Sunday:
9:30 Bible Study
10:45 Morning Worship
6:00 Discipleship Training
Wednesday:
6:30 Children's Choir
6:30 Prayer Meeting
6:30 Praise Team Practice
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HURRICANE IKE
Saturday, June 6, 2009
We have enjoyed a couple of wonderful weeks as we have housed volunteers from Hobbs, New Mexico, and San Angelo, Texas. The group from St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Hobbs worked several projects and presented music and drama in several churches, both here and as they traveled. They were a wonderful group, and we had a great time with them. The group from Lakeview Christian Bible Church just left this morning for San Angelo. They were another outstanding group that spent most of the week working on the Baptist Student Center in Galveston. They made a tremendous amount of progress. Don Vinson, our former Worship Pastor and current Associate Pastor at LVCBC, led the group. They were an absolute joy to be with.
Please be in prayer for volunteer groups as they make their way into Galveston County over the next several weeks. We are expecting groups to arrive this evening from St. Andrew Baptist Church in Panama City and Fellowship Baptist Church of Tallahassee, Florida, and a group from First Baptist Church, Lipan, Texas, to arrive tomorrow. And please be praying for rebuilding ministries like Nehemiah's Vision and I-Connect among many others as they provide work projects for all of these volunteer groups. Finally, please continue for our church and association as we try to house volunteers and connect them with rebuilding ministries. My prayer remains that God will receive all the glory for these efforts.
The need here is still great. Consider whether God is leading you to join in the recovery efforts in this area.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
We've experienced another exciting month in the life of First Baptist Church of LaMarque! So far, we have housed approximately 1,000 volunteers that have
responded to disaster relief efforts here in Galveston County. We are expecting another group to arrive May 16, and from that point on, our building should be full of volunteers throughout the summer months. I know this has been a challenge for many of you, but God is using our hospitality to change the face of this county as He works in and through us. The Lord has blessed us with the facilities that make our particular part in this recovery possible. My prayer is that we will continue to serve the Lord as we serve others. I count it a privilege to be used by Him in this way.
Many of the groups we will be housing over the coming months will not only be assisting in the rebuilding efforts but will also be conducting Vacation Bible Schools, Backyard Bible Clubs, concerts, and rallies as they reach out to the community around us. Please make every effort to be involved in ministering directly with these wonderful volunteers. God has offered us an opportunity to make a difference in His Kingdom that may never come our way again. Let's be good and faithful stewards of His blessing and provision.
Monday, April 19, 2009
The opportunities that God has placed before us are astounding! In just this last month, God has been very busy in our midst. You'll remember with me that it was just a month ago that we hosted a block party here for our community. Glenview Baptist Church from Fort Worth was so generous in donating the food and inflatables and in providing entertainment for the event. And it was a huge success! Hundreds of people showed up and had a wonderful time of fellowship together. We were able to show, in no uncertain terms, that Christians do know how to have fun. We also showed that Christians know how to care for others in our community. We went a long way in demonstrating our openness in reaching out to people all around us. Every Sunday since that event, we have had at least one family visit with us as a direct result of the block party, and we have contacted every person and family that gave us contact information when they attended. We need to be thinking about another block party soon. New relationships need to be established and nourished. God is glorified in this, and He is working in this.
Disaster response continues to be high in our "to-do" list. Nehemiah's Vision is settling into their offices in our building, and God is using our time together to develop and deepen relationships. I am so grateful for Ken and Jan Johnson and for their willingness to serve the Lord here. Their presence is making a difference in my life and in lives of people all around us. If you haven't met them yet, you need to. They will bless your life!
Our local disaster response warehouse had to close down this last month. The building was bought by another company. But they were so gracious in allowing us to continue operation as we made efforts to relocate materials, and they even aided us in that relocation. Our closest warehouse is now in Baytown. That is far enough away that it does not really meet the needs of our immediate area. So a real prayer concern is for another local warehouse. Please lift this need up before the Lord. He will provide!
Update: March 18, 2009
The Block Party was a huge success! We had a blast!
Update: March 17, 2009
Hurricane relief efforts made the front page of the Houston Chronicle this morning.
Update: March 16, 2009
And so the work continues! We are fully involved in disaster response to our area. To date, we have housed volunteers with the National Relief Network and Nehemiah's Vision. National Relief Network sent high school students from Royal Oak and Caledonia, Michigan. Between these two groups, we took care of about 200 people. After those groups left, NRN sent three groups of college students from Stonehill College in Massachusetts, Chadron State College in Nebraska, and Bowling Green State University in Ohio. About the time our last college group was leaving, disaster response volunteers from churches began to arrive. Currently, we are housing volunteers from Glenview Baptist Church of Fort Worth, Monterey Baptist Church of Lubbock, and Central Baptist Church of College Station. Before today is over we should also be housing volunteers from First Baptist Church of Paris and Lakeview Baptist Church of Longview. All of the church groups that are staying with us this week are from Texas. We are also housing some consultants from Missouri that are working with Nehemiah's Vision. The work that is being accomplished by all of these volunteers is simply amazing! We are so grateful for their willingness to help the people of our area, and we are looking forward to ministering to all of these volunteers as they, in turn, minister to others around us.
We have hosted literally hundreds of volunteers from churches and other organizations so far, and we are just beginning to scratch the surface. Although not confirmed, I am aware of many groups that plan to work in this area from today until the end of summer. Be in prayer for all of these volunteers. Pray that God will keep them safe as they travel, that He will protect them as they work, and that He will bless them as they reach out to help our communities. Please be seeking God's will as to the level of your involvement in helping your neighbors here in Galveston County as we all recover from the effects of Hurricane Ike.
This Wednesday night March 18th @ 6, we will be hosting a BLOCK PARTY here at our church. We intend to have about 1000 hot dogs, lots of games, five inflatables (moon walks, etc.), and all kinds of fun! You are welcome to be with us--no matter how far away you may be right now! Bring someone with you!
We are excited about what God is doing in our midst. You can be a part of it at First Baptist Church: Where Pieces Come Together! Please be in prayer, and be involved in our church and community. And be sure to give God the glory for the things He will do!
Update: March 12, 2009
Well, things are in full swing now! On February 16, we received our first volunteers here. We had a group of students and chaperones from Royal Oak High School, Royal Oak, Michigan, that stayed with us for a week and were very involved in the clean-up around this area. As one of our deacons commented, "It sure is good to see so many young people here!" Just about the time that Royal Oak High School was leaving, Caledonia High School from Caledonia, Michigan, arrived. They were another group of great volunteers! Between these two groups, we were able to house almost 200 people. They were such a blessing to the people in this area. I hope we'll be seeing them again.
I'm also very grateful for a group of volunteers from Clifton, Texas, who helped put some finishing touches on "His House," a ministry home that is used to house patients from UTMB.
This week, we are housing students and sponsors from three colleges: Bowling Green State University from Bowling Green, Ohio; Chadron State College from Chadron, Nebraska; and Stonehill College from Easton, Massachusetts. It is amazing to me what these 145 students have accomplished! All of these groups (high schools and colleges) have been affiliated with National Relief Network. A very special thank-you goes out to Mary Skelonc and Scott Stevens with NRN for all their hard work in putting these students to work! And I'm so happy to see how NRN has been coordinating with other group's efforts in our area such as Nehemiah's Vision, a disaster recovery ministry, Galveston Baptist Association, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC), Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT), and many others.
Next week, we will be housing several church groups that are coordinating through Nehemiah's Vision. We are looking forward to serving with groups from Glenview Baptist Church from Ft. Worth, Texas; Monterey Baptist Church from Lubbock, Texas; Central Baptist Church from College Station, Texas; and First Baptist Church from Paris, Texas. All totaled, we should have about 200 volunteers here! Again, special thanks goes to Gordon Hightower and Ken Johnson of Nehemiah's Vision. This effort could not be accomplished without your expertise and heart for this ministry.
We have been learning to be flexible, to say the least! In my last update, I had mentioned that we were expecting another shower unit from Del Rio, Texas. That unit was re-routed to another hard-hit area. Then we found out that another shower unit would be coming from Dallas, Texas. You guessed it...that shower unit was also re-routed. Next, we heard that we a new shower unit was coming from Utah! That's the one we got...and just in time for the college students. Special thanks goes out to Gordon Knight with the SBTC for getting all of this together! And special thanks to Neil Land and others from our own congregation who have been so instrumental in getting everything hooked up!
We are now expecting a portable feeding unit to be set up on our parking lot in time for next week's volunteers. With every opportunity comes new challenges. It will be interesting to see what next week's challenges will be.
This Sunday, we will take the afternoon to go out into our community to invite as many people as we can to a BLOCK PARTY that will be held here on Wednesday, March 18 at 6PM. We intend to have about 1000 hot dogs, games, five inflatables (moon walks, etc.), and all kinds of fun! You are welcome to be with us--no matter how far away you are right now! We are so excited about what God is doing in our midst. You can be a part of it at First Baptist Church: Where Pieces Come Together!
Update: February 9, 2009
We are just about ready to begin housing volunteers. Over the last few weeks, Texas Baptist Men delivered a shower unit with four stalls and a washer/dryer. Special thanks to our own Neil Land for all of his help in setting up the unit. Texas Baptist Men intend to bring us another larger unit from the Del Rio area. We are certainly looking forward to its arrival in the near future.
About a week ago, the SBTC delivered another load of cots, bringing out total to over 200. This last weekend, a small group of volunteers from Second Baptist Houston-Kingwood Campus helped us get our rooms ready and set up the cots. Special thanks to Candace Franklin, and Gary, Becky, Peyton, and Lauryn Wilson, as well as special gratitude to our own Richard Kotrla for their hard work in preparing us to receive our guests.
And finally, we were able to resume our evening services last night. What a wonderful time we had as we gathered together to be led in our Bible study by Danny Barnes. All are welcome to join us as we dig into Max Lucado's study, "3:16: The Numbers of Hope."
Please keep us in your prayers as we move forward into the coming weeks. Be praying for the volunteers and for those they will serve. And be praying that God's Kingdom will advance throughout our area.
Update: January 9, 2009
Since our last update, we have secured a warehouse in Texas City. It is absolutely filled with hurricane relief supplies and building materials. Galveston County is moving forward in the rebuilding process now and volunteers from around the nation are coming to our area to offer assistance. Our church is preparing to house volunteer groups beginning on February 16. At this time, it appears that our first group of about 140 volunteer workers will be coming from Michigan. So far in March, we will be housing a group of about 150 volunteers from a church in Fort Worth and a group of about 90 from a Houston area church.
We are partnering with several ministries in order to prepare for housing all of these volunteers. Texas Baptist Men is in the process of building us a shower unit that they plan to deliver by January 20. The SBTC and Nehemiah's Vision are very involved in pulling all of this together, from securing and delivering food and water, to finding enough cots for everyone to have one, to providing building materials, to co-ordinating the rebuilding effort. The BGCT and GBA have also been invaluable in providing assistance to churches and staff. God's hand is very evident in all of this. We could not even attempt this without Him.
We will be resuming our Sunday evening activities at our church on February 8. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to try to reach our neighbors for Christ's Kingdom.
Update: October 14, 2008
This morning I was in an Administrative Team meeting at Galveston Baptist Association. A fellow pastor, David Fannin, shared something he wrote with us. I want you to be blessed by this as well.
He'll See You Through
God doesn't always send the storms of life,
the times of struggle and the times of strife.
He can't always be found in the times of trouble;
Where can He be amidst the rubble?
But God was there when the tempest blew;
He was there to see you through!
He was there, He heard you pray!
He's here now in a special way.
In that still small voice He's speaking to you:
"It's OK," He says, "I'll see you through.
I'll guide you all every step of the way,
Just keep trusting in Me each and every day."
"I know your sorrows, I know what you've lost.
I know what it is to pay a high cost.
I sent My Son down a bitter road.
He's with you now to help carry your load."
So keep on trusting and you'll see His hand,
Giving you strength to continue to stand.
He'll help you rebuild and He'll give you much more,
You'll see His love like you never could before.
Written after Hurricane Ike, September 21, 2008
David B. Fannin
Update: October 9, 2008
All of our hurricane relief supplies were distributed in approximately a day and a half. I want to express my gratitude to all of the volunteers that made this relief effort possible, but I particularly want to single out Ted Hill. Ted came by the church early on Monday to get a few things for his dad. He got that done and then spent the rest of the day and evening giving out supplies to others in need. Ted came back Tuesday morning and stayed with it until everything was gone. Then he came back again and helped clean up our distribution area. Thanks, Ted, for your tremendous help and your Christ-like attitude. You were a joy to work with.
Many, many others also volunteered their time as well. Many of the young men pictured above helped for hours on Monday. What was unusual about their involvement was that they are not members of First Baptist Church; they are not even residents of Texas. These men were in town to help with roofing projects in the area. They had not yet been assigned any work, so they decided to help us in getting these supplies out to people in need. God certainly provided these young men. I don't know if we could have distributed as much or as long as we did had it not been for their efforts.
I also want to thank Elvin and Caroline Maxwell for delivering supplies to other churches in areas that were very hard-hit. Several of our deacons also gave of their time to help in this effort. As a matter of fact, they even cancelled a Deacons' Meeting on Monday night to work. As far as I'm concerned, that's proof positive that God still is at work! Along this line, I also especially want to thank Jerry Harkreader. Jerry will tell you that he is not a young man any more, but as hard as he worked on Monday night and then again on Tuesday morning, you couldn't prove that by me!
I wish that I could remember everyone's name that served God by serving others. I certainly don't want to slight anyone, but I just can't remember. So...thank you, even though I didn't single you out. What I can promise you is: God remembers who you are, and I believe that your unselfish service is going to be an opportunity for Him to say to you one day: "Well done, good and faithful servant!"
Thank you, and God bless you.
Bro. David
Hurricane Ike:
The devastation left in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike is tremendous. Please be praying that, even in this, God will be glorified!
  
  
  
Sunday evening services at First Baptist Church have been suspended for the foreseeable future. On Sunday evening, September 28th, our congregation decided that a more efficient use of the resources God has blessed us with will involve taking the church to the people instead of bringing people to the church building. We believe that it is time for us to be the church rather than simply go to church.
Over the last two days, we have received six truckloads (approximately 150 pallets) of hurricane relief supplies for families and churches in LaMarque and throughout Galveston County. These supplies include drinking water, MREs (Meals-Ready-to-Eat), juices, PowerAde, vitamin water, instant potatoes, field peas, apple sauce, bleach, etc. These supplies are available to all in need as a ministry of First Baptist Church, Nehemiah's Vision, and The Southern Baptist Convention. We are in need of volunteers to aid in distributing these supplies.
Applications are available at the church for those needing the assistance of chain saw crews or mud-out crews.
It is my prayer that our work in this relief and recovery effort will bring glory and honor to God alone.
May God bless you in the days ahead,
Bro. David
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