Arcadia First Baptist Church of Santa Fe

T H E D OV E

t Growing

God’s

Kingdom

Together

Volume 17 Issue 17 October , 15 2017

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Worship Words 2 News & Events 3-5 Calendar 6-7 Lamplighter 8-11 Kid’s Korner 12-13 Paw Prints 14 Youth 15-16

5 Things God Wants You to Know if You Struggle With Doubt

By: Abby McDonald— www.ibelieve.com

“They didn’t go down on their price,” my husband said with a tone of defeat. I looked down at my pregnant belly and tried to fight tears. This was the second offer we’d made on a house we hoped to make our home, but things weren’t going as planned. We would have to walk away. For what seemed the hundredth time that week, I questioned God. Were we making a huge mistake? Our old house sat on the other side of the country, unsellable. My in-laws basement was our temporary living quarters while the birth of our second son inched closer. My husband was commuting 75 miles one way to work and my stress level was climbing by the hour. Before deciding to move, we came to God numer-ous times in prayer. We were sure we had a green light. But when problems mounted and there was no end in sight, I thought perhaps we heard wrong. I doubted the steps we took forward in faith. Doubt led to discouragement, and soon I couldn’t see anything but the problems in front of us. I forgot the countless ways God delivered us from troubles in the past. I forgot his ways were higher and his re-sources were limitless. When we go through seasons of doubt, it’s easy to think God is disappointed with us. We struggle to see how our situation will improve and instead of coming to him in complete honesty, we distance ourselves. We further obscure our vision because of our failure to communicate. If we look in scripture, we see men and women of God are no strangers to doubt. Its pages are filled with stories of God-following individuals who, despite see-ing miracles and being delivered from dire circum-stances, questioned their Maker. So how does He respond to doubters? With an iron fist? Not exactly. Usually, his response is more like that of a loving Father. Here are five things God wants you to know if you struggle with doubt: 1. His faithfulness is bigger than our doubt. God’s steadfast love and character is not dependent on an unwavering faith. If it were, he never would have sent his son. He knows we are going to mess up and go through seasons where we’re tested. But while we are human and still subject to sin, God is holy and un-

changing. His faithfulness can’t be denied because it is an inalterable part of who he is. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13 ESV 2. We can come to Him for reassurance. One of my favorite Bible stories is of the warrior, Gideon. God used this man to defeat an entire nation and bring peace to Israel, but before this victory he doubted God’s plan. He asked for signs of reassurance not once, but three times. But the Lord did not scorn his need for encouragement. Instead, he delivered what Gideon asked.

“Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request… that night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.” Judges 6:39-40 NIV 3. God offers hope that goes beyond our circum-stances. If we are consumed by the chaos and trou-bles around us, we often lose sight of God. We forget the source of our hope is eternal, going beyond this life and our situation. This does not mean God doesn’t care about the details of our lives. He does. He’s num-bered each hair on our heads. (Luke 12:7) But he also wants us to keep the things of this life in perspective. 4. He can use our seasons of doubt to grow a deeper faith. The person Jesus asked, “Why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31) and who later denied him three times was given a new name after the Resurrec-tion: Peter. Jesus specifically chose a name meaning, “the rock.” Peter went on to spread the truth of the gospel to thousands, becoming a fearless martyr for the sake of proclaiming its live-giving truth. His doubt actually became a catalyst for a complete life change, and through the power of the Holy Spirit he healed and saved many. “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Acts 3:6 NIV 5. Doubt does not equal a loss of salvation. Doubt is not the same as unbelief. Denying the existence of God and or belief in his Son is something quite differ-ent than struggling to understand his plan for our life. At some point, each of will likely experience seasons of doubt. And when we do, the best step is to come to God in honest, open conversation and invite his Spirit to move in our hearts. Confession and communication are key to a thriving relationship, and our Father knows what we need before we even ask. (Matthew 6:8)

STAFF WEEKLY

SCHEDULE

Associate Pastor of Worship

Monday—Thursday 8:30am—noon & 1pm—5pm

Associate Pastor of Youth

Tuesday—Friday 8:30am—noon & 1 pm—5 pm

Childhood Ministry Director

Monday—Thursday 8:30am—noon & 1pm—5pm

Financial Administrator

Monday—Friday 8:30am—noon & 1pm—5pm

Continued on page 10

Page 2 Worship Words By: Stephen Wilhite, Associate Pastor of Worship

No Leftovers The other day I was cleaning out the fridge at our

house and threw away a ton of un-eaten leftovers. It’s a

little embarrassing to admit how much food my family

wastes, though I know we are pretty much like every

other American family. We have great intentions of eat-

ing what was left from dinner the night before, but the

next day someone invites us out to lunch or we are

craving a bologna sandwich, so we put off the leftovers

to another day. More often than not, the food goes bad

and sits in the fridge far too long before it is dumped

out to free up much needed containers in which to store

other leftovers. The reality is, we don’t really like lefto-

vers much (unless it’s lasagna or potato soup!).

As I was reading Malachi 1, it became evident that

God feels the same about our worship. Malachi 1:6-14

says,

6’ “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I

am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a mas-

ter, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Al-

mighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my

name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt

for your name?’

7 “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask,

‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the

LORD’s table is contemptible.

8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not

wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals,

is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor!

Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?”

says the LORD Almighty.

9 “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such

offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says

the LORD Almighty.

10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so

that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am

not pleased with you,” says the LORD Almighty, “and

I will accept no offering from your hands.

11 My name will be great among the nations, from

where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place in-

cense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because

my name will be great among the nations,” says the

LORD Almighty.

12 “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is

defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’

13 And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it

contemptuously,” says the LORD Almighty. “When

you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer

them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your

hands?” says the LORD.

14 “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in

his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blem-

ished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says

the LORD Almighty, “and my name is to be feared

among the nations.’

This passage talks about God’s disdain for leftovers.

The people of Israel were going through the motions by

offering sacrifices to God, but they weren’t giving God

what He had commanded. They were to bring a perfect

sacrifice, one without blemish or spot. Instead, the peo-

ple (even the priests) were giving their unwanted lefto-

vers to God- blind and diseased animals. God is so dis-

gusted by their lack of reverence for Him that He basi-

cally tells them to stop and close the church doors.

They were offering insults to God rather than pleasing

offerings. What the Israelites were giving was mediocre

at best while God demanded excellence.

I wonder how this applies to our worship today.

When we come into God’s house on Sunday morning,

do we give Him our best? Do we focus our minds on

the words we are singing and who we are singing to?

Are we distracted by our frustrations and the worries of

the week rather than being in the moment with the

Lord? Are we concerned about what we are going to do

about lunch after the service instead of delighting in the

spiritual food we are receiving from the preached

Word? I am thankful that through the blood of Jesus

Christ, the perfect sacrifice, we are made holy in God’s

sight and it doesn’t take a perfect song or perfect moti-

vations to please Him. God is already pleased with us

when we put our faith in Christ because we have His

blood covering our sins. It should, however, be our de-

sire to honor God because of what He did for us by

sending His Son, Jesus, to pay the price for our sins.

We should WANT to give Him our best, because He

gave us His best. As we enter into worship this Sunday

(and every Sunday) let’s strive to give God a pleasing

sacrifice of worship - worship that flows from hearts

that are enormously grateful for his goodness and

grace. I love you and love being your Worship Pastor!

For His Glory,

Stephen Wilhite

On Another Note

Choir kicked off recently, and we are preparing songs

for our Christmas program. If you enjoy worshiping

God in song, we would love to have you join us on

Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the worship center! No

audition necessary!

October Men’s

Breakfast When: Sunday, October 15, 2017

Where: AFBC Fellowship Hall (F4)

Time: 7:30am

Guest Speaker: Dr. John LaNoue

No need to sign up, all men are welcome

to attend. Gene Newton, Director

Building Fund GGK3 Reporting 9/03/17 $ 4,730.00 Reporting 9/10/17 $ 2,621.00 Reporting 9/17/17 $ 3,171.00 Reporting 9/24/17 $ 1,491.00

Total GGK3 (FOR September) $ 12,013.00 Balance (AS OF 09/30/17) — $ (2,637.48)

Budget Receipts

Reporting 9/03/17 $21,187.43 Reporting 9/10/17 $15,767.22 Reporting 9/17/17 $12,925.89 Reporting 9/24/17 $13,267.29 Budget Receipts (AS OF 09/30/17) $63,147.83 September 2017 Monthly Budget Needs $62,819.60

G O D ’ S T I T H E S & O F F E R I N G S S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7

CHURCH FAMILY FOCUS Sunday School/Bible Study

Attendance

September 03 Adults 145 Youth 21 Children 22 Pre-School 12 TOTAL 200

September 10 Adults 125 Youth 13 Children 20 Pre-School 11 TOTAL 169

September 17 Adults 139 Youth 23 Children 18 Pre-School 14 TOTAL 194

September 24 Adults 133 Youth 24 Children 18 Pre-School 15 TOTAL 190

S.S. MONTHLY AVERAGE 188

If My people who are called by

My name humble themselves

and pray and seek My face

and turn from their wicked

ways, then I will hear from

heaven, will forgive their sin

and will heal their land.

Page 3

Sunday Morning Worship

DATE Morning Worship Total

09/03 211 09/10 208 09/17 259 09/24 266

Average 236

MISSION STATEMENT:

The purpose of Arcadia First Baptist Church

shall be to present Jesus Christ so that lost souls are

drawn to Him through ministry and discipleship

and to encourage fellowship in Christ for support.

Annual Fall Gathering & Pie Supper Thursday October 19, 2017 6:30pm.

sponsored by: WMU of GBA Leadership

Team & hosted by First Baptist Church

Hitchcock. Program focus will be Post Trau-

matic Stress & the aftermath of Hurricane

Harvey. All are invited to join us! Bring a pie

to share (meat, pizza, sweet, etc.) & a friend!

Quarterly Church

Business Conference Sun., Oct. 22nd - 7pm - Worship Ctr.

Conference will cover July, August &

September business. All reports are due in

the church office by Monday, October 9th.

ALL church members are encouraged to

attend, a quorum is required.

2017 Santa Fe Homecoming Parade Outreach

Wed., October 25th

4pm-7:30pm

Family Fun and Fellowship Sno-Cones, Popcorn, Games & more!!! Adult Volunteers needed to work sta-tions, hand out church info bags, & wel-come visitors. Please see Joshua Doss to help!

AFBC 2018 Budget Presentation & Discussion November 5th - 6pm

The Budget Finance Committee makes the AFBC 2018 Budget Presentation to the church during this Evening Worship. This budget process has included budget re-quests that have been submitted by all of the AFBC ministries to the Budget Finance Committee for 2017. During this presenta-tion, the congregation will be given oppor-tunities to respond & ask questions con-cerning the 2018 Budget. This is the first of two AFBC 2018 Budget Presentations & Discussions. The AFBC 2018Budget is scheduled to be voted on by secret ballot on Sunday, December 10th, in both morn-ing services

“Thanksgiving On Sunday”

November 19th — 6pm—AFBC Activity Center

Robert Burkhart will provide the program for the evening. Robert’s humor is Christ-centered!

It’s not “good, clean comedy.” It’s Christian Comedy — beginning,

middle & end. Robert will encourage, energize & challenge

our church family while showing those outside of the faith that... FUN WAS GOD’S IDEA!

Sign up in the foyer to bring your favorite dish to share with all your family

& God’s Family. Volunteers are needed to help set-up, clean-up & work during the dinner.,

sign-up in the foyer begin-ning on Wed., Nov. 1st.

Parade Outreach

Page 4

Hello, AFBC family, Please consider donating to help provide safe sleep for ba-bies whose beds were lost in Harvey. $40.00 buys beds for three babies thanks to the two matching programs. As volun-teers for the Pregnancy and Parenting Support Centers of Galveston County, we are hearing many stories of babies in unsafe sleeping conditions and are receiving many requests for beds. Our babies “Thank You”. We are in need of more volunteers at our distribution cen-ter located at Dayspring Church on 646 in Santa Fe. Any amount of time is appreciated. We are open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays- 10 am to 3 pm. Please feel free to call one of us for information about our services or volunteer opportunity. God Bless you, Pam Bradley, Betty Clayton, Tammy & Mo Stevens, & Sherry Ottinger

AFBC Ladies Annual Sip &

Sample Cookie Exchange Saturday, December 2nd, 2017

l0:00am till 12:00 noon

AFBC Fellowship Hall - F4

Ladies mark your calendar and

join in the fun at the Annual Sip

& Sample Cookie Exchange on Saturday, December

2nd in the Fellowship Hall. It will be a great time of fin-

ger foods, sipping hot chocolate, hot wassail, flavored

coffees and teas and sampling cookies. A fun craft and

a special Christmas devotion planned for all.

Here’s what to bring:

Your favorite finger food to share with everyone

(sandwiches, soup or chili, little sausages, casseroles,

chip/dip, veggie tray, etc)

3 to 4 dozen homemade cookies for swapping (if you

don’t bake, you can bring store bought cookies…but it

is not necessary)

A few cookies for sampling

Container to carry home your "Heavenly treasures"

If you have questions call Peggy Anderson

409.457.5718 or the Church Office 409.925.2825

Don't miss lots of fun and loads of laughs.

Veterans Day Sunday

Recognition Nov. 12th 10:30am Worship Service.

Please submit a photo & service

information of your immediate

family member to the church office by Wednes-

day, Nov. 8th, for the slideshow presentation.

We are so blessed by your support of our work and

ministry at the Pregnancy and Parenting Support Cen-

ter! As members of the Body of Christ across our coun-

ty bottles have been filled and the needs of moms and

babies are supplied! Thank you for full tummies and

dry bottoms!

With gratitude,

The Staff & Volunteers of the

Pregnancy & Parenting

Support Center

Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study

Join us in F6 @ 6pm

Additional Wednesday Night Cook Teams Needed Additional Cook Teams are needed for the monthly rotation. Contact Kim McCurdy or contact the church office @409 925-2825 for more information & details.

Sunday, Nov.- 12th 6pm – Highway 6 Ministerial Alliance Community Thanksgiving Service & Dessert Fellowship

Join us at Santa Fe Christian Church, 13602 FM 1764 Santa Fe, Texas. Bring a Thanksgiving dessert to share and can goods for HIS Ministry. Everyone invited!

Page 5

You can NEVER out give God When I was asked to serve on the Hurricane Harvey Dis-

aster Relief (HHDR) Financial Assistance Team along

with Pat Baurs and Sam Belcher, I said yes without hesi-

tation. I knew that God would equip the Team for what-

ever tasks lie before us. But little did I know what bless-

ings we would receive!

Our job is to assess the financial needs of our church

members, our School/MDO/Childcare and others who

were impacted by Hurricane Harvey and have asked for

help – whether it be physical labor (removal of sheet-

rock, carpet, furniture, etc) or financial assistance.

The Team prays over each request seeking the Lord’s

guidance in helping each need. Currently the Team has

provided gift cards to many families in our School/

MDO/Childcare; and financial assistance to several fami-

lies in our Church. The more we give, the more the Lord

replaces and blesses us with funds! You can’t out

give God!! There’s no way! This is reassurance what

we are doing is definitely in the Lord’s will.

The Team has created a Request for Financial Assistance

form that is available in the Church Office. It asks for

several pieces of information to help us evaluate if we

can help with physical labor or financial assistance.

If you would like to contribute to AFBC Hurricane Har-

vey Disaster Relief (HHDR) Financial Assistance, you

can bring your contribution to the Church Office, place it

in the Sunday offering plate or donate on the Church

website at www.afbc.org. We are so thankful for the

many contributions received from churches in Canada,

Lubbock, Alabama and many individuals.

Dear Church Family, please pray for us as we continue in

the Lord’s work. The Lord is using our Team and many

others in our Church as His hands and feet to reach out in

our Community.

We have recruited Clifford Johnson to work with us in

making visits to many homes to assess their damage.

The blessings we are receiving are so amazing! God is

so good! All the time!

Praising and serving the Lord!

Peggy Anderson

HHDR Team

Joy to the World! Christmas will be here sooner than you think! Nation-

al Collection week for our Operation Christmas Child

(OCC) Project will be November 13-20, when we will

collect gift-filled shoeboxes at more than 4,700 locations

across the United States.

Every shoebox is an opportunity to share the Gospel

and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas — the birth

of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Since 1993, OCC

has delivered 146 million shoebox gifts to children in

need, and as God provides, OCC hopes to reach millions

more with these special gifts packed by people like you.

In the foyer on the OCC table there are brochures ti-

tled “How to Pack Your Shoebox Gift” that will help you

get started with packing your shoebox, along with empty

boxed that you can take to pack your box. Inside the bro-

chure it has an envelope to include your $9 for shipping

your shoebox & labels for the outside of the box. Church

wide Packing party is November 11th from 10am-1pm in

the Fellowship Hall. The Shoebox ingathering is on Sun-

day November 19th in the 10:30am Worship Service. Submitted By: Betty Clayton

Volunteering Opportunity By; Crystal Leach

Right now, while our church is in transition we need

to be thinking about how to help our church grow. If we

want our church to grow in new ways it is going to take

volunteers willing to reach out and follow-up with peo-

ple connected to our church.

Volunteering offers vital help to people in need and

the community, but the benefits can be even greater for

you, the volunteer. When you volunteer, you step outside

of your world and learn to touch the lives of others. Vol-

unteering can help encourage you to develop your gifts

and skills, which are very valuable assets in other aspects

of your life. Volunteering and helping others can help

you reduce stress, keep you mentally stimulated, and

provide a sense of purpose.

With that said, we will be starting our In-reach/

Outreach program back up soon and it will be on the

third Sunday of every month at 4:00pm. We will meet in

the prayer room in the foyer to get contact cards and then

we will split up into groups to go out visiting. These con-

tacts are not all new visitors, they are a mixture of new

visitors, people affiliated with a church ministry, or

members who haven’t been to church in a while.

We are not asking for long-term commitments,

we are only asking for you to try it out and see if it’s a fit

for you. If it’s not, then please move on to the next vol-

unteering opportunity until you find one that does fit

you. If you are interested in this opportunity please con-

tact Joshua Doss or the church office.

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Page 8 Lamplighter

Missionary Moments

for week of October 8, 2017

Morning: More Laborers Need-

ed in Vermont - When Lyandon

and Kim Warren discovered the

vast spiritual needs in Vermont, they couldn’t get it off

their minds. The native North Carolinians stepped out

in faith as they moved to Vermont to plant a church in

August 2006. In 2012, they planted a second church in

the state. Today, as a church planting catalyst in Ver-

mont, Lyandon helps start Southern Baptist churches

throughout the state. Your Cooperative Program finan-

cial gifts help Lyandon mentor and train new church

planters looking to reach the state for Jesus. He asks

Southern Baptists to pray for God to call more laborers

to the mission field of Vermont.

for week of October 8, 2017

Evening: Fighting Superstition in Sub-Saharan Afri-

ca - Sahiba is a young, African mother who lost her first

baby after only a few months. Though the baby died of

malnutrition, villagers told Sahiba her breast milk was

evil and that she stepped on demons while pregnant.

When she could not produce enough milk for her sec-

ond baby, Sahiba met Laura Sharpe, a Christian worker

at a local clinic for needy mothers and babies. Sahiba

wept when the clinic gave her a goat, which could pro-

vide milk for her baby. Laura assured her the babies’

sicknesses were not her fault and told her about Christ.

Your gifts through the Cooperative Program allow

Sharpe to continue sharing this hope.

Bible Reference & Statement: 2 Corinthians 8:4-5 -

Despite great difficulties, the Macedonian Christians

found a way to support ministries beyond their local

community. We have an opportunity to support minis-

tries around the world. We witness for Christ around the

world when our church gives through the Cooperative

Program.

for week of October 15, 2017

Morning: New Worship - During a Story Together

event in West Africa, Christian workers trained local

believers to craft Bible stories in their language. These

oral stories are the only Scriptures the people group has

in their mother tongue. IMB ethnomusicologist Quinn

McClintock* also trained the group to create a worship

song in their language. “They claim that all of their

songs - even cultural songs - are borrowed from other

cultures,” Quinn said. “If this is true, then...their first

[original] song is in praise of God!” Your gifts through

the Cooperative Program help Quinn and others equip

local believers to study Scripture and worship the Fa-

ther in their own language and cultural tradition.

for week of October 15, 2017

Evening: Called to Reach ‘Good People’ With the

Gospel in Nebraska - Craig Liscom serves as a church

planting catalyst in Omaha, Neb., where he and his

wife, Elizabeth, seek to take the gospel across the street

and around the world. The couple’s primary mission

field is in eastern Nebraska, which is a uniquely Mid-

western ministry context. Many in the region consider

themselves “good” people but don’t have a life-giving

relationship with Jesus. The Liscoms thank you for your

financial gifts given through the Cooperative Program.

They also ask you to pray that the Lord would help

them find prayer and financial partners for the newly

formed Nebraska Church Planting Network.

Bible Reference & Statement: Isaiah 55:2 - Our use

of money should produce a quality of life that is ful-

filling and eternal. Primary in the use of money is giv-

ing to share the gospel and to help people in need.

for week of October 22, 2017

Morning: New Hampshire church Planter Reaches

Out to Former Catholics - [New Hampshire] Raised

as a Roman Catholic, Kevin Fortier is planting the gos-

pel among the people of Manchester, N.H. Though

many consider themselves Roman Catholic, most either

practice the faith of their childhood sporadically or have

left the church altogether. Many have never been in a

church or heard the good news about Jesus. As Kevin

reaches out to people with Jesus’ offer of salvation, he

says he is blessed to see Him at work in a spiritually

dead city. Through your Cooperative Program financial

giving, Kevin can serve the people of this community.

Pray that the Lord would draw more people to respond

to the gospel.

for week of October 22, 2017

Evening: Changing Erroneous Mindsets in Central

Asia - Many Russian churchgoers believe someone

younger than 18 is not old enough to have a committed

relationship with Christ. But IMB missionaries Charles

and Paula Culkin* helped changed the mindset of one

pastor and his wife. “They were surprised to hear that

our children came to know Christ at an early age and

had continued to serve Him,” said Paula. She mentored

the pastor’s wife in children’s ministry, and the Russian

couple started a summer camp for children. Now, when

asked about missions, about half the children at their

church say they want to be missionaries. Praise God

that your gifts through the Cooperative Program fund

Continued on page 9

Page 9

AFBC Senior Adult Events:

November:

Outreach Bible Study – Every Tue.,

9:30am, Amegy Bank Community

Room; the group is open to individuals of all ages;

Piecemakers - Every Thurs. 10am AFBC - F4; women

of all ages are invited to participate;

O.W.L.S. Council Meeting– Nov. 2nd ,10am; AFBC

Conference Room

Galveston Baptist Association Events November:

Senior Adult Game Day- Tues., Nov. 14th – 1:30pm -

4pm, GBA Office-LaMarque; bring a snack to share;

O.W.L.S. Council Attends Senor

Adult Ministry Training On September 28, six members

of the O.W.L.S. Council from Arca-

dia First Baptist Church attended a

training program on ministry to sen-

ior adults. The training conference

was held at First Baptist Church in

Hempstead.

Conference topics included a

presentation titled the “The Main

Thing” which em-

phasized the importance of evange-

lization in the Senior Adult Ministry

and the fact that we cannot assume

that all senior adults are Christians.

Another area of discussion was

titled “Here Come the Boomers!”

This discussion focused on the dif-

ferences in senior adults from different generations

and the impact that could have on Senior Adult Minis-

try.

The final presentation titled “Practical Ideas With a

Purpose” focused on practical ways to engage senior

adults in Senior Adult Ministries. It was noted that the

church is a family of faith and the friendships made at

church are often the most meaningful relationships in

a senior adult’s life.

A delicious lunch of barbeque beef and sausage

with all

the trim-

mings

was en-

joyed by

all!

Lamplighter

Memory Verse of the Month If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for

He cannot disown Himself.

2 Timothy 2:13

missionaries who train local believers to be missions-

minded.

Bible Reference & Statement: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 -

The gentile churches had been asked by Paul to give to

help the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem who had great

need. The Macedonians, though poor, gave generously.

The Macedonians “first gave themselves to the Lord.”

for week of October 29, 2017

Morning: Desperate for Change amid Evil in North

Africa and Middle East - Despite ongoing violence,

Christian worker Mary Alan* sees how God is reaching

people in the Middle East who have never heard the gos-

pel. Elias* fled his country after Is- lamic State fighters

overran his Iraqi village. In his new home, he met a

worker who helped him understand salvation by grace.

Elias now helps refugees in need. Another believer, who

still lives in his war-torn hometown, leads Bible studies.

A Syrian refugee couple started a house church in their

new country. “Praise God that churches in the Middle

East are filling up with those who are desperate for

change,” said Mary. Pray that gifts through the Coopera-

tive Program continue to spread the gospel in dangerous

places.

for week of October 29, 2017

Evening: Wedding Opens Eyes of Missionary to

Needs in the Pacific Northwest, Washington - Andy

Brown discovered the need for gospel-preaching church-

es in metro Seattle when he visited the region in 2012 to

perform a wedding. That weekend God began to impress

on Andy the need for new churches in western Washing-

ton. In January 2013 Andy and his family moved to

Bothell, Wash., to start The Landing Church. In January

2015, he started another at Pike Street Market in down-

town Seattle. Your gifts given through the Cooperative

Program help Andy and his wife, Trang, serve the people

of metro Seattle. Please pray that the Lord would draw

people to Himself in the Pacific Northwest using mis-

sionaries like Andy.

Bible Reference & Statement: Proverbs 30:8-9 - A

lifestyle, characterized by good management, is a bal-

anced lifestyle. As Christians, we manage what God pro-

vides for us and seek to balance the number of things ac-

cumulated and consumed with the amount we give to

God and to others.

Continued from page 8

Page 10 Lamplighter

Even though I experienced a period of doubt after making that life-changing decision, I eventually realized God was working. My focus on him was obscured by stress, but his faithfulness didn’t waiver. He was preparing a place for us to live and raise our growing family. When I came to him with an honest heart, he was waiting. And like any good Father, he gave me an assurance only he could. If you are struggling to see where God is in the troubles of your life, come to him with an honest heart. Immerse yourself in his Word and his truth. While his deliverance may look dif-ferent than you envision, he will answer you. Seek him, and you will find him.

Source: www.ibelieve.com/slideshows/5-things-god-wants-you-to-know-if-you-struggle-with-doubt

TEXAS BAPTIST MEN REACH OUT TO THOSE AFFECTED BY HARVEY

Submitted by Gene Wofford

Eleven days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall,

Texas Baptist Men volunteers were providing disaster

relief at two-dozen sites along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Through Sept. 5, TBM - joined by Southern Baptist

disaster relief workers from 13 other states - had

worked more than 100,000 hours and contributed 3,600

volunteer days.

And as new areas became accessible and new needs

become apparent, disaster relief continued to expand.

In less than two weeks, TBM volunteers and their

ministry partners prepared 239,000 meals and delivered

15,000 boxes to help residents collect and store their

scattered possessions.

They provided access to 4,200 showers and washed

about 2,700 loads of laundry.

The mud-out process of removing damaged drywall,

soaked flooring and other debris from homes was in its

early stages, but volunteers already had completed 50

tear-out jobs and 54 mold-mitigation assignments.

In the process, TBM volunteer chaplains and other

workers distributed 689 Bibles and nearly 500 gospel

tracts, and they recorded eight professions of faith.

One TBM crew traveled with Texas Task Force 1 to

provide the search-and-rescue team with meals, laundry

service and access to showers.

In addition to working at sites along the 200-plus

miles from Victoria to Nederland, TBM volunteers also

provided childcare and chaplaincy for Gulf Coast evac-

uees who were housed at a shelter at the Kay Bailey

Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas.

In the near future, volunteers from Texas Baptist

churches who want to provide hands-on assistance to

families or churches in the Greater Houston and South-

east Texas areas can find lodging and access to showers

at Volunteer Villages.

Churches near affected areas will receive short-term

volunteers from other congregations around the state

and provide them with basic overnight lodging, typical-

ly in a gymnasium or other church facility. TBM will

work with the churches to give volunteers their assign-

ments.

What’s New at the Movies: ALL SAINTS Company: Sony/Affirm Films Genre: Drama Industry Rating: PG Runtime: 90 min. Starring: Cara Buono, John Corbett, Barry Corbin Reviewer: Edwin L Carpenter

Synopsis: “All Saints” is based on the inspiring true story of salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock (John Corbett), the tiny church he was ordered to shut down, and a group of refugees from Southeast Asia. Together, they risked every-thing to plant seeds for a future that might just save them all.

Dove Review: Is God the God of all people? The name of the church in this film fits the theme-All Saints-that all people, including the refugees from Southeast Asia, are God’s people. Do people need a faith that can demand a bit of fight and spunk? Just ask Pastor Michael Spurlock (John Corbett). The answer is a resounding yes! Faced with the closing of his first church, in Smyrna, Tennessee, Pastor Mike believes he hears from God, and he hears to keep the church doors open. This is despite what his church leadership plans. They want to close the doors and find Michael another church. Following God’s plan is not always easy, as Pastor Mi-chael learns. He and the Karen refugees from southeast Asia work together to farm the land on church property. The idea is for the refugees to make a living, and for the extra money to go toward keeping the church doors open. Then they are hit with a drought. Next, just when they find a way—through a bit of a miracle—to water the land, a tremendous rain comes and damages much of the crops. What will they wind up doing? John Corbett is terrific in the movie as Pastor Michael as is Barry Corbin who plays a gruff but kind farmer that helps out just when it’s needed the most. This movie will keep you thinking; could it be that God’s plan differs a bit from our own, but still works out? We are more than happy to award the film our Faith-Friendly Seal for all ages. “All Saints” is a movie for, well…all!

Source: Thedovefoundation.org

Continued from cover

Page 11 Lamplighter LOL…Laughing Out Loud

“A joyful heart is good medicine...” Proverbs 17:22a (ESV)

Fall Humor: Q: What do you call a stolen yam? A: A hot potato. Q: What do you use to mend a jack-o-lantern? A: A pumpkin patch. Q: Who won the skeleton beauty contest? A: No body. Q: What do you get when you divide the circumference of your jack-o-lantern by its diameter? A: Pumpkin Pi. Q I’m tall when I’m young, I’m short when I’m old, and every Halloween I stand up inside Jack O Lanterns. What am I? A. A candle. Q: If money really did grow on trees, what would be eve-ryone’s favorite season? A: Fall. Q: What happened when the turkey got in a fight? A: He got the stuffing knocked out of him. Q: Why do birds fly south in the Fall? A: Because it’s too far to walk.

I got tired of looking at all those leaves in my yard, so I got up off the couch and went into action. I closed the curtains. The nurse walked into the busy doctor’s office and said, “Doctor, the invisible man is here.” The doctor replied, “Sorry, I can’t see him.” Heavenly Humor

At the pearly gates, St. Peter greeted a minister and con-gressman and gave them their room assignments.

“Pastor, here are the keys to one of our nicest efficiency units. And for you, Mr. Congressman, here are the keys to our finest penthouse suite.”

“This is unfair!” cried the minister.

“Listen,” St. Peter said, “Ministers are a dime a dozen up here, but this is the first congressman we’ve ever seen.”

At the pearly gates again, a taxi driver and minister are wait-ing in line. St. Peter consults his list and says to the taxi driv-er, “Take this silken robe and golden staff and enter the King-dom of Heaven.”

St. Peter next greets the minister saying, “Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

“Just a minute,” says the minister. “That man was a taxi driv-er, and he gets a silken robe and golden staff while I get a

cotton robe and wooden staff. How can this be?”

Up here, we work by results,” says St. Peter. While you preached, people slept; while he drove, people prayed.”

PUMPKIN PECAN COBBLER

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 Tbl. flour 2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt ¾ cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. cloves ½ cup pumpkin puree

¼ cup milk ¼ cup melted butter

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

Topping:

½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup chopped pecans 1 ½ cups very hot water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together flour, baking

powder, salt, sugar and spices. Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, stir pumpkin, milk, melted butter and

vanilla together to combine. Pour wet ingredients into

dry ingredients and mix to create a thick batter. Pour

into a small 8-inch casserole dish with high sides.

For topping:

In a separate bowl, stir sugar, brown sugar and pecans

together. Spread over the top of the batter evenly. Pour

hot water over the entire thing (without stirring a

thing!) and bake for 40 minutes or until the middle is

set.

Cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with more pe-

cans and vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Note: This recipe may be doubled and baked in a 9x13

dish. If doubled, increase baking time by at least 10

minutes or until the middle is set.

Submitted by Kay Mitchell. Source www.laurenslatest.com/

pumpkin-pecan-cobbler/

Page 12

AWANA (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed) - Our AWANA program is off to a great start and building steam as we go! We had 43 last week! Wow! We meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:00pm to 7:30pm! There are sign-up packets in the foyer, or you can just show up and sign up when you come to club! AWANAs is for chil-dren 3 years old (by September 1st) up through the 6th grade. We will not have AWANAs on October 18, due to fall break.

On October 25 we will have AWANAs outside! We will be par-ticipating in lots of outdoor activities as we watch the SFISD Homecoming Parade go by. Here’s the calendar for November: Nov. 1 - Bible Character Night; November 8 - AWANA Store and Twins Night; November 15 - Canned Goods Night; Novem-ber 22 - No Club (Thanksgiving Break); November 29 - Glow Night! With the continual increase in numbers, we do need more help! There is no prep needed. We just need volunteers to listen to children say their verses! Please let us know if you would like to be involved in this ministry!

By: Julie Beanland

AWANA’s ROCK!!

Page 13

Children’s Harvest Party - Sunday evening October 29th, from 5pm to 7pm. we will have a Children’s Harvest Par-ty! We would like the entire church body to participate in this event. We will need guides to walk the children around to get candy. We also need volunteers to organize the desserts that come in. The entry fee will be one canned good per child. These will be donated to HIS

Ministries. Our Mother’s Day Out, School Ministry, and AFBC children’s ministries will come together to host a fun night for our kiddos! We will be decorating all of the children’s doors and hallways for this event! Children will walk through the hallways and receive candy at each door! (Children may wear their costumes, but nothing scary or in-appropriate, please!) The last 30 minutes (from 6:30pm to 7:00pm), chil-dren and families are invited to the Activity Center for pumpkin des-serts, singing, and a brief message! We will have pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies and many other pumpkin treats! WE NEED A LOT OF CANDY! If you would be able to donate a bag of individually wrapped candy, that would be great! Drop it off by the children’s ministry office! We will also, of course, need pumpkin desserts for the evening! We hope you will join us for this fun event! Children’s Open Gym & Bible Study - The children will continue to meet on Sunday evenings in the Activity Center from 6pm to 7pm! This is being led by Crissy Moore, Paige Wilhite and Julie Beanland! Hope you will join us! This is for children who are in kindergarten through the 6th grades! Children’s Sunday Morning Bible Study - The children are enjoying their Bible study classes each week! Our Children’s Sunday School teachers are so creative, fun, and share a really good message each week for your child! If you haven’t been coming lately, this is a great time to start the new school year off right! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to study God’s Word in-depth! If you are not bringing your children to Sunday School, they are missing out! This hour will help prepare, equip, and refresh your child for their upcoming week! See you there! Mother’s Day Out/Preschool/Full-Time Child Care & Before & After School Care - Our child

care classes are going great! We have a busy fall planned! The children are learning about the different seasons that God made, and they are making lots of fall crafts as well. They will have Noah’s Ark parties on October 30th and Oc-

tober 31st. Each child will come dressed as an animal (#cutenessoverload!) and walk in a pa-rade all throughout the hallways and Activity Center! The office staff always gives out goodies! It is a really fun day! If you want to swing by and enjoy it with us, the parade will be at 10:45 each day, Monday, October 30th; and Tuesday, October 31st.

By: Julie Beanland

Admission 1 canned good

per child

Arcadia First Baptist Christian School Paw Prints By: Julie Beanland Page 14

AFBCS - The students have settled back in to some type of normalcy since Harvey - I guess, the new normal. Many students are still not back into their homes. So much loss. We are tak-ing things day by day. God has sustained us. It is truly amazing to see. We continue to hear testimonies of God’s grace, comfort, and providence. Praise His Name! Please continue to pray for all those affected by the storm.

Pep Rally - We had our first pep rally for the year on Thursday, Oct. 5! We recog-nized our volleyball teams and had a lot of fun! Thank you, cheerleaders, for put-ting this together!

Fall Break - We have a fall break this year from Oct. 16-20! This is new! This ended up as a benefit to many of our faculty and staff who are taking this week to work on their homes, due to damage from Harvey. Fun to watch how God works. He knew this would be needed for many.

Fall Book Fair - We will host our fall book fair Oct. 23-27, 2017! This will take place in our Activity Center. Katy Wheeler is in charge of this fundraiser, and she al-ways does such a great job! The children love coming and looking at all the new books and selecting one or more to take home! It will be a fun week!

Homecoming - Our AFBCS Homecoming will be Friday evening, Nov. 10! Our girls and boys basketball teams will be playing. We will be voting on our Homecoming Court soon! Junior King and Queen will be announced Nov. 10 between games! We hope you will join us for this special night!

Volleyball - We have completed our volleyball season! It was a truly great season for both jun-ior high and high school teams! Thank you so much, Coaches Karen Whitney and Mandy Huff! We appreciate all you do for our students! We will have our sports banquet in the spring to honor our coaches and players!

Basketball - Basketball season is already underway! Coaching our students again this year are Kathy Arrington and Joshua and Kaylie Doss! Looking forward to a fun sea-son!

Box Tops!! We had a contest between the girls and the boys and it looks like - Girls Rule! They brought in more box tops than the boys. So they will get a special “girl day.” They will get to choose what kind of day they want - like wear pink or eat ice cream or whatever they choose! Way to go girls for saving those box tops! So keep them coming! Thank you so much, church body and school/mdo families, for cut-ting out and turning in those box tops! It’s amazing how quickly they add up! Aloha Berger continues to coordinate this fundraiser for our school! Thank you so much, Aloha!

Tyson - Tyson Project A+ product labels can turn every purchase into cash for our school! Every label = 24 cents! For information, visit projectAplus.tyson.com. Start collecting labels today! Ms. Aloha Berger is overseeing this fundraiser as well. Feel free to ask her if you have any questions!

As we peer into the future of Arcadia FBC, we have agreed as a church to first evaluate the pre-sent and take lessons from the past with the purpose of finding who we are and who God has intended us to be. Through the next several months, I plan to do my part in this transformation by reminding us what it means to be Southern Baptist. I have done this before in shorter form by breaking down the points of highest priority to Baptist identity, but this time I will present and evaluate each article of the official statement of our Southern Baptist Convention known as "The Baptist Faith and Message." For clarity, we affirm and adhere to the revised edition presented on June 14th, 2000. When the points of revision are significant, they will be noted here.

As a confession, the Baptist Faith and Message is a collection of essential doctrines for the pur-pose of clarifying our collective, yet unified, interpretation of Scripture. Fittingly, it does not serve as an authority itself to be wielded, but points us back to Scripture as that authority. This confessional state-ment is not infallible, and can be revised and edited as occasion arises to clarify our stance, as was done in 2000. The scriptures are the only written Word of God and serve as our authority is all matters of life, faith, and church practice. This is why the first article of our confession asserts this as funda-mental before wading into other matters. No confession, constitution, by-law, operating manual, policy and procedure guideline, church document, sermon, lesson, newsletter or even church vote can ever hold highest authority. That place belongs only to Scripture. These lesser statements must be held to the standard of the Scriptures, and revised if ever out of line with the Word of God.

If we are to be the church that God intended, we must unify ourselves around this one thing: that God’s Word will have the first, final, and only say in defining who we are and how we are to pro-ceed. Below is the direct quote from our Baptist Faith and Message (2000) on the matter.

Article 1: The Scriptures "The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to

man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustwor-thy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation."

Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140;

Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

You can find the complete Baptist Faith and Message (2000) at http://www.sbc.net/bfm2000/bfm2000.asp. There you can click on the links to the right to find the introduction, preamble, full list of articles, and other commentary.

- Joshua Doss, Associate Pastor of Youth

Page 15

SAVE THE DATES: Oct 25 - 4:00pm-7:30pm - Homecoming Parade Outreach To serve and reach our community we will host a fun outreach night on the front lawn of our church as the parade rolls by. Each year hundreds of people line up along the street next to our property to watch the parade. This year we will need adult volunteers to pass out bags to parade goers, as well as work-ers to operate the snow cones, popcorn, and game stations. Contact Joshua Doss or Julie Beanland to sign up to help. Oct 27 - 9pm-12am - "5th quarter" at Saltgrass Cowboy Church. Nov 10 - 9pm- 12am - "5th quarter" at Santa Fe Family Worship Center

Arcadia Fi rs t

Baptis t Churc h

Stephen Wilhi te Associate Pastor of Worship

Joshua Doss Associate Pastor of Youth

Reggie Crosby Minister

Ju l ie Beanland Director Chi ldren’s Ministr ies

Adminis trator 's Assistant AFB Christ ian School

Tammy Berryhi l l Financia l Administrator

P.O. Box 128 14828 H ighway 6

Santa Fe , TX 77517 409 -925-2825

a fbcof f ice@arcad iafbc .org www.arcadia fbc .org

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid

Permit #1 Santa Fe, Texas 77517

OR CURRENT OCCUPANT

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