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First Baptist Church Ozark

Church Council Minutes Monday, April 18, 2016

ATTENDANCE:

Betsy Ellett, Enid Schwenke, Kelley Beets, David Hicks, Blake Hayworth, Lane McMurry, Chuck Murfin,

Mary Bennett, Cecilia Miller, Chuck Ross, Rita Murphy, Chris Thixton, Mark Arnold, Brad Hampton and

Don Currence.

1. Opening Prayer led by Chris Thixton.

2. Minutes from the October 19, 2015, Church Council Meeting were approved as printed. First by Chuck

Murfin, seconded by Rita Murphy. The motion passed.

3. Pastor Search Committee Update by Pastor Mark Arnold.

The pastor Search Committee is doing a great job. The committee is now down to a pool of sevenish

candidates with some really great candidates. There have been three different sets of questions containing

thirty-forty questions each sent out to the candidates. Now the Pastor Search Committee will begin the

process of checking each candidate’s references. In the next couple of weeks the committee will start

setting up Skype interviews with the candidates. The committee weekly meeting format consists of prayer,

discussion, prayer, discussion and so on.

4. A possible Church partnership between First Baptist Church Ozark and Primera Iglesia Bautista Puebla.

(See Attachments A)

a. The church’s bylaws do not require a church vote, but we do want the church to support this

partnership as a church family.

b. We have received a request for a three - year partnership between FBC Ozark (FBCO) and FBC Puebla

(FBCP) to be carried out within the Missouri Baptist Convention’s partnership stipulations. [Brief

explanation]

c. Before committing to the three - year partnership between FBCO and FBCP:

1) It will require that the relationship with FBCP is established with good communication.

2) It will require an understanding and the prioritizing of all of FBCP’s needs, wants and desires.

3) It will require an agreement on the goals we set and how we achieve those goals.

d. Requesting Church Council’s support

e. Establish a comprehensive system of checks and balances for:

1) Travel arrangements.

2) Categorizing types of trips to be taken.

3) Establishing number of trips

4) Requirements for FBCO’ers to participate.

5) Training of FBCO participants and FBCP members.

f. Requesting Church Approval. Will share information at next quarterly meeting and seek approval

during July Quarterly Church Meeting

g. It was the general consensus of the Church Council members that they support First Baptist Church

Ozark to enter into a three-year partnership with the Primera Iglesia Bautista Puebla.

5. Proposed Facility Use Policy. (See Attachment B)

Motion to approve the Proposed Facility Use Policy as printed. First by Betsy Ellett, seconded by Enid

Schwenke. The motion passed.

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6. Discussion: Change the Church Quarterly Meeting to a Sunday night format.

The ongoing challenge of having the Quarterly Church Meeting on Wednesday nights is that there are a

lots of classes on Wednesdays, and these workers are not able to attend the meeting. A proposed Sunday

night schedule could be a short Worship Service at 5:30P followed by the Quarterly Church Meeting

starting at 7:00P.

The Church Council gave their support of recommending to the church family of moving the Church

Quarterly Meeting to a Sunday night format.

7. Issues Related to the Transitional Focus Team Report

a. A brief overview was shared regarding the challenges listed in the TFT Report.

b. It is not the intent to have all challenges listed in the TFT report addressed at the same time. Addressed

the need to make sure proper attention is given and not spread resources too thin on several initiatives.

c. Addressed:

1) Spiritual Renewal and Prayer – Went through the study “21 Day Return To Me.” Have had

several Church-wide Prayer Meetings on Sunday night.

2) Trust & Communication Issues – More difficult to identify. Have brought more information to

the church council and quarterly meeting. Have requested non-staff people to provide updates

during quarterly meeting.

3) Discipleship Process – A big emphasis at the beginning of 2016 of “Making Disciples” at FBCO

– emphasizing Making Disciples is a mission and a lifestyle – not a simply a class or method.

Readdressed that there are two parts to Making Disciples – evangelism and growing as a disciple.

There are various summer mission trips and the possibility of a partnership with Mexico.

4) Review Ministry Programs – Staff has done round one and is in the discussion stage of round two.

5) New Member Integration – Chris now meets with all prospective new members and shares an

overview of church membership for FBC, Ozark.

6) Wanted Staff to do Ministry and Not Administration – Still need volunteers, needing people to go

visit and to help around the facility.

b. Not Started:

1) Mission Statement – Waiting until the transition process is over and we have our new senior pastor

on the field.

2) Bylaws - Waiting until the transition process is over and we have our new senior pastor on the

field.

3) Committee Process – Tabled until the bylaws are updated.

4) Outreach – Is being incorporated with “Making Disciples.”

5) Leadership Development – This spring the Gospel Project adults’ Sunday School classes did a

weekend retreat in Branson. However, the church-wide leadership development is still in

development.

6) Personnel needs

7) Lagging growth trends – need the help of the entire church to be on mission.

8. Committee Reports (See Attachment C)

9. The next Church Council Meeting will be Monday, July 18, 2016, at 6:30P in the NFH.

10. Motion to Adjourn was presented by Lane McMurry and Brad Hampton. The motion passed.

11. Closing Prayer was led by David Hicks.

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ATTACHMENT A

Possible Church Partnership

First Baptist Church-Ozark and Primera Iglesia Bautista de Puebla

Why? Scripture commands it!

Acts 1:8 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and

in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Matthew 28:19-20 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of

the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

How did we get to this point?

The Missouri Baptist Convention began a process several years ago to discover the spiritual needs of Puebla,

Mexico. Leadership in the convention, along with pastors and leaders in Missouri churches, began “vision” trips

to Mexico to meet with pastors there to see if a partnership could be started. Their task was to see if Missouri

Baptist churches could help the churches in Puebla to strengthen their congregations, assist in starting new works,

and for churches to see that missions is an ongoing process. The MBC wanted to emphasize with the churches in

Mexico that the main reason to form partnership was to help the churches with evangelism and discipleship of

their people. It was not intended to help finance pastors or the building of church facilities. The MBC began to

partner Missouri Baptist Churches with different churches in the Puebla area.

FBCO decided to undergo a “vision” trip in February 2016. Chris Thixton, Blake Hayworth, and Phillip Shuford

(Tri-County DOM, also speaks great Spanish!) made the trip. We spent our time with Primera Iglesia Bautista

de Puebla (FBCP) in Mexico. FBCP was established over 100 years ago and recently has started five new mission

churches. Their goal is to start another four churches in 2016! FBCP’s pastor is Saul Mateos.

Pastor Saul shared his heart and vision with us while we were there. We visited all five mission that have been

started and three of the four areas where the new church starts are desired. FBCP’s vision in starting these new

churches will begin in homes with small group discipleship. Pastor Saul spends time in the formation of

leadership and discipleship with these pastors to enable them to in turn disciple people in these new churches.

One of our task as we partner with FBCP and their missions are to help them in leadership development of disciple

makers. Discipleship must be a priority of both FBCO and FBCP as God has given us that command in the Great

Commission. If we are to lead others in this important matter, we must first be willing and practicing discipleship

as part of our lives.

A second area of help in FBCP is leadership development. Not only in the area of discipleship, they have a need

to in the training of their leaders in Sunday School, as well as other areas of ministry, for all age groups. They

are also looking for “professionals” to help train their people in a trade to help better them for the workplace.

Some areas they have training going already is how to cut hair, computer technology, cooking, etc. Any area of

training of a person’s expertise is a possibility.

Another area that FBCO could assist in is evangelism. FBCP likes to host events to catch interest in the

community. Block parties, VBS, drama’s, etc. are just a few they have used in the past to “draw a crowd.” Teams

could be assimilated to perform dramas, face painting, etc. as part of a project that FBCP or its missions have

scheduled.

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So, where do we go from here? Our partnership needs to be agreed upon first by the church staff. When all

questions have been answered, the next step would be to have the Church Council approve the partnership. When

Church Council approves, the final step would be to go to the church body for the entire church to approve the

partnership.

A possible timeline for this would be:

1. Staff Approval – March of 2016

2. Church Council – March of 2016

3. Church Approval – Quarterly Church Meeting – April of 2016

Questions & Answers

How will the funding of trips be taken care of?

It will be the responsibility of each participant to pay their way for each mission trip. The current cost will be

between $900 and $1,200. The highest part of the trip is airfare! We currently have in a designated giving account

enough money for a trip leader and an interpreter to go on four trips. We may have to look at adding money into

a budgeted account in 2017 or 2018.

When are we going to send our first team?

Once the partnership is approved by our church family, we will be in contact with FBCP to help decide the best

time and ministry project(s) that we can match people and resources to. Our partnership with Puebla is not a “one

and done” idea. We are looking at a minimum of a three year commitment, but we foresee it going longer than

that.

How many trips do we plan to take to Mexico?

We believe that the best plan, as of now, is to probably go twice a year. One time of year to help with an event

(probably in summer) and another to go and help with leadership and discipleship training (probably in winter).

If other specific needs arise (like the need for a dental clinic, medical clinic, etc.) we could possibly send an

additional team.

Can anyone go on one of these teams?

Each team will be designed with a specific mission/task in mind. If your talents/gifts meet the needs of that task,

we would love for you to be a part of the team. Your specific talent/gift might not be needed until year two or

beyond, but we all must patiently wait for God to provide the needs for each mission trip. It is also important that

you are actively following God in your daily life. To continue in your walk with Him and being a disciple maker

will be one of the major criteria when forming teams to go and minister.

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Church-to-Church Partnership Covenant

As sister congregations in the partnership between the

Missouri Baptist Convention/First Baptist Church-Ozark and

Primera Iglesia Bautista de Puebla

WE COMMIT OURSELVES

To pray regularly for our sister congregation.

To diligently seek God’s direction in finding ways to fulfill the Great Commission in our communities.

To help each other see missions as an ongoing process.

To commit to starting at least one new congregation.

As the Missouri partner church (FBCO) desiring to work in a manner that allows the leadership of our

sister Puebla congregation to guide us in determining their priority church planting goals.

As the Puebla partner church to work with our sister Missouri congregation (FBCO) to determine what

church planting action plans can most readily be met.

To allow God to fulfill our expectations in His timing and in His will

Our mutual goal is that Puebla Baptists and Missouri Baptists will experience spiritual renewal through

this partnership.

Our mutual objectives will be to evangelize the lost, plant new churches, strengthen existing churches,

and minister to needs as they are encountered. In this, we will be following the example of Christ.

There are two prohibitions to this partnership. First, the MBC church (FBCO) will not pay salaries.

Second, the MBC church (FBCO) will not pay for the building of Puebla church buildings.

Primera Iglesia Bautista de Puebla Missouri Congregation

Pastor Pastor

Date Date

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ATTACHMENT B

First Baptist Church of Ozark Facility and Campus Use Policy Purpose Statement The church’s facilities were provided through God’s benevolence and by the sacrificial generosity of church members. The church

desires that its facilities be used for the fellowship of the Body of Christ and to bring God glory. Although the facilities are not generally

open to the public, we make our facilities available to approved non-members as a witness to our faith, in a spirit of Christian charity,

and as a means of demonstrating the Gospel of Jesus Christ in practice.

But facility use will not be permitted to persons or groups holding, advancing, or advocating beliefs or practices that conflict with the

church’s faith or moral teachings, which are summarized in, among other places, the church’s constitution and bylaws. Nor may church

facilities be used for activities that contradict, or are deemed inconsistent with, the church’s faith or moral teachings. The pastor, or his

official designee, is the final decision-maker concerning use of church facilities.

This restricted facility use policy is necessary for two important reasons. First, the church may not in good conscience materially

cooperate in activities or beliefs that are contrary to its faith. Allowing its facilities to be used for purposes that contradict the church’s

beliefs would be material cooperation with that activity, and would be a grave violation of the church’s faith and religious practice. (2

Cor 6:14; 1 Thess 5:22.)

Second, it is very important that the church present a consistent message to the community, and that the church staff and members

conscientiously maintain that message as part of their witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Allowing facilities to be used by groups or

persons who express beliefs or engage in practices contrary to the church’s faith would have a severe, negative impact on the message

that the church strives to promote. It could also cause confusion and scandal to church members and the community because they may

reasonably perceive that by allowing use of our facilities, the church agrees with the beliefs or practices of the persons or groups using

its facilities.

Therefore, in no event shall persons or groups who hold, advance, or advocate beliefs, or advance, advocate, or engage in practices that

contradict the church’s faith use any church facility. Nor may church facilities be used in any way that contradicts the church’s faith.

This policy applies to all church facilities, regardless of whether the facilities are connected to the church’s sanctuary, because the church

sees all of its property as holy and set apart to worship God. (Col 3:17.)

Approved Users and Priority of Use The pastor or official designee must approve all uses of church facilities. Generally, priority shall be given to organized groups that are

part of the ministry, organization, or sponsored activities of the church, members and their immediate families. Church facilities and

equipment will be made available to non-members or outside groups meeting the following qualifications:

1. Groups or persons requesting facility use must affirm that their beliefs and practices and planned uses of the facilities are consistent

with the church’s faith and practice.

2. The group or person seeking facility use must submit a signed “Church Facility Reservation Request and Agreement” form.

3. The group or person seeking facility use must be willing to take responsibility for the facilities and equipment used and must agree

to abide by the church’s rules of conduct for facility use, as stated below and as described in any additional instructions by church staff.

Facility Use Hours Facilities are available Monday – Friday between the hours of 8:00A and 5:00P. (The facility is closed on various days of the year. Use

outside these hours listed must be approved.)

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First Baptist Church of Ozark Facility and Campus Use Policy Scheduling Events Facility use requests shall be made by submitting the “Church Facility Reservation Request and Agreement” form. The event will be

reserved and placed on the church calendar only when it has been approved.

Fees Use of church facilities is subject to use and maintenance fees to pay for the upkeep of church facilities.

Facility and Campus Use Guidelines

1. Cancellation of this agreement by First Baptist Church Ozark may be necessary due to special unanticipated church programs or events. 2. Alcohol/Drug Policy: No alcohol/illegal drugs or people under the influence of alcohol/illegal drugs may be allowed anywhere on the church campus.

3. Smoking Policy: No smoking is allowed in the building at any time (including Restrooms.)

4. No activities will be permitted on the church campus which are contrary to established church policy. 5. FBCO is not responsible for damaged or lost articles. 6. Should any breakage or damage occur to the building and/or its contents, the person/group having reserved the facility will pay for such loss. 7. Groups are restricted to only those areas of the facility that the group has reserved.

8. Food and beverages are restricted to the Commons, Kitchen and South Fellowship Hall. 9. Animals are not to be brought into the building. (Service animals are welcome.) 10. Proper modest attire (as described in the FLC dress code) must be worn at all times. Athletic shoes will be worn for all athletic activities and free play. Street shoes may be worn for parties, dinners, and like activities. Every precaution will be taken to prevent damage to the gym floor.

11. Facility may be decorated in advance if available and prior arrangements have been made with the church. Users must provide a diagram of requested room arrangement at the time of determining the rental fees. 12. FBCO will be responsible to set up all tables and chairs agreed upon in this document. 13. Clean-up: FBCO will be responsible to clean up after the event. Any items or displays must be removed immediately following the event.

14. Abusive or foul language, violent behavior, and drug or alcohol abuse are strictly prohibited on church premises. Any person exhibiting such behavior will be required to leave the premises.

15. Any person or group must sign the “Church Facility Reservation Request and Agreement” form prior to reservation of church facilities. 16. With any use of the Family Life Center (gymnasium) an approved adult (eighteen years or older) must be present during the

entire event.

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17. Person in charge of visiting group is responsible for the following:

a. Turning in diagrams of special setups two weeks before the event

b. Supervising the group that is involved in the event

c. Arrival times and departure time must be strictly observed by the visiting group

d. A minimum amount of heat and lighting should be used to conserve energy e. Cleaning up any trash left on the floor after the event is over

f. Check for left behind clothing and athletic items in the gym and restrooms

g. Check in with the staff person working the event before leaving the gym

18. The person responsible for the group using the facility will read and sign the accompanying agreement and by doing so agrees

to the stated policies.

19. Fees: See Page 6 for a listing of all usage fees.

Insurance For all non-church-sponsored events, the group or person using the facilities must obtain liability insurance coverage in the amount of

at least $100,000. The user must also sign a “Facility Use and an Indemnity and Hold Harmless Agreement.”

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First Baptist Church of Ozark Facility Reservation Request and Agreement

Contact Name of person and/or organization requesting use of facilities: ______________________________________

Please state whether you are a:

☐ Church Member ☐ Church-Sponsored Ministry ☐ Non-Member ☐ Non-Member Group/Organization

Contact Information:

Address: _______________________________________________________________________________________

Best Contact Phone Number: ______________________________________________________________________

Email Address: __________________________________________________________________________________

If the requested use is by an organization not affiliated with the church, please briefly state the organization’s purpose and mission:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please list the organization’s website, if any: _____________________________________________________________

Please list the names of the organization’s office-holders and leaders:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Regardless of type of user, please describe which church facilities you are requesting use of and the purpose for which you intend to

use the facilities:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

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First Baptist Church of Ozark Facility Reservation Request and Agreement

What date(s) and time(s) are you requesting to use the facilities?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

First Baptist Church of Ozark Facility Reservation Request and Agreement

I affirm that:

1. I understand that the church does not allow its facilities to be used in a way that contradicts its faith or by persons or

groups holding beliefs that contradict the church’s faith.

2. To the best of my knowledge the purpose for which I am requesting use of church facilities will not contradict the

church’s faith, and I commit to promptly disclose any potential conflict of which I am aware or become aware to church

staff.

3. I am not aware of any beliefs that are professed by me or the organization I represent and which is requesting use of the

church’s facilities that contradict the beliefs of the church. I agree to promptly disclose any potential conflicts in belief to

church staff.

4. I understand that upon approval of my facilities use request I will need to:

a. provide a security deposit in the amount of $100.00

b. a certificate of insurance for at least $100,000 of coverage, and any other fees required by the church.

5. I understand that the church does not allow its facilities to be generally available to the public, and that my use of these

facilities is subject to the pastor’s approval, which is conditioned in part on my agreement to the requirements in the

“Church Facility Use Policy,” a copy of which I have read and understood.

6. I understand that I will be responsible for any damages to the church facilities resulting from this proposed use of

facilities.

7. The church believes disputes are to be worked out between parties without recourse to the courts. See, generally,

Matthew Chapter 18 and 1 Corinthians Chapter 6. Accordingly, users of the facility agree to attempt resolution of any

disputes through Christian mediation.

______________________________________________ ___________________________________

Name Date

To Be Filled Out by the Church Office Check which category applies:

_____ Business/Commercial _____ Public/Civil Service

_____ Private/Community _____ Private/Church Member

Check which areas are being used:

_____ South Fellowship Hall _____ Worship Center _____ Classroom _____ Commons

_____ North Fellowship Hall _____ JAM Room _____ Gym _____ Kitchen

_____ Meeting Room A _____ Meeting Room B

Date Donation Paid __________________________ Amount________________ Check No. __________

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First Baptist Church of Ozark Facility Reservation Request and Agreement

Usage Donation (per hour on any part there of actual use excluding time for decorating) Donation is due two (2) weeks prior to event.

Facility Locations for Use: #1. Use of Meeting Room A or B; use of North or South Hall with Kitchen

#2. Use of the Worship Center

#3. Use of any Classroom

#4. Use of Gymnasium or Weight Room or Exercise Equipment; use of JAM Room; use of The Commons with Kitchen

Facility Locations Donations: A. Business/Commercial: using #1 - $50.00 / using #2 - $100.00 / using #3 - $30.00 / using #4 - $100.00*

B. Public/Civil Service: using #1 - $40.00 / using #2 - $100.00 / using #3 - $25.00 / using #4 - $75.00*

C. Private/Community: using #1 - $40.00 / using #2 - $100.00 / using #3 - $25.00 / using #4 - $75.00*

D. Private/Church Member: using #1 - $25.00 / using #2 - Not available / using #3 - $15.00 / using #4 - $50.00*

* Price is for the rental of the whole gym. The price would be 1/2 the fee for using just one side of the gym.

Use Categories A. Business/Commercial: Any type of business

B. Public or Civic Service: Examples: University of MO Extension Office, County Health Office, Department Family Service

C. Private-Community: (family oriented activities not attended by the public) Anniversaries, Reunions, Birthday Parties

D. Private-Church Members: Anniversaries, Reunions, and Birthday Parties

E. The building will not be used for any political party promotion except for informational forums set up at the church’s discretion.

Exception to the Donations Listed Above For any use of the building that generates revenue for the user – if the building policy room fee does not cover the request – then 10%

of the revenue will be assessed as a fee. (FBCO reserves the right to pass along charges of janitorial services if necessary.)

Table/Chairs Use Donations: A. Church Members/Attender:

White Tables $1.00 a piece Metal Chairs 50 cents per chair

Gymnasium Use (Family Life Center) Donations: A. Church Member/Attender:

One hour/entire Gymnasium $50.00

One hour/half-court Gymnasium $25.00

Overnight activity - $150.00 (10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.)

Important Notes 1. Any church calendar events, Ozark School District or sister churches will be excluded from the above donation.

2. Money received from above donations will be applied to B.E.G. Repair and Maintenance.

3. The round and metal tables, cloth folding chairs are not to leave the building

4. The checking out of tables and chairs will be handle through the church office.

5. For information about the church being used for Weddings and Wedding Receptions, you should request the FBCO

Wedding and Building Usage Policy.

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ATTACHMENT C

COUNTING COMMITTEE (Cecilia Miller)

The counting committee continues to meet. All the funds received by the church have been processed without

difficulty. We do not anticipate any changes.

DECORATING COMMITTEE (Rita Murphy)

No activities were reported this past quarter.

FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE (Enid Schwenke)

No activities were reported this past quarter.

MEDIA LIBRARY (Susan Eastin)

First quarter for 2016 there was no significant activity to report.

MEMORIAL COMMITTEE (Mary Bennett)

January 5 – Funeral meal for 60 friends and family member for Mary Lee Campbell in the SFH.

February 25 – Funeral meal for 24 friends and family members of Glenn Womack in the SFH.

March 23 – Funeral meal for 43 friends and family members of Bob Moore in the SFH.

MR. T ADVISORY TEAM (Brad Hampton)

No activities were reported this past quarter.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE (Kelley Beets)

The three things we worked on in our last committee meeting was the approval of VBS workers, a potential prayer

calendar for our committee members, and the potential change of standards for committee membership.

PERSONNEL COMMITTEE (David Mitchell)

The Personnel Committee noticed that the employee handbook has many errors and is out of date. The Personnel

Committee has been revising the employee handbook and bringing it up to date.

STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE (Chuck Murfin)

The Stewardship Committee has continued to meet monthly to review financial statements.

YTD General Budget Giving through February, 2016 is up $25,916.28 or 15.2%.

YTD General Budget Expenses through February, 2016 are up $523.10 or 0.3%

YTD Building Fund Giving through February, 2016 is up $1,909.50 or 4.6%.

Average Monthly Building Fund Giving through February, 2016 is $21,783.70. The monthly loan payment

is $26,030.

The Stewardship Committee has also been working on a Building Fund campaign to present to the church.

TRUSTEES COMMITTEE (Lane McMurry)

The trustees approved work to be done in the detention basin and along the south property line. The work was completed in late March. The work consisted of repairing the wash out below the storm water outlet structure and cleaning up and grading along the south property so the area can now be mowed and maintained.

The trustees have been developing a plan to begin work in the student area after the July mission project being housed at FBCO. We have begun to solicit bids for new flooring, ceilings and paint.

The trustees approved a bid to rework and reseal the storefront windows on the north side second floor above the offices and north fellowship hall that have been leaking.

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On April 2 the trustees along with Don Currence cleaned out the storage area underneath the baptistery and are working to organize other much needed storage areas for various ministries.

WOMEN’S MINISTRY (Betsy Ellett) On Wednesday February 3rd, 64 women attended the Winter Warm-Up in the Commons. The theme of the

evening was "Walking In Hope." The tables were decorated with glitzy high heel shoes, and cupcakes that looked

like high heels were served to the women. Our guest speaker was Kim Hardy, wife of the pastor at FBC

Kimberling City. She shared her personal story of how Lord has provided hope in her own life. The women all

enjoyed the uplifting message and socializing with the ladies of our church.

During the month of February, we focused on collecting shoes for Shoeman Water Projects. The church collected

a little over 1,400 pairs of shoes. These shoes will go to people in need and will help generate revenue to provide

clean drinking water in third world countries. Special thanks to Jeff Garrison who drove the shoes to the collection

center in St. Louis.

On January 18th and February 1st, we held a work night to cut out shoes and sew diapers for children in

Uganda. Eleven women attended the work nights in the South Fellowship Hall. The ladies enjoyed putting their

skills to work on the sewing machines. We plan to continue having sewing nights to work on other great projects.

This winter, we offered a Bible study on three days of the week. 63 women enrolled and attended the Bible study

in January and February. We worked through Seamless, by Angie Smith. This study took a look at the whole

Bible, from beginning to end, and helped participants see how God has woven his plan for redemption through

the entire Bible. Some feedback we frequently heard was how everyone was learning something new, no matter

if they were new to Bible study or well-versed.