The Bridge February 2015

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 February 2015
Monthly Newsletter of
First Baptist Church Franklinton

Paul Watts, Pastor
fbc.paulwatts@gmail.com
A Cup with Pastor Paul
http://acupwiththepastor.blogspot.com
2
Celebrate recovery....
I generally do not dedicate my newsletter article to a single
event or program, but we are about to begin a new ministry
that has the potential to make a great impact for the King-
dom! Celebrate Recovery is a ministry that seeks to show
people how to be delivered from sin and sin addictions that
have long held them in bondage. God’s Word tells us: All those
led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit
of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adop-
tion, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies
together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children,
also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that we
suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him, Romans
8:14-17, HCSB. We want to see people led to Christ, experience
deliverance from their sins and deliverance from sin’s domin-
ion in their lives.
Celebrate recovery will meet on Tuesday nights. It will be a
power filled time of worship, prayer, encouragement, small
group sharing and fellowship. It will take quite a few commit-
ted volunteers/leaders. We need two things from the church
family here at FBC: Prayers and People. Every member
knows someone who could benefit from this ministry. Most we
would identify (maybe even ourselves) have tried to overcome
their issues in their own strength. Some have even sought
help in other avenues. They need the power only Christ offers
to a person who is totally surrendered to Him. We need to be
praying for the Lord’s anointing on this ministry and those it
touches. We also need to pray for laborers who will be willing
to step forward into this harvest. Each of us needs to pray
and ask the Lord whether this is an area where we need to be
serving. If this ministry is God’s will, He has already prepared
those He desires to use.
Below you will see some upcoming dates of note. If you are
interested or think God might be burdening your heart for
helping in some capacity, show up! There are needs for vol-
unteers that range from greeters to worship leaders. There
will be a place for you if the Lord is moving on your heart.
February 3-March 31, Tuesday Nights @ 6:30 p.m.: Leader-
ship training meetings will be held in the Senior Adult Center
at FBC Franklinton. These meetings will focus on training,
role playing and planning for organization and positions of
service.
April 14, 6:30 pm: LAUNCH—Celebrate Recovery
meetings will begin to meet weekly.
Celebrate Recovery-Celebrate Recovery is a biblical and bal-
anced program that helps us overcome our hurts, hang-ups,
and habits. It is based on the actual words of Jesus rather
than psychological theory. 20 years ago, Saddleback Church
launched Celebrate Recovery with 43 people. It was designed
as a program to help those struggling with hurts, habits and
hang-ups by showing them the loving power of Jesus Christ
through a recovery process. Celebrate Recovery has helped
more than 17,000 people at Saddleback, attracting over 70%
of its members from outside the church. Eighty-five percent of
the people who go through the program stay with the church
and nearly half serve as church volunteers. Celebrate Recov-
ery is now in over 20,000 churches worldwide! (Taken from
Celebrate recovery website, www.celebraterecovery.com)
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!

Dale Parker,
Minister to Senior
Adults
& Discipleship Training
fbc.daleparker@gmail.com
3
In Psalm 139 King
David posed a very interesting
question. He said, “Where can I
go from Your Spirit? Or where
can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are
there; if I make my bed in Sheol,
behold, You are there. If I take
the wings of the morning, and
dwell in the uttermost parts of
the sea, even there Your hand
shall lead me, and Your right
hand shall hold me.”
This is not so much a
question of complaint; David
wasn’t trying to get away from
God. It’s more of a theological
statement of fact. God is omni-
present, and David was express-
ing his awe and wonder of the
sovereign God of the universe.
In the verse preceding these he
said, “Such knowledge is too
wonderful for me; it is high, I
cannot attain it.”
That word “omnipres-
ent” means that God is every-
where. There is no place that
He is not present. Sometimes
we erroneously use the verse
where Jesus said, “Where two or
more are gathered in My name,
I am there,” as if God suddenly
shows up when we gather for
church or a prayer meeting. But
He is already there.
For believers, God is
always present through the Holy
Spirit living in us. There’s no
place where He is not.
David was a man after
God’s own heart. He spent
hours contemplating the wonder
and awe and majesty of God.
God was the centerpiece of his
life. Later, when he took his eye
off of God and looked around
at the world, he sinned.
I wonder how often we
really contemplate the omnipres-
ence of God, not just give Him
a passing, “Hmm, I wonder...”,
but search for Him, seek His
face, and desire to know Him
biblically. How would our wor-
ship, evangelism, discipleship,
and giving be? What kinds of
programs would we watch on
TV? How would we look at the
hurting people of the world?
How would we see the world
around us? Would our lives
change at all? I believe they
would.
It’s sad, but I think that
some people base their idea of
who God is to whatever oth-
ers say about Him. Some may
see Him as a benevolent grand-
fatherly kind of person who
chuckles at sin and says, “That’s
all right. Just so long as you’re
happy.” However, if we truly do
consider all of who God is we
will find that we may not know
Him as well as we like to think
we do.
This year I want to en-
courage all of us to seek after
God, and here’s a good exercise
to help us do that. Grab a Bible
with a good concordance and
look up all of the places where
God says, “I, or I am, or I will”.
Read those verses and write
them down. Study them, and
then be amazed like David at the
awesome majesty of God.
Brother Dale

Honduras Team meeting
February 8th at 5:00 PM
in the Fireside Room.
Senior Fest 2015
Living, Learning & All That Jazz!
The cost is $35 per person by February 5th.
If anyone wants to go Brother Dale needs
to know by February 4th so he can register
them. If we get enough people going we
can take the bus!
Memory Verses for the
Month of February
Feb. 1 - “All Scripture is given by inspira-
tion of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness, that the man of God
may be complete, thoroughly equipped for
every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Feb. 8 - “This Book of the Law shall not
depart from your mouth, but you shall
meditate in it day and night, that you may
observe to do according to all that is writ-
ten in it. For then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will have good
success.” Joshua 1:8
Feb. 15 - “If you abide in Me, and My
words abide in you, you will ask what
you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
John 15:7
Feb. 22 - “Rejoice in the Lord always.
Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle-
ness be known to all men. The Lord is at
hand.” Philippians 4:6-7

Cody Thomas,
Student Pastor
fbc.codythomas@gmail.com
REACHING In & REACHING OutReaching In . . . . . Reaching Out
Student
Ministry Events
Biblical Purity
Wednesday,
February 11th
at 6:00 p.m.
REACH
Your Community
Saturday,
February 21st
at 9:00 a.m.
(Wear work clothes)
4
“For while we were
still weak, at the right time
Christ died for the ungodly.
For one will scarcely die for
a righteous person – though
perhaps for a good person
one would dare even to die
– but God shows his love for
us in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.”
These words written by the
Apostle Paul to the church
in Rome thousands of years
ago are still to this very day
difficult to comprehend. We
might understand the mean-
ing of the text or the overall
message the Apostle Paul is
giving to the church, but in
reality we cannot wrap our
minds around the concept
of God’s love. Before the
creation of the world, God
loved us. While we were still
sinners, God loved us. God
demonstrates His love for us
through His sacrifice on the
cross. How can we wrap our
human minds around that
kind of love?
My own personal un-
derstanding of love has been
growing lately. All of my
life, I’ve had people in my
life who cared for me and
loved me. My parents loved
me while I was still in the
womb. No matter what mis-
takes I made, my parents did
not withhold their love, but
rather unleashed discipline
in love. In my mind, the love
a person gets from family is
expected. Not once in my
life did I ever have to ques-
tion my family’s love for me;
I always knew it was there.
The past two years though,
I have experienced a differ-
ent kind of love. This type
of love is not expected but
rather cultivated. This type
of love is not connected by
blood but rather is connect-
ed by a covenant. This type
of love is meant to mirror
an even greater love between
Christ and the church. Love
within a marriage covenant
is different than a family love
because marriage seems to
be a learned love. Marriage
seems to be a type of love
that grows through experi-
ences and circumstances. Be-
fore marriage I had a diffi-
cult time wrapping my mind
around that type of love.
Even though we can-
not fully wrap our minds
around God’s love, we can
experience it daily. We first
experience God’s love when
we confess Him as Lord. We
are able to come to God and
make Him Lord because He
demonstrated His love for us
on the cross. Once Christ is
our Lord, we have the great
opportunity to continually
experience His love daily if
we would simply live for Him
and not ourselves. God loves
us and wants us to know Him
and experience His love. We
experience the greatest type
of love this world will ever
know when we surrender
and allow Christ to reign in
all of our circumstances. Let
us continually learn to love
God through spending time
with Him in prayer and His
word, giving up of self and
allowing His love to reign in
us and through us.

Butch Reviere
Minister of
Music
fbc.butch@gmail.com
Note from Brother Butch
Sing a New Song
Psalm 33:3a – “Sing to Him a new
song”
Psalm 40:3 – “He has put a new song in
my mouth-Praise to our God; many will
see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”
Psalm 144:9a
– “I will sing a new song to You, O God”
Revelation 5:9,10 – “And they sang
a new song, saying, ‘”You are worthy to
take the scroll, and to open its seals; for
You were slain, and have redeemed us to
God by Your blood out of every tribe and
tongue and people and nation, and have
made us kings and priests to our God; and
we shall reign on the earth.”’
Don’t panic! You are not about to
read a treatise on how we should
ditch the old songs and embrace
only the new ones; you know me
better than that. In fact, my belief
concerning the songs we sing in
worship is as follows: if a song was
ever “good” and appropriate for use
in our corporate or private worship,
then it still is; and conversely, any
song offered by today’s song writers
that helps us express our love and
devotion to the Lord in worship is
worthy of inclusion in our list of
worship songs.
So, what exactly is the point of this
rambling? It seems to me that all
these references to “a new song” in
the Bible have more to do with what
is going on in our hearts than the
particular song that we may be sing-
ing. Look up Romans 6:4 in your
copy of God’s word. You’ll find
this phrase: “we also should walk in
newness of life.” While you’ve got
The Book open, look up II Corin-
thians 5:17. This verse, which we
should be able to quote from mem-
ory, reminds us that in Christ, we are
“a new creation.” Now we broaden
our thinking beyond the songs we
sing to the realization that, when
we come to Christ in salvation, all
things…our worldview, our prefer-
ences, our understanding of life as
God intended it to be, our attention
to every aspect of this life we have
discovered in Jesus…all things are
now new.
The question then arises: what
makes a song “new”? Contempo-
rary worship songs are certainly new
because they have recently been
written. While many of them do
enhance our worship, what about
“Amazing Grace” or “When We
All Get To Heaven”, both of which
were written over a hundred years
ago. Can they be new? YES!! How?
Here’s where I struggle to com-
municate my own experience of
growing in the Spirit. Salvation
brings newness to our lives, but it
is just the beginning of a process
that should be active deep within us
until we breathe our last. The old
hymns mean much more to me now
than they did when I was saved as
a teenager. In that sense, they are
new. We grow from “glory to glory”
according to II Corinthians 3:18.
As we grow, as we are changed by
the Spirit, as we go deeper in our
knowledge of God and what He
has done through Christ, we…ma-
ture. And so does our worship, here
at the church house, as well as in our
private devotions.
Think with me for a moment.
“Amazing grace, how sweet the
sound” takes me back to the rev-
elation that God loves me and gave
His Son to pay for my sin. “That
saved a wretch like me” reminds
me that even good boys who grew
up in church need a Savior because
“goodness” won’t get you to Heav-
en or lead you to the knowledge of
God. “I once was lost but now am
found” makes me want to shout,
though if I did, it would scare you
and me since we aren’t accustomed
to such expressions in our corporate
worship (though maybe we ought to
welcome them???). “Was blind but
now I see” causes me to rejoice that
the God who created the universe is
revealed…and is revealing…Him-
self to even me!
That’s how a song, whether writ-
ten today or a hundred years ago,
becomes new. When we internal-
ize those lyrics and make them very
personal, the song bursts forth from
deep within us. Did you know that
you actually can have these thoughts
even while you’re singing? I chal-
lenge you to try it. Make the lyrics
your own and cry out to Jesus with
humble gratitude for what He is do-
ing deep inside you. And if there
isn’t much happening in your heart
and your worship has become stale
and ritualistic, then….that is a dis-
cussion for another time. So, sing
unto the Lord a “new” song!
On
February 4th,
our adult
choir rehearsal
will move to
6:00 p.m. each
Wednesday
evening…

6
Kelly McElveen
Director of Preschool/
Children’s Ministries
fbc.playschool@gmail.com
Happy Birthday!
Andrew Crain - 6th
Brooke Walle - 9th
Cora Burris - 14th
Knox Allen - 23rd
Belated Birthday
Wishes to
Bradlee Davidson
- Jan. 15th
Are you in 6th grade or below?
Let me know so I can add
you to my list!
Happy February! As I was reflecting on what I needed to say
this month, I couldn’t help but realize that it is Valentine’s Day
this month! It’s hard not to think of Valentine’s Day without
thinking of 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not
proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily
angered, and it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,
and always perseveres.”
I am so thankful that I have a Heavenly Father who can love
me like that! As a mom, however, I’m not batting 1000 in some
of those areas. What areas should I work on most? I’ll start
with patient and kind. Those can be hard to remember and do
on the mornings when we’re running late and someone forgets
something and I really, really need to leave. We have an unwrit-
ten (but often said!) rule and ongoing joke in my house that
only one person gets to be grouchy in the morning, and I have
called “dibs” on it forever. Patient and kind are not two words
that pop into my mind in the mornings. But I want to develop
those traits in my children, so I need them to see them in me
and see areas God has demonstrated patience and kindness to
myself and to them. For some time, I’ve been praying for more
patience and kindness, especially in the mornings (I’m fine af-
ter about 7:30!). I really thought God was just telling me that
it was okay to be grouchy before 7:30 a.m., and then I realized
that He was just providing me with more opportunities to be
patient and kind! So, that’s why the right clothes didn’t ever get
put in the washer and the alarm clock was turned down and
that school report was due today! Instead of being upset in my
morning routine, it was God whispering, “Here’s a great oppor-
tunity for you to be patient at 7:00 a.m.” or “Didn’t you want to
practice 6:30 a.m. kindness?” I’ll let you know how it continues
to go! I’m sticking with just the first two “Love is...” for now
and being so grateful that God knows just what I need and how
to bring those qualities out in me!
Looking ahead to the summer, I’ll be beginning to outline our
“I w Tuesdays” for 2015 during the month of February. I’m very in-
terested in suggestions! If you have a great idea for a Tues-
day outing for our children preschool-6th grade, please let me
know! We already have 3 of the summer weeks taken with VBS,
Tall Timbers Camp and CentriKid, but I will need about six
other activities. Last year we went bowling, to the zoo, to Sten-
nis Space Center, swimming, etc. I love new ideas! Ideally we
like for the activity to be low or no cost and appropriate for
both small preschoolers through about age 12. And, although I
swim, I prefer for water activities to be in clear water for safety
reasons. So if you have an activity from the past that you want
to see back, or if you have a great idea for something new, let
me know!
*ALERT: Rapidly approaching CentriKid deadline! February
1st deadline has been extended to February 10th. On February
11th I will be dropping any unreserved spots to avoid paying
a penalty. If your child is currently in 3rd-6th grade and would
like to attend CentriKid with us at Timber Creek Campground
from July 27-31, I need to know by midnight on February 10th.
Total cost is $302, but we will be having an early March meeting
to discuss fundraising ideas. We will not be having a cake
auction this year.
Wishing you a
February filled
with patience and
kindness,
Kelly McElveen

7
PlaySchool News
During the months of February and March,
PlaySchool registration for the 2015-2016
school year will begin. If you know of any
children that may be interested in attend-
ing or may not know about our PlaySchool
ministry, please let us know! To be eligible,
children must turn 3 by December 31st,
2015. Our school year will begin in Sep-
tember on the day after Labor Day. We are
always interested in having new families
join our PlaySchool program!
Also, we have had several people ask us
lately what PlaySchool may be in need of.
We go through lots and lots of Lysol and
glue sticks and those are two of the items
that our reserve supply is growing low on.
So, if you are out and about and can pick
some up for us, we would greatly appreciate
it! But don’t feel like it is only things that
have to be purchased. We can always use
newspaper for our painting projects! If you
have a stack of newspapers at your house,
we would love to put them to good use!
Most importantly, please continue to pray
for our ministry. Our teachers, our Play-
Schoolers and their families all need your
prayers! Please pray for specifically that
God would use us to show Jesus to these
children and that all that we do reflects
His love for them. Please pray specifically
that the unchurched families that attend
PlaySchool would feel God’s hand lead-
ing them to Him. Please pray specifically
for the PlaySchool families that are hurt-
ing would know that God loves them very
much. Thank you in advance for all of your
prayers! We can always feel them!
Now Accepting Applications for the
2015-2016 School Year for 3 & 4 year olds
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

Leslie Westmoreland
WINGS Coordinator
lwestmoreland.ees@wpsb.org
WINGS
Ministry
8
Save The Date:
Pine FBC Women’s Conference
February 27th & 28th, 2015
Speaker: Julie Woodruff
Worship Leader: Lara Landon
Casserole Ministry:
How does it work?
Church members make and bring casseroles and put them in the
church freezer all during the year.
Containers need to be wrapped well or put in a freezer bag. A copy
of the recipe and how to cook the casserole should also be taped to
the casserole.
When you bring a casserole, sign it in on the sheet located on the
front of the freezer. When someone is sick, having a difficult time,
or in need of a meal, any church member can pick up a casserole
and deliver it to someone. Please sign it out so we can keep track of
where it was sent.
Magazine Ministry:
How does it work?
Church members bring magazines and put them in the box under
the WINGS board. This is only done a few times a year! Keep them
with you, and we will let you know when we are collecting them.
The magazines you drop off get labeled and put out at hospitals,
doctor offices, dentist offices, etc.
If you would like to help with this ministry in any way,
please contact Leslie Westmoreland.

Children’s
Church
Month of
February
Christina Watts
& Lori Schilling
for ages 3
to
Kindergarten
We will be meeting in
Mrs. Cindy’s Kindergarten
Sunday school room in the
Preschool Department
Sunday Night
Supper
2/1
Barber, Cowart, Cruce,
McDaniel, Thomas, Varnado,
and Westmoreland
2/8
Bell, Lebo, McElveen,
Schilling, Thomas, Varanado
and Watts
2/15
Bankston, Burris, Galloway,
McElveen, Sandifer, Schilling
and Waskom
2/22
Cooke, Creel, Mobley, Morgan,
Owen, and Sylvest
2/1
Tommy
Wood &
Richard
McElveen
2/8
Richard
Knight
& Matt
Westmoreland
2/15
Howard
Gibson
& Mike
Hikman
2/22
Dennis
Wager &
George
Cowart
Sound Schedule
(Please note schedule changes)
2/1
Matt Westmoreland
2/8
Stephen McElveen
2/15
Darren Schilling
2/22
Johnny Burris
Wednesday Night
Supper
2/4
Group E - Chicken Rotel
2/11
Group A - Pulled Pork
2/18
Group B - Fried Chicken
2/25
Group C - Meatballs &
Spaghetti
9
Our
February VOLUNTEERS
Nursery Schedule
2/1
Lacy Burris &
Nicole Wager
2/8
Rob Crain &
Kristi Crain
2/15
Sara Robins &
Marsha Newman
2/22
Lori Schilling &
Betty Gill

Announcements
10
FEATURED SPEAKER
Dr. Fred Luter
Pastor, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church
Former President, SBC
Registration Deadline:
February 5 - $35 per person
Late Registration Deadline:
February 12 - $38 per person
Register online www.nobts.edu/Publications/SeniorFest.html
For hotel reservations, contact Providence Guest House (504) 816-8178.
For more Senior Fest information, call (504) 816-8106 or email seniorfest@nobts.edu.
REGISTRATION
Friday, February 27, 2015
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Living, Learning,
& All That Jazz!
Inspirational
Bible
Teaching
Insightful
Educational
Seminars
Closing
Session
Hymn Sing
INSIGHTFUL SEMINARS
NOBTS faculty and friends will share in
their areas of expertise and passion with
topics to enrich your season of life.
NEW THIS YEAR
In response to your requests, the
schedule has been fine-tuned to include
three Breakout Sessions to learn from
the experts!
Presented by the Social Work Department in the
Division of Church and Community Ministries
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
3939 Gentilly Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70126
The cost is $35 per person by February 5th. If anyone wants to go
Brother Dale needs to know by February 4th so he can register them.
If we get enough people going we can take the bus.

Operation
Christmas Child
Yes, it’s already time to begin collecting
for our November packing party.
Each month we will list items would like
you to bring in during that month.
February
- Toothbrushes & Toothpaste
Last year First Baptist Church
donated 783 boxes to
Operation Christmas Child.
Our goal this year in 870 boxes.
Thank you again for your commitment to
this ministry which spreads Jesus Christ’s
love to needy children around the world.

11
Chris Merrick
WelcomE
Our New
Members
With high school graduation fast approaching, FBC would like to
remind seniors of the scholarship opportunity available through the
church. FBC is the financial manager and distributor of the Charles
and Jan Montgomery Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship has
been in existence since 1985 and has helped numerous students over
the years with their college expenses. Applications and guidelines for
eligibility can be obtained through the church office or through the
schools.
If you are looking for a meaningful honorarium or memorial
gift, please keep in mind a donation to the scholarship fund. You will
not only be helping perpetuate the scholarship, but also helping a wor-
thy student with their college expenses.
Scholarship funds
Available
Madysen Varnado
Be The Church Week
March 22-27, 2015
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!
We are asking Sunday school classes to…
Pray weekly for Be the Church Sunday. Worship is the #1 purpose
of the church. We want this Sunday to be a worshipful time. This will
be true if all we do focusses on Jesus and brings glory to Him.
Plan and prepare projects of love/ministry/outreach that would
fit your particular Sunday school class. This may be construction,
benevolence, evangelistic, or ministry oriented depending on the
make-up of your class.
Keep an open mind and heart. Allow the Lord to help you give
yourself away in service to Him for His glory.

PRSRT STD
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 27
February 2015
950 Self Street
Franklinton, LA 70438
www.fbcfranklinton.org
First Baptist Church
Franklinton

The Bridge February 2015

More Related Content

What's hot

Viewers also liked

Similar to The Bridge February 2015

Recently uploaded

The Bridge February 2015