Haiti Earthquake Response
Submitted by Jon Hevelone on Thu, 01/14/2010 - 12:11This is an unabashed, urgent appeal for both conscious, directed prayer for the people of Haiti, and a heart willing to give generously in this time of crisis.
First Baptist Arlington has long supported mission work in Haiti through American Baptist Churches USA. There is a strong presence providing ministry to body and soul to people across the desperately poor nation, or at least there was until the earthquake. Although communication is limited, apparently this work is ongoing now even in the face of the destruction, and it certainly will be an ever more important lifeline over the coming months and years.
I believe that whatever money you give must be placed in hands that are trustworthy and competent. This is especially true in an underdeveloped nation like Haiti. We have a number of medical clinics and community development projects in place ready to provide help now.
The deacons of our church agree that we must act immediately. This Sunday there will be opportunity to receive a special offering for our Haiti earthquake response. Please come prepared to give out of your heart.
If you are not able to be in church, you may donate money to American Baptist International Ministries directly by clicking http://www.internationalministries.org/places/haiti. That site provides a safe and secure way to make an online donation - just place the amount you wish to give in the space marked “Haiti Earthquake Relief” (at the bottom of the yellow "Give" box on the right side of the page) and follow the instructions. Please write First Baptist Church of Arlington in the box where a church may be credited with the donation. You may also just send a check to our church, marked “Haiti.”
I will keep you informed as more information is available. Thank you for rising to the overwhelming need that presents itself. God bless you.
Blessings
Jon Dale Hevelone
Welcome!
Submitted by Jon Hevelone on Thu, 12/04/2008 - 18:46First Baptist Church of Arlington is a church of faith where people can grow to their God given potential. If you are just now exploring the claims of Jesus Christ for the first time as an adult, or if you have been a personal Christian for years, it would be great to have you join us in our spiritual journey.
We are a group of people who are at different places in our spiritual walk discovering together what it means to be a Christian in the 21st century. Some of us are very traditional church folk. Some of us are postmodern. Some of us are young, some wish we were. We are shades of black, brown, and white.
We are a Baptist church because we believe in the centrality of the gospel, the importance of scripture, the necessity of personal faith, and the freedom that is found in Christ. Our faith has provided a place for us to stand in facing life, and we have found some meaningful answers. We also have many questions.
I'm so glad you're looking at our home on the web. If you'd like to know us better, come by on a Sunday morning for our worship service, or drop in at one of our group meetings or special events. Our worship service starts at 10am.
I'll be here, and I look forward to meeting you.
Blessings,
Pastor Jon
A Look at the 23rd Psalm
Submitted by Nell on Wed, 01/27/2010 - 12:44The Women’s Bible Study on Saturday morning has become a special part of my spiritual life. We are dong an in depth study of the Gospel of John. Chapter after chapter we have seen how God revealed his son Jesus through the observations of his disciple John. We have been able to catch a glimpse of Jesus and his life and work on earth. So the question arises of what does this all mean to me? How can the the scripture come alive in our individual lives?
Let’s look at this idea through the familiar passage of the 23rd Psalm. It was written by David and is the best known of the messianic psalms. It pictures the Lord as a shepherd. This metaphor is picked up in the New Testament in John 10: 11 where Jesus is called the good shepherd. So what do we know in the 21st century urban America about shepherds? Let’s see:
The Lord is my Shepherd - that’s a relationship!
I shall not want - he provides my needs.
He makes me lie down in green pastures - he gives me rest.
He leads me beside the still waters - he refreshes me.
He restores my soul - he heals me emotionally and spiritually.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness - he guides me.
For his name sake - he gives me purpose for my life.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death - he knows that I will face difficulties in life.
I will fear no evil - he will protect me.
For You are with me - he is faithful.
Thy rod and staff comfort me - he disciplines me.
He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies - he gives me hope.
He annoints my head with oil - he consecrates me.
My cup runs over - he gives abundantly above my needs.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life - he blesses me.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord - he provides security.
Forever - he will be with me for eternity.
So we can not only see Jesus in this scripture, we can also see ourselves. What a gift! What joy! Praise be to God!
Christmas in January?
Submitted by Nell on Wed, 12/30/2009 - 10:34Christmas 2009 has come and gone. It was filled with joy and beauty, but also had moments of sadness when a snow storm caused us to have to cancel our Christmas Sunday service. We ministered to the hurting among us with the Blue Christmas Service. We had wonderful music programing thanks to Greg Lowther, our new organist. The Christmas pageant exceed our expectations with our young Holy Family and live baby Jesus (Ethan). The brunch following the pageant got rave reviews as the Sheltons worked their magic in the kitchen yet again. The Advent Bible studies prepared our hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. The manger was filled once again with mittens and scarves for the needy, and we filled 18 boxes for Operation Christmas Child. It was a wonderful time. But now it is almost January.
January is not a time when we usually think about Christmas unless the after-Christmas sales make us think about buying gifts for next year and putting them away. Several people have suggested to me that we have Christmas every month by planning ahead to fill even more Christmas boxes for 2010. If we do a little each month, we can probably at least double the number of boxes we fill. So I challenge you to do just that. Start now and let’s see what we can do.
It might interest you to know that in our collection area, 14,824 shoeboxes were turned in. It was good to play even a small part in that effort. We were part of the mission outreach to children by Samaritan’s Purse lead by Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billly Graham.
So Merry Christmas in January 2010.
