News you can use...from Frio River Baptist Association

Volume 3, Issue 1 | January 2020

Every morning lean thine arms awhile

Upon the windowsill of heaven

And gaze upon thy Lord.

Then, with the vision in thy heart,

Turn strong to meet thy day.

—Thomas Blake

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is kind of hard to realize that the year 2019 is now behind us and we are beginning a new year as well as entering a new decade. Wow, how time can fly! I hope you have had a good 2019 and that you can reflect on it and learn from all the experiences you have been through.

This brings me to a favorite passage in the Bible: Philippians 3:13-14 says “ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus ”. I like these verses as they let us know that Paul had not yet reached his goal, and so forgetting what had already past, he keeps pressing on to reach that goal that the Lord had called him to. An important word is “forgetting”. In the Greek this may mean to neglect, to overlook, to forget, to escape notice or to lose out of mind. In other words, to not focus on what has already happened or taken place. You and I know that we cannot change history or take back what has already happened. It’s impossible.

What can we do? I think we need to look at our past and accept that what has happened has happened and that we must keep moving forward. Hard to accept, yes, but necessary if we keep in mind that God can and does use experiences and events in our life to mold and shape us to become the person He wants us to become. Like the potter in Jeremiah 18, God is working in our life each day and molding us into something beautiful and precious in His sight.

No doubt there are things in your past that you really can’t “forget”. I believe this is when we need to trust God the most…that He will not give up on us when we fail or make a mistake. I John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Let’s do what Paul did: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, let’s press on. God is working in and through you each day, and no doubt greater things lay ahead. You are precious in His sight and He loves you very much and He will not give up on you. He has a purpose for your life and He will work in you to reach that goal. Allow Him to do what He wants to do in your life.

Happy 2020 New Year! Let’s press on and see what God is going to do this year. And don’t forget to thank Him for all He is doing and going to do.

Your Fellow Servant,

Bro. Loren

Upcoming Events

January 2020

7th - OCL Meeting - 6:30pm

9th - East Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting

14th - FRBA Executive Board Meeting

9:30am – Fellowship

10:00am – Business Meeting

17th-19th - Project Serve Youth Retreat (Alto Frio)

21st - FRBA Tax Seminar

10:00am to 3:00pm (lunch included - details below)

23rd - North Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting

24th - 25th - A Godly Woman: Abiding in Him event

at Cowboy Fellowship (details below)

February 2020

4th - OCL Meeting - 6:30pm

5th - South Zone Pastor’s Prayer Meeting

7th-9th - Ocean's Deep Ladies' Retreat (Alto Frio)

11th - FRBA CPR/1stAid/AED Training (details below)

13th - East Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting

24th-25th - SBTC Empower Conference (Irving Convention Center - Irving, TX)

27th - North Zone Pastor's Prayer Meeting

29th - FRBA Deacon Training (details coming soon)

SAVE THESE DATES!!

March 1st - FRBA Compañerismo Quarterly Meeting

(at Primera Iglesia Bautista Jerusalem - Natalia, TX)

April 23rd-25th - Texas Baptists Ministry Assistant's Conference

(at Lakeside Baptist Church - Grandbury, TX)

April 25th - VBS Clinic

(at FBC Charlotte)

May 1st-4th - FRBA Annual Ladies Retreat

(at H. E. Butt Foundation Camp)

May 11th-13th - SBTC Administrative Assistant's Retreat

(at Embassy Suites - San Marcos, TX)

COMING SOON!!

Join Cowboy Fellowship for their 7th Annual Godly Woman Conference . Participants will discover what it means to Abide in Christ and explore the fruit of the spirit.

Speaker: Heidi Reiszner / Worship Leader: Amanda Chapman

Click HERE for all details, pricing, and online registration.

Click HERE for details and registration information.

Registration is now open for our 4th Annual Ladies' Retreat

at HEB Foundation Camp.

Pass the word to the ladies in your church and get your group signed up while the early-bird rates are still in effect!

(Special discounts available for groups of 10 or more.)

Click HERE for registration information, and all the details!

Around the Association

First Baptist Church in Devine welcomes Dan Newburg and his wife, Yvette , as he begins his ministry as pastor of First Baptist Church.

Dan and Yvette are longtime residents of the Devine area and Devine will be the first church they serve. Pastor Newburg will be completing his Masters of Divinity at Logsdon Seminary this spring and has a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Before being called to serve FBC Devine as their pastor, Dan has served in numerous volunteer capacities at FBC as well as offering pulpit supply to churches within the Frio River Baptist Association.

Dan and Yvette have two daughters, Bethany and Lily . Dan and his family enjoy traveling and sharing in life together. Dan has a great passion for Kingdom work and reaching the lost for Christ.

First Baptist Church encourages everyone to welcome the Newburg family.

Happy New year from Cowboy Fellowship to our family, friends, and our community. If you live in Atascosa County, you have Medical debt, and have not heard the news yet, please check out this article for more information. We pray that this is a blessing to our community and a great start to 2020.

Click HERE for the full article.

First Baptist Church of Carrizo Springs is seeking a Student Pastor to reach out to students and their families. We expect our new youth pastor to demonstrate skill in communication, outreach and ministry.

Our student ministry in the past has included: mission trips, DNows, SYATP participation, annual summer camp and VBS participation.

A testimony of the experience of being called to ministry is expected. Subject to God's Will, we will look for a candidate with a completed bachelor's degree. Our candidate's personal theology should be based on the authority and inerrancy of Scripture.

Our church will provide a salary, a parsonage and a budget for ministry.

This year's Church Administrators' Fellowship Potluck was great fun. If you missed it this year, be sure to join us next year!

More pictures HERE !

The Belen Baptist Church (Dilley) Adult Celebration Choir gave two

performances of Messiah: Heaven's Glory on December 7th & 8th.

There was also a wonderful Christmas musical put on by their children. There were even some adult wisemen along with King Herod and his soldier.

The annual FRBA Christmas Dinner & Fellowship was held on Dec. 11th , and a great time was had by all

Click HERE for more pictures!

The Black Creek Baptist Church choir perfomed their

annual Christmas cantata on December 15th.

The children of FBC Carrizo Springs presented A Charlie Brown Christmas this year.

Eli and Sarah Talamantes of First Baptist Church of Carrizo Springs hug after being baptized together on the second Sunday in December.

Encinal Community Church had a lot of fun Christmas caroling on December 23rd.

Their kids really like to sing!!! They ended the evening at the church

with hot chocolate and cookies.

FBC Carrizo Springs

New Year’s Party and Chili Cook Off

FBC Carrizo Springs ended 2019 with a fun chili cookoff and some fun games

involving everyone. Congratulations to Gabby Herrera , who was the overall chili cookoff champion, Bill Seelig , who made the best chili with beans,

and to Bro Jonathan Hewett , for providing the spiciest chili!

Thanks to Scott Davis for organizing the cup games.

Everyone enjoyed the games and food and fellowship together.

Fellowship is an important part of being a church family!

Twenty-six ministers and some of their wives met for the annual FRBA Pastor's Prayer Retreat at Alto Frio this past week. Led by Darin Griffiths (STCH Ministries) and his wife Caren , our theme was “Be still” . We all enjoyed the brief getaway, with a good time of study and reflection as well as getting better acquainted with each other. We thank the Lord for great fellowship.

Click HERE to see more pictures!

January 1st thru December 31st

2018

Income: $157,656.48

Expenses: $140,481.96

2019

Income: $154,325.48

Expenses: $146,617.13

Love in Action

Operation Christian Love

by Beth Ann Brundrett

The year is new as was the first breath of the baby Jesus at His Birth. May we cherish this new chance to worship and serve Him.

Celebrating his birth this past December reached so many lives. Throughout 2019, hearts were touched with a desire to help with the OCL Christmas ministry, each in their own way. Prayers were continuous. Scarves and caps were crocheted and blankets & scarves were made from fleece, & over 1,500 stockings were handmade to be added to the 1,000 on hand from previous years. Inside of these stockings were placed something about Jesus, a gift and some candy. Loving hands sorted and placed these items in the stockings. Hundreds of shoe boxes were filled with needed items, gifts and goodies and were readied for distribution. Loving hearts and hands had provided this candy and gifts throughout the year. After the stockings and boxes were completed, more volunteers distributed them and more held the Gathering for Christ where they were given to the children. Just think how many individuals participated in each stocking and box.

In addition, clothes, warm jackets, and food were distributed along with gifts for each child in 8 orphanages. Each orphanage received a box of toiletries for the home and 100 individual toiletry bags were packed for prisoners in the Cereso prison just north of Piedras Negras.

His Island Night Shelter for Veterans in San Antonio was given empty stockings with candy and gifts. Residents prepared them for the Jesus Birthday Party they have each year for neighborhood children. Each resident also received Christmas gifts of clothing from OCL.

Now back at home, these volunteers are already preparing for Christmas 2020. Projects for VBS and Sunday School Classes are being readied for involving all ages in giving to others. If you, your church or group would like to participate, call Beth Ann at 210-854-9360.

On Wednesday, December 4th, the new building for La Mano do Dios/Operation Christian Love Soup Kitchen was dedicated. Br. Duane Mayberry dedicated the building and Br. Loren Fast led the group in the prayer of dedication. A Gathering for Christ was part of the ceremony with food, clothing and gifts being distributed to children, families and the elderly, some of them homeless.

God opens many doors for us. What a blessing to be able to be a part of His great plan for all.