What Makes the Good News Good News?
Transcription
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 9 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 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 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 8 Title 5 Social Coordinator Terry Robbins Activities Coordinator Kristi Newsome Outreach/Evangelism Bill Lucas 16 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 • Weekly meetings with Dr. Fritz, Kathy Caldwell, and Matt Stratton 6 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 7