Getting Ready for Summer 2024!

There is so much going on in the church that I want to spend my time getting everyone up to speed before the busy summer starts!

-- The elders met with the Fellowship Team last month.  The goal is to have a fellowship activity every month, and the team has already hosted a missions lunch, an Easter breakfast, and is planning a women’s brunch in May.

-- There are many building improvements happening right now, with more to come.  Hopefully the women’s bathroom remodel will be done soon.  A new drinking fountain has been installed in the main hallway.  The toilets in the back hallway behind the sanctuary have been replaced.  After our initial security assessment with the sheriff’s department and extensive discussions with Laforce, the elders have decided to install a new security and locking system at the two main entrances of the church.  The windows in the sanctuary will soon be replaced, and the parking lot will be sealed this spring.

-- Regarding security, there are now cameras in the main children’s areas and the gym.  They are only recording during activity times on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening.  You can easily see when they are on/recording because of the light.

-- We are instituting some changes with our church service.  For the past few months we’ve had the pre-service coffee treats available.  A special thank you to everyone participating in that ministry! We have also reinstated the welcome time during the service, and we are going back to our pre-covid communion celebration.  We are, however, keeping the offering plates in the lobby.  We would also like to restart our early service for the summer, but perhaps only from July 4^th to Labor Day.  Stay tuned!

-- The Missions Team has several missionary visits lined up for the summer, and we would like to invite you to participate with us in an activity for April.  Faith Comes by Hearing (faithcomesbyhearing.com) records reliable translations of God’s Word in the languages of the world.  They then freely provide Bible recordings to communities and equip local believers to host Audio Bible listening programs.  It takes approximately $160 to cover the costs to record and provide an individual with an audio recording of the Bible in their own language.  The Missions Team is going to make a donation to cover the cost of one of these devices, and we are inviting you to join us.   If you would like to do so, please make out a special offering to the church, but put “Faith Comes by Hearing” on the envelope or on the memo line of the check.

-- If you are in the area on May 2^nd, the Prayer Team would like to invite you to a special time of prayer at 12:00 p.m. at church to commemorate the National Day of Prayer.  This will be instead of our normal 8 a.m. prayer meeting.

-- We have had several people inquire about a membership class.  If you would like to participate, please let me know ASAP.

-- And let’s not forget the opportunities to be involved in Bridges and VBS!

We look forward to seeing you this summer.  Please come and be a part of the excitement!

Pastor Mark

e-mail:  firstbaptistsisterbay@gmail.com