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First Baptist Church of Peoria
FIRST BAPTIST NEWS SEPTEMBER 5, 2017
Contact us:
First Baptist Church of Peoria 411 West Lake Avenue Peoria, IL 61614-6093 Phone: (309) 682-5491
Fax: (309) 682-5450 E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.fbcpeoria.org
Dr. Rodney Kennedy, Interim Pastor (309) 682-5491 [email protected] Mark Grizzard, Music Dir./Youth. Ldr. (309) 310-9927 [email protected] Dr. Joshua Russell, Organist (319) 400-8920 [email protected] Leigh Wiedelman, Bell Choir Director (309) 682-5491 [email protected] Judy Tellier, Administrative Assistant (309) 682-5491 [email protected] Lorey Schlehuber, Financial Secretary (309) 682-5491 [email protected] Sandy Johansen, Church Secretary (309) 682-5491 [email protected]
Baptist theologian Walter Rauschenbusch asks, "Have we faith enough to believe that the Christian
doctrine of love is the solution of our big modern questions? Do we dare to assert the futility of
everything in our great world of commerce and industry that leaves love out? Do we dare to under-
take the readjustment of all social life to bring it into obedience to the law of love? That is a far more
severe test of our faith in Christ than to believe in the infallibility of a book or in the certainty of
dogmas formulated so long ago that only a few hundred men in Christendom today know what they
originally were meant to mean."
Rauschenbusch gave us the social gospel, and to our detriment many Baptists have been reluctant
to embrace the radical social ethics of Jesus. We settle for the superficial and easy road of beliefs
and personal, individual salvation. The challenge of Dr. Rauschenbusch remains with us to this day.
Critics of the social gospel will go on and on about "getting saved" and "following Jesus," but this
pales in light of our corporate responsibility to care for our brothers and sisters. The gospel is not a
gospel if it neglects the social. What we do together as the body of Christ counts for more than what
we do as individuals. Jesus brought the kingdom of God to earth, and it is not intended to be a self-
centered kingdom of one person who does as he or she pleases. The kingdom of God is to be here
on earth making a difference in the physical, everyday lives of human people. It has to do with
feeding, clothing, housing, caring for and helping. It is the incarnation of empathy. The mission of the
church is social because our gospel is social.
Dare we be Christians to this extent? Dare we bring the gospel to bear on all the death-dealing
institutions of our culture, including our politics, business, and recreation? If and when we move in
this direction, we will be a more faithful, more just and more loving people.
As we start a new year of work at First Baptist Church, I encourage you to give your efforts to
enacting the gospel in our community. Let us make sacrificial gifts, give large amounts of time, and
offer huge service to those who are in need. Let us "do" the gospel, rather than arguing about what
we are supposed to believe. Show your beliefs by the "doing" of Christian works of love. This is the
way of the Lord. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
DOING AND BELIEVING By: The Reverend Dr. Rodney Kennedy
WORSHIP SERVICES 10:00 A.M. WORSHIP ■ 11:00 A.M. FELLOWSHIP TIME
SEPTEMBER 10, 2017, 14TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
“SANDALS, WALKING STICK, AND A LAMB ” Exodus 12:1-14
I bet you didn't realize that God gave Israel a commandment to eat at least one meal on the go or at least in a hurry. No one ever recom-mends that we eat in a hurry. Well, there's this one meal in the Bible where God orders the people: You should be dressed, with your san-dals on your feet and your walking stick in your hand. You should eat the meal in a hurry. This meal is known as Passover. What does Chris-tianity have to do with Passover?
Music: "When All of God's Singers Get Home" Higher Ground and Chancel Choir
Welcome Center: Jen Dusek/Deb Houser
SEPTEMBER 17, 2017, FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
“STUCK IN THE MIDDLE” Exodus 14:19-31 Romans 14:1-12
How does it feel to be stuck in the middle between two extremes? We understand because spatially and emotionally that is exactly where we are. Israel has packed quickly because the word has come down that Moses has negotiated their freedom from Egypt. As the long line of ex-slaves make their way in the direction of the Red Sea, Pharaoh is not sleeping well. His chief financial advisors, the people who are paid to worry about the budget, have told him the bottom line news. Without the slaves, the country will drop into a recession. Here comes the army of Pharaoh. Israel is caught between the army and the water.
September 18, 1862, General Lee and the Confederate Army are trapped with their backs to the Potomac River. General McClellan dithers, and Lee escapes. On May 27, 1940, the Allies are trapped at Dunkirk. The German army has them cut off, but a flotilla of hundreds of merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure craft, and lifeboats from England come to the rescue. The moral: caught between an army and the water, take the water every time.
The stories above are used as rhetorical devices to provide us with a spatial image of a people caught in the middle. We are to think of ourselves now as a people in the middle.
Music: "What a Friend" —Chancel Choir "Concerto" — R Jay Pilgrim, trombone
Welcome Center: Phil McAlearney
HEALTH TIPS: OPTION B
I now have the book Option B by Sheryl Sandberg in the Health and Wellness Library. You may have seen her recently on various talk shows. Sheryl’s husband of 11 yrs. died suddenly (their children’s were ages 8 and 10).
This book deals with a broad range of losses—death, divorce, job loss, serious illness, natural disasters, etc. Even after the most devastating, she states it is possible to grow by finding deeper meaning and gaining greater appreciation in our lives.
“Option B” illuminates how to help others in crisis, develop compassion for ourselves; raise strong children; and create resilient families, communities, and work places. Many of these lessons can be applied to everyday struggles, allowing us to brave whatever lies ahead.
I found this an excellent book that was well-researched. Contact me if you would like to read this book.
Lurene Ladd Parish Nurse (309) 691-2054
FANTASY FOOTBALL
The Fantasy Football season is about to begin! First Baptist's online fantasy football league is open to all who are interested, and it involves creating and managing a "team" of real players from various NFL teams and then rooting to see how your team stacks up. Contact Mark Grizzard if you are interested in join-ing, or if you have any questions.
ABW SEPTEMBER CIRCLES
Circle of Friends will meet on Tuesday, September 19th, at 12:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall for a potluck lunch.
Evening Literature Circle will meet on Tuesday, September 19th, at 7:00 p.m., in the church parlor to discuss books for the upcoming year.
MUGS 2 On Monday, Sept. 18th, MUGS 2 will begin their fall study. We will be reading and discussing the book Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans. We meet at Panera’s on N. Knoxville every Monday at 10:00 a.m. If you are interested in joining us, please call the church office or Marti Atwater (309-231-4948) for further details. Coffee and a good book discussion is a great way to start the week. Please consider joining us!!! —Marti Atwater
DINING OUT GROUP The Dining Out Group will be going to Gil’s, 12703 W. Farmington Rd. in Hanna City, on September 22nd at 6:30. Please contact Jen or John Dusek (e-mail: [email protected] or phone: 309-231-6389) if attending.
First Baptist Church
THANK YOU! A very grateful thank-you to all our members and friends who volunteered and attended our 6th Annual Music Festival! We so appreciate the many volunteer hours graciously donated to make this our best festival ever! From the men’s group in charge of set-up and take-down, our amazing new sound equipment, the food preparers and cookie makers, to drink providers, sound engineers, music arrangers and performers, and our loyal audience, we are very blessed to enjoy such great support. We could never do what we do without each and every one of you. Thank you!! —Higher Ground
411 W Lake Avenue Peoria IL 61614
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID Peoria, Illinois Permit No. 677
THE MISSION OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH IS TO MINISTER TO OUR CONGREGATION, THE COMMUNITY
AND THE WORLD, SO THAT ALL MAY EXPERIENCE THE LOVE AND GRACE OF GOD.
PRAYER CONCERNS Sharon Polakow Patricia Lang Rose Kimpling Ruth Turner Pam Orrill Jay McGee Carol Conover Marvin Olson Rosemary Walk Alyssa Russell Wally Webber John Hart Paul Phillips Mary Hinch Jacquelyn Kellogg Dorothy Cumming
Dick Sternberg (Jo Sternberg’s husband) Hope Teel (Mark Teel’s mother)
Ted Osborn (Dr. Rodney Osborn’s brother) Stephanie George (Brenda Shay’s daughter)
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Following worship services in Fellowship Hall on Sept. 10th, the Pastoral Relations Committee and the newly-formed Social Events Committee will host a reception for Dr. Kennedy on his one-year anniversary as our pastor.
Please plan to stay to greet Pastor Kennedy and thank him for his marvelous service to FBC of Peoria over the past year! There will be a basket in Fellowship Hall for cards and notes of appreciation.
Wayne Nowlan, Moderator
SAVE THE DATE RUTH TURNER 100-YEAR OPEN HOUSE
Longtime FBC member, Ruth Turner, will be turning 100 in September. Let’s celebrate with her!
Saturday, September 16, 1:30-3:30 Chapel – Lutheran Hillside Village Care Center (Bldg. 31)
Cards may be sent to: Ruth Turner, Lutheran Hillside Village Care Center Bldg. 31, 6901 N. Galena Road, Peoria, IL 61614.