Newsletter for October 15, 2025

Start your Wednesday evening with a delicious supper at 6:00 PM, then stay for an encouraging and practical discussion on How to Share Jesus Without Fear. Come enjoy a warm meal, fellowship with others, and be equipped to confidently share your faith.

Spaghetti, Salad
Garlic Bread, Dessert 

Join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall for our Sunday School Teachers’ Meeting. We look forward to a time of encouragement, planning, and sharing together.

Last year, our church family distributed over 500 goodie bags during the Ashburn Halloween Open House—and this year, we’re planning to reach even more families!

Each bag will include candy, information about our church, and the plan of salvation, making this an incredible opportunity to share the love of Christ with our community.

If you or your Sunday School class would like to help, you can donate candy or money for supplies. Please drop donations off outside Jonathan’s office by Wednesday, October 22.

Together, let’s shine the light of Jesus on a night when so many families are out and about in our community!

We are excited to begin collecting items for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes!
For the month of September, we are focusing on toys and school supplies.

Suggested Toys: Small dolls, stuffed animals, jump ropes, balls, cars, puzzles, card games, musical toys (like harmonicas or recorders).

Suggested School Supplies:
Crayons, markers, colored pencils, small notebooks, rulers, erasers,
or pencil sharpeners

 Please Do Not Include:
Toy guns or weapons of any kind
War-related toys

 Drop-off boxes are located outside the church office.

Let’s join together to bless children around the world with the love of Christ through a simple shoebox gift!

We’d love your input! Please take a few minutes to fill out our church survey so we can better plan activities that serve and bless our church family.

Don’t miss Brother David’s Mid-Week Devotions in Psalms!
New messages are posted every Wednesday on our media page—take a midweek moment to be encouraged and refreshed in God’s Word.

Budget for 2025 . . . . . . . .  $329,624.00
Tithes Needed to Date . . . . $260,132.29
Received to Date . . . . . . . . $221,515.47      
Needed for weekly budget . . . $6,344.69
Tithes Received this week . .  . $4,202.81

At First Baptist, we have finished gathering recipes for our Legacy Cookbook. Many were passed down by parents and grandparents, bringing back memories. Recipes like Grandma’s biscuits that always tasted better than anyone else’s, even though she used the same recipe as the neighbor.

But let’s be honest, not every recipe deserves to be passed down. Some old family recipes need a little tweaking, and some might need to respectfully disappear! (I don’t know about you, but I don’t want tuna noodle casserole showing up at the next church picnic.)
I once heard a story about a woman teaching her daughter to roast a ham. Before putting it in the oven, she carefully cut the ends off. The daughter asked, “Mom, why do you always cut the ends off?” The mom replied, “Because that’s the way Grandma always did it.” When the little girl asked her grandma about it, she said, “Honey, I only did that because my pan was too small!”

That story is a good reminder: sometimes we inherit things that don’t really need to be carried on. Traditions are fine, but they don’t always equal truth.

But there is one legacy worth passing down exactly as it is, and that is our faith in Jesus Christ. Unlike old recipes that might need adjusting, the gospel doesn’t need tweaking or updating. As Paul wrote, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).

That’s the perfect recipe for salvation, and it hasn’t changed in 2,000 years. Parents and grandparents may pass down biscuits, casseroles, and pound cakes—but the greatest gift we can hand down is the knowledge that Jesus saves. “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it” (2 Timothy 3:14).
And here’s the good news: this legacy isn’t just meant for our children and grandchildren—it’s meant for the world around us. Every conversation, every act of love, and every prayer is an opportunity to hand someone else the recipe for eternal life.

Whenever you read a recipe or reflect on a tradition that’s been handed down, take a moment to appreciate those who have influenced and shaped your life, as well as the legacy of faith passed on through lives dedicated to Christ. Also, be sure you’re passing Christ on. Because, unlike Grandma’s pan, that’s something that never needs trimming, tweaking, or changing.