connections 2014 winter

UPWARD Basketball

FBCW - 50 Years

A Commitmentto Missions

Connectionsmagazine

Winter 2014

ContentsMeet Our Staff

Lead PastorRalph Sawyer

Pastor of Music & AdministrationGrant Jessen

Pastor of StudentsJeremy Shirley

Pastor of Preschool/Children Jason Hoke

Message from our Pastor: Seek Him in the Morning .....................3 Pastor’s Mailbag ...................................15

In Community: Upward Basketball ................................4

On Campus: Looking Back...50 Years @ FBCW ........9 FBCW Student Year in Review ...........13 Mission Emphasis: A Commitment to Missions .................7

Resources: Spent Too Much for Christmas? ........12 Dates on a Dime ...................................14 Spiritual Resolutions ...........................15 Upcoming Events.................................16

Upcoming Sermons2/16 Fruit-Bearing Season2/ 23 The Daily Pursuit3/2 The Prayer of Faith3/9 Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving3/16 Pursuing a Heart of Prayer3/23 Confession of a Transparent Life3/30 Have You Got a Prayer

Sermons are subject to change without notice

First Baptist Church of Wentzville653 Luetkenhaus Blvd.Wentzville, MO 63385(636) 327-8696

A quarterly publication by First Baptist Church of Wentzville, Missouri.The material within this publication may not be disseminated without permission.All inquiries, comments, suggestions and story ideas should be directed to our creative team at:[email protected]

Connections Creative TeamDee SchneiderLori JohnsonRhonda DickherberJayne PattonTom Bates

If you are interested in serving on this team, please contact Dee Schneider [email protected]

2 Connections Winter 2014

Same thing is true in the Christian life. We must all maintain, at all costs, a daily time of Scripture reading and prayer because of the impact it has on our lives and thoughts throughout the years. It was William Wilberforce who said, “The shortening of private devotions starves the soul.” Just think of what happens when we miss a day or two of personal devotional time with the Lord. We get “out of whack” in the worst of ways. Things will go wrong in much worse ways than hitting a house with an errant golf ball. And yes, we will even face the temptation to quit having devotions at all just because we’ve missed a few times, but the consequences are too great. Our lives are ruined when we fail to meet with our Lord daily. We not only stop growing spiritually, but we actually end up losing ground. Without question it hurts us and it will hurt others around us as well.

But as with golf, it is love, only the deeper and more meaningful love of our Lord, that motivates us to practice our daily devotions. We have them because we want to…not because we have to. Instead of quitting, we will just ignore the accusa-tions of the evil one and start over and look for-ward to meeting with our Lord every morning with prayer and Bible study. The daily discipline of a daily devotional is the key to walking in the Spirit…always has been…always will be.

Employing the daily discipline of beginning the day with The Word of God and prayer will ensure that you will have the necessary strength for the day’s work and the unquenchable power needed for the unexpected and varied opportunities, chal-lenges and temptations that you will most certainly experience during a normal day. It seems to me as I look back across the years that the persons who have done the most for the Lord, out of their love for Him, have been early on their knees in prayer and Bible study in preparation for what the day will bring.

If you’ve missed a few daily devotionwwws, you can start again and you will find yourself well on your way to drawing closer to your Lord than ever before.

If you’re having your daily devotions, don’t stop now. It’s the key to “Loving God and Loving People”.

Golf is just a game, but being a disciple of Christ and following Him is not. We must seek God in the morning if we want Him through the day.

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a soli-tary place; and there He prayed. Mark 1:35 (NKJV)

I must admit, sitting here looking out the patio window into the snow drifts that have accumulated in a wondrous display of God’s handiwork fallen upon the earth, the unrelenting question that has bombarded my mind is, are you ready for this? Just exactly when will I be able to once again feel the warmth of an unclouded sun dancing upon my face as I traverse the closest and most available golf course in the area? Yes, I miss the exercise that keeps my body in somewhat respectable condition and the uncommon fellowship enjoyed by all of us who play the game with a fervent spirit as well as the unending competition that seems to occur each and every round played between a golfer and a golf course, not to mention the daily discipline required to improve into a better golfer than I have been in the past.

Daily discipline is required to keep what you have fashioned by practice and play and is certainly necessary if you intend on reaching a higher level of perfection. Why if a golfer, even a professional golfer, misses a day or two of swinging a golf club or hitting a bucket of practice balls or playing a round at the golf course the sure result will be that their golf game will suffer and they will lose whatever growth they had earlier acquired. It’s just an accepted fact of the game, if you want to play well, and reach your potential, it takes a daily com-mitment of some sort to maintain and reach new levels of maturity. Even amateurs like myself will try to swing a golf club in the backyard 50 to 100 times a day to maintain their level of performance. As soon as you miss a day you will notice the golf club feels strange in your hands and your timing seems to be all out of whack. You just might drill a house that sits next to the course with an errant shot. And, if you miss two or three days you begin to dread even going out to play a round of golf at all because it’s going to be “ugly.” Miss a week or two and you begin to lose your desire to pick a club up at all. You’re just too far behind to go out and try to compete with the course or another golfer.

Instead of quitting though, here’s what happens, you start over…because of your love of the game. Once again you will begin to practice the basics, and you can take it to the bank, you’ll be able to get back to where you used to be as a player, and then well on your way to progressing to where you want to be as a golfer. The daily discipline is the key to reaching your potential…always has been…always will be.

SEEK HIM IN THE MORNING

Pastor Ralph

Pastor Ralph Sawyer has been Lead Pastor at First Baptist Church Wentz-ville since 1999.

Winter 2014 Connections 3

Imagine for a minute, that you’re standing in the middle of a dark street on the darkest of nights. This street you’re standing in is much like any normal street you’d find in any typical neighbor-hood, perhaps much like one you’d find along the rear boundaries of the church property. There’s no moon or stars to illuminate the sky, and it’s cold…not so cold that you’re shivering or freezing, but it’s still cold. Cold enough you can see the steam with every exhale of your breath. Standing in the blackness of this cold night, you can’t clearly make anything out at first. You’re all alone. Standing there in the dark cold.

Then, as though a light switch is flipped on, you’re immediately standing smack dab in front of a house facing the front yard. The house is lit up with white Christmas lights along the outer edges, so bright that they radiate throughout the entire yard. In the front yard, is a nativity scene. Sur-rounded by animals under the roof of a stable that’s blanketed in hay, the shepherds are gathering to see their new King as Mary and Joseph kneel over baby Jesus wrapped in a warm, snuggly white cloth and laying in the manger. Though this nativity scene has no light of its own, it is much brighter than the white lights surrounding the house. It dominates the forefront of your vision as the rest fades into the background, though still visible, just not as clearly in focus as this nativity scene in front of you.

As you stand there taking in the scene before you, you begin to notice a bright light centered directly above the house coming into view. It’s hovering above - a bright star. Brighter than any other light in the scene before you, this star is shin-ing down to not only illuminate the nativity scene before you, but a soothing warmth is emulating from within its light, being cast down upon you and the entire scene. A warmth that just seems to wrap you in its arms and hold you close.

As you stand there in the middle of the street, the entire scene in front of you…the house, the nativity scene, the star, everything…it all starts moving to your left. It’s like you’re on one of those people movers at the airport. You’re clearly moving to your right as you face the house, it’s moving out

by: Jason Meinershagen


of view to your left, but you’re not walking. It’s like you’re floating on a cloud of air.

As this house and entire scene moves out of view, another comes into view from your right. And another. Then another. The scene laid out in front of you is like you’re looking through one of those toy view finders many of us played with as kids. All you can see is each of these houses as they pass by, no peripheral vision; the sides of your vision are completely blacked out. Each imaginary click of the handle on your view finder slowly moves you to the next house on that cloud of air. As house after house passes in front of you from right to left, every house is different in its own design, style and shape. Although each house is uniquely different than the others, each one has a never-changing constant. The nativity scene in the front yard is the same from house to house, and each is enveloped in the light and warmth from the bright star above.

All the while, a song is playing in the background. You can’t tell where it’s coming from, but it’s loud enough to permeate the night air without being obnoxiously loud. It’s a high energy, exciting and fast paced beat…ya’ know, the kind you just can’t help but tap your feet to. As these houses roll past, you begin to notice something else that’s present in every scene.

Think back to your childhood. Do you remember the old sing-along shows with a song lyric at the bottom of the TV screen? They had a little white dot bouncing over each word as you sang along with the song? That’s what this is. It’s a single sentence written along the bottom of each scene unfolding before you. As every house passes by like scenes in the viewfinder, the single sentence stays in place at the bottom of your vision. Can you see all that? Can you picture it? Now replace that white dot with this…

“Somewhere in a cave, the story about a Man

needs to be told.”

Now, you gotta know something about me. I have a terrible memory. I can ask my wife a ques-tion, and within 20 minutes, I’m asking it again, clueless that I just asked it 20 minutes prior. I can have a conversation with you today, and by next week, I’m struggling to remember it. When I wake up in the morning, I have no idea what I dreamed that night. I know I dream, but within a couple minutes, the memory of what I dreamed is gone forever. There is only one dream I’ve ever woken up from and remembered the following morning.

On a cold Saturday night in January 2007, I went to bed and awoke at 3:00 a.m., from a dream that changed the course of my life forever. I woke up that morning with a vision as clear in my head as

though I’d just lived it. As I lay there, I said one thing to God. I prayed “if this is something you’re trying to tell me, you know me; I won’t remem-ber this in the morning with-out you. If this dream is sup-posed to mean something, you’re going to need to do one of two things: Either give me the dream again tonight, or help me remember it in the morning.” I can tell you I haven’t had the dream again since that night…but to this very day, seven years later, that dream is as clear in my head today as if I just awakened from it a minute ago.

The next morning I woke up and went to church service. I don’t remember the exact message our pastor gave that morning, but I do remember that sermon was meant for me. He started a 6-week series of sermons that morning, and every week for 6 weeks, he would say one single sentence that res-onated deep within my heart and soul. Comments like: “when are you going to get off the bench and get in the game; He has a game plan for your life, but you have to check into the game to claim it; if you’re not playing on God’s team, you’re playing on the devil’s team; who’s team are you on anyway?”

For six straight weeks, I fought God using every excuse I could muster: “I’m too busy; I’m stained with sin; I can never overcome my past; I’m not qualified; I’m not a good public speaker.; I don’t know anything about leading a sports league; I’m not a leader in the church; there are better people for this job; There’s already an Upward basketball league being done at the church across the street; there’s not a need for this. I don’t really even like basketball or know it well enough; I like football. Can we do football instead?” Time and time again, He brought me back to that dream…and kept telling me…it wasn’t a football, Jason. It was a basketball. Then through the message one Sunday morning, God hit me upside the face with a brick that finally snapped me out of my selfishness… “If not you, then who?”

In 2008, we started our first Upward Sports season here at FBCW with 241 children in


basketball and cheerleading. By the third year, 514 were participating and last year we had 660 chil-dren involved in ONE season. A long time ago, God set aside this work for us. It’s no mistake you’re reading this today. Whether we recognize that He has a plan for our lives or not, His plans are perfect, and it’s our choice whether or not to follow the plans He’s laid out for us. It’s that vision and that sentence that God poured into a sin-stained man seven years ago that has served as the driving force behind all we do within the Upward Sports minis-try here at FBCW.

When I think about what that sentence means, I think of my home. My home is my cave; my place of serenity and peace. It’s protected. Safe. Secure. It’s where we can keep our families, our children, isolated from the dangers out in the world. We each,you and I, control what (and who) we allow into our homes. Whether through the front doors, a television or computer screen or a phone line, we control what and who we allow into our caves. And we control what and who is kept out. What “story about a Man” needs to be told?

There were three constants in every scene of that dream seven years ago: The nativity, the star, and the sentence. While everything else in each scene changed, these three never did. Our lives pass by us daily like scenes in a movie. In an ever-changing world, Jesus is the one constant. He is a never-changing Savior with a never-changing story; of love, forgiveness, and grace. It’s our job as believers to tell His story, because somewhere in our city is a cave, a home, and I believe many homes, where people have isolated themselves from religion. From faith. From God. If not us, then who?

At first glance, you may not consider the Upward Sports ministry an evangelistic ministry, but that is exactly what Upward is. Our mission is to “introduce children to Jesus Christ by creating

opportunities to serve through sports.” While we’re not going out into those homes in a literal sense, these families are coming to US and entrust-ing us with their most prized possession; the hearts and minds of their children. If we don’t teach our children to follow Christ, the world will teach them not to. If not us, then who?

There are so many ways you can serve God through the Upward Sports ministry that don’t require sports experience or knowledge of the game. During half-times on game day, we share a 5-6 minute devotion with the parents attending their children’s games, devotions that are either prepared in advance for you or a Spirit-led devo-tion that you feel led to share. Our prayer ministry within the sports ministry has over sixty Prayer Partners bathing the league in prayer each day. It’s a commitment to pray at least five minute daily for specific prayer needs that we provide, in addition to praying as the Spirit leads you. Game day greeters and hosts welcome our families to the gym with a smile and treat them like family, for some, the only smile they’ll receive all week that’s meant just for them. Setting up and tearing down the gym each game day requires a team of volunteers willing to work behind the scenes. Volunteers that operate the game clock and scoreboard get to sit and watch some great basketball and be blessed in watching God’s presence fill a gym.

When you consider that each child’s life touches the lives of at least two adults, the Upward Sports ministry is reaching into the homes of over 1,000 people, impacting the lives of over 2,000 people with the gospel of Christ…in just this one three-month season. So my question for you is this: Whose team are you on? Would you consider stepping off the bench and into the game with us to make an impact in our community for the kingdom of God? If not you, then who?

To learn more and volunteer today, please email me at [email protected] for more information. Have a blessed day, and I’ll see YOU on the courts!


Do you know the difference between being involved and being committed? The old story goes that when it comes to bacon and eggs, the chicken is involved, but the pig is fully committed.

Well, I have been involved in missions since I was a young boy. I remember watching, as a 7 or 8 year old, my Mother as she packed up a box and asked if there was anything that I would like to send to the missionaries in Alaska for the children up there. Until that point, I had not given any thought to missionaries except at Christmas time, when I gave my annual Christmas offering by saving 10 dimes in a cardboard Christmas stocking, and giving it the week before Christmas. But I did have some children’s devotional cards (I recall thinking they were kinda’ like baseball cards, but they were from church), that I had been collecting from Sunday school and had saved up a pretty healthy stack of the cards that meant a lot to me. I was not sure I wanted to let go of them, but I knew that any little bit I could do to help further the cause of Christ, anywhere in the world, would be worth it. So I gave up my precious cards, and my involvement in the missions ministry began.

Over the next 40 years, my involvement with missions was by giving and praying. I believed that if I could not go on the mission field, I could cer-tainly support those who did, through prayer and offerings. But in 2001 that changed. After retiring from the USAF, I took a job here in the St. Louis

area, and my family was led to join FBC Wentzville.With my interest in missions I asked Pastor

Sawyer who led the missions ministry in the church? He shared that missions was one of the ministries that could use some help. I volunteered, made contact with several missionaries and over time FBC Wentzville hosted a group from Panama and missionaries from Africa and Asia.

In 2005 members of our church expressed inter-est in being more involved and actually going on a mission trip. It took some time to work, but in June 2006, 11 of us from FBC Wentzville teamed with another church and went to northwestern Romania on a medical mission trip. We shared the gospel while helping meet the physical needs of the communities we visited. For several of our members, it was a life changing event. One young member in particular, after returning home, applied for and was accepted in the International Mission Board (IMB) Journeyman program. He then spent two years on the mission field in Ukraine. After returning home he completed a Master’s degree at seminary, and today, with a new family, is on the mission field in central Asia. That is commitment!

Romania was a real learning experience, and the team wanted to do it again, this time in El Salvador. Interest had grown, and in 2008 we took a group of 21 people to La Union, El Salvador. Again, while there we provided medical support to three

A Commitment to Missionsby Glen Locklear, Director of Missions


❝

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One young member in particu-lar, after returning home, applied for and was accepted in the International Mission Board (IMB) Journeyman program.

villages, and pastor Ralph preached the gospel to the local church. And again, after that trip, we saw more commitment from team mates. Two mem-bers applied for and were accepted in the IMB Jour-neyman program. One is in Africa, the other leaves for South America shortly. We also had another student go to seminary, preparing for whatever the Lord has in store. The Lord was at work on our team!

And we cannot overlook other church members that went into the mission field. It was during this time that Dave and Judy Maxson committed and spent two years on the mission field in China.

After being gone for almost four years with my job in Washington DC, I returned and last Febru-ary, went on a vision trip to Peru with our pastor and youth pastor, Jeremy Shirley. Anytime there is a possibility of sending a team on mission into a foreign country, we send a few people in advance to make contact and determine what our role will be, what value we can provide, and how our own team will grow in their relationship with the Lord. While we were optimistic, we did not find the right opportunity available at that time. While the door was not shut, we think the answer was, “not now.”

At the ministry fair held in September, we had 40 men, women and youth, expressing interest in the Missions Ministry. We have scheduled an eight week missions preparatory class called Basic Train-ing for Mission Teams. The course will prepare you for what to expect and how to serve best as a vol-unteer mission team member. It is great training, and we will provide it twice a year.

So as I said, I have been involved in missions for many years, but I had always wanted to do some-thing more….more commitment. That opportunity availed itself this past fall when I opted to retire, for the second and final time. It is time for me to

focus on the Missions Ministry. Brother Ralph has asked me to work on the staff as the Director of Missions, and I agreed!

In January, I attended a week long Missions College at the IMB Conference and Training Center in Richmond, VA, and I have been invited to join others from the Twin Rivers Baptist Association on a vision trip to Panama in March.

Expect to hear more, and anticipate what the Lord has in store for us!

I am no longer just involved. I am committed to the Missions Ministry of FBC Wentzville!

Image on previous page: Romanians waiting to be seen by the medical team.Below: FBCW team in Romania

Above: “Dr. Glen”, helping a patient determine the best pair of glasses to see and read the Gospel!Below: Waiting line inside the church where we met spiritual and physical needs of the community in Romania


Breaking ground for Phase 1 /Education - Administration bldg. (from left to right, front row: Dan Hite, Robert Miller, Jack David, Bro. Dave, Dave Nolting, Don Boyd, Alice Quiel, Wanda Alcorn)

Virgil Morris and Domingo Dasal were good friends who worked together at McDonnell Douglas. In 1957 they begin discussing the fact that there was no Baptist Chruch in Wentzville. They determined that there should be one and felt God leading them to begin one. Cynthia Townsend, daughter of Virgil Morris, remembers that they began the church at the Morris home on Parr Street. Mr. Dasal led the Sunday School and preached. They approached the barber, Virgil Chenore, who was a member of FBC Troy about the possibility of FBC Troy planting a church here. It took several discussions before he agreed to approach the leadership of FBC Troy because they had attempted to plant a church here two or three times before with no success.

After FBC Troy became involved with Mr. Morris and Mr. Dasal, the Wentzville Community Building was rented for church services. That building is currently the strip mall on Pearce Blvd. east of Linn. At the time the building was a skating rink. Mrs. Townsend, a teenager at the time, remembers that wedding dances were often held on Saturday night and she and her father would go in after the dance was over to clean up the building and set up the chairs for Sunday

LOOKING BACK...

years at FBCW

morning worship. The first service held in that location was on February 16, 1958. There were 18 brave souls who ventured out that icey morning and faced the -10 degree temperature to start the next step on the path to becoming a church.

During this time, Rev. Edward Walsh who was pastor of FBC Troy held services at both churches and brought 20-30 volunteers with him from that church to assist with the services at the Wentzville Mission. Training Union was also held in the Community Building, but Wednesday evening prayer service and choir practice was held in private homes.

One year after the Mission was started, Rev. Tom Walton was called as pastor of the Mission and on July 8, 1959 work began to build a two-story brick verneer building to house the Mission. The first services were held in the building that now contains the workroom and preschool classrooms. The Worship Service was held in what is now the hallway leading from the Administration

The building completed in 1959 to house the Wentzville Mission. Today this structure contains the workroom, two preschool rooms and the adult classrooms upstairs

50


Eisenbath property, directly north of FBC; church paid for the property, held SS classes in it; later torn down to build worship center

Adult Sunday School class was held in the Sanctuary when the church was originally formed.

The Education Building completed in 1965 saw the Sanctuary moved to what is now Fellowship Hall.

Building to the Fellowship Hall along with the Preschool classrooms.

On August 15, 1962, the Wentzville Baptist Mission finally became First Baptist Church of Wentzville with 156 charter members and an average attendance of 101 under the direction of Rev. Wilby Casey. Mrs. Townsend remembers there being an active youth group at the time who were very much involved in door to door evangelism on Sunday nights after Training Union. She remembers the Training Union classes as being a very good study of scripture with practical and personal life applications.

As the church continued to grow the decision was made to build an educational

building. It was completed and the first Worship Service was held there on November 14, 1965 under the leadership of Rev. Richard Dismuke. The new Sanctuary was what is today the Fellowship Hall.

Dr. Dave Martin became the pastor in 1976 and led the church in a period of phenomenal growth. First, with the “Together We Build” program which raised over $247,000 to build the Administration Building which was completed in December of 1983. On September 13, 1987, the church celebrated its Silver Anniversary and Bro. Dave spoke on “A look to the Future” kicking off the “Arise and Build” Campaign which provided the funding for the current Worship Center building. The Committee Chairmen were a veritable “Who’s Who” of FBCW. It included:

Tom Nelson - Campaign DirectorLeon Townsend - Home Visit DirectorDna Ingersoll - Information DirectorKerry Ratliff (Poland) - Secretary

Nancee Dutchik - Celebration DirectorKathy Love & Francine Grzechowiak -

Refreshment Co-DirectorsRichard Love & Tom Lamming - Adv. Committee Co-Directorsamong others.The first service in the Worship Center was

held on Easter Sunday, March 30, 1997, with 375 in attendance and Rev. Justin Vaughn at the helm.

In September of 1999, Brother Ralph Sawyer became the pastor and under his leadership the membership outgrew the Worship Center. In April of 2006 FBCW began having two Worship Services. The budget has continued an upward climb from $10,485 in 1960 to $1,646,508 in 2014. First Baptist Church of Wentzville continues to be a shining light of God’s love and


Budget for 1960 was $10,485Budget for 1997 was $240,692Budget for 2014 is $1,646,508

Former Pastors:Rev. Edward Walsh, Pastor of FBC TroyRev. Robert Turner, Pastor of FBC TroyRev. Tom Walton, 1959 - 1961Rev. Wilby Casey, 1961-1964Rev. Richard Dismuke, 1964- 1968Rev. Wilby Casey, 1968 - 1976Dr. Dave Martin, 1976 - 1994Rev. Justin Vaughn, 1994 - 1998Pastor Ralph Sawyer, 1999 - present

Metal framing of Phase 2 / Worship Center, ‘91

The original Sanctuary in what is today the preschool classrooms near the Fellowship Hall.

Fellowship Hall as it looked when it was the Sanctuary.

faithfulness not only in Wentzville, but in the entire tri-county area.


Spent Too Much For Christmas?

Many of us have a hard time admitting we over-spend on gifts at Christmas time. But it’s hard to deny our giving spirit during this time of the year, both for those for whom we have empathy because of hard times and for our loved ones for whom we just want the best. I know it is hard for me to ignore my grandchildren’s big eyes and smiles on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, overspending can cause us to rack up debt to pay for it as well.

Debt is the most successfully marketed product in America. Yes, it is a product. If you don’t believe that, just think of all the advertisements for debt: “Don’t leave home without it!” – “Six months, no interest!” – “No payments until …” – “Three points for gas, two for groceries, and one for everything else.” It is advertised by banks, credit cards, retail stores, auto sales and more. God’s Word warns us of the dangers inherent in debt. “The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” – Proverbs 22:7 It is one thing to say “being in debt” is not good and something com-pletely different to say “how do I get out of debt?”

The most important rule for paying off the Christmas debts and maybe getting out of debt altogether is STOP DIGGING! It does no good to try to pay off debts if we just replace it with more

debt. Think of how much you could save, invest, blow, and give if you had NO payments on debt. In order to do this though, you must do several things with an extreme intensity.

First you must save money. Most people find this hard to do unless they have deductions taken from their income before they receive it and have it deposited directly to a savings account, IRA, 401k, etc. This is what I recommend based on my own experience. It has always amazed me how, when I up the automatic deductions for savings, I don’t miss it after just a couple of pay periods.

Secondly, you can pay off some of that debt by selling something. We all have more than we need. There has been a boom in building storage units in the last years. Why? We can’t get it all in our house/garage. We can get rid of some of this stuff and profit through garage sales, e-bay and Craig’s list. As Dave Ramsey would say it “sell so much stuff, the kids think they are next.”

If this does not clear your debts, there is always that other way of obtaining money to pay them off: get a job. Extra work for a short period of time can benefit greatly. I don’t want you to have to work extra hours or more than one job forever, but a short period of time working as a pizza delivery person can pay off in peace of mind.

Now, how do you use all this new found money to pay off those credit cards? The easiest way is to pay it off using the debt snowball. List all your credit card debts from smallest to largest and show the minimum payments for each. Then list payments you can make for each starting with the smallest debt first. Apply any monies over the total minimum payments to the smallest debt and make minimum payments to all the rest. Once the smallest debt is paid, apply the monthly payment you were making to that debt to the next smallest debt. The following should help you visualize how this works.

Lastly, prayer really works. He does not want us to live with debt. Why wouldn’t He help us get away from it when we are willing to follow His principles? His principles are what we teach in Financial Peace University. If you need more information, contact me in the church office.

by: Gary Mills


As we kick off the New Year, it’s always exciting to look back and see where the past 12 months have taken us as a Church body and as individuals. Our Student Ministry offers an abundance of opportuni-ties and events that create a thriving environment to build relationships and connect with others on a deeper level, all while having a little bit of fun! Our fall semester has been a busy and blessed time. Sep-tember 25th marked the national See You At The Pole day - a chance for students around the country to take a stand and pray at the flag pole of their local school for fellow classmates, friends, teachers, and leadership. It’s not an easy task to humble yourself before Almighty God in front of your peers - but absolutely a worthwhile and rewarding experience. That evening, we came together with local youth groups to spend some time in worship and celebra-tion of the freedom we have to pray for our schools!

Perhaps the most anticipated event of this fall was the Flame and V. Rose concert! Flame is a leader

in the Christian Hip-Hop industry whose songs pro-claim the gospel with every beat. With an incred-ible audience before him, Flame openly shared his testimony and weaved the gospel into his lyrics. We know of at least one person who came to know the Lord because of this event - praise God!

2013 came to a close with our annual Christmas Party - ugly sweater style! We had a great time

playing games, eating great food, and voting on the ugliest Christmas sweater there could be!

As we usher in a new year, we wait in hopeful expectation to see where the Lord will take our

youth ministry in 2014. God is faithful to work in great and mighty ways in the hearts and lives of the students at FBCW! There is such value in being a part of the student min-istry in our church and it’s incredible to see God move in the lives of young

people who have potential to change our world.Some exciting events to look forward to in the

next few months include the Middle School Girl’s Retreat where young girls will have the opportunity to hear God’s truth about their life passionately pro-claimed by women who have a heart for the Lord. Moms and Daughters are encouraged to attend this event together and learn about what God’s Word says about being a Biblical, God-fearing, powerful woman. You won’t want to miss this opportunity!

High Attendance Sunday is another amazing opportunity for the gospel to be shared and people to come to know Christ! March 2nd will be the day when students are encouraged to bring a multitude of friends who desperately need to hear the great news about Jesus! Each Sunday School class will schedule a fun event in which students and their friends can participate. We cannot wait to see the turnout!

Last but not least, April 11-13th will be DNOW Weekend! Disciple Now is a phenomenal weekend where students will experience a time of unity and worship with fellow believers and youth groups in the area. Students will be challenged and encour-aged in their walk with Christ and much fun will be had!

Students - we invite you to be a part of our stu-dent ministry in 2014! We want to grow with you and push each other to do wonderful things for the Kingdom! Join us in making 2014 a year in which hearts are changed, the gospel flourishes, and God is glorified above all!

Year in Review

by Jessica Smith


DATES D I M E

This time of year, although wonderful, can add not only a lot of stress on our wallets, but also on our marriages. I know in our relationship, during this time of year, our date nights are the first to go for awhile. After all the splurging that’s been done in preparation for the Holidays we have little desire to have an expensive night out. We are learning that although our first instinct is to hold off on our outings for just the two of us, it is not always the healthiest decision for our marriage. We have been doing some research on how to find a happy medium between spending that needed quality time together, and trying to recover financially after the Holidays. We have found some ways we would like to share with you that would provide that much needed time alone without breaking the bank. * Pick up home design books from the local hard-ware store and discuss what your dream home would be. * Take a leisurely walk alone in a local park and bring along lunch or a light snack to share together. * Have a candlelight dinner at home. Keep it simple! Grab a frozen dinner from the store to share. * Shop together for favorite ice cream and toppings, and make sundaes together. Don’t forget to share!

* Catch a matinee show together then maybe you won’t have to sneak in your own snacks. * Take a long leisurely drive along the country side, pack a small lunch and stop somewhere along the way to eat. * Break out the tent and spend the night at a local campground, or even cheaper, your own backyard! * Grab all the ingredients for pizza and make your own at home together.

* Take a free home improvement class together

from a local hardware store. * Most STL museums have little or no cost so plan a free day out to the St. Louis Zoo, Grants Farm or the Science Center. * Spend the day together helping a elderly neighbor with odds and ends. You’ll be amazed how it can draw you closer together helping others. * Find an empty frame then have fun together find-ing the silliest place to take a photo together to put

in the frame. Take these ideas and some of your own. Place them in a jar, and draw one for some added fun and surprise. Just remember, the point is to get out and have fun spending time together in an inexpensive way. Bobby and Tracie SesslerCouples Connecting with ChristFBCW Marriage Ministry

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New Year’s Resolutions are a good thing. I sup-pose because each New Year brings with it a sense of hope, renewal and a belief that you have a new chance to do things differently, perhaps better than before. I recently went to www.statisticbrain.com and researched the top New Year’s Resolutions for 2014 – they include:

I’m sure if we were honest, many of us could find ourselves somewhere on that spectrum. Interest-ingly, did you know that only 8% of people are actually successful at achieving their New Year’s resolutions? And that’s not the scary thing. The glaring thing to me is that there aren’t any spiritual resolutions noted. Where is the resolution to get to know God more intimately? To engage in prayer more often? To memorize more scripture? And if, statistically speaking, only 8% of resolutions are ever achieved – how much less are the spiritual ones that aren’t even mentioned? Somehow in all the “losing weight and quitting smoking” we are missing the one thing that will provide the real hope – and the real help - that we are all seeking in the New Year.

This year the sermon to kick off 2014 at FBCW focused on John 15:1-11. I was struck by it as I

considered the lack of attention given to spiritual New Year’s resolutions. I look around and see so much attention being given to changing the exter-nal, and absolutely nothing to cleaning the internal - which has the ability to impact the eternal.

John 15:5 says “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

This scripture makes it clear that there is no res-olution that will ever impact your life like the one to deepen your relationship with your Savior. That one relationship has the ability to dictate every other decision you make in your life. It holds the power you seek to achieve victory in every area of bondage. It offers you peace and purpose. It helps you to get your priorities in order, and I can assure you, it will be the most amazing love relationship you will ever “fall” in to.

So no matter what other resolution you make in 2014 be intentional about setting some spiritual resolutions as well. Need some ideas on how? Try these:

Sign up for a Bible study. Find a place to serve. Go on a mission trip. Find a Spiritual mentor.Have a daily quiet time. Be intentional in your prayer life. Memorize Scripture Listen to worship music. Journal.

Make your goal to know your Savior this year and it will indeed be a ‘Happy New Year’!!

Q: Is God a God of wrath in the Old Testament and a God of love in the New Testament?

A: When the two testaments are read the way that they were intended, they reveal the same Holy God who is rich in mercy, but who will not let sin go unpunished.

It’s true that you will find in the Old Testament accounts like that of God commanding the destruction of Sodom, and many other accounts of God’s judgment and wrath. Some people assert that this demonstrates a different God than the one revealed in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus teaches to love one another and turn the other cheek.

These ideas about God seem to be in direct conflict, but are they really? You’ll note that Jesus declared that the Old Testa-ment can be summed up by the commandments to love God and love your neighbor. He also said that, in the Old Testament God had continually desired love and mercy rather than sacrifice.(Matthew 9:13; 12:7)

In Ezekiel 18:23 we find this attitude, “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked…and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” God is a God of justice and their evil could not go unchecked or condoned. That’s why Noah preached 120 years so that people might repent, but they would not, then came the great flood.

You find in the Old Testament the picture of a very patient God who gives people untold opportunities to repent and only when they refuse does He judge and punish them for their evil deeds.

Of course, the strongest statements of judgment and wrath in the Bible were made by the Lord Jesus himself. He called the religious leaders of his day hypocrites and false leaders and informed them that their destiny was eternal banishment from God’s presence.

Even if you take a moment to read Matthew 10:34, Jesus will state the purpose of his mission is not to unite but to divide. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on

earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. Then He follows that with…For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; Matthew 10:35 (NKJV)

When you read the Bible you will find judgment as well as love scattered all throughout the New Testament, and love and mercy as well as judgment all throughout the Old Testament.

God is consistent and unchanging, but different situations call for different emphases. Both testaments reveal the same HOLY God rich in mercy.

By: Jayne PattonSpiritual Resolutions


FEBRUARY

UPCOMING EVENTSMARCH APRIL

Girlfriends & Co Evening Event 6:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall

Couples Connecting with Christ Date Night - Share the Love Valentine’s Banquet to Benefit LINC 6:30 p.m. at Progress Park Banquet Center

Middle School Girls Retreat6:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in O’Fallon

Remembrance Scrapbooking7:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall

MOPS 9:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall

Remembrance Scrapbooking 7:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall

Upward Awards Ceremony at Lindenwood University

Girlfriends & Co Evening Event 6:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall

MOPS 9:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall

Disciple Now Weekend for Students begins at 6:30 p.m.

Hope Easter Event 9:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall

Solid Rock Spring Musical 6:30 p.m. Worship Center

Solid Rock Spring Musical 6:30 p.m. Worship Center

Couples Game Night

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Future issues of the Connections Magazine will be distributed via email and on our website. If you require a hard copy, please notify the church office.

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