King of the nations, thank you for the freedoms we enjoy. Empower us to work for basic freedoms for all people worldwide. Amen.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Isn’t the Lord an incredible Shepherd? I’ve been thinking about that these last few days. With all we are going through these days, it really is comforting to know that we as His sheep (children) are inside His sheep pen (at least we should be) and He is the gate keeper keeping us all safe. What an encouraging fact!
The Bible says
“we are his people, the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3)
. Why did God refer to us as sheep? Good question! Without going into a lot of detail, we must understand that sheep alone cannot live without a shepherd. So are we as people: we cannot live alone without someone to guide us and shepherd us. Look at what the Bible says about the Lord being our shepherd.
- He knows us by name (John 10:3). We are not just another sheep in the pasture. He knows us and calls us as individuals. He loves us and values us. When we come to Him, He knows who is talking to Him.
- He shepherds us (Psalm 23). He guides us, provides good for us, he protects us, and he is always with us. With Him, we don’t need anything else.
- He is always watching over us (Psalm 121). He keeps us from falling. He watches over us as we sleep. Again, he states that he will protect us and watch over us. Now and forevermore.
- He goes looking for us when we get lost (Luke 15:4-6). There are times in life when we may stray away from the Lord. But the Shepherd does not give up on us. He doesn’t abandon us and leave us on our own. He loves us so much that he will go out looking for us and bring us back to Himself.
- He lays down his life for us (John 10:11,15). He gave his life to us so that we could live, so that we would have purpose and meaning in life. When it came to the ultimate sacrifice of human blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins, he gave his life. He took our place on the cross. What an incredible Shepherd He is!
With all we are going through these days, remember who you surrendered your life to and who you now belong to. You are the Lord’s child
(one of His sheep)
and He is with you and taking care of you every day. He won’t let you go. So, stay in step with Him. Keep reading and studying His Word. Even though you might be able to hear your pastor bring the Sunday sermon via YouTube or Live Streaming, don’t stay home. Go to church. Be with the other sheep. Together you will be stronger. Don’t stop talking to God. He loves to hear from you, and He wants you to share your concerns with Him. He will hear you and respond to you
(Jeremiah 33:3)
.
Be encouraged! The Shepherd is still on His throne and watching over His creation. We don’t know all He is doing through these days, but we do know He is a good God and He will never stop loving us. Some day, He is coming back and He will take us to His heaven, where He is preparing a place for each of us. Don’t give up!
Your Fellow Servant,
Bro. Loren
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During these days of uncertain requirements and self-isolation, there may be times when neither Loren nor
Laurie Beth is in the office during our regular office hours. Please rest assured that we are still available
and ready to help you however we can despite
working from home.
and through our cell phones at:
Loren - 830-267-1234 or Laurie Beth - 210-854-9362.
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Upcoming Events
(PLEASE NOTE: All events are subject to cancellation or rescheduling
depending on COVID-19 guidelines at the time.)
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July 2020
1st - South Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting
(see note)
2nd-3rd - Independence Day Observance
(FRBA OFFICE CLOSED)
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2nd-3rd - Mini Kids Camp for Grades 1-3
(Alto Frio) - CANCELLED
2nd-5th -
Family Camp Session 2
(Alto Frio - details below)
4th - Independence Day
6th-10th - Area Youth Camp
(Alto Frio) - CANCELLED
7th - OCL Meeting
9th - East Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting
(see note)
13th-17th - Master's Camp - Youth
(Alto Frio) - CANCELLED
16th-19th -
Family Camp Session 3
(Alto Frio - details below)
17th-18th - SBTC Pastor & Wife Retreat - CANCELLED
20th-24th - Emmanuel Camp - Youth
(Alto Frio) - CANCELLED
23rd - North Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting
(see note)
23rd-26th -
Family Camp Session 4
(Alto Frio - details below)
26th-29th - FRBA Progressive Youth Fusion - CANCELLED
27th-30th - Area Kids Camp
(Alto Frio)
July 30th-Aug. 2nd -
Family Camp Session 5
(Alto Frio - details below)
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August 2020
July 30th-Aug. 2nd -
Family Camp Session 5
(Alto Frio - details below)
3rd-7th - Hispanic Senior Adult Camp - Session 1
(Alto Frio) - CANCELLED
4th - FRBA Associational Council Planning Meeting - 4:00pm
4th - FRBA Executive Board Meeting
6:30pm - Dinner & Fellowship
7:00pm - Business Meeting
4th - OCL Meeting
(location TBA)
5th - South Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting
(see note)
13th - East Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting
(see note)
27th - North Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting
(see note)
29th - South Texas Church Worker Training Clinic (details TBA)
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Pastor's Prayer Meetings
:
For the month of July, all prayer meetings will most likely be held in person following recommended safety guidelines. Either way,
we hope that our pastors will reserve these mornings to pray together (even if not
meeting with the group in person). Specific requests can be sent to Loren for distribution
to the other pastors in each zone.
Watch your e-mail for specifics about each meeting.
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Looking for a getaway for the whole family? Head out to
Family Camp
! Alto Frio has added more sessions jam-packed with worship, fun & adventure for the whole family! Price includes everything--lodging, meals, activities, pool & river access, worship times and all the fun you can squeeze in! Make plans to be there!
Session TWO:
Thursday, July 2nd-Sunday, July 5th
Session THREE:
Thursday, July 16th-Sunday, July 19th
Session FOUR:
Thursday, July 23rd-Sunday, July 26th
Session FIVE:
Thursday, July 30th-Sunday, August 2nd
(Click
HERE
or
on the picture below
to register.)
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!
Alto Frio is offering PRIVATE family and group rentals during the month of July.
River and pool access, with lifeguards, will be available during scheduled hours. To see pricing & get registered, click
HERE
.
*No meals will be served during family rentals, however grills are more than welcome.
*Only cabin rentals come with refrigerators.
*No lodging facilities have televisions. Wi-Fi is available but bandwidth is limited.
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Progressive Youth Fusion 2020
The Youth Committee has been trying to plan our annual Progressive Youth Fusion event, which was to be held July 26th-29th, but we have hit many roadblocks and have ultimately decided to cancel the revival meeting this year.
We came to this conclusion by praying about it, and talking with other ministers in the area to hear their thoughts on either having or cancelling the meetings. We also had difficulty finding places to host the meetings, and don't have a feasible way to minimize students’ risk of exposure to COVID-19 if we were to meet and eat together. The recent rise in COVID-19 cases in our area has raised concern about what the end of July will look like in Texas concerning the virus. We did not come to this decision lightly, and hope to have the Progressive Youth Fusion again next year.
--FRBA Youth Committee
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Did you know that
Frio River Baptist Association
has
online giving available?
Click
HERE
to make a donation to our general fund
or to one of our special designated funds.
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Sunday, June 7th
,
FBC Pleasanton celebrated
the
40
th
Anniversary of John Coleman
as their Minister of Music and Education.
Someone stated that
“John’s dynasty has lasted
over multiple decades of pastors.”
John began serving back in June of 1980.
FBC Pleasanton and their choir honored
John and his wife, Lisa
with several memorable gifts.
Congratulations, John and Lisa for
your faithful service to our Lord
and to First Baptist Church.
Click
HERE
for more pictures.
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FBC Carrizo Springs held a special
Deacon Ordination service
on the afternoon of Sunday, June 7th.
Ordained to the Deacon Ministry were
Brett Bousman
,
Rodney Chitty
,
Scott Davis
,
Carl Fisher and
Max Herrera.
The worship service and fellowship were well attended and an
overall blessing for FBC Carrizo Springs.
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FBC Cotulla High School Graduates
- Matthew Torres, Karli Lambert and Jannie Boldin
were presented bibles in honor their graduation.
(Not pictured are Texas State University graduates Noe Rodriguez, Jr. and Nyssa Rodriguez.)
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Many thanks to
Loren, Dora & Ethan Fast
for joining
FBC Cotulla
on Sunday, May 31st. We enjoyed Loren's message, and Dora & Ethan provided beautiful special music
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God greatly blessed the
RA/Challenger Boys Camp and
GA/Acteen Girls Camp at Alto Frio Baptist Encampment June 22-26th! Over 100 boys, girls, sponsors and staff made up the first summer camp of the summer and one of the few that were held in June.
Social distancing, temperature checks and sanitizing were a challenge, but being outdoors in God’s nature was a healthy and safe place to be.
The boys enjoyed swimming in the river and pool, canoeing, skeet and .22 competitions, archery, axe throwing, fishing, RA racers
(pinewood derby), camp crafts, recreation, music, worship, Bible study, missionary programs and good food. The girls had similar activities
(except for the ax throwing).
The praise band from Sutherland Springs Baptist Church led the exciting music and Hadley Foster preached. Lenard Dossey brought the Wednesday night program. Our boys’ missionaries were Keith & Penny Stamps and Alejandro Cortez.
Gary Maloney from Eastside Baptist in New Braunfels was the GA Camp pastor.
Roland Harvey was the girls’ missionary.
Seven boys accepted Christ and one twelve year-old said that
God has called him to missions!
Mark your calendars for next years’ camp the last full week in June 2021!
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Click
HERE for more pictures!
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In observance of Memorial Day, these youth & adults from
FBC Cotulla
placed
174 flags in Cotulla's three community cemeteries.
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Operation Christian Love
by Beth Ann Brundrett
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“God Bless America.” Yes, God did bless America
. With God’s love we must persevere as Christians to reclaim our country for God. Pray unceasingly and encourage others to do the same.
The Living Stones’ His Island
resident homeless shelter & church for veterans in San Antonio accepted all of the donations from OCL mentioned in the June article. Thank all of you donors for making it possible. Several of the resident veterans are in very poor health. Please pray for this ministry that strives to assist them through this period in their lives.
The King Ministry
has moved into their new offices and residence in Quemado, TX. They are so thankful for the new, bigger facilities. They are continuing their ministry in Coahuila, feeding “souls and stomachs” during this restrictive time.
La Mano de Dios
soup kitchen &
Mundo de Fe
church, both in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico with assistance from OCL are still handing out food to families in the poor areas close to them.
The
Banda Ministry
continues to feed as many as they can reach. OCL provides canned vegetables and venison regularly along with clothing and shoes. The ministry is continuing with open air services and feedings as allowed.
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Br. Sepulveda, La Mano de Dios, handing out
what food he has to those in need.
Thank you for helping OCL send what we can.
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Br. Lupe Negrete and youth from his church helping
at the Del Rio food bank. This food bank as donated
food from World Vision to the Helping One Another ministry: 200 individual boxes of apples, oranges,
potatoes, onions, beans and other produce and eggs.
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The
Helping One Another
ministry headed by Br. Lupe and his wife, Alejandra Negrete, of Monte de Jehova Church in Eagle Pass is continuing to serve however they can. The home repair job in El Indio has been completed. They have continued to obtain food and distribute it to those in need. The volunteer team working with them is growing daily. Their network for Christ is marching forth in God’s love. They are finding those in need and sharing God’s love, food and fellowship with them.
They picked up 50 beds in Cotulla and took them back to Eagle Pass where they were placed with individual needs, local ministries and the Eagle Pass Disaster Relief ministry that will, with the Fire Department and other groups, take them to families who lose their homes to fire, flood, or other disasters. In addition, a group from their church spent a Sunday afternoon in Pearsall working on the Frio River Baptist Association grounds and the Operation Christian Love building.
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Br. Lupe Negrete and volunteers with load of donated food preparing to head back to Eagle Pass.
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January 1st thru June 30th
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2019
Income: $73,584.68
Expenses: $72,337.25
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2020
Income: $77,371.23
Expenses: $67,736.96
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FRBA RESOURCE LIBRARY
This NEW Bible study and many more are available
through our resource library!
Hosea: Unfailing Love Changes Everything
by
Jennifer Rothschild
(7-session DVD study)
Click
HERE
to download one of our checkout forms.
Then just complete it and bring it by the office to borrow a
Bible study to meet your needs.
We’re also accepting donations of used DVD Bible study kits.
If you or your church have some that you are no longer using, we’d love
to have them here to share with other churches in our Association.
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Frio River Baptist Association | Phone: 830-334-2061 | Fax: 830-334-3025 |
Email |
Website
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