First First Baptist Church Natchitoches Volume 13, Issue 4 April 2016

Word

Your story is the key that can unlock someone

else’s prison. Share your testimony.

Celebrate Recovery Transformed Lives ~ Restored Relationships ~ Renewed Souls

Celebrate Recovery is a ministry for hurting people. It’s made up of regular folks who are on a journey toward wholeness; seeking recovery from, and celebrating God’s healing of life’s hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Trained leaders provide safe, confidential, Christ-centered groups where people can grow. They offer their stories as fellow travelers on the journey to healing. At Celebrate Recovery we believe that change is possible by the power of Jesus Christ through this Biblical program.

Is Celebrate Recovery for You? Celebrate Recovery is for anyone with the courage to be honest about life’s hurts, habits, and hang-ups and who is willing to open their life to healing and change. Celebrate Recovery is a ministry based on Biblical principles with a goal to let God work through us in providing His healing power. This allows people to be changed spiritually by working through sound Biblical principles. Participants open the door by sharing their experiences, strengths, and hope with one another. In addition, they become willing to accept God’s grace and forgiveness in solving life’s problems. Celebrate Recovery provides a safe place for individuals to begin their journey of breaking out of bondage and into God’s grace by helping them to start dealing with their life’s hurts, hang-ups, and habits.

What is a Hurt, Habit, or Hang-Up? Hurts, habits and hang-ups aren’t just experienced by “those” people. Romans 3:23 tells us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” A hurt, habit, or hang-up is something in you or your life that hinders your walk with God and others. The feeling of being hurt is an emotional reaction to another person’s behavior or to a disturbing situation: abuse, abandonment, codependency, divorce, or other relationship issues. A habit is an addiction to someone or something: alcoholism, drugs, food, gambling, sex, shopping or smoking. Hang-ups are negative mental attitudes that are used to cope with people or adversity: anger depression, fear, jealousy, or unforgiveness.

These life problems can continue to be stumbling blocks in our lives, or we can use them as stepping stones to healing through Celebrate Recovery.

Children have their own Celebration Place where they can learn truths that help them avoid cycles of hurts, habits, and hang-ups and ways to draw close to Jesus during challenging times. They can build friendships with other children whose parents are taking the hard step of resolving their pain and moving forward in life. Teens can participate in the Landing where they are given hope for all the amazing things God has in store for them. They learn how to overcome life’s challenges and develop wisdom by learning to lean on Jesus.

First Baptist is making a commitment to provide a safe place where adults and families can begin to heal and grow. A place where individuals can begin their journey of breaking out of bondage and into God’s grace. We are praying and preparing for our first Celebrate Recovery meeting the first week of July. But before we open our doors that night, we have a lot of work to do. Leaders and volunteers will begin meeting each Sunday evening, beginning May 1, to plan, train and work through some of their hurts, habits, and hang-ups so that they can be ready to encourage others on this journey. If you’d like to work with this ministry, please contact Tanya Conlay (318-332-9633 tconlay@fbcnatchitoches.net). If you are willing, God can recycle your hurts, habits, and hang-ups through His light into help and healing for others.

First Connections Fellowship

Sunday Night, April 3rd @ 6:00 pm If you have recently joined FBC Natchitoches or if you are considering membership, we encourage you to attend our upcoming First Connections Fellowship, Sunday night, April 3rd, in the Choir Room. At this fellowship, you will have an opportunity to meet the Church Staff and several of our Ministry Leaders, you will be able to learn about the mission of the church and our vision for the future. We will answer questions for those wanting to get more involved through service, we will share our core values and help you learn where things are located and more!

Our First Connections Fellowship is a “Taste and See” fellowship for those who would like simply to know more about what is happening these days at First Baptist. Call the Church Office (318-352-3737) or shoot us an email at lwaldrip@fbcnatchitoches.net to let us know if you are coming. Light refreshments will be served.

Welcome to First Baptist!

Student Ministry Springtime is in full swing. I love this time of year when I see new growth and everything starts to turn green again. This time of year has students excited as they know that the school year is crawling to it’s end; especially for seniors. We will recognize our seniors during the morning worship on May 1st. If your family has a senior you would like us to recognize, please contact the church office. Please include name, school your senior is graduating from, and a brief description of their plans after high school. High school graduation is a major milestone in the life of a person and we want to be sure to recognize our students who are seniors.

On Sunday, April 17th, the student ministry would like to invite you to our Fish Fry and Bake Sale Fundraiser. It will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 pm in the gym. There is no set cost and instead will be donation driven. All proceeds will go to support our student mission trip to Austin, Texas this July. I am excited about the trip and can’t wait to see God work in and through our students.

Finally, as you read this, we will have just finished our student spring break camping trip to Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas. We will have spent 2 nights in tents, hiked 4.5 miles in mountainous terrain, roasted hotdogs, made s’mores, enjoyed God’s creation, fellowshipped with one another, and strengthened the unity within the student ministry. The students will have been challenged to “be still and know that I am God.” The main purpose of the trip is for our students to unplug from the craziness of life and be reminded that God is with us and desires to be the epicenter of our lives.

Mike McGrath

FLOOD

RELIEF

FBC members step up when disaster strikes! Several folks from our church attended disaster relief training in March to learn how to do “mud-outs” for flood victims. Amelia Ferguson and Phyllis Collins worked with students from NSU BCM over spring break to help in the Black Lake area. FBC members also donated funds to purchase clean-up supplies for one community that was affected. A total of 56 Blessing Buckets were distributed—one to every member of the community in need! Thank you FBC!!!

WEE School It’s time for WEE School Pre-Registration for the 2016-2017 school year! Registration is now open. There are a limited number of spaces available in each class. A $50.00 non-refundable fee will be due at the time of Pre-Registration. If you have any questions, please contact me at the Church, 318-352-3737 or 318-471-6092.

Shea Boyt WEE School Director

Preschool Choir is Excited About Vacation Bible School WOW! VBS 2016 is quickly approaching! This year’s VBS, Submerged, is loaded with so many fun activities! From Worship Rally, Bible Study, Missions, Crafts and Recreation to awesome snacks and jammin’ music! To get us even more excited about this year’s VBS, the Preschool Choir is going to share some of the music from Submerged! Please join our crew during the Sunday Morning Worship Service on April 24th, and listen to the Preschool Choir get excited about this year’s VBS!

VBS Musical ~ Submerged The month of April has arrived and that means it is almost time for the VBS Musical! We hope that you will join us on Sunday evening, April 24th, at 6:00 pm for our start to VBS 2016. Our SLAM choir has been working hard to learn the motions and the songs to the musical and our drama team has been memorizing their lines. You will not want to miss this year’s presentation.

For the parents of our SLAM choir children…we will meet each Wednesday at 5:30 pm for rehearsal. We will also be having several extra rehearsals. Our drama team will meet on Sunday, April 3 and April 10, from 6:00-7:00 pm. The SLAM Choir and drama team will meet on Sunday, April 17 from 6:00-7:00 pm. Pizza will be served! We will have a final dress rehearsal on Saturday, April 23rd at 10:00 am. Please make every effort to be here as we make final preparations for the musical on April 24th!

Snack Donations Needed for VBS

• Plain M&M’s (not individually wrapped packages)

• Gummie Bears • Cream Cookies (chocolate or

vanilla) • 8 oz Water Bottles • Capri Sun Juice Packs

April Senior Adult Luncheon The Senior Adult luncheon for April is scheduled for TAX DAY, April 15th, at 11:30 am. We hope that you will plan to join us as we gather for a wonderful time of food and fellowship. Please plan to bring your favorite side dish or dessert and the church will provide the meat and the drinks. We will meet in the Bostick Room and the luncheon usually lasts around an hour. It is always good to visit with our friends and celebrate life together as the body of Christ.

Ben Keen

Preschool Camp! Summer is quickly approaching! We are planning several activities for the summer, and one I wanted to share with you now is Clara Springs Pre-Camp. Each Summer Clara Springs offers a Pre-Camp designed especially for children who have finished Pre-K through 2nd grade. This camp is designed to help kids get introduced to the idea of camp and to get a taste of all that camp is about. Over the course of two days, the children will be involved in fun activities such as swimming and age appropriate worship. It is a great way parents can share this first camp experience with their child! I would like to take a group of children to Pre-Camp this summer. If you are interested in you (or your spouse) and your child attending Pre-Camp this summer, please contact me at the church office. The dates for the camp are July 8-9, and the cost is $50 (includes one camper and one adult). You can find more information about the camp at clarasprings.com.

Shea Boyt Preschool Director

Egg Hunt Fun!

The Preschool Committee hosted an Easter Egg Hunt last month on the hill. The children enjoyed hunting eggs, petting real bunnies, and playing in bouncy houses! It was a great day!

April Birthdays 1-Betty Kennedy, Jessie Mauthe, Danny Robertson, Pat Smith, Andrew Vickers 2-Bernie Hedrick, Charlene Wisher 3-Marabeth Thompson 4-Adriana Rush, Liz Simmons 5-Carson Lyles 6-Walt Moore 8-Brad Ferguson 9-Phillip Murray 11-John Wingo 12-Ruth Anderson, Farrah Murchison 14-Jean O’Brien 15-Abigail Gunter, Donnie Johnston 16-Donna Brewer, Tanya Conlay 17-Becky Barton, Farrah Connell, Toni Rushing 18-Tim Collins, Ron Thompson 19-Sawyer Anderson, Michelle Harris, Sally Beth McCullough, Martha Kay Smiley 20-Carolyn Lindsey 21-Anna Murchison 23-Brent Ryland 25-Khloe Mauthe, Faith Stanfield 26-Paige Smith, William Terrell 27-Molly Hubier, Dawn Wells 29-Jeff Franks, Dan Simmons, Danette Westfall

Bottles of Hope Fundraiser for the Women’s Resource Center

The Lord calls us to take care of the widows and orphans. The Women’s Resource Center takes it many steps further, and what a blessing they are! Our kids in the ZONE are asking you to participate in a fundraiser titled Bottles of Hope. A baby bottle is being placed in Sunday School classes to hold donations. When your bottle is full, please send it to the office with your name on it. We will empty it and bring it back to your room. This fundraiser will go through April. Thank you in advance for helping us bring HOPE to others!!

Mrs. Melody

Summer Time…From the ZONE Parents, summer is in our sights. Get your calendars and save these dates:

June 1 Our new book club program begins! We will meet each Wednesday from 6:00 -7:00 pm in the ZONE!

We will be reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. It will be for grades 1-6. We will be finding God in the land of Narnia.

These sessions will be whole group reading with audio and discussion. Also called “literature

circles,” it’s a fun and easy way for kids to take an adventure together! Anyone wanting to help with

our Book Clubs please contact Mrs. Melody.

June 5 VBS Prayer Service 6:00-7:00 pm!

Prepare our hearts, Lord! Please join us as we pray for a week of fun,

learning, and worship.

June 6-10 VBS Week—Submerged!

June 12 Small Groups (1-3rd) (4-6th) Begin!

We will be meeting in homes to eat and fellowship! Parents will get a sign-up calendar for hosting these groups in their homes. It’s going to

be a wonderful way of keeping in touch throughout the summer!

July 4-8 Girls’ Camp @ Clara Springs (3-6 grade only)

I will be sending information home soon.

July 18-22 Boys’ Camp @ Clara Springs (3-6 grad only)

As always, thanks for allowing us to hang out with your children! They truly are a blessing to the ZONE!

Mrs. Melody

Coming Up April 3: First Connections Night 4: Purchased Training 8: Youth to God is Not Dead 2; WMU Pizza Party 10: Finance Committee; Deacons Meeting 10, 17 & 24: Youth Small Groups 12 & 26: WMU 13: Business Meeting; Grace Bible Study 15: Senior Adult Luncheon 19: Singing at Natchitoches Assisted Living 24: VBS Musical

May 1: Graduating Senior Recognition 1: Celebrate Recovery Leadership Meetings Begin 8: Mothers’ Day 10 & 24: WMU 11: Grace Bible Study 15: Finance and Deacons Meetings 17: Singing at Natchitoches Assisted Living 18: Business Meeting 20: Senior Adult Luncheon 22: Preschool Family Day at the Spray Park 30: Memorial Day

Weekly Meetings Sunday 9:30 am Worship Service 11:00 am Bible Fellowships 5:00 pm Youth Small Groups 5:15 pm Youth Parent Small Group

Tuesday 9:30 am Bible Study at Natchitoches Assisted Living 6:30 pm Men’s BSF Study

Wednesday 5:30 pm Preschool/Children Choir 6:00 pm Prayer Meeting, Gospel Project for Preschool and Children, Student Ministry 6:30 pm Choir Rehearsal 7:30 pm Praise Team Rehearsal

Thursday 9:30 am Women’s BSF Study

The First Word is available online at www.fbcnatchitoches.net.

If you would like to discontinue receiving the First Word by mail,

please contact the church office at 318-352-3737 or email

tconlay@fbcnatchitoches.net

508 Second Street Natchitoches, LA 71457

318-352-3737 www.fbcnatchitoches.net

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Prayerfully prepared for: