Fall 2014

DISCIPLE

SU

ND

AY

WED

NESD

AY

WORSHIP SERVICES 9 & 10:30AM

SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR KIDS AT 9AM

FOUNDATIONS 9AM

Explore the Bible SS Classes 7:45AM & 10:30AM

NURSERY for babies & toddlers at 9AM & 10:30AM

You don’t have to be a church member to worship with us.

2 THE DISCIPLE NEWSLETTER

FOR STUDENTS Gr. 6-12

in the Legacy Chapel

Enter at the North Main Doors

FOR KIDS Age 3 yrs. thru 5th Grade

Enter at the North Main Doors

Pre-register before September 3, 2014

facebook.com/hopeformacon “Like” us on facebook

@maconfbc “Follow us” on Twitter

youtube.com/user/maconfbc watch MaconFBC Sunday services on youtube

FIND US ON GOOGLE MAPS

“Our desire at Macon FBC is to

glorify God by making disciples.

Everything we do is geared toward

this ultimate goal. Disciples are those who

treasure Christ above all else, who genuinely

love one another with acts of self-sacrificial

service, who seek to grow daily in their

knowledge of God, and who seek to evange-

lize and train others to follow Christ. We hope

this publication will provide you with valuable

insights and tools for your own spiritual growth

as well as direct you toward areas of service

and ministry. May the Lord Jesus fill you with

His Holy Spirit and use you to be a blessing to

this church family as He uses us to be a bless-

ing to you and your family. Thank you for be-

ing a part of Macon FBC!”

Reading is a vital part of your spiritual growth. Devote yourself to the reading and study of God’s word. Books are like extended ser-mons or Sunday School lessons that can deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Bible. There are other avenues of reading that will also prove beneficial to you for your spiritual growth. You can take in the explanation of God’s word at your pace, meditating on

the rich truth provided by the author.

Excellent explanation of the character and work of

God

A practical and biblical guide to faithful

Christian living.

fictional depiction

of a demonic correspondence about the

process of temptation

and spiritual warfare

WHAT ARE YOU

READING?

JOIN THE BOOK BLOG IN OCTOBER

Pastor Phil Bray and his family

BOOK? The Hole in our Holiness

by Kevin DeYoung

WHEN? Monday mornings Pastor Phil will

post a blog on Facebook regarding his thoughts on that week’s chapter.

WHO? Anyone in our church family can fol-

low along with the pastor, a chapter each week, and offer their comments on the chapter on the thread of conversation that Pastor Phil will begin each Monday.

HOPEFORMACON.COM 3

August 2014 S U N M O N T U E W E D T H U F R I S A T

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September 2014 S U N M O N T U E W E D T H U F R I S A T

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28 29 30


AUGUST 8-9

FATHER SON CAMPOUT

Campout for sons, fathers, men and boys. Sign up by

August 6 in Sunday bulletin.

AUGUST 11-15

UNLEASHED

Week nights for students Gr. 6-12. 6-9PM each night;

Wed. College Nite (parent night); Thurs. Forum; Friday

DA MAC concert

AUGUST 20

CROSSOVER BEGINS @ 6PM

Students Grades 6-12 each Wed. Night in the chapel

AUGUST 21

WORSHIP ROUND UP

Special night for those who serve and lead in

WORSHIP—Choir, Praise Team, Sound Techs, Media

Team, and Camera Team

AUGUST 28

SENIOR ADULT MISSION NITE W/ STUDENTS

Senior adults will enjoy a dinner and also hear from Ma-

conFBC Student Ministry about their summer camp and

mission experiences. No cost. RSVP by Aug. 14

AUGUST 31

1st ANNUAL LABOR DAY VOLLEYBALL

TOURNAMENT

Teams of 6-8 with at least 3 females. Sign up as an indi-

vidual and we’ll put you with a team or as a team. $10

per team.

SEPTEMBER 3

J12 BEGINS @ 6PM

Wednesdays for children ages 3 years up through 5th

Grade. Exploring the Bible and building their faith in

Christ.

SEPTEMBER 11

LADIES ESTHER BANQUET 6PM

IT BEGINS WITH ME with speaker, Rhonda Hufty and

music from MaconFBC ladies quartet. $10 per person

Tickets available Aug. 31 & Sept. 7 at Welcome Center

SEPTEMBER 14

1000 HILLS ANNUAL MTG & WORSHIP SERVICE

3PM Business session; 5PM Dinner & Choir Practice

6:30PM Worship service for all 1000 Hills Associational

churches. MaconFBC is part of this association.

SEPTEMBER 16

SENIOR ADULT DINNER AT DON’S

Dinner together in Huntsville at Don’s Restaurant with

music by Matt Carroll. RSVP by Sept. 7

SEPTEMBER 16

KIDS CHOIR BEGINS

Kids begin rehearsal for the Kids Choir Christmas Musi-

cal. More info to come.

SEPTEMBER 26

DATE NIGHT

Steal away for a great evening out with your spouse.

HOPEFORMACON.COM 5

October 2014 S U N M O N T U E W E D T H U F R I S A T

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OCTOBER 5

BUILDING A FAMILY LEGACY (SIMULCAST)

Dr. James Dobson of FOCUS ON THE FAMILY answers

the question, “What will your legacy be?” and challenges

us to think about the legacy we are leaving. (6PM)

OCTOBER 17 & 18

MIDDLE SCHOOL LOCK-IN

For Grades 6-8. More details coming soon!

OCTOBER 23

SENIOR ADULT GAME NIGHT

All senior adults invited for a fun night of games! Bring a

finger food. No RSVP necessary.

OCTOBER 31

FALL FAMILY FESTIVAL

Activities, games, food and more at MaconFBC.

WEEKLY SERVICE TIMES & LOCATION

SUNDAY WORSHIP

9:00 & 10:30AM in main Worship Center

FAMILY WORSHIP at 6:00PM

ADULT BIBLE STUDY

Explore the Bible Classes at 7;45 and 10:30AM in vari-

ous rooms. Foundations at 9AM.

Check with a greeter as you enter the building for help in

finding a small group for you and your family.

KIDS

Sunday School at 9AM in Kid’s Cove Children’s Wing &

Lower Level. Worship at 10:30AM in Worship Center.

STUDENTS

Foundations Bible Study at 9AM on lower level.

Worship at 10:30AM in Worship Center.

CHILDCARE

Nursery for children ages birth through 3 years is provid-

ed during all Sunday morning and evening worship

services.

FIND US ON GOOGLE MAPS

Macon First Baptist Church

302 North Rutherford Street

Macon Missouri 63552

LEARN MORE DETAILS ABOUT

UPCOMING MINISTRY EVENTS AT

HOPEFORMACON.COM/EVENTS

Paul writes to the church at Philippi with a pastor’s heart, “Therefore if there is any en-couragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and com-passion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, unit-ed in spirit, intent on one pur-pose. Do nothing from selfish-ness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one an-other as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal inter-ests, but also for the interests of

others.” Phil. 2:1-4

Oh how true these words have become in my own heart of late. If there is any encourage-ment in Christ – and there is! There is great encourage-ment in knowing we are not con-demned for our sin, that we are declared righteous in Christ. If there is any consolation of love – and there is! How wonderful is the love of God displayed in Christ?! How wonderful is the aroma of love that fills our church family. If there is any fellowship of the Spirit – and there is! The Spirit of God has worked wonderfully through our HomeGroups and Sunday School classes to create genuine fellow-ship and friendship. If there is any affection and compassion – and there is! Your pastoral staff loves you immensely. We know that you love us immensely. We have been the recipients of your encouragement and compassion,

A

PASTOR’S

HEART

your generosity and friend-ship. There is no place any of

us would rather be.

If all of this is true – and it is – then the command of the text is very simple. Make your pas-tor’s joy complete by being uni-fied in love, spirit, and pur-pose. When the church is uni-fied then the joy of the pastor overflows with wonder. When the church serves one another with genuine compassion and sacrificial love the joy of a pas-tor is beyond words. When the church begins putting the needs of one another above their own needs or wants, then the joy of a pastor knows no bounds. My desire is for our unity and growth. My desire is that we stand together intent on the one purpose of making disciples for

the glory of our great God.

There will be days of trage-dy, of suffering, of turmoil, of frustration. There will be days of fear. There will be seasons of siege by the enemy. Yet we are a family. We are the chil-dren of God, saved by the grace of God for the glory of God. We have been transformed by the Spirit of God to love one another as He has loved us. May Christ be our example as we walk for-ward together this next year. May we sacrifice for one another. May we genuinely care for one another. May we hum-ble ourselves and serve one an-other. May we be a people of remarkable unity and joy as the Spirit of God flows through us and empowers us to walk in His ways. This is my prayer for you, dear brothers and sisters, “I thank my God in all my remem-brance of you, always of-fering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your partici-pation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident in this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Phil. 1:3-6.


THE

IN FINDING INFOR-MATION

SHIFT

This decade has brought on a shift in where many people will go to retrieve information about anything and it is accessible 24/7. Smartphones, tablets, mini-computers have given us unlim-ited amounts of information at our fingertips. This shift influences the effective means our church has in sharing news and information to our church family and attendees.

You can find MaconFBC online at several places—our website at HopeForMacon.com, facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The easiest way to find them is to begin at the website—HopeForMacon.com. The Sunday morning announcement sheet will highlight major ministry events, but you’ll find more current details on the website. The website is updated daily and weekly with sermon videos, music, ministry events and more. Don’t wait for Sunday’s announcement sheet to learn what’s happening. Grab your phone or other device to scan this QR code and visit us now.

Pastor

Phil Bray

Membership Matters because it is biblical.

Scripture teaches that individual Christians make up the body of Christ. He is the head and we are the body. We are united into one family, one entity, the people of God, the bride of Christ, the body of Christ. There is an iden-tity in being part of this group of people who will inherit the earth at the resurrection. Membership in a local body of believers is a visual display of being a member of the universal church comprised of people from different coun-tries, times, and ethnicities. (1 Corinthians 12).

Membership Matters because of the importance of committed mutual accountability.

Sin is seductive. Without one another to watch one another’s back we would easily slip into unrepentant sin. We are called by God to hold one another accountable and stimulate one another to faithfulness (1 Corinthians 5; Hebrews 10:23-25)

Membership Matters because we are congregational.

We believe that all believers are filled with the Holy Spirit. We do have leadership but we make major decisions as a corporate body, trusting that God will lead the church family by His Holy Spirit. Without membership we could not be congregational as there would be no identifiable group who would be qualified to vote.

HOPEFORMACON.COM 7

ONLINE GIVING NOW AVAILABLE A secure and efficient method for giving

Go to Hopeformacon.com/giving

Click “GIVE ONLINE NOW”

Click “FIRST TIME” and create a login. By creat-

ing a login, you can provide your contact infor-

mation the first time and not have to re-type it in

the future. You can also review and print your

giving history at any time and setup recurring

giving as you wish.

A second option is “QUICK GIVE.” You can give quickly without

creating a login. You won’t have the option to review or print

your giving history using QUICK GIVE.

It’s Biblical

Mutual Accountability

We are congregational

Have questions about MEMBERSHIP? Go to HopeForMacon.com/Membership -at-maconfbc

fostering

more

close-knit

relationships

LADIES MINISTRY THIS FALL

Does God care? Is He fair? Is He even there? God's ways don't always

make sense, but He is trustworthy. Come close to Him. Experience

unexpected peace despite your heartache. Trust Him more than your

feelings. God will reveal Himself to you and fill in your missing pieces.

MONDAYS AT 7PM starting Sept. 8

TUESDAYS AT 9AM starting Sept. 2

ESTHER BANQUET THURS., SEPT. 11 @ 6:00PM

@ MaconFBC Tickets are $10 - Visit the Welcome Center

on Aug. 31 & Sept. 7

GUEST SPEAKER - Rhonda Hufty

MUSIC BY MaconFBC LADIES QT.


HOMEGROUPS are MaconFBC’s attempt to foster more close-knit relationships within the body of Christ. The simple truth is...it’s easy for people in a church our size to not feel connected. Our vision for HOMEGROUPS is for people to live life together and find that connection. We want them to focus on building relationships, prayer and accountability within their group. We hope for HOMEGROUPS to become beacons of light out in our community and launching pads for evangelism and service. We want reproduction to be part of the DNA of these groups. After HOMEGROUPS grow to a certain number that group splits and forms two NEW HOMEGROUPS.

The growth of individuals participating will bring on a larger number of groups. There are currently 12 HOME-GROUPS meeting on different nights throughout the week. One group has doubled in attendance since starting. Sev-eral others have grown. Everyone who is participating is enjoying their group and others have expressed interest in starting more HOMEGROUPS in Atlanta and Bevier. If you have not yet found a HOMEGROUP and would like to visit one, contact one of these HOMEGROUP leaders directly or call the office.

(LEADER: Christian Abernatha) CHRIS & CHARITY CARTER - MONDAYS at 6PM ANDREW & BRIANNE MURPHY - MONDAYS at 6PM MATT & DEBBIE CARROLL - THURSDAYS at 6PM MICHAEL & LESLIE KEENEY - THURSDAYS at 6PM

If you are interested in hosting and starting a new HOMEGROUP, call Pastor Sam at 660.385.3714 or email at [email protected].

GET CONNECTED

HOPEFORMACON.COM 9

There is a lot of talk these days

about church planting in the Southern

Baptist Convention. It has become a

major focus of the North American

Mission Board. All of this is right and

good. In 1990, there was one SBC

church for every 3,800 people. Today

there is one for every 6,200 people.

We have not birthed new churches at a

rate to keep up with our population

growth. Add to that the fact that an

average of 1,000 SBC churches disap-

pear every year. You can see why

there is such an emphasis on church

planting.

The leaders have begun to realize

that we must also revitalize the existing

churches. This has been a reluctant

realization on the part of many leaders.

Just a few years ago it was the shared

belief that starting a new church was

easier than reviving an older plateaued

or dying church. So, our Convention

and North American Mission Board are

now fully encouraging both avenues:

church planting and revitalization.

How does all of this apply to us

here at MaconFBC? The question is

not whether or not we need revitaliza-

tion or not. All churches need revitali-

zation. All churches, even those newly

planted, have the potential

to become self-focused,

afraid of change, disen-

gaged from their communi-

ty. It is our natural, sinful

trajectory. How do we avoid

the slow decline to “congregational

suicide” that so many other

churches are on?

1. We must nurture a

culture of evaluation. We must

always be asking ourselves diag-

nostic questions. We know that the

Word of God does not change. We

know that the message of hope in

Christ Jesus does not change. We

know that our mission of making

disciples does not change. But eve-

rything else must be available to

inspection, examination, revision

and exclusion. Calendars, budgets,

buildings, personnel, location,

times of services, use of technology

and programs should all be on the

table for discussion all the time. We

should be willing to add, change or

do away with any of these to more

effectively and efficiently fulfil the

Great Commission. Many times we

are afraid of evaluation. We must,

however, embrace evaluation.

Constant evaluation will help us

avoid the fog of confusion that can

creep up on us. It will help us un-

derstand reality as it really is and

not allow us to think that we are

living in a reality that was true mul-

tiple decades ago but no longer

exists.

2. We must not be afraid of

change. We should not seek

change just for change sake. But

we cannot live in fear of all change.

Change is normal and natural. To

survive, change has to happen.

One illustration of change is the

“three-point line” in basketball. It

has changed the way the game is

coached and played. Players are

now encouraged to take an extra

step or two out away from the goal

so that their shot will count 3 in-

stead of 2. Teams that have em-

braced the line have been able to

put a lot of points on the board.

Players have gotten better and bet-

ter at the long range shot. Teams

have had to change their

Revitalizatio

n

Pastor Sam Owens


It has really held me accountable

for my daily reading, although I

will admit I get behind now and

then. It has been great for my hus-

band and me to read together and

discuss the day's reading. The best

part is reading the chronological

way things happened and just how

great our God is. His plan for His

people is one of grace, mercy, and

love...and the reading plan has re-

ally helped me to see that promise

in my life.

- Brianne Murphy

I have a deeper understanding of the scripture. There are stories in the

Bible that I had forgot about and now I remember them. It’s also educa-

tional. Reading the Bible guides how I live my life more efficiently. I

think to myself more, "what would God have me do?" Staying in the

Word brings greater meaning to my life.

- Tera Fitzsimmons

My daughter, Brooke, and I were excited to begin the chronological Bi-

ble reading. I have truly enjoyed reading the Bible chronogically, for the

story of God’s love and redemptive plan for us has become more appar-

ent in my reading as time and time again God provides a means of salva-

tion for his chosen people. I am especially enjoying what we are reading

now regarding the fall of Israel and Judah and how the prophets are in-

termingled with the books of the Kings and Chronicles. Brooke and I are

each other’s accountability partners with our reading, and even when

she is at college we text each other something in our daily reading that

we found interesting or something that was inspirational to us. This has

been a great way to keep each other on track with our daily reading.

- Brenda Bernhardt

“Reading my Bible through in a

year means so much more to me

than being a part of the group

or even the challenge to accom-

plish it. Reading God's words

each day has become my daily

peace and comfort! In the morn-

ings, the words prepare me for

the day ahead and at night, after

a long day and feeling weary

with life, God's Word refreshes

my soul. In other words, I love

it!”

- Michele Jorgenson

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BEGIN READING THE BIBLE

defenses because of it.

There are a lot of things that

could necessitate changes within the

life of a church. I am not interested

in listing them all here and now. My

concern is to encourage us to em-

brace change instead of fear it.

3. We must pass the faith on

to others. There are many church-

es that are dying because they are

not discipling their own kids, as well

as not evangelizing their communi-

ties. It is simple mathematics! No

new converts from without + no

discipling of current younger genera-

tion + dying of current leaders/

members = the death of the church.

The only question remaining is how

long will the process of death take.

We, here at MaconFBC, can be

hopeful. It is clear that this church

has embraced these points over its

149 year history. The church has

embraced change in a thousand dif-

ferent ways as it has grown from

meeting in the home of Rev. John

Terrill to meeting above a hardware

store to meeting in this large multi-

roomed facility that we now have.

There has clearly been a passing on

of the faith since the church has

grown from a small gathering in a

home to almost 500 regular at-

tendees. At some level there has

been evaluation. Over the years,

decisions have been made to build

on and renovate the existing facili-

ties. There have been changes to

programming, personnel, and budg-

ets all because of evaluation process-

es that helped determine things

needed to be adjusted to be more

effective.

We are still doing this today. We

have recently started 12 home

groups to try to build relationships,

promote accountability and evange-

lize our neighborhoods. God has

already blessed these groups. They

now have an average attendance

surpassing our Sunday evening

worship services. One particular

home group has doubled in size.

There are people that are coming to

church now as a direct result of

these home groups. We are also

trying to be more intentional with

our education process by starting

“Foundations” during our 9AM

hour of Sunday School starting

August 31st. We have started pray-

er walking once a month where we

literally go out and walk our streets

and pray for our community while

seeking to share the Gospel with

people.

This process of revitalization will

be a continuing one. We must nev-

er give up evaluating. We must nev-

er become afraid of change. We

must continue to pass on our faith.

If we cease doing these things, we

will begin the slow but sure decline

to congregational death. So while

there are many churches literally

shutting their doors and padlocking

them, let us recommit ourselves to

the mission that God has called us

to in making disciples here and

abroad for His glory.

Additional reference:

Go to ISSUU.COM and search for

“SOUTHERN SEMINARY SUMMER 2014”

open and reference p. 37 “Life Cycles of

Churches”

HOPEFORMACON.COM 11

Linda and I are finding the daily

reading plan very helpful. I’m

using the READER’S GUIDE TO

THE BIBLE Chronological

Reading Plan, by George H.

Guthrie from Lifeway as my

guide and Linda is using the

guide provided by the

church. The comments from

Pastor Phil and the comments

and questions in the Reader’s

Guide are very beneficial for

increased understanding and

context. Using the guides has

helped us be consistent.

- Vern & Linda Kincheloe

Daily reading really does focus

my mind on the Word of God and

embeds that word for retrieval

and use during my day. Through-

out my day, scripture comes to

mind when prompted by any

number of triggers, much like a

word will trigger a song memory

and I begin to sing that song.

- Kyle Dill

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BEGIN READING THE BIBLE

blog.georgehguthrie.com/ (click BIBLE READING/AUDIO PLANS)

about.esvbible.org/resources/reading/

esv.org/assets/pdfs/rp.chronological

biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan

I am always reading magazine

articles, books, and even internet

articles that discuss in detail what

worship is and what it is not. Most

of them are always very helpful

and inspiring and very insightful.

But, as I continue to keep fresh,

true worship before me I was re-

minded about the word

“surrender” and what that has to

do with worship. We often think

of worship as something we do within the four walls we meet

in every Sunday and yes, we

do need to meet contin-

ually in these four

walls for corporate

worship. It en-

courages con-

tinuing on in the

faith. It recon-

firms who the

object of our faith

is. It allows us to

bring an offering of

praise to the King of kings and

Lord of lords. It reminds us that worship happens wherever

we are and in whatever we are doing as God’s word states in

Romans 12, “Therefore I urge you, Brethren, by the mercies

of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, ac-

ceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

That is a wonderful passage and yet what can I give God wor-

thy of receiving? Is there anything that really matters that I

can offer? I can sing a little, play some piano and give en-

couragement to others, try to be a good husband and

father. Do those things merit true

worship? They are certain-

ly a vehicle I can give


worship in but what does God want untimely from me and

what can I give Him? I was re-reading a portion of a book from

one of my favorite worship leaders, Travis Cottrell, and I hap-

pened to be reading on a chapter about surrender. This is what

he said in this portion—

“Ultimately, there is only one thing we can offer God, and that

offering is the essence of every act of worship. What is that one

thing? Ourselves. And that means surrender.”

What is surrender and what does it really look like. For one

young girl (Travis mentioned in this portion, as well) it meant

giving up a reputation and maybe a fiancé. It meant being

made ashamed —looked upon as damaged goods. A great

honor, but at the same time, what a cost. How amazing her

answers—understanding perhaps the truest form of surrender

a resounding...“Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be

done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed

from her. Found in Luke1:38. And with that statement she

continued to worship the Lord in true surrender and love for

her God. I like how Travis puts it “Worship doesn’t depend on

easy tasks, ideal circumstances, or perfect lives, but on a surren-

dered heart.” Oh to be as Mary — surrendered to say to God,

“You matter more than anything, whatever You ask of me I am

yours. Let me worship You and submit to what You are doing

in my life. I trust You because You are God and I am not. “ (also

a thought from Travis’s book). Kind of reminds me of another

one of God’s faithful servants—Abraham as he surrenders his

son to God only to be stopped in a moment for the Lord pro-

vided a ram. But, Abraham surrendered—what a total act of

worship to God. My prayer is that my worship will be a little

more surrendered than it has been and may my heart be-

come an altar of praise to my King who gave His son for me

as a ransom to save me. See you in worship!

Pastor John Snider

A

CALL TO

WORSHIP

Blessed is the TECHNO-SAVVY... Do you have experience in operating a camera

or an ear for sound and want to learn more? Do you have basic to mad computer skills?

We are looking for responsible, dedicated and faithful servants on MEDIA, SOUND and CAMERA teams.

Serve one Sunday per month or less. USE YOUR SKILL FOR GOD’S GLORY!

Contact Pastor John Snider at [email protected]

SKILLED TO SERVE

AUGUST 27 - Parent’s meet the J12 team

Why are you here? God made you! David tells us in Psalm 139:13-16,

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hid-den from You,

Pastor Clark Dobbs

When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;”

Why are we here at this time in his-tory? Why not during the Old Tes-tament or the New Testament and walking with Jesus or since that time up to the 1900’s? Why not some other country?

The answer is God has a plan for

YOU! How much time will you have left to ask Jesus to be your Savior or to forgive you of your sins and serve Him the rest of your life? David tells us in verse 16 “All the days or-dained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Whatever your circumstances, do you start your day with prayer—

thanking the Lord for another day to serve Him? Do you ask Him to give you wisdom. Do you ask the Holy Spirit to guide what you say and do? Do you take time every day to read at least a chapter of God’s Word and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through that scripture?

As we continue with in our senior years, Solomon’s God-given wis-dom guides us to…. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own un-derstanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. “ ~Proverbs 3:5-6

When is J12?

J12 begins September 3 from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. each Wednesday. August 27 is an information night for all J12 parents to meet the J12 team. Parents can also register their kids that night.

What is J12?

The goal of J12 is Bible absorption and faith-building. It’s designed to work alongside parents in acquainting the next generation with both the mighty acts of God & the words of God. Our mission is for children to know Jesus Christ as the only One who saves and the only One who satis-fies the desires of our heart.

A typical J12 night is composed of 3 segments: a Bible lesson; scrip-ture memorization, and game time.

Preschoolers will continue in the Old Testament this year at J12. The exciting events of the Old Testament, told in sequence where God is always the hero, acquaints pre-schoolers with the mighty God whose character never changes. Pre-school kids will memorize a Bible verse each month.

God reveals Himself with clarity and authority through His Word. Grades K-2 will study the message and components of the Bible—books of the Bible, chapters, verses. The goal is for children to treasure & value the Bible and its Author (the One True God). K-2 will memorize a Bible verse each week.

Grades 3-5 will be challenged to stand strong & “fight the good fight” in the battle for faith. This study identifies battlegrounds of temptation and equips children with strategies for fighting against sin. They will be challenged to mem-orize a “fighter verse” each week.

AUGUST 27 - Parent’s meet the J12 team

WELCOME

KIDS AGE 3YRS

(by AUG.1) up to

5TH GRADE

REGISTER online at HopeForMacon. com

starting Aug. 10

HOPEFORMACON.COM 13

FOUNDATIONS

FOUNDATIONS will begin

August 31, 2014 during the

9AM hour.

Everyone who is planning on participating in

FOUNDATIONS will meet Sunday, Aug. 31 at

9:00AM in the Legacy Chapel.

At that time, you’ll be assigned to a

respective classroom. In the course of a

year, you’ll be exposed to all 4 Foundation

Courses. The teachers will rotate and you’ll remain in

that same classroom for this year.

FOUNDATIONS

...is our attempt to be

more intentional with

Sunday School

making available to

you the teaching that

is foundational to

growing as a disciple

of Jesus Christ.

FOUNDATION COURSES

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES taught by Kyle Dill

SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY 1 taught by Pastor Christian Abernatha

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY 1 taught by Vern Kincheloe

BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW taught by

Pastor Sam Owens

Teachers will rotate every 13 weeks. Over the course of

a year, you will be exposed to ALL 4 classes.

HONORING OUR VETERANS All Veterans, both past and present, are very important to us at MaconFBC. We would

like to keep our Military Board on campus updated, but need your help to do so. Please

take time to e-mail the following information to [email protected].

If currently serving: name, branch of military, rank, and a current mailing address.

If no longer serving: name, branch of military, rank.


mailto:[email protected]

Are we looking for you?

Do you feel the urge to sing at any

given moment? Do you find your

singing is not limited to the shower

only? Does your heart keep

singing even though you stop

singing out loud? Well, if you

answered YES to any of

these questions we might be looking for you. The choir ministry is on a break for the summer and we

are looking for people just like you to come and join us this fall in a wonderful ministry we call Sanctu-

ary Choir. There is nothing like having an army of worshippers lead out in passionate worship and to

share in great fellowship with other believers involved in this ministry. I would love to meet with you

about how you can be a part of this great group. Call the office and set up an appointment with Sarah.

Can’t wait to talk with you so don’t wait —worship round-up is coming and you don’t want to miss out.

See you soon! ~ Pastor John Snider

HOPEFORMACON.COM 15

LIFT YOUR OICE

FALL SERMON SERIES I SAMUEL

The KING is coming SUNDAY WORSHIP 9:00AM & 10:30AM sermons podcasts posted weekly at HopeForMacon.com

During the construction and remodel of our current buildings we had lots of people who came and helped from as far away as Texas. It was a very rewarding time not only for those who came, but for me also. After that I heard about Missouri Baptist Builders and Missouri Disaster Relief Teams

and knew, if given the opportunity, I wanted to go and help other churches.

On a construction site you will see the start of a building if it’s a new construction or a current building if it’s being remodeled. A disaster relief call out is entirely differ-ent. If it’s a flood, we do mud-out. If it’s a fire, we do ash-out. If a tornado, we do a

lot of different jobs. The disaster will dictate what you see.

The goal of Disaster Relief is to provide HELP, HOPE and HEALING to those we are serving. Help is obvious. They need help doing a task

that is often too much for them to do and often they do not know what needs to be done or how they can get the job done. Hope is that their

lives can get back to normal. Healing is that we pray if they do not know the Lord they can see Him in us as we work and help them and they will want that. Each team that goes is as-signed a Chaplin that goes with us. The job of the Chaplin is to talk with the home owner or renter that we are as-sisting. We are instructed that if a home owner starts talking to you stop working and talk with him as long as they want. We are there to talk to them about the Lord first and do the work second. When we were in Lyons Colorado our first job was at Walter’s home. It had been flooded. When we drove up Walter had on a St. Louis Cardinal t-shirt. He and his brother were cleaning out the garage. We told Walter why we were there. He showed us what needed to be done and the work started. Danny and myself were helping in the garage as Charles McCrary took some men to the basement. Working alongside Walter three different times something went wrong and he would us some profanity. The last time he looked at Danny and said, “I guess I should not be talking like that.” Danny replied something like probably not. A short time later, Walter went to the basement. Charles said Walter looked around and immediately left. Thinking something was wrong Charles went upstairs and when he found Walter he was standing outside the garage crying. He could not believe we would drive all the way from Missouri to help him and want nothing in return. Walter was very thankful for our help and had a picture taken with the team and himself beside our DR trailer. We saw Walter two more times before we left Colorado. He brought his wife and son to meet us the next day and the night before we left he came to Longmont to once again thank us for helping. About three weeks later Walter called the church to get our address. Before we leave a job we always give a Bible to the homeowner and pray with them. Walter sent us a framed picture of himself and the team and a check for $400. He and his wife wrote a card to the team. We never got to present the plan of salvation to Walter but we did make a difference in his life and trust that some day he will come to know the Lord as his Lord and Savior.

The best part about any trip is being able to help someone and see how much they appreciate you being there. It also is great spending time with the team.

All you need is a desire in your heart to help and be wiling to go. It does not take special skills or knowledge. You just need to be willing to be used

by God to bless someone. No specific skills are needed. Some of the work is very strenuous. We

sleep on air mattresses or cots, are always fed very well, and normally have showers and laundry on site.

CALLED OUT

MISSION MOMENTS from the

MaconFBC Construction Team

Courtesy of Larry Murdock

What inspires you to participate

in the CONSTRUCTION

MISSION TRIPS and

how did you get started?

What do you see first

as you arrive on site at

a construction

clean up mission?

What is the best part

about participating in a

construction mission?


How can someone

join the efforts of a

construction mission trip?

How does meeting the physical need of a community, church or family open

the door for the gospel?

HOPEFORMACON.COM 17

The first part of July, our team went into the villages

to test water. Rainwater collecting in cisterns is the

only water many of

the people have.

We joined other

workers to gather

water samples for

testing. The workers

living there met

many new people

and made some

new friends while

there testing the

water. They now have new

opportunities to share the

Good News with more

people. Testing the peoples'

water provided a way to in-

troduce them to the

Living Water.

Team sizes will vary. We will have from 3 to 6 from our church go out on any call out. We also have members from Willow Springs, Savannah, Pure Air, Kansas City, Salisbury. They cannot all go each time. Normally we have from 6 to 12 members go on a call out.

UNLEASHED from the bondage of the past

UNLEASHED from being brainwashed by culture

UNLEASHED with the backbone to Lead the Church

UNLEASHED with the boldness to Serve the World

UNLEASHED FOR THE GOSPEL

COLLEGE REP NIGHT (parents are encouraged to attend!)

FORUM NIGHT

DA MAC IN CONCERT

AUGUST 11-15

6-9PM @ MaconFBC

worship center

ON WEDNESDAYS - 6PM

STARTING AUGUST 20

EACH WEDNESDAY NIGHT

BEGINNING AUG. 20

6:00PM in the chapel

KIDS AGE 3 UP THRU 5TH GRADERS

BIBLE ABSORPTION & FAITH BUILDING

STUDENTS GRADES 6 THRU 12

Fall 2014

Documents

o n t u e w e d t h

spiritual growth

church family

family book

pastor phil bray

mornings pastor phil

special night

worship services