We're Tearing Down the Wall of Debt!

Tomorrow morning, Sunday, February 1st, we are kicking off a forty-eight week campaign to pay off our building debt! As of December 31, 2008, our balance was about $143,000.00. During 2009, our regular mortage payments will reduce that amount by $48,000.00, leaving a balance of $95,000.00.

The "Tearing Down the Wall of Debt" Campaign asks every actively attending family in our church to sacrifice each week by giving additional funds over and above our regular giving and designating that money to pay off the debt several years early. Over the next forty-eight weeks, our seventy active families only have to average $28.27 per week each to pay off this debt by the TARGET DATE OF DECEMBER 27, 2009! Some will be able to give more than this and some will give less - but if everyone gives what they can, this God-glorifying Goal will be met.

As I write this note, we are thirteen hours away from our first offering, and we already have received $4,000.00 toward this goal! We will have a display of 95 bricks on the altar of the church representing $1,000.00 of debt for each brick. Each week, we will remove the number of bricks that represent the amount of money that has come in to that date. Tomorrow morning, we will already be able to remove four of the bricks!

Lin and I have decided on a sacrifical amount to give toward this exciting goal and our first check will be in the offering tomorrow! I hope you will join with us in this church-wide effort to glorify God by paying off this debt!

A godly man in our church commented to me last week, "It is just like God to lead us to do this in the most financially difficult year since 1929." Yes, God's timing is always right on time! Beloved ones, we are going to sacrifice together, honor God together, save lots of interest by doing this together; and, BEST OF ALL - WE ARE GOING TO WITNESS AND CELEBRATE A MIRACLE!

Becoming a fully-devoted follower of Jesus Christ!

The Purpose Statement of our church is, "Becoming and Bringing Others to be Fully-devoted Followers of Jesus Christ!" This is not an original statement, but I believe it is one that clearly states the two-fold goal of the Christian life: we are to become fully-devoted Christ-followers; and, we are to bring others to know Him and to become His fully-devoted followers as well. Obviously, we cannot undertake the latter until we have accomplished the former!

I have been working for the past two years to come up with an effective and yet simple process to enable us accomplish these bibilcal goals. Next Sunday morning, January 25, 2009, I will unveil to our church a three-part process to accomplish this.

Beginning at 4:45pm on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month, I will lead a one-hour class designed to move us toward this goal of spiritual maturity. These classes will cover three practical levels of spiritual maturity:
(1) The "Discovery" Series will consist of six classes designed for newer believers and newer church members; as well as others who desire to study again the basics of Christianity and Church life.
(2) The "Foundations" Series will also be six weeks in length and will cover the basic doctrinal truths taught in the Bible.
(3) The "Journey" Series will feature six classes designed for Christians who desire to begin or continue the process of spiritual growth in their personal Christian walk.

Some of these subjects were taught last year during the "Thursday Nights Together" classes. Therefore, not everyone will need to attend every class. Many of these classes will feature new material, so I want to encourage you to sign up for as many of these classes as your schedule will allow. Sign-up sheets are available now in the foyer for the first class, "Discovering Jesus" which will begin on Sunday, February 8th. Everyone is welcome to attend, but especially those who have come to know the Lord, or have joined our church within the past year should attend.

God bless you. I hope to see you Sunday morning with a Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and a friend by your side!

January Bible Study!

Each year January Bible Study is an exciting and profitable time for us. This year, the Study Book is "Exodus". I have entitled our study, "Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb!"

Pastor Glenn Baker of the Hammond and Lovington churches will share teaching duties with me. We will meet at Atwood on January 4th and 18th at 6pm; and, we will meet at either Hammond or Lovington Church on January 11th and 25th. All studies will begin at 6pm and close at 7:30pm. We will have a break time with snacks provided at the mid-point of each evening's session.

Let me encourage you to start reading through "Exodus" now! I look forward to sharing this time with you and our brothers and sisters from the Hammond and Lovington churches!

The Tri-County Vision

Our beloved town, Atwood, Illinois, is located at the intersection of three Central Illinois Counties: Douglas, Moultrie, and Piatt! Therefore, our "Regional Church Growth Strategy" for reaching the 20,000 + people who live in and around the twenty communities located within an approximately twenty mile radius of our church is called, "The Tri-County Vision!"

These twenty communities include: Arcola, Arthur, Atwood, Bement, Bourbon, Camargo, Cerro Gordo, Chesterille, Garrett, Hammond, Ivesdale, LaPlace, Lovington, Milmine, Monticello, Newman, Pesotum, Pierson, Tuscola, and Villa Grove!

Our primary strategy is to plant reproducing evangelism and discipleship Home Bible Studies that we call, "JOY Groups" in each of these towns. We presently have one very successful JOY Group up and running with another one kicking off in January.

Our beautiful facilities provide us with space for over 350 in our worship services and we have education space that is adequate for about 250. As the Lord blesses our efforts to reach new people with the gospel and continues to add new people to our church, we will provide training to the leaders of other churches who would like to implement this type of strategy in their church.

The "Tri-County Vision" is off to a good start! Why don't you come next Sunday (a little before 10:00am) and see for yourself what God is doing at our church?

Welcome to the P-T Pointers Blog!

Grace to you and thanks for taking time to check out our blog! The purpose of this blog is to provide an effective means of providing information and facilitating two-way communication with the members and friends of First Baptist Church, Atwood, Illinos!

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