FS Logo
Top December 2015 
eFOCUS
A monthly newsletter from Field Street Baptist Church

We exist to make CHRIST known by proclamation and living of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

In This Issue
Music Ministry
Education Ministry
Children's Ministry
Senior Adult Ministry
Community Missions/Administration
Monthly Budget Statistics
FSBC INFORMATION
 
music ministry
Living Christmas Tree
"Christmas is Calling You Home"
December 11 & 12 at 7 p.m.
December 13 at 3 p.m.


workday
December 15
(Every 3rd Tuesday of the month)
9:00 a.m. to Noon
Bring an unwrapped canned good for our Spirit of Sharing ministry.

misc
Church offices will be closing  at noon
on Wednesday, December 23 for the Christmas Holidays and reopen on Monday, December 28. Offices will
again close at noon on December 31
 and be closed on January 1 for the
New Year's Holiday.
Your year-end contributions must be received by the church or postmarked
on or before midnight, December 31,
to be deductible on your 2015
Income Tax Return.
 
 
From the staff. . .
God's Blessings
Be Yours This Christmas!
Have a Joy Filled Christmas!
Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year! 
Weekly Schedule
FSBC Ministerial Staff

Bible Study

Attendance Averages

Worship Attendance Averages
Year-to-Date
Financial Statistics

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

FELLOWSHIP MEALS

WELCOME

SYMPATHY

FSBC
SPIRIT OF SHARING
Statistics
Like us on Facebook

From Our Pastor

 

The Living Christmas Tree-25th Edition

Please make plans to attend one of three presentations:

Friday, December 11, at 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 12, at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 13, at 3:00 p.m.

 

Thank you to SO MANY people who have labored to prepare this year's Living Christmas Tree. Thank you for inviting people to come! I am certain God will use this ministry to make Christ known in this community and region much to His glory!

 

The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering-Ingathering December 20

In my estimation this is the most important designated offering we receive annually, and I am asking you to give very generously this year. Why? Your gift enables our IMB (International Mission Board) missionaries to obey God's call on their lives to serve in the foreign field. Your gifts help to ensure that our missionaries remain on the field, and are funded with the resources necessary to have their needs met so their focus can be on the work of an evangelist. Your gift is an investment with God and with other Southern Baptists to make certain that all people groups hear the Good News. For several years now, Field Street has been a leader in the Southern Baptist Convention in giving generously to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Thank you. Let's do it again this year to the glory of God.

 

Proposed Budget for 2016

Copies of the 2016 proposed budget are now available for your review. On Wednesday, December 16, at 6:15 p.m. in the Family Life Center, you will have the opportunity to discuss the budget proposal. On Sunday, December 20, the proposed budget will be voted upon without discussion. Thank you for your interest in and support of the church's operational budget. A special thank you to Dr. Clint Calvert (chr), Jamie Jones, Jay Lewis, and Jerry Melson for their efforts to coordinate the various aspects of compiling information. 

 

Welcome Josh & Megan Thomas!

It is a joy to welcome Josh and Megan Thomas to Field Street Baptist Church! Please pray for them as they settle into their new community, church, and home. Plus, they have a baby on the way very soon! Pray for Josh as he begins his ministry among us as Minister of Music. I believe Josh will have a very solid ministry among and with us in the days ahead.

 

See You Sunday!                                                               

       John Hall, Pastor  

Music Ministry 
 

 

Do not forget to come and invite everyone you know to join in this wonderful Christmas experience at Field Street. There have been many people who have put countless hours into preparing for this event to share the Christmas story and the love of Christ with our community. 
 

 
   25th Anniversary of the

     Living Christmas Tree

  "Christmas Is Calling You Home"


         December 11 at 7:00 p.m.

        December 12 at 7:00 p.m.

        December 13 at 3:00 p.m.


 

 

Christmas Eve Service

If you are in the area we would love for you to join us here at Field Street Baptist Church for our Christmas Eve Service at 6:00 p.m. It will be a 45-minute service reflecting on and celebrating the coming of our Christ. Join us as we spend time worshipping through song and the reading of the story of Christ.


 

Thank You

Megan and I would like to thank you for how you have already welcomed us into your community here at Field Street. We already feel so loved and are thrilled to plant our roots in this church and in this community. Continue to pray for us as we go through these next few weeks getting into our home and the upcoming arrival of our daughter. I look forward to getting to worship with you each and every week as we sing to the Lord a new song and a song of Thanksgiving!
 

 

--Josh Thomas

Minister of Music

Return to top of page  

Education Ministry 
  
SEE YOU IN BIBLE FELLOWSHIP THIS SUNDAY!!

All of us need Bible Study, Worship and Fellowship. Join us on Sundays!

ADULT FELLOWSHIP DINNER AND BIBLE STUDY--January 9. Come, join us for dinner and a brief study called, "Spiritual Tools for Tough Times." We will meet at the home of Larry and Carol Roberson, 3825 Watersridge Circle., at 6:30 p.m. Please call the church (817-645-4376) to RSVP and make child care reservations.

ADULT INTERNATIONAL MISSION EXPERIENCES--Please be praying!
Our church is focused on Missions--local, domestic and international. Don't miss out on the opportunity to pray, give and go. Thanks again to our church for its faithful commitment to represent Christ literally all over the world.

Below are listed the 3 international trips that are scheduled for 2016. Payment schedules will be determined in the next few weeks, but the prices for each trip are listed below. These amounts are the total cost, including air travel, ground transportation, lodging, meals, supplies, and insurance. They do NOT include meals en route.
January 6-20, 2016--Cambodia Mission Trip--led by Bryans and Brenda Fitzhugh. Cost: $2200 (approximately 2 weeks)
March 6-13, 2016--Jamaica Mission Trip, led by Chuck Gartman. Cost: $1600 (1 week)
June 23-July 9, 2016--Poland Mission Trip, led by Chuck Gartman. Cost: $2600 (approximately 2 weeks)

You may not be able to go on any international trip we plan, but you can still help:

1.  Please pray for our teams, for the safety of those who are going, and for their effectiveness in ministry. 
2.  You can GIVE to these ministries over and above your regular tithe. Just put your gift in an offering envelope and mark it for Mission Trip. 


ADULT MISSION TRIP FUNDRAISER. Christmas is coming and everyone needs Christmas gifts wrapped, sooo....there is ONE MORE OPPORTUNITY to bring your unwrapped Christmas gifts to the church dining room on Sunday, December 20 immediately following the 11:00 a.m. morning worship service and we'll wrap them for you.  A love offering donation to our international mission trips will be accepted!
If you have extra wrapping paper left over from previous Christmases, please drop it by the church office and we will recycle it.

TASK FORCE PLANNING MEETINGS
Our Task Forces are hard at work and several events are being planned. We have moved to a quarterly meeting format. You are invited to participate in our planning meetings. Our NEXT session is on Sunday, January 17, right after the 11:00 morning worship. If you have any interest in planning/implementing/evaluating our various activities and ministries, please join us in January. Currently, we have 11 teams who meet regularly to plan our ministries. Be sure to call the church office to make reservations for lunch AND childcare.
 
FSU Logo
  • GriefShare--Opportunity for all those who have had deaths in their families to gain insight and have support during their times of grief. (Meets in the Parlor)
  • DiscipleShift--Five Steps to Help Our Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Coming the Spring Semester)
  • New Member Orientation--Sunday, February 7, 8:30-10:45 a.m. in the Admin Conference Room in the main office
  
SILENT PARTNERS
WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP in praying for our First Responders here in education ministry Cleburne and Johnson County. We are currently ministering to 30 First Responders. We add people from our church nearly every month to pray and to write cards for these strategic partners in our ministry and community. Please pick up a "Silent Partners" brochure, fill out the form, and turn it in to the office. We will send you a "Prayer Tent" to place on your table or desk to remind you to pray every day for your assigned prayer partner--law enforcement officer, fireman, or city official. Once a month we will send you a reminder to write an affirmation/prayer card to your person which we will deliver. We often receive expressions of gratitude from many of our First Responders for whom we are praying.
  
COMING SOON: Preparation for Retirement Retreat--The dates are February 26-27.  If you are considering retirement OR you have already retired, this two-day, local retreat is for you. Some of the topics we are considering are: marriage enrichment, financial planning, psychological preparation, utilizing gifts as a retiree, missions involvement, logistics toward retirement, health concerns, and grandchildren.
  
If you have questions about any of these ministries, please call me at 817-645-4376

Chuck Gartman
Minister of Education/Leadership Development
 
 Return to top of page
Children's Ministry

 

Thank you, church family, for your generous contribution and participation with our annual Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection. We were able to donate a total of 113 shoeboxes this year. Your contribution will make a positive impact on children all around the world.

 

All Children's Choirs and AWANA will be suspended during the Christmas holiday season and will resume on Wednesday, January 6th.
 
Car kits for our T&T AWANA Grand Prix (3rd-6th grades) will be available soon at no cost. Our Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, April 3rd from 6-8 p.m. In conjunction with this, our Sparky Drive-In will be held on Saturday, April 2nd from 6-8 p.m. Students in Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades will paint and decorate their own cardboard box to resemble a car. Boxes need to be large enough for the child to sit in while they watch a movie that evening. Start collecting your boxes now and get an early start. April will be here before you know it!
 
Mark your calendars for Friday, February 12th, from 6-8 p.m. for our Family Night with Dennis Lee. Dennis Lee is a renown comedian, ventriloquist and singer. He will be accompanied by his famous sidekick, Nana Puddin'. You don't want to miss this exciting opportunity for families.  All ages are welcome! Tickets will go on sale in January!
 
Truth Lab is a monthly program for our 1st-6th graders. This month's activities will be held on Sunday, December 20th, from 9:30-noon. During this time students rotate between 5 different stations, learning the truths of the Bible in a fun, interactive way. This month's theme is "The Gift of Jesus" in which we will explore the promises of God as fulfilled through the life and work of Jesus.
  
Upcoming Dates:
Truth Lab (1st-6th grade), December 20th, 9:30 - Noon
Family Banquet with Dennis Lee, February 12th, 2016, 6-8 p.m.
Sparky Drive-In, April 2nd, 2016, 6-8 p.m.
AWANA Grand Prix, April 3rd, 2016, 2-4 p.m.
Preteen Mission Waco Weekend, April 15-17, 2016
  
Thank you for your support and participation in our preschool and children's ministry. What a joy it is to serve our Lord and Savior at Field Street Baptist Church. 

 

--Jennifer Howington
 Return to top of page                              

 Student Ministry

 

 

Field Street Student Ministry exists to magnify Jesus for the glory of the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. That is, in everything we do, we want to make Jesus the centermost and utmost desire as we disciple and evangelize.


It is my conviction that the best way to carry out this mission in Student Ministry is through an adult-guided, student-led model. That is, we strategically enlist adults who come alongside of parents to empower and teach students to lead out in ministry.

 

One such way we are going to be doing this, is by forming and utilizing a Youth Council,  beginning in the spring semester. In short, Youth Council members will be committed, involved, dependable, concerned, and growing students who have heavy involvement in planning and carrying out all things in our Student Ministry.

 

Please be praying and talking about  this opportunity with your students. Applications will be made available in the coming week, and interviews will take place in early January. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to be used even further in student ministry for the glory of God.                       
                       

IMPORTANT DATES
December 18--Christmas Extravaganza!
February 7, 2016--Student Dessert Auction
February 12-14, 2016--Growth Weekend (Disciple Now)

In Christ Alone,
--Daniel Morrow

Senior Adult Ministry 

 

On Sunday, November 8, 10:30 A.M., my life was severely altered by the passing of my wife and partner for more than 54 years. Virginia was doing what she had done so many times before: she was preparing to follow me to church. She was dressed; had her lesson materials laid out and was just about to leave, when the Lord summoned her to a higher calling. I miss her so much. I do not struggle with "where" she is, but rather "where" she is "not." She's not with me! I know the Lord understands and is helping me with my struggle. Words fail when I try to express appreciation for all the calls, cards, and expressions of love. Thank you!

 

"I'm Winding Up" or maybe more appropriately, "I'm winding down." Regardless of how you say it, I'm about to complete my work with the choir and the Living Christmas Tree. After the presentations on December 11, 12 & 13, I will have my "finale" on Sunday morning, December 20th as the choir will sing two selections from the tree. I have thoroughly enjoyed this time with the church family in the 8:30 service and with the choir at 11:00. I praise the Lord for His graciousness and thank you for giving me this opportunity.

 

The song "My Tribute" begins with the words "How can I say thanks for the things You have done for me?" Of course, the "you" in this verse is referring to the Lord Jesus, but I as I think of the hard work of Joyful Sound and the Adult Choir, those words seem to be most appropriate in expressing my gratitude to them. A choir seldom rises above the skill of their accompanists, so much of the progress and success of these groups belong to Dr. Joe, Suzanne and Connie. They are the very best! 

 

   

  --John Glover

Community Missions/
Administration

Help for those dealing with grief during the holidays

This Sunday, December 13
5:00 - 6:30 - Parlor
No matter how long it's been since your loved one died, grief can make the holidays a painful time. But there's hope. Join us for an encouraging seminar that will help you survive the holidays and discover new reasons to enjoy them again.
Contact Jerry at  jerrym@fieldstreet.com or call (817 645-4376) if you have any questions.
 

Monthly Work Dayworkday
Our next work day is Tuesday, December 15. We meet at the church at 9:00 a.m. and end by noon. All men AND women are invited to join us to help. 
We meet on the THIRD Tuesday of every month.
 
--Jerry Melson 
Return to top of page