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MARCH 2023

“Spring is in the Air!”

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Greeting in Christ!

 

Kathy and I want to express our love and gratefulness to you for your untiring love, sincere prayers, and support of us as pastor and wife; we also thank you for your support of the Bible Fellowship Baptist Church. We offer our prayers for you and for our brothers and sisters in Christ who make up the family of God.

 

We thank God for all of those who came before us, planting the seed of the Gospel, making possible our salvation, and even for this church building. Their sacrifice for Christ will one day be rewarded by Jesus Christ personally, God bless His servants!

 

In our monthly newsletter, I always try to share a little humor for the young and the old, so here are some cute little jokes for the kids and grandkids, share them and encourage a smile from their precious faces.

Q: Why is March the most popular month to use a trampoline?
A: It’s spring time.

Q: Which type of bow can’t be tied in March?
A: A rainbow.

Q: What falls during March but never gets hurt?
A: The rain.

Q: Can February March?
A: No, but April May.

Q: What March flowers grow on faces?
A: Tulips (2 lips).

 

For more mature readers… (LOL) An elderly couple was driving along a country road on a beautiful March afternoon, taking in a scenic view of the countryside. They begin to reminisce about the time they met, and how they fell in love. The wife says, “Sweetheart, I remember when we used to go driving that you would pull me up close to your side, put your arm around me; I’m a little sad we don’t do that anymore. Her husband looked at her sitting in the passenger seat, and said, “Yes, Dear, I remember, but I’m still sitting in the same place.”

 

I hope that may have brought a little smile to your face.

 

March is a great month for many reasons, maybe you have some special ones. When I think of March, we know it points to the end of cold weather, (at least we hope) and the beginning of spring, which by the way is March 20th. March brings new life from the flowers and trees, and the little birds become more visible and active. Personally, for me, Kathy and I were married in March, and on the 28th., we will celebrate our 51st. year together. Soon, April will be here, and we will be celebrating our Lord’s resurrection from the dead! Anyway, Kathy and I are excited about sharing March with our Bible Fellowship family and looking forward to what God has in store for us as we move into the future.

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I once read of a missionary who had served God for many years in a foreign land. He found himself discouraged due to the severe hardships he has endured as a missionary. He wrote to his pastor, his senior by many years, and he said; “Dear Pastor, It has been so difficult, for in the years since my family and I set out to serve God in this strange land, we have suffered much loss. First, there was the loss of our eldest child due to sickness, Next, our little church building was burned by some evil people who opposed us. In that fire, we lost our precious two younger children. Finally, to add grief upon grief, God has taken away my dear faithful companion, my darling wife of so many years. Pastor, I am so broken, for it is now just the Lord and me. The missionary received a letter back from his pastor, one which contained comforting words and scripture. But the pastor’s letter ended, “Dear brother you have stated that all you have left is the Lord. I would say to you with the deepest of compassion, that when we have the Lord, then He is always enough.”

 

I would like to share a devotion with you, written by Dr. Paul Chappell in hopes that it will bless your heart as it has mine; “God is More Than Enough.”

 

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD. There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:5-8

 

Most people's happiness and security are found in their circumstances and possessions. If they have money in the bank and things are going well, they are glad. But while all of us prefer those times to times when things are harder, as God's children we are still to have gladness and peace even during trouble. God is just as good and faithful when things are going what we think of as wrong as He is when things are going what we think of as right.

When David spoke of his enemies or danger throughout the Psalms, he was not speaking of theoretical enemies or imaginary danger. He spent years running for his life. The constant threats were very real. “And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death” 1 Samuel 20:3

In Psalm 4, the gladness and peace David experienced were not because there were no troubles, but because God was faithful.

There will be days for all of us when it seems the sky is falling. There will be unwelcome medical reports and unsettling job rumors and unhappy personal relationships. But in every case and every circumstance, we can trust in God. Even if everyone else were to turn against us (which we sometimes feel like or even say but is seldom ever true) God would still be there.  And God would still be enough for all that we need.

THOT: The storms of life never change God's love and care for us, and we can fully trust Him no matter what happens.

 

I hope that was a blessing to you.

*****

 

MINISTRY UPDATES AND PRAYER REQUESTS

We praise God that we have seen a good turnout for the services here at BFBC. It’s particularly exciting to have visitors coming who received the Direct Mailing cards from last year. As you know, we mailed out 7000 at one time. As of the writing of this letter, we have had 7 visitors, it’s ironic, or a “God-thing,” but do the math. 7000 cards = 7 visitors. Amen!

 

Help in the BFBC ministry. We are still in need of dedicated volunteers who wish to get involved in ministry here at BFBC. There are ongoing needs such as keeping the grounds clean, the grass cut, etc. We also must keep the inside of our building clean and fresh so we can make a good first impression on those coming to worship. Speak to the pastor and identify our gifts, talents, and desires and find a place to serve Jesus through your church.

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Outreach Ministry. We are planning another community outreach and a few minor church projects for which we need help. Last year we were blessed to have some wonderful servants of Christ who came from other churches to help our folk as we reached out to our community. We will soon be planning at least one more such event. You can have a part in this. So, please pray about this.

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Cosmetic and Building improvements. We have a few projects that need to be done to the church building, this will make it safer and more user-friendly. We will be providing a list of those items as soon as possible, then we will tackle those when the resources are available.

 

Finally, our church roof project:

 

Our church roof will soon require reroofing. It still has the original roof and it's only a matter of time before we will start having some major issues. We have received an estimate from a very reliable and reputable Christian-owned business on the cost to replace the entire roof. The estimate for the roof is $18, 000.00. We just cannot move forward with this project until we have the funds in our hands to do this. I don’t believe that we should do this in payments, or on credit. I know that this is a very large goal and a huge undertaking for our church, but necessary. We have moved forward in setting a goal and challenging our people to pray and give towards this need.

The picture you see is a poster to help us visualize this goal. The challenge was brough forth on February 12th. The challenge was aired on Facebook and is posted on our website. You can watch that service, just look for the date of February 12, 2023, the 11 am service. You will be able to see and hear this challenge.

I know things like this are challenging, but we have a great God. His children seem to be able to trust Him more with the little things, but God is a BIG GOD and He can handle the big things just as easily! Amen?

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Praise God, I am pleased to say that so far, folk have given $1000.00 towards the total goal.  I believe we will see this goal reached, for I believe it is God’s will for the church. We will keep you updated on the progress; in the meantime, please help us pray for this massive goal.