May 18: NOW, Hope

theForecaster
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 - Volume 69, Number 20
complicated about this hour – simply an extended amount of time
to join all of our hearts together in heartfelt worship of our
By: Tracy Thomas
awesome God.
I have the honor of leading a wonderful group of people here
This coming Sunday evening, May 22, I am excited that we
at Fairmount – the Praise Team. They are a committed group of
individuals that give back their talents to lead worship at our two will be having Volume 2 of NOW! I hope you will join us at 6pm
contemporary services each Sunday morning in the Family Life in the Family Life Center for another passionate night of worship.
Kevin Tucker, our new Associate Worship Minister, and I have
Center.
been planning and working on what we hope will be a meaningful
In October of 2014, we had the pleasure of being led in
time of praise.
worship by them for an entire hour at an event we called NOW –
Worship Him NOW. Praise Him NOW. Give thanks to Him
or Night of Worship! And it was exactly what we had hoped it
NOW.
Join us for NOW! ■
would be, a passionate night of worship. There was nothing
Night of Worship
Inside This Edition:
Hope............................................................................ Page 2
Multi-Vitamin Drive for Haiti Mission Trip ..................... Page 2
College Solutions Seminar .......................................... Page 3
Mission to Fairmount Rescheduled ............................. Page 3
Niños Trip Team Meeting ............................................ Page 3
Vacation Bible School.................................................. Page 3
Graduate Sunday Information Needed ........................ Page 3
Blood Drive .................................................................. Page 4
Our Church .................................................................. Page 4
New Members ............................................................. Page 4
Hope
page two ■ Wednesday, May 18, 2016
By: Kevin Bartlett
As I've grown older, a few things have
become painfully obvious, and some
things have become, well, just painful. In
the painfully obvious department are the
dreams that aren't going to come true,
dreams like being Warren Buffet or Bill
Gates style mega rich, dreams that
Hollywood or Nashville are holding out
movie and record contracts with my name
on them, or dreams of ever seeing my face
on the cover of Sports Illustrated. I also
have had to come to grips with the fact that
I will never own a villa in Tuscany or a
beach house in Malibu, although once I did
own a Chevy Malibu and have had
Tuscany chicken at Olive Garden. I have
also come to realize that I am not going to
make the PGA Tour, the B.A.S.S. Elite
fishing series, or the Baseball Hall of
Fame. Which, I am sure, comes as a
shock to some of you. But I have hit a few
holes-in-one at putt-putt, played in some
white-knuckle competitive little league
games as a child, and given away a lot of
money while fishing in local bass
tournaments. I have also come to realize
that my chance of winning a Nobel prize
has completely slipped away before my
very eyes, my far-sighted, bifocal-wearing
eyes.
In the just painful department are all of
the things that come with age, like joints
that don't bend as they were meant to,
arthritis in my spine, and a memory that
someone keeps hitting the delete button
on. In fact, I am probably getting closer to
the age of wearing a sweater in the heat of
Virginia's humid summers than I would like
to admit. Sometimes I think the memory
thing is God's sense of humor. "Hey,
Michael," He says, "Kevin just put that
wrench down. Watch how long it takes
him to figure out he left it right there in front
of him." He sometimes has a tendency to
make my nose itch in the middle of a
prayer. What a kidder He is! I also spend
more time visiting painful places, like
nursing homes, hospitals, and, dare I say,
funeral homes than I used to. All of which
give me the heartache of seeing friends
and loved ones in pain.
As Christians, we are not promised an
easy trail through the aging process.
Nowhere in the Word of God do we see, "If
you follow me, you will have untold riches,
a second home, yachts, and month after
month of pleasurable vacations". The
Word never offers us a free pass to the
front of the line to success, nor does it
offer us pain-free aging. But what it does
offer us is HOPE - hope of forgiveness that
brings peace, hope of a better tomorrow,
hope of someone to walk with us in the
tough situations, hope of a brighter future,
hope of an awesome eternity that knows
no sorrows. The Apostle Paul in his letter
to the Romans said, "For everything that
was written in the past was written to teach
us, so that through endurance and
encouragement of the Scriptures we might
have hope".
You may never know the accolades of
adoring fans that cheer as you step onto
the playing field, but your Heavenly Father
cheers at just the mention of your name.
You may never cash paychecks that can
buy gold bullion in bulk, but the Lord of
lords has treasures stored for you beyond
worth. You may never spend one night on
earth in the house of your dreams, but the
Master Builder has a mansion waiting for
you that you could never dream of. You
may have aches and pains that cripple and
debilitate, but the Great Physician has a
new, perfect, pain-free body that can do all
the exciting things He has waiting for you
in Heaven. You may never know what it's
like to be on "Lifestyles of the Rich and
Famous", but our hope is not in the
temporal things that make the tabloids, the
sports pages, or the society page, our
hope is in the One who makes eternity a
pleasure cruise.
Hope is a powerful thing. And putting
our hope in the One who made everything
out of nothing, who brings sight to the
blind, makes a lame man walk, and has
power over death, is a hope that can carry
us through the tough times, the painful
times, and make the good times even
more precious. The Hebrews writer said,
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we
profess, for He who promised is faithful".
Have hope in Jesus, for He is faithful
forever.
Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope
fill you with joy and peace as you trust in
Him, so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit." ■
Multi-Vitamin Drive for Haiti Mission Trip
An Impact mission team is traveling to Haiti from June 4-11th and is collecting multi-vitamins.
Contact Tammie ([email protected]) with any questions. The following are needed:
Adult Multi-Vitamins, Prenatal Vitamins,
Children's Chewable Multi-Vitamins (not gummies), Infant Poly-Vi-Sol Drops.
MULTI-VITAMINS MUST BE NEW, SEALED (UNOPENED)
IN THEIR ORIGINAL CONTAINER, AND NOT EXPIRED.
Donation boxes will be out this Sunday, May 22nd and next Sunday, May 29th.
■
Bible Centered ■ Committed to Growth ■ Community Focused & Globally Minded ■ Dedicated to Excellence
THE COLLEGE SEARCH
Wednesday, June 22 at 6pm
Mission to Fairmount
Fairmount Christian Church, Rm. 132
RSVP Required
A second session of this seminar is being offered
due to high interest. For parents of all high school
students, find the right fit for your student while
minimizing time, money, and stress. Co-hosted by
College Solutions and Angie Shay from THE PATH
Financial Strategies, you’ll learn to choose the
school that is the right fit for your child.
RSVP Required
Email: [email protected]
Due to the recent inclement weather (rain, rain, and
more rain), the Mission to Fairmount work date has
been postponed to Saturday, June 11th. Many of
the projects involve painting and the weather has
been much too wet for paint to adhere effectively.
Please mark your calendars for that work date. If
you have any questions or need to change your
volunteer commitment, contact Bobby Carter at
382-3409. ■
Niños Trip Team Meeting
Sunday, May 22nd
12:30pm in Room 132B
Vacation Bible School
June 26-30, 2016 ~ 6:30-8:30pm
Classes for ALL ages!
Attention Class of 2016 High School and College Graduates & December 2015 College
Graduates: We want to recognize your accomplishments during worship on June 12th and celebrate
with a fun evening of fellowship and food later that same day. You and your immediate family members
are invited to a banquet from 4:30-6pm in Rm. 132.
Please provide the following information to the church office by June 1st: graduate’s full name, school graduating from,
degree, any special honors received and, for high school grads going on to college, what school you plan to attend in the fall as
well as how many immediate family members will attend the dinner and which worship service you’ll attend.
**Send a baby and current photo of each graduate by June 1st to [email protected] or bring them to the
church office to be scanned and returned. (If you are unable to attend the banquet, just a current photo is needed.)
Bible Centered ■ Committed to Growth ■ Community Focused & Globally Minded ■ Dedicated to Excellence
page three ■ Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Looking to find the right school for your child or
minimize what you pay? If you have a high school
student, you can’t afford to miss this class. You'll
learn how to choose the school that is the right fit for
your child and be walked through the admissions
process. Learn how the financial aid process works
and what you can do to better your position,
including non-need based merit money. This class
is particularly important if you have a small
business, or are divorced, separated, or remarried.
There is no charge but registration is required. ■
Saturday, June 11th
NONPROFIT
AUTO
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
RICHMOND, VA
PERMIT #1479
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
P.O. Box 788
Mechanicsville, VA 23111
Phone: (804) 559-8070
Fax: (804) 559-8072
Email:
[email protected]
The mission of Fairmount Christian Church:
To develop followers of Jesus who:
Love God
Love People
Introduce the world
,
and
to
Christ
The Forecaster is
@
best viewed online
fairmountchristian.org
Our
Church: May 15, 2016
Welcome
Attendance
Kevin & Jenna Tucker
transferred their memberships on
May 15th.
8:15 Worship Service: 169
Children’s Worship: 7
page four ■ Wednesday, May 18, 2016
to our Newest Members...
Blood Drive
This Sunday, 5/22
8am-1pm
Room 174
Please use the outside entrance into
Room 174 so as not to disturb the
worship services in the Family Life
Center. Simply go out the back door
near the main kitchen and go to your
right. Signs will be posted.
Register your preferred time at
vadonor.org or just walk in. ■
& Giving
9:30 Worship Service: 424
Children’s Worship: 61
11:00 Traditional Worship: 214
Contemporary Worship: 169
Children’s Worship: 75
Total: 1,119
Bible School: 591
Budget Requirements: $38,605
Budget Receipts: $29,242
Sermon Series Continues Sunday!
Your Church Staff:
Rick Raines - Senior Minister
Chris Santasiere - Associate Minister
Mike Langley - Associate Minister
Tracy Thomas - Worship/Music Minister
Kevin Tucker - Associate Worship Minister
Mike Campbell - Youth Minister
Ashley Sears - Children’s Director
Rose Williams - Early Childhood Director
Bob Massey - Business Administrator
Veronica Brewster - Office Manager
Jef Powell - Facilities & Grounds Manager
Barry Will - Technology Director
Chris Branch - Administrative Assistant
Carolyn Holmes - Administrative Assistant
Lauren McCormick - Administrative Assistant
Morgan McMullin - Administrative Assistant
Krista Barnes - Youth Min. Administrative Assistant
Crystal Griffin - Children’s Administrative Assistant
Amber Grubbs - Children’s Administrative Assistant
Kasey Ogden - Children’s Administrative Assistant
Bible Centered ■ Committed to Growth ■ Community Focused & Globally Minded ■ Dedicated to Excellence