FBC Carthage E-News May 18, 2009

FBC Carthage E-News
May 18, 2009

Great Morning to you,

This is the kind of day that makes you thrilled to be alive and living in Carthage, Tennessee. (Yes, I said Carthage, Tennessee for those who heard my mis-speak last night.) It is a beautiful morning and I hope you have had a few minutes to spend it with the Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing quite like taking a few minutes in the morning and meeting with the Lord, reading His word, and praying. If you missed that, stop reading the E-news for a few minutes and spend it with Him.

A special congratulations to all our high school and college graduates. It was a wonderful day yesterday as we recognized the graduates and had the luncheon together. I love those covered-dish luncheons. As the Lord brings the graduates to your mind this week, take a moment and pray for them as they begin this next chapter in their lives.

Speaking of graduations, I thoroughly enjoyed the Smith County High School graduation on Saturday night. I was please that two of our young men had the Invocation and the Benediction. Way to go Carter Robinson and Josh Lynn. It was good to celebrate with all the graduates and their families.

Last night was also a wonderful service as we joined together with the Carthage Hispanic Mission. They had more than twenty people attend the service and even had several more come at the end of the fellowship. They had gotten lost in their trip from Lebanon. I am always a little anxious in speaking through an interpreter but Pastor George made it a pleasure. I hope you enjoyed hearing the message twice, once in English and the second time in Spanish. The Hispanic mission is a great blessing to our community and a huge mission opportunity for our church. Let us pray for the Lord’s direction in moving forward in this work. The request was made last night for people to help teach English to the Hispanic men and women as they come to Smith County. My understanding is that you do not have to know Spanish to teach English as a Second Language. If you are interested in being a part of “Foreign missions” in Carthage, let me know. “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. “(Matthew 9:37-38)

This is a tough week for my family. Our oldest daughter, Jill, will be coming home from Union University on Tuesday and flying out for a 12-week Internship in Germany on Friday. She will be working with a chemistry doctoral student at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. (I though last year in New Mexico was a long way from home.) We are planning to go over and visit with her in mid-July. Pray for safety in her travels and a great learning experience in this foreign land. Most importantly, pray that she will “Live Christ” and be a Christian witness to all she meets.

Thank you for your prayers for me and my family over this past year. The Lord has been so merciful and gracious to us and has blessed us over and over.

Have a blessed week.

Bro. Tim


Here’s the news for the week:
1. All youth are reminded of our May Youth Connect event this Saturday, May 23. We will meet at Defeated Creek Park for an “Outta-School” Picnic. There will be volleyball, basketball, tennis and time just to hang-out with your friends. Games will start around 4:30 PM and we’ll plan to have the picnic supper around 5:30 PM. Parents are welcome to attend or you can pick your youth up at 7:30 PM. These Youth Connect events are for you to invite your friends to attend with you.

2. This Thursday, May 21 the Children’s Committee is planning a Children’s Skating Party at the Happy J Skating Rink for all children Grades 1-6 from 4:00-5:30 PM. All children and their parents are welcome and invited to attend. There will be pizza and soft drinks for everyone.

3. A Prayer Rally will be held Tuesday, May 19 at the Hickman Baptist Church at 6:00PM in preparation for our Associational Fall Crusade at the Ag Center on September 20-23. Everyone is invited for this time of prayer for our county.

4. Sunday, May 24 will be our first Defeated Campground service and the Jim Broyles will be leading. The service is at 8:30 AM and everyone is invited to attend and support Jim as he shares and the class as they minister to the campers.

5. Sunday, May 24 is also the first of our Super Summer Sunday nights at 5:30 PM in the Family Life Center. Cindy Dowell’s Sunday School class will host the event with a baked potato bar as we watch the movie “Faith Like Potatoes.”

6. FBC Carthage is looking to have a team in the Smith County Relay for Life on Friday, June 5 beginning at 6:00 pm at the Smith County Ag Pavilion. Team members are asked to choose a time to come and participate in the walk. The event will go until 6:00 AM on Saturday, June 6. The event is to raise money for the American Cancer Society. With several members fighting cancer and many more affected by cancer in their families it is a great opportunity to join with our community to help toward a cure. We will receive a special offering for our contribution as a congregation toward the fight. To be a part of the team contact Jackie Manning or Tim Frank. Walkers during the late night/early morning hours are greatly needed.

7. Continue to pray for the Youth ReFuel event on June 10-13. We are looking for projects for the week which could include house washing, clean-up, painting, or other general kinds of work. Contact Tim Frank if you have a need or know of those who do.

8. Vacation Bible School is coming, June 15-19. Pass the word!

9. Here is a copy of the article I wrote for the Carthage Courier last week. It reminds each of us to allow the Lord to use us this Summer to make a difference for Him.

The Best Summer of Your Life
With the days growing longer and temperatures rising into the nineties, it is a sure sign that summer will soon be here. Summer is such a great time of excitement with picnics in the park, cookouts with friends and vacations to exotic places. Whatever your summer holds, take time to consider how you can use your summer for God and His kingdom.

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says to His disciples, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” Too often as human beings, we are seeking many things besides God’s kingdom. There are many items on our list of things to do and places to go. We are surprised, however, when our plans fail to bring the peace, joy and happiness for which we were hoping.

This summer can be different. Why not consider the blessings of giving this summer to God for His glory and purpose? For the next three months, look for opportunities to live out your faith in Jesus Christ in new and unique ways.

One opportunity may be to participate in a mission trip with your church or with a church in your community. Mission trips allow you the excitement of going to a unique part of the United States or even to a foreign country. However, the difference lies in the purpose and mission for your trip. Instead of going to the beach for a tan and to watch the waves, a mission team would go to organize activities on the beach, minister to families and share the love of Jesus. Instead of simply going camping in the mountains for a week, a mission team would use its campsite for Children’s Bible lessons, crafts and games. Teams will crisscross the United States and the globe this summer for hundreds of unforgettable experiences as they invest their lives in the lives of others.

Maybe traveling away from home on a mission trip is too big of a step this year. There are many opportunities right in your own community to give your summer to God. There are local camps, especially Christian camps, who are always in need of volunteer counselors. Often communities have work projects, such as Habitat for Humanity, going on in the summer. You may even create your own projects through helping a family in need, befriending an elderly neighbor or showing concern for others through a multitude of other actions.

Perhaps the most obvious opportunity is within your own church. It is almost a given that every church will have Vacation Bible School during the summer. Vacation Bible School is a week-long Bible club filled with crafts, music, refreshments, recreation and Bible stories. There are many ways you could be involved, and I am sure your church is in need of additional workers.

Whatever your summer holds, I encourage you to look for ways to be used by God to make a difference in the lives of others. What I have found in my almost fifty summers is that if your main focus is on yourself, you will find the summer passing much too quickly and all your effort, money and time spent. On the other hand, if you give your summer to God and invest your time, effort, money and happiness in the lives of others, you will find that your investment will pay rich dividends throughout the rest of the year. In fact, many of the investments made may continue to bear fruit into eternity.

Let this be the greatest summer of your life as you give it to the Lord Jesus Christ and invest yourself in the lives of others. Then when someone asks what you did this summer, you’ll have so many great memories you won’t know where to begin.