DO YOU WANT TO BE A HERO?

I’m sure you have already heard that “Heroes & Villains” is the theme for our upcoming fall retreat. Recently, during one of our Wednesday night 555 meetings, I asked you to make a list of people that you considered to be heroes and villains in the Bible…

Many of you said Jesus, Noah, Mary (the mother of Jesus), Moses, & David were heroes. The list of villains you shared included Delilah, Judas, Goliath and several others. The Bible is clear in Micah 6:8… God wants His followers to — Do Justice. Love Kindness. And Walk Humbly with Him. Actually living out our faith in the real world, where we are constantly witnessing and being influenced by acts of injustice and attitudes of meanness, is not easy. Quite often we are tempted to live in a way that is literally the opposite of Micah 6:8’s prescription for the good life. It often seems that we live in a culture that glorifies pride and egomania. Instead of a Micah 6:8 life, we can be drawn toward a life of villainy… we can chose to do injustice (rather than justice), practice meanness (rather than kindness), and walk  with a prideful step  (rather than a humble  one) throughout our days at Fort Payne High or Fort Payne Middle School.  I believe God has great things in store for “THIS GENERATION.” (that’s you!) My hope is that we come away from the retreat with a renewed vision for what it means to know & serve God. SIGN UP DEADLINE & PAYMENT OF $50 ( for retreat costs ) is OCTOBER 7.  Each Sunday night in the choir room at 445pm at FBC, you have been given a great opportunity to better prepare for a wonderful new world of ministry opportunities through YOUTH CHOIR. During the summer of ’07 the choir went to Orlando, FL & was given an opportunity to perform inside the Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney World. In 2008, the choir will travel to Washington DC to minister to others through music, fellowship, and fun. Beyond the choir’s summer activities, they are also consistently involved in sharing the love of Christ through music in the sanctuary at FBC each month. If music or singing is not something you want to pursue in the way of FBC youth ministry, then make yourself a note to join other middle & high school students in the youth room each Sunday PM at 445 for YOUTH DISCIPLESHIP / BIBLE STUDY. Our aim in October is to gain a clearer understanding of  “churchy” words & concepts:10/7 – Holiness – why it matters                 10/14 – Redemption – why it matters 10/21 – Meditating on Scripture  J     10/28 – I’m a Christian. Now What?  About a year ago, I heard a pastor share the following concept: “If you are a Christian, then the mission field is always the distance between your right foot and your left foot.” I saw this concept in action at Fort Payne Middle School in the early morning of September 26. This was the day of our “See You at the Pole” event. What an amazing testimony! The students at the High School also gathered around the flag pole on the 26^th to pray for their friends, teachers, school, city, and nation. Many of the prayers were shared aloud at the schools by students with genuine concerns for their world, and more specifically their town. Fort Payne is our mission field if we follow Jesus. May we continue to seek to grow in our faith and become a stronger witness for Him.  NOVEMBER 4^th – SILENT AUCTIONNovember 10 – The Great Day of Service7^th Grade Only – trip on November 17, details: tbaNovember 24 – The Lord’s TableNovember 25 – S N A C December 2 – Hanging of the Green & Poinsettia Pick UpDecember 8 – Samaritan’s Purse Mission Project in Atlanta, GA Dec. 12 – Youth Candlelit Christmas Worship ServiceDec. 19 and 20 –Christmas Parties and Caroling Outings.Dec.. 29 The Lord’s Table