Author: Secretary

eLink: Ministry This Week

 

          eLink for July 3 – 10 
 (Click to join live stream)

                                          Scripture This Week: Galatians 6:1-6

  First Baptist Church Welcomes You
 

Upcoming at FBC:

**All Red Links will take you directly to that event *

THURSDAY , June 30
High School Event – Hiking @ 9:00 am

SATURDAY July 2
Sat Small Grp. @ 1:30 pm
Kayaking Grp. @ 2 pm

SUNDAY, July 3
Sunday School videos (YouTube)
Coffee & Conversation 9:30
Worship Service @ 10 am (YouTube)
Old Fashioned Church Picnic @ 11:30 am
Bible Study @ 6 pm Galatians 6:1-6 (Zoom)

MONDAY, July 4 Independence Day
OFFICE CLOSED

TUESDAY, July 5
Reading Program @ 6 pm

WEDNESDAY, July 6
Crusaders Class @ 11 am
Vespers Service @ 5:45 pm

THURSDAY, July 7
Vespers planning meeting @ 5:30 pm

SATURDAY July 9
Fellowship Breakfast @ 9 am
Kayaking Grp @ 2 pm

SUNDAY, July 10
Sunday School videos (YouTube)
Coffee & Conversation 9:30 & 11 am
Worship Service @ 10 am (YouTube)
Koinonia Sm. Grp @ 11:15 am
Pathfinders @ 11:15 am
Bible Study @ 6 pm Colossians 3:1-11 Zoom)

Click to access Church calendar

 

 

 Our Zoom Link

Our church Zoom ministries will use one link for all regular meetings: 

    • Church Account: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3096624253
      Meeting ID: 309 662 4253   (same as the church phone number)
      Used for the Sunday Prayer & Sharing time, the Wednesday Bible Study, the Men’s Breakfast, Board and Committee Meetings, LOGOS program, the Women’s Small Group and the Koinonia Class
      To Join  Zoom meeting by phone dial: 1 312 626 6799, then when prompted, enter the Meeting ID number, followed by the # key.      

 

Ministry & Events:

 

New Small Groups & Programs

    • Elementary LEGOS Small Group
      1st – 5th Grades- Times and Dates to be announced contact Michelle be added to the list!

    • Junior & Senior High Small Group Starts Thurs. June 30
      This small group will be for the summer for youth in Jr & Sr High where they will go out on different outings every other week with a correlating Bible Study/Devotional!

    • Summer Reading Program! Tuesdays Starts July 5 @ 6- 7pm
      ** Informative Volunteer Meeting June 28 @ 6pm
      FBC will be hosting a summer reading program for youth ages 3 -5th grade from 6-7pm.Please sign up to volunteer on the sheet in the Narthex. You can volunteer for all the Tuesdays or just specific ones.

    • Kayaking Group- Starts @ 2 pm Dates -Sat- July 2, 9, 30, & Aug. 6.
      A summer fun group for adults (18 years and older) is being coordinated at Dawson Lake. Boats are available for rent If you have your own, you can launch it there also. If you are interested in joining this small group, contact Jennifer Devine at (309)310-9511,or Gabrielle Hastings at (920)904-4857, for more information

Old Fashioned picnic 11:30am After Outdoor Worship Service
Plan to join us after worship Sunday July 3rd at 11:30 for a picnic. Hot Dogs, chips and drink provided. Bring a salad or dessert to share. OR Bring your own picnic.
Also, bring any yard games you may want to play with your church family.

 

Fellowship Breakfast–All are welcome
July 9 & Aug 13, 2022 @ 9 am
Speaker -Tom Richardson-
Tom has spoken about 5,000 times in 40 states and 27 other countries on the subject of relational evangelism.
Join us on Zoom Meeting ID: 309 662 4253
Contact Daniel for more information

 

 

The B-T-S Alliance needs help!!
Volunteers are Needed! There are two separate days available. 

  • Help sort and pack backpack volunteers
  • Help distribute back packs from State Farm on August 11th (adult volunteers only) Go to our website to learn more or to get signed up.

 

 

Pastor Cheri’s New Call
As many of you know by now, First Baptist Church of Pontiac has asked me to serve as their interim pastor, and I have agreed. Jim Wolf retired on April 24th after 32 years as their senior pastor, so it’s a big adjustment for them, and GRR Interim Associate Executive Minister Brian Romanowski asked if I might be interested in helping them out. I had been thinking that I might like to serve in one more interim position before I “totally” retire. I have told the Pontiac church that I’d see them through at least Easter, if necessary, when we could reassess. The position will begin officially on August 1st, although I am making myself available for pastoral emergencies before then. My last Sunday on staff at FBC Bloomington will be July 31st.
My membership will stay here, and I’ll still be living in Normal, so I’ll still be around. What a joy it has been to be in ministry here over these past years! Thanks to all of you for your love and support.
Cheri Grizzard

 

 

Announcements: 

Technical Notes on the Worship Livestream:
         * Recordings of the worship service are usually available on our YouTube Channel immediately after the service ends. 

In the event of livestream disruptions:
        * Try completely exiting the program/tab or app and the rejoining from the front page of the website or using this link: https://www.youtube.com/user/FBCBloomingtonIL/live

       * Check the front page of our website or the FBC Facebook page. We will post information and updates there on what happened and how to rejoin.  

       *  On a brighter note: did you know that there are lots of ways to watch our church services and other videos on your TV?  If you have internet access and either a smart TV or other device connected to your TV (like Roku, Amazon Fire, TIVO, PC, etc.), you can use a built-in YouTube player to access our YouTube Channel – just look for First Baptist Church Bloomington.  Chatting during services will still require a separate computing or mobile device. Call or email the church if you’d like technical support in getting this set up.

 

Supporting the ministry together

IN THE COMMUNITY 

AT FBC

Contact Us

 – Office Hours  –
Mon -Thurs:        9:00am –   1:30pm
Fri:                        9:00am –   11:00am
Office Phone:      (309) -662 -4253

Church Office:  secretary@fbcblm.org / (309) 662-4253
Pastor Brian: brian@fbcblm.org / (920) 924-6857
Pastor Cheri: cherigrizzard@comcast.net / (309) 212-1609
LOGOS Director: michelle@fbcblm.org / (618) 303-3630
Praise Team Leader: Allison@fbcblm.org /(309) 846-0403

 

 

New Summer Small Groups 2022



Elementary LEGOS Small Group
Everything is AWESOME … when you are having Bible Study with LEGOS!! There will be a new Summer Elementary Small group for youth in 1st – 5th Grade that teach on Jesus’ parables using LEGOS! Times and dates to be announced! Please email michelle@fbcblm.org to be put on email list to receive updates.


Junior & Senior High Small Group
Jesus commissioned us saying “Go therefore and make disciples…” This small group will be for the summer for youth in Junior and Senior High where they will go out on different outings every other week. Some of these outings will be to going out to hike or out to the lake while others will be mission trips like helping at Midwest Food Bank or visiting people in Nursing Homes. Each outing will have correlating Bible Study/Devotional! Please contact Michelle if interested. Outing Times to be announced!


Summer Reading Program!
On Tuesdays in July and August, FBC will be hosting a summer reading program for youth ages 3 through 5th grade from 6-7pm. We would like to be able to break up the youth into small groups with adults, if not one-to-one so need volunteers. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex, or email the church office at secretary@fbcblm.org You can volunteer for all the Tuesdays or just specific ones.


Calling all kayaking or other paddling enthusiasts!
A summer fun group for adults (18 years and older) is being coordinated for outdoor adventures at Dawson Lake, Moraine View State Park. Boats are available for rent at the park. If you have your own kayak, canoe or paddle boat, you can launch it there also. Depending on how long you’d like to be on the lake, you can begin paddling at 1 or 2 p.m. The group will break for a guided conversation and refreshments at 3 p.m. This season’s topic will be Finding Peace In Trying Times with guidance from Max Lucado’s book Anxious for Nothing. No homework required! Dates scheduled include the Saturdays of July 2, 9, 30, and Aug. 6. If you are interested in joining this small group, contact Jennifer Devine, Gabrielle Hastings or email secretary@fbcblm.org for more information.

Listening, Learning and Building Bridges: Multi Church Reading Group on Racial Reconciliation

As FBC and many churches have responded to the deep need of the church as a whole to pursue racial reconciliation and racial justice, we are excited to share information about ongoing efforts from the E-Free Church in Bloomington to bring multiple churches together in this work.  

This summer, they have started a reading group on the book: Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison, and three members of FBC attended the initial meeting this past Tuesday.  The readings and conversation afterward was powerful, honest and grace filled, an invitation for the church to embrace the work of doing a better job than the world around us of reflecting God’s vision of community.  

 Each session will begin with a 5-minute summary of the chapter, an hour of small group discussion, and a 20-minute large group time of sharing. 

Key Details:

We’d love to see you there! Click the event link for more details & to register.

Vespers Presentation June 29, 2022

You are invited to meet Sue Hegarty, Global Servant for International Ministries in Costa Rico, on June 29th.  Sue will share a brief message during Vespers, followed by a light supper and presentation hosted by the Missions Committee and ABWM who have supported Sue and her work for several years.  Be sure to put your name on the sign- up list in the Narthex, or contact the office to reserve your Costa Rician supper!

Sue’s ministry in Costa Rica is two-pronged. She works with the Baptist Federation to strengthen the ministries of churches and their pastors by teaching classes, Bible studies and workshops. Sue is a liaison with American Baptist mission teams that visit Costa Rica to develop fraternal relationships and assist with ministry projects. She also works with Nicaraguan immigrant women, many of whom are dealing with situations of domestic violence, at the same time they are starting over again in a new country. Sue provides assistance with issues such as legalizing their status, housing, skill-training and education as well as providing emotional and spiritual support for these women and their children.

Mission Connection Opportunities

 

 

 

 

 

FBC Community Partner volunteer Opportunities 

Sugar Creek Elementary School
FBC members help make Sugar Creek a wonderful place to be and they would love to have you volunteer in their school. If you are interested in donating your time you must complete the background form through Bushue. This has to be completed each year. You will not hear back from Unit 5 unless there is a problem. We do ask that you complete the background check at least 7 calendar days before you volunteer. Thank you for supporting our students and staff and being a part of our school community, your time is GREATLY appreciated!

Safe Harbor Homeless Shelter
For over 12 years a small group of FBC members have faithfully purchased, prepared and served a meal once a month at the Safe Harbor Shelter in downtown Bloomington. It only takes a couple of hours if you cook and less than an hour if you serve of your time.
For more information about these FBC mission opportunities contact the office

Faith in Action
Are you ready to brighten an older adult’s day?  With Faith in Action, volunteer drivers, shoppers and friendly visitors choose when and how often they volunteer.  To register for Volunteer Orientation, email Stacey@bnfia.org or call (309) 827-7780.  Upcoming new volunteer orientation dates:

July 5 1:00 pm- 2:30 pm 

 

Local Community Mission Opportunities

PATH
Consider volunteering with PATH. The team is always looking for compassionate, respectful, and responsible prospects to join. PATH offers the following volunteer opportunity:

Crisis Line/ 211 Volunteers – Spring (usually beginning in early February), Summer (usually starting in mid-June), and Fall (generally beginning in mid-September) Click for more information

Midwest Food Bank
Midwest Food Bank is structured to provide service opportunities and operate through the work of volunteers. Our volunteers are more than our hands and feet; they are fundamental to the success of our organization. They collect, sort, pack, and distribute food and disaster relief donations, and remind us every day that our mission could not be achieved without them. Click for more information

Home Sweet Home Ministries
Home Sweet Home Ministries demonstrates Christ’s love through innovative approaches that instill hope, restore lives, and build community. Our vision is for our ministry to be a ministry of refuge and renewal powered by Jesus Christ. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the way we serve those in need at Home Sweet Home Ministries. Every year, volunteers dedicate thousands of hours of service to accomplish our mission and vision. Click for more information

 

 

 

 

One Great Hour of Sharing- Love Remains

 

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Cor. 13:13

OGHS supports disaster relief, ministries to displaced persons, and development projects of the American Baptist Churches and it partners. FBC participated in a special collection in March to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. According to Lisa Rothenberger-Winter, World Relief Officer, ABC-USA the response was, “Unprecedented. Across six countries, Baptists spontaneously opened their churches, homes, camps, etc. to shelter some of the millions that have been forced to flee their homes…Within days, more that 1000 places were made ready – 600 within Ukraine – for all that are migrating to sleep, eat shower, and receive a word of hope. … Amanda and Jon Good in Debrecen Hungary opened their home to host families, providing space and radical hospitality when their church is at capacity hosting other refugees. And Larry Stanton is traveling to the border weekly with IM partner, Hungarian Baptist Aid, modeling the best of what it means to serve alongside a partner – doing whatever needs to be done. Our funds are following our relationships – foundations of trust, support and mutual accountability that were established in times of stability.” (ABC-USA OGHS publication 2022) The most recent amount the Great Rivers Region has raised is $48,587.11.

The response to the Ukraine crisis is just ONE aspect of how OGHS offers help to those hurting. OGHS has responded to Covid19 relief, building schools for children in Liberia, working with partner Lutheran World Relief providing blankets, hygiene supplies and clothing to families in Yemen, supporting immigrants from Central America finding a new life in Indiana, and helping with hurricane relief in Louisiana. Prayerfully consider supporting this annual offering. Click here for more information or to learn how to help 

Back to School Donations

Back 2 School Alliance (BTSA) is a group of volunteers and community partners dedicated to supporting students in need.  Since 1999, they have been working hand in hand with Bloomington District 87, Normal Unit 5, and Illinois Prairie Community Foundation to bring students and community together by putting backpacks and school supplies into the hands of the children who need them most.

The Missions Committee will be collecting school supplies during the month of May. Why now when school is almost over? Well, they need supplies for close to 6000 students and it takes time to sort, pack and prepare these supplies for distribution.

They will accept all school supplies but here is what is needed the most:

      • Backpacks
      • Pencils 
      • Pens 
      • Erasers
      • Composition notebooks
      • 16-32 crayon packs
      • Markers
      • White board markers

You can drop off your donations anytime in May in the big red tub under the Missions Committee bulletin board. We will have a hands-on mission moment the last Sunday in May. Stay tuned for more details on this fellowship-mission project.

Mission Hungary April 19-27

 

(From Pastor Brian) 

It’s hard to believe this is just around the corner, but things are still on track for me to be joining Rev. Patty Bilyeu and Rev. Rob Kirbach on a trip to Hungary from April 19th through the 27th.  We’ll be meeting with American Baptist Global Servants and local Baptist agencies to explore how we can build a healthy long-term ministry relationship between churches in the Great Rivers Region and our ministry partners in Hungary.  We’ll also be working out how to equip and smooth the way for future mission teams to operate without creating a logistical burden on local ministry partners.  

I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has asked questions, offered support and encouragement, and to everyone who is lifting up this trip in prayer.  Sadly, as some have asked – Gabrielle is not able to come along this time, but has a full list of projects and fun things to do, along with eating a much higher proportion of healthy things.  

While I am gone, in case of an emergency, please contact Pastor Cheri or the church office (309) 662-4253.  

Some specific prayer requests: 

Tuesday: Please pray for travel mercies, including some sleep on the plane!  

Wednesday – Thursday: Please pray for our time in Budapest, for our meetings with Carmella Jones and the Hungarian Baptist Union, and for their ministries.  

Friday-Monday: Please pray for our drive to Debrecen, our time with Jon and Amanda Good, with Larry and Becky Stanton, and for their ministries and communities.  

Tuesday – Wednesday: Please pray again for travel mercies as we return to Budapest and prepare to fly home.  

In General:

  • Please pray for wisdom and discernment as we listen to those who minister in Hungary; to hear what God is doing through them, opportunities to partner, and ways we can learn from what they are doing.
  • Please pray for those who are fleeing war in Ukraine, and for the church as they make God’s love visible in providing care and support.
  • Please pray for our awareness of what God is doing around us and in us during this time.
  • Please pray for our health and well-being as we go, and for our families at home.

More about our ABC Global Servants in Hungary  

Breakfast Fellowship- All Are Welcome

 

 Saturday, March 12, 2022  @  9:00 AM

All Are Welcome to Join us on ZOOM

 

Speaker: Don Mahannah from INtegRIty Counseling

INtegRIty Counseling is a community-based, non-profit counseling agency located in the heart of Bloomington’s west side.
They do not have a set fee for counseling, but instead, use a pay-as-you-can method and ask clients to contribute what they can.
We use qualified professionals and
counseling interns who donate their time to see clients.
People cannot easily address emotional or mental health issues on their own.
Emotional and mental problems affect economic and physical health.
Poverty, unemployment, family issues, peer pressure and neighborhood conflict can cause abuse, neglect, low self-esteem, depression, addiction, trust issues, violence and other problems that limit self-growth.

Contact: Daniel Schuetz @dschuetz11@gmail.com

 

 

Please pray for the people of Ukraine and Russia – Update from Jon and Amanda Good

In 2019, Jon had the opportunity to teach a missiology course to a cohort of church planters at the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary in Lviv.
(<<Picture of missiology class ) We were amazed at their courage and desire to be faithful to Jesus no matter the cost.  You could say that we learned more from them than they did from us.

Many of these amazing people were displaced from their homes in Eastern Ukraine during the previous conflict. We continue to be amazed at their faithfulness through adversity. Their greatest desire is to help people find the hope of Jesus. May the Lord protect them, give courage to them, and may Jesus be glorified in all. Please pray for these dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

Some people have asked if this conflict affects us in Hungary. We are well and not in any danger. Thank you so much for your prayer and support!

Love in Christ, Jon and Amanda