Sundays—
Join the morning worship
service online
May 3rd—9th —
Teacher appreciation week
May 10th
—Happy Mother’s Day!
May 25th
—Memorial Day—Office Closed
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A Message From Our Senior Pastor
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Greetings Lawndale family,
I really miss meeting together with you throughout the week. Hopefully, we will be able to get back to our normal schedule in the not-too-distant future. Meanwhile, most of us have been sailing in the uncharted waters of the current lockdown. This past week, I was doing some personal research. I came across some remarkable statistics regarding the largest vessel in the United States Naval fleet. It is the nuclear-powered Nimitz CVN-68 aircraft carrier. It is an impressive 1,092 feet long. The food service on board produces approximately 20,000 meals a day. Its distilling units make 400,000 gallons of water daily. There is also an 80-bed hospital on board. It can cruise at a shockingly fast maximum speed of almost 35mph. Now, for a car, that is no big deal. For a floating city that can carry 130 F/A 18 Hornets, over 6,000 crewmen and two anchors with chains that weigh over 700,000 pounds each, it is utterly amazing.
Perhaps the most eye-opening statistic that I came across regarding this remarkable vessel was its fueling range. It is capable of covering an unrefueled span of 20 years.
Now, as impressive as that is, let’s look at the Bible. Just one memorized verse from the Word of God will take us through an entire lifetime! This is a great time to increase our power and fuel capacity for greater service, to RE-EMERGE STRONGER. Refuel, renew and watch as God REDIRECTS. Broken escalators don’t move anything, but temporary staircases open up endless possibilities.
Blessings,
Dr. Joe
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Pastor On Call-336.580.3214
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VBS 2020: June 22-26
, 9am-12pm. Pre-K (must be 5 by Aug. 31) through completed grade 5. Plan now to be a part of this great week of teaching, outreach, and ministry. Teams are forming for 39 teaching groups of all ages.
Please register your child
online
at the church’s website (
Lawndalebaptist.org
) by clicking the “Sign ups” box.
Contact a coordinator to share your interest.
VBS Leadership Luncheon
tentatively planned for
June 7
.
Camp Caraway
:
July 27-31
For boys and girls who have completed grades 1-5. This Summer camp is at our state Baptist camp near Asheboro. Registration brochures have been mailed to all children enrolled in our LJGs. Additional brochures will be available. Register early as we have a limited number of spots.
Please send your $100 deposit for each child along with registration to the church office. Contact Wanda Griffin with questions at
wdgriffin@lawndalebaptist.org
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Lawndale Student Ministry is excited to find new ways of reaching our students during this time. Here are some of the things we are doing:
Weekly Ministry
:
▪ Weekly Bible-reading and Scripture-memory plan
▪ Weekly video broadcasts on
Instagram
and
YouTube
, Sundays @ 5pm & Wednesdays @ 6:15pm
▪ Weekly tools for family devotions sent out each Thursday
▪ LJG Leaders hosting virtual gatherings on Zoom and HouseParty
Regular Communication
:
▪ Email: longer email updates on Mondays and Thursdays (email Debbie if you are not receiving updates so we can add you)
▪ Remind: text @lsmgso to 81010
Contact Information
:
Summer Trip Payments
– The balance for Fuge Camp is due June 7. The balance for the Kentucky Mission Trip is due July 1. Email Debbie (
daturcola@lawndalebaptist.org
) if you do not know your balance.
Graduate Recognition:
Graduate Sunday has been postponed until later in the summer. We are committed to hosting Graduate Sunday and Fusion Senior Night for our high school graduates - we will get these events on the calendar as soon as we are able!
Epic Week – June 22-26
Epic week is our middle school VBS and is open to all 6-8th grades (current school year). EPIC week runs 9am-noon. Cost is free! Friends welcome! Registration is open for Middle School participants and High School volunteers. Sign up online!
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Virtual D-Groups:
Join a men’s or women’s D-Group that meets online once a week through Google Hangouts (contact Ryan for details).
LCM Online:
Join us via Facebook live each Sunday morning at 10am for Life Journey Group:
@rescuednetwork
Check
social media
for creative ways to get involved with what we are doing during this unpredictable time!
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LYA is unable to meet due to the current situation, so please check out our weekly young adult devotional "live" every Thursday at 8pm!
D-Groups:
Young Adult D-Groups are accountability groups that meet at different times throughout the week (currently meeting virtually). Email
dkearwood@lawndalebaptist.org
for more info.
Labor Day Retreat:
This looks to be our biggest year yet! Spots are going quickly so make sure to put a payment down on yours ASAP! Register online or contact Kyle.
Social Media:
Check our Facebook & Instagram pages for up-to-date info! We might get to have another game night virtually!
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It's always a great time to fellowship with other LBC Singles ... even if it is virtually! Our in-person activities are on hold for the time being, so make sure to sign up for email updates to stay connected! Send us an email at
lbcsinglepurpose@gmail.com
to get added! And check out our Linktree for our important links:
https://linktr.ee/lbcsingles
.
Sunday Morning Life Journey Group:
Our Sun. morning Bible study and fellowship is now online every Sun. at 9:30am.
Get Into FOCUS...ONLINE!
Our Single Adult Bible Study “FOCUS” is temporarily transitioning to online and virtual offerings.
Let's Eat Together ... Virtually!
Since we can't meet for our Saturday dinners, let's do it virtually!!! On Saturday nights, grab dinner - from home (or takeout/delivery from your favorite restaurant), and join us on ZOOM select SATURDAY nights at 6:30pm. It's a great chance to share and socialize, just as we would over a meal!
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Coping with added stress:
I realize the difficulty many couples are having during this “stay at home” order by our Governor. Many couples are experiencing difficulty with finances, homeschooling children, anxiety and depression. What we are experiencing is new to all of us because of the freedoms we have enjoyed in our culture for years. So in this time of difficulty let me ask you to do something! Take time each day to read the Bible and pray with your family. This can be a short time of reading the Psalms or Proverbs or any book where you find comfort from God’s word.
The most important thing you can do is pray together. Prayer takes the burden off of our shoulders and places them on His shoulders. God is big enough to handle what we are going through.
I Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
I’m praying for you!
Marriage Seminar
with Matt Loehr scheduled for
Sat., Apr. 26
has been postponed due to COVID-19. We will look to reschedule this event at a future date!
Marriage Mentoring
is still going on at Lawndale. If you or someone you know is having trouble in their marriage, or just needs some encouragement in their marriage we are available. We can meet in person or use Zoom to conduct our sessions. Marriage Mentoring is 8-10 weeks of meetings with trained mentors for about 1 ½ hours each week. Mentoring helps couples identify the issues causing marital struggles, affirm validation and discover solutions.
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May is a month where new life begins to flourish after the sprouting of Spring. It’s a transitional time; a good time to start something new in preparation for the future. One of the new initiatives of the Senior Adult Ministry (SAM) Team is called “Last Touch Ministries.” This is a ministry of helping people prepare for their future home going to be with the Lord. When “Last Touch” is fully operational, it will offer assistance in matters medical, legal, stewardship, and most of all spiritual.
The part ready to go now, by email, is a form designed to help folks plan for their
Celebration of Life
arrangements. Please email me at
jonboling@lawndalebaptist.org if you would like one
. This may be challenging for some, but it’s actually a great comfort to know your preferences have been expressed. It’s a comfort to your family as well, believe me. Just let me know and I’ll send the form, you can look it over and complete it at your pace. OK?
God bless you all – I love you and I miss you!
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Food Pantry Donations:
Thank you so much for your continued support as we continue to bless our community with bags of food! In order to cut down on passing items (and possibly unwanted germs), and to encourage as little shopping as possible, monetary donations are ideal. We can place orders for grocery items in bulk to support the ministry.
Teacher Appreciation Week:
Although we love and support our teachers all year long, the first week in May is a week designated for it! Call, text, message, e-mail the teachers in your life and express how much they are appreciated!
Neighborhood Ministry:
Does your neighborhood have a Facebook page? Can you join with your community through the Nextdoor app? What an awesome time, as so many are connecting online, to stand up and raise the banner of God’s goodness! Post an encouraging message of truth along with an offer to help in any way you can!
How Can We Support You?:
Are you currently ministering in a particular area, or have an idea to do so, and you would like to see if Community Development can come alongside? Contact Nathan by email at nrwallace@lawndalebaptist.org.
Community Support:
Keep an eye on Nathan’s Facebook page for real-time needs to arise in our community (grocery pick-up, etc.).
During this time of physical isolation, it is very important that we stay connected as a body. Consider scheduling virtual meeting time for Bible study, accountability, prayer, and fellowship through Zoom or another platform. Send letters. Make phone calls. Stay-at-home orders do not change the fact that we were not made for self-sufficiency! And the inability to gather in a building certainly does not mean that Christ’s church is closed for business!
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Well… Hello! I know this whole experience has brought some incredible stress and sadness for many, but like you, I have also seen the light that is always more evident in darkness. I have truly enjoyed seeing WHOLE families strolling together in the neighborhood. As I walked through the arboretum, I have loved seeing artistic dads painting on canvas with their children, inspired by the beauty of this amazing spring. I have appreciated the carefree permission I haven’t felt since my childhood, to sit in the yard and hunt for a four leaf clover or study the clouds, knowing I had nowhere else I needed to be.
At this time, we just don’t know what we will be doing in the month of May. Hopefully, we will be able to reschedule The
She and Me Tea
for later in the year! Hopefully, we will plan a creative last meeting for
MTO
! Hopefully, you are already on a team for
VBS
and have had a chance to make some teaching and decorating plans during this time at home! Hopefully, you have cleaned out the closets and drawers in your home and are ready to fill them with new and exciting items of interests once we are back to normal!! Whatever happens next, we do it HOPEFULLY because we believe in the Living Hope!
We have tried to keep you informed and encouraged by mass email, but apparently we were not able to do it perfectly, as some of you have not received them. I ask that you take it upon yourself to stay in touch and actively check your email and with each other as well as the website to make sure you have the latest info. Until we see each other in person again, know that I miss seeing your face!!!
With love always, PJ
We have great
WOMEN ON MISSION
groups at Lawndale. Please give us a call for updates during this time and to hear how you can get involved. Fran Brown, Director 336-292-8508.
Prayer Group
, Polly Dodson, 336-375-5395. We are not currently meeting at the church, but encourage everyone to take a moment to pray where they are each Mon. at 9:30am.
Evelyn Frost Group
: 1st Tues. of each month. Cindi Douglas, 336-282-7637.
Alita Blackmon Group:
1st Tues., of each month. Kaye Tesh, 336-288-7833.
Jean Phillips Group
: 2nd Tues. of each month. Shelba Forrest, 336-288-7271
Megan Bowles
: 3rd Thurs. of each month. Susan Chumbley, 336-643-9179 & Elisa Thames, 336-451-7761.
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Summer Sports Camps 2020
remain on the church calendar. Start dates for grade appropriate Soccer Camps -
June 15
&
June 29
and Basketball Camps –
July 13/July 27/Aug. 3
. More registration information will be available as soon as it is feasible to open online registration. Continue to check the church website for additional dates and times.
Summer Basketball League:
We are optimistically looking forward to another exciting season! League play will tentatively start in June. Anyone 16 years or older who is interested can email Baron-
baedwards@lawndalepbaptist.org
for more information.
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School Closing:
The 2019/2020 school year for the Children’s Learning Center has sadly come to an early end. Governor Cooper announced on Fri.,
Apr. 24
, that all schools had been canceled for the year. We certainly have missed seeing our children and preschool families. It has been a difficult season for the Weekday, but we continue to see God’s blessings in the midst of the storm.
Enrollment:
We still have available spaces for the fall. If you know of anyone looking for a Christian preschool for their child ages 10-months through kindergarten, please have them call 336-282-4177 or email at msstone@lawndalebaptist.org. Registration forms are available online as well as outside my office in the children’s wing.
Scholarship Fund:
Several preschool families were blessed through the Weekday Scholarship Fund this school year. I am so very thankful for all the donations that allowed us to help parents provide a safe Christian learning environment for their children. Please prayerfully consider making a donation to the
Marion and Doris Ellis Weekday Scholarship Fund
so that we can continue blessing families.
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Charles Wesley
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of his grace!
Charles Wesley (1707-1788) wrote 6,500 hymns and contributed greatly to the congregational singing of early America.
Charles disliked the prevalence of the psalms in worship songs of his time, much like Isaac Watts. Out of that, he gave modern hymnody many original hymn texts, including “
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
,” which he wrote for Sunday, May 21, 1739—the first anniversary of his conversion.
Isaac Watts (1674-1748), an early contemporary of the Wesley brothers, introduced hymn singing as a common experience. Watts bridged the era between rigid metrical psalm singing and the freer expression of hymns, and is often called the father of English hymnody. However, the Wesleys emphasized the nature of human experience within a hymn rather than the more objective perspective of Watts. In this, Charles Wesley reached much further into the emotional realm of human experience.
Wesley’s poetic response to his conversion is replete with literary elegance and beautiful control of language. In the text Wesley employs hyperbole right from the start with “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” to heighten the emotional impact of the poem. According to several scholars, this famous opening line may have been inspired by Charles’ spiritual mentor, German-born Moravian missionary Peter Böhler, who said, “Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise him with them all!”
To further heighten the emotional nature of the poem, Wesley punctuates words like “Jesus” and the last words of phrases with an exclamation point. Other poetic devices used to express the incredible nature of salvation include the oxymorons present in stanza six: “Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb, your loosened tongues employ; ye blind, behold your savior come, and leap, ye lame, for joy.”
Wesley uses antithesis throughout to contrast the darkness of sin with the light of the atoning blood that heals and humbles our hearts, and replaces our fears with the rejoicing for a new life. This contrast underscores the nature of Wesley’s own conversion.
The original hymn had 18 stanzas. The seventh stanza became the first stanza of the hymn that we now know. (Aren’t you glad we sing only four).
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Wednesday evening meals are pending due to
the COVID-19 restrictions.
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Giving Options:
In response to many of you asking for ways to give tithes and offerings, we want to offer these giving options to you:
- Drop box - Drop off tithes in the drop box at the church reception desk
- By mail - Address: 3505 Lawndale Drive; Greensboro, NC 27408; ATTN: Michelle Aronson
- Online - Go to www.lawndalebaptist.org, and click the "Give" tab at the top
- Text Giving—Text the amount to 336-777-7936
Sunday Worship Services:
Join our weekly Sunday morning Service online,
www.lawndalebaptist.org
. Sing praises along with the worship team and be blessed as Dr. Joe delivers a message from the Word of God.
Need Prayer?
There are so many needs at this time. Please know, prayer requests can now be sent online at
www.lawndalebaptist.org
. Our pastors are here to pray and intercede for your needs.
Congratulations
to
Jimmy Jackson
for 20 years of service at Lawndale on
April 30
! Due to Covid-19 restrictions, an in-person recognition will follow at a later date.
Financial report from the Stewardship Committee:
The first quarter ending Mar. 31, 2020 saw an 11.6% increase in receipts, $1,029,785 over $922,429 in 2019. With the required 2020 budget increase needed over 2019 at .3%, the Church receipts are 5.5% above the budgeted totals for this time period.
We have made significant reductions in purchases and other expenses like food and utilities. This is part of the good financial picture we are seeing at this time. Your faithful giving of tithes and offerings has been a tremendous statement of your love for the work of the Lord here at Lawndale Baptist.
Next New Member Class
—Our next
New Members Class
is scheduled for
May 31
. Right now this class is pending due to Covid-19 restrictions. However, we are working on an online version of the New Members Class that should be available by that date. We will give more instructions about this class soon.
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"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
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