As a child, I used to do puzzles.  Often, I would choose a puzzle because of the picture on the box cover and I would put the puzzle together by starting with the border pieces on the edge and working my way in.  It was so gratifying seeing the pieces of the puzzle coming together and looking like the picture on the box.  I felt such a sense of accomplishment when I completed a puzzle.  But it sure was frustrating when a piece or two of the puzzle went missing, and the puzzle could not be completed.

As we continue our Spiritual Transformation Journey, I’ve heard people say many times that they are still waiting and praying for God to reveal a vision of our future as a church.  It is as if we’re waiting for the fog to lift so that we’ll see clearly a vision or a road map so that we can begin our spiritual journey in earnest.  But for now, we’re just waiting and praying.

In the last few weeks, I’m beginning to realize that the vision for our future is not “out there” while we’re just waiting for God to unveil it.  It is more likely that the vision for our future is within us!  We are the vision of Farmville Baptist Church, and God is waiting on us to live out His call for our lives!  We are like the pieces of the puzzle; each of us plays a unique part in the overall picture of God’s plan for our church.  To the extent that we discern God’s will for our lives and have the courage to live it out as a church to the best of our understanding, we are putting the pieces of the “vision puzzle” together!  No, we can’t see the whole picture beforehand, but we will see with greater clarity what that picture is when we begin to live out what we know.  Furthermore, this vision puzzle does not have any edges or borders.  We begin in the center and work our way out to an ever-expanding picture of what God wants us to be and to do in our community and our world!  Finally, in order for the “vision puzzle” to be complete, every member of Farmville Baptist Church is needed to be a part of this discerning process to see who God is calling us to serve and what ministries God is calling us to join or to start in our community.

During these weeks of Lent, may God lead us all, to place us where He wants us, so that together we will put the pieces of the vision puzzle together and  live into the kind of church God wants us to be!

Journeying on, Michael

We encourage you to attend and ask that you donate an amount to this cause that you would normally spend for a restaurant lunch.

Please contact the church office (392-5041) if you plan on coming to this fundraiser.

This year, we will have our Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday, February 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. All are invited to this service.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is partnering with “Faith Comes By Hearing” audio Bible ministry in providing free MP3 CDs to members of FBC so that each family (including children) can listen to a dramatized reading of the entire New Testament during the season of Lent. We will have a special presentation about this audio Bible ministry during our worship service Sunday, February 14, in which we will distribute the free CDs.

Toward the end of Lent, we will collect an offering to support this ministry. Visit the “Faith Comes By Hearing” audio Bible ministry website for more information.

We are collecting medical supplies for the people in Haiti at our worships service this Sunday, February 21.  Please download this file to see what supplies are needed.

In addition to your prayers for Haiti, below are some links to provide ways you can help.

Virginia Baptist Relief Response

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Disaster Response

Baptist World Alliance BWAid

World Vision

America Red Cross

We are continuing our prayer groups as part of our Spiritual Transformation Journey!

On Sunday, January 24, there will be a kick-off luncheon for all of our prayer participants AND for anyone who is interested in learning more about our prayer groups.

During the luncheon, there will be a brief orientation and Q&A session.  Afterwards, there will be an opportunity for people to sign up.

Each prayer participant is required to purchase a prayer and devotional book called Cultivating Fruitfulness for $7.  The book is available in the church office.

Here are the confirmed meeting times of our prayer groups:

Sunday mornings, starting Feb. 7, 9:30 to 11 am, every other Sunday.

Location: FBC, Associate Pastor’s office
Facilitator: John Slade
Members: Deborah Slade, Tim Trent, Cecil Yeatts, Dave Landrum

Sunday mornings, starting Jan. 31, 9:30 to 10:30 am, every other Sunday.

Location: FBC, Associate Pastor’s office
Facilitator: Elizabeth Whiley
Members: Jim Davis, Sandy Yeatts, Don Kyper

Sunday afternoons, starting Jan. 31, 4 to 5 pm, every other Sunday.

Location: 1100 4th Ave. Ext.
Facilitator: Doris Weaver
Members: Sandy East, Mc Amoss, Cindy Landrum

Monday evenings, starting Jan. 25, 6 to 7 pm, every other Monday.

Location: FBC, Fellowship Hall.
Facilitator: Ken Copeland
Members: Chuck Daniel, Ruth Patteson, Cindy Cave, Toby Towler

Thursday evenings, starting Jan. 28, 6 to 7 pm, weekly.

Location: FBC Parlor.
Facilitator: Crystal Cupp
Members: Gene Watson, Suzanne Towler, Peggy Cave

Friday at noon, starting Feb. 5, 12 to 1 pm, weekly.

Location: FBC Parlor.
Facilitator: Michael Cheuk
Members: George Carter, Anita Lynn, Patti Trent, Gail Cave

The PURPOSE of these Prayer Groups

The purpose of these prayer groups is ultimately

• NOT about getting to know your prayer partners better, or fellowship
• NOT about coming away with a good “experience”
• NOT about “growing” the attendance, budget or programs of the church
• NOT about completing the prayer guide book in a certain time frame

The purpose of these prayer groups is

• About spiritual formation – centering our lives on Jesus Christ and being His disciples
• About continually asking for God’s guidance in leading the church into her future
• About continually seeking opportunities to be the presence of Christ to those outside the church and outside your prayer group
• About continually knocking so that God will open the doors for new ministries

As we pray, we will pay attention to how God is speaking to the congregation as a whole regarding these questions:

1. WHO is God calling us to serve and to witness the good news of God’s Kingdom?
2. WHAT unifying direction of ministry is God calling us to head toward?
   
3. WHAT new ministries can emerge for us to serve those whom God has identified?
4. WHAT are some outcomes that God might want us to look out as we live into our future story?

As a member of these prayer groups, you will be a part of our sustaining leadership community to help the church discern God’s future story for Farmville Baptist Church!

Contact Michael if you’d like to join a prayer group and be a part of this exciting journey!

Please plan to bring cans or monetary donations to support this effort!!

As 2009 draws to a close, I look back with thanksgiving for the ways God has been active and working in Farmville Baptist Church.  I am thankful for

• our church going on a spiritual journey to renew its vision and mission
• the Initiating Leadership Community for our spiritual journey
• the thirty people who participated in our prayer triplets
• a burgeoning collegiate ministry that has over 35 students adopted by our church members, and an active contingent of students attending worship
• Julie Gaines and Sara Thompson, our two college ministry interns
• an increasing number of members volunteering at FACES each month
• young adults and young families attending and joining the church
• a wonderful group of deacons excited about mobilizing the church for greater ministry and service
• our Sunday School teachers and students, choir members, children’s volunteers, and Wednesday night prayer group for their ongoing ministry
• our Social Committee members who minister through their gift of hospitality and cooking
• our building that is being used by “Reclaiming Our Lives Ministry” to serve the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of single mothers and their children
• a great staff in Kathy, Anita, Mc and Al

As I look toward 2010, I am hopeful that God will continue to show and lead us to be the presence of Christ in our community and beyond.  God is good!  I’m eager to see what God has in store for Farmville Baptist in 2010!

— Journeying on, Michael

John has had an accomplished career in television, movies, and radio.  He served as general manager, writer, and producer in television on both coasts.  Programs he developed or produced include the first minority-oriented prime-time program North Star in Baltimore, the critically acclaimed Say Brother in Boston, and the children’s program, The Big Blue Marble.  He was a radio announcer and producer in  San Francisco and a talk show host  in Washington, D.C.  He produced the film Breaking the Chains of Bondage, which centered on the first national demonstration in Washington, D.C. supporting the liberation struggles in southern Africa.

He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army. As a military officer, he taught military science at Bowie State University in Maryland and at Georgetown and Howard Universities in Washington, D.C.  Colonel Slade was Acting Chief of the National Guard Bureau in Houston and served on the National Guard Drug Reduction Board at the Pentagon.

Other accomplishments include marching with Dr. Martin Luther King on the March on Washington on August 28, 1963 and founding the fraternity Iota Phi Theta, Inc., about which he has written two books.

He continues to serve on a number of boards, including the Executive Council of the AARP in Washington, D.C.;  the Board of Directors of the National Iota Foundation; and the Longwood University Board of Visitors.  In addition, he currently is a lobbyist for the Association of Reserve Minority Service –Members (ARMS) and serves as the organization’s director.

He is married to Deborah Douglas-Slade and has one son, Kenyatta.

Jan. 4, 2010 UPDATE:
You can listen to Colonel Slade’s sermon, “Journey of Our Lives,” by clicking on this link.