Weekly Announcements (1.17.11)

Commitment Challenge - Our attendance has definitely improved the past 2 weeks. We've had 173 and 174. Our goal for this month (if you remember from Jan. 2 message) was to increase our average attendance to our seating capacity of 187 by the end of the month. So, we've got some work to do the next 2 weeks to continue bringing our average up. We need 200 average the next 2 weeks to hit our goal. Remember, this is not a stretch considering we have 253 active members and attendees.

In reality, (though we have been talking a lot about the numbers) this is not about the numbers. The numbers are a tangible thing that represents individuals who are gathering for worship and being impacted by the Word of God. As your pastors, we care for you, pray for you, and long for the best for you. God has placed us here to minister among you for your blessing. Check Ephesians 4:11-14, emphasis on 13-14. We need you to show up and be involved, so that you receive the fruit of our work. Each person is important to our church.

So, we really need you to be reaching out to those you are challenging to make sure they are coming. We have to do this together!!!



GIVE. ME. FAITH. - The series continues this Sunday. Yesterday in a message called "Faith Grows" we found these 2 things in the life of Abraham.

1. Faith grows from believing God can only work in the natural to believing God can work in the supernatural.
2. Faith grows from trying to make God's word/promise happen in your timing & wisdom to trusting God's timing & wisdom.

Membership Discovery - Interested in joining First Baptist? Want more info about how our church operates, what our mission and values are? This is the place. Membership Discovery will be on February 13th at 5:00 in the Golden Circle Room.



Youth Centrifuge Camp - Parents: If your child will be attending Centrifuge for the first time with the youth group this summer, there will be an info meeting for you and your child this Wednesday at 7:30pm in the youth room.

Weekly Announcements (1.10.11)

GIVE. ME. FAITH. - Our series has started. This past Sunday we looked at Hebrews 11:1-6, one of the definitive passages in the Bible that tells us what faith is. Here's the link to our church's sermon audio page where you can listen to the message if you weren't here yesterday. If you'd like to read a brief part of the message, here's the link to Bro. Mark's personal blog with a recap of the idea that "If God exists, everything changes." Series continues next week with "Faith Grows".



The Challenge Continues - We had 173 people in attendance yesterday morning (including guests). This is improvement in the right direction, but we have a long way to go!!! Remember, we have 253 active members. So, the challenge continues. Will you step up and be here every week? Have you challenged your 5 to step up? Follow up with the people you challenged if they didn't show up on Sunday. We want you here!!!

Hot Topics - Series for Sunday night. You can still submit questions (via email or box in side lobby) until the series concludes.

Membership Discovery - Interested in join First Baptist? Want more info about how our church operates, what our mission and values are? This is the place. Membership Discovery will be on February 13th at 5:00 in the Golden Circle Room.


Prayer Week - Our week of corporate prayer is finished, but our job of prayer is never finished. Keep on praying church. Our God is great!!! He answers prayers!!! And, let's be looking for the answers to our prayers.

Prayer Week - Day 5 - Heart for God

It's the last day of our prayer week. I know I have been blessed this week, and I am in great expectation to see how God will answer our prayers. Here's the prayer guide for day 5 - topic is Heart for God.

Some Ideas to Get Us Started Praying for our Hearts

• pray for a personal passion for God
• pray for people to hunger after a daily time with the Lord
• that we would recognize the sin in our lives and would repent of that sin
• our hearts would break for what breaks God’s heart
• personal commitment to growing our knowledge of God and his holy word
• pray that we would hunger and thirst after righteousness
• our personal prayer times would be a vital part of our life
• that we would long to know God’s word
• pray our personal purity in all things
• that our personal worship would be passionate
• pray for boldness for the gospel

Some Scriptures to Pray for Our Heart for God

• Matthew 5:6
• Ephesians 3:17-19
• Romans 12:1-2
• Matthew 26:41
• 1 John 2:15-17
• 1 Thessalonians 1:6
• Romans 15:13
• Psalm 100:2
• Acts 28:30-31

Prayer Week - Day 4 - Church Leadership

Today's prayer focus is on our church leadership. We're using that term in a broader sense than just the pastoral leadership (see below).

Some Ideas to Get Us Started Praying for Our Leaders

Pastors

• our spiritual lives to be strong
• Mark and Brett to preach the Word strongly
• that we have vision for the future
• ability to make leadership decisions & moves
• that we would set a godly example
• music ministry would inspire genuine worship among us
• to be encouraged

Sunday School leaders

• knowledge and understanding of the Scripture
• ability to teach
• genuinely love the people in their SS groups

AWANA leaders

• patience and understanding of children’s hearts
• ready to share the gospel

Youth leaders

• understanding of issues that teens faces
• to show youth what a godly man or woman is

Deacons

• they would lead by example with their lives
• have a ministry and people focus

Some Scriptures to Pray for Our Leaders

• Ephesians 4:11-14
• Ephesians 3:14-19
• 1 Timothy 3:8-13
• 1 Timothy 5:17-18
• 1 Peter 5:1-5

Sermon Recap - Fulfilling the Joshua Challenge

I'm praying that 2011 is going to be a good year for us church. These are the slides from Sunday's message. If you missed it...then here you go. Please read the whole thing, all the way to the end.

The basic idea of these verses is that God calls his people to commit. We need to be challenged to step up our commitment b/c we drift. Gravity pulls us away from God and the church.

253 total people represents those who are involved to some extent (not those who fall into inactive status)

The smart people who do research on church growth tell us that 80% of seating capacity is as much as a church can seat on a recurring basis. For a one-time event (like Easter) we can seat over capacity, but we won't sit shoulder-to-shoulder on a weekly basis. We like our space.

Wow.

Our 2010 average was almost 100 below our the number of our members and attendees. This is unacceptable to me. It should be unacceptable to every one of us.

Commit - we are literally asking you not to miss this year (vacations excepted) - on Sunday mornings don't be on the lake, in the bed, on the golf course, out in the woods hunting, etc...
Create - we want to have a seating problem immediately

Engage - sing with us, open the Bible, serve in ministries with us, etc.
Expect - so often we don't even expect that God will show up and work...let's start expecting

MOST IMPORTANTLY - Take this challenge and pass it on to 5 other people. We want everybody to challenge 5 other people to commit, create, engage, expect.

Prayer Week - Day 3 - Work / Neighbors

Here's the prayer guide for day 3. Thanks for praying even if you can't be here. Later today I'll upload a really important post reviewing Sunday's message and challenge.

Some Ideas to Get Us Started Praying for Our Work and for Our Neighbors.

• pray to impact your work for the kingdom of God
• pray that our church would do all things to the glory of God
• that we would live out the love of Christ
• neighborhoods impacted for Christ
• our hearts would be turned to our lost neighbors and co-workers.
• our attitudes at work and home would reflect Christ
• that we would love our neighbor as ourselves
• we would recognize opportunities to share Christ

Some Scriptures to Pray

• Matthew 22:36-40
• Leviticus 19:18
• Colossians 3:23
• John 15:12-13
• James 2:8-10
• Galatians 5:14
• Proverbs 17:17
• Luke 6: 27-35

Prayer Week - Day 2 - Church

Here's the prayer guide for day 2 of our prayer week. The topic for day 2 is our church.

Some Ideas to Get Us Started Praying for Our Church

• that the gospel would be central to everything we do
• God to do a mighty work among us, a work different than anything we might expect
• that we will be willing to let God do his work among us
• that we will be hot in our evangelism here in Smithville
• that we are inviting people to church regularly
• many people to be saved through our church
• us to grow in the depth of our faith, to be rooted and grounded in Christ
• our commitment level to God and the church to greatly increase
• our worship times to be passionate
• God to raise up missionaries out of our church who will take the gospel around the world
• the preaching of the Word to be highly valued
• that there would be no divisions among us and that forgiveness would be quick when we hurt each other
• that love would be so evident among us that it is irresistible to those outside the church

Some Scriptures to Pray for Our Church

• John 15:1-8
• Acts 2:42-47; 11:19-26
• Romans 12:4-8
• Hebrews 2:10-12; 10:24-25
• James 2:1-4
• 1 John 4:7-12