Pittsburgh Baptist Church - First Baptist Church of Rochester, PA
Transcription
Pittsburgh Baptist Church - First Baptist Church of Rochester, PA
Inside this issue: June & July Birthdays Nursery Workers Annie Armstrong Offering #’s From the Pastor 2 3 4 Board Corner 6 Blessings of Partnership-BRN 8 Outback Rock VBS Congratulations, Graduates SBC Annual Mtg. - Columbus OH 9 10 12 Embrace Grace 13 Baptist Press Smartphone App 14 And one more thing…. June Calendar July Calendar 15 16 18 of the First Baptist Church of Rochester 301 Adams Street Rochester PA 15074 www.fbcrochester.com [email protected] JUNE BIRTHDAYS: 12. 19. 28. 30. Lee Ann Weibel Richard Lyons, Isaac Davis Mackenzie Maze, Crystal Frank Ashtyn Leigh Zeranick JUNE NURSERY WORKERS: 7. 14. 21. 26. Sarah Vander Wagen Teresa Dupree Mollie Lewis Jill Fischer JULY NURSERY WORKERS: 5. 12. 19. 26. Sue Pierce Lindsay Vander Wagen Lynn Maze Kate Franc JULY BIRTHDAYS: 2. 3. 4. 5. 7. 13. 14. 18. 19. 24. 25. 27. 31. Dawn Brehm Reese Tooch Albert Greco V Diane Furman David Coberly Lucas Renner, Haley Greco Sarah Vander Wagen Lawrence Shipe, Sarah Rusnak Helen Rowe Ben Boyd Janet Cicco-Powers Linda Glasser Martha Renner (2) Annie Armstrong Offerings - Lent through Easter Week Week Week Week Week Week TOTAL 9 10 11 12 13 14 3/1/15 3/8/15 3/15/15 3/22/15 3/29/15 4/05/15 (3) $20 $38 $30 $37 $2 $10 $137 YOUTH MOVEMENT Recently I read a survey indicating that Christianity is losing the battle. Between 2007 and 2014 the Christian population in America declined by 1.5%. Main line religions and Roman Catholicism declined by over 3%. The groups that increased were non-Christian religions and a group called "none". These are people who have no religious affiliation at all. The “nones” grew by 8%. The fact is we are rapidly ministering to an America that has no understanding of Christ. Yet, at FBC we are having a youth movement. In the last couple months it is the youth of the church that have made a difference. Every Sunday we have a young adult leading the worship and another preparing power point. Teens are on the sound board. On a Sunday in April it was two young adult men who stepped up and took the offering. There is a lot more that when on that day in the lives of young adults than indicated that FBC was now their church and not just the church that their parents attended. When no adult would, it was a High School senior who answered the call for special music. Not only did Jordan DeVault play her saxophone, she invited a friend who played a soprano sax. She invited a friend to participate and share in her church and in the ministry. Jordan did not just tell her friend about church; she invited her friend to be a part of the church. Not only did she invite her friend but she included her friend. I think that is what Christ would have done. That is what Christ expects from us. In June it will again be another young adult who will step up for special music on the second Sunday of the month. The last two leadership meetings have been excellent and exciting because of the new young adult leaders. In April Nathaniel Butterworth, our new deacon in January, lead the worship prayers. It was awesome to see him blossom before our eyes. With each Sunday he grew in confidence. The final Sunday he entered into the presence of God and we just joined him. It was great. At the April deacon meeting he brought up an idea. He expressed an opinion. While everyone there was older physically and spiritually and had more life experience he was comfortable to share. Awesome! Jim Franc has stepped up. In January he became a trustee. Around the same time he mentioned that he wanted to start a men's meeting. In April (4) the first was held, followed by a second in May. Both were huge successes. No one died from or even complained about Jim and my cooking. The discussion around the table was valuable. There is no program. The men just have breakfast and the conversation goes where the Holy Spirit leads. In line with the youth movement occurring in the church, I was the oldest man present at both breakfasts. The plan is to meet every second Saturday of the month for breakfast and a time of fellowship. There will not be a breakfast in June as the men are attending BRN Advantage at Pittsburgh Baptist Church. They will resume in July. At the last leadership team meeting the discussion was the need for a better web site. Jim asked a couple of questions and then volunteered to be the church web master. In less than two weeks the church web site has undergone a transformation. It is now living, breathing, alive! Check it out. Last and not least (Vivian is going to kill me because I am going long), is our children. Over the past couple months it is not uncommon to have eight in the two children Sunday school classes and there have been Sundays when there are over a dozen children who participate in the morning worship children's talk. Each Sunday I am taking a book from the Bible and sharing the theme as the talk. For Exodus we walked in circles around the Sanctuary to show how the children of God wandered in the wilderness. For Deuteronomy I had them form the word rules. Each letter was on a separate card. The word Deuteronomy means second law. The theme is the law of God. We will continue taking a book each week until the Bible is complete. The goal is so that our children have a basic knowledge of the Bible; so they do not add to the "nones". In August FBC will have a vacation Bible School. The exciting part is that we will do it ourselves, no outside help, no other church doing it for us. One more indication that FBC is a healthy church, a growing church. There were plans for additional Sunday School classes due to the increased attendance this spring. It is likely that this will happen this fall as a result of VBS. I wonder if it will again be a young adult who steps up to meet the need? While the rest of Christianity is losing their children, teens and young adults to the "none", it appears that at First Baptist Church, the children, teens and young adults are the group that is growing the fastest and the most excited about the ministry. If this continues it means there are "happy trails" ahead. Pastor Phil (5) BOARD CORNER April Minutes Christian Ed: Sue opened in prayer. Three members were in attendance. Minutes were read & approved. There is currently $2,034.82 in the CE account. 27 people attended the Eggstravaganza on Saturday, April 4th. All had a good time. The NC church will not be able to do our VBS this summer as planned. We’ll plan on the weekend “Outback Rock” VBS on Aug 14, 15 & 16: Friday6:30 PM thru 9:00 PM. Saturday-9:00 – 11:30 AM, then have lunch (hot dogs, etc.) Graduation Sunday will be May 31st, with a luncheon to follow. Jill has Bingo set up for Rochester Manor on May 30th at 2:00 PM. Deacons: Chairman Glenn Vander Wagen reported four members in attendance. The bank statement shows a balance of $1,679.13 as of Mar. 11. Communion Teams were discussed. There are no current bills. There was discussion on Easter, the prayer list and video presentations during church. Trustees: Don DeVault reported two in attendance. There were no minutes, and bills were OK’d. House report: a couple of things were fixed that were on the work list. Giving Envelopes will be ordered. We will check into getting six new fire extinguishers, with a cost about $400. The purchase of tables by the WMU was approved. Various lights and other broken items were fixed this evening. Council: opened at 8:13 with a prayer by the Pastor. Minutes were read by the members and approved. Net income for this year so far is better than it was at the same time last year. We will begin a service the 4th Sunday of month at Rochester Manor at 2:00 PM for ½ hour to 45 minutes. The Edwards room roof was checked – there are 3 ways to fix it. The best option is to repair the roof that’s there. Don DeVault mentioned the Capstones may need fixed as well. We still need to consolidate accounts, and find an account for the larger portion of funds that’s better than we have now. The 3rd oven in the kitchen needs to be checked. - it’s not working at all. Trustees agree to have someone come to see why it doesn’t light. Sue’s Alzheimers group will be changed, and she needs to find a new place to hold the group. She’d like to do one in the evening here – either the 2nd or 3rd week of the month. Trustees have to decide on it - Possibly Tuesday or Wednesday evening, beginning in May. If 2 groups had things going on at the same time, it could save money on cost of heating the building. Meeting closed with prayer at 8:49. Pastor’s Report: During March made 19 visits with shut-ins (13) and other members (4) and non-members. (2) Taught teen Sunday School classes for the month, and spent a day in Harrisburg as a member of the Penn/Jersey Baptist Convention Nomination team. Attended Rochester Ministerium meeting. Facilitared the four Bible Study lessons of “Ready: Ministering Life to Those in Crisis”. Attended “Churches United in Beaver County” Meeting. Preached regular Worship services, plus Maundy Thursday Service, and attended the Palm Sunday evening activities. Prepared references for three teens to apply to work at Camp Judson for the summer. Spent each Thursday in the office for regular work day. Led the first choir rehearsal for the new choir. Respectfully Submitted, Vivian Oaks, Church Clerk (6) May Minutes Christian Ed: The meeting opened with three in attendance. The Treasurer’s balance is $2034.82. Sue opened in prayer. March minutes were read and approved. May 17th the CE board will meet after worship to discuss graduation Sunday. June 4th at 7:00 PM there will be a VBS planning meeting. Bingo is May 30th from 2-3. A new law in PA required all volunteers working with children to have a child protection clearance no later than July 1, 2016. Two clearances are required for each person. Filling the Sunday School teacher positions for the summer and filling in for next fall was discussed. Kate Franc will be asked about taking the Nursery position while Lindsay is away. “Embrace Grace” is a new program that would be set up in local churches, along with the Choices Pregnancy Center. This is a 12-week program to mentor single pregnant girls. We’d have to sign a contract to follow the program exactly. We need to mention it in worship so people are aware and can volunteer to lead the group. Trustees: Two members were present. The meeting opened with prayer. There were no minutes from the previous meeting. All bills were approved, Fire extinguishers have been difficult to track down, so we may buy them at Lowes or Wal-mart. The Edwards room roof needs work done, and it was discovered there was a plastic bag stuck in the downspout. Sue will check on someone to see about the stove in the kitchen not working. Deacons: Three members were in attendance. Nathaniel read the minutes & they were approved. Treasurer report showed $1,843.13 in the account as of April 30. Communion team reports & assignments were discussed. There were no families in need or bills. Covenant Players were taken care of. Mother’s Day flowers were discussed. Pastor talked about possible baptism on 1st Sunday of month of June. Home Touch resource for shut-ins was discussed. Council: Glenn called the meeting to order at 8:17 PM. Pastor opened in prayer. Minutes were read and approved. Board chairmen gave their individual reports, and there was a long discussion about the hosting of our website by someone else, who would keep the site updated. Trustees will discuss it next month. Jim Franc volunteered to do the website info. There was no other business. The meeting adjourned at 8:56 PM. Pastor’s report: There were no funerals this month. Attendance has been low early in the month. April 26th was good. Several new people were in attendance. Kid’s Sunday school class has been good this month – 6-8 in attendance. Prayer meeting – Glenn & Pastor Phil have been the only ones in attendance, so it may put aside after end of May, for the summer. June 3rd at 7:00 PM – Baccalaureate for Rochester High School here at the church. Pastor Phil will give the message – we provide music & prayers. Respectfully submitted, Vivian Oaks, Church Clerk (7) BRN West Region Saturday, June 6, 2015 - 9 AM—1:45 PM Lunch Provided Pittsburgh Baptist Church 3100 Pioneer Avenue Pittsburgh PA 15226 Here at First Baptist Church Friday, August 14 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Cost: Free for the partnering churches of the BRN. Fee: $50 for non-CP giving and non ACP reporting church. You must register to attend and receive promotional items and lunch by registering online at brnonline.org, click on calendar under “Connect,” go to June 6 and click on BRN Advantage to register, or by contacting Fanny Grote by email at [email protected] or by phone at 800-451-6599 ext. 18. Ages: 3 years - 6th grade Registration closes June 2, 2015 Call: 724-775-8931 to register Saturday, August 15 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon If you are interested in attending, check out the flyer on the bulletin board downstairs by the door. Thank you for your generous donations to help missionaries here in North America (8) (9) College of Beaver County to major in history and plans to become an attorney or history teacher. Our College Graduate Our High School Graduates Jordan DeVault is graduating June 5th from central Valley. She’s been a member of the Central Valley High School Concert, Marching and Jazz Bands for the past 4 years, playing the French Horn, Melophone and Saxophone. She’s been a member of the Monaca Coronet Band for 5 years; attended the Beaver County Concert Band 4 years, PMEA District 5 Band 3 years, and PMEA District Honor’s Band 3 years. She also played in the Central Valley Musical pit orchestra for 2 years and was part of the Central Valley State Crew. She was a member of the National Honor Society for 2 years, and she was a member of the “Sonshine Bunch” drama team, sound board crew and BYF here at First Baptist. She has also been a volunteer horse wrangler at Teen Quest, and will be working as a wrangler at Judson Baptist Camp this summer. Her future plans include attending Penn State, Beaver for electrical engineering, Kyleigh Cassandra Lewis is from Center Twp., PA. She began her studies at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA in August of 2009 before being accepted into the school's pharmacy program in the summer of 2011. Through her studies at the school of pharmacy, Kyleigh was conferred the degree of Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences in the spring of 2013. Most recently, on April 26th, 2015, she finally earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree. While in school, she was a member of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association, the American Pharmacists Association - Academy of Student Pharmacists, and the Lambda Kappa Sigma fraternity. She also worked for 3 years at the Giant Eagle Pharmacy in Leetsdale, PA as a pharmacy intern. Her plans for the future include moving to Virginia Beach, VA for a pharmacist position with CVS, passing her boards, and adopting a puppy. Zach Agresti is graduating June 5th from Central Valley High School. While at Central Valley, he participated in the German Club and School Chorus. Zach was on the set crew for the school musicals and also on the stage crew for other school events and events hosted by the school. He has been a member of the BYF and is a member of the Sonshine Bunch drama team at church. Zach has also been taking karate. Zach plans to attend Community (10) (11) Embrace Grace For an "epic night of prayer" during the Southern Baptist Convention, 11 pastors have been named by SBC President Ronnie Floyd to help lead the Tuesday evening session, June 16, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in the Ohio capital. "On Tuesday night, June 16, we will give the entire evening session of the SBC Annual Meeting to this national prayer gathering. … "We will gather to experience the presence of God based upon the Word of God. We will be challenged briefly by some of America's great pastors, then launch into prayer sessions in response to God and His Word. We will also express our worship and praise to God together through music and singing." (12) Most churches advocate life and discourage women from getting abortions, but once a brave and courageous girl chooses life, a lot of times the church then steps away and has nothing to offer her for support at that point. She is then left with nine months of being scared, worried and feeling alone. This is where the Body of Christ can minister to women who are desperately searching for a Savior. VISION: for every girl with an unplanned pregnancy to have a church to go to for spiritual, emotional and physical support MISSION: to inspire and equip the church to love on single and pregnant girls. The primary goal of Embrace Grace is to empower churches across the nation to be a safe and non-judging place for the girls to run to when they find out they are pregnant, instead of the last place they are welcomed because of shame and guilt. If the church, the Body of Christ, will join together to support these girls who choose life, young moms will be more open to not aborting their babies. Whether they keep their baby or choose adoption, Embrace grace is a support system for them as they begin their journey of being a young mother or blessing another family with their baby. Emotionally and spiritually healthy mommies parent emotionally and spiritually healthy babies. Through the Embrace Grace program, lives are saved and generations are being changed. God loves these babies and their mommies. James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” Single mothers are modern-day widows, and some of them even orphans, because they may not have any parental support. In Embrace Grace groups, churches are taking young women by the hand and telling them they do not have to do this alone. We might be the one and only person who shows them what Jesus is like. God will use the church to plant His seeds of love and grace to these brave girls that choose life all around the nation. Please be in prayer about this…maybe the Lord is calling you to lead this in our church. What an awesome opportunity to make an eternal difference in these lives. For more information, or if you would be interested in doing this, please call or see Jill Fischer. 724-728-2651 (13) NASHVILLE (BP) -- Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention's news service, officially launched a free app in April connecting to its daily content and to key entities across SBC life. The app is available in both Android and iPhone formats through Google Play and the Apple Store. Enter a search for "Baptist Press," using quote marks, for best access to the app. Art Toalston, now in his 24th year as editor of Baptist Press, said the app broadens BP's media spectrum, including its www.BaptistPress.com website and the news service's ongoing presence on Twitter and Facebook. "The app also will offer a versatile connection to all of Southern Baptist life, connecting to entity websites that are at the forefront of missions, evangelism, service, discipleship, stewardship and biblical theology," Toalston said. "We are not through yet," he added, noting that the app will remain under ongoing development. An "HCSB Bible" tab that offers full audio content of the Bible. The HCSB -- Holman Christian Standard Bible -- is the translation utilized in resources published by LifeWay. The app also will link to the news service's main website, which includes multifaceted user-friendly search capability for archived material and story collections. (14) As many of you know, Sue Pierce has been collecting information on members of the congregation and their families who have been in the service. Recognizing this as an interesting bit of church history, she would like to create a booklet in time for Veterans Day. Sue is requesting information regarding all service members from our congregation and their family members, including a photo of the service member, either in or out of uniform, as well as a synopsis of information regarding service. The information can be mailed to her or sent via email to [email protected] by the end of September. Once completed, a copy will be available upon request at a minimal cost to cover copying expenses. (15) SUNDAY, JUNE 7 9:00 AM - Prayer Meeting in the library 9:15 AM - Fellowship Time in the fellowship hall 9:30 AM - Sunday School Opening 9:50 AM - Sunday School classes throughout the building 11:00 AM - Worship Service TUESDAY, JUNE 2 7:00 PM - Board Meetings-Deacons, Trustees, Christian Ed. 8:00 PM - Church Council - all members welcome. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3 7:00 PM - Rochester High School Baccalaureate - here at FBC. THURSDAY, JUNE 4 7:00 PM - VBS Orientation/Overview - All leaders, helpers and anyone else interested in learning how they can be involved are asked to attend. Please let Jill know if you can be there. SATURDAY, JUNE 6 9:00 AM - BRN Advantage-The Blessings of Partnership See page 8 for full details. (16) SUNDAY, JUNE 14 9:00 AM - Prayer Meeting in the library 9:15 AM - Fellowship Time in the fellowship hall 9:30 AM - Sunday School Opening 9:50 AM - Sunday School classes through the building 11:00 AM - Worship Service SUNDAY, JUNE 21 FATHER’S DAY 9:00 AM - Prayer Meeting in the library 9:15 AM - Fellowship Time in the fellowship hall 9:30 AM - Sunday School Opening 9:50 AM - Sunday School classes throughout the building 11:00 AM - Worship Service Special music: Beth Oaks SUNDAY, JUNE 28 9:00 AM - Prayer Meeting in the library 9:15 AM - Fellowship Time in the fellowship hall 9:30 AM - Sunday School Opening 9:50 AM - Sunday School classes throughout the building 11:00 AM - Worship Service (17) SUNDAY, JULY 12 9:00 AM - Prayer Meeting in the library 9:15 AM - Fellowship Time in the fellowship hall 9:30 AM - Sunday School Opening 9:50 AM - Sunday School classes throughout the building 11:00 AM - Worship Service SUNDAY, JULY 19 9:00 AM - Prayer Meeting in the library 9:15 AM - Fellowship Time in the fellowship hall 9:30 AM - Sunday School Opening 9:50 AM - Sunday School classes throughout the building 11:00 AM - Worship Service SATURDAY, JULY 4 SUNDAY, JULY 26 9:00 AM - Prayer Meeting in the library 9:15 AM - Fellowship Time in the fellowship hall 9:30 AM - Sunday School Opening 9:50 AM - Sunday School classes throughout the building 11:00 AM - Worship Service ₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪ SUNDAY, JULY 5 9:00 AM - Prayer Meeting in the library 9:15 AM - Fellowship Time in the fellowship hall 9:30 AM - Sunday School Opening 9:50 AM - Sunday School classes throughout the building 11:00 AM - Worship Service (18) IN THEATERS AUGUST 28 The movie explores the transformational role prayer plays in the lives of the Jordan family. WAR ROOM follows Tony & Elizabeth Jordan, a middle-class couple who seemingly have it all. But appearances can be deceiving…. (19)