March Newsletter - Woodburn Baptist Church

NON-PROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
BOWLING GREEN KY
PERMIT NO. 9
WOODBURN BAPTIST CHURCH
PO BOX 38
WOODBURN KY 42170
The Steeple
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Who are You Inviting to...
DNow 2015
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Sunday, March 1 [SERIES BEGINS: Stories Jesus Told—Lessons
from the Parables]
A.M. The Farmer (Mark 4:1-20, 33-34)
P.M. The Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-13)
Sunday, March 22
A.M. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)
P.M. CARE Night
Choir Musical: The Story
Sunday, March 8
A.M. The Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32)
P.M. Family Experience
Sunday, March 29 PALM SUNDAY
A.M. The Barren Tree (Luke 13:6-9)
P.M. The Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21)
Who do you know who’s story needs to
be affected by THE STORY?
Sunday, March 15 DNOW Weekend
A.M. The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)
P.M. Ordination Service for Tim Brown
New Sermon Series
Easter Egg Hunt
CHURCH STAFF
Church Office: 270-529-5221
Office Hours: 8 am - 4 pm, Monday thru Friday
Small Groups
Feb.
1
Worship
351 8:30 - 228
11:00 - 191
Café - 75
Pastor: Dr. Tim Harris . . . TimHar r is@woodbur nbaptist.or g . . .cell 270-996-7735
Minister of Education & Administration: Warren Weeks . . . . . home 270-529-3028
E-mail: [email protected]
Youth & Young Adults Pastor: Matt Betts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cell 270-202-1244
Email: [email protected]
Worship Pastor: Rod Ellis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cell 502-229-0114
Email: [email protected]
Director of Children’s Ministries: Nichole Buckman . . . . . . . . . cell 270-405-6165
Email: [email protected]
Custodian: Judy Chaffin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . home 270-529-2031
Easter Musical
March 21 & 22 at 6:00 pm
Feb.
8 394
8:30 - 282
11:00 - 210
Café - 64
Feb.
15 380
8:30 - 270
11:00 - 244
Café - 76
Feb.
22 307
8:30 - 208
Café - 54
11:00 - 211
March 28th, 10:00 am
Sisters and Brothers,
Pastor Thomas was a man of faith, a good preacher, and a
wise counselor. He had been there for others through every
circumstance of life and death. He was always an encourager,
always a comfort. But after years of effective faith and ministry, everything fell apart for Pastor Thomas, when his daughter—his only child—was raped and murdered. Ten days after
the funeral, he returned to the pulpit to preach. His eyes
brimmed with tears. With a voice quiet as a whisper, he
looked out at the people and said, “It’s impossible for me to
see how anything good can come out of my daughter’s death.”
No one had known exactly what the pastor would say, but they
expected him to bring some word of comfort for them. In that
moment, Pastor Thomas didn’t rush to make a sensible explanation of his daughter’s senseless death. The congregation was
breathless, uncomfortable.
Faith isn’t always clean or easy. Nevertheless, we church people don’t always deal well with the hard questions. We lack
patience with people whose faith is shaky. Jude 22 instructs us
to have mercy upon the doubters—to cut them a little slack.
But in order to face the doubts of others, we would have to be
willing to acknowledge our own doubts.
There are probably three categories of doubt. Some people
doubt God’s basic existence, ever wondering if God is really
there at all. Others believe in God but doubt his basic goodness. These are the people always asking, “God, why would
you let this happen? Don’t you care?” Still others accept that
he is real and good, but they doubt God’s power or his willingness to get involved. They ask, “Does God really answer my
prayers? Can I believe he will make a difference?”
During certain seasons of my life, I have struggled with doubts
of my own. I tend to overthink things, to ask a lot of questions,
and I like my questions to have solid answers. That’s why I
like being reminded that Jesus doesn’t require full, perfect
faith in order to help me. He says that mustard-seed faith is all
that’s required. In other words, it’s not the quality or amount
of faith that matters—it’s the one in whom I put my faith. I
must go with the faith I have, even if it’s mixed with doubt. I
don’t always know what God will do, but not knowing is not
the same is not believing. Faith simply leaves room for God to
do something, something good. It can be messy, mixed with
doubt; but whatever faith I have, it will be enough, as long as I
place my faith in Jesus.
Ten days after the funeral, Pastor Thomas came into the Sunday pulpit to preach. Voice quiet as a whisper, he read his text:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him.” Visibly struggling, Pastor Thomas said,
All of this is being done to give you a chance to invite someone to hear how God’s story can change their story. And
maybe the person you are sensing in your soul that needs to
be invited is you. If so, please join us.
I cannot make my daughter’s death fit into this passage.
It’s impossible for me to see how anything good can come
out of it. Yet I realize that I only see in part. I only know in
part. It’s like the miracle of the shipyard. Almost every
part of our great oceangoing vessels are made of steel. If
you take any single part—be it a steel plate out of the hull
or the huge rudder—and throw it into the ocean, it will
sink. Steel doesn’t float! But when the shipbuilders are
finished, when the last plate has been riveted in place, then
that massive steel ship is virtually unsinkable. Taken by
itself, my daughter’s death is senseless. Throw it into the
sea of Romans 8:28, and it sinks. Still, I believe that when
the Eternal Shipbuilder has finally finished, when God has
worked out his perfect design, even this senseless tragedy
will somehow work to our eternal good.”
Now that’s messy faith, but it’s faith nonetheless. It works
for me.
See you Sunday.
Tim
_______________________________________________
2015
Baptism Goal
36
Our next Baptism Event is Easter Sunday, April 5. We
want to have baptism during our Easter services this year.
If you want to be baptized, please let Bro. Tim know.
Remember Our Shut-Ins
Regus Hopkins
Lena Van Meter
Tressie Vice
Dorothy Davidson
Dewey & Mabel Pharris
Ruth Evans
Langdon Dyer
Juanita Tabor
Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22 at 6pm.
Grace. Peace.
Rod
_________________________________________________
Do you know anyone who needs a change in the direction of
their life?
One of the most powerful Easter experiences I remember is
our musical from last year called The Story. You may recall
that the core concept is that when God’s story intersects our
story, it changes our lives. Toward abundant life. Toward
eternal life.
The response from our congregation was immense. There
was more positive feedback about the power of that experience than any of the Easter musicals I’ve been part of—more
than 20 of them, by my count. It was amazing.
Maybe it was the giant screen with the film footage of the
story of God. Maybe it was the profound and life-changing
lyrics on the side screens. Maybe it was the scripture-rich
narration, or the stunningly beautiful and powerful music.
Maybe it was simply the clarity of the life-changing truth of
Jesus—expressed in these lyrics:
Tell me your story, Show me your wounds,
And I'll show you what love sees When love looks at you.
Hand me the pieces, Broken and bruised,
And I'll show you what Love sees When Love sees you.
March Homebound Visitation Schedule
1st week - Brenda Maxwell
2nd week - Dianne Harris & Martha Murray
3rd week - Vi Cato & Laura Spencer
4th week - Jennifer Jones
5th week - Norma Palacios
Hopkins Nursing Home Ministry
Mar. 1
10 am - Billy Wemyss, Billy & Faye Lawrence
Mar. 15
10 am - Larry Winn, Chuck & Sylvia Harris
Whatever the reason, now that we’ve seen how powerful this
musical is, we’re going to do it again and give you the opportunity to invite anyone you know who may need a change
in the direction of their life.
Wednesday nights between now and then we’ll study God’s
Story and pray. The devotional guide Warren and I have
been preparing will give you the chance to read stories of
dozens of lives that were changed when they realized that
Jesus, that Love saw us.
March
Our Seniors will be traveling to Pig, KY on Friday, March
27th. We will leave the church at 10:30 and will have
lunch at “The Porky Pig Diner”. This promises to be an
eventful outing you don’t want to miss!
April
On Tuesday, April 28th, we will be going to the Senior
Living Celebration 2015 held in Bardstown, KY at Parkway Baptist Church. If you have paid your $10.00 by our
March outing on March 27th, this will cover breakfast,
lunch, and the conference. Otherwise it is $25.00 at the
door.
In the event that you would like to go on any of our outings but do not have the extra money, please see Margie
Weeks or Darleen Atkerson.
_______________________________________________
A note from:
Campbellsville University Chorale
Dear Woodburn Baptist Church faculty and members,
On behalf of the Campbellsville University Chorale, I would
like to thank you all for allowing us the pleasure of sharing
our gifts and talents with your congregation. Your people
are all wonderful and show Christ well. This church is a
blessing to all of us.
Thank you.
What’s NEWS with our
Youth/Parents:
Family Meetings
Every year Dnow is a highlight that goes well beyond just
the fun of being together, games, and good music. It is a time
of intense worship and discipleship that becomes a defining
moment in many of our teens lives. It is a time when God
puts His finger on some area or areas of our teen’s lives that
need attention and focus. It is a time of relational growth in
our youth group that just can’t happen in any other way. It is
a special time for the youth ministry that every teen should
be a part of. This year the theme is “REFLECT.” We are
focusing on the characteristics of Christian maturity
(Relationship, Evangelism, Fruit of the Spirit, Listening,
Edification, Christ-likeness, Transformation). Our speaker is
John Nix and our worship leader is the band Exodus from
Liberty University. The schedule is packed with a variety of
things. We will have our traditional services and worship.
There will be games and the annual poster party. We will
also have service projects on Saturday afternoon and an elective session with a variety of topics to choose from. It is going to be a great weekend for everyone involved. Be in prayer for our teens and workers during Dnow. We all need God
to work and we want Him to be glorified and lifted high in
everything that we do.
DNOW Dates – March 13-15, 2015
Registration – Cost $15
Host Home Meeting –
Wednesday, March 4th at 7:00pm in Youth Room
Small Group Leaders Meeting –
Sunday, March 8th at 5:00pm in Youth Room
Senior Year Stretch – Sunday, March 8th
6:00pm in Youth Room
Meeting for all parents of 12th graders and teens
who are in 12th grade. This is a meeting designed
to open up conversation to help with the transition
out of high school. We will discuss various issues,
topics, and network together to help with the transition.
“Double Your Small Group” Night –
Wednesday, March 25th
Emphasis on getting friends to come to church.
We will have a regular service, small groups, and
food and games.
Camp Dates – June 13-17
Camp Payment Due March 1st - $60.00
Matt Betts
Youth and Young Adult Pastor
*If you would like to be put on the weekly parent email
list, let me know at: [email protected] or
270-202-1244.
Daylight Savings Time
begins March 8
Prayers & Sympathies to . . . .
Nickie Lanham on the death of her grandfather.
Don’t forget to turn your clocks
forward 1 hour!
Jessica Johnson on the death of her grandmother.
Vernon Long on the death of his mother, Dorothy Sneed.
Family Meetings are important to our church because it is a
time when we have the opportunity to make decisions together. Yet, unfortunately, attendance at Family Meetings is usually very low. Family Meetings are a part of a Baptist distinctive called congregational polity. While other churches and
other denominations may use different forms of church governance, Woodburn Baptist practices congregational polity.
Congregational polity simply means that all of the members
within the church fellowship are to have equal voice in the
governance of the church. We see this model for making decisions in Act 6:1-7 when the early church had a problem
with the distribution of food to widows which caused some
division in the fellowship. The apostles first of all called everyone together. They wanted the church to make the decision
not just them. They proposed a solution (If they would have
had Robert's Rules of Order back then, they would have
called this a motion) and the church approved it. Church governance is not in the hands of one or of a few but of all the
members. Family Meetings are important because it is the
church gathered together to be the church and make decisions
together. Family Meeting are usually held on Sunday night
after the evening worship service. Many members may have
never attended a Family Meeting. The church council decided
to try and have a Family Meeting on a Sunday morning and
the best time for that seemed to be at 9:45. So on Sunday,
March 22 at 9:45, we will have a Family Meeting in the sanctuary. Church council is not proposing that we do this every
month but one time to allow more members to see the importance of Family Meetings and encourage them to attend in
the future. I hope you will plan to be at the Family Meeting
on March 22. We all have a voice and a vote in church decision-making.
Serving Together,
Warren Weeks
_______________________________________________
Family Meeting
Special Time:
9:45 am, March 22nd
Our next CARE night is coming
up on March 22 beginning at 4:00
PM in the fellowship hall. We
will be focusing on letting our
community know about our upcoming Easter activities. During
CARE night, we will be stuffing
eggs for the Easter Egg hunt, preparing a special mail out to the
community, youth from DNow will be following up on service project homes, sending Easter cards to our church
homebound, deacons will be making ministry visits and taking communion to the homebound and small groups and
members are encouraged to come and write cards, make
phone calls or visits to group members. Also, during CARE
night, we will have a special class at 4:00 to give you some
ideas and ways that you could invite the folks on your street
to Easter Sunday.
March 22
_______________________________________________
Easter Activities
March 21 & 22, 6:00 PM — Easter Musical
March 28, 10:00 AM — Easter Egg Hunt
April 2, 6:00 PM — Maundy Thursday Dinner and Service
The evening will begin with a soup and sandwich meal
followed by worship, special music, and a communion
service. Please bring soup and sandwiches. The church
will provide the drinks.
April 5 — Easter Sunday
6:30 AM — Sunrise Service and Breakfast
8:30 – Early Worship
9:45 – Café Worship and Small Group Ministry
11:00 – Morning Worship
Easter Baptism
_______________________________________________
Communion
March 1st
morning services
"Hope After Terror." The title sounds promising, right. How
does this sound? "She was very happy to receive a shoebox
gift, but smiles don’t come easy for Amal after his sister was
killed by ISIS terrorists." This is the caption I read underneath the picture of a 14 year old girl, who honestly didn't
seem very happy. I'm sure she appreciated the shoebox she
received from Operation Christmas Child, but I can't help but
consider all the other emotions she must've had hearing the
gospel being shared, the Good News.
The week of February 15th our elementary kids learned
about how Jesus instructed us to care "for the least of these."
It was part of our month spent learning about kindnessshowing someone they are valued by how you treat them. For
each shoebox that is delivered a child is told, "You are valued. You are loved." When kindness is shown it’s a step towards that person knowing their worth to God. It helps them
see Jesus in us.
As we prepare for Operation Christmas Child this year I
challenge you to pray now about how you can be used by
God in this process. You might be able to pick up items for
each month's collection. What if you are an extreme couponer? You can use those skills to look for items we will
need. Maybe you are a thrifty bargain shopper who spots a
deal, or better yet the deals come running to you. Are you
good at networking? Building shoeboxes and collecting items
aren't dependent on WBC alone. Do you have organizational
skills? Collecting is only one part of the process, and we can
always use help keeping track of how many items we have
and how to store them. What role do you play in your small
group? If you are a greeter and spend time catching up with
everyone in your group regularly then take time to briefly
mention the collection to others in your group. Or maybe you
have an incredibly strong prayer life. Franklin Graham says
the gifts are just items but with prayer they hold power.
Those prayers can begin now. Whatever your talents or abilities there is a way for you to get involved with Operation
Christmas Child and extend the gift of showing someone else
they are valued.
It doesn't just apply to OCC though. In February we talked
with the kids about the "invisible" people in their lives, the
people that exist but are never noticed. We feel good to put
together a shoebox, send it off, and then see the video reports
of happy faces and big smiles. It can cause us to think that we
did something good when really we were just being obedient.
How can we truly be obedient and show kindness to those
"invisible" ones on a daily basis though? How can we show
them they are valued even though we may not see the after
effects? God doesn't want us to limit his love to those in other
countries we can't see, but he wants us to be hands and feet to
our local community. Encouraging a quiet co-worker, thanking the janitor at work or school, offering help or fellowship
to an elderly neighbor, and intentionally looking for ways to
bless others. I have noticed over the years that I am most
blessed when I can bless someone else. When I show kindness
to someone it helps them know that God does love them and it
opens doors for sharing God's promise of hope.
More about . . .
Here’s a glance as to what our kids will be studying during
the month of March:
I can't imagine being Amal. She, at 14, with her 12 year old
sister and the entire village were attacked, driven out of their
home, away from their town, and were separated from their
parents. After seeing others their age executed in front of them
they found an opportunity for escape. In the midst of trying to
escape Amal's sister was shot and killed by ISIS. She kept
running. She didn't know if her parents were alive, she didn't
know if she would live, and she had no one with her in that
moment. I have been in that moment where I felt myself running but not sure of my destination, if I will make it, and feeling alone. Haven't you? Hope after terror doesn't have to be a
title limited to this story. It can be the title of anyone's story.
Won't you help them find that hope?
We are starting to collect items for the boxes that will be
packed by the Preschool and Children’s Ministries. During the month of March we are collecting:
Toboggans/Baseball Caps
Socks
Thank you for your help in making this project happen!
Come experience an evening of fun together as a family as
you learn what God’s word has to say about patience. It’s our
way of helping you leverage the time you have because we
know that time is valuable. We’ll also be giving away a
widget, which is simply a tool to help you revisit the topic of
patience at home. This evening is geared towards you, the
family, because even though we think that what we get to
talk about with your kids is important we believe that what
you do and talk about with them at home is even more important.
Details for
the...
Candy Collection
We are in need of 2000 individually wrapped small
pieces of candy for the Easter Egg Hunt. Please
drop candy donations in the boxes provided in the
church lobby by March 22.
March 1st
March Birthstone: Aquamarine
2015
March Flower: Jonquil
Sun.
Mon.
Tues.
Wed.
Thurs.
Fri.
Sat.
1 Communion
2
3
4
5
6
7
10 am Hopkins
Youth Camp Payment
4 pm Deacon’s Meeting
6 pm Room In The Inn
9:30 am Ladies Prayer
Group
8 Daylight Savings
9
Time Starts
5 pm Worship Leader
Academy
9:30 am Ladies Prayer
Group
13
D-Now
14
D-Now
15
D-Now
16
20
21
10 am Hopkins
6 pm Ordination Service
for Tim Brown
8:30 am Moms in
6:15 pm Worship Prep
Prayer
6 pm Children, Youth,
& Adults meet
7: 15 pm Worship
Choir Practice
10
23
9:45 am Family Meeting
4 pm CARE Night
6 pm Easter Musical
9:30 am Ladies Prayer
Group
29
30
Blood Pressure Checks
5 pm Worship Leader
Academy
9:30 am Ladies Prayer
Group
12
8:30 am Moms in
6:15 pm Worship Prep
Prayer
6 pm Children, Youth,
& Adults meet
7: 15 pm Worship
Choir Practice
17
18
9:30 am Ladies Prayer
Group
22
19
8:30 am Moms in
6:15 pm Worship Prep
Prayer
6 pm Children, Youth,
& Adults meet
7: 15 pm Worship
Choir Practice
24
25
26
6 pm Easter Musical
27
28
8:30 am Moms in
6:15 pm Worship Prep 12 pm Senior Adult 10 am Easter Egg
Prayer
Lunch
Hunt
6 pm Children, Youth,
& Adults meet
7: 15 pm Worship
Choir Practice
31
MARCH -- Birthdays & Anniversaries:
Day
Name
1
2
2
3
4
5
6
7
7
8
8
9
10
10
11
12
13
13
14
14
11
Elliot Wright
Laura Morris, Win Simmons, Kaley Burnette
Tina Norris
Sarah Martin, Luke Rice
Emma Tuggle
Rose Cobb, Paisley Harris, Dustin Norris
Ken Sparks, Andrew Causey
Tim Harris, David Ward, Melvin Norris
Nate Oliver
Mark Perdue, Logan Williams
Braden Armstrong
Rhodes Hester, Billy Lawrence
Ethan Hunt, Lauren Milam, Candace Willingham
Kayla Bowles
Anthony Jones, Kelley York
Mark Roberts
Jane Jones, Phil Wilkins, Lindsey Brinkley
Emily Mann, Katie Milam
Angela Richmond, Kim Wren, Karon Tucker
Braxton Brown, Brody Johnson
15
15
17
18
19
20
20
21
22
23
24
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Sherri Brown, Brodie Simmons, Whitney Mann
Drake Graves
Logan Willis, Martha Weeks, Jeff Carlock
Sandy Mefford, Cindy Sheehan
Teddy Martin, Rhea Dean Wren
Chris Brown, Nancy Stadler, Oliver Sawyer
Sherry Wren, Susie Jasper, Toryn Cornell
Matt Powell, Samuel Pearson
Garrard Sparks, Sally Smalling, Shelley Hickman
Scott Chaffin
Clayton Warden, Brandon Renner, Laurie Tingle
Jann Jones
Alyceah Andrews, Jeramie Briscoe
Amanda Duvall, Linda Cornell
Melissa Baker, Larry Payne, Carrie Sweeney
Butch Spencer, Tim Cornell, Odell Brown
Robert Hall
River Manley
Anniversaries:
2 Steve & Allyson Gibbs
2 Erick & Melissa DeVries
9 Bobby & Krysti Floyd
11 Scott & Ann Maxwell
12 Kevin & Misty Mason
13 Andrew & Lisa Causey
19 Byron & Susie Lucas
21 Tommy & Marla Hardcastle
23 Phil & Linda Wilkins
26 Sean & Leslie Heltsley
31 Kenton & Rhonda Powell
31 Matt & Kortnea Powell
31 Steve & Donna Rigdon
31 Anthony & Lindsay Jones