Greetings, It has been an incredible joy and privilege to be the pastor of New Union Baptist Church for the last five years. Our time here with you has been my greatest joy in ministry. Jill and I consider you to be family, and we are thankful for the way that you have welcomed us into your lives with love and grace. I want to thank you for the encouragement and support that you have been for our family from the time we arrived until now. I have had this thought in my head for the last couple of weeks, “It’s not what you leave behind, but who you leave behind.” Every week when I look around the sanctuary on a Sunday morning I am grateful for the stories that I see around me. God has done amazing things in and through you. You as a church are the testimony of God’s faithfulness here. All of the marriages that have been restored, the addictions that have been overcome, the spiritual growth that is happening, the callings you have surrendered to, and more than anything else, the lives that have been changed by faith in Jesus Christ. Remember that God’s name is not lifted up through buildings and budgets, but through the lives of His people, and stay faithful to Him and His Word. I trust that what God is doing in you, He will continue to do for your good and for His glory. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly,” (Colossians 3:16) and “trust in the Lord with all your heart.” (Proverbs 3:5) God has great plans for His church, and I am praying for each of you as you follow Him together here in Dayton, TN. “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:3-6) New Union, The Armstrongs love you. You will always be a part of our lives. “May the Lord bless you and keep you; and may the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26) By His Grace, Pastor Rob

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | AUGUST 2017

New Union Baptist Church

Rob Armstrong | Senior Pastor | rarmstrong@newunionbaptist.org Quick Glance Calendar Dates

August

6 Promotion Sunday

(Children & Youth SS Classes)

Potluck Farwell Luncheon for

The Armstrongs & Thadens,

12 PM (Faith Building/Gym)

Business Meeting, 6 PM

9 Wednesday Night Meals

Resume, 5:15 PM

Kidventure Kickoff, 6:20 PM

Youth Fall Kickoff, 6:30 PM

13 TN Baptist Children’s Home

Covered Dish Meal &

Fundraiser, 6 PM (Gym)

14 Sr. Adult Monday Morning

Bible Study Resumes, 10 AM

20 S4OS Fall Kickoff, 6 PM

27 Discover New Union, 9:45 AM

Lunch with Staff, 12:00 PM

September

4 Labor Day

(Church Office Closed)

Wednesday Night Regular Schedule

(Beginning August 9, 2017)

5:15 PM Wednesday Night Meal

6:20 PM Kidventure

6:30 PM Youth Group

Adult Bible Study

7:30 PM Adult Choir Practice

Please make plans to join us on Sunday, August 6th following the 11:00am worship service as we honor Pastor Rob Armstrong, Pastor Donnie Thaden, and their families and express our gratitude for all they have done and meant to our church during their time on staff here at New Union. Everyone is asked to bring food items for this potluck farewell luncheon which will take place in the Gym.

Welcome to our Newest Members: Donald, Kristie, Daniel, Jessica, & Chloe Buttram

Church Family, I want to express my appreciation to all of you for the love and encouragement my family has received over the years. We have cried with many of you, laughed with many of you, and walked through difficult times together. We have seen God transform lives and transform families because of our partnership in the Gospel. We have seen kids go from darkness to light. We have seen people far from God trust in Christ. We have seen marriages restored and people get right with God. We have seen the community be engaged because of our obedience to serving families together. All of this happened because we glorified Christ together. I am encouraged by the Children’s Ministry Team that will continue to lead and minister to families through New Union. Their heart for sharing the Gospel and serving have shaped the ministry and have made it what it is today - Awesome! The Children’s Ministry Team and the rest of the Rockstars in the ministry will continue to lead the way in reaching children for Christ. Though our time has ended serving in Rhea County, I am confident that the ministry will continue to grow in excellence and reach people far from God. Please pray for the Rockstars as they lead and serve. In closing I want to leave this with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11-12: ”Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.” We love you all! For His Glory, Donnie

S4OS & S4OS, Jr.

2 Years Old - 5th Grade

Fall Kickoff Date: Sunday, August 20, 2017 | 6 PM

Children’s Ministry Donnie Thaden | Associate Pastor of Children & Families | donniet@newunionbaptist.org

Music Ministry Frank Sheddan | Music Director & Worship Leader | fsheddan@gmail.com

Joey Liew | Associate Music & Youth Worship Leader | jliew08@gmail.com

Stephanie Sekura | Church Pianist | daytonmozarts@yahoo.com

If at any point you have ever considered joining the Adult Choir, now is the perfect time to follow through with that desire. Rehearsals for this year’s Christmas program will begin very soon, and the regular practice schedule of both Sunday and Wednesday evenings will also resume again soon. Stay tuned for the exact Sunday date, but please feel free to come to any practice and join in at any time over the next few weeks.

Kidventure Rockstar Meeting

There will be a meeting for all returning, current, and new Rockstars on Sunday, August 6th at 5:00pm in the S4OS / Kids Worship Room. Please make plans to attend this meeting if you are involved with leading Kidventure in any capacity.

Wacky Hair / Dress-up Night

Preschool & Elementary

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Promotion Sunday | August 6, 2017 | All Children & Youth Sunday School Classes

When you arrive for Sunday School on this day, your child will go straight to their new class that corresponds with their current age or grade-school level for the upcoming school year. If you have questions related to Promotion Sunday, please contact Dwayne Price, SS Director.

Dave Sekura Executive Director NACA & Fort Bluff

August 20, 2017

Scheduled Upcoming

Sunday Morning Worship

Speakers

Steve Pearson Evangelism Strategist

TN Baptist Conv.

August 27, 2017

Keath Butt Associate Pastor of Youth & Families

September 3, 2017

Willie McLaurin Ministry Strategist TN Baptist Conv.

August 13, 2017

Senior Adult Ministry Danny Ruehling | Pastor Emeritus & Senior Adult Pastor | dannyr@newunionbaptist.org

Youth Ministry Keath Butt | Associate Pastor of Youth & Families | keathbutt@newunionbaptist.org

We currently have an urgent need for volunteers in a number of ministries within our church. These include:

❖ Nursery Volunteers ❖ Kidventure Rockstars ❖ Hospitality Greeters & Welcome Table Hosts ❖ S4OS & S4OS, Jr. Children’s Choir Volunteers

Please prayerfully consider serving in one of these important roles and indicate your interest or willingness to serve by completing a Next Steps Card and placing in the offering plate on either Sunday, August 6th or 13th.

48 Weekend

Mark Your Calendar | October 20-22, 2017

Connections Ministry Jill Noga | Connections Coordinator jilln@newunionbaptist.org

July has been a crazy month in this youth pastor’s life! I don’t feel like I have been home very much, and there has been a lot going on. But everything that God’s been doing has all been good! We started the month of July by spending a week at Crossings at Jonathan Creek. I have been taking students there for 14 Christ-centered, Bible-saturated summers, and this year was no different. Many of our students came back and were encouraged and strengthened in their walk with the Lord. My ministry leaders and I have a lot of work to do in order to maintain momentum! I was then home for six days before leaving for Boston with a team of youth and adults to serve First Church in Charlestown. While there we laid 4,000 sq. ft. of laminate wood flooring, painted almost all rooms that we floored, cleared the overgrown lot behind the church, stained some old hardwood steps, and helped throw a block party for the Charlestown community (which turned out to be their largest ever). I truly believe that each team member was there for a purpose, along with their gifts and abilities. I was told that several members, some of which have been in the church for over 70 years, wept when they saw the improvements. It was a great week! Then we had July 31st, which marked my one year anniversary at NUBC. Our family celebrated by closing on our new home in Countryside Estates! In a time of uncertainty at New Union, Sara and I have never been more sure of our calling to this church, you as a people, and this county. We are so thankful to have the opportunity to serve in your midst. We love you all and are looking forward to many more years of fruitful ministry here.

Women on Mission

Monthly Senior Adult Luncheon

Manna Building | September 12, 2017 | 12:00 PM

Monday Morning Bible Study Beginning August 14, 2017 Manna Building @ 10 AM

Studying the Book of Genesis

Starting August 9th, Youth Group will resume meeting

on Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:00pm for a dynamic

time of worship, Bible teaching, and small groups.

The Women on Mission would like to thank everyone who contributed to the Free Yard Sale by donating items, helping with set-up, sorting donations, and volunteering to serve during the sale. Our church was able to minister to many thanks to your generosity.

Denise Evans Pastor Secretary & Financial Assistant denisee@newunionbaptist.org

Nyla Brown Custodian nylab@newunionbaptist.org

Ministry & Mission Opportunities / #4RHEACOUNTY / #ADVANCE

#4RHEACOUNTY

Thank you to those of you who participated in our most recent service opportunities. In the last couple of weeks, we were able to paint the home exterior of a local family in need and wrote several hundred notecards of encouragement to our county and city public school teachers, administrators, and support personnel that will be distributed during the first full week of classes. We are continuing our current emphasis on our local schools by also committing to pray for these leaders in education, students, and parents in regard to the upcoming school year. Prayer guides are located in the Sanctuary Foyer and at the Connection Center Desk. Please pick up one or more copies of these guides and join us in praying for these requests not only during this Back-to-School time, but for the duration of the 2017-2018 school year as well.

See the Bulletin Boards in the Sanctuary Hallway for more info and updates on all of these opportunities.

Praying For Our Local Schools

Upcoming Service Opportunities 9/23 – Fall Community Service Day

10/27 & 28 - PumpkinFest

Current Service Opportunity

City Reach is an initiative by the

Tennessee Baptist Convention to

partner with the five state metro

associations over the next five years.

The pilot and focus city for this year is

Knoxville, and our Missions Committee

is currently in the planning stages of

coordinating a weekend mission trip to

partner with a couple of the churches

and ministries there. The trip will be

scheduled for this fall and more

information with specific details will be

provided soon. Please begin praying

and consider now if the Lord would

have you be a part of this mission team.