Sit Tight! Travel Light! Give Right!

This week we are enjoying an excursion to Outrigger Island, one of the biggest, most energetic Vacation Bible School programs our church has hosted in years. All over our campus little surfer dudes and dudettes are meeting new friends, singing the music of the islands, and learning stories from the Bible. Faith is being cultivated right before our eyes.

As we continue to Catch a Wave during the summer months, I invite and urge you to sit tight, travel light, and give right.

Sit tight! During the weeks following Vacation Bible School, our Chapel Choir will be on tour, mission teams will be away on mission trips, and families will be traveling on vacation. That means fewer people will be present in worship on those Sundays. You can help foster a warm and welcoming atmosphere in worship by being present every Sunday that you are in town, and by sitting closely together as church family during our worship gatherings. When guests enter our worship areas, whether Chipley Hall or the sanctuary, our personal welcome and our proximity to each other both communicate something to our guests about our growing faith and friendship.

Travel light! These are tough and challenging times. Our nation is still engaged in a military conflict. This is a crucial election year. And we are in an economic recession. All of these factors and more puts a strain on our budgets, extra stress on our relationships, and seriously tests our faith commitments. If you are over weighted with burdens, you will lose your focus and your joy. During seasons like this we learn qualities of patience and perseverance, and we learn the importance of taking our burdens to the Lord. Travel light!

Give right! Speaking of the recession; businesses, industries, governments, schools, and churches are all being adversely affected by the downward economic trends. Gifts to churches and nonprofits are down between 15-20% nationwide. However, we believe that if God’s people honor God by giving their tithes, the first 10% of their earnings, to the storehouse, then God will bless and multiply our gifts. As we put proactive Christian stewardship principles into practice in every area of our lives, God will guide our families and our church through the challenging economic maze of this recession.

This Sunday we move from our focus on Outrigger Island to a message about Survivor: Shipwreck Island from Acts 27:27-44.

Summer is a great time to Catch a Wave by inviting a neighbor to join you as we gather for worship and Bible study.

Catch A Wave on Outrigger Island

It’s summertime and we are preparing for a cool Vacation Bible School on Outrigger Island. Surfer dudes and dudettes are ready to catch the waves of truth as we have fun exploring some important lessons from the Bible. This year our theme is Psalm 86:11 which says, Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

As I shared last Sunday, we want students of all ages to learn these five waves of truth:

Wave 1: God Is Real
Wave 2: Jesus Is God’s Son
Wave 3: Jesus Is the Only Way
Wave 4: The Bible Is God’s Word
Wave 5: My Actions Show What I Believe


All summer long we are challenged to Catch a Wave as waves of opportunities and waves of blessings keep rolling our way. In weekly worship experiences, mission and ministry projects, and seasonal recreational activities, there are many places for you to get in on the action.

Also, this week we welcomed our new Ministry Resident, Paul Hood-Patterson, and his wife, Dawn. Paul will be serving on our staff team for two years as he gains valuable experience in a variety of ministry areas. We are honored to have been chosen by the Lily Endowment to serve as a teaching congregation for new ministers.

There’s a welcomed spiritual breeze moving within our First Baptist Family. Surf’s up! Are you ready to Catch a Wave?

Summer Faith, Summer Fun

During the summer of 2008 we are encountering waves of opportunity for growing in faith and having fun. This Sunday is Outrigger Island Sunday as we prepare for a great church-wide adventure in Vacation Bible School scheduled for June 16-20. The theme for worship on Sunday is Catch A Wave from Psalm 86:11 as we explore the five waves of truth that our students will learn on Outrigger Island.

In the spirit of Outrigger Island, you are invited to join our staff and our VBS leaders in wearing island attire or island colors to worship and Bible study. I plan to wear a colorful Aloha shirt and khakis in each of our worship services.

Remember that we have community and faith-building events and concerts scheduled on Sunday evenings during the summer. On two or three Sunday evenings we have intentionally scheduled no activities on campus so that you can spend quality time with family and neighbors nurturing relationships.

This Sunday evening we meet at 7:00 o’clock in the sanctuary for the home concert of our Chapel Choir as we prepare to send them on Europe Tour 2008. After the concert we will gather for a church-wide fellowship in Chipley Hall.

On Wednesday nights during the summer, we are “Growing in Wisdom” as we focus on the Proverbs. We are covering an intriguing list of topics on Wednesdays this month:

June 4 Only Your Hairdresser Knows for Sure Proverbs 16:31
June 11 Kissed by the Enemy, Wounded by a Friend Proverbs 27:6
June 18 VBS Family Night
June 25 Red-Hot Sins Proverbs 29:22

Summer is a great time to invite a friend or new neighbor to join you as we gather for worship and Bible study.

Worship This Summer, Wherever You Are

As we begin the summer of 2008, I hope you will make a firm commitment to participate in worship every week whether you are at home or on the road. Of course, I hope that you will be an active participant in worship at First Baptist every Sunday that you are in town. But when you are on the road, there are many ways to participate in worship.

When Amanda and I were away for a few days of vacation last month, we enjoyed attending a Community Worship Service on the Beach. Our vacation experience was more positive because we gathered with about 400 persons from several states and a variety of faith backgrounds for worship.

We are planning for a great summer of services and activities at First Baptist, but I hope you and your family get a refreshing break at some point during the summer. When you are on the road, whether visiting friends or going on a vacation, seize the opportunity to participate in services of worship wherever you travel.

There are many different options for participating in worship while on the road:

• Attend another church.
• Attend a campground service.
• Attend a beach service.
• Attend a chapel service at your resort.
• Tune in to a worship service on the radio, television, or internet.
• Plan a worship service for your own family at your vacation spot.
• Join in worship through “live streaming” or web-based simulcast. (We hope this option is available through our church web site soon.)

Participating in worship while on the road can enrich both your trip and strengthen your personal faith. Skipping worship just because you’re on vacation or a business trip can rob you of meeting new friends and meeting God in new places.

On those weekends you are traveling this summer, I urge you to participate in worship wherever you travel, and bring a worship bulletin back to me or our staff so we can And on all of those other weekends when you are home, we will look forward to great experiences in worship here at First Baptist.