February 1, 2015 The twice monthly newsletter from Brown Deer Baptist Church, Brown Deer, WI. “Building people through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ” “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God.” Psalm 42: 1 THIS MONTH “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” -- Philippians 2:4 POT LUCK LUNCH Sunday, February 1, 2015 Following Worship Bring a dish to share and enjoy good food and great fellowship 2. Church Notes 3. From the Pastor’s Heart 4. Misc. Thoughts 5. February Calendar 6. Extended Session Ponder on This: Christlike love is seen in good works. 1 SUNDAY SCHEDULE BIBLE STUDY @ 9:15 am BREAD FOR BODY AND SOUL…. WORSHIP @ 10:30 am WEDNESDAY ACTIVITIES: Will you be there? Will you be on time? Will your heart be prepared to learn and to worship? . 6:00 - Fellowship Supper. See bulletin each week for menu. 6:45 - Adult Bible study and Youth and Children’s Mission studies We’ll be looking for you Sunday morning and truly hope your chair will not be empty! 7:45 – Praise Team Rehearsal PRAISE TEAM NEWS: There will be a praise team planning meeting following lunch on Sunday, February 1. Good planning is important, so make your plans to attend this meeting. CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING: 02 - Martin Oduro 03 – Dallas Griffith 04 – Veronica DeRidder 04 – William Powell 06 – Rob Krome 10 – Rachel Wycklendt 15 – Tabi Nsiah 25 – Bob Anderson All members of the Church Council are urged to plan to attend the Council meeting following worship on Sunday, February 8. LOVE ONE ANOTHER Church Visitation will be at 4 PM on the following Sundays: February 15 and 22 Meeting People; Making Friends; Sharing Christ. 2 FROM THE PASTOR’S HEART… “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” --Psalm 30:5 (NASB95) When we observe the Lord’s Supper it is a memorial. The bread brings us to remember Christ’s body on the cross. The cup reminds us that His blood was poured out for our forgiveness. Christians commonly remember the sufferings of Jesus through this memorial. But did you know that God has a memorial which brings to His remembrance the sufferings that His children endure? Stay with me here and be blessed! A common item found in the tombs of ancient peoples in Bible lands is a lachrymatory. I am sure that most of you reading this know exactly the significance of this item…or, maybe not. This was an item that continued to be placed in tombs even into the 1800’s in America having been adopted by the Europeans in ages past. What is a lachrymatory? (I’m amazed that the spelling correction feature on my computer didn’t question this word!) A lachrymatory is a small bottle, or vial, in which mourners at a funeral would collect their tears of grief. The bottle would be sealed and buried with the body of the loved one as a memorial of love. Keeping this in mind, come to the holy ground of Psalm 56:8 and let this verse take root in your soul. “You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?” (Ps. 56:8, NASB95). Do you see it? God keeps a lachrymatory—a bottle of our tears from grief—in heaven. In fact, He even notes our tears in His records. God still remembers our tears long after our eyes have dried and stains left on our cheeks have been washed away. Even when we forget some of our tears, He still remembers them. Why does God do this? The Bible doesn’t give us a direct answer and we are left to speculate. But I think that I might know the answer. People collect the things they value. Some collect things of value to others such as gold coins. Others collect things of value only to themselves—mementos from their world travels, pictures of loved ones. Regardless, the things collected have value to the collector. God collects your tears in His bottle because He values them. Why are your tears valuable to God? Because you are valuable to God! You are His greatest treasure. He loves you so much that “He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Hallelujah! “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” Love, Pastor Larry 3 Miscellaneous Thoughts for a New Year “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” ~Charles W. Eliot “Saying I can be a Christian without going to church is like saying I can be alive without breathing!” author unknown “Nobody ever outgrows Scriptures; the Book widens and deepens with our years.” - Spurgeon 4 FEBRUARY 2015 Sunday 1 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Church Council mtg. 9 10 11 12 13 14 Valentine’s Day 15 Deacon Mtg. 16 President’s Day 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 Pot Luck Lunch Praise Team Meeting Lord’s Supper 22 REGULAR WEEKLY SCHEDULE Sunday Wednesday 6:00 - Fellowship Supper 9:15 – Fellowship 9:30 – Bible Study 6:45 – Mission Friends/GAs/RAs/ 10:30- Morning Worship Acteens/Adult Prayer & Bible Study 1:30 – Grace Point Hmong Service 7:45 – Praise Team Rehearsal 5 Our Little Ones Are Precious Jesus said: “Bring the little ones to me, and do not turn them away.” In addition to Sunday Bible Study and Wednesday Missions Study, our Preschool Ministry provides for children from birth through 3 years of age during Sunday morning worship. We will help your baby learn that Jesus loves him/her and that church is a happy place to be, thus laying a solid foundation for future spiritual growth. Loving workers will help your child learn about Jesus and that church is a happy place to be. 2/1 2/8 2/15 2/22 Sandy Kruchell Marilynn Rushing Claire Blanchard Vickie Holt Jaime Gafford Pam Powell Shawn Wycklendt Tony Geiger Kofi Nana-Yaw Daniel Aubrey Special Prayer Request: Judith Sagen will be with a group of pastors as they tour the Holy Land February 16-25, 2015. Please pray for this group as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus; growing in knowledge, understanding, and in our relationship with the Lord. I will also be taking a group of lay-people at a later date. If you are interested in this opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, please see me for a brochure. Or you can find a brochure and registration form online at www.ittworld.com. Our tour code is Willingham 15. Each week there is a list of current prayer needs as known included in the bulletin. You are encouraged to keep your bulletin with your Bible so that as you read God’s Word daily you also are reminded to pray about these needs. If you have a special prayer need contact Sandy Kruchell, our Prayer Coordinator. If you can’t reach her call Pastor Larry. God said that the church should be known as a house of prayer. Let’s make that true of Brown Deer Baptist. 6