The Bridge - September 2014

1. Phone (985) 839-3427
Fax (985) 839-3572
Email:
fbc.natasha@gmail.com
Website
www.fbcfranklinton.org
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.
Wednesday Evening Worship
5:00 p.m. Family Supper
6:00 p.m. Activities
950 Self Street
Franklinton, LA 70438
The BridgeSeptember 2014
Monthly Newsletter of First Baptist Church Franklinton
“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.”
“Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.”
“My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.”
“Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.”
Psalm 63:1-8

2. Paul Watts, Pastorfbc.paulwatts@gmail.com
Each year I get excited as the fall approaches. The beginning of school, football, and cooler days all loom on the horizon. While the fall is a time when plant growth slows and the leaves begin to die, it is often a time of renewed growth and excitement in the life of the church. As I write this article, I reflect on our first night of our Week of Outreach. God is moving in response to the prayers of His people for the lost and the hurting of our community. Our membership has been increasingly burdened for the lost, and this was evidenced by their willingness to go out and witness on visitation teams. The new church educational year looms large on the horizon. Many of our students are excited as they prepare to promote. Mrs. Karen Spears, our Sunday school director, has been conducting teacher meetings, trying to help our teachers know how to better engage and minister to their class members. We have seen baptisms four of the five Sundays of August. A group just returned from a disaster relief Mission trip to Colorado. God is moving! What an exciting time to be a member of First Baptist Church!
We know that God’s blessings come with heavy responsibility. The church is to use God’s blessings to make disciples to, further extend the Kingdom of Christ to ultimately bring glory and honor to God. When we consider God’s blessings, we often think of monetary or material things, but those are just the beginning. People (our membership) are the greatest earthly blessing God has given to our church. Our membership is both our primary resource and primary ministry focus. Romans 12:3-8 reminds us of how our membership is to function as our primary resource: For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of one’s faith; If service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
We are all simply part of the Body. Christ Jesus is the Head. We are to let Him lead us to serve for His glory in the church. We have all been particularly gifted through the Holy Spirit and shaped for His service within the Body. Where does God want you to serve? Where is your passion? We need your help. There are people who need a visit, lost who need to be reached, meals that need to be prepared, repairs that need to be made, floors that need to be swept, prayers that need to be prayed, groups that need to be taught, encouragement that needs to be given, money that needs to be spent, etc… ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD!
Are you willing to do your part? This month we will be focusing on the church during our Sunday night Discipleship 101 studies. One of the emphases this month will be a ministry survey that would like for all our members to fill out. This survey simply asks where you feel called to serve within the Body of Christ. There are times we are asked to serve outside or beyond our area of giftedness, but our primary ongoing place of service should be in the area God has particularly called and equipped us to serve. Please prayerfully consider where God is working in your life. I would encourage you to read Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 as you consider where God might call you to serve. Turning in this survey does not put you on a team or committee. It simply means you feel the Lord would have you make yourself available. Get out of the bleachers and onto the field.
You are both a minister and in a place of ministry. Make sure you are being faithful in both areas!
Discipleship 101
Schedule
Sunday evenings
at 6:00 p.m.
September 7th
The Lord’s Service:
What and how much?
September 14th
Doctrinal Study:
Kingdom Perspective
September 21st
Doctrinal Study:
Kingdom Growing
September 28th
Doctrinal Study:
Kingdom Extending
A Cup with Pastor Paul
http://acupwiththepastor.blogspot.com
Check out Brother Paul’s Blog
for more insightful wisdom
throughout the month!
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3. For me, one of the saddest verses in the Bible is Revelation 3:20. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in him, and dine with him, and he with Me.”
Typically we use that verse when we share the gospel with someone, because sentimentally it sounds good or right. We tell a person, “Right now, Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart, asking you to let Him in. And all you have to do is accept Him.”
Contextually, though, Jesus is speaking to the church, to believers. In the verse before this one He says, “Those whom I love, I rebuke.” He had rebuked the church at Laodicea for being lukewarm in their service to Him. How sad that the Lord of the church is asking to be let back in to the church. In other words, these were people who professed to know Jesus but didn’t know Him.
At the other end of the New Testament Jesus says in Matthew chapter 7, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
It’s a pretty bleak picture, I know. But there is hope. There is the will of the Father. What is that will? Confess our sin. Repent of our sin. And place our faith and trust in the death, burial, resurrection, and return of His Son, Jesus Christ. And then live for Him, through Him.
The Bible tells us that we are created in the image of God, and our chief purpose is to enjoy and worship Him forever. Sin has broken that process, and we can’t make ourselves right. God’s standard is perfection, and no one is perfect.
To help us, He came to earth to live among us. To be our sin bearer. To die a death we deserve so that we can have a relationship and a life that we don’t deserve. That’s called grace.
It’s not a once and done thing. It starts with simple faith and then develops into a lifestyle of discipleship. Jesus said in John chapter 10:14, 27, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep and am known by them. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
Jesus is speaking to us all the time. He’s knocking on the door of our hearts and our churches. He’s chastening us, loving us, and calling us to follow Him. But in this world where we live, there are many other “voices” calling us too, telling us that we have lots of time, that we don’t need to be so narrow minded, that this life is all there is.
The question is will we be the ones who hear His voice and follow Him wherever He may lead? Or will we be the ones found lacking when we stand before Him one day? Do you really know Him? He’s knocking.
Brother Dale
Dale Parker,
Minister to Senior Adults
& Discipleship Training
fbc.daleparker@gmail.com
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4. Cody Thomas, Student Pastor
fbc.codythomas@gmail.com
I’m super excited about this month. This month is going to be a great month in our Student Ministry. There are a few things I want to inform you about as well as remind you about. Stay with me as I cover three important projects for this month in the Student Ministry.
#1 – See You at the Pole 2014 and Global Week of Student Prayer
For over two decades, See You at the Pole has launched the school year by encouraging Christian students to start strong, committing themselves and their relationships to the Lord by gathering together to pray. This year’s See You at the Pole will be on Wednesday, September 24th. Adopting Ephesians 6:18 provides a Biblical baseline for the Global Week of Student Prayer from Sunday, September 21, to Saturday, September 27, and See You at the Pole day on September 24, but to also lay the foundation for a school year focused on Christ and praying for friends, faculty, and family. Start praying at See You at the Pole and then “never stop praying, especially for others.” Join us during the Global Week of Student Prayer as we pray for our students. Join us also on Wednesday, September 24th for See You at the Pole.
#2 – Youth Evangelism Celebration
It’s never too early to start talking about YEC. YEC stands for Youth Evangelism Celebration. This year YEC will be held in Lafayette, LA in the Cajundome. YEC is a conference specifically for YOUTH. The conference is meant to challenge and engage current followers of Christ as well as to specifically target youth who do not know Jesus as Lord. YEC is November 23rd and 24th. FBC Franklinton has reserved 35 spots. (After 35 spots we can get more if we need to). Be sure to sign your student up for this year’s YEC. The cost for YEC per person is $60 and is only for 7th – 12th graders.
#3 – Pray for a Student
This month is your opportunity to partner up with the Student Ministry and intentionally pray for ONE student. Last month I introduced the idea of adult volunteers who are not directly connected to any student who will intentionally pray for ONE student. Now is your opportunity to begin that relationship of prayer. Prayer is powerful and has the ability to focus our hearts and minds to that of Christ. If we desire for the Lord to move in our Student Ministry, then we ought to be about prayer. Volunteer to pray for ONE so that we can REACH the many.
Please refer to the side of this article for other Student Ministry upcoming events. Pray for the Student Ministry as we strive to make an impact for Christ in our schools as well as our community.
- Brother Cody
REACHING In &
REACHING Out
Student
Ministry Events
September 7th at 9:30 a.m.
Pancake Promotion Sunday
September 13th
Movie Outing
“When the Game Stands Tall”
September 21st
See You at the Pole
Pre-Rally
Wednesday,
September 24st
See You at the Pole
Saturday
September 27th
FREE Concert
Tim Timmons
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5. Many of you may be wondering who’s playing the organ at the early service and where Dr. Brian is. Let me introduce Marion Sylvest Porter. She is David Sylvest’s sister and, of course, is a native of Franklinton. She and her husband, Perry, moved back to this area because of Perry’s declining health. You perhaps remember our memorial celebration of his life, ministry, and home-going some time back. Marion has served as organist in many churches through the years, so it was in God’s timing that she was available when Brian decided to slow his pace just a little. He will continue to play for the late service and to sing in the choir for both services. Thank you, Marion, for serving us and the Lord at the organ. We’re glad you are now part of the family here at First Baptist.
Our Sanctuary Choir has begun rehearsal of this year’s Christmas musical entitled “Three Gifts: Our Christmas Offering.” There are those of you who don’t sing with the choir “full-time” but have sung with us for special occasions. Consider this your personal invitation to join us as we prepare this Christmas presentation. Even if you have never sung in the choir, you are invited to participate (It helps if you can actually sing a little…just kidding). We rehearse at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday evenings and are usually finished by a little after eight. Would it not be tremendous if we had 40+ singers? Come sing with us and make it happen!
We are extremely grateful to Robin Cooke Perez for agreeing to lead our Children’s Choir this year. The Choir will meet on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 p.m. (beginning on September 3rd) and will transition right into Living Inside Out at 6:00 p.m. The kids will begin work on a Christmas musical which we will look forward to seeing and hearing in December. Parents, if you participate in the Wednesday evening meal, please come early so your child/children can finish before choir begins. For any who may be new to FBC, the choir will meet in the usual place, which is upstairs in the children’s building. Robin could use a couple of adult helpers, so if you’re willing, communicate with her during the next couple of weeks.
We are also excited to have Mrs. Sara Robins leading our Preschool choir. They will also be meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday but in the preschool department. Mrs. Sara will be coordinating with Mrs. Robin so that the Preschoolers will also have a part in the Christmas musical.
By the way, as many of you are aware, our Sanctuary Choir years ago recorded an album of sacred music. It is a long-play vinyl record, so that gives you an idea of its vintage. While cleaning and repainting one of our Sunday School rooms (the old choir room), a couple of boxes of these records were discovered. If you would like one or two…or a couple of boxes of them, see Brother Butch immediately. Don’t procrastinate if you’re interested; in a few weeks they will all be gone!!
Finally, we rejoice in the expectation-laden months ahead. The Holy Spirit is moving in the life of our community, folks are being born again, believers are growing in the Lord, and all of us together are being transformed “from glory to glory” into the image of our Savior. May we gladly yield to the Potter’s hand with thanksgiving and praise? To Him be all the glory!!
Butch Reviere Minister of Music
fbc.butch@gmail.com
Note from Brother Butch
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Our Sanctuary Choir has begun
rehearsal of this year’s
Christmas musical entitled
“Three Gifts: Our Christmas Offering.”
There are those of you who don’t sing with the choir “full-time” but have sung with us for special occasions. Consider this your personal invitation to join us as we prepare
this Christmas presentation.

6. Children’s Ministry
Happy Birthday!
4th - Mac Cavanagh
7th- Daniel Robins
8th - Maverick McElveen
11th - Emma Hill
14th- Cooper Casanova
14th - Katie Mixon
20th - Julia Knight
Are you in 6th grade or below? Let me know so I can add
you to my list!
In the middle of August, as the kids were beginning a new school year and summer was drawing to a close, I began to tidy up my office. I am a “keeper.” I just can’t stand to throw perfectly good things away, so sometimes cleaning up can be a bit difficult for me. That’s where this sock comes in. It’s a perfectly good sock. It doesn’t have any holes in it. It isn’t very pilled up or stained on the bottom. But at the end of CentriKid camp at Louisiana College, there it sat on the floor of the room where all eight girls had congregated for most of camp. No one took it, but not because I didn’t offer it to every girl that went with us. I asked them to search their things to try to remember to whom this sock belonged. No takers. Eight girls with no one else on our floor, and no one wanted this sock. Unclaimed.
Each school year I revisit a book I began reading when my oldest was very young in school. If you haven’t read The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian, I strongly suggest that you do. Over and over through the years I have prayed very specific prayers over my children that they may claim God’s promises in their lives. This year, as our children begin back to school, let’s do that as a group effort. How mighty are the prayers of a large group of parent believers!
So this year, join me in shedding the vague, nonspecific prayers that God would “Please bless Ann or Tom or Jan,” and let’s focus our prayers on specific aspects of our children’s lives that will honor God. As we continue to lay a spiritual foundation in our children’s lives, I pray that it will be so thick and so anchored in Christ that it will set the tone for their entire lives.
I want all of God’s blessings, promises, and favor for my children. I want them all for yours, too. I don’t want a single drop of God’s grace to be left off of them because I didn’t fervently pray for it. No unclaimed promises. Not even one.
Unclaimed socks? I guess I can deal with that...but I still won’t throw it away!
In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.-1 Timothy 6:19
Prayer need or special event coming up this month for your child? Let me know!
In His Service,
Kelly McElveen
Kelly McElveen
Director of Preschool/ Children’s Ministries
fbc.playschool@gmail.com
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Preschool and
Children’s Choir
will begin
September 3rd at
5:30 p.m. with
Mrs Robin Perez and Mrs Sara Robins
Dinner & Movie - For Kids
September 26th
6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Meet in Family Life Center
PlaySchool, Preschool, and Children’s Departments are collecting crayons for Operation Christmas Child. Please send some with your child to class.
Our goal is 500!

7. 7PlaySchool News
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!! Sure, it’s September. The Fair isn’t until next month and Christmas is still 17 weeks away, so that must mean...IT’S A NEW YEAR OF PLAYSCHOOL!! And, if you can’t tell, we are so
excited!! This year we are looking forward to having a full class schedule with all four classes back this year and lots of new friends to come play with us! If you missed enrollment or know someone that did, it’s not too late! We still have a few spots in each of our programs.
For those of you that are new to our church and not familiar with PlaySchool, or maybe it’s been a while since you had preschooler, let me fill you in on what we are so excited about. PlaySchool is entering its approximate 41st year of ministry. We are a tuition-based preschool that began about 1974 and has been in continuous operation since then. We offer a part time preschool program to 3 and 4 year olds in our area with our two, three, and four day class options. Tuition begins at $40 per month. PlaySchool is unlike daycare or traditional preschool in that it focuses heavily on social skills development in a specifically Christian setting. The primary goal of PlaySchool is to provide three and four year old children with opportunities to gain positive life skills with age mates in an environment staffed with Christian teachers trained to help them meet social-emotional benchmarks for their age. However, academics are also an important part of PlaySchool. We have developed a curriculum very specific to PlaySchoolthat allows the children to combine positive work habits, social interaction, and application of a skill within each lesson and activity. We tend to lean on a Montessori-style approach to learning to help the children
become independent learners. If you have any questions about PlaySchool, please let us know! There aren’t very many other things we love to talk about more than PlaySchool!
As excited as we are about PlaySchool, we are a little sad, too. Over the summer, one of our teachers for the last five years took a job at Enon Elementary. Mrs. Amy Miller will be missed each and every day, but we are certain this move is part of God’s plan for her, and it is our prayer that God will use her in a mighty way as she begins her new role!
Often we are asked by church members about items that they can pick up to help support this long-running and beloved ministry of our church. Here is a short list of things we always need:
Scotch tape Stickers No-Run Glue Purple Glue Sticks Disinfectant Spray (like Lysol) Antibacterial Counter Spray (like 409) Toilet Bowl Cleaner Foaming Bathroom Cleaner Markers Dry Erase Markers (like Expo) Watercolor Paints PlayDoh
If you feel led to donate any of the items listed above, that would be a tremendous blessing! Feel free to bring it to the church office or leave them in one of the PlaySchool rooms in the Preschool Building (We have Bears or Birds on our doors).
Please join us in prayer from wherever you may be on Tuesday, September 2nd at 8 a.m. as our new PlaySchool year begins. We have 50 children attending this year and are praying for a year of smooth transitions, lasting friendships, and spiritual growth for each of our new friends!

8. Leslie Westmoreland WINGS Coordinator lwestmoreland.ees@wpsb.org
WINGS
Ministry
Just a reminder, we have an
Intercessory Prayer Room
(Located behind the sanctuary) that is available for prayer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You can submit a prayer
request in 3 ways
1. By e-mail to
fbcfranklinton.prayer@gmail.com
2. Call (985) 839-3427.
3. Place a prayer request card in the box on the desk just outside the prayer room.
To join the Intercessory Prayer Ministry, check out the flyer on the desk outside the
prayer room.
8:00 a.m. Broadcast Begins
9:30 a.m. Event Begins with Worship
10:00 a.m. Teaching Session 1
11:30 a.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Worship with
Travis Cottrell
1:30 p.m. Teaching Session 2
3:00 p.m. Invitation / Break
3:30 p.m. Worship with
Travis Cottrell
3:40 p.m. Teaching Session 3
4:10 p.m. Closing Worship
4:15 p.m. Event Concludes
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Beth Moore Living Proof Simulcast
September 13th at
FBC McComb, MS
Cost $20
Pay office by
September 5th to attend
New Ladies’ Bible Study
Beginning
Wednesday, September 10th
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Meets in the Joshua Classroom
in the Annex
Books Cost $16.00
Sign-up for new WINGS shirt on WINGS board.
~If you want to receive WINGS e-mails, sign-up on WINGS board.

9. Children’s Church
Month of September
Christina Watts
for ages 3
to
Kindergarten
We will be meeting in
Mrs.Cindy’s Kindergarten
Sunday School room in the
Preschool Department
Nursery
9/7 Denise Gatewood & Beverly Slade
9/14
Lacy Burris
& Nicole Wager
9/21
Eva Beahm & Kristi/ Rob Crain
9/28
Sara
Robins & Marsha Newman
Sunday Night
Supper
9/7
Knight, Branch, Wales, Rester, Kirby, Varnado & Fortenberry
9/14
McVea, Phelps, Knight, Stokes, Knight, Brown, Knight & Gill
9/21
Waskom, Thomas, Stringfield, Taber, Burris, Driskill &
Kennedy
9/28
Cruce, Cowart, Westmoreland,
McDaniel, Varnado, Barber, & Thomas
9/7 Richard Knight & Matt
Westmoreland
9/14
Howard Gibson & Mike
Hickman
9/21
Dennis Wager & George Cowart
9/28
Stephen McElveen & Hunter Knight
Sound Schedule
9/7
Cody Thomas
9/14
Stephen McElveen
9/21
Darren Schilling
9/28
Jordan Dale
Wednesday Night
Supper
9/3
Group D - Country Fried Steak
9/10
Group E - Rotel Chicken
9/17
Group A - Pulled Pork
9/24
Group B - Fried Chicken
9Our September VOLUNTEERS

10. Congratulations to
..............
Betty & Mike Gill
On their new grandson
Daxton Zayne Sharp
Son of Derek and Jennifer Sharp
Of Alexandria, LA
Born August 14, 2014
Weighing 4 lbs. 7 oz.
Also, Congratulations to
Great Uncle
Greg PittmanAnnouncements
Operation Christmas Child is a way we can show we care for the children that are less fortunate than we are and who do not know about Jesus. Please keep in mind that our PACKING PARTY will be held on November 9th.
Let’s try to double the number of boexes that we packed last year. We hope to pack 500 boxes, and with your help we can. We will be asking Sunday School classes to contribute specific items to help with the party. The list of items needed is posted on the Mission Board, so keep watching and select the item(s) your class would like to provide.
We hope that individuals will still fill shoe boxes on their own with their children and families.
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Our
Church’s Goal
is
$ 7500.00

11. Jessica Rawls & Brody Wilkes
11Tristen WarnerBlake BullochAmanda ParfaitTrenaty BraggsJacob TullosMcKayla BridgesThe McCune FamilyBecky Jo HollenAndrew CrainDaniel RobinsNot picturedBree Anna SmithWelcome Our New Members

12. PRSRT STD
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
US POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT NO. 27
950 Self Street
Franklinton, LA 70438
www.fbcfranklinton.orgFirst Baptist Church FranklintonSeptember 2014
For
Discipleship 101 Schedule
See Page 2