From the Pastor's Desk:  

As we make the transition from summer to fall we are reminded once again of the goodness of the Lord and the opportunity of expressing that gratitude through Praise.  November is the month of 'giving thanks' for all of His goodness and GRACE. 

Ps 102:1 "It is good to give thanks to the Lord. And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High:" (NKJV).

I was thinking of the many ways we can offer Praise to our wonderful Lord and realized that through our giving we can offer our gratitude and worship.  We are commanded by God to give of our tithes and 'love offerings' which are gifts we give over and above what we tithe to the local church.

I. The Tithe:  The Word of God declares that His people are to give their tithes to the Lord's work through the local church.  The tithe is 1/10 (one tenth) or 10% of what you make.  It is through the giving of our tithes that we support the ongoing ministries of First Baptist Church.
II. Love offerings:  Love offerings are money we give over and above our tithes as the Lord lead us to give.  For example, FBC is in the midst of our ?141 Project' of raising money to help pay on the various remodeling projects of our church.  They are:

1. Reshingling  the entire roof of our Church facility.  This job has been completed.
2. Tearing down the old and the building of a new bus garage.  This project is also completed.
3. Paving of the Church parking lot.  By the time you receive this copy of the November newsletter, this project should also be completed. 
   The Church has borrowed $160,000.00 to pay for these three projects.  However, through the ?141 Project' we are asking people to give ?over and above their tithes' in order to raise money to pay for these projects.  We have received (as of October 14th) $21,192.77 toward paying on this loan.  The more money we raise, the less interest we would pay and the sooner we can erase this debt.  These three projects presented by the Building & Grounds in conjunction with our Budget & Finance Ministry team has been thoroughly discussed and voted on at our regular church wide business meetings.  We are grateful to God for the wonderful way they have kept us posted on the various needs of our church facilities.  God bless you and thanks for your hard work.

Yes, giving is the responsibility of a Christian steward and a part of our worship of God for all of His goodness and Grace. 

PERSONAL WORD OF GRATITUDE:  At this thanksgiving time of the year, my wife and I would like to express how grateful we are for the honor and privilege of serving the First Baptist Church family.  God bless you and thank you for all you do for the Kingdom of God.  Take the time to read through this month's newsletter in order to discover how you can be involved in ministry through YOUR Church. 

See you on Sunday as together we open our hearts and mind to the two-edged Sword of God's Word.

 Yes, it is good to give THANKS and to PRAISE Him for all of His goodness!
    

Because of Calvary,
     Bro. Hale, Ps. 16:11