

March 2015

  • 1.
    Contact us 950 SelfStreet Franklinton, LA 70438 Phone: (985) 839-3427 Fax: (985) 839-3572 Prayer Line: (985) 839-3337 Office E-mail: fbc.natasha@gmail.com Prayer E-mail: fbcfranklinton.prayer@gmail.com Website: www.fbcfranklinton.org The Bridge March 2015 Monthly Newsletter of First Baptist Church Franklinton God is not calling us to go to church; He is calling us to BE the CHURCH.
  • 2.
    Paul Watts, Pastor fbc.paulwatts@gmail.com A Cupwith Pastor Paul http://acupwiththepastor.blogspot.com 2 Christian Living.... Romans 12 is a beautiful chapter in a powerful book. Paul’s letter to the church at Rome has been a great resource to the church in defining church doctrine, and its verses have helped many find salvation through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Romans 12 changes the focus from theol- ogy to Christian living. Paul wrote in this section, urging the Christian to be wholly given to the work of the Lord and His good purposes. This is seen in our worship but is lived out daily through our relationships. The Christian life would be so much easier if we only had to be nice to Jesus! He is not hard to love when we meditate on His grace and mercy dem- onstrated in the everyday blessings of life, and overwhelm- ingly shown through the cross. He died in order to glorify His Father through complete obedience, opening the way for us to come to God through His perfect blood sacrifice. Through one perfectly good act of obedience, He overcame the evil of this world. Jesus is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. He is our example. This is the basis of Paul’s assertions regard- ing our love for our enemies and our relationships with a lost world. Jesus was not overcome by the sin of this world. He was not influenced to sin, to give into temptation or ever en- ticed to hate and take vengeance. He was not overcome by evil but instead completely overcame evil with good. This is the language Paul used to urge the Christian to extend love and kindness to his or her enemies: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21, HCSB) I often long for the life of the monastery. Monastic life, even with its self-induced deprivation, holds some allure for those desiring to know and commune with Christ. Just imagine what it would be like to be behind the monastery walls, able to spend extended time alone every day in prayer and Bible study, only interacting with other monks who love Jesus and are there for the same purpose. It could not be too difficult to get along with others, after all, since many of those there would have taken a vow of silence. While there is great value in the disciplines of prayer, Bible study, meditation and soli- tude, Christ is glorified when we live for Him in the midst of, often in spite of, this evil world. It is through our faithfulness, patience and love that we overcome the evil of this world with the goodness of Jesus Christ. When you love the difficult person, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use and abuse you, they see something on display that is out of this world! They see the love of Christ. This is why we minister to the sick and hurting through Be the Church Sunday/Week. This principle compels us to reach out to those overwhelmed by addiction and sin’s domi- nation through a ministry like Celebrate Recovery. This is why we would pick up a cross and carry it through the streets of Franklinton on Good Friday. We are following the example of our Lord as we seek to overcome the evil of this world with the goodness of the love of Christ. To God be the Glory! This year on Sunday, March 22, we will be engaging in a BE THE CHURCH SUNDAY. We will be encouraging the entire church to look for ways they can engage our community with the love of Christ. We will not have our regularly scheduled worship activities. We will worship our Savior by sharing His love. In order for this to truly be a church wide effort, we need your help! Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21, HCSB)
  • 3.
    Dale Parker, Minister to SeniorAdults & Discipleship Training fbc.daleparker@gmail.com 3 You may not know this about me, but I knew former President Richard Nixon. When he was selling a home that he owned on Key Biscayne in Miami, he and a few of his Secret Service men came to the Coast Guard Air Sta- tion while I was stationed there, and I got to shake his hand. Now you’re probably shak- ing your head and thinking, “You didn’t know Richard Nixon. You may have shaken hands with him and lived in the same city that he had a house, but you didn’t know him.” And you’d be absolutely right. It’s true, I did shake hands with him once and told him that I admired him. He did have a home in the same city in which I lived. I knew a lot about him, but our families never visited each other or shared a meal together. We never vacationed together. We never called each other to say hello and find out how the other person was doing. Actually, my knowledge of him and admiration of him was based on what had been portrayed in the media and not a careful study of his life or his character. So do you see how absurd it is for me to say, “I knew Richard Nixon”? How much more absurd is it for a person to say that they know God when their knowl- edge is based on a one-time event at salvation or once a week at a church service or a daily devotional thought on a desk calendar. A. W. Tozer said in his book, “The Pursuit of God,” “What a person thinks of when he thinks of God is the most impor- tant thing about him.” What do we think of when we say the word “God”? Who is He? What is He really like? What would we say is His most defining characteristic? Is it love? Is it holiness? Is it grace? Is it righteousness? How well do we really know Him? What does He have to say about us? What about our sin? What about the way we worship Him? What about the level of our love for Him and our knowledge of Him? To get to know God takes time, lots of time, but out of the 168 hours we have in each week, how much time do we really spend getting to know God? But God wants us to know Him. Jesus said in John 15:3, 6, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have manifested (made known) Your name to the men You have given Me out of this world.” The things that we pursue in this life, whether good or bad, are our gods. It takes great cour- age to put those kinds of things away or to put them in the proper perspective in order to pursue God. Yet that is the high calling of everyone who calls himself Chris- tian. Why not start today? Let’s ask ourselves how well we know this God we profess to believe. If we’re honest, we’ll recognize that there is an enormous gap between what we think and what is reality. But then we can begin to look deeply into His word and look deeply into His face. Let Him warm our hearts as we draw near to Him. Let’s pursue Him to get to know Him as if our very next breath depended on it. As always, love in Christ, Brother Dale “My soul, never be satisfied with a shadowy Christ. I can- not know Christ through another person’s brains. I cannot love Him with another man’s heart, and I cannot see Him with another man’s eyes...I am so afraid of living in a sec- ond-hand religion. Lord save us from having borrowed com- munion. No, I must know Him myself. O God, let me not be deceived in this...I must know Him on my own account.” Charles H. Spurgeon Memory Verses for the Month of March March 1: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 March 8: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6 March 15: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 March 22: “And it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27 March 29: “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Hebrews 9:28
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    Cody Thomas, Student Minister fbc.codythomas@gmail.com REACHINGIn & REACHING OutReaching In . . . . . Reaching Out Student Ministry Events 4 Imagine for a moment that it’s the 1st century and you are a disciple of Christ. You start- ed following Jesus early on in His ministry. You sat by Him while He taught about righteousness. You heard Him call His followers to a lifestyle that surpassed the cultur- al understandings of the law. You listened as Peter told of the night the soldiers came to arrest Jesus. You saw Jesus on trial for crimes He did not commit. You saw Him beaten to near death all because the crowd thought He spoke blasphemy. You saw Him carry the cross through the streets; you wanted to help him but you were afraid. You didn’t know what to think. You had spent time with Christ before this, and you knew His heart. You knew that this man was different than any other man you ever met, but you were afraid. You saw Him crucified with thieves, and then you saw your Leader, your Messiah, your King dead. His body was pre- pared for burial, placed in a tomb, the entry sealed, and guards placed on the outside. Days went by, and then you heard the news … Your Leader, your Messiah, your King had been resurrected. Your fear of following Jesus at all cost changed into an unshak- able faith. You began to see Jesus for who He truly is, God in the flesh. Then Jesus gave you these words found in Matthew 28:18- 20. He gave you a mission, “Go and make disciples …” The mission that Jesus gave His first disciples, we do not need to imagine, because He gives the same mission to us to- day, “Go and make disciples …” He calls us to follow Him, and as we follow Him we are to make disciples. A disciple of Jesus is one who denies self, takes up their cross and follows Jesus daily. When Jesus calls us to make dis- ciples, He calls us to go out into the world and share with people His call to follow Him. The word, “Go” here is best translated from the Greek, “as you are going”, implying that Jesus desires for us to make disciples whereever we are; as we are going about our lives we are to make disciples. You and I are called by Christ to make disciples as we are going about our everyday normal lives. He calls us to REACH out to people in love and tell them of the good news of salvation. He calls us to help people all around the world “make disciples of all nations,” come to know this Jesus that we know. Our church exists so that we as a body of believers can REACH out to the people in our community and across the world and make disciples. We go to Honduras, India, and other mission trips with the intention of making disciples. The reason for “Be the Church Sunday” is so we can GO and make disciples within our community. We are called to make disciples; let us an- swer the call and make disciples as we are going so that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is glori- fied. “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20 Youth Committee Meeting (Parents Welcome) March 8th at 7:00 p.m. in the Senior Adult Center
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    Butch Reviere Minister of Music fbc.butch@gmail.com Notefrom Brother Butch 5 The Cross Changes Everything “A borrowed tomb now empty. A crucified Savior Risen. Once hal- lowed lives now filled by the prom- ise of life everlasting purchased by the blood of the Lamb that was shed for us. Christians everywhere have reason to rejoice! Our victori- ous Champion died on the cross, but now lives and reigns and offers forgiveness and redemption for all who will believe! The thought of the cross is no longer dark and frighten- ing, but is instead the symbol of our hope and freedom!” “With narration from Peter’s per- spective, The Cross Changes Everything is a heart-stirring new musical for Easter that takes us on a journey from Peter’s call to leave his fishing nets behind, the trium- phal entry, the grueling walk down the Via Dolorosa, the crucifixion, and to Jesus’ ultimate victory over the grave!” The above is your introduction to the Easter musical to be presented by our Sanctuary Choir on Sunday morning, March 29th, in both ser- vices. Brother Dale will be in cos- tume as the Apostle Peter and will provide narration as we walk with him through the unfolding of the Gospel story. The musical is just 42 minutes long, so Brother Paul will have ample time to present an in- vitation to those present who may not have yet committed their lives to Jesus. Please join us in praying for many to commit their lives to Jesus during this Easter season. Also Coming Soon . . . Our children’s choir will be singing and presenting a creative movement interpretation of the classic song, Arise, My Love. It is a stirring re- minder of the crucifixion and resur- rection of our Lord. Watch the bul- letin for the date; you will not want to miss it! Another offering of worship mu- sic by the combined Sanctuary Choir, Senior Singers, and the Bell Choir will be tentatively presented, on March 15th. We appreciate Ben Fussell and Jimmy Wales (and oth- ers…you know who you are!!) for helping get the bells and tables from the choir room to the sanctuary and back! “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:16-17
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    6 Kelly McElveen Director ofPreschool/ Children’s Ministries fbc.playschool@gmail.com Happy Birthday! Kailey Cosse - 6th Rhett Schilling - 7th Rebekah Singleton - 13th Lola Robins 16th Grace Burris - 20th June Westmoreland - 24th Sammy Phelps - 26th Belated Birthday Wishes to Owen Parent - Feb. 4th Trenaty Bragg - Feb. 11th Are you in 6th grade or below? Let me know so I can add you to my list! Summer Camp Parent Meetings (CentriKid & Tall Timbers)... Please attend one of the two meetings. We will be discussing fundraising opportunities. Wednesday, March 4th at 7p.m. upstairs in the Children’s Dept. OR Sunday, March 8th at 5 p.m. upstairs in the Children’s Dept. $50 deposit for CentriKid is due at this meeting. Preschool Committee Meeting Sunday, March 8th at 7:00 p.m. in the Bears Room (Preschool Dept.) Children’s Committee Meeting on Sunday, March 15th at 5 p.m. upstairs in the Children’s Department. Parents of 1st through 6th graders are also welcome to attend as we will be discussing our summer activities. Be The Church Sunday is, Sunday March 22nd. Nursery will be available throughout the morning and afternoon for infants and toddlers whose parents are participating. Children ages 3 through 2nd grade will have other missions activities based here at the church. A more detailed letter of the activities we will be doing will be sent through the mail. Preschool Easter Luncheon & Egg Hunt is Sunday, March 29th following second service in the Family Life Center. Luncheon is for Nursery age children-Kindergarten and their families. Egg Hunt is for Nursery age children - Kindergarten. There will be someone to keep older siblings during the egg hunt. Please bring a basket with 12 filled plastic eggs. Great Red Easter Egg Hunt (Grades 1-6) will be Wednes- day, April 1st at 6:30 p.m. We will need drivers and “co-pilots”. Please let me know if you are available to drive or assist. Each car must have two adults. If your child is participating in any local Spring sports, please send me a copy of his/her schedule. I would love to come see them play! Wishing you a March filled with His blessings, Kelly McElveen
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    7 PlaySchool News Registration forthe 2015-2016 School Year for 3 & 4 year olds begins March 16th Offering three different programs from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. For more information, call the church office at 839-3427 or check out our website at www.fbcfranklinton.org/Ministries/PreschoolChildrens/PlaySchool.aspx “See that you don’t look down on one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven.” -Matthew 18:10 HCSB
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    Leslie Westmoreland WINGS Coordinator lwestmoreland.ees@wpsb.org WINGS Ministry 8 LadiesTea Planning Meeting Sunday, March 1st at 5:00 p.m. in the Senior Adult Center. Save the Date: Ladies Tea, Saturday April 18th, 2015 New Ladies Bible Study A Confident Heart - By Renee Swope Offered two different days Wednesday nights at 6:00 p.m. - Starts March 4th Sunday nights at 5:00 p.m. - Starts March 8th Both meet in the Senior Adult Center - Book Costs $12 New WINGS Shirts are coming soon! To get yours, sign-up on the WINGS Bulletin Board. Cost is $15 each. March News Women in God’s Service New Ladies Sunday School Class to begin Sunday, March 1st in the Annex, Room 502.
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    Children’s Church Month of March Kristi Crain(1st, 8th) Brittany Sherlin (15th, 29th) for ages 3 to Kindergarten We will be meeting in Mrs. Cindy’s Kindergarten Sunday school room in the Preschool Department Sunday Night Supper 3/1 Knight, Rester, Varnado, Branch, Wales, Kirby & Fortenberry 3/8 McVea, Knight, Phelps, Knight & Knight 3/15 Kennedy, Stringfield, Driskill, Thomas, Tabor, Burris & Waskom 3/22 No Supper, Be the Church Sunday 3/29 Barber, Russell, Stringfield, Perez & Keaton 3/1 Stephen McElveen & Hunter Knight 3/8 Jeff Driskill & David Sylvest 3/15 Eric Barber & Robby Stringfield 3/22 Jimmy Stafford & B. Burris 3/29 Stuart Varnado & Warren Cooke Sound Schedule (Please note schedule changes) 3/1 Mack McElveen 3/8 Matt Westmoreland 3/15 Stephen McElveen 3/22 Darren Schilling 3/29 John Burris Wednesday Night Supper 3/4 Group D - Country Fried Steak 3/11 Men’s Group - Smoked Chicken 3/18 Group E - Chicken Rotel 3/25 Group A - Pulled Pork 9 Our March VOLUNTEERS Nursery Schedule 3/1 Mary Mobley & Stephanie Cavanagh 3/8 Brittany Sherlin & Renee Sandifer 3/15 Sally Foy & Angela McVea 3/22 Jennifer Walle & Carolyn Knight 3/29 Ann Hingle & Velma Crowe
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    10 Be The ChurchSunday, March 22nd This year on Sunday, March 22nd, we will be engaging in a BE THE CHURCH SUNDAY. We will be encouraging the entire church to look for ways they can engage our community with the love of Christ. We will not have our regularly scheduled worship activities. We will worship our Savior by sharing His love. In order for this to truly be a church wide effort, we need your help! March 22nd Schedule 8:30 a.m. - Meet in the Family Life Center for Devotion and send-off. Lunch - will be provided at ministry locations 2:00 P.M. - Return to Family life Center for a time of Praise, Report and Testimony Please help by praying for this Sunday of outreach and signing up to participate through your Sunday School class. Be The Church Week March 22-27, 2015 Monday – Friday: Teams will meet each day at 7:30 a.m. at Hillcrest Baptist Church and head out to job sites. Missions The Lashey family has made Middletown, Del., their home where they helped launch LifeHouse Church. Mark and Tammy are parents of Abby-Jane, 14, Hudson, 12, and Sophia, 9. Mark Lashey is a 2015 Week of Prayer missionary for Send North America. NAMB photo by Colby Ware Our Goal is $10,000 Missions Opportunity: Mission India 2015 October 17th-30th, a group from our church will be heading to India to share the Gospel with Darzi Muslims. The Darzi are an unreached, unengaged people group. Please pray the Lord will burden those He would have take part in this trip. Prayerfully consider whether the Lord may want you to step out in this way. Please contact Brother Paul if you have any questions or would like to sign up for the trip. Local Missions North American Missions International Missions
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    11 Welcome to OurChurch Family Peyton Jason Russell Proud Parents: Elizabeth & Jason Russell Born January 8th at 3:43 p.m., he weighed 6 lbs. 6 oz. and was 19 inches long Grandparents are Mr. Gary & Mrs. Kay Haynes of Franklinton, LA and Rev. Larry and Mrs. Belinda Russell of Summit, MS Big Sister is Hallie Elizabeth Garner Paul Ashton Carpenter Proud Grandparents: Cathy & James Milner Born on January 18th, he weighed 9 lbs. and 7.2 oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. Parents are David and Miranda Carpenter Big Brother is Judah Carpenter Evelyn James Crain Proud Grandparents: Linda & Robert Crain Born on January 29th, she weighed 8 lbs. and was 20 inches long. Parents are Matt and Heather Crain Siblings are Hannah Grace and Wilson Crain Maternal Grandparents are Suzanne & Jimmy Still Truett Edward Morgan Proud Grandparents: Sandy & Jim Morgan Born on February 2nd, he weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was 20 inches long. Parents are Justin and Cacy Morgan of Alexandria, La Birth Announcements         Operation Christmas Child March Items to Collect: - Plastic cups, bowls and Metal Spoons Hunter Chapman Brent Graham with Daughter, Newman New Members Seven-Fourteen Prayer Ministry In preparation for the National Day of Prayer on May 5th, you are encouraged to be a part of the “Seven- Fourteen Prayer Ministry from March 4th to May 4th, simply by praying for at least 21 minutes each day. When you pray, focus in two directions. First: Praise and Thanksgiving for What He is Doing. Spend about 7 minutes. Second:Intercessory Prayers, Prayers for our church, our school, our community, our nation and leaders, and oth- ers that God brings to your mind and heart. Spend about 14 minutes. You may find that designating either 7:14 a.m. or 7:14 p.m. as your prayer time helps you to be faithful to pray. Select the best time of day for you to spend in prayer with God and commit those 21 minutes to prayer. Can you imagine what God can do in our hearts and lives, in our church and schools, in our commuity and nation, if we obey 2nd Chronicles 7:14? Let’s Pray. “If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. - 2nd Chronicles 7:14
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    PRSRT STD NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION US POSTAGE PAID PERMITNO. 27 March 2015 950 Self Street Franklinton, LA 70438 www.fbcfranklinton.org First Baptist Church Franklinton