What Makes the Good News Good News?

2013
January 2013
Dr. Richard A. Farmer
Senior Pastor
361-6713
[email protected]
Trinity Baptist Church
244 S. Main St.
Marion, OH 43302
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
740-387-6527
www.tbcmarion.org
[email protected]
What Makes the Good News Good News?
Men’s Bible Study
8AM
3
COMMUNION
Blended Worship
8:30 AM
Sunday School
9:45 AM
Contemporary
Worship 11AM
Morphed 6PM
4
Women’s Bible
Study at Ruby
Lingers’ 10AM
5
AWANA 6:30 PM
Recovery Group
7:00 PM
BasketBall
Team A 6:20 PM
Team B 9:30 PM
6
Coffee & Crumbs
10:30 AM
Youth Bible Study
7PM
Bible Study 7:15
7
10
Blended Worship
8:30 AM
Sunday School
9:45 AM
Contemporary
Worship 11AM
Morphed 6PM
11
12
Holy Tearers
10AM
AWANA 6:30PM
Recovery Group
7:00 PM
BasketBall
Team B 7:20 PM
Team A BYE
13
Coffee & Crumbs
10:30 AM
Noren Circle 1:30
PM
Youth Bible Study
7PM
Bible Study 7:15
14
17
Blended Worship
8:30 AM
Sunday School
9:45 AM
Contemporary
Worship 11AM
Morphed 6PM
18
Women’s Bible
Study at Ruby
Lingers’ 10AM
19
20
Coffee & Crumbs
10:30 AM
Youth Bible Study
7PM
Bible Study 7:15
21
24
Blended Worship
8:30 AM
Sunday School
9:45 AM
Contemporary
Worship 11AM
Morphed 6PM
25
Women’s Bible
Study at Ruby
Lingers’ 10AM
Education Committee 7 PM
Women’s Bible Study
at Ruby Lingers’
10AM
Committees
Pulpit 6P
Operations 6PM
Ministry 6 PM
Programming 7PM
Martha Circle 10A
Victoria Christensen
Circle 10 AM
AWANA 6:30 PM
Recovery Group
7:00 PM
BasketBall
Team A 6:30 PM
Team B 7:30 PM
26
AWANA 6:30 PM
Recovery Group
7:00 PM
BasketBall
Team A 8:30 PM
27
Coffee & Crumbs
10:30 AM
Youth Bible Study
7PM
Bible Study 7:15
12
8
Praise Band 6PM
Outreach Committee 7PM
Council meeting
7:30 PM
Elder Meeting 8:30
PM
Men’s Bible Study
8AM
15
Praise Band 6PM
Outreach Committee 7PM
Praise Band 6PM
Outreach Committee 7PM
28
Praise Band 6PM
Outreach Committee 7PM
Soup Kitchen 11:30
AM
Missions Committee
Meeting 7 PM
BasketBall
Team B 6:30P
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16
Men’s Bible Study
8AM
22
Dare2Share
23
Men’s Bible Study
8AM
Allow me to explain further
the reality of the gospel by
venturing into a personal
hypothetical situation. Let
us suppose that I have
come to understand that I
am a dirty, rotten, stinking
sinner. Let us suppose that I
have come to the realization, by looking in the mirror, by the words of others,
and by the frequent failures
of my own actions to bring
about good, that something
is truly wrong with me.
What would be good news?
Would it be – “yes, you are
a dirty, rotten, stinking sinner. Now come over here
and let me publicly scold
you!!” Would this be good
news, or would this be old
news? What kind of news
would I need, what kind of
news would free me from
the tyranny of my own depravity, the hopelessness of
my own self-centered
ways? Would it be that I am
in fact lost, that left to myself I will never know full
redemption, and that anyone who takes a more than
superficial look at my life
will find me wanting and
desperately misguided?
Would this be what I would
come to know as “good
news”? And if not, what
would be good news for the
likes of me?
If the Gospel is good
news, then it seems to me
that given my reality, my
honest assessment of myself and the observations
of others, that good news
would be some kind of
news that would create
hope for the hopeless and
forgiveness for the fallen.
Let us suppose that we
react to the misguided and
sinful soul with the news
that we can have God’s
blessing if we go to
church, get our act together, and pattern our
lives after the one we call
Jesus. Let us suppose that
we have convinced people
that if we live this way,
and become the kinds of
people who are righteous
and holy and above reproach, that we can begin
to understand that God
loves us and can use us to
transform the world
around us. Would this be
good news? And even if it
were, would it be lasting
good news? What happens
to such a soul when will
power is inept, when the
righteous façade we maintain begins to fade away,
and when the reality of sin
residing in each of us gains
an upper hand any given
Monday through
Saturday? What happens to
the “good news”? At best it
becomes temporary, and at
worst it becomes completely
dependent upon my ability
to appear righteous in spite
of my shortcomings. Does
the gospel of Jesus really
place itself in the hands of
the likes of you and me for
its life and sustenance? Or
does Paul mean something
more than this when He calls
the gospel “the Power of
God for salvation to all who
believe” (Romans 1: 16) If in
fact the gospel is the power
of God, and reveals to us a
righteousness from God,
why is it that so many strive
so hard to wrestle from
God’s hand any credit at all
when it comes to the “Good
News”?
Even if we can maintain our
reputations and our integrity
for a sustained period of
time as we attempt to live
out the power of the gospel,
the very next question we
must face is this - “for how
long”? What happens when
we make God’s love and our
impact in the world dependent upon our own version of
righteous living? What happens when we fall or fail or
otherwise are found out?
1
What happens to those who
are building a faith in Christ
based on watching our lives,
our successes, and our expertise at holy living? What
happens when those of us
who have presented to others a gospel dependent upon
our personal righteousness
fail to live up to the standards we set for ourselves or
others? There can only be
two results. We must either
lie and hide, not
continued
In the February issue:
Encouragement Corner
2
Trinity Church News
3
Matt’s Newsletter
4
Matt’s Month
5
Pastor Rick’s Report
6
Cathy’s Corner
7
Missionary News
8
Morphed Report
9
Leadership Board Report
10
Financial Report
11
Calendar
12
wanting the good news we proclaim
to suffer at our own hands because
of our own shortcomings. Or we will
speak the truth, and cause others to
have to face the reality that we are
not “all that,” that we are unable to
live up to the standards we set for
ourselves. If you are one of those
souls out there who have somehow
convinced themselves that the Christ
life in you is dependent upon you,
you will inevitably find yourself
needing to do one of the two options
above. Some of you are convinced
that it is your responsibility to live
the Christ life in such a way that others will marvel and envy. The problem, however, is quite simple. This
type of theology is never, in the end,
good news? For human effort will
always lead to human failure. The
gospel is good news precisely because it is God’s answer to our human frailty, our personal shortcomings, and our corporate sin. Without
the grace of God from first to last,
the gospel would simply never ultimately and eternally be “good
news”, if the gospel is in any way
dependent upon my righteousness.
If we are to fully embrace the truth
that we are a lost people with little to
offer God on our own, how would this
affect what we preach and teach, if
in fact we are offering what is truly
to be understood as good news? What
is good news for the fallen? What is
good news for a human race in need
of redemption? In 2 Corinthians 5
we find a message which would in
fact be good news for the sinner, good
news for the Believer, good news for
all, no matter what place in life we
might find our self. Here is the word:
14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died
for all, and therefore all died. 15 And
he died for all, that those who live
should no longer live for themselves
but for him who died for them and
was raised again. 16 So from now on
we regard no one from a worldly
point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so
no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ, the new creation has come:
[a] The old has gone, the new is here!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting people’s sins against
them. And he has committed to us
the message of reconciliation.
18
Did you hear it? The Good News?
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the
new creation has come, the old has gone,
the new is here! All this is from
God……………..for God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not
counting people’s sins against them.
And He has committed to us this ministry of reconciliation”. Here indeed
is good news, not just for those who
believe themselves righteous, but
also for those who know themselves
to be not so righteous. First, we read
“out with the old” and “in with the
new.” The old man that Paul describes in Romans 7, who seems to
hang around far too often, is from
God’s perspective – gone! Done!
Vanished! "Who shall save me from
this body of death? Thanks be to God,
through Jesus Christ our Lord!!" When
God views me, he does not see what
you see, for you often see that dying
shell of an old man who
daily struggles with sin. When God
sees me, He sees the New Creation,
which for God is just as real today as
he will be 1000 years from now.
Wow!! God has a perspective of me
you do not share and cannot see. The
Person God is making me into, from
His perspective, is already a reality.
This is precisely why Paul instructs
us, in the verses preceding this announcement, asking us to stop regarding people from the perspective
of this world, but to raise our vision
that we might begin to see others as
God already sees us - New Creations
in Christ. This is indeed Good
News!!! But there is more………
(peace/out, more to come)
Encouragement
Corner
Bernice Honaker
C/O Heartland of Marion
400 Barks Rd. W Room 311B
Marion OH 43302
Jo Ann Shirk
794 Oak Grove Ave.
Marion, OH 43302
740-382-2843
Margaret McCoy
2298 Smeltzer Rd.
Marion OH 43302
740-389-3086
A motion to adjourn was made by Herb Klingel and the meeting was closed with prayer by Sheila Klenzman. The Leadership Board
will not meet again until August 2013 unless a special meeting is called. The Church Council will meet Thursday, February 7th at
7:30 p.m., with the Elders holding their meeting afterward. Ministry groups will hold their meetings at times designated by their
Overseers.
Respectfully Submitted,
Present: Fred Price, Jane Bender, Todd Petrie, Mac Meginness,
Fritz Winegarner, Vic Mahaffey, Colleen McCartney, Herb
Klingel, Bob Miller, Cathy Caldwell, Chuck Blankenship, Sharon
Davis, Jan Hulse, Deanna Pitts, Sam Newell, Rich Caldwell,
Sheila Klenzman, Pastor Rick Farmer, Terry Robbins. Also present was Jerry Gorby.
Jane Bender
Clerk
Harry Garverick
422 Reblubic Way
Marion, OH 43302
740-389-6182
Trinity Baptist Church
Monthly Report
As of December 31, 2012
Operating
Amount Budget
There will be the first of 4 Quarterly
Business Meetings on February the
10th at 3:30 PM in the Sanctuary. At
this meeting there will be a vote to accept the search committee and a vote to
accept the new Council Concept.
Monthly
Variance
December Income
December Expense
$ 27,901.43
$ 19,810.35
$ 8,091.08
$ 30,168.03
$ 30,168.03
Year-to-date Income
Year-to-date Expense
$322,270.03
$298,930.77
$ 23,339.26
$362,016.36
$362,016.36
All Income/Expense
The At-Large Members are the representatives to the Council Meetings.
They act as a communication link between the congregation and the Council
which consists of the Overseers and the
Elders. The following people are the
At-Large members for 2013:
Chuck Blankenship
Carol Hoffman
Jan Hulse
2
The church is the recipient of a $30,000 bequest from Olive Ashworth. The Members at Large are charged with researching the
congregation for input as to how to use these funds. Motion by Herb to place the bequest in a separate account until it is used,
rather than the General Fund. The motion was seconded by Terry Robbins. Discussion centered on responsible stewardship of
these bequest funds, after which Herb and Terry withdrew their motion. A motion was made by Pastor Rick that if our checking
account reaches $30,000 or less, the Moderator will call an emergency Board meeting in order to decide the appropriate expenditure(s) of any portion of the $30,000 received from the Olive Ashworth bequest. The motion was seconded by Terry Robbins and
approved by a majority show of hands.
December Income
December Expense
Difference
$ 34,716.43
$ 26,371.36
$ 8,345.07
$ 2,266.60
$10,357.68
($ 8,091.08)
$39,746.33
$63,085.59
($23,339.26)
All Income/Expense
YTD Income
YTD Expense
Difference
$400,608.27
$405,178.53
( $ 4,570.26)
Cash on Hand
$ 18,251.85
Total Deficit
$ 98,964.38
Approved Yearly Budget
11
$362,016.33
January 14, 2013
LEADERSHIP BOARD MINUTES
Moderator, Fred Price, opened the meeting by reading from Ephesians 4:21. Minutes of the previous meeting were accepted as
filed. The Financial Report shows 2012 receipts of $400,608.27 and expenses of $405,178.53.
Operations: Mac Meginness
• Motion by Mac to approve a recommendation for Clifford Hall to lease the South Main Street parking lot for four months
or longer at $300 per month. There is a possibility that Mr. Hall will eventually purchase the lot. An attorney will draw up
the contract. All maintenance will be done by Mr. Hall and the lot will not be available for Trinity’s use. The motion was
seconded by Herb Klingel and approved by a majority show of hands.
• Annual financial audit of the church books was completed on January 12th. The committee of Oren Linger, Willis Thomas,
Fred Price, Bob Miller, and Herb Klingel found the books to be in excellent order with no problems. A huge thank you to
Fred Price and Bob Miller!
• Operations group meeting is the 2nd Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Christian Center Koinonia Room.
• Chuck Blankenship inquired about the first service offering monies being stolen. It is believed that the robbery occurred
sometime between 9:45 and 10:00 a.m. on December 9th and an undetermined amount of money was taken. Mac stated
that a police report was made and new security measures are in place.
Programming: Colleen McCartney
• Will meet on Wednesday with a company representative regarding contracting for a new church directory.
• Programming group meeting is the 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m.
Education: Rich Caldwell
• No report.
• Education group meeting time has not been established yet.
Ministry: Todd Petrie
• Ministry group meeting is the 2nd Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Christian Center Youth Room.
• Fritz Winegarner reports that a Missions Team is being formed to help with evaluation of the missionaries on our Missions
budget.
• Natasha Cooper, Julien Griffith, and Mary Miller have been approved for membership but have not yet been baptized.
• Motion by Todd to approve membership by baptism on December 30th for Gayle Rollison and Tiffany Rose. The motion
was seconded by Sam Newell and approved by a majority show of hands.
• Sam is working on a communion schedule.
Nominating Committee: Sharon Davis
• The committee has worked tirelessly but has been unable to fill the positions of Nursery Coordinator and Publicity Coordinator.
• Motion by Sharon to accept the resignation of Bob Miller as Financial Secretary, effective January 31st, and to approve
him as Property Coordinator, effective January 14th, for a two year term expiring December 2015. The motion was seconded by Colleen and approved by a majority show of hands.
The transition to a Church Council was discussed.
• Fritz distributed an overview of the new Council structure.
• Quorum for the Church Council will be 60% of members present at the meeting.
• The three Members at Large will be publicized as to who they are so that the congregation may know them and voice their
concerns to them. As the voice of the congregation, they are encouraged to attend ministry group meetings of their
choice. Motion by Chuck Blankenship that Members at Large are non-voting members of the ministry group they attend. The motion was seconded by Fritz and approved by a majority show of hands.
• The Nominating Coordinator should meet with the Church Council at least twice a year and committee members are encouraged to attend ministry group meetings from time to time.
• Fred suggested following a form of Roberts Rules of Order for Ministry Group and Church Council meetings in order to
ensure a smooth and orderly process. Motions should be made in writing, with the vote being a majority show of hands.
A vote to suspend the rules will be required in the event of a request for a ballot vote.
10
To our friends at Trinity Baptist Church:
Dear Trinity Friends,
We would like to let you all know how much we
appreciate the support we received from everyone
we dealt with at Trinity Baptist as we said goodbye
to our mother, Beulah Rae Wilson.
How wonderful to be in the family of God and receive our prayers,
thoughts and cards. After 4 months of 3 wounds on my right leg. I am
healing and doing well. I am grateful to be back in my many activities and
share with you.
Pastor Rick did a wonderful job of pulling together
our stories of Mom and helping everyone to remember her as she was before she began to slip
away.
Thank you for your gifts of love and caring.
Jeri Ward and all the folks who assisted with lunch
provided a place for our family, many from far
away, to share a meal and memories. There is
something about a delicious hearty meal (with
wonderful desserts) that is so comforting.
Dear Colleen and Trinity Baptist Church,
Please know that we will always remember your
kindness.
Sincerely,
The family of Billie Wilson
TRINITY
Margaret McCoy
Thank you for taking your time to participate in the Live Nativity during
this 2012 season of Christmas. Hopefully, your message of “Jesus is the
Reason for the Season” entered many hearts on your night. We especially
appreciate the Micah Castle Family and the Donald Parthemore Family for
volunteering to make the evening complete.
God Bless You in 2013!
Karen Seckel, Chairman
CHURCH
Mae Kathleen Haught, age 98, a lifetime resident of Fairview
passed away peacefully at Ruby Memorial Hospital on Sunday,
January 13, 2013. Kathleen was born on June 2, 1914.
“Nana Kathleen” was an 80 year member of St. Paul Baptist
Church in Fairview. She was employed at Westinghouse in the
Seal Beam Headlight Department during her 25 years of employment. Since retirement, she could be found needle pointing or
spending time at the Fairview Senior Center. She was a 50 plus
year member of the Pythian Sisters.
She is survived by two daughters, Regina (Dave) White, and
Dolores Dresser; three grandchildren Kathy (Robert) Whitehead,
Rick Dresser, and Kimberly (Rick) Farmer, five great-grand
children; Josh Farmer, Griffin, Allison, and Rosie Whitehead,
and Ryan Dresser.
Dr. Richard Farmer conducted the funeral on Thursday January 17, 2013.
Henry J. Grondahl age 90 of Marion, Ohio and formerly of Inwood Long Island, NY passed away Sunday December 23, 2012
at Marion General Hospital.
Henry was a retired machinist with Fairchild Hiller Avaiation
in Long Island, NY. He was also an M.P. in the U.S. Army during WWII.
Henry leaves behind two daughters; Joan (Dave) Rich of
Marion, Ohio, and Jean (William) Ross of New Brighten, PA.
Also, five grandchildren; Matthew and Joshua Rich, and Alexander, Robert, and Marc Ross, and five great-grandchildren.
NEWS
Barbara Ann Smith, age 80, of Marion, passed away unexpectedly on
Wednesday, January 23, 2013 in Ft. Myers, Florida. Barb was born on
March 4, 1932 in Chicago, IL.
Barbara graduated from Harding High School in 1950. She spent
her career working as a secretary at Dickerson’s Foods. She belonged
to the First Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian Church Circle of
Martha, Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, Green Acres Gold League and the
Classic Car Club. Her favorite activities included golfing, gardening,
riding in their ’57 T-Bird convertible, and spending time with her family.
She is survived by her loving husband, Lester, her children: Jerri
(Jim) Seckel-Klaus, Linda (the late Douglas) Shank, Julie (Donald)
Buck-McKee and Kent (Lynda) Smith; Grandchildren: Tracy (Doug)
Wade, Betsy (Aaron) Ballinger, Lauren (Nathan) Smith, Arianne
Shank, Austin Warnament, Clayton Smith, Emily Shank and Ben
Smith; and great grandchilren : Samantha and Andrew Wade, Knox
Smith and Asher Ballinger.
Funeral services were held Monday January 28, 2013.
Marianne Buchanan age 83, passed away January 19, 2013 after a
lengthy illness. Marianne was born in Logan, OH on March 1, 1929.
She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Harold L. Buchanan; son,
David (Cheryl) Buchanan; and daughters, Molly (Dan) Hensel and
Alice (Mark) Piacentini. She is also survived by six grandchildren,
Sara (Alex) Lackner, Curtis Hensel, Nicole (Brian) Tittermary, Benjamin, Meredith, and Dominic Piacentini; as well as three greatgrandchildren, James, Carter and Nathan Lackner.
She was a lifetime member of Glenwood UMC and United Methodist Women. She retired from Lazarus/Macys in 2003.
A Celebration of Marianne’s life was held on January 26th.
3
CCO Ministry at the
Ohio State University at Marion
and Marion Technical College
YOUTH
REPORT
Transforming college students
to transform the world
A Fresh Start
The Ministry of
Matthew Stratton
We’re officially one month into the Spring semester here on campus, and I can already tell this
Spring is going to be better than the Fall. Both the students and I have returned to campus rejuvenated from time off over Winter break, and we’re ready to continue to expand the ministry on
campus. Several new students as well as some that I previously lost contact with have begun to
show up again with a renewed interest in being a part of our campus faith community. Our Tuesday Bible study on campus has moved to Wednesday to accommodate students’ changing schedules, the location has moved to the lobby of the student activities center to gain more awareness
from students who still haven’t plugged in, and the tone has changed as we now have a Buddhist
joining us who’s interested in learning more about Jesus!
Student Spotlight: Desiree Conley
I never expected a year ago when I met this soft-spoken, blonde at Mi Jalapeno for
lunch that she would turn out to be one of the most committed student leaders on campus. Over the past year I have seen Desiree open up during our Tuesday night small
group and share some profound and personal insights. I have also seen her reach outside
of herself and invite several of her peers in the OTA program to be a part of a small
group that she leads each week on campus. With Jubilee fast approaching, Desiree has
also been leading the charge of inviting students to join us for our weekend in Pittsburgh. One of the guys from her small group, Cody, will be coming with us to Jubilee
later this month solely because of Desiree’s efforts to invite him.
Jubilee 2013
Transform Everything. That’s the theme of this year’s Jubilee conference, and I’m praying it will
do just that in the lives of the students who are coming with me to Pittsburgh later this month. I’m
so excited to see how student testimonials from last year’s conference have gotten even more students interested and excited to attend this year! With only 2 weeks left before Jubilee, we already
have more than twice as many students going from Marion this year as we did last February. This
is also largely due to the generous donations of several families to provide scholarships to students
who cannot afford the entire cost of the weekend in Pittsburgh. Campus ministry is a community
effort, and I have a wonderful community supporting me in my efforts to transform students’
lives.
4
February
2013
January was a busy month for the youth leaders. We planned out the activities for the rest
of the school year, and nailed down all of the details for our big events. Dare2Share is the 22nd
and 23rd of this month, and we have 15 youth and adults attending. Also, the $50 deposit for the
mission trip is due by February 17th. I know it seems early to be thinking about our summer mission trip, but it will be here before we know it.
On January 20, we had a lock-in at the church. We had 18 students that came and we had
loads of fun! The Caped Crusader showed up during our Nerf battle. Matt Stratton schooled some
girls in Just Dance. Christian Vaflor channeled John Lennon for Rock Band. Katie Poling loses
brain cells when she loses sleep, and Lauren Nelson can sleep in any position when tired enough.
Everyone seemed to enjoy it and had Monday off of school to catch up on their sleep.
We are still doing Vocab Lab in youth group and studying Ezekiel in Sunday School. The
girls investigated lies they tend to believe about themselves in our Wednesday night Bible study.
One of the big ones is the lie that we believe that tells us we need to perform well at something to
be loved or accepted. We all know that is not true, but living in such a competitive society only
fuels that lie and sometimes we do not even realize we have fallen victim to the lie. Believing this
lie causes us to do things for all the wrong reasons and our focus shifts away from what it should
be. We challenged them to find something in their lives that they are using to define themselves
and to evaluate whether or not that part of them is being used to glorify God. I think that is something we all need to do. Everything about us, including our jobs and the way we interact with others, should glorify Him, and so many times, that is not the case. There is a song by Sidewalk
Prophets called “Live Like That,” and there is a line in the song that God puts before me at least
once a day. That line is, “When they see me, do they see You?” Ask yourselves as you go
through this next month - do they see me or do they see Him?
As always, thank you for your prayers and support.
Amy Washburn
9
TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH
2013 Leadership
In addition I have spent the
past month as follows:
It's K12 Fellowship of Christians
with the Baptist Church. Most
people in Czech don't know what
Baptist is, so that information is
linked to our web site and the
mother church's web site. K2 is
the second highest mountain in the
world, and most Czechs now
that. So, we want to take them higher and further up
so their understanding of God is increased, and we can
help them in practical day to day things as well,
through the various things we offer. K12 also is for
Kytnerova 12, which is the address where we are located, so it makes it easy to remember.
GLORIA GINN
BIG Praise... I asked for prayer for the young mom
Jana and that she was close to accepting Christ. 2 days
before I got back, she did accept Christ!! Now we're
working on a time to meet with her regularly. She's
been sick with the flu the last couple weeks, so we
haven't had a chance to talk a lot together yet. So, thank
you all for your prayers. Now you can pray for her
spiritual growth and for family life. Please also pray for
her husband who is now starting to come to men's small
group.
Please Pray for English Evenings outreach - we've
switched to a new night and will have themes each evening that we'll teach in English and then the second part
will be a Bible Study about Jesus' teaching on that subject. We will begin that Feb. 13
We have the big Physics Show that Tom Tyc does each
year. It is scheduled for February 20 and normally there
are about 200 - 300+ people who come from the community. Everyone is then invited to the many other
events we have, including Bible Study, Church services,
Mom's Club, Kid's Club English, Fathers and kids gym
night, archery, etc.
We will be starting a new course called ALPHA. It
takes the basics of Christianity and offers them in a
small group setting where people meet together each
week for a meal, then have information about Christianity followed by a discussion time. I believe it's a 10
week course and we'll start at the end of this month or
beginning of next month.
Dear Friends at Trinity Baptist Church,
Thanks for the special gift to start out this New Year! We are
grateful for your encouragement through your fits and
prayers. We pray the Lord’s blessings on your ministry there
in Marion!
Well, there are other things going on as well, Cindy
Howard is teaching English to children 4 days a
week. Mike Young is leading an Archery class for Men
and another for younger people interested. Our Church
Plant has a new Logo and we'll have a Mom's Club reunion party for those that have come in the past, but
their children are now in school and they work. That
will be this Friday.
Warmly,
Michael Cook
Campus Crusade
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• Support Raising to help
meet my monthly goals for necessary for salary and ministry
expenses
• One-on-one meetings with
students
Attending a student-led Bible study on campus on Wednesday
afternoons
Outreach on campus to meet new students and invite them to
join our campus fellowship
Hosting a Tuesday night Bible study in my home
Hosting a college/20’s movie night in my home
Inviting students to attend the Jubilee conference
Setting up appointments with local churches to discuss additional, future CCO partnership in Marion
Attending the CCO’s Winter Staff seminar for continued education and training
Breakfast with Pastor Rick Thursdays for discussion and planning
Monthly meeting with fellow CCO staff in Ohio as part of continuing education
Leading Morphed youth group Sunday nights
Meeting with Morphed’s adult leaders to coordinate the
year’s events
Inviting OSUM students who live in Delaware to attend a Delaware-based CCO worship night each Wednesday
Personal prayer and study times in mornings
Reading and answering a variety of emails
Managing and updating the church website
Running the sound board and sermon recordings for Sunday
worship
Spending time with family for the holidays
Books I’ve Been Reading:
• Faith & Culture by Kelly Monroe Kullberg &
Lael Arrington
• Your Money Counts (Now More Than Ever) by
Howard Dayton
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K.
Rowling
• Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who
Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions
by Rachel Held Evans
Name
Moderator
Fred Price
Clerk
Jane Bender
Financial Secretary
Treasurer
Fred Price
Nominating Coordinator
Sharon Davis
At-Large Member
At-Large Member
Chuck
Blankenship
Carol Hoffman
At-Large Member
Jan Hulse
Ministry Overseer
Todd Petrie
Worship Coordinator
Sam Newell
Missions Coordinator
Fritz Winegarner
Membership Coordinator
DeAnna Pitts
Senior Adult
Keith Griffith
ABC Coordinator
Gwen Thomas
Congregational Life Coordinator
Left unfilled
Education Overseer
Richard Caldwell
Nursery Coordinator
Children’s Coordinator
Sheila Klenzman
Youth Coordinator
Amy Washburn
Sunday School Coordinator
Nancy Betker
Operations Overseer
Mac Meginness
Property Coordinator
Bob Miller
Stewardship Coordinator
Herb Klingel
Administration Coordinator
Vic Mahaffey
Programming Overseer
Colleen
McCartney
Publicity Coordinator
MONTH
S
’
T
T
A
M
Your fellow servant,
Gloria
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Title
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Social Coordinator
Terry Robbins
Activities Coordinator
Kristi Newsome
Outreach/Evangelism
Bill Lucas
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Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks
in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you
in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18.
PASTOR REPORT
January
Dr. Richard A. Farmer
2013
One of the things I have noticed lately is the incredible spirit of warmth and devotion that is exuding during our worship services. From where I stand I get to see people’s faces, as they greet one another during meet and greet time, as
they sing together on Sunday mornings, as they listen to and tune into the sermon, and as they exit the church on Sunday
morning. It is becoming increasingly evident to me and others that people love being a part of Trinity Baptist Church on
Sunday mornings. I believe this spirit cam become contagious throughout Marion, Ohio. For this reason I am asking you
to consider becoming a part of our “Fill the Pews” movement in 2013. We want you to begin thinking how you might
share what is happening at Trinity with others in our community. First, you can express your desire to join Bill Lucas as
he heads up an effort to brain storm ways to fill our pews. Secondly, you can become and inviting person, making it a
priority to invent at least one person a week to church. You will be hearing more of this in the future, but for now these
are two things you might consider as we begin the task and calling of sharing with others what God is doing in our lives
here at Trinity Baptist Church.
I have spent this past month as follows:
• Meeting and talking with 7 new people in our church
• Spending time with 6 families during crisis times
• Teaching a Sunday School Class on World Religions
• Visiting shut-ins (12)
• Spending time in the homes of 6 members
• Book writing and blog writing
• Participation in Dr. Marks Tuesday night Recovery Class
• Benevolence meetings (7)
• Four marriage mentoring meetings
• One on one times with 229 members
• Teaching a class at MTC
• Weekly mentoring times (3)
• Shopping 9 times with some in need of groceries
• Teaching Human Development at MTC, Tu and Th afternoon.
• Reading these books – Unfashionable, Vertical Church, Essays on Theology, Seven Habits of Highly Effective Churches,
Rethinking the Church, Why Sin Matters, Community 101, Discovering Eve, Jesus Among Other Gods, Unconditional,
God in the Wasteland, The Reason for God, A Reason to Rejoice, God the Evidence, Fresh Wind Fresh Fire, Several Commentaries on the Gospel of John, Several Commentaries on Hebrews, Several Commentaries on Exodus, Hard Sayings of
the Old Testament, Apologetic Preaching, As a Man Thinketh, Creation Regained, The Power of Praying, The Ten Commandments, The Untold Story of the New Testament Church, The Passion of the Western Mind, The Case for Biblical
Christianity, The Great House of God
• Sermons On Advent
• Attending several games involving our youth
• Personal prayer and study time in mornings
• Wednesday morning Coffee and Crumbs on John’s Gospel
• 13 Counseling sessions
• 16 hospital calls for prayer with the sick
• One funeral
• Phone calls with Visitors to our church
• Reading and answering a variety of emails
• Shared the gospel with people ten times
• Weekly Staff meetings and individual staff times
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Weekly meetings with Dr. Fritz, Kathy Caldwell, and Matt Stratton
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Pasto r Rick ’s
M o n th
We reconvened the second semester of Awana on January 8th and enjoyed seeing many familiar faces as well as some
dear new ones after our two weeks of vacation. January 15th we had a special family dinner and awards ceremony. The
dinner was sponsored and served by Pastor Rick’s care group, and BIG applause and thanks go out to them for their servant hearts! They served nearly 70 people. During that dinner and meeting we highlighted the kids who had perfect attendance for the month of December as well as those who had perfect attendance for the entire term. The two Awana
club members with perfect attendance were Shaylynne Skaggs and Eli Moore. Special awards also went out to our volunteer staff that had perfect attendance for the semester: Kim Farmer, Cassady Gee, Ben Piacentini, Maggie and Marcia
Pitts, and Willis Thomas. That particular night we had our second record high for attendance at 35 children and 16 helpers. The highest record was in October when we had 37 children and 19 helpers.
For the last two weeks during the group time with the Sparks (K-2nd grade), we have been looking at prayer. Last week
we saw that the Bible has at least five areas He wants us to keep in mind when we pray: staying away from sin (2 Corinthians 13:7), living the way God wants us to live (Colossians 1:10), telling others about Christ (Philemon 1:6), being
courageous to live for the Lord (Ephesians 6:18), and praying for each other, leaders, parents, etc. (Ephesians 6:18). Of
course there is much to rejoice in as well when we pray!
Sunday January 20th the area Awana representative Jeff Rupp made a visit to Trinity to have a look around. He offered
encouragement and shared some resources with me. It was a joy to introduce him to some of our kids, my trusted volunteers, and also let him see some of the bulletin boards that highlight Awana activities.
As usual I am blessed by so many of you and your generosity to the ministries here at Trinity which reaches our children. Many thanks to Linda Klingel, Barb & Jerry Gorby, and Pastor Rick’s care group. A special word of thanks also
goes out to Cornerstone CMA church who offered us a great deal of discounted materials due to their Awana program
closing.
If you wish to volunteer in any capacity with any of our kids programs here at Trinity, please see me or contact Sheila
Klenzman for Jr. Church or Richard Caldwell who is Overseer of Education.
During the past month I have been engaged in the following areas of equipping and service:
• Regular times of personal Bible study and prayer
• Specific prayer times for our families, the community, and the future workers and ministries here at Trinity
• Meeting with Pastor Rick to explore children’s ministry opportunities and development
• Preparing materials for Awana leaders
• Snack preparation for Awana
• Contacting parents with children in Awana
• Inviting children to come to Awana
• Meeting with Children’s Church Coordinator to discuss new curriculum
• Leading Sparks in large group time and organizing Awana meetings
• Creating forms for Awana
• Ordering Awana materials
• Communicating weekly with Awana volunteers
• Planning for an upcoming meeting with children’s ministry workers
• Writing a monthly letter to the parents of kids in Awana
• Phone conversations with area Awana representative Jeff Rupp
Books I am Currently Reading:
Outside the Gates, The Work of the Chaplain, The Christ Chaplain, Elements of Biblical Exegesis, Engaging Biblical Authority,
Scripture and the Authority of God, Jesus Calling
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