Notes from the Everly’s...

In December, our church will again collect money through Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) for Global Missions. The theme this year is “Beloved Community.” You may choose to be involved in several ways:

*Give to CBF missions by adding coins to the jar Becky and the children started recently during children’s time. *Make a contribution to general CBF missions in an envelope marked “OFFERING FOR GLOBAL MISSIONS.” *Give to the specific mission Becky speaks of in the letter that follows. You may use the CBF envelope or use your regular contribution envelope, marking your check and/or envelope: Haiti Mission.

Dear Church Family,

I am excited to share with you something happening in my life. When I read the chapter, “Available for Anything,” in Les-sons From a Sheep Dog, I asked myself how it applied to me. A desire was beginning to form, which has come to fruition.

Many of you will remember our son Tim sharing about his experiences on mission to Haiti. In March 2018 he will be go-ing again with a group of men to continue work on houses damaged in the recent earthquake and hurricanes.

For the first time, a group of teachers will join them. I have decided to accompany four other educators on the trip. We will be offering educational strategies to Haitian teachers in the morning and doing a Backyard Bible School with children in the afternoon. While I have done workshops for teachers for many years and have worked with hundreds of children, I have not had the experience of speaking through an interpreter, nor being in a third world country.

The mission is sponsored by Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) missions. We will be staying in a compound I under-stand to have high concrete walls with barbed wire at the top. People with whom I have spoken have said they felt no fear while they were there! They have said they had a life-changing experience that has caused them to want to go back again and again.

CBF sponsors a school and we will work with their teachers, as well as others in the area. Haitian teachers are required to attend 2-3 workshops yearly, so they will be motivated to attend even though it is also their “Spring Break.”

If you are wondering, I have thought and prayed about heat, health, and mosquitoes!!! I have also thought of what it will be like to hear “How Great Thou Art” sung in Creole on Easter Sunday morning just one week after my 71st birthday!

If you would like to be part of this mission, you could help in any of these ways:

*Make a donation toward the expenses of my Haiti mission trip. *Make a donation to buy supplies for the teachers and children with whom we work. *MOST IMPORTANTLY – PRAY NOW AND THE WEEK WE GO (March 26-April 2) or safety, health, and guidance from the Lord for our group and that we will touch the lives of those we meet in a loving manner.

Becky

First Baptist Church

of Smithville

December 2017 Volume V Issue 12

First Baptist Crossings

Food Pantry Donations

Christmas Mailbox Christmas Luncheon

Inclement Weather Reminder

Christmas Toy Store

Sunday, December 10th

Join us Sunday, December 10th for a church-wide Christmas celebration and luncheon after church services. The meat (turkey & ham) is provided. Please bring a side dish or a dessert. There will be prizes to be raffled and

everyone will receive one ticket at the door. Extra tickets will be available to purchase. If you have an item that you would like to donate to our raffle, please let Tammy or Betty know.

Kids...Santa will also be making an appearance.

Want to save postage and deliver

your Christmas cards? We will have our Christmas mailbox set up

in the foyer of the sanctuary throughout the month of Decem-ber. There will also be a list of

church members to help you with your cards. Please don’t forget to check your mailbox each Sunday morning throughout De-

cember.

It’s time once again for our Smithville Community Toy Store. Every year the Toy Store serves as a wonderful blessing to many families in Smith-ville. Grace Community Church is

hosting the Toy Store December 14-15. There is a box in the hall by the church office for your toy dona-tions. Please have donations here by Wednesday, De-cember 6th. Monetary gifts can be mailed to:

Smithville Community Toy Store c/o Grace Community Church

PO Box 807 Smithville, MO 64089

FBC would like to express our sincere Thanks and gratitude for the many food pantry donations that we received in the month of November. Several donated but we especially thank; Smithville Parks & Recreation Department, Smithville Horizon Elementary School, Smithville High School, Modern Woodmen and the monetary donation that was made by the LDS Church of Smithville.

A special thank you also goes out to all of our congrega-tion who donated food this past month and to those who spent extra time sorting and storing the donations.

Should we need to cancel church activities due to bad weather, you will receive an email notification. We will also use other methods such as facebook (please see our f/b page) and phone calls to those that do not have email. Also, we will contact the local television stations. If the Smithville School District is closed, we will also cancel all church activities.

Advent 2017 Schedule

Immanuel “God With Us”

November 26-Matthew 1:20-23 December 17-Colossians 1:15-20 His Name Is Jesus. His Character is God With Us Jesus is the “Image of the Invisible God.

December 3-John 14:5-9 December 24-(10:00 am) Hebrews 1:1-3 Jesus said, “Any one that has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus is the “Exact Representation of God’s Being”

December 10-Children’s Christmas Program December 24 -(6:00pm) Philippians 2:5-11 Jesus “Humbled Himself” in becoming a man.

December 24th and 31st Worship Service will begin at 10:00 am. NO Sunday School or donut fellowship on these dates.

In Our Prayers

Nursery Department December 3 Tammy Kelly & Whitney Kelly December 10 Kathy Petty & Christen Doerzbacher December 17 Shelby Eastep & Jeff Eastep December 24 Dorothy Allen & Carla Berner December 31 Carol Shaffer & Linda Frazier Greeters December 3 Judy Asher & Betty Shuler December 10 Betty Shuler & Dorothy Allen December 17 Rosalie Swaney & Lois Earlywine December 24 Linda Frazier & Carol Shaffer December 31 Darlene McMillian & Carolyn Forsyth

Children’s Sermon Leaders December 3 Jenny Holmes December 10 Ruth Hiatt December 17 Cody Wilson December 24 Becky Everly December 31 Randy Kelly

Deacon of the Week December 3 Bill Forsyth December 10 Linda Frazier December 17 Ruth Hiatt December 24 Randy Holmes December 31 Lee Huntley

Hospitality

December Jim & Rosemary Long

Bridge Street Ministries Tuesday, December 5 Kathy Petty, Jennifer Edwards, Bill & Carolyn Forsyth, Shirley Phillips and Marsha Swartz

Tuesday, December 12 First United Methodist Church

Tuesday, December 19 Betty Shuler/Dorothy Huntley, Rosalie Swaney and Marsha Swartz

Tuesday, December 26 Ruth/Jim Hiatt, Jim Long, Karen Youmans and Marsha Swartz *The bolded name indicates lead person.

Children’s Church December 3 Cody Wilson December 10 Jim & Rosemary Long December 17 Linda Frazier & Carol Shaffer December 24 Laura Bush & Mikayla Herrod December 31

Holiday Office Hours

Financial Figures November Offerings $7,202.89

Calendar of Events

• December 3 Team’s Meeting, 11:30 am • December 3 Christmas Caroling, 11:30 am • December 4 “Girl’s Night Out,” 6:30 at the church • December 10 Children’s Christmas Program • December 10 Christmas Luncheon, 11:30 am • December 24 Christmas Eve Service, 6:00 pm • December 25-29 Church Office Closed

Volunteers in December

Our Church Family:

Bridge Street Focus Items

The Bridge Street Ministries Focus items for the month of December are

Hamburger Helper, pork & beans, spaghetti/pasta sauce, and canned corn. There is also a great need for

toilet paper.

Dorothy Perkins Bill Edwards Joyce Teegarden Audrey Tygart Dorothy Allen Courtney Jones

Lloyd & Darlene Wilson Elnora Monroe Beth Asher Red Warring Linda Thomas

The Church office

will be closed

for the holidays from

December 25th-January

5th.

Rev. David Everly, Pastor Betty Shuler, Secretary Tammy Kelly, Secretary Margaret Fales, Music Athena Gillespie, Pianist

Office Hours: Mondays 9am-1pm Tuesdays 9am-1pm Thursdays 9am-1pm

December Birthdays Weekly Schedule

Ministers & Staff

Sundays • 9:30am Worship • 10:30 am Coffee & Snacks • 10:45 am Bible Study Tuesdays • 10:00am-12:00 pm Bridge Street Open • 1:00 pm PEPPI Exercise Class Wednesdays • 6:30 pm-7:15 pm Children’s Programming

First Baptist Church 300 South Bridge Street

Smithville, MO 64089

Phone: (816) 532-0164

Website:

firstbaptistchurchsmithvillemo.com

December 1 Lucas Bettis

December 2 Betty Morris

December 3 Beth Asher

December 9 Chace Jones

Jim Hiatt

December 15 Jake Jones

December 16 Carlene Rubicam

December 17 Becca Petty

Rosemary Long

December 18 Annieve Wilson

December 29 Malykei Herrod