FBC Carthage E-News

First Baptist Church Carthage
Christmas E-News
December 22, 2008

Merry Christmas,
Christmas week is finally here and for everyone I wish you and your loved ones a very merry and blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas is a time to join together with friends and family and to share together the love that God has given to us. This Wednesday, Christmas Eve, we will have a special communion service at FBC Carthage at 5:00 PM. Invite your family and friends to come with you. We will be through in plenty of time for your Christmas Eve gatherings.

Christmas is a time for me to reflect on the past year and to thank the Lord for all His blessings. He has greatly blessed me and my family this year:
· Calling me back to Carthage to be your Pastor.
· Completing the work to which He called me in Cookeville after twelve wonderful years.
· Allowing a quick sale of our home in Cookeville.
· Providing a great home in Carthage, right in the middle of town and on Main Street USA.
· Giving Fran, Sara and I the patience and grace to endure five months of constant renovations to the house.
· Continuing to bless Fran with work opportunities from home.
· Helping Sara in the transition to make many new friends and to feel welcomed into a new school.
· Keeping Jill safe during the tornados that destroyed much of the Union University campus. Also allowing her the opportunity to realize a dream of working during the summer at NASA in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
· Giving many opportunities for us to minister together with you in touching the lives of the people in Carthage and Smith County.

As good as this year has been, I anticipate the Lord working in even greater ways in our lives, our church and our community during the next year. I believe 2009 will be the greatest year so far in our service together.

May God bless you with the hope, joy, love and peace of Christmas. Spend some extra time with His this week as you read His Word and pray.

Merry Christmas,
Bro. Tim


Here’s the news for Christmas Week:
1. The Mission Teams are getting ready for the work beginning next Monday in Franklin, Tennessee and then later in the week in Leslie County, Kentucky. We will plan to leave from First Baptist Church at 8:00 AM Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Please be here by 7:45 AM. There is still limited room on the trip to Kentucky if you will call Tim Frank at 735-9615.

2. It is a pleasure to welcome Charlie and Penny Daigre as members of First Baptist Church.

3. This Sunday, December 28 will be a very special Sunday for our church and for Jim and Karen Wilburn. This will be Jim’s last Sunday as our Minister of Music and he will be bringing the morning message. We will have only one service Sunday morning at 10:45AM (we will also still have Sunday School at 9:30 AM). Following the service we will have a church-wide covered dish meal in the Fellowship Hall in honor of Jim and Karen. That afternoon the ordained men of the church are invited at 4:30 PM to be part of the Ordination Council meeting with Jim in the sanctuary. The day will conclude with an Ordination Service at 6:30 PM as we ordain (set-apart) Jim into the Gospel Ministry. Please pray for Jim and Karen during this long and important day in their lives.

4. Speaking of Jim and Karen Wilburn, I am enlisting men to travel with me to Long Island, New York, January 16-18 to help them move and to be at North Shores Baptist Church for Jim’s first Sunday. If you would be available please contact me (Tim Frank) at 735-9615.

5. Awana begins back on Sunday, January 4 at 5:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall. I encourage all parents to have your children enrolled and attending Awana. Classes are for children 3 year old through 6th grade. The childhood years are a very important time to lay biblical foundations in children.

6. First Baptist Church is the place to be on Sunday nights at 5:30 PM. While the children are in the Awana program the youth and adults will be studying through the Bible during the Evening Worship services. The readings for the month of January are listed below. The asterisks indicate Sundays. The Evening Message will be taken from the previous week’s readings. You are encouraged and challenged to set as one of your goals for the New Year, to read and study through the Bible during 2009.
JANUARY
[_] 1 Genesis 1-3
[_] 2 Genesis 4-5
[_] 3 Genesis 6-9
[_] 4 Genesis 10-11 *
[_] 5 Genesis 12-15
[_] 6 Genesis 16-20
[_] 7 Genesis 21-23
[_] 8 Genesis 24-26
[_] 9 Genesis 26-28
[_] 10 Genesis 29-32
[_] 11 Genesis 33-36 *
[_] 12 Genesis 37-39
[_] 13 Genesis 40-41
[_] 14 Genesis 42-43
[_] 15 Genesis 44-47
[_] 16 Genesis 48-50
[_] 17 Exodus 1-4
[_] 18 Exodus 5-8 *
[_] 19 Exodus 9-12
[_] 20 Exodus 13-15
[_] 21 Exodus 16-18
[_] 22 Exodus 19-22
[_] 23 Exodus 23-26
[_] 24 Exodus 27-31
[_] 25 Exodus 32-34 *
[_] 26 Exodus 35-40
[_] 27 Leviticus 1-4
[_] 28 Leviticus 5-7
[_] 29 Leviticus 8-12
[_] 30 Leviticus 13-17
[_] 31 Leviticus 18-22

7. On the lighter side: A friend sent this video to me and I thought it would bring a smile to your face as we close out 2008.

The Christmas Bird
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfqCFEHlw9I


Have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful Christ-exalting New Year!