<p> June, July, and August</p><p>Summer 2016 BEACON NEWSLETTER</p><p>This fall will mark four years as the pastor our church. In those four years we have had some ups and downs. We have continued to work together to strive to do God's will here in our community and around the world. Our church has a bright future as long as we keep our eyes on the Lord and what He would have our church to do. In 2018, our church will celebrate its 2Q0th anniversary. The members who have gone before us have left a legacy for us to continu e. There have been many people over the years that have sacrificed so that our church would continue to minister in this community and around the world. My prayer is that we can continue to build a healthy Christ honoring church tha t will help our church to be around another 200 years.</p><p>As we move into the summer, there are several exciting things that are happening in the life of our church. First, our new children's ministry area will be complete in July. This area will give us the needed space to help our children's ministry to grow and flourish. I am so excited about the possibilities this renova tion will bring for our church.</p><p>Secondly, the search for our new Associa te Pastor will begin. This posi tion is vita l for our church to continue to reach our community. Please continue to pray for the search committee as they prayerfully search for this next posi tion in the life of our church.</p><p>Finally, I wa nt to share with you some insigh t tha t I received from one of our sister churches in the Marietta Baptist Association . At the men's breakfast in April, one of the men from Gravel Hill Baptist church stood up and shared how their church has quit worrying abou t ju st growing their church and started to focus on how they could grow the kingdom of God. That truly struck a cord with me. As I have processed that over the past month, I truly believe tha t is what we are being called to do as well. We have many ouh·each opportunities that our church offers for the community. I of ten hear people question the validity of these events because we don't see these people coming to our church. I had to ask myself a question. Is that why we do the ministry that we are doing just to grow the church? It seems our focus should be on growing the kingdom of God more than just growing our church.</p><p>As I read in 1Corinthians 3:6-9 " I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plant s nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God's service; you are God'sfield, God's building." In these verses we read that our job is to plant seeds and it's God's job to make them grow.</p><p>As we move forward into the rest of this year, may we focus more on planting seeds and growing the kingdom of God and not just growing our church!!</p><p>Serving Together,</p><p>Pastor Chad</p><p>Fundraising Luncheon For J aime Fox</p><p>• • illlS*SlOil*arY (noun) someone vvho leaves their fa mily for a short time, so that others may be.vvith their families for eter nity. Sunday</p><p>J une 26th </p><p>At 11:00 a m </p><p>Afte r Church</p><p>Let's show our support to J a mie for a ll of her heard wor k and dedication . American Bapti st Women' s Ministri es </p><p>By Cindy Sams-President</p><p>A Circle of Information</p><p>The 82nd Annual Conference of the ABWM of Ohio will be held June 17 & 18, 2016. The conference will be at Philo High School 400 Millers Lane Duncan Falls, OH. Please let me know by Wednesday May 25th if you would like to attend the conference. Reservations must be.confirmed by this week.</p><p>The Marietta Association Energizer meeting will be held July 21st, 2016. The meeting place to be announced soon.</p><p>Thank you to all the ladies who attended the April Spring Retreat at Parchment Valley Ripley, WV. We were blessed to have Dr. Sharron Tucker as our Bible study leader. We enjoyed great food, fellowship, singing,and other activities.</p><p>Many thanks to Sharon Hambrick for all the hard work put into Women's Sunday. Very grateful for those who participated.</p><p>ABWM Executive Board was held May 10th with the officers and chairpersons . A decision was made to no longer continue with the Angels of Light due to lack of interest and other conflicting activities.</p><p>The Church Yard Sale was on Saturday May 21st. Thank you to everyone who brought in items to sell, distributed flyers,and to those who helped set up and price items . Especially THANK YOU to Dixie Brown and Sherrie Miller for organizing it and making the sale a success . Of course, ABWM thank the men who participated. We could not have done it without you.</p><p>New program booklets for the ABWM will be updated in late August . </p><p>Bible Books for the next three months: July-James August-Deuteronomy June- Numbers</p><p>Have A Blessed Summer! M O M E N T F O R M I S S I O N S ",A littU. 6iJ ftJlJ JU /2 . • • •</p><p>Spring has come! It is time to plant the garden and time to cut the grass. By the time you read this, the children and youth will be out of school for the summer. Some folks may be making plans to go on a vacation or a trip to visit fami lies. Many youth hope to go to church camp. Or go to the swimming pool. Maybe some wi l l be blessed wi th a summer job.</p><p>Let us also think about what we will be doing at our church. Let us visi t those who are ill - at home or i n the hospi tal. We can also send them cards to l et them know they are in our prayers. We can come together to help with projects i n our church or work together in outreach beyond the walks of our church -in our town - and beyond. What a blessing it is to join together each week to worship our Lord and Savior.</p><p>Let us be very mindful of the work of our missionaries near and i n far places around the world. Jamie Fox is serving God in Chiang Rai International Christian School in Thailand. Let us keep her in our prayers and support her with all our heai1s. As a family of God let us serve the Lord with gladness. Let us be very mindfu l that "we serve a Risen Savior".</p><p>"Come,All Cltristia11s, Be Committed." t "Come all Christians, be committed to the service of the Lord. Make your lives for Him more fitted, tune your hearts with one accord. Come into His courts with gladness, each his sacred vows renew, tum away from sin and sadness, be transformed with l ife anew."</p><p>A little bird told me...... ""'/;1r1L.ltt t::f11J /r11111 1ilhd111 1r1tl !u.1.1infp /lt11i1.r</p><p> l..tJ o anJ 6ussinus One of His Little Birds</p><p>Board of Deacons Quarterly Report</p><p>Recent Projects</p><p>•During March, the Community Witness Commission sponsored the World Day of Prayer celebration at First Baptist, with people signing up to pray throughout the day. •The World Outreach Commission promoted the America for Christ Offering during March, setting a goal of $1,000,which was met and exceeded with the $1,109 that was collected. •During April the Membership Commission began a sea rch for people in the congregation who are willing to become Greeters at the church front and side door, because the supply of greeters has dwindled over the past few years. Greeters play an important role by giving first time visitors a warm welcome and help in locating seating,child care and other services. There is a signup sheet on the Welcome Center for those interested.</p><p>Upcoming Activities</p><p>•With the death of Linda Hartline in April,the Worship Commission and Board of Deacons are again searching for a church accompanist. If anyone knows an organist or pianist who might be interested, let Pastor Chad or Becky Mallett know. •The One Great Hour of Sharing Offering will be promoted in June (see separate Beacon ar ticle). •During July, the Community Witness Commission will promote the Summer Back-to-School Program to collect school supplies for five local elementary schools (see separate Beacon article) . •The Board of Deacons has decided to organize a benefit event for Jamie Fox, probably a meal in early August . Look for a sign-up sheet for helpers on the Welcome Center once the date is set. •Deacons have decided to provide a sympathy gift for members and regular attenders when there is a death in their immediate family. Sunday School classes already do this for members, but those not affiliated with a class are not being remembered with a gift.</p><p>. .</p><p>Summer Back-to-School Program ·</p><p>The Deacons and the Angels of Light Circle invite you to join with them in providing backup supplies for Harmar, Washington, Phillips, Putnam, and Waterford elementary schools for the 2013-2014 school year. Schools provide these supplies to students who need them. Collection boxes are set up in the Dining Hall, and items will be accepted during June and July. Following is a list of supplies that the schools will appreciate receiving. Crayons (24- or 48-pack -Crayola preferred), Pencils (12-pack) Pink Pearl Erasers Colored Pencils (12-pack) Colored Markers Highlighters Black Sharpie Markers (fine and broad points) Supply Boxes School Glue Glu·e Sticks Scissors (for children -Fiskars preferred) Dry Erase Markers Loose-Leaf Wide-Rule Notebook Paper 1 Wide-Rule Spiral Notebooks (8- x 11) .. Three-Ring Binders ... One- Or Two-Pocket Folders Book Covers Rulers (inch and centimeter markings) Protractors Boxes of Tissues Lunchboxes Backpacks "'-:; _ .. .-. - - Dear Friends, It is time again for the One Great Hour of Sharing special offering. By the grace of God, we are given the opportunity to share our gifts and resources with our brothers and sisters in need around the world. All of us have the power to give back to God from that which God has given us, and in doing so, create a moreju st world for all of God's children. Through our gifts, we participate in the many ministries that serve the hungry, the poor, the distressed, the refugee. The Hebrew Bible models this offering in the story of Ruth and Naomi , portrayed in the Book of Ruth. When faced with forced relocation , due to famine and political strife, Ruth said to Naomi, "Where you go I will go." Solidarity stands at the heart of their story. Solidarity stands at the heart of the ministries of One Great Hour of Sharing. Solidarity stands at the heart of this offering. Like Ruth and Naomi, refugees today are confronted with dire situations in their homes, and are forced by the necessity of survival to leave behind their communities in order to seek safety and security. Currently, the United Nations estimates over 60 million of our brothers and sisters across the world are refugees or displaced persons. The number is higher than it has been since World War II, and is expected to increase as violence continues in the Middle East and parts of Africa. Through One Great Hour of Sharing we embrace refugees around the world as our own. We say "where you go, we will go." This offerin g places us side-by-side with those in need. It offers us the opportunity to be Ruth for the Naom i's of the world . By supporting One Great Hour of Sharing, we answer God's cal l for us to bri ng wholeness to a fragmented world. The One Great Hour of Sharing offering reaches across the globe. Sometimes it provides solidarity to those who have experienced loss due to d isasters in our own community and congregation , and at other times i t says tangi bly "you are not forgotten" to our sisters and brothers on the other side of the world. Through our gifts, we can help ensure that all of God 's children have what they need. Together, we accompany the refugee and stand in solidarity with the distressed, bringing about the world as God intended. Thank you for prayerfully considering your gift to this special offering. Sincerely, Chris Casto Board of Deacons World Outreach Commission .</p><p>CHRISTIAN EDUCATION BOARD</p><p>Quarterly Report</p><p>In March, we had a very successful Easter Event/Kid's Night Out. We had 31 attending and great feedback. The May Kid's Night Out was the last one for the season. We will take the summer off and resume again in the fall.</p><p>We had a wonderful Spring Fling in April with members and guests enjoying good food and fellowship .</p><p>In May, our God's Daughters enjoyed a delicious meal (served by the men) and some great music. We had 62 in attendance.</p><p>Children's Church just finished a 13-week study on the Fruit of the Spirit and are now working on The Ten Commandments.</p><p>The Youth are watching The War Room and working on an in-depth study on prayer.</p><p>We have approved two or more volunteers to work with our Youth/Children's Ministries. Two or three more volunteers for the nursery would be helpful to enable a good rotation.</p><p>U PCOMI NG EVENTS</p><p>Vacation Bible School will be June 13th from 11am-2 pm on the Marietta College lawn. </p><p>Plans are in process for more service projects for the Youth.</p><p>We have several youth who are planning on going to Camp Cowen in July.</p><p>Submitted by Candie Parsons, Chair Report from The Board Of Trustees</p><p>The Board of Trustees has been hard at work so far this year. The biggest project that we have been worki ng on is the renovatio n of the downstairs kids area of the Ed ucational Build i ng. The trustees in conjunctio n with the Men's Fellowshi p group held a work party to help complete a list of projects that had been identified by the board and the pastor. We rented a dumpster and bega n to clean out many of the rooms and the basement to get ready for the renovation. Another project that we have been working on is the installation of a projector, screen, and speakers in the dining room. This will be a welcome addition for our Wed nesday night Bible Study and business meetings. We have had several issues with our boi ler system that need ed repaired. We also have placed some new signage in at the ma in entrance so people will know where the sanctuary is and the elevator. One project that we are currently investigati ng is a restroom for the adult fellowship class. The closest rest room for this class would be the one in the fellowship hall. More on this project will be coming in the near future.</p><p>Sincerely, Board of Trustees</p>