GroupLife--an example of real ministry

I received this email just this week. What an example of a community of people (small group)living with a Kingdom Cause!

"I am a member of the Singles Class tought by Linda V. I wanted to let you know what a special group Linda has, on November 1 I fell in Savannah while on vacation by myself. I broke my foot right foot in three places. I called Linda and so many people in my class volunteered to come to Savannah and drive me home. I was able to get myself home, but my class has been so wonderful to me. They cooked meals for me, was my transportation when needed and continue praying for me. I am still on a cane and have problems still walking, but each of them has made it so clear they are just a phone call away when needed, this is true Christain Love. I am so blessed. A Sister in Christ, that is truly Blessed."

Ministry Beyond the Walls

I asked one of our members to send me this story of their ministry and outreach in our community. This is great example of how our folks, in this case our Singles Ministry, continues to make FBCS a Missional church:

The singles group adopted a family for Christmas. It was a family of six, but we only wound up having two ss classes participate so I didn't know how it all would work out. We set a goal to collect about $700 for the family. We wanted to get everyone about the same amount of items and be able to give the a $100 dollar gift card to BiLo. After collecting money and shopping for the family I realized that we had a lot more money than we could have imagined. We still had 500 dollars left. I was discussing this with my dad, a Corporate Chaplain in the area, and he said that If he had known we could collect so much money he would have given us a name of a guy from one of his companies. After discussing this with a couple of singles representatives and getting it approved by CCA we decided to add the family on. It was just a week before Christmas and we knew we wouldn't have time to shop so I gave cash and a BiLo gift card to my dad to deliver to the man. He is a single dad of three and has been going trough a really rough time with some things. My dad was informed by CCA that he could not deliver the gift at the office he had to do it at the man's home. God works in mysterious ways. The man had been wanting to discuss some issues with my dad, but didn't want to do it at the office. This gave dad the time and space that the man needed. All the man had was a little table top tree and one present under it. He was extremely grateful for the gift. He said, "These people don't even know me. Why would they want to do this for me?" He was just going to take the family out to dinner because he couldn't afford to cook, but now he could do a nice meal. He called me after the holiday and thanked us again and told me that it was a great Christmas and they even had a great holiday meal at home.This really made my day and I can't wait to see what we can do in the future, either for this family or another.

A little seed, a great harvest!

This story was sent to us by one of our church members, Janice Baddley. By request, some names have been changed to protect anonymity

"I had been sharing the [magazine]Journey with a neighbor of mine. She is a relatively new Christian and has a background in the Catholic Church. She has really been growing in her relationship with Christ, and devotionals from Journey have helped her deal with several challenges over the last year, particularly the loss of her husband's job and raising three little boys.
I purchased my neighbor a subscription to Journey for her birthday and she called me the other day just to tell me what a blessing it has been to her. She shared specifically that one of the recent devotions spoke about a young woman who was serving as a caregiver for her elderly father who then died. The point of the message was that we don't have the luxury of taking time or people for granted - that we never know when our situation will change but that we can take comfort in Jesus and have the assurance that believers will be together again in heaven. The Holy Spirit used this devotion to touch my neighbor’s heart and prompt her to make an unplanned visit to see her own father in New Jersey about two weeks ago. She said the devotion kept tugging at her so she checked flight costs and they were having a sale so she really felt like she should go, particularly since her dad had been ill. My neighbor had a great visit with her dad, who she has always been close to, and she said they had some deep discussions about heaven and he shared with her that he was "right with God." On Monday of this week, her father passed away unexpectedly. When I went over to comfort her she kept saying how very glad she was that she had had the special time with her dad and how she knew that God had used the devotion in Journey to speak to her.
It was so amazing to her to so vividly see how God had worked in her life. This grew her faith and trust in her Father so much! Our God is good and He works in wonderful ways! Please pray for her and her family as they seek God's comfort during this time."

Worship Center Picture Update

here are a few new pictures from inside our new Worship Center. It is quickly coming together!

Peace in the Storm, Thankfulness after the Storm

I just wanted to share a recent experience where I feel God had His hand in it. The events that happened over a 4 month period could not possibly be by chance.

I was recently turned down for a promotion that everyone felt I was certain to get. I realize now God was only preparing me for an opportunity to witness to someone. In June my wife bought me a daily devotional Bible and I began reading the daily stories and scriptures. Over the months I worked my way up to Samuel and learned a lot about how David handled rejection in a Christian way. The day after my interview the October 30 devotional was all about handling rejection. Over the next few weeks everyone told me how good they heard I did in the interview. It looked air tight. I had also begun to read a book "The Three Kings" which dealt with Saul, David and his son. It was a good look at how our attitudes should be during times of trouble and rejection.
I finished it on November 16th and a few minutes later I got a notice that a better candidate had been found for MY position. At first I was a little confused and not sure what had happened but I did know how I was supposed to handle rejection as a Christian. A few hours latter I was at a table eating with someone who normally is quite cheerful and positive but seemed a little down. He asked me how it felt to be rejected. I thought it was an odd statement but he then began to share that he also had just been turned down for the job he applied for. At that point it was as a calm came over me and said "I have spent many weeks preparing you, witness to him about the peace I have given you".
I have had a chance to talk with several others who didn't get the job they had applied for and was able to relate to them what I have learned. I thank God for this blessing of putting me at the right place at the right time. Other things have opened up for me in the last few days and I see that God was watching out for me and the things coming up will be much better suited for me and my family. [T]he joy of being able to serve God has far out weighed any gain I might have had at work. I praise God for His infinite wisdom and for allowing me the chance to serve Him.
Yours in Christ, Steve Bingham

A Baptism that Changed a Family

Craig's sister, Michael's Mom, came down for Michael's baptism at the last minute. She had talked with Craig while she was here and he told her that she just had to give her troubles and problems to God instead of trying to handle her problems on her own. She emailed us after she went home saying how much it meant to her and changed her to witness her son following through with such an important decision and how the sermon really hit home. She said she had prayed to accept Christ and decided to give her self to him. We were so happy for her decision and know it wsa God's plan to have her here to witness such a powerful testimony from her son.

Jaime & Craig Hall

Reaching out Changes Lives

A highlight from this past Sunday is the story of Joseph Wilson. Over the past several weeks Joseph and his family were the recipients of two FAITH team visits. Michael, Joseph's older brother was already coming because of the invite and investment of a friend, Joseph Lewis. This past Sunday in Sunday School, something amazing occurred. Before Jeff Lyda had a chance to start teaching his class, Joseph's brother Michael, asked Jeff if he could tell Joseph how to ask Jesus into his heart. After Sunday School was over Joseph gave Jeff the chance to pray with him and lead him to Christ. During the invitation of our 11:30 service Joseph came and prayed with Randy.

The invitation of a friend proved to be what God used to change a life. Who will you invite?