FBC Carthage E-News for March 9, 2009

First Baptist Church Carthage E-News
March 9, 2009

Good Morning,

The Bible says in Psalm 103:1, “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me bless His holy name!” This is a great verse to begin the day and the week. Throughout this day and week give glory and blessing to the Lord with all that is within you. In your conversations, look for opportunities to say a word of praise to the Lord. Let your actions praise the Lord. In all you do and to everyone you meet praise and bless the Lord. This is going to be a great week.

I praise the Lord for the services yesterday at FBC Carthage. It is always a highlight of my week to be with everyone on Sunday. I rejoice in the baptism last night of Alicia Hoffman. Alicia had trusted the Lord Jesus Christ some time ago and had never followed Him in baptism. I believe there are others who need to take that same step of obedience and follow the Lord in baptism. It is a blessing to hear a person profess their faith in Jesus Christ as they are baptized.

Please remember to pray for at least five people you know who are lost and/or un-churched. In preparation for our Spring Revival, April 5-8, we are praying for God to work in the hearts and lives of friends and family. If you did not receive a “5 On the Way” card Sunday, they will be available on the front table in the foyer and at the Wednesday night Bible Study. This card is designed for you to write the names of the five people you are praying for and keep it in you purse or billfold.

This Wednesday night at 6:30 PM we will have our monthly business meeting in the Christian Life Center. In addition to reports from the different ministries, we will receive a recommendation from the Personnel Committee to create a full-time ministerial staff position, Minister of Youth and Music. I have copied the proposed job description in the news section of this E-News. Be praying for the Personnel Committee as they seek the Lord’s direction for the person to lead us in ministering to our students and in leading us in worship.

On Sunday, March 15 a new young adult Sunday School class will be started at 9:30 AM. This class will be led by Steve and Ellen Deaver and will be for couples and singles in the 22-30 age range. If you are not in Sunday School I encourage you to come this week and be a part of a Bible study group.

This Sunday, March 15 is also important in or family. It is our daughter Jill’s 20th birthday. It is hard to think that she is no longer a teenager. Jill is a student at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. Happy Birthday, Jill.

Be a blessing to someone this week.
Bro. Tim


Here’s the news for the week:
1. I will be at the Tennessee Baptist Convention this Tuesday and Wednesday as a member of the TBC Executive Board. The Convention has had several challenging months during this economic crisis and we will have some hard decisions to make. Pray for the work of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, especially during these days.

2. We are planning toward the start of a second morning worship service at 8:15 AM on Sunday, April 5. This will be the Sunday of our Spring Revival. This second service will provide additional space for you to invite friends and family for the revival services. We will continue the two services into the Summer as we provide opportunities for people to worship and hear the Word of God.

3. All youth, grades 7-12 are reminded that we will have Wednesday Night Youth Bible Study at 6:30 PM in the Youth Room. Stephen Russell will be leading the study, “Experiencing God”, on Wednesday nights. Text your friends and invite them to attend.

4. Remember the special Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions which we are receiving this month. With over 5,500 missionaries serving in the United States and Canada, there is a great need to pray and give for the work to go forward. For more information you can go to the NAMB web site at www.namb.net.

5. March is Literacy Month and the Smith County Adult Education is offering a new program for basic reading/literacy skills, job preparation skills and tutoring for the GED. A kick-off event for participants and volunteers will be held in the Smith County Public Library basement on Thursday, March 12 at 2 PM and on Monday, March 23 at 5 PM. For more information call 735-1326 or 735-8246.

6. Posted below is a copy of the proposed job description for a Full-Time Minister to Youth and Music. The personnel Committee will present a recommendation on Wednesday night, March 11 to create this new position for FBC Carthage. Take a few minutes to read through the job description before Wednesday night.

Minister of Youth and Music
PRINCIPLE FUNCTION:
To serve the Lord Jesus Christ through a dynamic ministry to youth (7th through 12th grades) and through leading the people of the First Baptist Church Carthage to experience the power, presence and exaltation of Jesus Christ through music and worship.

SUPERVISION:
The Minister of Youth and Music will be supervised by and directly responsible to the Pastor.

QUALIFICATIONS:
1. Gives evidence of being a born again Christian, dependent on prayer and rooted in the Word.
2. Has a great commitment to the local church.
3. Exhibits a high standard of morality and Christian conduct.
4. Has a definite sense of calling from God into ministry.
5. Exhibits an ongoing commitment to training. College and seminary education are encouraged.
6. Committed to teamwork as a church leader

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Youth
1. To initiate, plan, promote, supervise, and evaluate a dynamic ministry to Youth through
Sunday School, weekly Bible studies, and appropriate events designed to build connection
with the youth of the church and community.
2. To enlist, train and lead volunteer youth workers and teachers.
3. To lead the youth to be involved in ministry and missions opportunities, both at home and
away.
4. To train and lead the youth in outreach and evangelism.
5. To develop a caring relationship with the youth by spending time with them and their families
at church, in homes, at school, and special events.
6. To live a holy life, dedicated to Jesus and disciplined in prayer, Bible study, fasting, and soul winning as an example to the youth.
7. To be available throughout the week for discipleship and encouragement to the youth.

Music
1. To be used by God in leading the church in worship.
2. To involve as many people as possible (children, youth, college students, adults, senior adults) in the worship of the Lord through music (choirs, ensembles, etc…).
3. To lead believers to discover and use their God given talents in the area of music.
4. To aid in the planning of the use of music in special meetings, activities, outreach and mission efforts of the church family.
5. To work along side the pastor and staff in planning spirit filled worship services.
6. To oversee the acquisition and operation of sound and lighting equipment.
7. To oversee all media and broadcast ministries.

General
1. To attend staff and church leadership meetings.
2. To prepare and present annual budget requests for related areas of ministry.
3. To assist the Pastor in ministerial tasks with a willingness to serve as assigned.


7. Here is the E-News from Jim Wilburn with an update from Karen and Colin:
I want to begin this week’s newsletter by thanking everyone for praying for our family early this week.
In case you hadn’t heard, Karen and Baby Colin had a bad fall down the steps of the church parsonage Sunday morning. I took them to Huntington Hospital around 8:00 AM. After receiving a concerning report from a CAT scan, Colin was transferred to Long Island Jewish Hospital in New Hyde Park.

Colin had sustained a small fracture on his skull during the fall, and 2 Cat scans showed signs of blood on his brain. He was placed in the pediatric ICU unit for close observation. Late in the day on Monday, an MRI scan was performed. When the neurologist read the results on Tuesday, he concluded that no damage was done to neural tissue or the surrounding blood vessels, and the fracture was healing normally. Colin was released on Tuesday around noon.

Karen visited the adult ER, and was found to have only sustained some bruises and strained muscles.

When our parents first heard the news that Karen and Colin had been hurt our mothers, along with Karen’s sister Abby, quickly booked a flight to Long Island which stopped in Chicago. When they arrived there, they discovered that all flights to NY had been cancelled due to snow. The next day, they flew on to Baltimore, only to find that NY flights were cancelled again. They finally arrived Monday night via an Amtrak train, the Long Island Railroad, and a Jamaican cab driver.

Thank you for all your prayers concerning this situation. God has restored Colin’s health and granted safe travel for our family.