Friday and Saturday I was at Now Serving ATL with college students from all over the state as well as South Carolina and Alabama.  In this 21 hour event students gather together to serve some of the people of Atlanta, worship, and fellowship not to mention sleep on a gym floor.  Why would anyone volunteer to sleep on a gym floor?  Because these students have heard the call of God to show hospitality to others.  Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”  The students spent their Saturday showing hospitality to others at ten different mission sites in which they cleaned, sorted food, painted, made meals, cleaned soap, did yard work, moved furniture, sorted medical supplies and learned about how to open themselves up to others.

I am grateful to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia and McAfee School of Theology for sponsoring this event.  These two groups deeply value students and student leadership.  I am grateful to you, our FBC family, for the ways you welcome and affirm these students as they continue to show hospitality to others.  We as a church are blessed to be ministering to and with these young people.  And I am grateful to our students for their willingness to seek out ways to serve this community in their everyday lives and in Atlanta this past weekend.  When Christ is our center, hospitality shows.

Lee

The Lenten season is a seven week period from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday.  The time is to be used to prayerfully reflect on our nature as sinful beings and to prepare ourselves to receive and celebrate the resurrection of Christ.  Reflecting on our nature as sinful beings doesn’t sound very inviting which is why such an emphasis may be one of the most important things we do.

Lent is not a time to beat ourselves up but it is a time to reflect on the fact that we are imperfect.  There are times, for all of us, when we are not as faithful to God or as loving toward others as we ought to be.  That does not stop God from loving us.  (By the way this was the topic of discussion in the study led by Peter Harvin Sunday night.  If you weren’t there, you missed something both challenging and enlightening.)  Lent, then, is a time to ponder the wonder of God’s love that continues to be poured out for us even when we resist that love through our disobedience.  This requires us to take an honest look at our lives and to acknowledge those areas of our lives that fall short of what God desires for us.

This year we invite you to consider the Lenten season as a journey.  Our journey began with our Ash Wednesday observance.  We received the mark of the ashes as a sign of penitence.  This coming Sunday, Lee will be preaching and will focus our attention on the beginning of the journey.  In the following Sundays I will address such topics as the sense of trust required for the journey; the fact that this journey will not make sense to some; the love of God that compels us on this journey and the cross that stands at the end of the journey. 

We will celebrate Holy Week, as usual, with our brothers and sisters in Christ from the Methodist and Presbyterian churches.  We will meet here at FBC for the Maundy Thursday service which will focus on the humility that is necessary for the Lenten journey.  The Good Friday service will be at the Presbyterian Church and the Sunrise Service will be held at the Methodist Church.

I hope you will join us for this journey.  I also hope you will use the season of Lent as time of self-examination.  While such an exercise can be uncomfortable at first it is a necessary starting point if we hope to reach a sense of peace and fulfillment in our relationship with God.

Carlton 

During the Youth Lock In at the beginning of February the youth accomplished two main goals!  They painted the youth Sunday school room in order to prepare for its new image.  The big reveal of this room is Wednesday, February 15 at 6:15 for the youth and at 7:15 for the rest of the church.  As you read this posting, February 15 may have already passed you by, but you should still stop by and check out this room.  It is now an inviting space for the youth to come together and study the Bible.  Thank you to Susan Harvin for helping the youth make sense of their dream for this space and for making it become a reality!  It is beautiful!

The second great accomplishment of the Youth Lock In was the shopping spree for the Banks-Jackson Emergency Food Bank.  The youth shopped with purpose as they competed to see which group could purchase the most within their budget for the Food Bank.  In this activity they were able to see just what $40 would buy in food.  $40 isn’t a lot, but it is a significant amount for a family trying to get through a hard time.  The youth were able to give $240 worth of food to help people in our local community.  I must say the Lock In was a huge success!

Lee

How often have you heard somebody say, “The bible says God helps those who help themselves.”  Or “Money is the root of all evil.”  Or “Do unto others as they have done unto you.”  All of these are misrepresentations of the teachings of Scripture.  The first statement is simply an outright lie as scripture says no such thing.  In the second statement, a key word has been left out.  The statement actually says, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” In the third statement the words have been twisted.  The actual teaching is, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  I think we would be surprised to learn how many of us base how we live as Christians on statements that either aren’t in scripture or have been twisted to mean something other than what scripture teaches.

Peter Harvin will begin a new Sunday night study this coming Sunday at 6pm in the Friendly 57 Class room.  The title is “Things Jesus Never Said” and is based on the book “10 Things Jesus Never Said: And Why You Should Stop Believing Them” by Will Davis, Jr.  Peter describes this as “a study of some commonly believed myths about our relationships with God and each other and the truth about what Jesus really said and how he really feels about us.  All too often we are riddled through with guilt about our failures as Christians based upon these supposed truths.  Hopefully by the end of this study we will come to understand not only how these misperceptions came about, but how to dispel them.”

I hope you will join us for this interesting and informative study.

February 15 is a big day for youth ministry in our church!  The youth have been working on renewing the youth Sunday school room to be a welcoming space full of life.  They would like to invite you to an Open House Wednesday, February 15 at 7:15 pm.  Please come and see what all they have done. 

February 15 is also an important day because parents are invited to a Youth Parent Meeting at 6:30 in the Friendly 57 room (on the far left side of the building as you face the church from Elm Street).  During this meeting we will discuss the sex education curriculum I would like to teach our youth.  The Youth Committee and I feel strongly that we need to be discussing this topic with the students because they are faced with decisions about or relating to sex.  Opening the dialogue with students empowers them to make informed decisions about what expectations they will hold themselves to when faced with real life decision making about sex.

I’m looking forward to seeing you February 15 for the Youth Open House and/or the Youth Parents Meeting.                                  

Lee

At the Church Business Meeting this past month we voted on three changes to our church by-laws.  Deacon Chair Sammy Thomason announced that I would inform you of the results.  The vote was unanimous to approve the changes.

In case you weren’t here, the first change eliminated a conflict between Article XII and Article VI.  Article XII stated that the Nominating Committee does not recommend church officers while Article VI states that the Nominating Committee does recommend church officers.   Our Nominating Committee has been recommending church officers so we eliminated the part of Article XII that contradicted that.

The second change was to change the wording of Article VI, Section 3 relating to Trustees.  We found that nothing in our by-laws indicated who was responsible for nominating those who serve as trustees of the church.  The Nominating Committee has been doing this so we changed the wording to reflect that this is the responsibility of the Nominating Committee.

The third change involved Article VI, Section 2 relating to the office of Treasurer.  In the past we have elected a treasurer and an assistant treasurer.  Because two signatures are required on checks over $500 we have also had two other people who have been designated as “substitute signers” in case the treasurer or assistant treasurer was unavailable.  By changing this to include three assistant treasurers we allow the by-laws to reflect the reality of the church’s practice.

In all three of these cases we made changes to the by-laws to reflect the practice of the church.  That just makes sense.  None of those practices were in violation of the by-laws but, for whatever reasons, the practices were not spelled out in the by-laws.  I am grateful we were able to make these changes and appreciative of members of our Constitution and By-laws Committee who have examined those documents over the past couple of years to see where things needed to be tightened up, wording changed for clarification or changes made to reflect the common practice of the church.  That kind of work is an ongoing process that is vital to our church.

Sometimes we spell out procedures and then realize, when we try to implement those procedures, that there are more effective ways of doing what we need to do.  In such cases it is far better to change our by-laws than to continue to do something that is ineffective.  Sometimes we realize that procedures are not spelled-out clearly in our by-laws.  We need to clarify the wording when that happens.  Other times parts of the document can contradict one another.  It is vital that we resolve such contradictions.  From time to time a church will realize that the by-laws require us to do something that is dated and no longer relevant to the ministry and mission of the church.

Healthy churches realize that these principles apply to more than the church’s by-laws.  We constantly need to examine everything we do as a church to find where we might be working against one another; where other methods might bring more effective results; where we have not clearly stated our mission and where we are putting our time and other resources into work that is no longer relevant to the church’s overall mission.  This is a large part of the work that is being done by our Visioning Team and is one of the reasons they have been so interested in your input.

Please continue to examine the ministries and programs of our church with discerning eyes, minds and hearts.  I believe we have a good church, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get better!

Carlton

Is there a particular verse of the Bible with which you connect?  Do you have a verse that you say often or think of often?  I’m just wondering if anyone has a theme Bible verse, one that gives both comfort and encouragement while at the same time strengthening your commitment to Christ.  There are several verses to which I find myself coming back.  Jeremiah 29:11 continues to resurface for me reminding me that God is bigger than any storm I might face or any unknown path I may encounter.  “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and give you a future.”  I must say though that lately another verse has been rising to the surface of my mind just floating up to my consciousness.  I used it recently in a children’s sermon.  “O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8  I can’t explain why this verse is so present for me now, but I am trying to use it to remember to savor the goodness of God.  And I must say I am discovering new ways in my life that God is good.  I am thankful for those moments and that I can experience God in new and old ways.  So I invite you to please share with me which verse or verses are ever present in your mind.

Lee

Sunday night, as part of our study of the third chapter of James, we discussed how one statement or act can ruin a ca-reer.  We also talked about how a career can be ruined not because of what one does or says, but because of what one doesn’t do or say.  Either way, one of the saddest things we can witness is the destruction of the career and reputation of someone who has been successful and has even done a lot of good by one act of commission or omission.

Of course the discussion inevitably turned to legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno who died Sunday morning.  While you can debate the way the school handled the firing of Coach Paterno, I don’t think the school had any choice but to fire him.  Even Paterno, himself, said that, in retrospect, he wished he had done more.  He realized that he had erred.

Paterno’s long-time assistant, Jerry Sandusky has been indicted on 40 counts of sex crimes against young boys.  The charges stem from an investigation that began in 2009 and was completed this past year.  Sandusky retired from Penn State in 1999, but had still been allowed access to the school’s facilities.  In fact, the school banned him from the campus only after he had been indicted.

The problem, as it relates to Paterno, is that in 2002 an assistant coach informed Paterno that he had witnessed Sandusky involved in a sexual act with a 10 year old boy in the Penn State locker room shower.   The next day Paterno passed the information along to athletic department officials.  Two of those officials have been fired and charged with perjury and failure to report suspected child abuse to law enforcement authorities.  Charges were not brought against Paterno because it was determined that by reporting what he was told to those in the athletic department he fulfilled his legal responsibilities.  While some may question that ruling, what cannot be denied is that Pateno failed his moral responsibilities and it is that failure that damaged his reputation and justified his dismissal.

As Paterno himself wondered, “Why didn’t he do more?”  He said, in the aftermath, that the assistant coach was somewhat vague in describing what he had witnessed.  If that was the case, why didn’t Paterno ask for more specifics?  He said he had never heard of “rape and a man.”  That begs credulity in today’s society, plus this victim was not a man but a 10 year old boy.  Why was Paterno so quick to wash his hands of the incident?  Why didn’t he follow up with athletic department officials?  Why didn’t he go to his former colleague and (supposedly) friend and ask him about the allegations?  If the allegations had proven to be false, his former staff member deserved to know what had been said about him.  If they were true, Paterno could have urged him to seek help and, possibly reduced the number of victims.

 A man for whom I hold a great deal of respect suggested that Paterno has been driven by the ambition to achieve the most wins for a college football coach. This would certainly explain his choice to continue coaching long after most would have retired and after the vagaries of age prevented him from remaining on the sidelines during games.  There is nothing wrong with ambition, but if it caused Paterno to decide he didn’t want to know more about the allegations against his former colleague, then ambition was his downfall.

Whatever the case, I grieve for the Paterno family in their loss and in the media attention surrounding it.  Joe Paterno was, undoubtedly, one of the greatest coaches in the game.  I have no doubt he was a positive influence on the lives of many who played for him and others who admired him.

I’ve already seen heartless people write that Paterno was doomed to hell.  I believe in a God who is loving and full of grace.  I also believe, regardless of what his ambitions or failures may have been, Paterno genuinely regretted the incidents that took place and his reluctance to do more about them.  I am confident that, if he sought forgiveness from God, he received it.  I also think, like any great coach (or teacher for that matter) he would hope that others could at least learn from his mistakes.  His legend has undoubtedly been tarnished, but even tarnished legends have something to teach us.

Paterno’s lesson to us is this, sometimes it’s what you don’t do or say that can be your downfall.  James teaches us that the tongue is a dangerous part of the body, particularly when it is not kept under control.  Keeping it under control, however, doesn’t always mean keeping it quiet.  Instead it means using it in the way God intended for us to use it.  I think God wanted Joe to speak up; to say more and do more.  Like Joe, I regret that he didn’t.  May God have mercy on him and on us as well.

Carlton

Thank you for your generous support of us as we prepare for mission and discipleship opportunities!  We are overwhelmed at the love you have poured out on us through your attendance and cake buying at the Spaghetti Supper and Cake Auction last week.  Through your bigheartedness we raised $2,165! 

 With much love and gratitude,

The FBC Youth Group

(Lucas, Joseph, Etta, Katherine, Jennifer, Cody, Wesley, Andrew, Jordan,  Anna, Kate, Isabel, Ivy, & Sydney)

Sometimes I wind up with so much that I could say in a sermon I have to pick and choose in order to keep from going on too long.  This past Sunday was one of those times.  There are two additional things that relate to the message of “Making a Difference.”

First of all, I shared with you at the end the story of the little boy and his father who were walking along the beach.  The little boy was picking up sand dollars and throwing them back into the water.  His dad pointed out there were so many on the beach and even more in the ocean and suggested what the boy was doing couldn’t possibly make a difference.  The little boy then reached down for another one, tossed it into the water and said to his dad, “Well, I made a difference for that one.”  What I could have added was that you, as a congregation, remind me of that boy.  There are some pictures on bulletin boards in the hallway outside the office.  One celebrates your generosity in our One Day of Giving.  There are pictures of people whose lives have been touched by the ministries and missions your giving supports.  Around the corner, as you approach the elevator, are pictures of two of the children from the orphanage in Lom, Bulgaria.  You can point to any or all of those pictures and say, with confidence, “Well, we made a difference for that one, and that one and that one…..”  I suppose we see that most clearly in the lives of the children in Lom.  If you don’t believe this ask one of the folks who have been on that missions experience.  Keep in mind that this would not be possible without the money you give to buy supplies.

The second thing I would mention is the local missions supported in our annual budget.  You help dozens of people each year who need help with utility bills, medicine, gas to get to doctor’s appointments and job interviews, rent and putting food on the table.  In addition to that you support a local food bank that touches the lives of countless others.  Your commitment to generous giving has helped us to not only stay on budget but to exceed our budget for the first quarter of this month.  This allows us to do even more to help people in need in our community.

The bottom line is that you are indeed “doers of the word and not hearers only.”  Thank you for your commitment to a faith that is exemplified in your works.  That first century writer named James would be proud.

Carlton