September 2015 Newsletter

September 2015 Newsletter
The mission of Swansea Baptist Church is to love God and others through the
ministries of worship, evangelism, discipleship, ministry, and fellowship.
SEPTEMBER MEN’S
BREAKFAST
September Birthdays!
9
20
29
Linda Ward
Shirley Almond
Noel Eldridge
All men are invited to join us for the
September men’s breakfast on Saturday,
September 12 at 9am for a great time of
food, Christian fellowship, and God’s
Word. Men, please bring your favorite
breakfast food items!
OCTOBER 10TH, 2015
Potluck Breakfast starts at 9 AM
Work Day begins after breakfast
EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
Pastor: Rev. Wilson Wickiser
Secretary: Nancy Hodge
Associate Pastor: Rev. David Wickiser
Treasurer: Debbie Collins
Music Director: Ryan Hodge
Growing up, my father didn't have
a lot of time for me -- he was usually
busy working, repairing people’s cars
and motorcycles, bowling, or
watching bowling on TV. (Yes, I am
familiar with Earl Anthony and
Nelson Burton, Sr., who is from St.
Louis. You bowling historians know
who these guys are!) But we did
spend some quality time together
doing interesting things, such as going
to the Giants Despair Hillclimb.
My Dad, his friend Billy (now the
mayor of Sugar Notch!), and I would
go to the hillclimb every year. It
wasn't a hill for us to hike. The
Giants Despair Hillclimb is a race.
Race cars drive up a steep, curvy hill
through Laurel Run, PA, just outside
of Wilkes Barre, going toward my
dad's hometown of Mountain Top.
The cars would race individually,
and they'd be timed to see which one
climbed the hill the fastest. The
Giants Despair Hillclimb was first
held in 1906, and it is the oldest
continuing motorsport event in
Pennsylvania, so it was kind of a big
deal. Men like Carroll Shelby (he of
Ford's Shelby Mustangs and Dodge's
Viper and Shelby Chargers) and
Roger Penske have won the Giants
Despair Hillclimb.
The Pennsylvania Hillclimb
Association's website describes the
event: "The hill starts out with a long
gently rising straight about one
quarter mile in length that leads into a
fast left hander that tests both nerves
and skill. Then on to a short chute
and 'Devil’s Elbow,' a sharply rising
hairpin that goes off camber at its
crest. Next is a series of ninetydegree turns connected by short
straights. Then comes 'The Incline,' a
meandering quarter mile stretch that
rises at twenty- two degrees to the
finish."
As I reflect back on the Giants
Despair Hillclimb, I think of the
Christian life. The Christian life has
a starting point -- salvation. It has a
finish line -- the end of our life on
earth. And in between, it's an uphill
climb with many twists and turns.
When we cross the finish line, Christ
will glorify us and we'll have arrived
at our final state.
Only a select few racers compete in
the hillclimb, just like the Christian
life. Jesus said, "Enter through the
narrow gate; for the gate is wide and
the way is broad that leads to
destruction, and there are many who
enter through it. 14 For the gate is
small and the way is narrow that
leads to life, and there are few who
find it." (Matthew 7:13-14 NASB)
With all the twists and turns, the
hillclimb is not a Sunday afternoon
drive. Jesus said that His way
requires a person to "deny himself,
take up his cross daily and follow"
Jesus (Luke 9:23 NASB).
The hillclimb is all uphill. So is
spiritual growth -- we don't want to
plateau or go backwards. The Apostle
Paul wrote, "I don't mean to say that I
have already achieved these things or
that I have already reached
perfection! But I keep working toward
that day when I will finally be all that
Christ Jesus saved me for and wants
me to be. 13 No, dear brothers and
sisters, I am still not all I should be,
but I am focusing all my energies on
this one thing: Forgetting the past
and looking forward to what lies
ahead, 14 I strain to reach the end of
the race and receive the prize for
which God, through Christ Jesus, is
calling us up to heaven." (Philippians
3:12-14 NLT)
If properly trained and equipped, a
good racer can do well in the
hillclimb. Same with the Christian.
We start with proper nourishment.
A baby doesn't grow properly when
his mother feeds him a steady diet of
Coca Cola, cotton candy, and jelly
beans. The baby grows when he is
fed milk, then when he can handle it,
good, nutritional solid food. Peter
tells us to "long for the pure milk of
the word, so that by it you may grow
in respect to salvation" (1 Peter 2:2
NASB). That's why I preach. That's
why the church teaches the Bible in
Sunday school. That's why we
encourage you to read your Bibles
every day and books about the Bible.
If we don't do it right, we won't
grow. The author of Hebrews says,
"though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you have need again for
someone to teach you the elementary
principles of the oracles of God, and
you have come to need milk and not
solid food. 13 For everyone who
partakes only of milk is not
accustomed to the word of
righteousness, for he is an infant.
14
But solid food is for the mature,
who because of practice have their
senses trained to discern good and
evil. 1 Therefore leaving the
elementary teaching about the Christ,
let us press on to maturity" (Hebrews
5:12-6:1a NASB).
There is a difference between the
Giants Despair Hillclimb and spiritual
growth. In the hillclimb, you drive
alone. In growth toward
Christlikeness, Jesus gave us the
church. He appointed pastors to
preach the Bible. He spiritually gifted
some of His people to teach the Bible.
We come together for spiritual
nourishment in worship, Sunday
school, Bible study and discipleship.
The Lord is so good to have
established the church. We're in this
race together!
Participants in the Giants Despair
Hillclimb do it because they enjoy the
challenge. They like that it's uphill,
with twists and turns. They like that it
is dangerous. I hope you enjoy the
challenge of the Christian life as you
make the climb toward Christlikeness,
navigating the many twists and turns
of life.
In Christian love,
Pastor Wilson
__
As the pastor and I prepare to go to Florida on vacation, I’ve been thinking
about the years we lived in Florida (1989-1992). During our time there, we
encountered many people on the streets who were holding up signs saying
“Homeless, Anything Will Help” or “Will Work for Food”. As adults, we knew that
some of these people were not truly homeless…and maybe not even povertystricken. A local TV network did an exposé on these panhandlers and found
that some of them made $60,000 a year begging! And some of these people
were also alcoholics or drug addicts.
However, we also knew that some of these people were legitimately
homeless. Either they had experienced an unexpected financial downturn or
they suffered from a mental illness and were unable to hold down a job.
John (who was five when we first moved to Florida) was especially bothered
by these people. He always wanted to us to stop and give them money. How
did we explain to him that the money might go directly to alcohol, cigarettes, or
drugs? It’s not that we were unfeeling and did not want to help a person in
need, but we also didn’t want to encourage them to live in bondage to
substance abuse.
Our solution was to purchase small gift bags and fill them with a few snack
foods, foods with pop-tops which did not need to be cooked, plastic ware, a
napkin, and a bottle of water. In addition, the boys decorated homemade
cards which read “Jesus Loves You” and had the words of John 3:16 on them.
We kept a couple of these bags in the car, ready to hand out. Sometimes,
when given the bag, the person said thanks and put the bag down and picked
their sign back up. Other times, a person didn’t even say thank you as they
dropped the bag at their feet. There were times, though, when we felt that we
had really helped a person in need. John was so excited when he saw a man
immediately reach in the bag, open a can of Vienna Sausages, and quickly
began to eat. He felt that we had really helped a person in need.
As followers of Christ, we are to show compassion for and to help those in
need. It is important that we model for our children an attitude of compassion
and caring. We need to have a sense of empathy for those in need. Next
month, I will be sharing some ways we can help develop a heart of compassion,
a sense of empathy, for others in our children.
Hoping to care like Jesus did,
Jeri Wickiser
Childhood Ministry Director
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
As of August 31, 2015
TITHES & OFFERINGS
DATE
UNDESIGNATED
RECEIPTS
DESIGNATED
RECEIPTS
TOTAL
August 2, 2015
$3,135.65
$847.45
$ 3,983.10
August 9, 2015
$3,737.28
-
$ 3,737.28
August 16, 2015
$2,600.35
$ 2,600.35
August 23, 2015
$2,514.77
$ 2,514.77
August 30, 2015
$1,224.50
$106.00
$ 1,330.50
$13,212.55
$953.45
$14,166.00
Monthly Total
Weekly Budget Needs: $3,315.00
Budget Needs YTD: $116,025.00
Received YTD: $84,862.49
Top 10 Reasons People Don't Tithe
by Charles Stone, Stonewell Ministries
(Appeared on churchleaders.com)
Tithing is a spiritual discipline many
Christians practice. In its simplest form
it means giving back to God 10% of
what you make. I've practiced it for
years as a regular part of my giving. I
tithe [above 10%] to my local church
and I give to other causes on top of
that. However, throughout my 35 years
of ministry I've seen 10 common
reasons that church people give for not
tithing. I list them below with a counter
point below each.
1. It's all mine anyway. Why should I give?
- Counter-point (CP): Everything we own is actually God's (Ps 50.10, Ps 24.1).
2. I give elsewhere. This is the person who counts his giving to secular causes, his time, or
paying for his child's Christian school tuition as his tithe.
- CP: Do causes around the purposes of God get the lion's share of your giving?
3. Tithing is not in the New Testament. This is one of the most common.
- CP: When Jesus fulfilled the law, He didn't revise spirituality downward.
4. God will provide through other people. This person believes that other people will give to
support the cause of Christ in their church.
- CP: God chose to release His resources through all believers.
5. My gifts don't really count. This person thinks that because he can't give much, his
giving really doesn't matter.
- CP: Don't minimize the size of any gift (recall the story of the poor widow in Mark 12.4144).
6. I don't trust preachers. This is understandable due to the few high profile ministers who
misuse God's money.
- CP: If you lead a church, make sure you instill the highest standards of stewardship and
accountability.
7. I only give to projects I like. This is the control freak who only gives to projects he or she
can designate funds to. Some people in this category even hold back their giving in their
church because they haven't gotten their way.
- CP: Trust your church leadership to wisely manage God's money.
8. I have no control over my finances. My husband does. In this case (and it's almost always
a wife in this position) her husband controls the finances and although the wife wants to
give, he prohibits it.
- CP: Rest in the Lord, He knows your heart.
9. I will tithe when I can afford it.
- CP: If you wait you probably never will. Research shows that contrary to what we might
assume, the more money a person makes, the less percentage they give.
10. I'm afraid to. These people honestly fear what might happen to them or their family if
they give.
- CP: Step out in faith knowing that God promises to meet your needs.
_________________________________________________________________________
Of the 13 million people living in Illinois, more than 8 million do not know Jesus
Christ. Partnering with other churches around the state, we can help share the Gospel
in many ways. Through the IBSA (Illinois Baptist State Association), members are
starting new churches for people groups and places without a Gospel witness. We are
strengthening churches and helping pastors to develop leaders for effective ministry.
We are mobilizing Illinois Baptists for evangelism and missions here and around the
world.
The Mission Illinois Offering is a vital supply line for Illinois ministries. The statewide
goal is $475,000. The Swansea Baptist Church goal is $500. We will be collecting
the offering through the month of September. Please consider how you can “Pray,
Serve and Give” to support Illinois missions.
Begin now to gather items for your
Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.
We will be collecting the completed
boxes from November 1st through
November 15th. Pick up a brochure about
this ministry and begin collecting items
for your shoebox today!
Women’s Bible Study for Fall
Jeremiah Part 1: You’ve Forsaken Me: Repent and Return
Jeremiah, a prophet appointed by God, spoke a hard message to the people of
his day. It’s still God’s message today – a call to listen to His Word. Heeding
Jeremiah’s message can bring healing and hope to all.
This is a nine-week Precept study, led by Deb Collins weekly on Tuesday
evenings from 6:30-8:30 P.M. in classroom 11. The class begins on September 15
and will continue until November 17. We will cover Jeremiah 1-24. The cost of
the workbook is $20, but there are scholarships available if needed.
We will meet each Tuesday to discuss homework – about 5 hours per week –
then watch an hour long video by Kay Arthur. See me if you have any questions.
Deb Collins