Mission Opportunities

One of our goals this year is to become a church that is more involved in missions. I wanted to write about a few opportunities we have in the near future so you would have a bit more information than we can announce on Sunday mornings.

First, on August 13, we will be giving away backpacks at Murrell Taylor Elementary School. This is a ministry we started a few years ago to help families at the start of the school year. This year we are giving away backpacks in conjunction with Murrell Taylor's open house. The open house is from 4-6pm. They will have a meeting with parents/students from 4:00-4:30. When they are finished, they will release the children to visit their rooms, pick up a backpack, eat hot dogs, and play on inflatables. We need your help. We need you to sign up on one of the lists on the office windows. We need help giving away backpacks, handing out food, monitoring the inflatables, and general help with clean-up. I hope you will consider giving up part of an afternoon to minister to these families.

Second, our association is organizing a one day mission trip for Jacksonville on September 10. You need to sign up on one of the forms in the lobby by August 31. The cost is $10 that is due when you turn in your form. The association is asking you to also bring a non-perishable canned good on September 10. We will meet at 8:30am for orientation at Second Baptist Church, and then we will be divided into teams for different ministries. Lunch will be provided, and we will end our work at 2:30pm before heading back to Second Baptist. At 3:00pm, we will close with a Celebration Rally that will end at 3:30pm. Don't worry. The Arkansas vs TCU game is at 6:00. You will have plenty of time to get home before it starts. When you fill out the registration form, you will have several mission opportunities to choose from:

1. Prayer walking - you will be trained and will go out in small teams.
2. Prayer Meeting Team - If you are physically unable to serve on other teams, there will be a prayer meeting held to lift up this day and the ministries to take place throughout the day.
3. Evangelistic Teams.
4. Senior Adult - visit, share Bibles, do crafts, other activities with seniors.
5. Home Repair/Painting - help paint a home or do small repairs.
6. Yard Work Teams - raking, mowing, trimming.
7. Block Parties

If you have any neighbors that need small home repair or could use some yard work, please let our church know so we can turn in a request for that home to be a place where we send a team. Our preference is the neighbor be a family that does not have a church home. This is an opportunity for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I hope you will seize this opportunity to serve in our community.

Last, I am certain you are aware that our church has connected with Corbin Hobbs who is a church planter in Denver, CO. Before the launching of the church plant on February 12, The Heights will have a handful of preview services. These are services that give people in the community a chance to visit The Heights before their official launch. We are organizing a team to help with the first preview service. We will leave on Monday, November 7, and we will return the following Monday, November 14. We are still trying to figure out the cost, and I cannot give you that information at this time. We will have an informational meeting for those who would like to learn more on August 28, at noon. One more additional piece of information. We will be Skyping with Corbin in both of our morning services on August 21.

In Christ,
Mark Smith, Pastor of FBC Jacksonville

Praying for M-Fuge

Every summer our teenagers, along with a handful of adults, attend Mission Fuge Camp. It is an incredible opportunity for them to experience camp and missions together. As a church member, you have an opportunity and privilege to pray for them. I hope you will take the time to pray for them. The group leaves this next Sunday, July 24, and they will return on Saturday, July 30. Please take time the next couple of week to lift them up in prayer. Here are some things you can pray for:

1. Pray for the teenagers going. Pray that God will prepare their hearts to learn more about Jesus.
2. Pray for them as they serve at their mission projects every day. Pray for safety as well as opportunities to share the gospel with those they serve.
3. Pray for those going who may not have accepted Jesus. Pray for God to reveal Himself in a way that draws them into a relationship with God.
4. Pray for strength and endurance both physically and spiritually for the adults. It can be a taxing week on them.
5. Pray for unity in the youth group.
6. Pray for good weather while at M-Fuge.
7. Pray for safe travel.

Six-Month Checkup

I came across a spiritual checkup written by Chuck Lawless not too long ago. It was written as a spiritual checkup for the halfway point during the year. I hope this list of questions will rekindle your walk with the Lord if you find yourself in a stagnate place. So many times we wait until the beginning of the year to make New Year's resolutions. What's wrong with making a resolution for the remainder of the year in July?

1. Are you reading the Bible daily? Maybe you started the year with a reading plan and find that you have fallen behind or fallen out of the habit. Why not take time to catch up, adjust your plan, or create a new plan. Whatever your approach. Try to find a way to read a little of God's word every day.
2. Are you praying daily? Are you praying regularly (1 Thessalonians 5:17)? Are you praying for your enemies (Matthew 5:44), for others (Ephesians 6:18-20), for believers to speak boldly the gospel (Colossians 4:3-4), for government and church leaders (1 Timothy 2:2)? Maybe take some time and thank the Lord for all He has done (Colossians 4:2).
3. How often have you shared the gospel this year? Are you so humbled and amazed by the grace of God and His forgiveness that you can't help telling others about what Jesus Christ has done for you? Who are you praying for that does have a personal relationship with Jesus (Romans 10:1)? Maybe you can begin to pray and ask God to increase your burden for the lost through the remainder of the year (Romans 9:1-3).
4. Are you faithfully fighting sin in your life? Honestly, are you experiencing victory over sin this year? Is there a certain sin that you continue to struggle with? What steps can you take to overcome? Who can you talk with that will bring accountability into your life?
5. What scriptures have you memorized this year? Psalm 119:9 asks, "How a young man can keep his way pure?" The answer is to live according to the God's word. I love what the psalmist writes just a few verses later, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." I wonder if our struggle with sin is because we don't have the word of God seared in our hearts.
6. Are you serving faithfully in a local church? Church is more than a place to attend. The church is a family of believers that are to minister to one another. Are you using your spiritual gifts as a member of a local body of believers (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). Are you supporting His work financially as well? Commit to spend yourself in God's church throughout the rest of 2016.
7. Are you exhibiting the work of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:19-23)? Let's allow those verses to guide your self-evaluation: "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like....But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Which traits most characterize your life today?
8. Who is walking more with God because of your influence this year? Are you making disciples? Isn't this what Jesus commands us to at the end of Matthew's gospel (Matthew 28:18-20)? Who are you taking under your wing to disciple and teach the things of God?
9. What steps have you taken to spread the gospel to the nations? We are called to be missionaries in our own community, globally, and everywhere else in between (Acts 1:8). What missionaries are you praying for? Are you seeking through prayer an opportunity to participate in a mission trip this year or next? 
10. How would your family assess you as a family member and a believer this year? Those who observe us daily are the most equipped to evaluate our spiritual walk. What would your family members say if asked about your walk with God?

I hope these questions will provoke you to evaluate your walk. No need to wait until December to make changes when you can make them right now!