The Messenger - First Baptist Church of Hightstown

The Messenger
News From the First Baptist Church of Hightstown
November 2015
Serving and Inspiring the Hightstown Baptist Community since 1745!
“Pastoral Appreciation”
Pastor Bruce Wood
"We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers…"
1 Thessalonians 1:2 (KJV)
October is traditionally the month reserved for appreciating church pastors, ministers and workers. It is always a
time of blessing for me to receive the thanks and appreciation of so many in our church community. I wanted to
take a moment of time to thank you all for the love you show me and my beloved family each and every week,
but most especially during the month of October. I truly do feel appreciated and loved by you all.
November is traditionally the month reserved for giving thanks for all we have. Carrying on from last month's
tradition, what I wanted to do was take this space to thank you all for the hard work you do and give thanks to
God for how far we have all travelled together. I have been humbled by God and blessed by all of your presence
and hard work on behalf of Christ for this community of faith.
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I give thanks to God for the wonderful Bible Studies of our church! The Tuesday evening Bible study is well
attended (by more than 15 -20 on any given Tuesday) and there are so many voices of wisdom and many students of scripture who challenge us, stretch us and just make for a wonderful time of fellowship around God's
word! The Adult Sunday school also has many students who enjoy the studies that Harry provides. We even
have vision for another study to come and a place for our Youth to receive the word in a meaningful way!
Thanks and glory be to God!
I give thanks to God for our wonderful new member's class. We have baptized three brothers and brought 12
new persons into the membership of our church family! Each and every one of these persons have committed
themselves to engaging in good Christ-centered work in our church family and I am grateful to God for having brought these new families to us and woven them into our own!
I give thanks to God for our great worship life! Between Randy at the Organ and the Praise Team, the Choir
and all of our special musical groups we are blessed to have dynamic worship every Sunday!
I give thanks to God for a change in vision and perspective for our church family's future. Where once the
concern was about closing our doors, we now are experiencing the miracle of natural growth through natural
outreach and Christ-centered concern. God has seen the work of our hands and has blessed us truly!
I give thanks to God that even in the face of continued challenges we have hopeful and faithful leaders in our
church family looking to Godly solutions. No matter what we face in the future of this family, we are always
square in the palm of God's gracious hands!
I could go on and on about how truly blessed I am to be the Pastor of this church and the shepherd of this flock,
but it would never be enough to completely express my gratitude to all of you. Please just know that I appreciate
all of you, I pray for all of you and I am eternally grateful for who you are and for the work you do. To God be
the glory!
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
SUNDAY
Pre-Worship Prayer………………...….9:30 a.m.
Sunday Worship .................................. 10:00 a.m.
Children & Teens Sunday School ....... 10:00 a.m.
Coffee Fellowship ................................11:15 a.m.
Adult Sunday School .......................... 11:30 a.m.
TUESDAY
Bible Study .......................................... 6:30 p.m.
Prayer Meeting .................................... 7:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Choir Rehearsal .................................. 6:30 p.m.
Encounter Praise Team Rehearsal ..... 7:30 p.m.
Pastor’s Hours
Church Office Hours
Monday…………....10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday………..…..10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday……………10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Friday…………………10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Monday……………..10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday………...…..10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday..……..10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Thursday…………….10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Friday………………… 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Reverend Bruce J. Wood, Pastor
Office Phone: (609) 448-0103 x 11
Email: [email protected]
Ms. Debbie Hancock, Admin. Asst.
Office Phone: (609) 448-0103 x 10
Email: [email protected]
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NOTES AND REMINDERS
Upcoming Sermons
Church Library Hours
The library is open during the Pastor’s Office Hours
(please see page 2 for the list of hours). Also, the
library is open before the Sunday Worship Service.
November 1, 2015
"Testimony & Revelation!"
(John 1:29-34)
(Anniversary Sunday)
We accept morally-sound and Bible-based books,
DVDs and/or CDs, intended for all age groups. All
donations may be dropped off anytime.
November 8, 2015
"Living Water and Holy Spirit Fire!"
(John 7:37-39)
Recipe of the Month
HOT CIDER PUNCH
November 15, 2015
"How Will You Anoint Jesus?"
3 qts. cider
3/4 c. tea
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. ground cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 (6-oz.) can frozen orange juice
2 & 1/2 lemons, juiced OR 3/4 of (6-oz.) can
frozen lemon juice
(John 12:1-8)
November 22, 2015
"The Vine and the Harvest"
(John 15:1-17)
(Thanksgiving Sunday)
November 29, 2015
"Jesus: In the Beginning"
(John 1:1-18)
(First Sunday in Advent)
Mix the above ingredients in large pan and cook
on medium-high to a boil. Immediately reduce
to a simmer. Great in a crockpot. Makes about
3 gallons.
Deacons for the Lord’s Table
Harry Bohrs
Bob Haase
Diaconate Meetings
Submitted by Char McCallum
The November Diaconate meeting will be held on
Thursday, November 19, in the Gold Room, at 7:00
p.m. We encourage and welcome all church members to attend all open meetings!
Bible Studies
Join us on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. for Bible study.
We will be meeting in the Gold Room, unless noted otherwise. Notification will be sent when
prayer will resume.
Sunday School Classes
The topics of study in the children’s and teens’
classes vary. The topic of study in the adult class is
a study of prayers and answers as found in scriptures.
Ecclesiastics 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a
time to every purpose under the heaven:
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RECEIVING PRAYER
And we know that for those who love God all things work
together for good, for those who are called according to
his purpose. Rom 8:28 (ESV)
While in college I had enrolled in an evening course
because I wanted that particular professor as my
teacher. I was doing well in class. I received an invitation from a local church to conduct five evangelistic
backyard services. I accepted, knowing that it conflicted with my evening class. I spoke to the professor telling him I would miss two sessions. I was informed that
these would be unexcused absences and my grade
would suffer a loss of two grade points. I told the professor I would accept that because I was committed to
doing the evangelistic services.
At the end of the semester. I was surprised to find that
my posted grade was an A. I wondered if challenging
me to a great loss of grade points was in fact a test of
my integrity, whatever the reason I was elated. This
would keep my grade point average high. I had received word that the professor wanted to see me, and I
instinctively felt he was going to explain why the grade
was posted incorrectly and why I would lose two
points. When I arrived at his office. He offered me the
job as his grader for three different courses. The offer
came at a time when I was looking to earn a little extra
money so I could continue to purchase necessary text
books.
The experience helped me to understand, in part, the
Scripture reference above.
Prayer
James wrote in his letter to the church, “Is anyone
among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let
them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them
call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them
with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith
will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If
they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your
sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be
healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. “ (James 5:13-16 NIV)
We at FBCH are encouraged by scripture to be a
prayerful people. We are called to lift one another up
and to intercede for one another! By our prayers our
situations change, our church grows and more and
more people find hope and transformation in Jesus
Christ! We are here to help you through prayer!
If you are in need of prayer, please reach out to the
church office by phone, email or regular mail to express your needs. You may also join us on Tuesdays
from 7:00-7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary as we pray for
one another, our community, and our world. Don’t
hold back your requests, let them be made known to
us so we can pray for God’s power to be released in
your life!
MEETING MINUTES
All members of the First Baptist Church of
Hightstown are entitled to the meeting minutes of
any meeting of the Congregation, Diaconate, Executive Committee or Event Committee. Requests for
meeting minutes may be made through the Church
office by email, phone call or regular mail. Minutes
will be printed or emailed as you prefer. In an effort
to cut down on paper waste, we do not post printed
minutes any more. We will always, however, honor
the request of members for those minutes and work
in an efficient manner to see they are distributed to
you!
Lord, thank you for your abiding grace in
all areas of life. Amen
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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF HIGHTSTOWN
CELEBRATING 270 YEARS OF SERVICE TO OUR LORD!
BELIEVER’S BAPTISMS WILL BE PERFORMED
RIGHT HAND OF FELLOWSHIP WILL BE EXTENDED
PLEASE JOIN US IN WELCOMING OUR 12 NEW MEMBERS!!!
Matthew 3:16-17
…16After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately
from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and
lighting on Him, 17and behold, a voice out of the
heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am
well-pleased."
The Self-Portrait Called Character
By Michael Josephson of CHARACTER COUNTS (919.5)
While I was on a radio call-in show talking about cheating, a listener I'll call Stan mocked my concern. He cheated
to get into college, he said. He cheated in college to get a job. And now he occasionally cheats on his job to get
ahead. In fact, he concluded, cheating is such an important life skill that parents ought to teach their kids how to
cheat.
Evidence is mounting that lots of people share Stan's amoral pragmatism. Because they define success and happiness in terms of getting what they want when they want it, ethics seems irrational. After all, in a world where
cheaters so often prosper, why should anyone give up the benefits of dishonesty?
Well, for one thing, the Stans of the world have no idea the price they're paying for the little they're getting. A life
without principles is demeaning and self-defeating. The Stans of the world are cheated as often as they cheat others. What's more, they cheat themselves. As they scrape and struggle to fill their lives, they give up their chance to
lead fulfilling lives.
The happiest people I know are those who find purpose and meaning pursuing a grander vision of a good life measured in terms of worthiness, not net worth. Virtue is not a tactic; it's a life philosophy.
We paint the self-portrait that we call our character by our values and actions. We can choose to paint that portrait
in the pale watercolors of shallow successes and short-lived pleasures or in the deep, rich oils of honor, spirituality,
peace of mind, and self-respect.
The enduring impact of our choices is not what we get, but what we become.
For Commentaries go to: http://whatwillmatter.com/category/commentary/
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
© 2015 Josephson Institute of Ethics; reprinted with permission. Michael Josephson, one of the nation's leading
ethicists, is the founder of the Josephson Institute of Ethics and the premier youth character education program,
CHARACTER COUNTS! For further information visit www.charactercounts.org
Submitted by Harry Bohrs
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The teen class has been learning about God as a transforming God. Our objectives are listed below to catch you up on
what we have covered so far.
Transform means a change in character or condition. While God Himself does not change; He is a God who changes
things and people.
We started at the beginning. In Genesis the LORD changes the condition of the Earth from something dark, shapeless
and empty to the beautiful world we see in the skyscapes, landscapes and sea-scapes even now.
We learned the difference between create and make. Create means to cause something to exist out of nothing. Make
means to use something or other things to cause something to exist. Only God can create therefore He is indeed the
Creator. He created the world by speaking things into being; but, He made Adam out of dust and Eve from Adam’s
rib. Humankind can only make things.
Art project: Change discarded items into something else that was aesthetic, functional or both.
We learned that the relationship condition between humankind and God changed from friend to enemy because of sin.
And we learned how Jesus came to change back our relationship status to friend. Before that time, we noted how sin
caused and causes extensive damage. The far-reaching damage that Adam and Eve caused is that everyone born after
them inherited a sinful nature. We also discussed the damaging situation that occurred with Abraham, Sarah and Hagar is something the world is dealing with today. Yet, we know there is no damage that God cannot fix or heal.
Art project: Change damaged items into something else that was aesthetic, functional or both.
In our combined class we discussed how we can help change a horrible condition (contaminated water) in an African
village into a healthy condition (clean, usable water). Our class has joined in with the other classes to raise money to
help build a well.
Art project: Signs and posters requesting donations to display at the Hightstown Harvest Fair and in the church.
Because we are not perfect yet, we learned that God is consistently transforming us; it’s a process. So, we began to go
over the different terms the Bible uses to show the process. First term: Cleanse/Wash.
Art project: Make sculptures out of soap.
We are enthusiastically looking forward to learning more about God as a transforming God.
God bless,
Michelle Corbitt
Samaritan’s Purse
Operation Christmas Child
Ends November 15, 2015
Shoe Boxes are due Sunday, November
15th. Your gift may be the only celebration
a child will have this Christmas. Please fill
a shoe box and place it on the steps to the
podium in the Sanctuary by November 15th.
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THANKSGIVING WORD SEARCH
With much joy, Michelle Corbitt, FBCH member, announces the birth of her grandson
Troy. There had been complications (for
which prayers were requested) that necessitated early delivery by three weeks. Mother
is doing fine and is healing well, and little
Troy is healthy. Michelle and family thanks
everyone for their prayers! Troy was born,
Friday, October 16, 2015. He was 19 1/4
inches long and weighed in at 5 lbs. 12 oz.
See Page 9 for Answer Key
"When a woman is giving birth, she has
sorrow because her hour has come, but
when she has delivered the baby, she no
longer remembers the anguish, for joy
that a human being has been born into
the world." John 16:21 (ESV)
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October Anniversaries
November Birthdays
18 - Bob & Caren Haase
1 - Anaya Ofori-Atta
3 - George Dubell
- Beth Ewald
4 - Donna Ewald
- Debbie Hancock
12 - Barbara Golden
12 - Helen P. Walter
14 - Miriam Eby
- Carole McGlinchy
16 - Sherry Cavanaugh
17 - Jhanet Wilson
29 - Art Lohr
Colossians 3: 18-19
Wives submit to your husband’s,
as is fitting in the Lord.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL! WE
THANK GOD FOR EACH OF YOU!
Husband’s, love your wives and
do not be harsh with them.
If we have missed you, it was entirely unintentional!
Please let us know and we will correct it in future newsletters!
If we have missed you, it was entirely unintentional! Please
let us know and we will correct it in future newsletters!
Visit fbchights.org!
Visit our website for more news and events, an expanded Church Calendar, News from the
Diaconate, links to ABCNJ and ABCUSA and so much more!
Check out what we have to offer @ fbchights.org!
Vision Statement:
The First Baptist Church of Hightstown is committed to being a loving, hard-working, faithfilled family serving the needs of Hightstown
and beyond while opening doors to hope and
salvation and developing disciples for Jesus
Christ.
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THE REJOICING SOCIETY
THANKSGIVING WORD SEARCH
ANSWER KEY
(PUZZLE ON PAGE 7)
(Acts 2:42-47)
1. Devotions of teaching,
And having fine fellowship;
There was prayer and good preaching,
In a fine trip
2. They broke bread together,
While existing as good believers’
As they were altogether,
& became receivers.
3. Everyone was filled with awe,
In addition to miraculous signs;
With salvation to withdraw,
An them showing the Lord’s
mainlines.
4. They were similar to each other,
While within God’s family;
So they each were a sister, a brother,
With love for eternity.
By,
Katherine E. Anderson
Completely Written: September 28, 2015
Typed: September 30, 2015
Edited: September 30, 2015
Printed: September 30, 2015
JOIN US FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27
AT 3:00 PM FOR THE
HANGING OF THE GREENS
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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
OF HIGHTSTOWN
November 2015
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First Baptist Church of Hightstown, 125 South Main Street, Hightstown, NJ 08520
Phone: 609-448-0103 Fax: 609-448-6781 Website: http://www.fbchights.org
A Congregation of the American Baptist Churches U.S.A. and the American Baptist Churches of NJ
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