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:
- Prayer walking - you will be trained and will go out in small teams.
- 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.
- Evangelistic Teams.
- Senior Adult - visit, share Bibles, do crafts, other activities with seniors.
- Home Repair/Painting - help paint a home or do small repairs.
- Yard Work Teams - raking, mowing, trimming.
- 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
