Things That Friends Do Right

I am reflecting on the story of Job this week as I prepare for Sunday and as our church family ministers to several members who are dealing with unexpected challenges.  I am particularly interested in Job’s friends, and I am amazed that they did some things right and some things wrong as they responded to the multiple crises in Job’s life.

The last two weeks have been extremely unusual as members of our church family have encountered one major concern after another.  Obviously, we should strive to avoid making the same mistakes that Job’s friends made:

• Keeping your distance.
• Trying too hard.
• Saying too much.
• Staying too long.
• Hearing too little.

I am grateful that, like Job’s friends, our FBCP family does a lot of things right.  Here are some of the things I see Job’s friends and our members doing that are constructive and helpful in responding to crisis:

• Ministry of presence…being there, being available.
• Ministry of prayer…interceding.
• Ministry of encouragement…cards, notes, and hugs.
• Ministry of listening…empathetic, non-judgmental listening.
• Ministry of helping…assuming a variety of supportive tasks.

Continue to pray for the many families who have major health concerns and for those who have lost loved ones.  In addition to praying, one of the most important things we can do is to faithfully gather for worship, Bible study, and fellowship.  Our faithful gathering on Sunday enables us to strengthen our connections and deepen our faith.

This Sunday I will be sharing an encouraging message entitled “What I Learned from Job.”  Invite a friend, and let’s grow stronger together.

I am grateful for the wonderful way our church family cares for each other.

Lessons from the Wilderness

To be commanded to love God at all, let alone in the wilderness, is like being commanded to be well when we are sick, to sing for joy when we are dying of thirst, to run when our legs are broken. But this is the first and great commandment nonetheless.  Even in the wilderness—especially in the wilderness—you shall love him.

                                                            -Frederick Buechner

Have you ever felt stranded between the bondage of the past and promise of the future?  Between their departure from Herod’s labor camps and their arrival in the promised land, the children of Israel journeyed for quite some time through the wilderness.  And it was this journey that tested their loyalty and shaped their character.

This Sunday we are exploring Lessons from the Wilderness in Exodus 12:31-42. 

Do folks still have wilderness experiences in life?  Absolutely!  Individuals, communities, and nations experience seasons of adversity, doubt, unrest, and uncertainty.

You might say that our church is going through a sort of wilderness experience right now.  Of course there are lots of good things happening. Our mission involvement is strong.  We exceeded our budget goal during the past year. We have been blessed with an abundance of visitors and new friends.  We are making good progress in paying off the ROC.  Lots of new babies are on the way. And there is a great spirit of fellowship.

On the other hand, we have a lengthy prayer list.  Several members of our church family are dealing with severe health prognoses.  We have some senior saints who are “not long for this world.”  And we have many others who are dealing with unemployment, job uncertainty, marital conflicts, and various addictions. 

Wilderness experiences challenge us to deepen our prayer life, to affirm our trust in the Lord, to strengthen our loyalty to God’s church, and to follow God’s directions without detours. There are lessons we can learn in the wilderness that we cannot discover on the mountain top.

On another note, our Minister of Students, Brad Gowing, announced this week that he has accepted an invitation to join the staff team at the Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Birmingham.  Brad will conclude his time with us on November 8.  I have tremendously mixed emotions about Brad’s departure.  I am grieving over Brad’s departure. Brad has provided outstanding leadership for our students and he has been a valuable member of our staff team.  On the other hand, I know that in Brad’s deep walk with the Lord he has sensed God’s call to return to Birmingham and that this is a great opportunity for him.   Even though it is difficult for us to let them go, we will send Brad and Maile to Dawson with our blessings on their future ministry.  And we will be moving prayerfully, quickly, and intentionally to call our next Minister of Students. 

Join me in praying for our many health concerns, for Brad and Maile, and for our staff search.  Also, join me in praying that we will grow stronger and more faithful when we experience the tough terrain of the wilderness.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we worship God and encourage one another.

Welcome Laura Harrison!

I am pleased to announce that our Children’s Minister Search Team has carefully and prayerfully chosen Laura Harrison to serve as our Interim Minister of Children.  Laura, and her husband Craig, as well as their daughters, Lauren, Lindsey, and Lilly, are already faithful members of First Baptist Church.

Laura is a graduate of North Georgia College and State University.  Previously, she has served as Preschool Director at Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Buford, Georgia, and Children’s Minister at First Baptist Church of Gulf Breeze.  Laura’s hobbies and interest include family fun, bicycling, water sports, reading, and calligraphy.

Our Children’s Ministry Search Team’s recommendation to call Laura was unanimously and enthusiastically approved by our Personnel Committee and our Administrative Council. In a few months, when the Children’s Ministry Search Team is ready to present a final candidate to serve as Minister of Children, that recommendation will go to the Personnel Committee and the Administrative Counsel, and finally to the congregation for a vote of affirmation. 

Laura has a great appreciation for the strong foundation established by Jean Ingram.  And she has creative ideas for continuing to build on that foundation in the future.  Join me in welcoming Laura Harrison, and praying for her as she provides spiritual leadership for our Children’s Ministry.

This Sunday morning, our Children’s Ministry will host a reception near the Children’s Welcome Center between 7:45 and 10:45.  You are invited to bring your family to meet and greet Laura on your way to or from the worship service or Sunday School. Muffins and juice will be served.

On Sunday evening at six o’clock our Singing Seniors will share their Home Concert in the sanctuary.  Our Singing Seniors will depart on Monday morning for a tour that will take them to Ridgecrest and other stops along the way as they share the good news in song.

Your faithful participation in worship and Bible study makes us a stronger church, and it makes you a stronger Christian.   Let’s be found faithful this Sunday!

Soul Community

We’ve been talking a lot about the soul lately.  We are learning that the soul is not a small part of our life but the essence of our being.  Our soul is everything about us that is not flesh.  C. S. Lewis has reminded us again: “You don’t have a soul.  You are a soul.”

In recent weeks we have talked about our soul purpose, soul salvation, soul mates, soul freedom, soul departure, and “the dark night of the soul.”  This Sunday we wrap up our series on Soul Purpose, by talking about the importance of being a part of a “Soul Community”(Acts 2:42-47).

God doesn’t save us to establish our own independent spiritual enterprise. Rather God saves us into a spiritual family, the body of Christ.  This soul community is called the church.  This community becomes central to our spiritual growth and vitality.  It is the core family in which we are discipled and from which we launch into mission and ministry.

This Sunday we are also meeting together in one service.  Bible study groups meet at 9 a.m. and worship begins in the sanctuary at 10:30.  Just prior to the beginning of worship, we will take a few brief moments to vote on our 2011-2012 Church Budget, and to hear a few ministry highlights from the past year.  During worship we will be re-affirming what it means to be a part of our soul community at FBC Pensacola.

On Sunday afternoon we will celebrate the spirit of community with our annual Church Picnic at Bayview Park beginning at 3:30.  This is a great day to bring a friend…to worship and to the picnic…and introduce them to community life at FBCP.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday in worship and Bible study as we continue to discover more about our soul purpose. 

Our Doors Are Open!

What would happen if every church member invited someone to go to church with them this Sunday? A 2008 study by LifeWay Research and the North American Mission Board of 15,000 adults found that 67 percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member would be effective in getting them to visit a church. Sixty-three percent say an invitation from a friend or neighbor would likely get them to respond.

This Sunday September 18 is National Back to Church Sunday, a great time to invite friends and neighbors who have become disconnected from their church family to come to church with you.  It’s also a great opportunity for Sunday School teachers and members to personally contact those on their class rolls who have not been to Bible study in a while. 

Through the years I have learned that people disengage from church for a variety of reasons, sometimes intentionally and at other times, unintentionally.  Whatever the reason, it is not our responsibility to judge them, but to lovingly reconnect with them. 

Who can you invite to come to church with you on Back to Church Sunday? (Watch video at http://www.fbcp.org/Uploaded/11-Summer-Video.swf )

In worship this Sunday morning, as we continue our Soul Purpose series, we will be focused on Mark:34-37 as we talk about “Soul Departure.” As you read this passage of scripture in advance, think about how we can live in a way that prepares us for our final departure from this world and our entrance into heaven.

Our Committee on Placement is working to place new members on our committees and ministry teams for the coming year.  Don’t forget to submit your Ministry Volunteer Form indicating the place where you feel gifted or passionate about serving. 

Also, our Deacon Nominating Committee will be receiving your nominations for those you wish to serve as Deacon during the coming year.  I am excited about the upgraded involvement of our deacons in assisting the pastor with ministry projects and in serving as catalysts for ministry within our congregation.  I encourage you to prayerfully nominate persons who have a heart for ministry and who are faithfully engaged in the life of our church.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday in worship and Bible study as we continue learning more about our soul purpose.  Invite a friend or neighbor to join you.  Our doors are open!

A Day That Haunts, A Faith That Hopes

A Pastoral Prayer for September 11, 2011

On this tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001

We gather to remember an atrocious day, a day that we wish we could forget.

O God we confess our ongoing need of your transformative and emerging grace

For we are all too mindful that this date still haunts us

With memories that strike fear

And with emotions that convey pain.

As we attempt to apply your words to life,  

And to live by faith as we embrace your promise of a better future

We confess that our anger and grief from that fretful day are not nearly resolved.

            And that retaliatory impulses of vengeance and hate incubate deep within.

And yet we acknowledge that our hurt does not compare to the pain

of those who were touched more directly

through the unexpected and unfair loss

of family members, friends, and co-workers.

We shudder at the memory of horrific images of death and destruction,

We worry over the ongoing armed conflict that seems to be unending,

We grieve over the deaths of the sons and daughters of our nation,

   As well as the subsequent casualties among our allies and our adversaries.

And we long for a civilized and lasting resolution

   So that our sons and daughters may return home safely and soon

   And that those who have longed for liberation from tyranny

            Might govern and be governed with dignity and integrity.

Rather than being consumed by our grief,

            And controlled by our fears

And constrained by our anxieties,

    Let us set our minds to addressing the injustices that precipitate hostility,

    Let us direct our souls to living out our moral conviction,

    Let us turn our hearts to loving the poor,

and the disadvantaged,

and the disenfranchised.

    And let us determine to fight terror,

            Not with our own terroristic threats,

       But with a responsible and courageous exercise of freedom,

            And with a proactive and authentic faith.

 And though it runs counter to our deepest instincts,

You continue to teach us to love our enemies,

so that we do not become like them.

Today, especially today, we pray for the leaders of our nation and our world

            For the leaders of our state and our community

  To act and react with wisdom and discernment,

And to maintain a disposition that will defuse conflict

And advance the cause of peace.

And we pray for the leaders of our churches and synagogues

            And for people of diverse faiths

  To act and react with transformative grace and eternal hope,

           And to maintain a disposition that will dispel propaganda

            And advance the cause of truth and compassion.

We offer our prayer in the strong name of the One who came to bring peace on earth and goodwill to all humankind.  Amen

Happy Birthday to Roger Yonker!

Our most senior church member will turn 100 years old this Sunday, September 11.  Happy birthday, Roger Yonker!  You are both an example and an inspiration.  You are a living example of what it means to be a follower of Christ.  And you are an inspiration in the way that you have served the Lord with gentleness and grace.

In other news, welcome Meagan Scott to our staff team as the Children’s Ministry Assistant.  Meagan will be providing support for our Children’s Ministry and for our Pre-School.   Also pray for Meagan’s fiance’, Joe Clavel, who is currently deployed with the Army National Guard.  Meagan and Joe will be getting married in November.  Also pray for Meagan, who will have a little heavier load of responsibility during the interim period between Children’s Ministers.  Welcome to our team, Meagan!

I am also pleased to share with you that John Wise will be serving as our pastoral intern this fall.  John is a member of our church family and has served as a student ministries intern in the past.  In preparation for future ministry, John has completed a bachelors degree at the Baptist College of Florida and a masters degree from Liberty University. John will be a great addition to our staff team and we believe that his experiences with us will better prepare him for future opportunities.  Welcome aboard, John!

In worship this Sunday morning, as we continue our Soul Purpose series, we will be focused on I Peter 1:3-9 as we talk about “Soul Salvation.” As you read this passage of scripture in advance, think about how God is at work in Christ to save us from sinful and trivial pursuits to a life of meaning and eternal significance.

On Sunday evening we will meet in Pleitz Chapel at six o’clock for Story, Song, and Prayer: A Commemorative Vespers Service on September 11, 2001.  Our own Bob Kashur, Frank Rush, Bill Santo, and Scott Grettum will be sharing brief testimonies and stories about their experiences from 9/11.  Be welcomed to invite friends to join you for this inspirational evening of story, song, and prayer.

Sunday September 18 is National Back to Church Sunday, a great time to invite friends and neighbors who have become disconnected from their church family to come to church with you.  It’s also a great opportunity for Sunday School teachers and members to personally contact those on their class rolls who have not been to Bible study in a while.  Who can you invite to come to church with you on Back to Church Sunday? (Watch video at http://www.fbcp.org/Uploaded/11-Summer-Video.swf )

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday in worship and Bible study as we continue learning more about our soul purpose.