Faith Baptist Church

Outdoor Worship Service

nathanjunker — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:51:15 +0000

OUTDOOR WORSHIP SERVICE - July 26, 10:30am

Once again we look forward to the outdoor service at Faith Baptist Church. The Majors are again graciously hosting us again this year. Aside from a wonderful worship service in a beautiful location, this year’s Outdoor Worship Service has some particularly exciting features:

Austins’ Commissioning Service:

We will be commissioning the Austins at this service as they will be heading to Senegal shortly thereafter (providing the rest of their support is raised).

Baptisms:

There will be a few people getting baptized at this year’s outdoor service.

Lincoln Junker’s Dedication:

Lincoln Junker will be dedicated at this service by Nathan & Samantha Junker. Nathan’s father will officiate.

Karl & Mikkin Helvig:

The Helvigs return from their first year teaching English in China. We look forward to hear what God has done through their tent-making ministry.

Tom & Lynnda Parker:

Last year we said goodbye to our interim pastor Tom Parker. This year they are visiting and we will have a chance to catch up and fellowship with them.

Worship Style and Evangelism

nathanjunker — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:48:49 +0000

What does our worship have to do with evangelism? Does the style of our worship service draw the unreached? These are questions we should ask about our efforts to glorify God on Sunday.

If we surveyed why unbelievers came to our church, would it be because they were invited by someone they had a friendship with and were searching for hope or because they heard we had good music in a style they like. Will this seeking person find what they are looking for? Will they find people who are so affected by their encounter with God that they realize they have come to a place that may hold the answers for what they’re searching for in life?

If we, as believers, are truly worshipping God, there is tremendous power in our witness. It displays to the world a unity that cannot be found anywhere else. There is a sense of purpose shown among the worshippers: the united purpose to bring glory to God and have his name praised.

The answer to our first questions are not found in a particular style of worship. Nonbelievers do not come because they heard great things about the worship here. They may stay because they find entertainment in our church, but they will stay if they see people with changed lives who enjoy worshipping God.

The responsibility to create this kind of atmosphere lies in the congregation, not the worship planning committee. No matter what style of worship is used in the church, if unbelievers do not discover what they are looking for they will leave. They can find better entertainment elsewhere. However, if we at Faith Baptist make an effort to worship God with our full being every Sunday regardless of preferred style, it will be noticed by others looking in. This is how worship affects evangelism.

VBS Day Camp

administrator — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:00:26 +0000

Faith Baptist Church partnered with Trout Lake Camp to put on a VBS Day Camp for kids, grade 1-6, on June 15-18, 2009. Kendra Elling led the preschool kids, age 3 through kindergarten as well.

The theme for the week was “superheroes” and the kids learned about many different heroes from the Bible. They also discovered the greatest superhero, Jesus - the God-Man. The typical day included singing and worship, games, TAG (Time Alone with God), and a missions moment where the kids learned about missionary work in different areas around the world. Following the theme, the kids were challenged to be a superheroes in God’s eyes and went on a service project to sing for the elderly.

The Trout Lake Camp staff and Kendra Elling did an excellent job of leading this VBS Day Camp. Shelley Schultz was a wonderful host for the Trout Lake Staff. Much appreciation also goes to everyone who contributed in any way they could whether giving monetarily to volunteering in the kitchen making lunches to those who worked alongside the Trout Lake Staff.

Visions of Faith - Outreach

nathanjunker — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:36:10 +0000

Outreach is the third primary way we glorify God according to our vision at Faith Baptist, thus it is an important area relating to our vision for the upcoming year. We realize the need to be more intentional in our current ministries to reach out and draw others into a discipleship relationship with Christ. This is part of the structure of AWANA, VBS, and Youth Group, but there isn’t a definite outreach program for adults. Small Groups can fill this role in the future, but they are still being fully developed.
One simple plan was presented last Sunday: Pray for at least one unsaved person consistently from Memorial Day until Labor Day. This 90-Days of Prayer Evangelism prepares the soil and may provide opportunities for individuals to share their faith. We look forward to hearing the testimonies that this effort will bring.

Visions of Faith - Trusting God

nathanjunker — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:35:36 +0000

While “Trusting God” is a vague area of vision, it is one of the most important. We need to trust God in every aspect of ministry at Faith Baptist. This is seen first in our reliance on him through prayer. Since the prayer vision has already been addressed, we will move on to the other ways to trust God more at our church.
One simple way to increase our faith in trusting God more is by hearing more testimonies. This was seen this past month as Tony shared how people responded to the Fishing Opener service project. By seeing how God used those men, we are encouraged to trust God with other aspects of service. Bruce has also shared testimonies from the Clothes Closet. This will be a continued practice. As you receive answers to prayer through the prayer chain or see God’s work through the ministry of our church, share this with an Overseer so we all can increase our trust in God.
The other area of vision regarding trusting God is in the church finances and facilities. In the current economic trials, there is a fear that the church won’t be able to meet it’s budget and support it’s missionaries to the promised amount. This fear should be checked and held up to the promises from God’s word.
In regard to the church facilities, there was some action taken a year ago in the form of
a resolution to take “definitive steps to find better facilities for Faith Baptist Church to carry out the purpose for which God has formed us.” This hasn’t been done. However, in trusting God, the first step proposed will be acted on:
The second step of forming a committee to assess our facilities will depend on how we feel God leading us through prayer.

Visions of Faith - Service

nathanjunker — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:34:35 +0000

The service area at our church was seen as one of the stronger areas addressed. This is mostly do to the success of the Clothes Closet and the involvement of so many people in the various ministries of our church. However, we should not be satisfied and think we have done enough. The needs in our community are great, and love should compel us.
The principle desire from the Overseers was for people to take the initiative in getting more service projects going. Often we have ideas and think someone should do something about it. But the reality is that God made us in such a way to notice that need precisely because he wants US to do something about it. Once someone expresses a passion around a need, others rise up willing to help. Just a handful of men went to help land boats on Fishing Opener. This happened because someone had an idea they were passionate about, voiced it and called others to help. The result was that many fisherman were blessed and others were drawn a little bit closer to Christ.
The Overseers want to make it a goal to have a service project each month. The car wash which was done two years ago is one such project. However, the Overseers’ role in leadership is to equip others. They are to pray, teach, and encourage, but others need to rise up to lead in areas of ministry (see Acts 6). So, if God puts a need on your heart, listen to him and let him grow you as you follow him in obedience.

Visions of Faith - Relational Harmony

nathanjunker — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:33:41 +0000

This area was added to the vision because the Overseers sensed a tendency we all have to
put our own preferences and opinions ahead of the vision of the church which is to “Glorify God through Worship, Nurture, and Outreach.” This tendency can be destructive to a church as it leads to divisiveness, gossip, and an inward focus. Jesus prayer in John 17:20-21 was “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word; that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you; that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” Notice the result of unity, “that the world may believe.” It is extremely important for the church to come together in unity. Paul puts it this way in Philippians 2:2
“Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”
Here Paul focuses on unity with the emphasis on love and purpose. We love sacrificially when we give up our own preferences, even our own rights, out of love for another. This is to be done out of unity of purpose. Again, our purpose at Faith Baptist it is to “Glorify God through Worship, Nurture, and Outreach.”
So, we need to ask ourselves in all things “How is what we are doing glorifying God?” “Are people worshiping in spirit and in truth?” “Are people being nurtured?” “Are we reaching out to others, and is how we do things the best way to reach them?” Asking these questions will unite us around our common purpose. It may lead us to respond in sacrificial love, because although we may not like exactly how things are done, if it fulfills our greater purpose we will put others first.
The Overseers are also going to be proactive when they hear divisive things being said. This is not to say that you can’t voice an opinion, but it should be brought to the right person/group that can do something about it. This is the reason authority has been given to the Overseer Board, Trustee Board, Diaconate Board, CE Committee, and Worship Committee.
To help us learn how to work together in unity, all the small groups will be going through “The Peacemaking Church” curriculum by Ken Sande in the fall. This will guide us with biblical principles on how to truly live out the gospel in all our relationships. The blessings of peace will follow: strengthened marriages and families, a healthier church, and a thriving, gospel-centered ministry. Be sure to be in a small group this fall for this 8-week study.

Visions of Faith - Prayer

nathanjunker — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:30:57 +0000

At our Annual Meeting, the Overseers took the opportunity to lead the church in seeking God’s vision for the upcoming year. In prayer and discussion, small groups sought God and shared ideas to grow as a church in five specific areas: Prayer, Relational Harmony, Service, Trusting God, and Evangelism. The Overseers took these thoughts and in the process of a few meetings distilled all the great ideas down to some action items. The following is the vision for the upcoming year. This vision is only accomplished by the participation of everyone in the church as we work together to see God’s will be done in and through us.

Prayer
Prayer is certainly the most important aspect of a church. Without prayerful dependence on God and the seeking of his will, nothing we do as a church will make a real difference in the Kingdom of God. The problems recognized in this area is not enough prayer. The cause of this was thought that Faith in Prayer (1st & 3rd Sundays) didn’t meet all our needs in terms of time and scope. To remedy this, the idea of Open Prayer Meetings was proposed.
The Open Prayer Meetings work like this. Any individual can call/schedule a prayer meeting. At first this would be led by the Overseers, but as the desire for corporate prayer grows, more people would take the initiative to call prayer meetings. This gets more prayer times happening at the church, making some prayer meeting fit everyone’s schedule. Secondly, the prayer meetings would be around a theme such as a ministry area (Worship, Nurture, Outreach), a topic (praise, repentance, intercession, spiritual warfare), a need (healing, job), a passage of Scripture (Psalm 23, Lord’s Prayer, etc.), or mode of prayer (prayer walks, laying on of hands). This would increase the scope and variety of prayer which would allow people to pray in a way they are passionate about. Some people are intercessory pray-ers, others like to move as they pray, and still others like to pray scripture. No way is wrong, each is beneficial, but we all pray differently and should all be growing in prayer, learning different ways to pray.
Along with the Open Prayer Meetings a second Faith in Prayer was added on Wednesday evening at 6pm which will focus on general needs shared that night.
All these prayer meetings will be on the new prayer calendar in the lobby area. It will also be on the online church calendar.

Fill-the-Barrel for the Austins

administrator — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:14:02 +0000

Help the Austins get everything they need for life in Senegal.

Rally Day

administrator — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:24:15 +0000

Rally Day
September 7th, 2008
9:00am

Faith Baptist teammates and friends:
Are you ready to “run in such a way as to get the prize?” Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. “They do it to get a crown that will not last; but WE do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Cor. 9:25). Our Christian Eduction ministries will be at the starting line on Sunday, September 7th, at 9:00am. Be with us for the “opening ceremony” and the introduction of Fall Ministries! Lunch will follow the church service.