Student Cafe' Update

Here's an update on the Student Cafe':

After many hours of work by our fantastic Facilities Team - especially Wayne Yancey, Doug Jarrett, Susan Jordan, Larry and Marie Hergenroder and Joseph Manu - and others such as Rick Bene, Stephanie Cannon, Emily Meade and Student Pastor Wayne Naugle, the new Student Cafe' is shaping up not just to be a functional space to accommodate a big crowd of students, but a very nice looking one, as well.

If you pass any of these people at church or out in the community, let them know that you appreciate their hard work on this. The truth is, these folks didn't just want to remodel a room just for the sake of remodeling it - they wanted to create a space that would encourage our students to come and grow closer to the Lord and each other. They also wanted a space that would be not only welcoming to newcomers, but one that would get them excited about being there and hopefully encourage them to want to return.

Here are a few photos of the almost-complete Student Cafe':

Leaving A Legacy

This year in Preschool Ministry our theme is “Leaving A Legacy,” which is based on the song by Nichole Nordeman. The words of this song are perfect for what we are trying to accomplish in Preschool Ministry.

It’s exciting to see the little ones learning about Jesus at such a young age. The Bible stories, music, activities, and crafts are carefully planned to reinforce the lesson. When you drop your child off in Preschool, you can be sure that we strive to keep your child safe and that they are learning about Jesus the whole time they are in our care.

What about in your home? What are you doing to leave a legacy for your kids? Do you have certain traditions, a special time of devotion, family trips? We can be sure whatever it is that little eyes are watching! Deuteronomy 6:6 -7

If you want to leave a legacy to your kids, read the following excerpt from Nichole Nordeman's song and ask yourself the questions she poses:

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace
Who blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

Submitted by Michele Yarbrough

GroupLink

I am really excited about our Group Link that is coming up this Sunday and next Wednesday. Group Link is the next step for people to take to get into a Small Group. Why is getting into a Small Group so important? I believe with all my heart that it is within a small community of believers – whether this be a Sunday School class or Small Group – disciples are grown. It is here they get to ask questions, share their hearts, study Scriptures, apply Scripture, and be encouraged in their faith.

Someone from my Small Group made this interesting observation last week while we were studying and discussing 1 Peter 5:8 “Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”. The comment was, “Lions in the wild look for the weak ones – those that are sick, young, or by themselves – separate from the herd. In the same way, Satan goes after young, immature Christians; Christians who are sick – that are living in the flesh; or Christians who feel that they don’t need others – they can survive without the fellowship, accountability, or encouragement of other believers.” What a great observation. That is why being connected to a Life Group – a Sunday School class or a Small Group – is so vital.

Why am I excited about Group Link? Because this will connect people to God and each other. It will also shut the mouth of the lion and send him away hungry! For more information about Group Link, go to the church web site or email me at rbene@fbcloganville.org. Have a great week. Maybe I will see you at Group Link!

Submitted by Rick Bene

Updates in Children's Ministry

Hello everyone...I hope you had a great and relaxing weekend. I don't know about you, but I long for the Fall weather to get here. This morning was 71 outside and it felt incredible!!! And if you walk into Kroger, you will smell those wonderful cinnamon broom things that just SCREAM for the Fall. I actually bought one to put in my office! :)

At any rate, I wanted to take just a moment of your time to update you on a couple of things.

First of all, I want to encourage all of you to get plugged into a Life Group. It's an incredible way to grow closer to Jesus while at the same time build community and friendships that will last forever. In my small group, the guys were talking a few weeks ago about how difficult it is to keep a steady quiet time during the summer with such a lack of routine. We thought about it and said we needed more accountability. The problem is that none of us had the extra 20 - 30 minutes a day to call each other and just make sure that we were having our quiet times. SO....we decided to use technology and our phones and begin sending a text message to the other guys in the group saying "Yes" or "No". It has been amazing how much more accountability was built into just 2 - 3 minutes sending a text! So much so, that now the women in our group are doing the same things with each other. God is really working in our Life Group and I want to encourage all of you to get plugged into one of your own. I promise you this...you will not be disappointed!!!

The second thing that I want to update you about is a new curriculum that we will be using in Rootz, our Wednesday night program. It is called Tru and is put out by David C. Cook. We are very fortunate and excited about partnering with Cook as a Beta test church for this new curriculum that will not be available until next year to the public. I have spent many hours on the phone, emailing, and actually in training with Cook as they develop Tru. I can tell you that it is really cool stuff and it does a great job of making the Bible come to life!!! If you have any questions or want to know more about it, please just email me at kwages@fbcloganville.org and I will be more than happy to sit down with you and show you in detail what we are doing.

As I close, I just wanted to praise God for the wonderful workers that we have. Several of the new workers are already making a bond with kids and saying that they feel blessed to be serving. If you are interested in serving, we still need a few small group leaders for Rootz, as well as a Sunday School teacher at 11:10 for 2nd grade, and we can always use some Crowd Control help during the 9:50 hour for our Kidz Inc. Theater. Have a great week!!!

Keith Wages

Children's Pastor

Big Changes for the Bene's & GroupLink

This has been a very emotional week for Julie & I – this past Tuesday we celebrated 25 years of marriage and then on Wednesday we moved our baby girl into college! Talk about a roller-coaster week! One day I am crying tears of joy because of the blessings of a godly wife for 25 years and the next day I am crying tears of sadness because my last child has gone off to college! What’s a guy like me to do? Julie and I also had aspirations of going on a really great anniversary trip, but with two kids in college, well, let me just say our plans have been readjusted! Funny how life works at times!

I am going through the book of Joshua and really enjoying it. I was in chapter seven the other day, the narrative of Achan’s sin. It reminded me that as a dad, I am so responsible to live a life of obedience before my children. Satan lies to us by telling us that our sins, our secret sins, they only effect us. There are no secret sins before an all-knowing, holy God! My sins affect others – especially my wife & children. This is why I am so thankful to be a part of a small group at church. The other men encourage me and hold me accountable to walk with the Lord.

Speaking of small groups, we will be having Group Link on Sunday, August 30^th and Wednesday, September 2^nd. GroupLink is an eight week course designed to help assimilate you into a small group. If you are not currently plugged into a Life Group (Sunday School or Small Group), I would encourage you to check it out. GroupLink is a great way for you to learn more about small groups and will help you find just the right one for you. If I can help answer any questions about GroupLink, email me at rbene@fbcloganville.org.

Have a great week – God Bless

- Rick Bene

Wayne's Weekly Weblog

Dear Fellow Bloggies,
Student ministry is back with the start of a new school year. We're excited about the opening of our Cafe' on Wednesdays from 5:00 - 7:00 and 8:15 - 9:00 p.m. This includes b-ball, pool, air hockey, fooseball, ping pong, milk shakes, smoothies and real food (not that kids will eat it...). We are excited to see how God is going to work in student ministry this year.
In my QT, I've been reading through I Kings. In I Kings 11:6-10, Solomon makes a decision not to follow God with all his heart and God is angry with because He appealed to him twice to warn him to follow God. It made me ask myself What has God told me to do that I haven't? How angry does God get when we don't follow with all our heart? Just a thought.
-Wayne Naugle

Praise from the Kitchen

On Monday, Buddy and Darlene Lail (in case you don't know them, they run the kitchen here at the church) poked their heads in the communications office and were smiling ear-to-ear. They had just counted up the money raised from sales for the August 23rd lunch and the total reached about $1,124.

Yes, they were smiling because that is a lot of money for the kitchen. But they were really happy because the staff had been praying that God would provide enough revenue to allow them to purchase some much-needed kitchen equipment that will cost... $1,100!

Staff Change at FBCL

Most people know Penny Lowery if you've had a preschooler at the church. For many years, Penny has been the Preschool Ministry Assistant here and has always been known as someone with a wonderful work ethic and a real heart for service.

Because of a need for administrative support for our Family Ministry Team (Rick Bene, Wayne Naugle, Keith Wages and Michele Yarbrough), Penny has been tasked with keeping them planned and organized and, effective earlier this month, was brought on as the Family Ministry Assistant. This is a crucial position as it supports the Preschool-, Children- Students and Life Group Ministries.

Please keep Penny and the entire Family Ministry Team in your prayers as this transition takes place. And congrats to Penny!

Children's Ministry

Hey there everyone...I wanted to take just a few minutes to go over a few praises with you that are happening in the life of the children's ministry here at FBCL.

1. Thanks to those Facebook people who have heard my cry and given generously to help purchase rugs. It was about 2 months ago that I began trying to find 30 people to give $30 each and help purchase rugs for the Kidz Inc. Theater. Thankfully, the Lord has provided and we have 5 sets (colors) of 6 rugs each. It has been a huge success in keeping the grades separated during both Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. We still need to raise approximately $600 to pay for the binding of the rugs. Please join us in praying that this happens soon.

2. Thanks to Jeff Baumgartner and Dan Buck for their countless hours they volunteered in making our cabinets that we will use for check-in. All that is remaining for completion is to be painted!

3. Thanks to the person who donated $500 to replace the water fountain outside of the Kidz Inc. Theater Lobby. The old one was broken, rusted, and wouldn't cool the water. The new one should be in sometime this week!!!

4. Thank you to the guys who are volunteering their time to rework some electrical stuff in the lobby as well as installing some new can lights inside the check-in area.

It is evident that God is moving in this place and there are many more areas that He is providing both the funds and the resources in a time where things are really tight. Praise God for all that He has done and for His continued blessings on this church, as well as the families within it.

Keith Wages

Children's Pastor

Updates in Children's Ministry

Hey there everyone! I just wanted to touch base and give you a few updates about what's going on in the Children's Ministry here at FBCL.

With school starting back for everyone by now, we are excited to get back into the routine of everyday life. That means that sleeping in, playing outside for eight hours a day, lounging by the pool, and eating sweets all day go out the window. It also means that here at church we see Kids Choirs and Rootz starting back up on Wednesday nights and that on Sunday mornings we say 'goodbye' to the video curriculum for the summer and a big 'HELLO' to our actors and live skits again!

We’re also welcoming many new workers to the Children's minsitry...Ashley & Alan Bradford, Courtney Henderson, TJ & Cindy Jordan, Victoria Bailey, Jennifer Chastain, Marney King, Christy & Jeff Segars, Daniel & Ginger Godfree, Melvin & Melissa Music, JT & Traci Wood, Melia Whitley, OJ Soto, Kendall Cook, Julie Bene, Jimmy Barge, Jodi York, Clint & Collette Polk, Victoria Johnston, Matt Wolthoff, and Kerrie Waters.

Also, we couldn't forget to thank the returning workers - even if they have switched roles...they are: Mattie Wages, Harvey Young, Matt & Jenny Medlin, Chad Myers, Amie Rabeneck, Dana Miller, Cathy Spooner, Becca Barnett, Beth & Scott Dihigo, Cameron & Nikki Franklin, Mary Ellen Haller, Jeffrey Henderson, Mike & Mary Williams, Connie Buck, Clint Myers, Anna Harrelson, D'Anne & Mic McMIllan, Dawn & John Ackerman, Cam & Scott Westbrooks, Chuck & Sandy Owens, Joy & Vincent Tapia, Ed Still, David & Traci Britt, and Amy & Chanch Edwards.

Despite the wonderful list of people mentioned above, we are still short some workers for Rootz (our Wednesday night program) as well as a 2nd grade class during the 11:10 service. If you are interested in helping fill these needs, please contact me at kwages@fbcloganville.org.

Last, but not least...I wanted to let you know that this month we are studying the virtue of Love - choosing to give someone your time and friendship no matter what. Our memory verse is Matthew 22:37-39 "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Blessings,

Keith Wages
Children's Pastor

Breaking Ground

Well, it happened today - Ground was broken behind the gym for the new building! Exciting times for our church!

With the addition of this building, we will have more seats and more space for those in our community who have a desire to discover God's will for their lives, connect with others in the community who are also seeking God's will and grow spiritually. Here are some photos of the progress from Day One: