Servant leadership
From Christ’s perspective, a true leader is a servant, committed to the success of each individual in the group. Jesus did not criticize his disciples’ desire to lead; he just showed them how to do it by washing their feet. ... The essence of spiritual leadership, therefore, is following Jesus and serving people. People rebel against controlling leaders, but it is impossible to rebel against a servant.
—Geoff Gorsuch,
Brothers! Calling Men Into Vital Relationships
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It has been said that due to the pressures and concerns of their flock, one of the most difficult jobs a person could have is that of being a church pastor. Yet most pastors today will tell you they love what they are doing. They say that because they believe God has called them and because of the concern and love for the people under their care. The Apostle Paul mentioned in 2 Corinthians 11:28
“Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”
Paul loved the churches he served.
Every October our Baptist denomination observes
Pastor Appreciation Month
. It is a month to show our appreciation for the work our pastors do in leading and teaching and preaching God’s Word to us. It is time to remember and thank them for all they do for us.
Many church members may not really know all that a pastor does. They may not realize:
- that in a sense he is on call 24/7;
- that preparing a Sunday morning sermon, Sunday night sermon/study and a Wednesday night study is like preparing three research papers in one week;
- that visiting the home of a member nearing their last days takes an emotional toll on them; and
- that is not counting the issues they must deal with in leading a church, in counseling church members, in dealing with conflicts, doing hospital and home bound visits, plus taking care of their own families.
During this month make a special concerted effort to thank your pastor for being “your pastor.” Send him a card, take him out to eat, have someone else preach the Sunday sermon in his place; anything you can think of to show your appreciation for him. Those kind gestures will encourage him and really lift him up. They will help him get through those bumps and curves and chuckholes that come along now and then in pastoral ministry. Pastors need that. Your pastor needs that.
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On second thought…don’t just appreciate him this October. Appreciate him all year long. Blessings to all of you as you bless your pastor.
Your Fellow Servant,
Bro. Loren
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October
2nd - OCL Meeting - 6:30pm
3rd - South Zone Pastor’s Prayer Meeting - 9am
4th - North & East Zone Pastor's Prayer Meetings - 9am
12th-14th - Marriage Retreat (Alto Frio)
15th-17th - Texas Baptists Youth Ministry Conclave
(Arlington Convention Center - Arlington, TX)
20th - FRBA Annual Gathering (FBC Cotulla)
10:30am-2:30pm
27th - South Texas Church Worker Training Clinic
(at FBC Pearsall)
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November
1st - North & East Zone Pastor's Prayer Meetings
4th - TIME CHANGE - Don’t forget to “Fall Back”!!
5th-8th - Lost Maples Adult Retreat (Alto Frio)
6th - OCL Meeting - 6:30pm
7th - South Zone Pastor’s Prayer Meeting
12th-13th - SBTC Annual Meeting (2nd Baptist Church North - Houston, TX)
22nd-23rd- Thanksgiving Holidays (FRBA OFFICE
CLOSED)
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SAVE THESE DATES!!
2018
Dec. 8th
- FRBA Church Administrators' Fellowship Christmas Potluck
Dec. 11th
- FRBA Exec. Board Pastor/Spouse & Staff Christmas Fellowship
2019
Jan 7th & 8th
- Pastor's Prayer Retreat at Alto Frio
Feb. 8th-10th
- Sustain Ladies Retreat at Alto Frio
May 3rd-6th
- FRBA Ladies' Retreat at HEB Foundation Camp
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Minister to your ministers
In honor of Clergy Appreciation Month, use these alphabetical reminders of how to treat your pastors:
A
ccept them as people.
B
uild them up. Say “thank you.”
C
ommunicate with them.
D
efend them when someone tries to run them down.
E
ntertain them. They like to have fun, too!
F
amily. Allow them to have a family life.
G
enuine. Be honest with them. Be yourself around them.
H
onor them. Don’t put them on a pedestal, but respect them.
I
ncome. Pay them enough so money isn’t a concern.
J
udge not! Avoid being critical.
K
ind. Treat pastors as you want to be treated.
L
ove. See 1 Corinthians 13.
M
aintain. Their families have the same needs as other families.
N
urture. Help them grow in grace.
O
ffer to help. The list of things you can do is endless.
P
ray for them. Lift up their names to God daily.
Q
uelch not. Encourage instead!
R
ejoice in and with them.
S
urprise them — in little and big ways.
T
rust them. Believe in them.
U
nderstand them. Put yourself in their place.
V
acation. They need time away.
W
elcome them into your home. Don’t wait for an invitation.
e
X
pend yourself, not them.
Y
oke. Help them bear their burdens with grace and dignity.
Z
ap all gossip!
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Special thanks to
Sharon (& Duane) Mayberry (FBC Charlotte)
for providing a delicious meal for our September Executive Board meeting!
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DON'T FORGET!!
This year's
South Texas Church Worker Clinic
will be held at FBC Pearsall (
204 S. Walnut; Pearsall, TX 78061
) on
Saturday, October 27th.
8:30 am registration
9 am conferences
12 noon lunch
Conference for Pastors & General Officers, Adult , Youth , Children, & Preschool Workers
Click
HERE
for a brief video with more info!
Fliers are available
HERE
.
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January 1st thru September 30th
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2017
Income: $112,664.48
Expenses: $70,482.39
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2018
Income: $120,083.30
Expenses: $104,540.62
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The Steel Magnolias to present October concerts in Cotulla & Carrizo Springs
The
First Baptist Church, Cotulla
(201 Frio St.; Cotulla, TX 78014)
, will be hosting the widely known Christian singing group,
The Steel Magnolias
, on
Saturday, October 27th
at
6:00pm
. The next morning,
Sunday, October 28th
,
First Baptist Church, Carrizo Springs
(706 W. Houston St.; Carrizo Springs, TX 78834)
will be hosting them for their
11:00am worship service
as well. The singers will present a fully choreographed Christian concert of Southern gospel music at both locations.
The Steel Magnolias have sung throughout America and Canada covering 42 states for the past twelve years.
The ladies returned from a 16-day tour last October 2017, to the Pacific Northwest, traveling through 12 US states, plus Victoria, British Columbia. They covered over 5800 miles presenting 39 Gospel Music concerts as part of what they do every year in churches, community centers, VA hospitals, prisons, plus “flash mobs.”
The Sunday evening before they left on that tour, the group was invited to sing at the Sutherland Springs Baptist Church, and then one week after their return home they heard the tragic news of the shooting at this wonderful church. It was then The Steel Magnolias declared their theme for 2018:
Sharing Jesus with URGENCY!
This past May 2018, the group traveled for 10 days through Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Arkansas. God blessed as they passionately shared their message of
URGENCY.
The ladies will be on tour again (to the New England states) this fall, Nov. 9-19, 2018.
The Steel Magnolias present as many as one hundred fifty volunteer concerts a year. Through their music, scriptures, and personal testimonies, they present the message of Christ’s love and salvation. Your life will never be the same after experiencing the dynamic witness and singing of The Steel Magnolias.
You can call either church office or Debbie Daniel, Ministry Director, at (512) 757-4901 for more information.
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REVIVAL 2018 - First Baptist Church of Natalia
FBC of Natalia
is hosting a revival
October 7th-10th
.
Jonathan Hewett
- evangelist & pastor at
FBC Carrizo Springs
- will be preaching!
Services will be as follows:
Sunday, Oct. 7th - 11:00am & 6:30pm
Monday, Oct. 8th - 6:30pm
Tuesday, Oct. 9th - 6:30pm
Wednesday, Oct. 10th - 6:30pm
COME JOIN US!
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65 ladies braved the stormy weather on Sept. 15th, to come together for a wonderful day of fun, food, fellowship & Biblical encouragement at our recent Day Retreat for Ladies. Special thanks to
FBC Dilley
for letting us use their facilities and to
Belen Baptist Church (Dilley)
for doing a marvelous job of decorating for the event. Thanks also to
Angela Stelzer & Ada Sledge
(Somerset Baptist Church)
for providing a delicious (& perfectly weather appropriate) lunch of homemade soup and sandwiches.
Our facilitators for the day were
Lindsay Cartwright & Faith Smith (Cowboy Fellowship of Atascosa County)
, and several ladies shared their encouraging testimonies on finding joy in the midst of challenging circumstances.
Margarita De La Cruz (Livingstone Worship Center - Del Rio, TX), Robyn Miller (Cowboy Fellowship of Atascosa County), Erica Oliver (Bulverde Baptist Church) & Carmen Osio (Belen Baptist Church - Dilley, TX)
- we were truly touched by your stories, and are grateful for your willingness to share with us.
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You can find more great pictures of the event by clicking
HERE
.
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Operation Christian Love
by Beth Ann Brundrett
In these pictures, you see the families from the poorest of the poor. Some live in small concrete homes built by the government. Most live in shanties built from pallets and scrap metal. When flooding like this occurs, and their few precious belongings are ruined, they have to pile them near the street. The governments comes by with trucks for them to be dumped in. These days, trucks are lined up waiting for their loads. The residents continue their scrubbing and washing clothes in the cleanest water available. They hang them on fences, bushes, or wherever they kind find a place.
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Notice the bare feet. Many have lost their shoes or their shoes were soggy and filled with mud. OCL volunteers from both sides of the border are working together to minister to their needs. The Frank Banda ministry sets up distribution for us. In these pictures we handed out sandwiches, cupcakes, flip flops and Bibles.
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OCL Christmas Ministry
December 2018
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Iglesia Bautista Jerusalen
- 538 Memo Robinson; Eagle Pass, TX
Longhorn Ranch Motel
- Hwy 118 between Terlingua & Alpine, TX
432-371-2541
Gathering for Christ
- Big Bend Lodge
, Terlingua, TX
Saturday December 22nd
led by
Hosanna Baptist Tabernacle, Leming, TX
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Last, but not least, our Christmas Ministry is in full swing.
The following items are needed as soon as possible:
--donations for the purchase of at least 1,000 Bibles
--hair accessories --coloring books & story books (in both Spanish and English)
--stuffed animals --small baby dolls
--socks & underwear --jackets
--blankets --warm crocheted caps & scarves
--gloves (adult sizes as well as children) --small toy trucks & cars
--jacks --other small toys (NO TOY WEAPONS PLEASE)
Please stay away from toys that require batteries unless you also furnish the batteries.
For older youth in the orphanages:
Boys
:
Girls
:
--wrist watches --purses
--razors & shaving equipment --nice blouses
--ties --dress slacks
--dress shirts --skirts
--nice slacks --hair accessories
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CALENDAR FOR 2018 OCL CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES
Save these dates as you help us prepare to celebrate the birth of our savior!
Tuesday, December 4th
Some volunteers to Eagle Pass, TX -
No regular OCL Meeting
!
Wednesday, December 5th
8:30am - meet at Iglesia Bautista Jerusalen in Eagle Pass, TX for trip to Piedras Negras
6:00pm - volunteers start arriving at Jerusalen to set up for sorting & stocking stuffing
Thursday, December 6th
8:00am - breakfast at Jerusalen followed by sorting & stocking stuffing
12:00 noon - lunch
1:00pm - sorting & stocking stuffing continues
Friday, December 7th
8:00am - breakfast & completion of sorting & stocking stuffing at Jerusalen
12:00 noon - lunch
12:00 to 2:00pm - gift pick-up
5:30pm - Kickapoo Gathering (meal provided by the tribe)
Saturday, December 8th
8:00am - breakfast and last-minute preparations at Jerusalen
9:30am - Jerusalen Gathering
12:00 noon - lunch
1:30pm - leave for Gathering at a location TBA
Call Beth Ann at 210-854-9360 if you have any questions or want to get involved.
Our greatest strength comes from prayer!
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FRBA RESOURCE LIBRARY
This Bible study and many more are available
through our resource library!
He Speaks to Me: Preparing to Hear from God
by Priscilla Shirer
(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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