A P U B L I C A T I O N O F F I R S T B AP T I S T C H U R C H  J OHN CHANDLER DAVID DUNCAN A NDY W ILLIAMSON..….2 SELMER, TE NNESSEE  CALENDAR B IRTHDAYS A NNIVERSARIES S ENIOR A DULT NEWS….3 The Clarion February 2015 THANK YOU NOTES O PPORTUNITIES P RAYER REQUEST…. . 4 Words from our Pastor Missions’ is a longstanding core value of the New Testament church. Jesus’ great command, before ascending back into Heaven, was for His followers to be outwardly focused and realize their vital role in reaching out to the world with the Gospel. Are we, at FBC Selmer, prepared to implement the Great Commission? In order to effectively carry out the expectations of our Savior, it is not enough to simply desire to obey. Our desire to reach out to the world must be accompanied by a strategic and organized approach. This year, we will see new organizational approaches put into place for the purpose of fulfilling our divine call to be missional. First, a new emphasis will be put into place immediately in an effort to educate our children on the basics of the Cooperative Program. This will include our children’s consistent interaction with SBC missionaries on the field, learning what missionaries are and what they do. Children will also be taught the missional model of the cooperative effort of the Southern Baptist Convention. Along with missional education for our children/youth, a Missions Committee will be established. This committee will provide oversight for our church’s missions program. In order to maintain a truly comprehensive missional ministry, there must be a group of people who are passionate about missions and will work toward the goal of Acts 1:8. We, as a church, want to engage our members in mission projects/trips locally, regionally, nationally and internationally on a regular basis. The Missions Committee will promote and plan mission events throughout the year. Church members of all ages will be able to plug into a missions event and fulfill the Great Commission. This committee will also initiate necessary training in preparation for mission events. An important part of Southern Baptist life is our financial giving to missions. Various special offerings are collected each year for the sake of funding SBC missions. As we educate our children on the important structure of world-wide missions and send members out onto the mission field, I believe our missional giving will grow. It is not enough to tell people they should give to missions, we must first educate and involve them so that the need to give is not imposed upon them, but birthed within them. Though a Missions Committee has not yet been appointed, we are already heavily involved in the planning of an international mission trip which FBC Selmer will take to Guatemala this summer. There has been enormous interest in this trip. The work in Guatemala will consist of numerous projects, including construction, medical clinics, children’s ministry and evangelism. Though this certainly will not be the first missions trip FBC Selmer has taken, it does mark a new era in missions for our church family. In Christ, Bro. Joey ...on Sunday, Men’s Conference December 14 Faith Baptist, Bartlett 6 PM Youth News Vision statement: On Sunday night, January 25, the youth committee shared the plan for the youth program at our church. So I decided in this month’s newsletter to share the vision with you in case you missed it. ALIVE Student Ministries Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will not die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26) There are two types of events in our youth program that were common in Jesus’s walk on earth and which we believe are examples to us as leaders.  Consistent events………. (Events that happen weekly or monthly to keep our students actively involved in church.) God wants us to have a steady Christian faith!  Prayer Breakfast (the second Tuesday of every month from 7am -7:25am) Teaching point: to start the day off in God’s Word.  Sunday School - Teaching point: small group Bible studies build spiritual growth.  Youth Service (every Wednesday night from 6pm-7pm) Teaching point: Joint worship together as a youth group.  Big Events…………...….(trips, camps, night events, or conferences)  YEC (the biggest), Mission Trip, Summer Camp, Extreme Conference, Winter Jam, Lock-In, OCC Trip, Judgement House Music News To see students Come to Christ, Grow in Christ, and Serve for Christ! How do we do this? Every event falls into one of those three things.  We do things to see students coming to Christ.  Examples: Summer Camp, YEC, Winter Jam, Extreme Conference     We do things to see students growing in Christ. Students leading devotions in the Youth Prayer Breakfast Students working in the Youth Service Students working in the morning services as ushers & greeters  We do things to see students serving Christ.  Examples: Mission Trip, Judgement House, Prayer Breakfast, Children’s Choir, Youth Service, Food Baskets, OCC Trip, Fundraisers (Valentine’s Banquet & Youth Auction) Youth ministry is a really busy ministry. We do things or events all the time together. I hope after reading this outline you understand that every event has spiritual meaning and fits directly in our vision statement. Thank you for being such an amazing church that supports our committee and the youth program that we are working so hard to run at FBC. John Chandler (YD) Kids’ News and Events Hello from the music department! Such an exciting start to 2015 with the kick off of kids’ choir. I am amazed at how God works and am so thankful to the willingness of all who have volunteered to serve. The church building has been full of children on Wednesdays and my prayer is that the excitement will continue to grow as God blesses this ministry. It is going to take “all hands on deck” to minister to these children as it continues to evolve. February brings an exciting event for the FBC Praise Band and the women of our church. February 19th all women are invited to YADA Sisterhood in Jackson, TN. The event will be held at Northside Methodist Church. YADA Sisterhood is an interdenominational women's outreach ministry that is a free event open to all. I would love to see a group of our ladies come to worship with the FBC Praise Band and hear the women's speaker, Jackson native, Elizabeth Taylor. If you would like to attend please contact the office and/or sign up downstairs on the bulletin board. Deadline for sign up is February 8th. Thanks for all you do and looking forward to worship! Andy It is an exciting time to be a part of the children’s ministry program here at FBC! We have started our Wednesday children’s choir program and it has already begun to feed over into our regular Wednesday night Kids JAM services! We are seeing growth in all of our departments, and it is bringing in families to our church. This being said we need many more volunteers to help out on Wednesdays. If you are interested please contact the church office and they will direct any interest to me. Otherwise, please continue to pray for our ministry as it is experiencing very rapid growth at this time, and please be present for the evening service on March 1! That’s right, the children’s program will be presenting our “spill” about what God is doing through His grace during our activities. We can’t wait to see what God has in store for our kids in the coming days and weeks! Thanks for your continued support and prayers! David Duncan, Director of Children’s Ministries February 2015 Sun Mon 1 2 Tue 3 Wed 4 Activities Birthdays Anniversaries Thu Fri 5 6 3 PM Children’s Choir 9:30 Sunday School 10:30 Morning Worship (one service) Soup, Sandwiches, Cornbread, Dessert Luncheon to follow morning worship David Morris Merle Tidwell Huston Tacker Carolyn Rowsey Jason Wallis Tyler Berryman Charlotte Harris Matthew Atkinson Casey Atkinson Jonathan Mehr Joey Riggan Linda McKell 7 4—7 PM Senior Adult trip to Stantonville Fish Fry (go on your own) Keith Johnson Lee Henry Mallory Bradley Dr. David Bradley Steve King Don Smith Austin Buck Abagail Ashe 12 13 14 Heather Wallis Vickie Sibley Vickie Bodiford Dr. David and Teresa Bradley 8 9 10 11 3 PM Children’s Choir 7 PM FAITH 5 PM Drama Ministry Riders 6 PM Kim Margraves with TBC to discuss Guatemala Mission Trip Brenda Matlock Blair Butler Rhett Bivens Sara Grace Carroll Eleanor Cooper Andy Wilson 7 AM Youth Prayer Breakfast 5 PM Senior Adult Associational GetTogether, F/H Deadline to sign up for Men’s Conference Reece Holcombe Don Coln Jarrell Stanfield Cody Parker Hunter Sweat Shannon Chick Jeff Suggs Nick Teague 15 17 18 19 20 4 PM Senior Adult trip to Memphis Orpheum to see The Lion King 3 PM Children’s Choir 7 PM Called Business Meeting 6:30 PM (meet at 5) Yada Sisterhood, Northside Methodist Church, Jackson 6 PM Senior Adult Potluck and Game Night Baby Bottle Blessings due 3 PM WMU (please return empty or full) 16 Annual Valentine’s Banquet 6 PM Gloria Coln Jayden Austin Ann Collins Maggie Whitaker Freddie Cone 22 23 Late Morning Worship: 4 PM Senior Adult True Love Waits Ring trip to Cracker Ceremony Barrel, Corinth 6 PM Children’s Choir and Youth Praise Band to lead worship and Union U. Ministerial Student to speak Andrew Atkinson Tom and Jere Burton Senior Adult  News   Irene Davis Claudette Glastetter Mike and Cathy Maness Omar Bakeer Jimmie and Maxine Brown Gary and Jennifer Dickey Jerry and Nancy Wright   Sat Emily Hendrix Caleb Carroll Emily Tigner Frankie Tull Sharyn Everitt Angie King Debbie Tennyson Ricky Mathenia Phillip Burks Barbara Tennyson Tyler Redmon 27 28 Jim and Marie Goodrum 24 25 26 7 PM Shiloh Association Prayer and Spiritual Awakening Rally, West Shiloh Baptist, Speaker: David Leavell 3 PM Children’s Choir Grades 5—6: trip to Winter Jam, Tupelo Faris Bakeer Ray Hamm Sandra Wallace 21 Men’s Conference Faith Baptist, Bartlett Lucille Jones Jerry Boatman 29 September Senior Adult Events James Martin Grant Parson Wayne and Frances Larry and Barbara Bolton Goodrum Friday, February 6, 4 PM - 7 PM: Stantonville Fish Fry (go on your own) Tuesday, February 10, 5 PM: Shiloh Senior Associational Get-Together at FBC Selmer, Fellowship Hall Tuesday, February 17, 4 PM: Trip to Memphis Orpheum, The Lion King Friday, February 20, 6 PM: Potluck and Game Night, Fellowship Hall Monday, February 23, 4 PM: Trip to Cracker Barrel in Corinth, MS Alex Melton Announcement: In order to make better use of our resources and technology, The Clarion will be available on the first Sunday of each month at the church entrances. If you would like to receive your newsletter by email instead of waiting, please call the church office to give us your email address. Thank You Notes My heart wants to say “thank you” for every little blessing it has felt because of you! Many thanks for all you’ve done. Thanks so much for everything and all the prayers. Doris Cummings Dear First Baptist Church, Thank you for the cards, prayers and visits while I was away from home in Rehab. The break is healed and I am back at home. I appreciate all the love shown to me. Ione Humphrey Thank you church family for all the calls, visits, cards, food and prayers for me before, during and following my surgery. I am so thankful for all of you! I want to especially thank my JOY 1 Sunday School Class for ministering to me and my family. I am blessed! Jena Johnson I want to think everyone for their kindness and prayers during the great loss of Jimmy. The cards, phone calls, food, visits and prayers have been greatly appreciated during this time. He will be truly missed. He was our rock, our friend and love. He was a great husband, papaw, and great-papaw. Jimmy was truly a great man. He truly loved the Lord and his family. Thank you from the bottom of our broken hearts. Ann Stribling, Melissa and Jodie French, Josh, Jacob, Sarah, Addie and Eden Ford Selmer First Baptist, Thank you so much for everything you all gave me for Christmas. This was the best Christmas ever. Dillon Wilson (resident at Millington Boys’ Ranch who was assigned to WMU-William Carey Circle) To Our First Baptist Family, We want to express our most sincere gratitude for the many ways that you have shown your love for us and Mother over the past weeks and throughout her battle with cancer. We will be forever grateful for the many acts of kindness shown to our family. We are grateful for the phone calls, cards, food, memorial contributions, and your presence during this difficult time, but most importantly, we are grateful for the Christian friendships. Mother loved her church and her Lord, and we are thankful for the multitude of ways that her congregation, as well as so many of our own, impacted her life and ours. With love and appreciation, The family of Melba Howard, Ronnie and Kate Howard, Greg, Terri, Huston, and Cathryne Tacker Thank You Notes Bro. Joey Johnson Entertainment by: Surprise Special Guests Devotion by:  Youth will be serving for Tips to offset the cost of Summer Mission trip to Guatemala  Child Care Provided by our Youth  Please make your reservations by Wednesday, February 11th Menu: Cranberry Chicken, Hashbrown Casserole, Green Beans, Rolls, Strawberry Shortcake PRAYER REQUEST Building Committee: Brian Rowsey, Chairman, Phillip Burks, George Donaldson, Donny Gibbs, Jr., Regenia Goff, Sandra King, Mike Maness February 2015 WEEKLY OPPORTUNITIES SUNDAY 8:30 am Early Morning Worship 9:30 am Sunday School 10:30 am Late Morning Worship 5:00 pm Drama Rehearsal 6:00 pm Evening Worship MONDAY 3:00 pm WMU (2nd Monday) 7:00 pm FAITH Riders (2nd Monday) TUESDAY 3:00 pm Children’s Choir WEDNESDAY 6:00 am Men’s Prayer Group 9:30 am Ladies’ Community Bible Study 3:00 pm Children’s Choir 5:15 pm Fellowship Meal 6:00 pm Kids’ J.A.M. (age 3– grade 6) Youth Service Millennial Class Moms’ Prayer Group Ladies’ Bible Study Men’s Bible Study Prayer Service 7:00 pm Worship Choir Rehearsal J UNE 2014 STAFF Bro. Joey Johnson, Pastor John Chandler, Youth Minister David Duncan, Dir. of Children’s Ministries Andy Williamson, Music Minister Logan Brasher, Music Intern E - MAIL : S E LM E R FBC @ Y AH O O . C O M CHURCH PHONE NUMBERS 731 -645-5326 OR 731-645-3058 FAX: 731-645-5464 W EBSITE : FBCSELMER . ORG First Baptist Church 310 West Court Avenue Selmer, TN 38375 STANDARD MAIL U.S. Postage PAID Selmer, TN Permit No. 36