Dear Friends,
Often we think of the New Year as getting a fresh start. The New Year presents an opportunity to put the past behind us and to forge forward into a time with new promise and possibilities. Perhaps the New Year is the ultimate “positive thinking” device. It allows us to start over, make new resolutions, and hope beyond hope that this year will be different – that this year we can actually keep the resolutions that we make.
If you have made, are intending to make, or are even considering making New Year resolutions, let me extend to you my heartiest congratulations! For many, there is the sense that they’ve made resolutions before, they haven’t worked, so why bother even trying. Certainly we can understand their perspective. However, to make resolutions, or to be thinking of making resolutions is to say, “I’m going to try anyway, despite my past experiences. I am not going to give up on myself. I want to change. I can change.”
What kind of resolutions have you made? A while back I came across an article entitled, Things We Can Learn from a Dog. The author lists a bunch of things dogs do that help them enjoy life. Maybe in this list are hidden some good resolutions to consider:
· When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
· Be loyal.
· Allow the experiences of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
· Take naps and stretch before rising.
· Run, romp, and play daily.
· Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you’ve had enough.
· Never pretend to be something you’re not.
· If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
· When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
· Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
· On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
· On hot days, drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.
· When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
· No matter how often you’re scolded, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout . . . run right back
and make friends.
· Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Resolutions are about change. Resolutions are about evaluating our lives, seeing some things that don’t quite fit us anymore, and desiring to make adjustments that will help us enjoy life better. Resolutions fit many areas of our lives including our physical well-being, our emotional well-being, and certainly our spiritual well-being. Of this I am certain – all of us can grow spiritually no matter how long we have been a Christian. And often it requires of us some change in our attitudes, our behavior and our spiritual practices such as prayer, worship, and other spiritual disciplines.
Where is it you want to change in 2010? What is it you want to do so that you enjoy your life more, enjoy your family more, and enjoy God more? Whatever you decide, know that God is with you. And should you falter in keeping your resolutions, don’t give up. Rather, start over and give yourself another chance.
Happy New Year,
Pastor Jim
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
American Baptist History
The following information was presented in an article by our Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin, Dr. Arlo Reichter. I believe he got it from the Dakota Baptist. This history tells us a bit more about who we are as American Baptists, and how God has led us for the past 300 years.
· American Baptists were the most important influence in attaching the Bill of Rights to the
Constitution.
· More than any other denomination, we pioneered Black Education in the South after the Civil War.
· By 1911, we had helped establish 1,100 bilingual churches, most of which eventually established
their own ethnic denomination.
· We were the first denomination to begin doing Campus Ministry.
· It was one of our churches that began the first Vacation Bible School.
· We were the first denomination to elect a woman president, Helen Barrett Montgomery.
· Prior to 1920, over 50% of the Protestant churches west of the Mississippi were constructed with
some borrowed funds from our Home Mission Society.
· At the time of the Second World War, we stood with Japanese Americans as they were put in
detention camps, when that was not a popular thing to do.
· ABC pastor Walter Rauschenbusch was called “The Father of the Social Gospel” because he
was a prime mover in Child Labor legislation.
· Our denomination has been present at the beginning of each phase of the Ecumenical
movement and continues to be supportive.
· Ours is the most effective Mission Program on earth! More people are won to Christ per
dollar spent, per missionary sent, than any other group doing mission work anywhere. That is
because we pioneered indigenous leadership everywhere.
· We are the only major denomination where there is no majority of any ethnic or racial group.
We have quite a history as American Baptists. We have something to be proud of, and something to build upon, as we share the Good News of Jesus.
(By the way, be sure to check out the latest news of our American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin. The latest updates are posted each month on the hallway bulletin board under the “Church Family” section.)
· American Baptists were the most important influence in attaching the Bill of Rights to the
Constitution.
· More than any other denomination, we pioneered Black Education in the South after the Civil War.
· By 1911, we had helped establish 1,100 bilingual churches, most of which eventually established
their own ethnic denomination.
· We were the first denomination to begin doing Campus Ministry.
· It was one of our churches that began the first Vacation Bible School.
· We were the first denomination to elect a woman president, Helen Barrett Montgomery.
· Prior to 1920, over 50% of the Protestant churches west of the Mississippi were constructed with
some borrowed funds from our Home Mission Society.
· At the time of the Second World War, we stood with Japanese Americans as they were put in
detention camps, when that was not a popular thing to do.
· ABC pastor Walter Rauschenbusch was called “The Father of the Social Gospel” because he
was a prime mover in Child Labor legislation.
· Our denomination has been present at the beginning of each phase of the Ecumenical
movement and continues to be supportive.
· Ours is the most effective Mission Program on earth! More people are won to Christ per
dollar spent, per missionary sent, than any other group doing mission work anywhere. That is
because we pioneered indigenous leadership everywhere.
· We are the only major denomination where there is no majority of any ethnic or racial group.
We have quite a history as American Baptists. We have something to be proud of, and something to build upon, as we share the Good News of Jesus.
(By the way, be sure to check out the latest news of our American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin. The latest updates are posted each month on the hallway bulletin board under the “Church Family” section.)
Why Go To Church?
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 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them. So I think I’m 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. – submitted by Jodi Isom
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. – submitted by Jodi Isom
Annual Reports
Many of you lead ministries, and we are truly grateful for your service to and through our church. Each year our church prints an Annual Report that includes written reports from those who lead ministries. If you lead a ministry in our church, please write your annual report and submit it to either Lori Bowers or Pastor Jim no later than January 10, 2010. Thank you!
Ministry Council
We are grateful to our Ministry Council and their service. Barb Moravec and Becky Luebker have concluded their service. New to the Ministry Council in 2010 are Cathy Strohmeyer (a one-year term), and Becky Zoglman (a three-year term.) Cathy and Becky join current members: Trudi Woods, Julie Delikowski, Tom Romnek, Pat Lewis, and Mike Kesselhon ( who was elected to a new three-year term.) Please keep our Ministry Council in your prayers.
Donations Needed
The following is a list of items that we need donated to our church. If you can donate any of the items, please drop them off on the table in the church kitchen. Thank you.
· Bottled juice for fellowship hour
· 55 gallon garbage bags
· Tall kitchen bags
· Dawn dish soap
· BarKeeps Friend (sink cleaner)
· Boxes of Kleenex
· A wall-mounted Pencil Sharpener
· Bottled juice for fellowship hour
· 55 gallon garbage bags
· Tall kitchen bags
· Dawn dish soap
· BarKeeps Friend (sink cleaner)
· Boxes of Kleenex
· A wall-mounted Pencil Sharpener
Wisdom (submitted by Barb Moravec)
· When you get to your wit’s end, you’ll find God lives there.
· People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the
church.
· Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on the front door forever.
· Quite griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn’t belong.
· If a church wants a better minister, it only needs to pray for the one it has.
· Peace starts with a smile.
· People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the
church.
· Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on the front door forever.
· Quite griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn’t belong.
· If a church wants a better minister, it only needs to pray for the one it has.
· Peace starts with a smile.
Teenage Depression (from the Samaritan Counseling Center of the Fox Valley)
Teenage depression is one of the most prevalent emotional disturbances among high school students. Teenage depression is more than a day or two of the “blues.” It is a continuing, overwhelming feeling of sadness and helplessness that interferes with the teenager’s ability to carry on normally. Teenage depression is extremely painful and debilitating, and because it often is accompanied by thoughts of suicide, it can also be fatal. Symptoms to look for in teenage depression that may indicate a problem that needs to be addressed:
· Change in sleep patterns: too much sleep or difficulty sleeping
· Changes in appetite: noticeable weight loss or gain
· Inability to concentrate
· Feelings of excessive guilt
· Feelings of hopelessness, sadness
· Withdrawal from friends and family
· Changes in activity: slowed movement, monotonous speech or unexplained agitation,
· Change in sleep patterns: too much sleep or difficulty sleeping
· Changes in appetite: noticeable weight loss or gain
· Inability to concentrate
· Feelings of excessive guilt
· Feelings of hopelessness, sadness
· Withdrawal from friends and family
· Changes in activity: slowed movement, monotonous speech or unexplained agitation,
fidgeting, pacing, and wringing hands
· Loss of energy
· A sudden drop in school performance
· Outbursts of shouting or complaining, unexplained irritability
· Neglect of personal appearance
· Crying
· Aggression: refusal to cooperate, antisocial behavior
· Use of alcohol or drugs
· Complaints of aching arms, legs or stomach when no cause can be found
· Perception of being ugly when not
· Loss of interest in activities
· Feeling that life isn’t worth living: recurring thoughts of death or suicide
· Risk taking behaviors
If a teenager is experiencing a number of these symptoms, call The Samaritan Counseling Center of the Fox Valley (886-9319).
· Loss of energy
· A sudden drop in school performance
· Outbursts of shouting or complaining, unexplained irritability
· Neglect of personal appearance
· Crying
· Aggression: refusal to cooperate, antisocial behavior
· Use of alcohol or drugs
· Complaints of aching arms, legs or stomach when no cause can be found
· Perception of being ugly when not
· Loss of interest in activities
· Feeling that life isn’t worth living: recurring thoughts of death or suicide
· Risk taking behaviors
If a teenager is experiencing a number of these symptoms, call The Samaritan Counseling Center of the Fox Valley (886-9319).
Newsletter Publisher Needed
We are grateful to Kris Hoehne for publishing our Baptist Light Newsletter these past months. (Thanks, Kris!) Kris is moving and so we are looking for someone to take over the responsibilities of publishing the newsletter beginning with the February issue. Please contact Pastor Jim if interested, and for more details.
Annual Meeting/Potluck
The Annual Meeting of Whiting Community Baptist Church will be held on Sunday, January 31st, 2010, following our Sunday morning worship service. It will include a Potluck lunch – please bring food to share.
Baptist Light Articles
Anyone wishing to submit an article to the Baptist Light may contact Pastor Jim at 722-4312. You may call him with your details, submit jump drives, send email or present printed material. Please have articles to him by the 20th of each month to allow time to print by the 1st of each month.
January Greeters
3 Donna Mentink
10 Donna Mentink
17 Cathy Strohmeyer
24 Kathy Najdowski
31 Cathy Strohmeyer
10 Donna Mentink
17 Cathy Strohmeyer
24 Kathy Najdowski
31 Cathy Strohmeyer
January Birthdays
9 Troy Fisher
12 Kristin Bachorz
14 Anna Fesko
14 Krystal Rose
14 Perry Smith
18 Nancy Biettler
19 Doug Johnson
19 Holly Robinson
22 Kordell Grade
23 Kortney Fisher
26 Christina Hudson
27 Kaley Hill
28 Tina Bachorz
12 Kristin Bachorz
14 Anna Fesko
14 Krystal Rose
14 Perry Smith
18 Nancy Biettler
19 Doug Johnson
19 Holly Robinson
22 Kordell Grade
23 Kortney Fisher
26 Christina Hudson
27 Kaley Hill
28 Tina Bachorz
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