First Baptist Church of Tempe

A church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday … “I’ve gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something like 203,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them. So, I think I am wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.”

This started a real controversy in the “Letters to the Editor” column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: “I’ve been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this – they all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!” When you are DOWN to nothing – God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

For 120 years with no rain in sight, Noah and his sons constructed a mega boat in their front yard for everyone to see. Can you stand alone, just you and God, like Noah did? Imagine the remarks from the politically correct crowd and the religious tolerant compromisers.”Hey Noah, no rain in sight! Where’s your God who will bring the rain to float your boat? I see no rain so your God does not exist.” …or … “Noah, there are many ways to God. Your way to God can’t be the only way.” Remember … like Noah, Jesus stood steady and alone on the cross for you. At work stand alone with God when right and wrong collide. In your friendships and marriage stand alone with God – don’t cheat and manipulate. Stand alone with God and be humble, kind and speak the truth only in love. This Sunday and next Sunday we learn several great lessons from Noah from Genesis 7. Keep worship a high priority, Noah did!

Pastor Roger

Upcoming AM Sermons

August 22 – “Lessons from Noah”

August 29 – “Forty Days of Godly Water”

September 5 – ”Patience and Faith is Rewarded”

September 12 – “Water Dries Up – A New World Begins”

September 19 – “Worship God Immediately”

September 26 – “How to Live on Earth”

Upcoming PM Sermons

August 22 – “Suffering, It’s a Big Problem!”

August 29 – “Eliphaz’s Strange Dream”

September 5 – “The End of a Fool”

September 12 – “Seek God for He is Great”

September 19 – “Creation: Spiritual Revelation Through the Eyes of Science”

September 26 – “When Friends Fail”

Upcoming Common Ground Sermons

August 22 – “Seeing Myself”

August 29 – “Getting My Due”

September 5 – “Assuring My Future”

September 12 – “Mephibosheth: Faith in God’s Forgiveness”

September 19 – “Josiah: Faith that changes Everything”

September 26 – “Joseph: Faith that Waits”

Memorial Service for Bill Tilghman

There will be a Memorial Service here at FBC on Saturday, August 21, at 9:30 am, for Bill Tilghman. Join us as we praise God and celebrate the life and ministry of Bill.

Pray for FBC

Take a few minutes each day and pray for the following requests:

God, please help every hand at FBC to show compassion, gentleness and generosity to Christians as well as non-Christians.

God, please teach each individual who attends FBC to “sacrificially” give money to assist FBC in helping to pay the church bills.

God, please help each person who attends FBC to lead more children, teens and adults to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

God, would you give us the money necessary for the stewardship of “Forward by Faith … for Future Generations” to grow ministry and allow us to do ministry more effectively.

God, please help all of the marriages that are represented at FBC to show servanthood, honesty and humility.

God, please help each one of us to protect the unborn, disadvantaged and all of your children.

God, please help people to be baptized at FBC.

God, please guide President Obama as he leads the United States. Help him to be a man of integrity and to be like Jesus.

Forward by Faith Debt Reduction

Understanding that everything we possess is a gift from God, and that God delights in blessing the obedience of His children, we rejoice in the opportunity to participate in “Forward by Faith … for Future Generations.”

Psalm 127:1 – “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”

Would you make a 1 or 2 or 3 year pledge toward the Forward by Faith Debt Reduction? Remember, this is a voluntary commitment to the Lord, Can you help us reduce the $1.3 million in debt? You will never be asked to make payment. Please pick up a pledge card from the FBF display, circle the amount of your commitment on the perforated tab and place it in the offering plate. Write the amount of your pledge on the part of the card that you keep for your records and use this as a prayerful reminder. From time to time we will give an update on the pledges we have received..

Women’s Ministry

Do You Need a New Beginning? Ladies, discover how God offers each of us the promise of a new beginning. Join us for a time of fellowship and Bible study every Tuesday morning at FBC for:

Reflections: A New Beginning

Fall session begins on Tuesday, September 14, 9:00 am to 11:15 am.

Childcare is provided. For more information, stop by the table in Skylight Hall or contact Tara Harrison at 602-268-2554 or Kim Blum at 602-316-9396.

Help Send a Woman to Fall Retreat 2010!

We need your help. We have four beds available at the Women’s Fall Retreat and some women who would love to attend but need some help getting there. Would you prayerfully consider sponsoring a scholarship to send a woman to camp? This 60-plus year tradition has changed lives for thousands of women! Please make a check out to First Baptist Church in the amount of $98.00 and mark it “Women’s Retreat Help!” Your generous contribution can help affect change for generations to come. Thank you so much for your help.

If you are interested in registering for the Women’s Fall Retreat, it is not too late! Simply log on to www.prescottpines.org

. Be sure to let them know you are with Firth Baptist Church.

Women of Faith Conference: Escape from the everyday and attend the Women of Faith weekend and be refreshed, encouraged and inspired. Because the God who loves you can do far more than you can ever imagine.

Date - October 1-2

Place - US Airways Center

Cost - As low as $89.00

Contact - For more information or to sign-up contact

Roslyn Dobrick at 480-706-0718

VP (Visitation and Prayer) Team

Are you looking for a meaningful ministry opportunity? If you have a relationship with Jesus Christ and a passion for sharing hope with people, then you should consider joining the FBC Visitation and Prayer Team (VP Team).

The VP Team is a “front-line” ministry within FBC. This team represents a committed group of evangelists sent by our church to pray over and share eternal hope for our community. The VP Team will minister to (1) FBC guests, (2) people who are ill and (3) people who are despondent. This team will also, at times, canvas different targeted areas of the community in order to pray for people and potentially share the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.

The VP Team involves a two-hour commitment every 2 weeks (4 hours per month). The VP Team meetings consist of a 30-minute group training with 90 minutes of on-the-job (evangelism) training. We believe that every Christian is called and equipped by the Holy Spirit to pray and tell the story of Jesus Christ. In other words, as part of this team you do NOT need any prior evangelism training and you will NOT be expected to complete a special certification.

The VP Team meets every other Monday night (see calendar dates on this document). Please contact Pastor Matt Brecht for more details.

VP Team Dates:

August 23 at 6:20 PM in Room 301 – Revelation 15:4
August 30 at 6:20 PM in Room 301 – I Peter 1:16
September 20 at 6:20 PM in Room 301 – Romans 6:23
October 4 at 6:20 PM in Room 301 – Ephesians 2:8-10
October 18 at 6:20 in Room 301 – Romans 10:9-10
November 1 at 6:20 PM in Room 301 – John 3:16-18
November 15 at 6:20 PM in Room 301 – John 14:6

Treasure Food Boxes

Our Treasure Food Box ministry is designed to help ALL families stretch their food budgets during these challenging economic times. Through Treasure Box you are able to purchase a Traditional Food Box which contains 22-27 lbs of high quality frozen foods like chicken, beef, pork or seafood, fruit, vegetables, side dish and dessert. You can also purchase a Quick and Healthy Box (10 individually packaged 3 compartment meals) or a Hearty Protein Box (10-12 lbs of protein). There is also offered a “Kids Box!” Check the Community Bulletin Board for details. These boxes are provided each month at a cost of $30.00 each. For more information on what items are included in each of these Treasure Boxes, check the Community Bulletin Board at FBC or go to www.thetreasurebox.org.

The deadline for ordering a food box through FBC for the month of September is Friday, September 10, and you will pick up your box here at FBC on Saturday, September 25, at 10:00 am. Menu substitutions may be made if necessary.

Stop by the church office Monday through Friday to order a box or go online at www.thetreasurebox.org. All boxes must be paid for when ordered. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Whipple at 480-839-0926 or at lwhipple@fbc-tempe.org .

Forward by Faith Update

Each week as you have walked into FBC have you noticed all of the progress being made on our new two-story Education and Administration Building?

Windows and doors in Skylight Hall removed
Old parking lot and lights removed
Installed sewer and water pipes
Installed all underground utilities
Poured the concrete footings and the slab
The walls are going up and up and up
The steel roofing beams are in place
We have poured the concrete for the second floor
The walls continue to go up and up and up
The framing of the first floor is complete
The roof is going on the second floor
The sheet rock is going on the first floor
The framing of the second floor is happening

If you would like a walking tour to check out the progress made on the first and second floor of the new building, just contact Pastor Roger.

Adult Sunday School

We are beginning to prepare for the “Grand Opening” of our new ministry space, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year! Our vision for this new space is simple and can be summarized in one statement: “There’s a PLACE FOR YOU.” We have started a PL8C-4-U push leading to the completion of the building project.

Through the PL8C-4-U push we are hoping to significantly increase Sunday School communities for people in all stages of life! Our prayer desire is that you seek to discover the PL8C-4-U in one of our new Sunday School communities – a community where people care, grow and do life together.

Please consider being part of one of the following NEW Sunday School communities at FBC:

We will be offering a Biblical World View PL8C-4-U. This community will be for all ages and will meet during the 9:30 hour. This group will study Biblical principles related to popular culture.
We will be offering a Marriage and Family PL8C-4-U. This community will be for all ages and will meet during the 11:00 hour. This group will study Biblical principles related to marriage and family.
We will be offering a Men’s Only PL8C-4-U. This community will be for men of all ages that will meet during the 9:30 hour. This group will study Biblical principles related to being a man in today’s culture as a community of men.
We will be offering a Bible Study PL8C-4-U. This community will be for young adults (20′s-40′s) and will be meeting during the 9:30 hour. This group will study different books of the Bible as a community of young adults.
We will be offering a Bible Study PL8C-4-U. this community will be for mature adults (40′s-60′s) and will be meeting during the 11:00 hour. This group will study different books of the Bible as a community of mature adults.
We will be offering a Biblical World View PL8C-4-U. This community will be for all ages and will be meeting during the 11:00 hour. This group will study Biblical principles related to popular culture.

Sunday Night Dinners

Experience family! Connect with friends and family members at FBC’s Sunday Night “Family Style” Dinner beginning on Sunday evening, August 22. We provide the main dish and we ask each of you to bring salads, fruit, breads and desserts to share in this family dinner. Bring the kids and enjoy some homestyle cooking.

AWANA Happens at FBC

Make a Difference in the Lives of our AWANA Clubbers!

Would you consider being our Cubbies Director? Cubbies is a special AWANA Club designed for boys and girls three to four years of age. If you would like to spend a little time every Sunday evening with these special preschoolers and help them memorize God’s Word, please contact Pam Rosendale at 480-839-0926.

Would you consider having a great time and sponsoring a booth for our AWANA Fall Fair on Sunday, October 31? Some of the booths we would like to have are:

Ball Toss
Beanbag Toss
Egg Toss
Fishing Pond
Football Throw
Golf Putting
Horseshoes
Pot Shot
Ring ‘Em
Ring Tosses
Sailing Saucers
Tic Tac Toe Toss
Face Painting

Please contact James Dorsett at 480-813-4574 for more details and to volunteer. Let’s all make this a special night for our kids!

Important Upcoming Dates:

August 22 – AWANA “Kicks-Off” (if you have not yet registered your child for AWANA, please come early in order to do this)

August 22 – AWANA “Kicks-Off” (if you have not yet registered your child for AWANA, please come early in order to do this)

August 29 – “Bring a Friend Night”

September 5 – No AWANA (Labor Day)

Mission Trip to Panama

FBC Plants Church in Santiago, Panama

The goal of this mission trip is to plant a new church near the border of Panama at the north near Nicaragua, and is a continuation of small church plantings in the rural areas of Panama with a local missionary by the name of Luis Matute. Luis has already selected a pastoral couple to lead this small church. We are teaming with Parkside Community Church of Camp Verde, Arizona, who will also be bringing about 4 to 5 short-term missionaries. The same church teamed with FBC in 2009 to plant a church in Penonome, Panama.

Our team needs prayers for fundraising for the church building materials, for VBS craft materials and for travel expenses for each of the short-term missionaries. These travel expenses will be $1,900.00 to $2,100.00 per person depending on final airfares.

We still have openings for those interested or being nudged to go on a mission trip. God allows everyone to participate. We need teachers, cooks, musicians, builders and workers – anyone with a giving heart and a desire to take part in spreading the Word. The tentative dates for this trip are March 11-21, 2011. For more information see Jim Farrington or Kent Reisenauer.

Youth and Student Ministries

The FBC New Youth Center on the second Floor of the New Building Needs Your HELP!

With a brand new Youth Center comes many new needs. Needs you can be part of! Just as our “students” come in many sizes and shapes, so our needs for the new 2nd floor Youth Center. Perhaps you can find something in the following equipment list that “fits you.” Can you purchase one of these items as a gift to our youth? Can you help us buy the pieces? Whatever you can offer, it will be appreciated for years to come. Maybe you would like to donate a drum set for $1,500.00 or maybe just a kick pedal for $40.00. Make out your check to FBC and earmark it “2nd floor High School” or “2nd floor College” and identify what item(s) you can buy for our youth. Contact Pastor Roger if you have any questions.

To complete the High School 2nd floor room with a sound system, projectors, stage, etc., this will cost $42,100.00.

$700 Furman Power Conditioner – turns the amplifiers on in just the right order

$2,100 Audio Mixer – where every sound comes from

$300 Audio Effects Processors – adds that perfect bit of echo

$350 Audio Compressor – let’s the soft stuff be heard

$150 CD Player – plays CDs

$100 Mini-Rack – holds the CD player and the audio compressor for easy access

$700 Audio Processor – sends the correct signals to the proper speakers

$2,100 Audio Mixer – where every sound comes from

$300 Audio Effects Processors – adds that perfect bit of echo

$350 Audio Compressor – let’s the soft stuff be heard

$150 CD Player – plays CDs

$100 Mini-Rack – holds the CD player and the audio compressor for easy access

$700 Audio Processor – sends the correct signals to the proper speakers

$150 Audio Patch Cables – allows everything to talk to each other

$3,000 Audio Amplifiers – makes it all louder

$600 Speaker Wires – gets the sound from the amplifiers to the speakers

$9,000 Speakers – lets us actually hear it all

$1,400 Wireless Microphone – allows the instructor to move about

$60.00 Headphones – lets the operator know what is going on

$400 Stereo Audio Adapters – connects to computers, CD and MP3 players

$450 Direct In Boxes – lets guitars and keyboards plug directly into the system

$90 Instrument Cables – bridges the gap from the instrument to the Direct In Box

$1,800 Microphones – picks up the sound from voices, amplifiers and drums

$400 Microphone Cables – bring audio from the microphones to the audio snake

$800 Audio Snake – permanently mounted cables hidden in the stage that run to the sound board

$150 Music Stands – let’s the musicians hold their music

$200 Stage Monitors – allows the musicians to hear what it all sounds like

$600 Microphone Stands – where the microphones hang out between songs

$1,000 PowerPoint Computer – runs the PowerPoint presentations and plays DVDs

$100 Video Switch – chooses between different video signals for the projectors

$200 Video Cables – sends the video signal up to the projectors

$2,000 Video Projectors – let’s the PowerPoint be seen by the audience

$400 Video Screens – makes the video extra crisp

$1,000 Lighting Controller – sets the mood

$100 DMX Splitter – allows the lighting controller to manage both the stage lights and the house lights

$5,400 Dinners – changes the brightness of the lights

$1,000 Lighting Cables – sends the signals from the controller to the dinners

$400 Lighting Bars – provides a secure and safe place to hang lights overhead

$1,000 General Stage Lights – allows lighting up the stage or general places in the room