What’s Inside

Volume 58

Number 4

April 2017

Plus In the Family ........ 3

Children ............... 4

Preschool ............. 5

Giving .................. 5

Pastor’s Pen ......... 6

Missions ............... 7

This Month .......... 8

A Grand Piano

James Bennett

Page 7

Touching Miami with Love

Megan Doud

Page 2

Hands of Christ Workday

David McGuire

Page 4

Palm Sunday - April 9

They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him,

shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name

of the Lord - the King of Israel!’

John 12:13

Join us for Sunday School beginning at 9:45 a.m., followed by

11 a.m. worship.

Maundy Thursday - April 13

Our evening activities begin at 5:15 with supper, followed by

children’s music groups. Mission Friends will meet at 6:45 p.m.

Older children, youth, and adults will gather in the Sanctuary for

Maundy Thursday worship with Communion at 6:40 p.m.

Good Friday - April 14

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his

spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from

top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split

and the tombs broke open…

Matthew 27:50-52

We will have a Tenebrae Service at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

Easter Sunday - April 16

But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you

are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has

been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay’.

Matthew 28:5-6

Join us for Sunday School beginning at 9:45 a.m., followed by

11:00 a.m. worship.

The annual Easter Egg Hunt will be on Easter Sunday this year

following a pancake breakfast fellowship for the whole church. The

event will take place during the Sunday School hour.

Holy Week Opportunities

2

When I was in Seminary I worked for Cooperative

Baptist Fellowships’ National office in Atlanta. The

focus of my job was to call churches and CBF advocates

to partner with CBF on the Global Missions offering.

That year the State Global Missions Offering focused on

Touching Miami with Love. I began reading Angel and

Jason Pittman’s story and immediately fell in love. I

told myself that year, “I want to take my own group one

day!”

When I began at Aiken’s First Baptist, I knew

exactly where I wanted to take the high schoolers the

following summer. I talked with other youth ministers

about their experience to make sure it was as great as I

was expecting it to be and they assured me that I needed

to take our students.

So, my dream is coming true this

summer, and I couldn’t be more excited for

our students and adults to work with TML.

On March 19, Angel Pittman came to

visit Aiken and preached at FBC. She was

able to share her heart with the church and

her family’s journey to follow God’s call

that was placed on their hearts to serve the

marginalized and forgotten. Angel’s sermon

really fed me spiritually and confirmed in

me my calling to partner with TML.

I love the giving spirit of our

church. It is a powerful reminder of

how God uses our gifts and talents to

further God’s kingdom. We want you

to be a part of our mission this

summer with your continuous prayer

and support. Our students will be putting on a day camp

for 100+ kids. We will be teaching bible study,

providing fitness opportunities, enrichment for cooking

activities based on the Food Network channel, and

visual arts. Our team is still working on putting together

these four elements. This is where we need your

support. This can’t happen without your help.

Instead of asking for supplies, we would prefer

monetary donations. The reason we are asking for

money is because it is easier to order supplies online

and ship them directly to Miami. Your donations will

also help offset our total cost of the trip. (I have tried to

make the trip as cost affordable as possible to our

families, so that as many can attend as possible.) The

continuous support that this church offers the student

ministry, my family, and me proves why I am so proud

to be the Student Minister here at Aiken’s First Baptist

Church.

by Megan Doud

Touching Miami with Love

$55 Deposit Due for Middle School

Beach Retreat

Miami Mission Immersion Meeting

$115 Deposit Due for Unidiversity

Student Ministry Dates to Remember

April

May

Early Release Project

Senior Night & Ice Cream Social

Graduate Sunday

Final Payment Due for Middle

School Beach Retreat

Middle School Beach Retreat

9

23

30

2

17

21

26-28

3

After the Children’s

Choirs Concert on a

recent Wednesday

evening, I had the joy

and privilege of

interviewing the Crooks

family: Lane, Amanda,

and Evan.

Lane spent most of

his childhood in

Barnwell, SC. He went

to Clemson for his

undergraduate and

Master's Degrees in

Mechanical Engineering

and Entomology,

respectively. North Carolina State was his next stop for

a Ph.D. in Crop Science. Amanda grew up in a small

town near Asheville, NC. After her undergraduate

degree in Accounting, she went to Campbell Divinity

School for an M. Div. in Counseling. They were both in

the Raleigh, NC area when one Sunday, Lane and

Amanda met at a large downtown church. Less than two

years later, they were married in that church and moved

into their first home right across the street.

Lane’s career as an agricultural research scientist

brought them to the Aiken. He works for a private

company which tests new crops for drought tolerance,

pest resistance, fertilizer and pesticide efficacies, and

examines soil microbes. Sometimes he and Evan dig in

the dirt together to see what they can find.

Amanda developed and directs an intensive skills

development program for women in poverty through

The Salvation Army of Augusta. She works with a

group of twelve women daily for three months through

the course of this holistic program that impacts every

area of life from resume development and job retention

to assertive communication and stress management,

with a goal of self-sufficiency, independence, and a

renewed self-confidence. Amanda says this work is very

intense but extremely rewarding. Every single day she is

reminded that there is someone bigger than she at work

in the lives of these women. A recent graduate of the

course had struggled through 18 years of addiction and

mistakes. Now she has been sober for 19 months, has

steady employment, complete with two promotions, and

transitioned into her own apartment with her daughters

and a new life of “faith, hope, motivation and

inspiration.”

Evan is a second grader at St. Mary’s. He is also an

animated and enthusiastic member of the Young

Musicians. His favorite subject is math and he loves to

play sports, especially basketball and golf. Evan has

won a golf tournament and one of his prized possessions

is his Jordan Spieth hat. Playing in the waves at Hilton

Head is a favorite vacation activity.

Lane and Amanda have been members at First

Baptist for about eight years. Both are Royal

Ambassador Directors. Lane is on the Audiovisual and

Recreational Teams and a substitute Sunday School

teacher. Amanda is involved with the Woman’s

Ministry Team, Young Woman’s Fellowship, Strategic

Planning Committee, Benevolence Team, and is a

Sunday School teacher.

The Crooks Family

by Diane Addis

Don’t forget to send your college information to us! Not only do we need it to update our records, but it is also used in the May edition of The Messenger when we recognize our high school graduates. Please send

the following information to bkeisler@fbcaiken.org as soon as possible:

ATTENTION, High school seniors graduation INFORMATION NEEDED

your senior photo the name of the high school you will be graduated from the name of the college you plan to attend or military

branch entering

4

. . .what does the Lord require of you but to do justice,

and to love kindness, and to walk

humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

This summer a group of rising 4th graders through

rising 7th graders will be attending PassportKids

Mission Camp at Converse College in Spartanburg on

July 9-12. It has been my privilege as Director of

Children’s Ministries here at FBC to be a part of this

camp for more years than I can remember. Watching the

kids who have

been campers and

now continue to

serve the Lord

warms my heart.

This year’s

theme, “Do.

Love. Walk”,

once again helps

the children focus

on the journey of growing as a disciple of Christ. Each

day of PassportKids has a sub theme that Bible study

and worship for that day will revolve around:

☻ Day 1 Follow Jesus - Jesus answered, “I am the way,

the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father

except through me.” John 14:6

☻ Day 2 - Do Justice. Love Kindness - I am the Lord

who acts with kindness, justice and righteousness in the

world, and I delight in these things, declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:24b

☻ Day 3 - Walk Humbly with God - Your word is a

lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

☻ Day 4 - Do. Love. Walk. - God chose you to be his

people. I tell you now to live the way God’s people

should love. Ephesians 4:1

Along with Bible study and worship are many

relationship building activities among our group and

with the kids from other churches. It is a great

experience! I would love to take

as many kids as possible.

However, many families struggle

with the cost. If you would be

willing to sponsor a child for the

camp, please let me know. For

questions about cost and the

process of donating, you can give

me a call to discuss. Prayerfully

consider how you can help a child

on their spiritual journey of discipleship.

by Vicky McCullough

Do. Love. Walk.

Do you have some projects around the house but

need an extra hand, or lack the know-how? Do you have

skills and talents and are seeking an opportunity to put

them to use for a worthy cause? If you answered ‘Yes’

to either question, you need to mark May 6 on the

calendar!

Hands of Christ Day at FBC will be a wonderful

opportunity to put your God given talents to productive

use in service to others. This particular event is an in-

reach mission where we will be assisting FBC members

with minor home repairs, yardwork, household chores,

or perhaps even a computer fix.

Jobs and job sites will be pre-planned and targeted

to complete in about 4 hours. A light brown-bag lunch

will follow in the Fellowship Hall, during which you

can hear more about the Hands of Christ mission as well

as future service opportunities, such as participation in a

Habitat for Humanity house build that the church is

cosponsoring in 2017.

What do you need to do to participate?

1. If you have a need in or around the house, just

communicate the details to either the church office,

or email David McGuire at

dhmcg@gforcecable.com. Information needed:

name, address, phone number, detailed job

description.

2. If you want to volunteer for this day or for Hands of

Christ mission opportunities in the future, also

communicate the details to either the church office

or David McGuire. Information needed: name,

address, phone number, skill area (e.g. yards,

plumbing, computer, carpentry, general chores, etc.)

by David McGuire

Hands of Christ Workday

5

Registration for our summer programs will open Monday, April 17. We will have programs for children from six weeks to rising first grade. There are 4 separate weeks of camp this summer. For our older campers (those who have completed 3k, 4k, or 5k) we will have Preschool Pals. Check out the fun themes we have planned for this summer. Weeks one and three include field trips and are $120 per week. Weeks two and four are on the FBC campus and are $100 per week. There is a $10 registration fee for each month camp is offered.

June 12-16 - Community Helpers Campers will be visiting various community helpers all

over Aiken. Lots of field trips this week!

June 19-23 - It’s a Small World Campers will travel the world without ever leaving First

Baptist Church! We’ll be visiting different countries

every day! Bonjour! Hola! Hi!

July 10-14 - ART Camp Know any budding artists? This is the camp for them!

We’ll be getting crafty all week! Field trips to museums and pottery painting included.

July 17-21 - All the Holidays in July We’ll be celebrating everything from Valentine’s Day to

Christmas this week! Crafts, snacks and game s for each holiday all crammed into one week.

Get ready for fun!

For our campers who are 3 and under, we offer Kiddie Kamp. Kiddie Kampers can come every day or parents can choose certain days of each week. Kamps will have similar themes to the ones above. Kamp is $30/day or $130/week. There is a $10 registration fee for each month of Kiddie Kamp. All registrations should be completed online. Go to www.aikenfbcpreschool.org and click on Summer Camps. Your registration fees and t-shirt payments are due at the time of registration. Payments for June camps will be drafted June 5 and payments for July camps will be drafted June 30. If you have questions or problems with registration, please contact Kathy Samaha (803-648-5476 or ksamaha@fbcaiken.org).

by Kathy Samaha Summer Programs

Where did it all go? All of that hard earned money

you earned last year. A common question as tax day

looms. With more month left at the end of your money,

how are you ever supposed to save for an emergency?

Much less for kid’s college, or even retirement? You

feel like you work too hard to be this broke. Your

finances seem to have control of you instead of you

controlling your finances. If any of this rings true,

Financial Peace University is for you.

Financial Peace University (FPU) is a fun and

entertaining nine week personal finance course that

teaches you how to take control of YOUR money! You

will learn how to get out of debt with the infamous

“Baby Steps”, prepare for your future, and get on a plan

that actually works! The average family that goes

through FPU has an $8,000 financial turnaround in the

first 90 days!

So let’s go ahead and address just a few excuses,

because we both know they exist.

1. I can’t commit to 9 weeks. - It’s actually just 9

days. One day a week (with a make up day if you miss a

day) spread over a 9 week period. If you think about it,

that’s not much of a commitment, especially when

people easily commit to 72 month car payments and 30

year mortgages.

2. I have children and no sitter. - No worries. We

have childcare set up for you.

3. I’m too old. - Unless you’re on the other side of

the grass, you’re never too old to start!

4. Why do I have to pay someone to tell me how to

save money? This is likely the biggest hurdle. While I

wish I could say it’s free, you do have to pay. You get

the classes, the envelope system, lifetime access to the

courses after the class, the workbook, The Complete

Guide to Money book, all of the budgeting documents

you will need, and lifetime access if you would like to

ever take the class again. Look at it like an investment.

A $93 investment could potentially give you an $8,000

financial turnaround. Where else could you make $93

do that?

5. I just don’t need or want to do FPU. - Well, that’s

ok too. But you could be a blessing to someone else.

Give the Gift of Financial Peace.

To register and purchase materials, go to

www.daveramsey.com/fpu/classes/1040093. If you have

any questions, feel free to contact us. Hope to see you

starting May 7.

by Jimmy Batte

Financial Peace University

6

Every Easter I remember a

story that fell into my hands

several years ago. There was

an Associate Pastor of a

Methodist congregation in

Georgia. After twenty-five

years of marriage her husband

came in one day and told her

he wanted a divorce. He had

found someone else prettier and younger. He wanted

to be free and she gave him his freedom. She writes

that she and her sixteen-year-old son had to begin life

over again, rebuilding their family, just the two of

them. There was a two-year separation before the

divorce, which she found very difficult as she tried to

adjust to single life again.

She leaned on her pastor-colleague continually. He

was a great man who would listen to her without

judgment. She said she would sit in his office and cry

and wring her hands and say, “I don’t know what I am

going to do. I just do not know what I am going to

do.”

One day, between sobs, he pulled from his desk

drawer an Easter egg. He gave it to her and said, “I’m

going to give you this plastic egg. One of these days

you will use this egg to bury your relationship and let

life begin again.” Those were the only instructions he

gave her. He told her she would know what to do with

the egg when the time came.

Two years later the divorce was to be finalized in

Myrtle Beach. She and her son flew down for that

unhappy occasion. As she sat in the office of the

lawyer she remembered that day in 1963 in Oklahoma

when a nineteen-year-old and a twenty-year had been

gloriously in love. As the lawyer droned on and on,

she remembered the happier times. The lawyer kept

saying: “You get this, he gets that. . . .”

Finally the divorce decree was granted, and she

stumbled out of the courthouse. Kay said that she

brought with her the plastic egg her pastor had given

her. She and her son walked down to the Atlantic

Ocean. She took out of her purse a picture of a young

couple and the happiest Christmas they had ever spent.

She took the picture and folded it and placed it inside

the Easter egg. She walked across the sand to the

water’s edge and threw the egg as far as it would go.

She ran through the sand, grabbed her boy and they

sobbed and sobbed. Mother and son began to walk

slowly back to the car. She remembered praying,

“Dear God, bring something good out of this bad

thing. Let Easter happen to me.”

Kay reported that she was tempted to look back

hoping to see a butterfly emerge from that egg. She

longed to hear a voice that would say comfortingly,

“He’s going to come back. It’s going to change. It’s

going to get better.” But she did not look back. She

heard no voice. She just kept walking toward the car.

Later she would realize that painful act of throwing

away that egg with the picture of her and her husband

inside was really the first funeral she ever conducted

as pastor.

After reading her story, I gave each person who

came to church the next Easter a plastic Easter egg. I

told them Kay’s story. I asked everyone to take a scrap

of paper we had provided and write down a word that

represented some hard thing in their lives. I then

instructed them to place their petition inside the egg

and ask God to give them a fresh start. After all were

finished writing, the ushers came forward with large

baskets, collected the eggs and brought them to the

altar.

At the front of the Church on the Communion

Table the broken things of all our lives covered the

table that morning. Eggs of blue and green and yellow

and red symbolized our need for Easter. We had a

prayer that day in which we asked God to take the

broken things of our lives and make them right.

I wrote the Methodist minister and told her how

much I had appreciated her story and what I had done

that Easter morning with her experience. Kay wrote

me back and said, “That’s not the end of my story. I

moved to another place and have two churches where

I am now Pastor. And since I have moved here I have

met someone. We are getting ready to get married. He

understands me and I love him and I have never been

happier.” She ended the letter by saying, “There really

is life after death. I ought to know.”

Every Easter I keep remembering Pastor Kay and

her story. I also remember my church and that mound

of Easter eggs. I remember the last words of her letter:

there really is life after death. Easter says it doesn’t

matter how difficult things may be. We can start over

again. We can all begin again. Life really does come

after death.

by Fred Andrea

Easter Eggs and Starting Over

7

Missions Prayer Focus

April 2 Pray for Bill and Michelle Cayard, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church planters in China,

supported by the Offering for Global Missions.

April 9 Pray for Helping Hands of Aiken, which provides housing, care, and support for children at risk.

April 16 Pray for Christ Central Ministry in Aiken as they plan for meaningful, Christ filled summer activities

for the children.

April 23 Pray for Ronnie Adams, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel who ministers in partnership

with churches in New York City.

April 30 Pray for our own hands and hearts as we minister to our neighbors in ways that reflect love and

caring in the way of Christ.

My parents purchased our first piano when I was

seven years old. Our pastor had been called to another

church and didn’t want to bother with the expense

associated with moving their piano. When my mother

(a pianist herself) found out that the piano was for

sale, she convinced my dad that it would be a

worthwhile investment – and that it would look great

in our living room!

I loved that piano. It was a Baldwin “spinet”,

which meant that it was very small with a low profile.

As my mother sat and played (mostly hymns), I was

simply transported to a deeply spiritual place. I begged

and begged to take lessons. Finally, when I was nine,

my parents relented.

Thus began my love affair with the piano. After a

few years of lessons, I was hired to be our church’s

pianist. Then, in high school, some friends and I

started a “copy band”, specializing in Chicago (the

group, not the city) tunes. I played “keyboard”, which

meant either a huge and unwieldy synthesizer and/or

an equally unwieldy piano. Most of the time, practices

were in our living room; but only after we had moved

all the furniture out of the way!

When we decided to enter the Battle of the Bands,

my dad dutifully loaded our piano onto a truck and

transported it to then-Greenville Memorial

Auditorium. (How else were we going to be able to

provide the opening piano solo for “Colour My

World”?!) It paid off: we won second place!

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to play

many wonderful pianos, but my very favorite one is

the Baldwin concert grand that graces our Sanctuary.

Even when it was in disrepair, with ivories missing

and lots of dings and scratches, it had a beautiful tone,

with a clear upper register and a deep, biting bass.

Since its restoration, it is simply magnificent. Every

time I play it, I’m transported all over again.

The 50-year-old Hamilton upright piano in our

Music Rehearsal Room is another story. Difficult to

keep in tune, its high back prevented a clear view

between conductor and accompanist, making

collaboration almost impossible. I’ve wanted to

replace it with a grand piano for a long, long time, but

finding one

that was

exceptional

yet affordable

seemed

impossible.

This past

week, all that

changed.

Thanks to a

very

generous

designated gift, a slightly-used-but-in-almost-mint-

condition Yamaha 6' grand piano has a new home. It’s

now my second-favorite piano, and Joyce English and

I feel like we’ve “died and gone to heaven”. This

amazing instrument will be used for God’s glory for

many years to come. You’re welcome to come by the

rehearsal room to see and hear it for yourself. Who

knows? You may find yourself transported as well!

by James Bennett

A Grand Piano

8

THE MESSENGER (USPS 1939-00) Published monthly by Aiken’s First Baptist Church, 120 Chesterfield Street NE, Aiken, South Carolina 29801-3934. Periodicals Postage paid at Augusta, Georgia 30901. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Messenger, Post Office Box 3157, Aiken, SC 29802-3157.

Periodicals Postage Paid

At Augusta, Georgia

USPS 1939-00

David J. Best October 6, 1944 - March 22, 2017

In Memoriam

Baby Presentations

Sullivan Mae

Pniewski was

presented to the Lord

on Sunday, March

12. Her parents, Josh

and Melanie,

publicly committed

themselves to

provide a Christian

home and nurture for

Livi’s spiritual

growth.

Leah Ellyn Dalick

was presented to

the Lord on

Sunday, March 19.

Her parents, Keith

and Beth, publicly

committed

themselves to

provide a Christian

home and nurture

for Leah’s spiritual

growth.

Congratulations, Church Staff

Leonard Redd

Director of Facilities Operations

31 years