Selma First Baptist Church - storage.cloversites.com
Transcript of Selma First Baptist Church - storage.cloversites.com
February 2017 | Monthly Newsletter of Selma First Baptist Church
Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage Paid
PERMIT # 68
SELMA CA 93662
Selma First Baptist Church 2025 Grant Street
Selma, CA 93662
559-896-5842 www.selmafirstbaptist.org
facebook.com/SelmaFBC SELMA FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
Mission of Selma First Baptist Church:
“To help make disciples of Jesus Christ, who love God and love others in our community, region, and
world.”
SELMA FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
Church Office Hours:
T-TH 9:00am-3:00pm
M ARK Y OUR C ALENDAR
2 . 3 K ID ’ S W INTER C AMP
J U NIOR H IGH W INTER C AMP
2 . 12 S WEETS FOR Y OUR S WEETIE
M I SS ION B AKE S ALE
2 . 14 V AL ENTINE ’ S D A Y
2 . 16 S ERV ANT B OARD M EETING
2 . 20 P RESIDENT ’ S D A Y
2 . 26 Y OU TH P ARENT M EETING
Pastor Seth Pankratz
Pastor Luke Chow
Danay Niles
Pastor Greg Parker
Karri Smith
Tiffanie Harrell
Cathy Christensen
Senior Pastor:
Student Ministry:
Senior Adult Ministry:
Facilities Ministry:
Office Ministry:
From The Vine: A Congregational Blog
To Know Him Is to Love Him
Heart-shaped boxes of candy and paper valentines lining the shelves of
drugstores remind us that Valentine’s Day is almost here. I remember the joy of
Valentine’s Day, as a child. It was such fun to deliver valentine cards to my
classmates. I loved dropping them into the slots of the “mailboxes” that lined
their desks. I remember the excitement of choosing the “perfect” cards for
classmates. I must admit, however, that my favorite part of Valentine’s Day was
opening my cards to read messages of love and friendship from others to me.
Relationships are important—especially our relationship with God. Like any good
relationship, it takes time and effort to know God. Consider the differences
between our friends and acquaintances: we wave or say hello to acquaintances;
we talk about trivial things; and we don’t get too closely entwined in each
other’s lives. Friends are different. We spend more time with our friends. We
know their joys and frustrations, their likes and dislikes, their strengths and their
Continued on page 3…
WEEKLY BUDGET OBLIGATION (Includes Missions): $6,681.00
February 2017 Page 2
FAITHFUL GIVING
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Letters
Online Giving If you would like to give to Selma FBC electronically, you can do so through our website, or by scanning the QR code to the left.
Dear Selma First Baptist Church,
Thank you so much for your generous support and
powerful prayers this year. I am sending you a table
runner that was made by Syrian refugee women from
my church. I thought you might consider using it to
adorn your communion table.
We continue to pray for peace and a better future for
those who mourn and wait.
Thank you, again, for your friendship and support as I
serve and learn in Lebanon.
Love,
Melanie Baggao
***Melanie is an American Baptist Missionary currently
in language study in Beirut. After completing her
language and cultural studies she will serve Syrian
refugees in Lebanon. She has been supported by
Circle Dorcas this past year, and this year was added
to our church budget as a missionary.
Sweets for your Sweetie!
Mission Bake Sale
Get out your best recipes and put on your
aprons… it’s time to get baking!
This year our donation bake sale will be on
Sunday, February 12, immediately following
the worship service. Please bring cakes,
cookies, pies, pastries, or any other luscious
goodie, to donate for our Mission Bake Sale.
All proceeds will be divided equally between
our missionaries working in Congo and
Lebanon. Specifically, in Congo, the funds
raised will help to pay for the transport and
customs costs of goods sent to our hospital
in Kinshasa. The other half will be sent to our
missionaries in Lebanon, where they are
ministering to Syrian refugees.
Donate your baked goods or take home a
delicious “Sweet for your Sweetie!”
See you February 12!
1-1-17 1-8-17 1-15-17 1-22-17 1-29-17
Offering/Tithing/Missions $3,182.10 $5,417.19 $6,951.86 $3,472.50 $6,056.00
Benevolence Fund $88.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $10.00
Designated Funds $0.00 $876.65 $1,460.00 $614.00 $2,864.35
Building Expansion fund $50.00 $165.00 $355.00 $9,000.00 $570.00
February 2017 Page 3
weaknesses. And they know ours. It takes time, effort, trust, and
open communication to form deep, intimate relationships with
people.
The same is true of our relationship with God. Jesus prays, “Now
this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Knowing someone’s
name is not the same as knowing them. In other words, it is not
enough to believe in God, for “even the demons believe that- and
shudder” (James 2:19). If we are going to call ourselves Christians,
we must be willing to know Him intimately, and intimacy requires
trust. Do we trust that God hears our prayers? Do we trust that His
promises are true? Do we trust Him enough to submit to his
commands?
We come to know our Father and understand His will as we spend
time with Him in study, prayer, and meditation. God already knows
us. We were created in His image and the Bible tells us that even
before we were formed in our mother’s womb, he knew us
(Jeremiah 1:5). Even though He knows our needs and desires, His
will is for us to be in constant communication with Him (1
Thessalonians 5:16-18). God tells us to pour out our hearts to Him
because He will be our refuge (Psalm 62:8). I find that there is so
much freedom in being able to express my joys, desires, pain, and
even my failings to a loving God that listens to me. It is also through
this honest dialogue that I am able to open up and ask God to
change my heart when I know that it is not in tune with Him.
It can be difficult to ask God for something and not receive the
results that we were expecting. Sometimes we pray for healing,
difficult family situations, joblessness, or finances and God doesn’t
answer in the timeframe or with the results that we expect. It is in
times like these when we must cling to the truth that our Father
knows what we need and that He will provide for our needs
(Philippians 4:19; John 15:7).
Relationships require two-way communication. If prayer is a
conversation with God, then we need to let Him speak to us.
Therefore, we should spend time actively listening for God’s voice. I
have found that it is hard to slow down and turn off the
distractions. God still speaks to His people. When God seems silent,
perhaps we can’t hear Him through the noise. As a culture, we are
stressed out and overstimulated. A moment of silence or inactivity
quite often causes us to fiddle with our cell phones and mindlessly
check email, texts, or our social media accounts. I know that I’m
guilty of this. But Psalm 46: 10 tells us to, “Be still, and know that I
am God.” Jesus knew how to spend quiet time with God. He went
out to a solitary place, early in the morning to pray (Mark 1:35). Just
before his arrest, Jesus retreated to the garden in Gethsemane. It
was an intimate time with God which is evident by the language
that he uses (“Abba, Father” Mark 14:36). Silence and solitude
allow us to slow down and listen for God’s voice as we seek His
guidance.
Once we turn our attention and energy towards God, how can we
discern whether it is God that is truly speaking? When I feel that
God is calling me to action, I ask myself, “Does this glorify me or
God; and is this consistent with God’s Word?” Then I search to see
whether the Bible supports or contradicts the action. Often it is
helpful to seek the counsel of a pastor, spouse, or another Christian
friend to see if they can give some confirmation. It is important not
to mistake our emotional reactions for God’s voice. Our emotions
will often betray us and the Enemy wants nothing more than to use
them to distract us from God’s will (1 Peter 5:8).
Knowing the will of God can only come through our knowledge of
God’s Word. God’s promises and commands are all laid out in the
Bible. The way to godliness is found by living according to the Word
(2 Peter 1:3-8). Every verse in Psalm 119 talks about God’s Word:
10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
I’ll admit that I haven’t always felt excited to study the Word of
God. I’ve found it challenging to read the law, genealogies, and
histories of the Old Testament. As I’ve grown in my knowledge of
God and His Word, however, I find myself drawn to study and
meditate on scripture. The Bible is God’s message of love and
friendship for His people. I have so much more to learn but the
more I read from Him, the more I want to know Him. The joy of
reading God’s “love letters” surpasses the joy of reading any
valentine we could ever receive.
Continued from page 1…
From The Vine:
Our February guest blogger is Tiffanie Harrell. She seeks to know
the only true God. Her passion for people leads her to connect
with them, pray with them, and offer them opportunities to grow
in their relationship with God.
February 2017 Page 4
Serving the
Community of Selma
The Enterprise has not yet been refurbished but SFBC has already taken opportunities to use the building in order to serve to our community. Recently, you may have seen police and sheriff vehicles in the parking lot of the old Selma Enterprise. The Fresno County Sheriff K-9 unit was able to train some of their newest canine officers in our building. As a part of their training, officers and their canine partners ran drills where the dogs searched for suspects and contraband.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Department expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to use our building to run scenarios to train their canine team. They were wonderful guests and we are so happy to be able to support our local law enforcement.
February 2017 Page 5
1- Carol Berry, Brayden Brand, Tony Escobedo, John Hoyt
2-Lisa Davis, Justin Martin, Mark O’Brien, Emerson Rogers
3- Brooklyn Dellamaggiore, Janessa Mtoubsi
5- Lola Cruff, Greg Golding, Jayden Stephens
6- Gary McKay
7- Rosemary Alanis
8- Linda Cropsey, Bev Reed
9- Jacob Coigny, Asher Langstraat, Kylie Pulley
11- Chris Plata
12- Alison Rogers
13- Andrew Pankratz
14- Eric Collier, Leo Yarbrough
16- Thomas Oakley
17- Virginia Lees, Sally Timmons
18- Amanda Smith
19-Jullian Flores, Jim Robison, Gary Tilley
22- Robert Gonzalez
23- Owen Wenter
24- Denice Hagen, Jack Reed
25- Nadine Daniel, Olivia Mariscal
26-Elva Gonzalez, Cindy Howell, Joe Harrell
28- Kiley Reetz
Serving February 5
Nursery - Kristi & Joshua Pankratz
Toddler/Preschool - Rosemary Alanis & Caitlin
Larkin
K-6th Grade - Tony Escobedo, Jeremiah Escobedo,
Heather Ornelas
Computer Check In - Dan Sparks
Greeters - Doug & Lynette Hecker
Serving February 12
Nursery - Venessa Golding & Kiley Reetz
Toddler/Preschool - Tom & Katie Chandler
K-6th Grade - Jamie Wenter, Jo Murray, Debbie Lopez
Computer Check In - Dan Sparks
Greeters - Tony & Heather Escobedo
Serving February 19
Nursery - Leola Kaiser & Wealthy Grilione
Toddler/Preschool - Christina Stephens & Sarah Mitchell
K-6th Grade - Chris Smith, Heather Ornelas, & Clarissa Cole
Computer Check In - Dan Sparks
Greeters - Jo Murray & Virginia Lees
Serving February 26
Nursery - Russ & Janet Mitchell
Toddler/Preschool - Judy Fusi & Judee Howard
K-6th Grade - Jamie Wenter, Jo Murray, Heather Ornelas
Computer Check In - Dan Sparks
Greeters - Linda Cropsey & Esther Silva
SERVING THIS MONTH
Worship Service 10:00 am
BIRTHDAYS IN FEBRUARY
CHURCH FAMILY
CELEBRATIONS
ANNIVERSARIES IN FEBRUARY
7- Byron & Kelli Woods
20- Tony & Heather Escobedo
26- Jerald & Peggy Traeger
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