Fellowship Bible Church Jonesboro

Check out our new компютриonline calendar to keep up with all that’s going on at Fellowship. You’ll find the link in the far right column. To view the calendar, simply click on the title “Online Calendar”—which is a link—or the description underneath it—which is also a link.

Parents and Students do not forget that FSM will be meeting at a new time 6:30 to 8:00p.m. this coming Wednesday night June 6th. The new times will be for both the Jr. and Sr. High groups. Also a reminder to all incoming 7th graders, June 6th you are invited to join FSM for the first time. We look forward to seeing you there. 

Bring your friends and join us for The Turn, our gathering for college students and college-aged folks this summer. We’ll meet at the Fowler’s house (2601 Rankin Dr, 72404) on Sunday evenings from 7–9 p.m. beginning May 25th. Check the online calendar for dates and contact information. 

In case  you missed our Sunday morning FSM presentation a few weeks back, here is the video we showed that summarizes where we’re headed. We hope this video helps clarify where we’re going and why we’re so excited about what the Lord will do in our student’s lives.

Listen to Mitch and Chuck’s special announcement involving the life of our church.

 

 Special Announcement [25:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (129)

Join us May 18 for a great dinner and excellent entertainment!

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.   A Great Dinner Prepared by Chris and Yolanda West

6:30 - ?????? p.m.  Fellowship’s Got Talent—A Talent Show Featuring Fellowship’s Finest!

If you, your children, or your Community Group would like to perform in the talent show, please contact Fellowship’s office at 974-9900.

There is no doubt that the choice of songs on Sunday mornings between the hours of 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. are a lightening rod for strong opinions. Much like the rumblings of thunder during a typical spring storm, preferences and differences abound and seem to surface more readily around this issue than most any other in the church. While we won’t seek to resolve all of those issues in this blog post, I thought it would be helpful to get a behind-the-scenes look at how songs are chosen for our Sunday Corporate Worship gathering. Essentially, everything gets run through the following grid that results in our order of worship.

First, there is an understanding that “songs” do NOT equate to “worship” nor a “worship service.” Scripture makes it clear that there are a number of aspects that are to be included in corporate worship, of which singing is only one (Word, prayer, fellowship, communion, etc.). This means song selection is part of the whole, and the purpose of the whole is to glorify God by means of Jesus, our great and glorious Savior, as directed by the Spirit.

Second, through prayer and planning, what has the team (Mitch, Chuck, Robby) discerned as God’s will for the direction of this particular service? This is predominantly determined by our preaching series and the biblical text and subsequent message for that Sunday.

Third, in conjunction with the biblical text and other service elements, what songs would best encourage and engage our people to cherish, champion, and rejoice in who God is and what He has/is/will do? On a practical note, we’ll often discuss as a team any possible song ideas during our weekly planning meeting.

Fourth, how do the potential song options incorporate and celebrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ? In other words, Christ’s work of redemption for us is the most glorious work in history, and as such reveals most supremely His glory. Everything about us stems from Christ’s great work of redemption on our behalf. So what is central in Scripture should be central in our worship service—and therefore central in our singing.

Fifth, how well do these songs fit our own culture, both internally (within our four walls) and externally (the community we’re trying to reach with the Gospel)? Admittedly, this is where preferences and style can become a factor. But if you remove those personal preferences for a moment, it is not difficult to see the biblical pattern of contextualizing the Gospel to fit the culture you are trying to reach. The New Testament has much to say about WHAT we are to do and abstain from, while saying very little about HOW we are to do those things (and I don’t think that’s by mistake).

From there, things tend to get quite practical as a number of factors come in to play, not necessarily in any order, like:

• How will the words in each of these songs relate to one another? Do some relate better than others? Will some, grouped together, more clearly celebrate what we’ll be focusing on in the service as a whole?
• How often have we sung this song? When was the last time we sang it? How well did our people sing it? How familiar are people with this song?
• Who’s available/scheduled to play and sing on the worship team? What kind of instrumentation and arrangements would be available?
• What is the overall flow, tempo, mood, and setting of the songs?
• How well will these songs serve God’s people as they gather to sing of His great worth? (Note, that is not necessarily the same as the more simplified “will people like it.”)

So it’s as simple as that when it comes to choosing songs for Sunday. Just kidding. In reality, it’s like anything else in the Christian life—impossible apart from the power of the Gospel working in and through each of us, whether leaders are participating followers.
In summary, I frequently find myself coming back to the basic goal or purpose of our corporate singing: “to give people a clearer picture of God’s glory in Christ. We want to walk away from a time of singing more impressed with God, not our song selection or arrangements. We want our people to be more aware of God’s character, his nature, and his works. We want our people to be astonished at the mercy, grace, and holiness of God displayed in the cross of Christ” (Bob Kauflin, Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries). And we want to do all of that in a way that is aware of, and winsome to, a lost world that is sitting right next to us.

One person mentioned in our recent survey that they were apprehensive about inviting a friend to Fellowship because of the lack of men’s and women’s ministries last semester. Last spring and summer, as we were planning for Fall 2007, we decided to put many eggs in the one basket of Financial Peace University. That program had been so helpful in each of our pastors’ families that we felt strongly about encouraging as many of our folks as possible to go through the program.

If we ever offer it again, take it!

In order to do that, we thought, “Let’s set aside our men’s and women’s ministries for the fall of 2007 and encourage folks to attend FPU. By doing so, our folks will see how important this is to us, and we won’t be asking them to add something else to their schedule.”

Well, FPU was very successful for the folks who went through the program, but we didn’t get the participation we were hoping for. As a result, many who didn’t attend FPU wished that we had Men’s and Women’s Ministries to take advantage of. In hindsight, we probably shouldn’t have set aside our Men’s and Women’s ministries, as we lost some good momentum for some ministries that had been going fairly well.

This year found us starting anew our men’s ministry, Men Who Win, and our Women’s Ministry. Men Who Win meets on Friday mornings, 6:00 – 7:30 a.m. We’re taking a look at some of our favorite lessons from The Quest of Authentic Manhood and Winning and Work and Home. Men, we sure hope you’ll join us for the last three meetings on April 11, 18, and 25.

Our Women’s Ministry, now led by Paula Robertson, has enjoyed two wonderful fellowships, An Evening to Dream and An Evening to Taste, held a great Women’s Retreat, and kicked off its Titus 2 Bible Studies. We believe our Women’s Ministry is stronger than ever, and hope you ladies will attend the upcoming Alice in April on Tuesday, April 29, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., at the church.

So, we’re excited about Men’s and Women’s Ministries and hope they won’t prove a road-black to you inviting friends to Fellowship!

Sincerely,

Mitch Maher

Student Ministry is unique in the sense that it has a clear beginning and ending point. There is a set amount of time that we have to build into the lives of our students before they graduate and move on to the next stage of their lives. So, one of the biggest questions that you have to answer is what do you want your students to look like when they leave? What do you want them to possess within their spiritual lives so they are able to not only survive in a world away from their youth group, but to live lives to the glory and praise of God?

Over the next couple of weeks I will be meeting with a handful of the parents from FSM to discuss this topic, along with a number of others. Our goal will be to nail down exactly what it is we want our students to possess when it comes time for them to graduate.

*When we plan, create and pull off a Wednesday night meeting for FSM, what are we aiming to achieve?

*How can we encourage our students to invite their un-churched friends to FSM on Wednesday night?

*How can we get 100% of our current students to attend on Wednesday night?

I am excited about what God has in store for FSM in the future. We have been blessed with some of the greatest students in all of Jonesboro and the surrounding area. It is my prayer and the prayer of the staff and elders of Fellowship Bible Church to see us use what God has given us to change not only Jonesboro but the world for Jesus Christ.

Sincerely,

Mike Roberts

When you trust Christ for the forgiveness of your sins you receive much more than just forgiveness. You receive God’s acceptance and even adoption into His family. And if God can accept us despite our many acts of cosmic treason against Him, the gospel makes us into people who can be accepting of others regardless of who they are or what they have done.

Being a warm and welcoming church is essential since we want many of our unchurched or de-churched friends around Jonesboro to come explore the power and relevance of Christ with us here at Fellowship. And guess what? You are a very welcoming people. Many guests tell me what a warm reception you give them. Our recent surveys confirmed this commendable trait you possess. Of the 11 people who commented on the topic of how friendly our church is to our guests, 10 expressed excitement about how they were treated when they first visited. We received comments such as:

• The people are so nice at this church. I feel people really live with Christ in their lives here.
• Everyone is so friendly and inviting.
• I feel like our church is very friendly and welcoming to new people, so that helps me know that any friend who I invite would feel wanted.
• The other members is the main reason I would invite a friend here.
• The non-threatening atmosphere, accepting of all denominations, warm and friendly.

Way to go Fellowship!

In fact, the only comment on this issue which might be considered in any way a concern was simply a question, “Are the adults, youth, children in our church willing to welcome my friend in a way that goes beyond a greeting but shows promise of a relationship.” Great question. What do you think?

The bottom line is that we need to “excel still more.” We hope everyone sees themselves as a greeter. Do you?

Imagine if we all were present and looking for new guests to meet each week at least 5 minutes before the Worship Service. We would then be ready for whoever God sent us. Imagine if a guest showed up who was really skeptical of Christians and their God. Then imagine they met a lot of caring people, experienced a people joyously celebrating a really big God through singing, and heard a sermon on how Christianity is more about a relationship with God than a set of religious hoops to jump through. Then imagine they became curious and wanted to know more about our God. Then imagine they brought some of their own friends, and they then decided to explore a relationship with our God through our Starting Point ministry. Then imagine they trusted in Jesus. Now picture yourself sitting in church watching this formerly unbelieving skeptic get baptized. Now that would be a really good day.

It often all starts with an invitation followed by a warm welcome such that they feel they are wanted. God wants them in His family and so do we. Let’s remember how we felt the first time we visited our church and make sure to do all we can to let them know that God thinks they are special.

Sincerely,

Chuck Gschwend