FBC Carthage E-News
May 4, 2020
Good Morning,
Regathering! Isn’t that a nice word. I like the sound of regathering. It’s time to get together again. We have had two months of great services and
many opportunities to hear and study the Word of God. We have had opportunities to serve others in
need. What we have missed is being
together. Now is the time. This Sunday, May 10 begins our Phase 1
regathering. Here are the highlights and
considerations as we make this important first step:
In
this Phase 1, we will meet together for the Sunday morning worship service this
Sunday, May 10 at 10:45 AM. There will
be no Sunday School classes nor Preschool / Child Care offered before or during
the service. Children and Youth will remain
with their families at all time.
During
Phase 1 we will focus on Social Distancing by seeking to maintain six feet
between family units. We will accomplish
this by utilizing every other pew for seating.
Single and double person families will sit on the opposite ends of a
pew. Families of three or more will sit
on a pew. Children and Youth are asked
to sit with their families during the service.
We will have overflow seating in the Youth Room and the Christian Life
Center, each with Social Distancing maintained by families. These strict protocols are designed to
maintain Social Distancing in this Phase 1 of Gathering Together Again.
Entrance
and exit for the Sanctuary will be through the front doors only. Entrance and exit for the youth room will be
through the Fite Avenue door and the Christian Life Center through the door on
Fite Avenue. Dismissal and exiting for
each area will be guided by ushers to help maintain Social Distancing. It is our goal in this Gathering Together
Again Plan to provide a safe, clean, and planned environment for each person in
attendance to realize that extra precautions are being taken for their
well-being.
Please
note, we will continue to live stream the services each week for the Digital
Church Community on Facebook and Youtube.
We will also broadcast on DTC Channel 3 and on 104.1 FM radio. If you feel concerned or hesitant to return
just yet for any reason, please continue to join us through these online and
conventional means from home.
The
Sunday evening service at 6:00 PM and the Wednesday evening service at 6:30 PM
will continue to be online only in our Digital Church Community format.
Wearing
masks during the service is recommended for those who wish to wear masks. Bring a mask to wear if you have one. Extra masks will be available in the entrance
foyer while supplies last. Hand
sanitizer will also be available in the foyer as you enter and exit.
To
reduce the passing and touching of items in Phase 1, bulletins will only be
available in the present online format through Facebook. Also, the offering will be received in an
offering box located in the foyer as you leave.
Offering plates and Attendance Registers will not be passed during the
service.
Restrooms
will be available for the service. It is
asked that those using the restroom wipe down handles with a disinfectant wipe
after use. We will maintain extra
cleaning and sanitizing procedures throughout the building. During this Phase 1, the water fountains will
not be available for use.
If
you would like to check out several online resources used in formulating the
procedures in Phase 1, visit:
Governor Bill Lee’s Guidelines from May 1, 2020
Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s Gathering Together Again,
Part 1 & 2
As we begin to regather, I
remind you of the additional weekly opportunities to connect to FBC Carthage
online:
·
The Digital
Church Community Services offered on First Baptist Church Carthage Facebook
page and fbcarthage Youtube channel are will continue to be an important point
of contact, worship, and message each week.
The times of our regular, live, online Digital Church Community Services
are:
Sunday
Mornings at 10:45 AM
Sunday
Evenings at 6:00 PM
Wednesday
Evenings at 6:30 PM
·
Good Morning
Devotions: These daily devotions by Bro
Tim Frank are posted to the First Baptist Church Carthage Facebook page each
morning. Originally made just for the
employees at Riverview Regional Medical Center, these are now shared with a
wider group to offer morning encouragement and prayer.
·
Sunday School
lessons online offer study opportunities for Bible Studies for Life and the
Bible Book Study. Here are the lessons
for yesterday, May 3:
Bible Studies for Life with Bro. Tim Frank
Bible Book Series with Bro. Travis Biller
·
The Tennessee
Baptist Mission Board is offering a 24 hour/7 day a week Prayer Line. This prayer line is open and available to you
to share a request with a person and have prayer together. If you would like to pray with someone, 24/7,
simply call (844) 600-8262. Try it
today.
I remind us to continue to
pray specifically for our church leadership and churches around the world as we
all begin to gather and meet together again.
Pray for doctors, nurses, and health care workers in the hospitals,
doctor‘s offices, nursing homes and any other medical location. Also, continue to pray for wisdom and God’s
guidance to our elected officials, from the local Mayors, to the Governor, to
the President.
As we begin to regather we
will receive weekly offering through an offering box as you leave the
service. This will cut down on touching
the plates after others have touched them.
We will continue to utilize the online giving option, mailed in checks,
or offering brought by the church office during the week. If you haven’t tried online giving, simply text
the word “Give” on your mobile “smart phone” to 1-615-492-8661. The reply will give
you to clear instructions on how to set up your giving by credit card or debit
card and complete your offering to FBCC. The church will receive your name and
amount of your offering so electronic giving amounts will be included in your
annual contribution statement. If you
choose to mail in your offering, the church address is 409 Main Street N, Carthage,
TN 37030. If you plan to stop by the
church office and drop off your offering, call first to make sure the secretary
is in, (615) 735-1929.
Take some time each day to
reach out to a neighbor, friend, church member and say “Hello. I was thinking of you today. Do you need anything? Are you doing ok?”
We will begin an Online
Summer Semester of GriefShare next Tuesday, May 12 at 6:00 PM. Instead of attending an in-person meeting, we
will send you a link to watch the helpful videos and then discuss the materials
and challenges of grief by Zoom meeting app.
To sign-up, contact me at timfrank1960@gmail.com
or call (615) 735-1929. We will
coordinate getting you a copy of the GriefShare workbook. You don’t have to journey through grief
alone.
Atert! This Sunday, May 10 is Mother’s Day. Don’t let it slip up on you.
The RightNow Video of the
Week is dedicated to the moms in our congregation and entitled, “Breathing Room.” All moms need breathing room and too many
never feel they have any. With one surprisingly simple invitation, God offers a way to
trade your overwhelming pace for one that will finally bring you peace. This
6-week study will show you how. With a little humor and a lot of empathy,
Sandra Stanley and Mandy Arioto will help you avoid burnout and find some
breathing room, even in the trenches of motherhood. Mom, get a cup of coffee and enjoy this 12
minute video start to discovering breathing room in your life. https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/364763?episode=1
Remember, you have to
sign up to be able to view the resources at RightNow Video. Simply go to: https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Account/Invite/cfbc.
This
video resource and all the videos are provided free of charge as a gift from
FBC Carthage.
Bible
Reading Plan for May 4-10, 2020:
May 4 1 Chronicles 12-14
May 5 1 Chronicles 15-17
May 6 1 Chronicles 18-21
May 7 1 Chronicles 22-24
May 8 1 Chronicles 25-27
May 9 1 Chronicles 28- 2 Chronicles 1
May 10 2 Chronicles 2-5
I am looking forward to
seeing you at FBC Carthage next Sunday morning, May 10. Doors open at 10:15AM with service beginning
at 10:45 AM. Have a blessed week,
Bro. Tim
