Join us for supper at 6:00 PM in the fellowship hall.
Followed by a time of special music from Penny Thomas and Dorthy Ellerbe.

Menu for Family Night

Baked Potato
Chilli, Salad
Dessert

All ladies are welcome to join our WMU  group.
Monday, October 14th
1:30 PM

Meet in Bill Hardin SS Class Room

Women on Mission (WMU) members seek to
live out missions through
missions projects, ministries, prayer, giving, and Bible study.

Two designated accounts have been set up specifically
for church members to donate to
Hurricane Helene relief, ensuring that your contributions go directly to those in need.

1. Samaritans Purse Helene Relief.
(The money will be sent directly to Samaritans Purse.)
2. Local Relief Helene Fund
(Money will be distributed to other Churches or Local groups working in the affected areas)

Please make checks payable to First Baptist Church and note “Samaritans Purse Helene” or
“Local Relief Helene” in the memo line.

Outreach Bags For Halloween

The church will distribute goodie bags with information about our church, the plan of salvation, and candy during the annual Halloween open house in Ashburn. If you or your Sunday school class would like to donate candy or money for supplies, please drop it off outside Jonathan’s office by Wednesday, October 23. 

Wednesday, October 16th , 2024, 7:00 PM
Wednesday, November 6th , 2024, 7:00 PM

Giving as of October 8, 2024

Budget for 2024 . . . . . . . .  $339,423.00
Tithes Needed to Date . . . . $244,847.16
Received to Date . . . . . . . . $208,967.62
Needed for weekly budget . . .  $6,751.71
Tithes Received this week . . .   $3,776.20

MID-WEEK DEVOTION

Remember to check out Brother David’s Mid-Week Devotion in the Book of Psalms. They are uploaded each Wednesday on the sermon page.

From Our Pastor

Believer, have you lost your joy?  It is easy for that to happen.  The condition of our nation burdens and concerns us.  The difficulties of life can weigh us down.

While we cannot and should not try merely to brush off those issues, we can live with joy while facing such circumstances.  Our relationship with Christ is the source for real joy in the midst of real life.

How does Christ give us joy?  First, He enables us to enter into and experience the love of God.  1 John 3:1 begins, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us…”  Believer, God has loved you from eternity past (Jeremiah 31:3).  In love, God brought you to a salvation that will never end (Ephesians 1:4-11).  God wants us to experience His love in everyday life (John 14:21-23).  Experiencing the love of God gives us joy in spite of our circumstances. 

John then reminds us that God has made us His children through Christ.  Verse 1 continues, “…That we would be called children of God; and such we are.”  God loves us so much He wants us to be part of His eternal family!  Think about the love that a parent has for a child.  That is but small picture of the love God has for us.  How that ought to give us security, confidence, peace, and joy – even in these days!

Next, John reminds us of God’s refining work in our lives.  All of us get frustrated with ourselves when we see all the ways we ought to grow and mature.  We can have joy because God is not through with us.  He will continue to work on us as long as we are on this earth.  Then He will bring us to perfection for eternity.  Verse 2 says, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.  We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”  Think of that – the day is coming when all our sinfulness, immaturity, and weakness will be gone.  That day is coming, and this day is part of God’s plan to get us there.  That ought to give us joy – even when we get frustrated with ourselves. 

Last, we can have joy because we anticipate our Lord’s return.  The middle of verse 2 says, “We know that when He appears…”  Our Lord could return for us before our eyes blink again (1 Corinthians 15:52) and take us up to meet Him in the air

 (1 Thessalonians 4:17).  We could leave this world at any second to be with our Lord forever.  What a source of joy for every moment of our lives!

It is so easy to let this world, and life’s circumstances steal our joy.  Believer, take a minute to think of all you have in Christ.  He is the source of joy in everyday life.