February Newsletter - The Baptist Light

Dear Friends,

What is the most popular holiday in February? (I’ll give you a hint: it’s not Ground Hog day!) Even young children know that in the month of February we celebrate Valentine’s Day. We send and receive cards and candy. And if we’re really blessed, we might even receive roses!
I like to call February the “Love” month. (You can even spell it “Luv” if you want to.) With Valentine’s Day being such an important holiday in our country, we are reminded to show love to our families and our friends.

Love can be expressed through the cards and gifts we share on Valentine’s Day, but the apostle Paul had an even better idea. He wrote the famous “Love Chapter”, 1 Corinthians 13, that we often hear read at weddings. However, as beautiful a scripture as it is for weddings, it was intended for people in the Church and their relationships with one another.

I came across a paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13 that I want to share with you this month. I hope it encourages you in showing love to others, following the example of Jesus. I also hope it builds your faith in God, who first loved us, and gave us Jesus as proof.

No matter how eloquently or spiritually I speak, if I do not love people, I am merely making noise. People will never care how much I know, (whether of present or future), until they know how much I care. People will not care how much I trust God, unless they feel they can trust me. I may give everything, even my body, but if love does not purify the gift, it is a waste.

Love waits – it does not push.
Love is tender – it does not grab.
Love shares – it does not sulk.
Love rejoices – it does not gloat.
Love bears, believes, hopes, endures; it cares. Love is ultimate.

Predictions end; noises dissipate; knowledge is forgotten. These things are finite – they will fade. But the ultimate will remain.

We are growing – from childish speaking, feeling, thinking, to mature speaking, feeling, thinking. The future is unclear, as our own self-image is unclear. But the time will come when our purpose is known, as God already knows it.

Out of everything remain faith, hope and love – but the ultimate is love!

Love in Christ,
Pastor Jim

Love One Another As I Have Loved You

Love One Another As I Have Loved You
Henry Cloud in his book, Rescue Your Love Life, presents eight things that marriages must work on to gain the most ground possible.
1. Lovers work on themselves first: stop looking to one’s spouse to “make it better”, look to oneself and ask, “What do I need to change about me for the connection to be re-established?
2. Lovers revamp their expectations: too many marriages function with impossible requirements for each other. Scale back your expectations in accordance with reality. Expect things that really can exist in the relationship and give up what is not realistic.
3. Lovers nurture needs and accept weaknesses: each one nurtures and becomes a force for healing and growth in the other person. They help each other to get better.
4. Lovers love even when they don’t like: it is a reality that everyone has parts of them that are “unlikable” or things that we would not “approve of.”
5. Lovers repair communication lines: marriage is a connection and to connect with each other requires being able to communicate. Get rid of toxic elements that make connecting impossible.
6. Lovers rebuild trust and understanding: they focus on the things that destroy trust and work on the things that can rebuild it. They sometimes add structure and help from others, and take it one step at a time.
7. Lovers rekindle love to rescue sex and vice versa: God uses the expression “to know one another” when speaking of sex. Good marriages realize that working on the sexual relationship is an important part of “knowing” one another. They know that good sex, like anything else, doesn’t just happen. It means being focused, intentional and healing the individual and relational things that get in the way.
8. Lovers resolve destructive conflicts, i.e., the ones that bring each other or the relationship down. They work towards a win-win outcome that goes beyond only playing “fair.”
(This article was prepared by The Samaritan Center of the Fox Valley – 886-9319.)

Valentine Pot-luck

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Join us after church for a pot luck feast

Food & Fun for ALL ages!

More details will be announced
during Sunday services.

Anyone willing to help with the planning contact Christi Lewis.

Love Illustrated

A group of 4-8 year olds was asked, “What does love mean?” Here are some of their answers:
· “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore so my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” Rebecca – age 8.
· “Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” Karl – age 5.
· “Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French Fries without making them give you any of theirs.” Chrissy – age 6.
· “Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.” Emily – age 8.
· “If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.” Nikka – age 6.
· “You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” Jessica – age 8 (from Mikey’s Funnies.)

Treats For Sale!

Stop by the fellowship room after church on February 13 to pick up some treats for your valentine (or for yourself). There will be Linzer cookies, sugar cookies, small heart cakes and candy mints for sale. All proceeds from this sweet sale will go toward the piano fund.

Blanket Sunday

Throughout the years one of our missions has been purchasing blankets for people in need around the world through Church World Service. For over 60 years, CWS has responded to disasters and other urgent humanitarian crises. Our Blanket offering supports the life-saving work of CWS here at home and around the world. Often, the first thing CWS provides in an emergency is a blanket for warmth, comfort, and sometimes even shelter. But as needs change, other things are required – tents, food, water, and the tools and materials to rebuild. So Blanket Sunday is now called Blanket+ Sunday. Blanket Sunday in our church is Sunday, February 13th. (However, you can give anytime throughout the month of February.) Thank you for your generosity.

A CWS Blanket+ Sale

Hurricane Noel began as a slow-moving tropical storm but grew into a Category 1 hurricane. Hardest-hit were the Dominican Republic and Haiti, where 116 people were killed in floods and landslides. In the Dominican Republic alone, some 16,000 houses were affected; 737 were completely destroyed. Over 66,000 people were displaced.
As the storm approached, Mariana Bautista, who lived in the community of La Bombita in the Dominican Republic, fled to a shelter in the neighboring community of Barahona, where she stayed for 18 days waiting for the water to recede and for roads to become passable for the return home. At the shelter Mariana and the other displaced by the storm received CWS Blankets. When she was finally able to return home, the slow process of rebuilding her shattered life began (Mariana’s husband developed a severe respiratory infection and died shortly after she returned.) CWS was there with its partner, Social Services of the Dominican Churches (SSID), providing families with food rations, Hygiene Kits, School Kits, clothes and mattresses, medical care and drinking water. In addition, SSID is helping families to repair or reconstruct their homes, as well as with the rehabilitation of crop and food production capacity. With CWS support, SSID is also training community organizations in the principles of emergency and risk management.
When we see the results of a disaster, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless. But through CWS Blankets+, our contributions add up and enable CWS to respond effectively when people need help the most. Together, we can do a lot!

Thank You!

Thank You!
· “Thank you so much for helping make our family that much brighter. After my husband being laid off all year, and me entering nursing school in January – things have been very hard. Thank you so much for your kindness and love of strangers. God bless, the Jones’. (This past Christmas we “adopted” this family through the Salvation Army Christmas Gift ministry.)

· Many thanks! Denise and I greatly appreciate your gifts to us this past Christmas season. You are a blessing to us and we thank God for you! – Pastor Jim and Denise.

Annual Reports

The Whiting Community Baptist Church Annual Report for 2010 is now available! Check the back table or see Pastor Jim if you need a copy. (Special “thanks” to Lori Bowers who compiled all the reports and put them together to form our Annual Report.)

The Wisconsin Baptist

The Wisconsin Baptist is a newsletter of the American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin. Each month it is posted on the hallway bulletin board. Check out what is happening with people and churches in our region.

February Birthdays

2 Tom Schwandt
3 Tom Dowman
7 Shirley Klug
9 Esther Bratz
10 Leah Bowers
12 LeRoy DeBroux
12 Jenny Hoehne
13 Richard Rose
13 Mary Jane Wiseman
15 James Burrows
15 Kaylee Isom
19 Erin Hill
20 Ben Lieske
20 Henry Rose
23 Rick Piunti
24 Greg Harrington
24 Gary Harrington
24 Caroline Woods
25 Craig Hoehne
27 Kathy Hoehne