Galen And Melissa Swint

Vol. XXXVIII • No. 6 • March 28, 2008

“Among Friends” This Sunday, March 30, we are going to worship on the front lawn together under a big tent. I’m glad about this for several reasons. For one thing, who doesn’t enjoy being outdoors at Springtime? First Baptist Decatur has one of the largest green spaces in Decatur—let’s enjoy it! More significantly, I’m glad that we’re “taking it outside” because it’s good for us and for our community. It’s good for us because anytime we deviate from some of our regular church habits, we discover all over again how alive God is in all kinds of settings! I know you know that God isn’t confined to our church’s sanctuary or to Carreker Hall. Worshiping in a new environment is a nice reminder of that lovely truth. And our being outside is good for Decatur because it sends significant ripples through any community whenever a church visibly ventures beyond its own walls. I can’t wait till Sunday! But I’m also glad to be under the big tent this Sunday because it’s such a great visual picture of the church that First Baptist Decatur has come to be through the years. What is a “big tent” congregation? It’s a church that, because of an unwavering focus on the gospel and on the towering, all-encompassing call of Christ, draws all kinds of people from all walks of life. In a “big tent” church on any given Sunday, folks with widely differing opinions about all kinds of topics sit side-by-side in worship and Bible study and lean together toward the one reality that matters most: Jesus is Lord! Admittedly, “big tent” churches are rare. That’s because they require a great deal of patience and humility and love. A pastor friend of mine, Brett, reminded me recently of a great story about the church. A man with a pile of bricks was measuring how long and wide and deep each brick was. He threw a bunch of good-looking bricks out, saying: “I’ve got to get them all exactly the same. I’m building a church and I want it to stand.” Some people think that the way to build a church is to gather people who are from the same economic, political, social and educational background because then they’ll stick together. The man stacked the bricks, all just alike, but the bricks fell down. Around the corner there was a man with a pile of rocks. What a mess! No two rocks were alike—there were round ones, dark ones, small ones, big ones and little ones. He said, “I’m building a church that’s going to stand.” He went over to a wooden tray, took something like a hoe, and began to stir something back and forth. It looked like cement but that’s not what he called it. He slathered generous amounts of the mixture in-between the stones. That church is still standing. The stuff between held it together. He called it “the Spirit of God.” First Baptist Decatur is built with all kinds of wonderful, oddly-shaped stones. The Spirit of God is doing a beautiful thing in our midst. What a privilege to be part of it! See you under the Big Tent…

“Ministry Support” By: Aubray Abrams and Bob Williamson Thanks to all for your support of the ministry needs of our church. This support is shown by staff and finance team working together to control spending, it is demonstrated by your serving on ministry teams and giving of your money to make these ministry activities possible. We are behind year-to-date in meeting the 2008 Budget needs by $37,682, but by the time all of our ministry costs and revenue are accounted for we have $205 on the positive side of the ledger. We have been able to send the team to Thailand, help with another Habitat House, and collect a truck load of items for DEAM. We have provided items for our clothing room, some of the items needed for the Moncrief Center’s mission work, and a ton of donations have come in for the Yard Sale. Thank you for your generosity and your heart for missions and ministry. Finishing the year with the 2008 Budget met will put us in a great position to accomplish even more for God in 2009. This year our year-to-date giving numbers indicate we are not far from that giving goal. Julie made a statement in the sermon last Sunday that God's train is ready to leave the station. We believe that to be true and encourage all to help us get the cars lined up, support the energy needed by giving our resources to run the train and then get on board for an exciting journey with God.

Celebrating 15 years of Service! Gene Ealey started working at FBC Decatur in March of 1993. Gene works on our maintenance staff and does a variety of cleaning and maintenance tasks around the church. You will often see him in the late afternoons and early evenings cleaning the first school classrooms and making sure our buildings are locked up each night. Gene is a very dependable member of our staff team and he is always quick with a smile and a warm greeting. Gene loves sports and following the Atlanta Braves. He has seen so much happen around our church that he might be able to write a column for the Outlook each month. We want to take this opportunity to thank Gene for his service to our church and support of our ministry. Thank You Gene!

Congregational Life Current Wednesday Night Series— “The Six Hottest Moral Issues of Our Time” Dr. David Gushee, the Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at McAfee School of Theology, will be leading our Wednesday Night discussions through April 9. The schedule of issues to be discussed: Mar. 26 – euthanasia Apr. 2 – reproductive technology Apr. 9 – terrorism & torture March is DEAM Collection Month Even though March is almost over we are still collecting canned goods and non-perishable food items for the Decatur Emergency Assistance Ministry (DEAM). Boxes are through-out the church to collect your donations. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia General Assembly held at FBC Decatur! Save the date for the CBF/GA General Assembly on April 4-5 here at FBC Decatur. Diana Garland, Dean, School of Social Work, Baylor University will be the speaker for this event and the theme is “Loving God, Loving Neighbor.” Go to cbfga.org for more information or to sign up. Women on Mission—April 8 Our next meeting of the Women on Mission will be Tuesday, April 8 with the leadership meeting at 10:00, group meetings at 10:30 and the program at 11:00. Karen Dobson, the Executive Director of Mountain View Personal Care Home, will be our speaker. Atlanta Metro Baptist Association Celebrates 100 years! The Atlanta Metro Baptist Association will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Sunday, April 20 at 6:00pm at Smoke Rise Baptist Church. The cost of the event is $25/person or $175 for a table of 8. For more information about reservations, call Bob Williamson in the church office, 404-373-1653.

Prayer Concerns as of March 25, 2008 Congratulations to: ▪ Marsha and Neal Britt on the birth of Mallery Britt. ▪ Tim and Kristen Dalton on the birth of Tyler Graham Dalton. ▪ Scott and Michelle Morris on the birth of Matthew Morris. ▪ Galen and Melissa Swint on the birth of Hannah Claire Swint. Sympathy To: ▪ Nancy Peralta on the death of her sister, Joy Courtney. ▪ The family of Ada Pruitt. ▪ The family of Elizabeth Sells. ▪ Frances Smith on the death of her sister, Helen Stinson. ▪ Ann Murphy on the death of her mother, Willamette Graham. Thank You Notes Received from: ▪ The Armando Family ▪ Elaine Sakas ▪ Evelyn Jackson ▪ Genie Massingale

Tithes & Offerings

Sunday School Workers’ Appreciation Luncheon Sunday, April 27 following our 11:00 worship time, we will celebrate all that our Sunday School Workers’ have done for the FBC Decatur family. There will be lunch provided and entertainment provided by the band “Old Enough to Know Better.” They are local Decatur folks with a great sound and a “classical repertoire” - Beach Boys, Ink Spots, Episcopal Hymnal and doo-wop (that kind of classical). There is no cost for this event and all Sunday School Workers and their families are invited to attend. We do need you to RSVP so we can prepare the right amount of meals. Call the church office, 404-373-1653 and let us know if you can join us for this fun event.

A Generous People

Chastain Experience Comes to Decatur! Chastain Park is known for its outdoor summer concerts where people enjoy elaborate picnic suppers while listening to great music. The same thing happens each Spring on the lawn of First Baptist Church when Young at Heart sponsors its annual big band concert. Music will be provided by Atlanta 17, with all the great sounds of the Big Band Era. Everyone is invited to bring their own picnic supper and it can be as fancy or as simple as you want it to be. There is no charge for the concert, but there is a $10 per table reservation fee if you want the church to set up a table and eight chairs reserved in your name. You bring your own food, tablecloths, decorations, etc. The church will furnish bottled water and soft drinks. The event is sponsored by Young at Heart but it is open to the entire church family and Decatur community. The date is Friday, May 2, the time is 6:30 P.M., the dress is casual, and we have ordered perfect weather! Tables can be reserved until April 30 or until we run out of tables.

“Years of Opportunity 2007-09” Campaign Given to Date:...................$ 291,504 Bank Loan Balance:..........$ 271,229 Owed to FBC Fdn.:...........$ 180,000

Let’s Go To the Coast!—YAH to Savannah Young at Heart will be sponsoring a Spring Trip to Savannah, May 12-16. We leave on Monday and return on Friday of that week. We will stay four nights at the same hotel in Savannah but we will be making day trips to Jekyll Island, St. Simons, and Beaufort, S.C., as well as historic Savannah. The cost per person for double occupancy is $399, and that includes transportation, hotel, all breakfasts and dinners. A deposit of $75 is due to hold your reservation. For further information, pick up a flyer in the church office. We need 30 people minimum for the trip, so sign up today for a really fun week together with fellow church members.

2008 Ministry Action Plan Weekly Need: .....................$ 27,361 Received on Mar. 16:..........$ 14,025 Received on Mar. 23:..........$ 29,564 Y-T-D Need:.....................$ 328,336 Y-T-D Received: ..............$ 290,752 Surplus/(shortfall):.............. (37,584)

Wednesday Dinner Menus April 2 Glazed Ham Steak, Potato Salad, Steamed Carrots, Salad Bar, Yeast Rolls, Apple Pie Kid’s Menu Cheese Pizza, Salad w/ Ranch Dressing, Cupcakes April 9 Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Cabbage, Salad Bar, Buttermilk Biscuits, Vanilla Pound cake Kid’s Menu Hot Dogs, French Fries, Sweet Peas, Cookies

Youth Sp•t The youth ministry is gearing up for a summer of great ministry and we need your help! First of all we ask that you familiarize yourself with our summer schedule and keep us in your prayers throughout the summer as we travel to and from our mission experiences and retreats. Secondly, we ask for your support with our annual yard sale. The yard sale is our primary fund raiser each year and we need your donations and the donations of everyone that you know. You can help us by encouraging your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to donate their unwanted items to the yard sale. We will take just about anything from cars and boats to cookware and televisions. Donations can be brought to the church or you can call 404-219-3920 or email [email protected] to schedule a pickup. Big Summer Youth Dates Yard Sale (May 29-May 31) Junior/Senior Retreat (June 6-June 14) Intown Mission Week (June 22-June 28) Out of Town Mission Week (July 12-July 19) Beach Retreat (August 3-August 8)

Kid’s Zone Parents’ Night Out Coming Soon! Our next Parents’ Night Out is coming up soon. We sponsor this event to give parents’ of our community a chance to get out for an evening while their children are taken care of in a safe and fun environment. This event is free for all who participate but we need at least 75 volunteers to help us make this event a success. The Spring Parents’ Night Out is April 25, 2008 from 6:00-9:00. This is offered to children from 3 months-5th grade. If you are able to volunteer for this event please contact Debbie Britt, [email protected] or 404-373-1653. Just a Reminder Spring Break is April 7-11 so we will not be having Children’s Choir and Missions on that Wednesday, April 9. Thank You to all our Extended Session Volunteers! April Extended Session Volunteers:

One of our newest “Easter People,” Kimberly Laing. Kimberly was baptized Easter Sunday. The Outlook, a publication of the First Baptist Church of Decatur, Georgia, is mailed to members and friends of the First Baptist family. Main Office......................................404-373-1653 Finance.............................................404-370-7694 First School ......................................404-370-7688 Activities ..........................................404-373-2442 FAX ..................................................404-370-7692 Debbie Britt .....................................404-373-1653 Ryan Forbes.....................................404-370-7690 Julie Pennington-Russell.................404-370-7684 Kurt Varney......................................404-373-1653 Bob Williamson ...............................404-370-7687 Computer Connections: Website—http://www.fbcdecatur.com E-Mail—[email protected]

The Outlook, USPS 600-320, is published bi-weekly, except Christmas week, by First Baptist Church Decatur, GA Postmaster: Please send address changes to First Baptist Church, 308 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030

April 6 Hinkle Carter Salcedo Hamrick

April 13 Castleberry Clay Warshauer Jones

April 20 Stanford Hayes Fewell Duke

April 27 Eargle Perry R. Leeth Henderson