FBC FROM THE PASTOR, TERRY JOHNSTON. Volume 10 MARCH 2014 Issue 3. January 2014

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FBC Volume 10 MARCH 2014 Issue 3 700 W. 6th St., McGregor, TX 76657 Phone: (254) 840-3301 Fax: (254) 840-3421 Email: fbcmcgregor@

Everyone is welcome to come and sing. January 2014 Income: $ 8,772.30 Expenses: - 8,713.07 Surplus: 59.23 Year-to-date: $ 59.

before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.

Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

1 FBC Volume 10 MARCH 2014 Issue W. 6th St., McGregor, TX Phone: (254) Fax: (254) fbcmcgregor@centexbiz.rr.com Web: Sunday School Worship Manor Bible Study KidZone/JAM Time Junior High Kids Youth 180 9:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Choir Rehearsal Wednesday nights 7:30 p.m. in the worship center. Everyone is welcome to come and sing. January 2014 Income: $ 8, Expenses: - 8, Surplus: Year-to-date: $ FROM THE PASTOR, TERRY JOHNSTON So here s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:1-2, The Message I love college basketball. I go to as many games as I can. When I was in college, I don t think I ever missed a home game, even though we were only an average team. I know my devotion to supporting my teams is a little overboard sometimes, but that s what being a fan is all about. Fan is short for fanatic, and someone like me is definitely a fanatic. When March rolls around, I often plan my schedule around getting to see as many NCAA tournament games as possible. Two years ago, my friend Adam and I even road-tripped to Albuquerque to watch Baylor s opening games. Last year, my fatherin-law and I got tickets to the Austin section of games, even though we didn t care for any of the teams that were playing. It s called March Madness, and it infects millions of people, and I ve got the fever once again. But this year, instead of basketball March Madness, I ve got the fever for DISCIPLESHIP. As Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message passage above, God wants us to be different from the culture at large. He wants us to be infected with the madness that comes from knowing Jesus, and being committed to being different from the world. He literally wants us to be changed from the inside out. We offer several options for discipleship here at FBC McGregor, including Sunday School classes and a few other small group times for deeper Bible study. I encourage you to participate in both corporate and individual discipleship. If you don t have a daily devotional plan, talk to me and we will connect you with a plan that fits your needs and schedule the best. There are many apps available free on your smart phone for doing just that! No more excuses for not becoming a better disciple of Jesus, because when it boils down to it Jesus doesn t want fans he wants disciples.

2 Connecting...Building...Transforming Join us online March 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Annie Armstrong Week of Prayer Spring Break St Patrick s Day

James Cox--------------------------------------------------3/5 PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR NURSING HOME RESIDENTS Manor Ella Lee Ledbetter Vida Fehler Joy Erlanson Frank Anderson St Catherine s Eunice Vick

Huffman--------------------------------------------3/10 Lucy Nelson-----------------------------------------------3/11 Kamron Meyers------------------------------------------3/13 Frank Anderson

the hospital after receiving an artificial heart.

When his six months stay is over, he ll be put on the heart transplant list. Please continue to pray for Terry Johnston s mom, Pat Johnston.

Marsh Crouch, a member at FBC, died on February 16. Please remember his family at this difficult time. Sondra Keith, the wife of our former pastor, Jim, has colon cancer and is taking chemo.

3 James Cox /5 PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR NURSING HOME RESIDENTS Manor Ella Lee Ledbetter Vida Fehler Joy Erlanson Frank Anderson St Catherine s Eunice Vick Ann Goolsby Ruth Brandes Cohen Bass Sallie Hurst Johnny Tucker /7 Suzi Etheredge /10 Kevin Huffman /10 Lucy Nelson /11 Kamron Meyers /13 Frank Anderson /17 Dustin Shaeffer /18 REMEMBER THESE IN YOUR PRAYERS: Ralph Lange, Viola Mize s and Gerri Allen s nephew, remains in the hospital after receiving an artificial heart. He s had many different types of tests, procedures, and ups-and-downs along the way but has started sitting up for a while and has even taken a few steps. When his six months stay is over, he ll be put on the heart transplant list. Please continue to pray for Terry Johnston s mom, Pat Johnston. She has had to undergo radiation treatments again for her blood disorder. Sherry Parker, the wife of our former pastor, Bob, continues her journey with breast cancer. Marsh Crouch, a member at FBC, died on February 16. Please remember his family at this difficult time. Sondra Keith, the wife of our former pastor, Jim, has colon cancer and is taking chemo. Frank Anderson has been put on Hospice care to help with his pain and difficulty swallowing. March 8:30 a.m. Coffee Shop Cafe Terry Johnston /20 Eunice Vick /23 Cheryl Tucker /30 Edd and Kathy McCulloch, are the proud grandparents of a baby girl, Sadie May, born in the wee hours of February 4. She weighed 9 lbs 8 oz and was 19.5 in long. Her ecstatic parents are Travis and Crysta Sonne. Welcome to the world, Sadie May! We re all very happy you arrived safely. Viola Mize is now the great-grandmother of #7! Noah John was born February 14, weighing 7 lbs 12 oz and 19 in long. He was welcomed by proud parents Katie (Viola s granddaughter) and Spencer Wilmore and big brothers, Ethan and Truitt. Congratulations, Viola, on your growing family! Cohen and Mary Sue Bass became great-grandparents on January 23 when Andrew Joseph was born. He weighed 6 lbs and was 20 long. His parents are Elizabeth (the Bass s granddaughter) and Matt Smid. The First Baptist family is very happy for you, Cohen and Mary Sue!

Many thanks to those who brought soups, stews, chili,

It was all delicious, and if you went home hungry

As always, everyone seemed to enjoy the fellowship

Take a look at some of the photos our resident

She always does an excellent job capturing the moment.

Don t forget to move your clocks ahead one hour

church, and you don t want that to happen!

4 Many thanks to those who brought soups, stews, chili, desserts and cornbread on Souper Bowl Sunday. It was all delicious, and if you went home hungry that day, it wasn t because of lack of food! As always, everyone seemed to enjoy the fellowship along with the wonderful food! Take a look at some of the photos our resident photographer, Mary Alder, took. She always does an excellent job capturing the moment. Thanks, Mary! Don t forget to move your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed on March 8, as Daylight Saving Time begins again on March 9. If you do forget, you ll be late for Sunday School or church, and you don t want that to happen! Spring Break for McGregor ISD is March FBC s day to work at the Food Pantry is Saturday, March 29. Please report at 1:30 p.m. to help pack and hand out boxes. Everyone is welcome to participate.

2014 Week of Prayer for North American Missions and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering Each year, we honor the life and work of Annie Walker Armstrong (1850-1938) when we give to the annual offering

As a tireless servant of God and a contagious advocate and supporter of mission efforts throughout the world, Annie Armstrong led women to unite in mission endeavors that ultimately led to the

5 2014 Week of Prayer for North American Missions and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering Each year, we honor the life and work of Annie Walker Armstrong ( ) when we give to the annual offering for North American missions named after her. As a tireless servant of God and a contagious advocate and supporter of mission efforts throughout the world, Annie Armstrong led women to unite in mission endeavors that ultimately led to the formation of Woman's Missionary Union, for which she served as the first corresponding secretary. Annie believed in Christ with all her heart, but it was her hands that expressed that belief in tangible ways. She spent a great amount of time typing and handwriting letters in support of missions. Many of these letters were quite lengthy and all were filled with conviction that more could and should be done in our mission efforts. In 1893 alone, she wrote almost 18,000 letters! Annie also never hesitated to use her hands to reach out to hug a child or distribute food and clothing and the Word of God to those in need. Her hands held her own Bible as she studied to know how best to share Gods love with others. And, most important, Annie was a woman of prayer, folding her hands in prayer to intercede for the missionaries and for those they were helping discover Christ. Annie rallied churches to give more, pray more, and do more for reaching people for Christ. As we continue to unite to make her vision a reality in North America today, we can be confident that her legacy will also be ours. The 2014 Week of Prayer is March 2-9. This year, six people representing thousands of missionaries serving throughout the United States, Canada and their territories are spotlighted. The other two days focus on ways Southern Baptists are reaching the lost in North America. Look for prayer guides in the worship bulletin on March 2. If you can t make it to church that day, or call the church office, and one can be mailed to you. The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is much more than an offering envelope and an annual missions-giving emphasis. When people give to the offering, 100 percent of their gift will be transformed into missionary salaries and ministry supplies. Those missionaries and supplies will help others hear the message of Christ and respond in faith to His offer of salvation. Time and again our missionaries relate how the offering is their lifeblood. They know that behind each penny given, there is a Southern Baptist who believes in what they do and are affirming the need to equip them to share the gospel with those who need a Savior. The offering envelopes will be in the worship bulletin on March 9. If you can t be at church that day, feel free to mail your offering to the church or you can drop it by. Any help is greatly appreciated for this vital ministry. The first day of Spring is March 20 as well as Pastor Terry s birthday! Everyone will be jumping for joy when this day arrives with the hopes that Old Man Winter has finally decided to leave us alone! It s been a long, cold winter; us Texans just aren t used to all those days of freezing weather. With the arrival of spring comes time to begin planning a vegetable garden, spending several days, or weeks, of spring cleaning, double-checking those New Year s resolutions to see how well we ve done, or just taking time to reflect on God s goodness in our lives. Easter is right around the corner when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Spring is a wonderful season of the year to enjoy for many reasons. Get off the couch and get out and enjoy the beautiful weather God is blessing us with. In Texas it might not last long, so don t delay! Oh, by the way, happy birthday, Terry!

onion, diced 2 pounds lean ground lamb or beef 1/3 cup all-purpose flour salt and ground black pepper to taste 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon paprika 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1

6 Fried Irish Cabbage with Bacon allrecipes.com 1 (12 ounce) package bacon 1/4 cup bacon drippings 1 small head cabbage, cored and finely chopped ground black pepper to taste Irish Shepherd s Pie 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 onion, diced 2 pounds lean ground lamb or beef 1/3 cup all-purpose flour salt and ground black pepper to taste 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon paprika 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon ketchup 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 1/2 cups water, or as needed 1 (12 ounce) package frozen peas and carrots, thawed 2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and halved 1 tablespoon butter 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper 1/4 cup cream cheese 1/4 pound Irish cheese (such as Dubliner), shredded salt and ground black pepper to taste 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons milk allrecipes.com Preheat the oven to 375. Place olive oil and butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion and ground meat; brown the meat, breaking it up into small crumbles as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour until incorporated, then mix in salt, black pepper, rosemary, paprika, cinnamon, ketchup, and garlic; cook and stir until garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in water and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring mixture to a simmer; cook and stir until thick, about 5-6 minutes. Remove meat mixture from heat and stir in peas and carrots until combined. Spread meat mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside. Place potatoes into a large pan of salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and return potatoes to pan. Mash butter, cayenne pepper, cream cheese, and Irish cheese into the potatoes. Mash until combined and potatoes are smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Whisk together egg yolk and milk in a small bowl; stir into the mashed potato mixture. Top the meat mixture in the baking dish with the mashed potatoes and spread evenly to cover. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Cook bacon in a deep skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 1/4 cup drippings in skillet. Cook and stir cabbage in hot bacon drippings over medium heat until cabbage wilts, 5 to 7 minutes. Crumble bacon over cabbage. Stir and simmer until bacon is warmed, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with black pepper. Irish Apple Cake 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 3/4 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 egg yolks 1 cup butter, softened 1 lemon, zest grated 1 3/4 cups applesauce 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves allrecipes.com Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x9-inch baking pan. Mix flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Beat in egg yolks, butter, and lemon zest until dough is thoroughly mixed. Mix applesauce, cinnamon, and cloves together in a small bowl. Press half the dough into the prepared baking pan; spread applesauce mixture over dough in a layer. Top with remaining dough. Bake in the preheated oven until cake is browned, 40 to 45 minutes.

FBC. First FROM THE PASTOR, TERRY JOHNSTON. Volume 11 March 2015 Issue 3

FBC. First FROM THE PASTOR, TERRY JOHNSTON. Volume 11 March 2015 Issue 3 First FBC Volume 11 March 2015 Issue 3 700 W. 6th St., McGregor, TX 76657 Phone: (254) 840-3301 Fax: (254) 840-3421 Email: fbcmcgregor@centexbiz.rr.com Web: www.fbcmcgregor.org Sunday School Worship Manor