www.MechanicsvilleBaptist.org 1

Apr i l 9 , 2018

2 Pastor’s Pen

2 April Sermons

2 April Meals

2 Dover Mtg.

3 Mother’s Day Geraniums

3 DR Mission Trip/VBS/OCC

4 Prayer List/MCEF

4 Stewardship Report

5 Birthdays/Calendar

5 Worship Assistants

A twice monthly publication of Mechanicsville Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, VA What’s INSIDE

Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Closed for lunch 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Office: 804.746.7253

After a short break, our Connect small groups for adults pick back up this coming Wednesday, April 11, at 6:00 p.m. in the Education building. There’s something for everyone! Come and check us out while your children are in Awanas.

Connect Groups Resume Wednesday, April 11

Just pack up your family for the weekend (tents, camping supplies, food, etc…) and drive out to the park on Friday night. We also have the lodge reserved for those who may be interested in that option.

This is a great way to get away with your family and grow closer to your church family, too. Fellowship, worship, Bible study, and other activities are planned!

Not just for youth families — everyone is welcome! RSVP to Dwight by May 1 at 804.305.9500 or ldhedges69@gmail.com.

www.MechanicsvilleBaptist.org 2

The Touchstone

Dover Baptist Association Semi-Annual Mtg. The Dover Baptist Association will have its Semi-Annual meeting Sunday, April 22, 3:00-5:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Ashland. Registration opens at 2:30 p.m.

I n 1873, a Bel-gian Catholic

priest named Jo-seph Damien De Veuster was sent

to minister to lepers on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai. When he arrived he immediately began to meet each one of the lepers in the colony in hopes of building a friendship. But where ever he turned, people shunned him. It seemed as though every door was closed. He poured his life into his work, erecting a chapel, beginning worship services, and pouring out his heart to the lepers. But it was to no avail! No one responded to his ministry. After twelve years Father Damien made the decision to leave.

Dejectedly, he made his way to the docks to board a ship to take him back to Belgium. As he stood on the dock he wrung his hands nervously as he re-counted his futile ministry among the lepers. As he did he looked down at his hands and noticed some mysterious white spots and felt some numbness. Almost immediately he knew what was happening to his body. He had con-tracted leprosy!

It was then that he knew what he had to do. He returned to the leper colony and to his work. Quickly the word of his disease spread through the colony.

Within a matter of hours everyone knew. Hundreds of them gathered out-side his hut, they understood his pain, fear, and uncertainty about the future.

But the biggest surprise was the follow-ing Sunday. As Father Damien arrived at the chapel, he found hundreds of worshipers there. By the time the ser-vice began, the chapel was crowded, and many were gathered outside. His ministry became enormously success-ful. The reason? He was one of them. He understood and empathized with them.

As we reflect on Easter and the power of the Resurrection we are reminded that God became one of us in order to experience all of what it means to live as a human. His love for us took Him to the cross for our forgiveness. We have an obligation to share that message with all we encounter so that others can know the love of God we have ex-perienced at Easter and all throughout the year! ~ Pastor Tim

April Sermons

April 1 Witnessing the Resurrection

April 8 The Proof of the Blood

(Dwight Hedges preaching)

April 15 The Serpent and the Savior

April 22

Jesus Went a Little Farther

April 29

The Spirit Within and

the World Without

April Meals

April 4

No Activities

April 11

Salisbury Steak

April 18

BBQ

April 25 TBD

Welcome Ryan Curry! We welcome Ryan Curry, a missionary who serves with the International Mission Board in Mozambique, Africa to our Alpha House. Ryan will be with us until the fall.

www.MechanicsvilleBaptist.org 3

The Touchstone

Please pray for our mission team as they prepare for their mission trip to the Dominican Republic July 12-20, 2018 where they will be ministering to the urban poor in the capital region of Santo Domingo, DR.

The important training dates for our trip are:

Saturdays from 7:00-10:00 p.m. Sundays from 1:30-4:30 p.m. 04/21, 05/19, 06/09, 07/07 04/22, 05/20, 06/10, 07/08

Mark Your Calendars for

Vacation Bible School

July 29 - August 2, 2018 We still have room for more, so if

you’re feeling led to lead, please

let me know! We are excited how

God is going to use this year’s

VBS to reach our community for

Christ and grow up our children in

their faith in the Lord. Contact

Dwight Hedges for more infor-

mation at ldhedges69@gmail.com.

Looking for more information? Join

us for one of our VBS planning

meetings at 12:00 noon on:

Sunday, May 6

Sunday, June 3 Sunday, July 1

Operation Christmas Child Items for April are…

Toys for Girls! Dolls, Jump Ropes, Coloring Books,

Puzzles, Playing Cards, Play Jewelry, Balls, Games, Sewing Kits, Flash-

lights with Batteries Dominican Republic Mission Trip Update

Mother’s Day Geraniums

Geraniums will be placed in the sanctuary on Sunday, May 13 in memory of or in honor of our mothers. The cost is $8.00 for either a pink or red plant and the deadline for ordering is May 9. Order forms with envelopes are in the church foyer outside the sanctu-ary or in the FLC. Please enclose payment with your order. Checks may be made payable to Mechanicsville Baptist Church and marked Mother’s Day flowers in the memo.

Join us for a reception for

Jackie Broaddus on

Sunday, April 29, 2018 from 3:00-4:00 p.m.

In celebration of her work in our Child Care ministry.

We appreciate Jackie and wish she and her husband well as his work is transferring him to Florida.

Please stop by and speak with her.

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Howard Lynch at Autumn Care, Lucille Hott, Don Stewart at The Hermitage

Shirley Armstrong, Bill/Sandra Blackburn, Amy Boles (James/Carol Boles daughter), Polly Boschen, Amy Bowles (Eunice Bowles’ granddaughter), Eunice Bowles, Norman/Betty Bowles, Dale Boyers (Alice Bridges’ brother), Jeanne Bradley, Robin Brightwell, Jean Brooks, Florence Brown, George/Bessie Bryan, Joyce Burgess, Jeff Carr, Tim Cates, Jim Cherry, Nancy Chittum, Jerry Clark, Brenda Crawford, David/Janice Culver

Nancy Damron, Howard/Jean Davis (Mary Kay Winn’s parents), Margaret DavisAmy Dixon, Rick Doggett, Roxanne Eliott (Jim Wright’s granddaughter), Jennifer Fisher (Aaron’s sister), The Fisher Family, Jean Foster, Aurelia Faulkner

Linda Gerhardt, Mary Greenwood, Cliff/Doris Grotz, Eddie Ham, Michael Hechler (Diane Kennedy’s son), Ward/Peggy Hildreth, Hillard Family (Mary Hawthorne’s family), John/Shirley Horton, Johnny Howell, Shirley Huffman (Ruth Stewart’s sister), Barbara Jackson, Courtney Jackson, Dot Jones, Mary Lee Jones, Dick/Charlsie Joyner, Cecil/Rae Keel, Jim/Diane Kennedy, Kerry Kinser (Paige Kinser’s mother) Bryan Lane (Floyd

Lane’s son), Carolyn Little, Jim Lewis, Olive Litwinowicz, John Long, Martha Long, Will/Audrey Long, Leonard Loving (Dorothy Ham’s brother)

Tim Marshall (Carolyn Schneider’s son), Thomas Martin, David Matthews (Jim Dalton’s nephew), Patrick Olmstead (Robert/Betty Olmstead’s grandson), Robert/Betty Olmstead

Shirley Pasowicz, Lisa Phillips, J.L. Pitts, Edwin Power (Margaret Davis’ father) Margaret Rice, Mike Rosser, Ruth Anne Sawyer (Norman/Betty Bowles’ daughter), Allie/Audrey Stevens, Ruth Stewart, Ruby Tate (Sharon Hultay’s mother), Ruth Tate, Marvin Thomas (Martha Long’s brother), Kitty Thompson, Daniel, Casey & Eli Toney (Faye Toney’s son & family), Doris Tucker

Joyce Wallace, Daniel Washington (Deborah Steele’s grandson/Audrey Goode’s great grandson), Bill White, Vickie White (Anita Blackwell’s sister), Andy Wibright (Terri Wibright’s step-son), Larry & Mildred Williams, Vera Williams, Melinda Winn (Munn’s granddaughter), Jim Wright, Patricia Wright, (Shirley Armstrong’s daughter), Kitty Yarbrough

Keeping You in Prayer

The Touchstone

April 8, 2018

Crosswalk ...................................................................................................................... 84 Sunday School .......................................................................................................... 137 Worship II ................................................................................................................... 106 Regular Offering ................................................................................................ $7,254.00 E-Giving ............................................................................................................. $3,525.00 Designated Funds ................................................................................................ $919.39 Total Offering ................................................................................................... $11,698.39 Roof Loan Balance, Net .................................................................................. $46,585.40

Stewardship Report

Annie Armstrong Easter Offering Goal: $5,675.00

Given to Date: $1,371.00

Donate your gently used Christian fiction and non-fiction books, Bibles, extra Sunday school materials, etc. to Christian Library International. CLI’s purpose is to glorify God by providing these materials to prisons, jails and youth detention centers. CLI serves prison inmates in all 50 states. Hun-dreds can be blessed by just one book!

Judi Culver will be collecting these materials until June 15, at which time they will be delivered to the collection site in Raleigh, NC.

Please consider looking at home for items you may not want any longer and donating them to this ministry. For more info visit the CLI website at www.cli.world.

MCEF News

Current MCEF needs are:

Donations for non-perishable foods, laundry detergent, toilet paper, per-sonal hygiene items, new or gently used, current season clothing and linens may be brought to the One Stop Shop (OSS) during normal op-erating hours or on the 1st & 3rd Sundays of the month from 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Volunteers to help receive and stock items on the 1st & 3rd Sundays of the month from 2:00-4:00 p.m.

www.MechanicsvilleBaptist.org 5

The Touchstone

Sunday, April 22 8:30 a.m. Crosswalk 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship II 1:30 p.m. DR Mission Trip Training 3:00 p.m. Dover Association Semi-Annual Mtg. at FBC Ashland 5:00 p.m. Encounter/RA’s, GA’s,

Mission Friends, Choirs 6:00 p.m. Ensemble & Youth RISE 7:00 p.m. Handbells

Monday, April 23 11:30 a.m. AA Mtg. 7:00 p.m. Basketball - FLC

Tuesday, April 24 11:00 a.m. Staff Mtg. 6:00 p.m. Worship Team 7:00 p.m. Endowment Team Special Mtg.

Wednesday, April 25 11:00 a.m. Mid-Week Bible Study 5:30 p.m. WNS - TBD 6:00 p.m. Awanas, Connect, Youth 6:15 p.m. Mid-Week Bible Study 7:15 p.m. Adult Choir Thursday, April 26 7:30 a.m. Fellowship Breakfast 7:00 p.m. Volleyball - FLC

Sunday, April 15 8:30 a.m. Crosswalk 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship II 5:00 p.m. Encounter/RA’s, GA’s,

Mission Friends, Choirs 6:00 p.m. Ensemble & Youth RISE 6:30 p.m. Deacon’s Mtg. 7:00 p.m. Handbells

Monday, April 16 11:30 a.m. AA Mtg. MCEF Night at Stevi B’s 7:00 p.m. Basketball - FLC

Tuesday, April 17 11:00 a.m. Staff Mtg. 6:00 p.m. Worship Team

Wednesday, April 18 11:00 a.m. Mid-Week Bible Study 5:30 p.m. WNS - BBQ 6:00 p.m. Awanas, Connect, Youth 6:15 p.m. Qtrly. Business Mtg. 7:15 p.m. Adult Choir Thursday, April 19 6:30 p.m. Long-Range Planning 7:00 p.m. Volleyball - FLC Saturday, April 21 7:00 p.m. DR Mission Trip Training

In the Coming Weeks

15 Sandy Clarke

John Hughes

Scott Jackson

16 Donna Lambert

Carly Thompson

17 Wilson Burrows

Steven Foster, Jr.

Kevin Hare

18 Joyce Anderson

Samuel Hultay

19 Brenda Madani

William Silva

20 Sheila Anderson

Victoria White

21 Luke Culley

25 Barry Christopher

Zachary Gilleland

Alex Overbeck

Karen Rosser

27 Preston Miller

28 Alicia Pendergraph

29 Trent Foster

30 Clay Crawford

Brannon Mantlo

Opening & Closing

04.15 - Pat Clark 04.22 - Sam Shermer 04.29 - Eric Washburn

Counting Teams

04.15 - Carla Broughton, Lisa Guridy, Rose Burrows

04.22 - Steve Beck, Rose Burrows, Jay Thompson

04.29 - Ken Long, Bryant Broughton, Gladys Shoemaker

Nursery Workers

04.15 - Worship 1: Denise Mills, Kayleigh Mills Worship 2: Alice Bridges, Robin Brightwell

04.22 - Worship 1: Justin & Kelsey Holmes Worship 2: Eric & Jenni Washburn

04.29 - Worship 1: Janet & Courtney Madison Worship 2: Sharon Hultay, Maggie Bibey

Deacon of the Week

04.15 - Cotton Sizemore - 559.0925 04.22 - Gary Stainback - 909.1472 04.29 - Becky Shermer - 874.9406

April Worship Assistants

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MECHANICSVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH 8016 Atlee Rd. Mechanicsville, VA 23111

The Touchstone Church Office: 804.746.7253

MECHANICSVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH STAFF Dr. Tim Madison

Pastor

Rev. Dwight Hedges Associate Pastor to Students

Jackie Broaddus Child Care Director

Linda Dickerson Interim Minister of Music

Tommy Crump Interim First Service Coordinator

Jean Dart Office Administrator

Jordan Mills A/V Tech Director

Melvin Anderson Custodian

Join us at

Mechanicsville Baptist Church

On Sundays

8:30 a.m. Crosswalk (Contemporary) Worship 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship 5:00 p.m. Encounter Worship 5:00 p.m. RA’s, GA’s, Mission Friends, Children’s Choirs 5:20 p.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal 6:00 p.m. Youth/Ladies Ensemble 7:00 p.m. Handbells

On Wednesdays

11:00 a.m. Mid-Week Prayer & Bible Study 5:30 p.m. Wednesday Night Supper 6:00 p.m. Connect Groups, Youth, Awanas 6:15 p.m. Mid-Week Prayer & Bible Study 7:15 p.m. Adult Choir