October 31, 2013

Church Leadership
Our ministers and lay leaders are available to answer any questions you may have to help you connect with the ministries of First Baptist Church. Rev. Matt Sturtevant Senior Pastor, x. 202 matt@firstbaptistlawrence.com Rev. Dr. Meredith Holladay Associate Pastor of Spiritual Formation, x. 204 meredith@firstbaptistlawrence.com Jenny Purvis Office Manager, x.203 jenny@firstbaptistlawrence.com Nathan Benfield Volunteer Building Manager, x.201 nathan@firstbaptistlawrence.com Jim Davidson Chancel Choir Director jamesrdavidson@ku.edu Holly Grassy Bookkeeper grassyclan@att.net John Pauls Moderator jphawk@yahoo.com Evelyn Falen Organist Buddy Langford Custodian Church Office: 785/843.0020 office@firstbaptistlawrence.com www.firstbaptistlawrence.com

Preparing for Worship November 3, 2013 TwentyTwenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost

All Saints Sunday

Rev. Matthew Sturtevant

Scripture:
Ephesians 1.11-23

What Happens When the Walls are Gone?

November Worship Series
This summer and fall have been a challenge to many of us, as we have been forced to find hidden sources of creativity to do ministry in new and different ways. Wednesday night programs at the restaurant down the street. Sunday school classes in folks homes. Staff meetings in the coffeehouse downtown. When the walls have come down, we have been forced to find new ways (and places!) to be church together. This month in worship, we are going to ask of one another whether or not this has actually been God working in our midst. Jesus pushed his disciples out of their comfort zones and into the community: And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. (Matthew 8.20) So can we simultaneously push to a) restore our building to a practical and sustainable ministry center and b) make it a base camp to move beyond our walls into our community and our world? Together, we will explore the theology of this mission, our call to stewardship, and our vision for ministry and mission. It is an important time for us to ask of each other, the Scriptures, and of the Spirit: What happens when the walls are gone? November 3: We Remember (All Saints Sunday) Ephesians 1.11-23 November 10: We Transform, Haggai 1.15b-2:9 November 17: We Launch, Luke 19.1-10 November 24: We Give (Pledge Sunday) Luke 19.11-27

Family Pumpkin Carving, Chili and Costume Night!

Kelly Herndon Troy Reimer Claire Murphy Angela Lowe Lee Carlson Evelyn Falen John Pattinson Lee Rader Jim Lord Marilyn Wright Julie Goans-Heinz November 2 November 7 Patricia Acker Shane Schenkel

November 7 November 7 November 8 November 10 November 12 November 13 November 13 November 15 November 17 November 18 November 18

Wayne Scrivner Kyle Yoder A.K. Winter Robert Heacock Ken Hite Clark Havenor Elaine Harris Paul Stevens Evan Yoder Brent Lamb Benjamin Reimer

November 18 November 19 November 20 November 21 November 21 November 23 November 24 November 25 November 25 November 27 November 28

Womens Ministry Opportunities!

Two new groups are forming, and you are invited! Monday, Nov. 11, 6:30 p.m. Panera Bread, 520 W 23rd St. Questions? April Hite (865-0985) or Kimberly Sturtevant (785-230-2303). Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2:00 p.m. Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, 1711 W 23rd St. Dutch treatorder your favorite dessert! Questions? JoAn Wilson (832-0829) or Martha Gage (843-5068) Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7:00 p.m. Friendship Square will meet at Wanda Penfolds home: 875 E. 1259 Rd. Questions? Sally Heilman (749-1830) If you are interested in forming another new group, please contact Pastor Meredith

Remember in Prayer
International Ministries Missionary: Dwayne & Marsha Binkley, serving in Thailand. American Baptist Home Mission Society Missionary: West Virginia Baptist Convention, Dr. Maxwell Hill, serving from St. Albans, West Virginia Local congregation: Plymouth Congregational Church

We Share in Joy
Rebekah Johnston is in Jalapa, Guatemala from November 3-10 on a medical mission trip.

Ministry Fair

Sunday, November 10
Immediately following 11 a.m. worship throughout the building in an Open House format. Lunch served in Roger Williams Room.

Pastors Sunday School Class Continues!

We are finally back in our Sunday School roomsthe adult Sunday School diaspora has returned to their respective homelands! However, Pastors Matt & Pastor Meredith will continue to teach the Pastors class on Sunday mornings. If you are still looking for a Sunday School class, or want to pop in for a week or so, you are welcome! Look for us at the front of the sanctuary or in the Judson room!
Chupper Schedule: November 3: Reimer Family November 10: Breyne Family November 17: Pauls Family Kaleo Event: November 15 & 16 Cost $35 Watch your email for more detailswhat to bring, times, etc. December 1: Parent & Youth Movie nightwell eat Chupper together and watch Bully, and then have some conversation together. Thanks to Shane & Brenda Schenkel and the rest of the youth team for making the QuadNox pumpkin carving & chili night a fun night for our church families!

On Tap Continues Next Wednesday

Join us at 23rd Street Brewery, November 6 for conversation around the table (and grab a meal and/or drink while youre there)! Well meet at 6:00, and wrap it up by 7:30. Childcare provided at the church from 5:45-7:45

Giving

at First Baptist Church

Todays world offers a dizzying array of giving options that can be confusing and complex, including many options for giving electronically. As we at First Baptist Church try to seek ways to offer giving options that allow for convenience and healthy stewardship, we want to make sure that we are consistent with Biblical models of giving.

Is electronic giving Biblical?

Our call as Christians is to live counter-culturally and not simply adopt the ways of the world as our own. Some might suggest that electronic giving is an example of a worldly phenomenon that has no basis in Scripture. However, as the Finance Ministry and Spiritual Leadership Team have discussed over the last 18 months, there is a Biblical precedent to offering electronic giving options. In a world where many of us utilize automatic payment agreements for our utilities, mortgage, or a host of other expenditures, it is possible for us to give to several different organizations as soon as our income enters our account. Yet, the Biblical model of First Fruits calls us to give our first and best to God (see, for example, Deuteronomy 26). If we are giving electronically and/or automatically for many other expenditures, does it not make sense that our tithes, gifts, and offerings should not also be given electronically? Instead of an afterthought or leftover, it should be the first gift we give. Of course, the Biblical call to stewardship also demands prudent use of our money. Abuse and misuse of credit cards is always a danger in our culture, and we never want giving to the church to be a cause for uncontrolled or unhealthy debt. The electronic giving options that we offer should be handled with responsibility and healthy stewardship. Our plan is to remind electronic givers of this important principle in the form of a disclaimer on the site.

Options for giving

So, how then can we give to First Baptist Church? What are our options? 1. Do what you have always done. We will continue to accept gifts in the same ways that we have in the past. Checks, cash, and other forms of payment are always accepted by mail, to the church office, or in the offering plate during worship. 2. Bank-initiated giving options. Most banks have options to pay automatic payments to an institution or organization. Automatic electronic withdrawals or programs that send physical checks are a simple way to give your First Fruits electronically. Please contact your bank or financial institution for more information concerning these options. 3. SimpleGive.com. Our new and revamped website now offers a new way to give electronically. SimpleGive is an organization that helps congregations meet the growing need to accept online donations. This option makes it easy to give electronically to the church, whether for tithes and offerings, capital campaign or missions offering contributions, or even payments for youth events. As it is a new program for First Baptist, we want to make sure you understand your options for giving through SimpleGive. Please see the reverse for information on giving to First Baptist online.

SimpleGive.com
Questions and Answers
How do I do it? Simply click on the Give link from our website, www.firstbaptistlawrence.com. This will take you to the SimpleGive site, to the secure access page for First Baptist Church. Here you may either choose the Quick Give option, which does not require a log in, or choose to register in order to make future giving more streamlined. Once you have logged on, you have options for how to give. You may give to the general budget, to the capital campaign, to our Dezo Missionary Fund, or to the youth group for donations or trip payments. It may take up to three days for your financial institution to record your gift to the church. Is it safe? Will SimpleGive keep my credit card information? SimpleGive will not retain your credit or debit card information if you do not want them to. You may choose the Quick Give option to make a one-time payment at any time. Even if you choose to store the information via your registered account, the data is encrypted and locked down. Will I be charged a fee if I use SimpleGive? You will not be charged a fee for using this service. First Baptist will be charged a fee for each transaction, as well as a minimal monthly fee. However, if you give $100 to the church from SimpleGive, the full $100 will be received by the church, and will be credited on your giving record. Do I have to start giving in this way? Absolutely not. We will continue to receive gifts via mail, to the church office, or as always, in the church offering plate during worship. If you have no desire or intention to give online or electronically, there is no expectation for you to do so. This is only meant to be an option for those who are seeking an electronic option for giving, not a replacement for those who give in other ways. Do I have to be a member of First Baptist to be able to give on SimpleGive? No. In fact, this is one of the benefits for the church to offer this form of giving. Members who have moved away from Lawrence who still want to give, family members or friends of congregation members who want to support a specific or general ministry of the church, even grandparents of youth who live outside of Lawrence and want to make a payment for camp any and all of these individuals and families are able to give via this online option.

But what if I want to physically Give something in the offering, but I have given electronically? There is something spiritually powerful in the ability to give physically in worship to put money in the offering plate when it passes by. Electronic giving should not bar us from that tactile and meaningful experience of worship. Therefore, we are developing a laminated card that will be available in the pew pockets for givers to be able to place in the offering plate as it passes. It will say something like I have given electronically or by some other method and make this my offering of worship before God. It will help to enrich the worship experience for those who give electronically, or in any manner other than physically into the offering plate in worship.

First Baptist Church 1330 Kasold Drive Lawrence, Kansas 66049 785/843-0020 785/843-0021 (fax) www.firstbaptistlawrence.com

Life of the Church

Sunday, Nov. 3 Daylight Saving Time ends. Fall Back, turn clocks back one hour. 8:30Worship 9:30Sunday School 11:00Worship 5:00ABY/Chupper Tuesday, Nov. 5 Announcements due for newsletter Wednesday, Nov. 6 6:00 On Tap Discussion Group Thursday, Nov. 7 NoonPrayer requests due for bulletin 6:30Staff Relations mtg. 7:30Choir Rehearsal

Sunday Morning Volunteers

Nursery Extended Care Amy Munsterman April Hite

Operation Christmas Child Update Please continue to bring your completed Operation Christmas Child boxes. Final date is November 13. Remember to include $7 for each box for shipping. If you wish to simply donate $7 x ? to our shipping fund, make your check to FBC, with OPC on the memo line. Thank you! Dawn Trent

Looking Ahead:
Nov. 10Ministry Fair Nov. 20Children Matter Discussion group Nov. 24Church Thanksgiving Dinner Nov. 30Hanging of the Christmas Green (Advent Decorating) Dec 7Family Cookie Decorating Party

27th Annual Share the Warmth Coat Drive Bring in a coat in good condition to any Scotch Dry Cleaning location, or to First Baptist. The coats will be cleaned and through the Salvation Army will be distributed to the needy in our community. Deadline: November 22 to FBC or by November 23 to any Scotch location (Lawrence or Topeka)

By the Numbers As of Oct. 27th

GENERAL OPERATING Receipts: 7216.48 YTD Receipts: 288,577.24 YTD Expenses: 297,711.40 CAPITAL CAMPAIGN Receipts: 1436.00 Cumulative Giving: 157,783.40 Expenses to Date: 496,653.00