Pay Phone and Music

Once upon a time there were phones in areas around cities and stores available for use by the public for a fee. If you needed to call someone when you were out and about you stopped at a pay phone and inserted some change and were able to make a call. When the cell phone was invented, it still made calls, but you could carry it with you. The first ones were called, "bag phones." They were rather large and those who could afford them carried them in their cars. As technology advanced, the phone shrank to a size which could be carried in a pocket. As technology continued to advance the cell phone became a smartphone which allowed you to search the internet while out and about. The common factor of the phone is the fact that you can have a voice connection with another human. The original use of the phone is still relevant today. The funny thing is, I do not hear millions crying out in pain and sorrow for the loss of the pay phone. Where are the loyalists? Where are those who loved having to carry enough change with them to make a call when they were out and about? You would be hard pressed to find those who miss the pay phone. Why? Because the phone still exists, just in a different form. One may still call a loved one when out and about.

In thinking about our church, I find it puzzling that some of us still hold on to the way we have done things for over 50 years without being open to the God inspired songwriters of today. Some of the new music touches hearts and reaches people. It does not sound like the old music, but it still serves the purpose of praising God and touching people's hearts. Should we ignore something that God is using? New is not bad. Not all new is best, but not all new is bad. Not all old was great either. Some of the old was horrible and we skip those hymns when singing to God in church. The point is, music evolves. It changes. You have old country and new country. Believe it or not, the songs that reached you may not reach people today. God tells us to sing a new song. Should we be resistant to something that God, Himself, told us to do? Are we scared, fearful of new songs?

Regardless of what you have been told or believe, hymns will not disappear from FBC. They will continue to be sung and used by our congregation. They may have a different tune, be paired with a singable new song or chorus that does not repeat itself 50 or 7 times. If we are going to reach this generation we must learn to speak their language. We may not like it, but how willing are we to reach people for Christ? They matter to God. They must matter to us. If we insist on maintaining the "way things have always been" at FBC, then we will continue to decrease in number. Have you not noticed that we have been unable to replace with new members those who have passed away? Have you stopped to wonder why? We have lost families due to our unwillingness to bend in the area of music. How long can we exist if we continue on this road? We have a long time family which I am not sure about. They are hanging on, hoping we change a bit in our music. If we do not, I fear they, too, will leave. We have had people visit and tell us that they did not like the music. Sure, those who grew up with hymns liked what we do, but those who are longing for music that reaches them skip out and go elsewhere. We must be able to compromise in this area. It is vital to the continued existence of our church. 

I do not know how many times I have to say this, but here I go again, "We are not going to be a rock and roll church. The music will not be bangy clangy. It will also NOT be loud. We will not have music that dishonors God. We may have our favorites, but so does the younger generation. We have music that speaks to us and so do they. How will we reach them? The bottom line is, "do we care about those outside our church and their eternal destiny or not?" If we do, then we must learn, as Paul said, to be all things to all people in order that we might by all means save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22 NASB)

Is church all about the music? No. Is music important and do people have music preferences? Yes. Can we meet EVERY need people have? No. Should we try? To a degree, yes. I am not asking for a complete overhaul of our music program, just a few adjustments. Can we do this? I think we can. As of yet, we have not seen a truly trained music director try. I pray we will soon. Pray for your church.  

Wilderness time

There are times in the life of every church when they go through a wilderness journey. It could be a surprise launch into the wilderness or it could be a launch everyone knew was coming. Either way, when a church is looking for a staff member there is a sense of wandering which occurs. It is an in-between time. In between the time the last staff member leaves and a new one comes. There is a sense of loss for the one who left and a sense of loss of direction until someone else comes to sit in their chair of leadership. It's not a fun time, rather, it is a time of searching.

This searching is a time to search ones' soul and for the direction of the church. It's not a fun time, but a necessary time. Pray for our church.

What does God have for us next?

Pray for our church as we seek a new music leader for worship. Pray God helps us to have eyes as to who He wants for us to have. 

Worship is not to be taken lightly. It's our purpose of gathering as His family on a given day. Pray we lean on His guidance in all things. 

Many thanks for the many years of service that Mrs. Carolyn Thomas gave to God and to His church in Winnsboro. She has put countless hours in preparation and thought. There is a special place in the soprano section of God's choir when the time comes. I'm convinced of that! Thank you Mrs. Carolyn for ALL you have done! To God be the glory!

Helping Hands

So we had a work day at the church on Saturday. Had a great group show up. Got things done! Love our church! Topped the weekend off with two baptisms and a great camp report from Ridgecrest. What a weekend!

Even got spots off the ceiling!

The Louisiana Baptist Singing Ministers

Went to hear them and was very pleased. Wish all of you could have been there. They sang at FBC, Columbia, LA. Ran into a lot of old friends. Good to see them.

Pre-Teen Invasion/21 days of prayer

As you read this I may still be in Pineville at the Pre-Teen invasion. Pray for us as we are here with some of our smaller First Family members. Pray we learn more about God and have some fun along the way.

How is the 21 Days of Prayer going for you? It's quite challenge. Hang in there. Be open to what God wants to do in your life. He wants to use you in a mighty way. Draw close to Him and listen to what He is saying to you. I'm praying for all of us during this time of prayer.

Oops…I broke a tradition.

Well, it appears I had a bad dream and thought someone told me we did not have to draw to see what section of the congregation eats first at our annual Christmas Dinner. So, I did not have anyone do that. Now I fear for my life and those of my children. Pray I am still the pastor in January. Lol. It's funny, traditions are neat to have. They are important. Some are not as important, but some are. I broke this one. I feel funny about it. I do know that I won't be breaking anymore any time soon. At least not on purpose. Lol. By the way, yes, I overindulged. Oops again.

Oh what a day and night! Plus: Mission Minded Budget

FirstKid's: (from left to right, front row) Andrew Beeman, Luke Wolleson,

Jackson Cordill, Joshua Beeman, Caroline Grant, Bruce Cordill,

(Second Row, l-r) Halie Thomas, (Third row, l-r) Chloe Wolleson,

Katilyn Thomas, Blair Grieme, Jacob Cordill, Joseph Wolleson,

Jessie Thomas and Jarrod Thomas.

Today was an awesome day at First Baptist, Winnsboro! This morning we were able to hear from one of our undercover missionaries who serves in, well, an undisclosed country. It was amazing to hear about her work and what God is doing through this missionary. By the way, have you given an offering, a sum above and beyond your tithe, to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering yet? Pray about it.

This evening we heard our children perform, The Living Créche. They did a great job. I am so proud of our kids. They worked hard. I was amazed at those who sang solos. I don't recall ever having the courage to sing a solo at their age!

Budget Planning
In our Budget Planning Meeting tonight we discussed working towards a mission minded budget. We need to be more about missions than maintenance. We are holding our own, but are we helping to change our world? Keep our committee in your prayers as they seek God's will in regards to missions.

Children's Musical is on it's way.

Our Christmas Musical, entitled, The Living Créche, will be shared this Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. Invite a friend. Make sure you don't miss this. It will be great! Be a part of the festivities at First Baptist this Christmas!

December 11th, we have the Adult Choir sharing, Joy has Dawned. That night, at 6 p.m., join Jon & Friends for a time of Christmas music.

We will meet for a special Christmas Eve Service at 6:00 p.m. on well, Christmas Eve. Ha ha. That promises to be a great time where we light the final candle of Advent.

Sunday, December 25th, well have regular worship at 10:55 a.m. No service that evening and no Sunday School on that day.

"Merry Christmas...or not"

As I listen to the media and receive updates from the American Family Association I am saddened. First, I'm saddened by the fact that some stores and people elect to say, "Season's Greetings" instead of "Merry Christmas." I think it's odd to change what has been shared for years into some generic greeting. "Happy Holidays" is not much better. Why don't we say that on Valentine's Day?

Second, I feel that those who are making a huge deal about saying, "Merry Christmas" are missing the point of Christmas. This entire issue has been described as "The War on Christmas." When was Christmas supposed to be about war? When did it become a fight over what people say to each other? I prefer and will continue to say, "Merry Christmas," but I'm not going to push other people to say it if they don't believe or see things differently.

I'd rather make a difference on my own, in my own way. I'd rather say, "Merry Christmas" to those I come in contact with and go on with my life. The message of the birth of Christ is more than two simple words. It's a lifestyle. If we push two words on others which we feel they must say at Christmas we're missing the point. Sharing the gospel is telling others about Jesus, not telling others what they should and shouldn't say to each other. Does that make sense? I don't want to dread celebrating the birth of Christ each year because I'm worried about Wal-Mart or Target screaming "Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings" on huge banners at their stores. Am I nuts or what?

I remember the day...9-11-2001

I awoke on this day and was getting ready for my day. I was still serving at my first church located in Pelican, LA. I preacher friend, Scott Arant, called me and said our nation was under attack. I did not believe him. I went to the television and turned it on. I saw the first building on fire. As time progressed and I realized that it did not look good it was time to take Susanne to the doctor for a check-up. I think we were to find out if our baby was a boy or a girl that day. I turned on the radio but my wife, who feels I overreact, did not want to listen to the news. When we got to Shreveport I turned on the radio to find out the Pentagon had been hit. I then got concerned. Something was definitely not right. The rest of the day, after returning home, I was glued to the television. I could not believe we had been hit. What a blow.

No longer were we safe. I was "afeared" that more horrible acts would take place and still am not too sure we are as safe as we need to be.

Later, around June of 2002, I went with a team of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief workers to New York's Staten Island. We fed the workers. What where they doing? They were going though the remains of the World Trade Center. There were smoke filled BMW's and other luxury cars that were toast. They were just put in a fenced-in area.

Today it seems as if it was all a dream. We visited Ground Zero. It overwhelmed me. A ramp had been built that allowed one to look over into the pit. Along the railing were home made signs remembering those who died. It was very difficult to look at.

I shall never forget that day or the days in New York. They were days when I realized that only God can protect us.

one year

Well, one year ago, on the first Sunday of August, I stood in the pulpit of FBC, Winnsboro as the new pastor. I'm still here and still as excited about being here. We've made changes and things are different. We pray they are different to the glory and for the glory of God. Recently we obtained a new mixer board so we won't have to switch out mics and connections all the time. The new sound mixer board has 24 channels on it allowing us to plug everything we need into it. Thanks be to God.

Obviously, if you'd like to be a part of our audio visual team, let us know. We have three cameras now, which we use for DVD recording. Soon we hope to have a CD recorder as well to record the services for those who are home bound, who miss or who just want a copy of the service.

Continue to pray for us as we move to a point of reaching out beyond the walls.

Roof stays in place, cameras appear

Well, the roof did not cave in today. Today was the first Sunday in which video cameras were in place and used during the service. We'll be recording the services to DVD from now on so people can watch and hear it if they miss it on Sunday. Things went well and no one got hurt. Hallelujah! Our youth sang, "God, Undefeatable" and did a fine job. They had learned it at CentriFuge this past month. I was proud of them. Even had a duet that was awesome as well.

Keep praying. God is doing some exciting things. Remember we have a special guest, May Powers, who will share her testimony with us Sunday morning, the 24th.

Also our FirstKid's Ministry started the "Theo" Video Bible Study tonight. That will be each Sunday night at 6 p.m.

Screens in, cameras next

The screens are in. Obviously there will be some adjustments yet to be made, but we're going to test drive them Sunday with a special Mother's Day presentation. Pray it all goes well!

The next update will be cameras for recording and flat screens in the nursery, youth room, children's room and in a Bible Study room with dvd players for each. May it all be used to glorify God and better share His word!

Racism is still living in America

Wow. Yes, it's still around. Ah, but I met a few heros for integration recently. Both were in the school system and were threatened by the KKK if they allowed integration to occur. They stood strong and risked their lives and went ahead and allowed it to occur. I'm proud of them.

Yes, it's amazing that racism is still alive after all these years. It is taught and caught. Let it stop with you.

Well...live and learn

I feel almost as shocked as some others tonight when we voted on going ahead with the A/V update at our church without giving everyone a heads up on just what we were getting. I did not realize that whatever is voted on at the Deacon's Meeting goes straight to the church for a vote without any delay unless so requested. I will know better next time. Meanwhile screens are coming, but not until we can openly discuss what we're getting at a family meeting. Pray for us as we seek to learn each other as pastor and congregation. This is an awesome church! I am so pleased to be associated with it!

P.S. In reflection, I guess many could say, and rightly so, I should have known this about the vote being brought to the church after it was shared in the Deacon's Meeting. For some reason I just did not catch that was what was happening.

What a blessing!

It was truly a blessing to be with Presbyterians, Methodists, Nazarenes and other Baptists as we said, "Thank You" to God for all He's done for us. We had a great service at First Church tonight. Glad to be a part of such a community of faith. What a blessing it is.

Worship with Clyde

Well, we had a great time of worship with Clyde Copeland Sunday. We even used powerpoint to do words and the sermon outline. That was great. I heard a lot of positive responses and am excited at the possibilities. Pray continually as God is moving here at FBC.

Screen progress

Keep praying for screens for our worship center. There is considerable cost involved. Ah, but we need them. Pray that God will supply them. Looking forward to using them.

Mattie Powell

She was a great lady. She was thoughtful and generous with her life. She taught many children Sunday School at Calvary Baptist Church. She was "pastor sensitive." In other words, she took care of her pastor. Saturday we'll say, "good-bye" to her earthly body. She is in Heaven with her Heavenly Father whom she loved and loves still. What a great lady. Thank you, Mrs. Mattie, for allowing yourself to be used by God. Thank you for all of us whom you touched with the hands of Christ.