The Bridge August 2014

950 Self Street Franklinton, LA 70438
Phone: (985) 839-3427
Fax: (985) 839-3572
E-mail:
fbc.natasha@gmail.com
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
The Bridge
August 2014
Monthly Newsletter of
First Baptist Church
Franklinton
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you
may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the
heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of
righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield
of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—19 and for me, that utterance may
be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an
ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. - Ephesians 6:10-20
Put on the
whole armor
of God, that
you may be
able to stand
against the
wiles
of the devil.

Paul Watts, Pastor
fbc.paulwatts@gmail.com
Baptists are part of a larger group of Protestant denominations that would
characterize themselves as “evangelicals.” The simplest definition for
evangelicals would be, “bearers of the Gospel.” The Encarta Dictionary gave a little
longer definition: “relating to or belonging to any Protestant Christian church that
emphasizes the authority of the Bible and salvation through the personal
acceptance of Jesus Christ.” There is little doubt we belong to an evangelical church.
We teach and preach the authority of the scripture and encourage others to make
that step of faith to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, but do we embrace
the weight of the simpler, shorter definition? Do you and I see ourselves as “bearers
of the Gospel”? An in depth Bible study is not necessary to reveal Jesus intended for
this to be woven into the DNA of His disciples. Jesus admonished His disciples to be
salt and light in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:13-16). Jesus commissioned
His disciples to be about the task of carrying on His Gospel-proclaiming, disciple-
making ministry. Often times we will read or hear a statement like this one, and
the task seems too large or overwhelming. Paul gave encouragement to the church
at Colossae which brought the Gospel-bearing task of the local church member to
a place of practical application when he stated: “Devote yourselves to prayer; stay
alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us that God may open
a door to us for the message, to speak the mystery of the Messiah, for which I am in
prison, so that I may reveal it as I am required to speak. Act wisely toward
outsiders, making the most of the time. Your speech should always be gracious,
seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person”
(Colossians 4:2-5).
Paul gave us a very simple outline of instruction for every believer who is
willing to embrace the task of bearing the Gospel amongst a world in need.
1. PRAY: Prayer is the foundation of evangelism. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
is glorious to those of us who believe, but the unbeliever must be prepared by the
Holy Spirit to recognize and appropriate its truth. Paul not only told the church
to pray, but to stay alert in prayer. We have all been guilty of falling asleep at our
watch post. Our faith will be seen as we persist in prayer in the times of ease and
the times of trial. There is an unseen battle being fought for the heart of those
who are presently bound for destruction. Will we continually intercede for them in
prayer?
2. PRAY FOR US: Who are those tasked with the particular ministry of
evangelism? We are all to evangelize, but there are some who are on the
frontlines. Our church supports missionaries all over the world through the Lottie
Moon Christmas offering and the Cooperative Program. Are we lifting them up in
prayer? Are you praying for our missionaries in India who are seeking to advance
the Gospel in a very dark place? Are you praying for the Darzi people of India, an
unreached, unengaged people group in need of the Gospel? Are you praying for your
staff and church leaders as we seek, along with your help, to advance the Gospel
right here in Franklinton?
3. ACT WISELY, MAKE THE MOST OF THE TIME: We ought to ask the
Lord to help us to live missionally. Our time, money, and energy should be spent
with intention. The use of these resources should reflect a desire to advance the
Gospel -sharing, disciple-making mission of the Body of Christ.
4. SPEAK WITH GRACIOUS, SALT-FILLED SPEECH: Words are in
great abundance. Messages abound. None are more vital or life giving than the
message of Jesus Christ. We are not tasked with selling a product. We have the
opportunity to share the Good News. It is really not that difficult to enter into a
spiritual conversation. If sharing the grace of Jesus is not top priority, it will never
happen. If it is, you will find opportunities presenting themselves constantly and
have a life filled with God-ordained purpose and meaning.
Please pray for our week of outreach, August 17-21. Ask the Lord how
He would have you participate in this effort.
Discipleship 101
Schedule
Sunday evenings
at 6:00 p.m.
August 3rd
Sharing the Gospel:
Equipped for Battle
August 10th
Sharpening the Sword:
Training for Battle
August 17th
Evangelistic Prayer Service
August 24th
A Night of Praise and
Thanksgiving
August 31st
Church Service:
Your Place in the Body
A Cup with Pastor Paul
http://acupwiththepastor.blogspot.com
Check out Brother Paul’s Blog
for more insightful wisdom
throughout the month!
2

Sometimes when we ask about a person’s
salvation experience we hear, “It’s really no big deal. I
grew up going to church because my parents always went
to church, and one day I asked Jesus to be my Lord and
Savior, or I asked Jesus into my heart.”
First of all, when I hear something like that there’s
a voice inside of me that screams, “Noooooo! Don’t say
that because it sounds like you’re saying that you could’ve
saved yourself, that God didn’t need to bother with you.
Don’t slander God that way! Don’t mock Jesus’ death on
the cross!”
Every time someone gets saved, it is a big deal.
We were once hell-bound sinners, and now we are
heaven-bound saints. We were children of God’s wrath,
and now we are His adopted sons and daughters. Christ
died (undeservedly) on the cross for our sin. Angels rejoice
in heaven because we are saved. It is a big deal!
I get what they’re trying to say. Not everyone is a
drunken, lying, cheating, axe-murdering, thieving, drug-
addicted, dog-kicking, gambling, prostituting terrorist.
But every one of us is born in sin. We inherited Adam’s
sin and its curse of death, and even though we may deny
that fact, we know it deep down inside. God gives us a
conscience that acts like salt in a wound, reminding us
of what’s wrong in our lives, so that we are all without
excuse.

But God doesn’t want us to stay that way. We
are His creation, created by Him to worship and fellow-
ship with Him. He loves us and doesn’t want any of us to
perish. He chose us out of all creation to be able to have
a personal relationship with Him. He didn’t choose dogs
and cats, giraffes or elephants, the birds of the air or the
fish of the sea, the moon and stars and planets. He chose
us and created us for salvation. And because of His divine
love for us, He gives us the choice to choose Him or not.
To choose God means that we have to change, and
we have to choose to want to change. But we can’t change
ourselves; only God can do that. Ironically, many don’t
choose God because of His terms.
What are His terms? We must acknowledge that
we are sinners and that we have sinned against God. In
doing that we are recognizing that He is Lord. And as Lord
He has paid the penalty for our sin on the cross. We also
must place our faith in what He did for us on the cross over
2000 years ago. We must surrender our ways and our lives
to Him, trusting that He will forgive our sin and bring us
into a right relationship with Him.
Jesus said, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.” It is a big deal!

Brother Dale

Dale Parker,
Minister to Senior Adults
& Discipleship Training
fbc.daleparker@gmail.com
3

Cody Thomas,
Student Pastor
fbc.codythomas@gmail.com
WOW … what a great summer in the life of the Student Ministry. This summer
has probably been the busiest summer of my life and yet one of the most rewarding. In
the midst of all the crazy activities and busyness of the summer, the Lord moved! The
Lord worked and moved in my life personally, in my marriage, and in the
Student Ministry. Students came to know the Lord this summer; how awesome is that?
Students began to really follow after the Lord this summer; how awesome is that?
Students grew in their understanding of purity this summer; how awesome is that?
The Student Ministry grew stronger together this summer; how awesome is that? All
of these awesome movements of the Lord are due to the fact that our Lord is awesome.
We serve and worship an awesome GOD! I’m so thankful that you as a church body
sought to be used by our awesome God and supported the Student Ministry. Thank
you, thank you … THANK YOU. Our God is good!
Now that the summer is over, keeping the momentum up within the Student
Ministry will be a challenge. Students get back into their school routine, back in world-
ly relationships, back into the world, and thus their faith in the Lord is sometimes
shaken. What if we as a church body kept supporting our Student Ministry even after
the summer? What if men and women who walk with the Lord even in the midst of
this crazy world came alongside students and prayed for them daily? What if those
men or woman told the students, that they were praying for them and asked the
students specifically how they could pray for them? … I know what would happen;
the Lord would be glorified. He would move in our hearts as a church body.
Our students live in a crazy, messed-up world, and they don’t know how to
deal with it. They need people who are dedicated to the Lord to pray for them. Here is
what I’m looking for, just in case you missed it … I’m looking for people that are not
connected with any teenager on a regular basis and who are committed to the Lord and
to prayer to volunteer to pray daily for a specific teenager. Once you volunteer, I’ll give
you a name of a teenager the same gender as you and his/her phone number. You will
make contact with that teenager, basically tell who you are and ask how you can pray
for him. Then you pray. After about a month, you call him again and ask how you can
pray for him. You pray for him and the cycle repeats itself.
Pray yourself about the opportunity of praying for a specific teenager. Pray
about your involvement in the Student Ministry. 14 “If my people who are called by my
name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I
will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open
and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.” 2 Chronicles 7:14-15.
Let us be a generation that humbles ourselves and prays for the next
generation so that God will move in our hearts and in the hearts of these students.
Thank you!
- Brother Cody
REACHING In &
REACHING Out
Student
Ministry Events
Sunday, August 10th
at 5:00 p.m.
Youth Committee &
Parent Meeting
Senior Adult Center
Friday, August 15th
at 6:00 p.m.
Adult Friday Forum
FBC Covington
Wednesday Nights
at 6:00 p.m.
“The Gospel and Our Lives”
Sunday, September 7th
at 9:30 a.m.
Pancake Promotion Sunday
Photos from World Changers 2014
on Page 7.
4

Butch Reviere
Minister of Music
fbc.butch@gmail.com
Note from Brother Butch
This photo was taken by the Hubbel space satellite. The spiral nebulae is estimated to be 170,000
light years across and TWICE the diameter of our own Milky Way galaxy. Incidentally, a light year is
the distance it takes light to travel in a year in a vacuum (5.88 trillion miles). Do the math!!
Scientists think it contains at least a trillion stars, 100 billion of which could be similar to our sun.
Folks, that is really, really BIG; and it is just one of perhaps tens (hundreds?) of thousands of
galaxies. All the superlatives of all the languages of men could never adequately describe the majesty
of Almighty God; but HIS CREATION CAN!! “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their
expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1 (NASB)
One of our church’s children posed this
question to a parent: How big is God? As you may
know, supplying an answer satisfactory to a child can
be a challenge. So, how would you answer? I recall a
song from years ago containing this phrase: “He’s big
enough to rule the universe but small enough to live
in our hearts.” Let’s expand that thought. He’s not
only big enough to rule, but He is big enough to have
CREATED the universe by simply speaking all that is
into existence. Yet He is personal and intimate to all
who will receive Him.
We simply cannot get our minds around the
expanse that is the universe, yet our God is big enough
to be present everywhere at the same time throughout
the infinite universe. Truly mind-boggling!! Sadly,
most of the scientific community does not embrace
God as Creator. Seems to me it takes a considerable
amount of “blind faith” to believe that all came from
nothing by accident as opposed to accepting that a
Master Architect designed and built the universe
by an act of His will. Would you agree that these
considerations of the cosmos make our worship of
Almighty God seem wholly insufficient? Maybe we
should go outside on a clear evening, look into the night
sky, and pray that God would expand our worship,
individually and corporately, to a place that is worthy
of Who He is. It just might make our singing of songs
like “Awesome God” profoundly more passionate.
Since we’re on the subject of worship, consider a few
definitions:

Louie Giglio: Worship is our response, both
personal and corporate, to God for who He is and what
He has done; expressed in and by the things we say and
the way we live.
John Piper: Worship is what we were
created for. This is the final end of all existence-the
worship of God. God created the universe so that
it would display the worth of His glory, and He
created us so that we would see this glory and reflect
it by knowing and loving it-with all our heart and soul
and mind and strength. The church needs to build
a common vision of what worship is and what she is
gathering to do on Sunday morning and scattering to
do on Monday morning.
William Temple: To worship is to quicken the
conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind
with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the
beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to
devote the will to the purpose of God.
John Piper: Strong affections for God, rooted in
and shaped by the truth of Scripture – this is the bone
and marrow of biblical worship.
Let us repent of shallow, half-hearted
(no-hearted!), dispassionate, in-a-hurry, programmatic,
bulletin-bound, spiritless, unbiblical, displeasing-to-
God….worship. Amen? Amen!
5

Children’s Ministry
Happy Birthday!
4th - Sean Bowman
7th- Jacob Crain
10th - Lily Hen
12th - Wesley Crain
17th- Cooper Breland
18th - Olivia James
20th - Mason Varnado
26th - Christian Ciolino
& Allie Schilling
30th - Emma Knight
Are you in 6th grade or below?
Let me know so I can add
you to my list!
Wow!! Time flies when you’re having fun, and that is definitely the
case with this summer! I have had the most wonderful time with
your beautiful children and am looking forward to spending more
time with them in God’s Word as the new school year unfolds.
As I am writing this, we have had one group of 23 children just
returned from CentriKid camp, and we have another group of 17
preparing to leave. Each Tuesday on our outings, we have had an
average of 24 children.
I am so excited about returning to the Wednesday night program
and am so thankful for each of our volunteers! We will be continu-
ing in our “Living Inside Out” curriculum each Wednesday night
and hope to be adding a choir element to our mid-week program
from 5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. following supper. More details about that
to follow!
With just one Tuesday in August before the children return to school,
our final I <3 Tuesdays event for 2014 will be on Tuesday, August
5th. We will be going to the movies in Covington to watch Planes
and learn more about how God Is...Moving In Our Lives. Each week
we have explored more about God in our God Is... series, and we will
wrap it up by revisiting what God has done this summer and what
He seeks to continue to do as we return to school. Cost and times
for the outing will be announced as soon as they become available.
Also, on Wednesday, August 6th from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. we will
have a Back To School Kick-Off for our Preschool and Children’s
Departments. We will have pizza and popcorn, a jump for the
preschoolers, and we will play OMC with the first-sixth graders.
A couple of reminders: As you become aware of events that your
child is involved in (football, cheer, etc.), please bring me copies of
his or her schedules. I can’t wait to see how God is moving in their
lives outside of the walls of our church! Also, as more events are
planned for the fall, please be sure to join our group text-messaging
service. To join, simply text FBCKIDS to 245-87. You can
unsubscribe at any time.
On behalf of everyone involved in our Children’s Ministries, we ask
our church family to pray for our students as they return to school
in the next week or so.
It is my prayer that each of them will be aware that Jesus is with them
wherever they go...that His reign does not end at the school house
door. He is alive, and His Holy Spirit is with them
wherever they may go.
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of
the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will
have the light of life.”
In His Service,
Kelly McElveen
Kelly McElveen
Director of Preschool/
Children’s Ministries
fbc.playschool@gmail.com
6

CentriKid Camps 2014
World Changers Jr./Sr. Camp 2014
7

Leslie Westmoreland
WINGS Coordinator
lwestmoreland.ees@wpsb.org
WINGS
Ministry
Mark your calendars now
for a Living Proof
SIMULCAST
EVENT with
Beth Moore -
September 13, 2014.
More info next month.
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
re-
Our Casserole Ministryis in need of some casseroles!If you could donate a dish or two,please bring them to the freezer inthe kitchen.
For more informationon this ministryplease contact Beverly Cooke.
Mugs and Muffins
The WINGS Ministry will be
hosting a Mugs and Muffins
on Saturday, August 2nd at 9:00 a.m.
This event will take place in the
Family Life Center.
The guest speaker will be Katie Breland.
Breakfast will be biscuits, sausage, and
grits. Bring your favorite mug and a
friend!
Beth Moore Living Proof
Simulcast
September 13th at
FBC McComb, MS
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
Can we talk?
Ladies’ Bible Study beginning
on Wednesday, August 6th at 6:00 p.m.
This study will take place in the
Senior Adult Center.
8
Just as our bodies need oxygen,
our souls need truth flowing
steadily in and out.

Children’s
Church
Month of
August
Leslie Westmoreland
&
Youth Girls
for ages 3
to
Kindergarten
Nursery
8/3
Carolyn
Knight
& Kathy
McElveen
8/10
Hallene
Magee &
Lou Fussell
8/17
Jennifer
Walle
& Kelly
McElveen
8/24
JoAnn
Luizza
& Gayle
Rester
8/31
Anita
McNeal &
Sandra
McDaniel
Sunday Night
Supper
8/3
Cruce, Cowart,Westmoreland,
McDaniel, Varnado, Barber, &
Thomas
8/10
Watts, Schilling, Varnado,
Bell, McElveen, & Thomas
8/17
Schilling, Bankston, Burris,
Galloway, Waskom, McElveen,
Raybourn, & Sandifer
8/24
Morgan, Cooke, Sylvest,
Cooke, Morgan, & Mobley
8/31
Fifth Sunday Pot Luck
Barber, Stringfield, Parent,
Perez, & Russell
8/3
Rusty
Knight
& Robby
Stringfield
8/10
Jimmy
Stafford &
B. Burris
8/17
Stuart
Varnado
& Warren
Cooke, Jr.
8/24
Jeff Driskill
& David
Sylvest
8/31
Tommy
Wood &
Richard
McElveen
Volunteers for August
Sound Schedule
8/3
Stephen McElveen
8/10
Darren Schilling
8/17
Jordan Dale
8/24
Johnny Burris
8/31
Matt Westmoreland
Wednesday
Night
Supper
8/6
Back to School Kick Off
8/13
Group A - Pulled Pork
8/20
Group B - Fried Chicken
8/27
Group C - Meatballs
& Spaghetti
9

Announcements
COLORADO FLOOD RECOVERY
Volunteers from across the country came to Colorado in the fall of
2013 to help help homeowners along the Northern Colorado Front
Range clean out their flooded homes.
Now Colorado Baptists invite you to come help them help residents
complete the recovery process and share the love of Christ with their
neighbors.
Registrations are now being
accepted for Estes Park Baptist
Church in Estes Park, Colorado.
If you are interested, contact Ben
Fussell for more information.
We have a group going
August 8th - 16th!
Sunday school Classes,
This year FBC is
committed to increasing the number
of under privileged children around
the world who will receive gifts and
hear about Jesus Christ perhaps
for the first time ever through
Operation Christmas Child. Last
year we packed 200 boxes,
and, along with boxes packed by
individuals, we contributed a total of
408 boxes.
In order to reach the goal
of packing 500 boxes at our
November 9th packing party,
Sunday school classes are being
urged to “adopt” an item on the
needs list and provide the total
number needed. Smaller classes
may decide to combine to provide
one category of items.
Additional toys to
complete the boxes were collect
at VBS and will be added at the
packing party.
A sign-up sheet is on the
“Missions” bulletin board outside
the entrance to the fellowship hall
near the coffee
service. Sign up right away,
because items are on a first-come,
first-taken basis.
Also, please begin to pray
for this world-wide missions effort
and the children who will receive
the boxes.
Evangelistic
Emphasis Week of
Outreach
The week of August 17th-21st
our church will be engaged in a
Week of Outreach. Groups will
be heading out on Monday,
Tuesday, and Thursday nights
with the intention of making evangelistic visits to homes in our
community.
This effort will only bear fruit as the Holy Spirit moves in response
to the prayers of God’s people. Please join us in praying for the
lost of our community, submitting names of those in need of a
visit through our Sunday evening service, and committing to share
Christ as part of this effort.
WEEK OF OUTREACH: August 17th-21st, 2014
Sunday: 8:15 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
Dr. Stanley Statham, Director of Missions,
will be preaching in both of
the morning services.
On Sunday evening at 6:00
p.m. we will have an
Evangelistic Prayer Service.
On Monday we will meet at
6:00 p.m. Prayer and visitation teams meet in the
sanctuary each evening.
On Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. we will have Prayer and
visitation teams will meet in the sanctuary.
10
It’s Time for Operation Chrismas Child

Birth
Announcements
Congratulations to
........................
William & Brittany Bell on the birth of their
daughter, Allison Shanlee Bell.
Proud grandparents are Mark & Shandle Waskom and
Charlie & Katherine Berryhill.
Great grandpaw is Earl Spears.
Allison was born July 16th and was 7 lbs 10 oz and
19 inches long. Her big brothers are Dawson & Gavin Bell.
........................
Chesley & Becky Spears on the birth of their
daughter, Grace Karen Spears.
Proud grandparents are Karen & Fred Spears
Grace was born July 1st and was 8 lbs 10 oz and
19 inches long. Her big sister is Brynlee.
........................
Amanda Parfait on the birth of her
son, Nicholas Ward Parfait.
Nicholas was born July 2nd and was
7 lbs 7 oz and 20 inches long.
His siblings are:
Kailyn, Zachary, Jonathan, and Alyssa.
........................
Nate & Michelle Murrary on the birth of their
son, Eli William Murray
Eli was born July 18th and was 8 lbs and 20 1/2 inches.
Proud grandparents are
Bill & Lisa Murray and Gerald & Joannah Davis.
Nate Lebo
Baptism
11
Ty Miller
Baptism
Jacob Reeves
Baptism
Elijah Schilling
Baptism

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

The Bridge August 2014

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