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Contact Us
307-234-6946 514 S Beech St
Casper WY 82601
ELDERS
Doug Neubert Michael Miller
Shane Harkins Scott Gamble
Kent Neubert John Marshall
Jim Fuhrer John Spear
Ministry Coordinator: Charity Harkins
Operations: Ron Sucher
Youth Ministry: Beau Gamble
Children’s Ministry: Diane Shaffer
Our Facebook page:
First Baptist Church of Casper
Website: fbccasper.com
Church App: FBC Casper
Note: If you would prefer to receive the
First Focus by email, please send an
e-mail to [email protected].
It is also available to view on our
website fbccasper.com
First Baptist Church 514 South Beech Casper Wyoming 82601
Operation Christmas Child
Start packing your shoeboxes! Return
them to the church by Sunday,
November 13. We will have boxes here
and more information in the foyer.
Or visit
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/
pack-a-shoe-box/
Please read the information carefully as there are items that should not be sent.
With each box you send, please enclose $7 in cash or check to cover transportation
costs. Remember to pray for your boxes as well as the children who will receive them.
Mission OPP: Join us for a trip to Denver Nov. 25-26 to the
Shoebox Processing Center. We have 6 openings! Contact
Kathy or Paul Grosshuesch for more information. 258-1053
[email protected] National Collection week is Nov. 14-21
On November 8th many of us will take the time to vote as citizens of the United States. I am not here to express my own political views but I would like to say a few words about what I have seen over this last year leading up to the elections and a word about what I see beyond the elections.
With every presidential election I experience a sense of hope as I perceive change to be on the horizon. It isn’t the rhetoric of the campaign that shapes my perspective but the anticipation that a shift will possi-bly occur in the political landscape of our country. Sometimes I agree with that shift and other times I do not. Regardless of if I like it or not, change does occur. This year, in addition to anticipating change, I have acquired an additional perspective.
As the candidates messages began to unfold, I began to realize that the morality of our presidential can-didates can only rise to the level of the morality of those that elect them. This awareness has complicat-ed my perspective. Over the years, I have seen the morality of our country slowly eroding, so the pre-sent state isn’t a surprise. As I listen to the messages being presented through the media and from the candidates, my concern has grown significantly regarding the future state of our nation and at the same time I want to assure you that my hope has not diminished.
Why? Why am I not concerned about who is going to become the next president? Why am I not pro-claiming a doomsday message? If the country is slowly eroding and the immorality of our nation is rising, why am I not concerned? Why is my hope still intact? Because my hope has never been placed in our elected officials. The future of our country isn’t in their hands. My hope is and always will be placed in the One who created it, not in the ones inhabiting it. What will make America great is acknowledging the One who is great; our wonderful, everlasting, mighty God, and sharing His love with our neighbors. What will make America strong is holding on to the mighty arm of our God. Our morality will become healthy when we individually choose to live in the freedom given to us by the Holy Spirit and share that freedom with those around us.
Am I concerned about the elections on November 8th? I am not. Why? Because my hope isn’t in the one who will be elected on that day but in the One who chose me, died for me, forgave me and wants to live in me and through me every day for the rest of my life. My hope is in Jesus Christ and that hope has not diminished.
Volume 12
Number 11
November 2016
Bags of Blessings
Join with your friends and family to pack bags of food to
deliver to our church neighbors. Stay for a wonderful
Potluck dinner. Bring a dish to share.
Small Group Leadership Meeting
Our Small Group ministry is at the heart of who are at First
Baptist Church. Many lives have been changed through the
gathering of people with a common goal – to go deeper in
relationship with each other and with Christ. If this ministry has
blessed you, it may be time to consider leading a group of your
own! If you have never led a group but would like to, we will
have a training for new leaders on
January 22 at 6PM at the church. We will
communicate the vision of our Small
Group ministry and offer helpful tools for
leading. New groups will be starting
the week of February 6.
Please contact the church office if you have any questions
or would be interested in leading a group.
Connect GROW
As we move into the month of November
and Thanksgiving approaches quickly, I
am incredibly thankful for my church
family. I sit and look back at this year and
I am astounded at what God has done.
The youth ministry at FBC is thriving and
we are continually getting the opportunity
to love on and minister to new kids
weekly. Their growth in numbers and
more importantly in relationship with God
has been exponential this year. We had
four youth baptisms in the month of
October, and I am so blessed to have
been part of that experience.
My heart is full and overflowing with
God’s blessings thus far in 2016. I am
looking forward to finishing out this year
strong, and bracing for the blessing to
come next year. Isaiah 43:19 reminds us
that even in the hard times, when we feel
like the world is going down hill, God is
still at work. The lives of teenagers and
the things they face seem so daunting
these days, and if we focus on that, it is
all we will see. However, God is moving
in their lives and they are shining brightly
in that dark place. I ask you to continue
to pray for our schools, our teachers, our
youth and their leaders as we continue to
battle for their lives.
Beau Gamble Youth Pastor
Youth Group Wednesday at 6:30PM
Sunday Morning Study:
10:30AM in the Youth Room
FBC’s Justice Journey
A HUGE thank you to all of you who served alongside our Justice Small Group at the 24-hour Justice Experience last month!! We could not have done it without you. We had around fifty students and lead-ers at the event and another ten or so of you helped by acting or providing food for the weekend. We explored God’s heart for justice together as well as what we can do to fight the injustices we see in the world around us. We heard life changing testimonies from our phenomenal guest speakers, Ellen Mennell and Lisette Fox. We wor-shiped together, experienced what it is like to be an investigator on the front lines and served together out at the Vision Beyond Borders facility. It was a huge success. Thank you again for making this pos-sible for our youth!
Thank you also to everyone who walked in solidarity with us in the A21 Walk for Freedom. God gave us a wonderfully sunny (and breezy…) day to join with nations all over the world to raise aware-ness about the realities of modern-day slavery.
As the holidays rapidly approach, I encourage you to look for ways to engage with the brokenness you see around you. Justice is not just a slavery thing. As we learned from Pastor John in his justice series, justice means setting things right. Injustice is all around us. And during seasons of harvest, plenty and gift-giving, injustice stands out in glaring contrast to what most of us experience in our every day. Whether it is joining in the upcoming Bags of Blessing outreach, providing a meal for someone in need or investing time in the life of someone who feels forgotten, there is something we all can do to help bring God’s justice into our communities. Pray for an opportunity to be a part of setting things right in the life of someone around you.
Blessings, Laura Gamble Justice Small Group
Hello ladies! Come join us
November 11th at 4 PM
at Metro Coffee. Bring a friend! Questions? text or call Angela 307-259-1896
Growth Tracks Nov. 6 Step 1 Know God
Nov. 13 Step 2 Find Freedom
Nov. 20 Step 3 Discover Purpose
Sundays in November at 6PM
Upstairs in Room 209
FBC Financial Report
Oct. 2 $ 9,126.60
Oct. 9 $ 6,037.66
Oct. 16 $ 8,106.23
Oct. 23 $ 5,209.89
Thanksgiving is coming! What a wonderful holiday to express gratitude to God, our friends, our family, and our community.
I was searching on my Bible app for a Thanksgiving devotion and found one I like called, “Family Thanksgiving”. It would be perfect for you and your family. Your kids might also like “What Does God Say About…”. This devotion goes through a range of topics and explains what God says about each topic in a kid friendly way.
Don’t forget to put our next church family event “Bags of Blessings” on your calendar November 19, at 3:30PM. We will meet in the Fellowship Hall, fill bags with food, split up into groups to deliver them around our church neighborhood, and then come back to the Fellowship Hall for a good ol’ fashioned potluck dinner. Bring a dish to share! My daughter Ashton is planning on making apple cider and her homemade hot chocolate for the potluck - it’s worth coming just for that! I am still looking for people willing to volunteer 3 hours at the Food Bank of the Rockies. I will be ordering most of the food that will go in the bags from them. For every 3 hours volunteered, we will receive 20lb of food. You may also donate non-perishable food items. The staff is praying for the bags to reach our neighbors, give them hope, and allow them to bump into Jesus. We encourage you to join us in that prayer!
Superbook, our Wednesday night children’s program, took us to Noah’s time when God flooded the earth. We learned how God had one door on the ark, and how there is only one door to God, Jesus Christ. My son, Samuel thought it was the best Superbook book episode so far.
I have been encouraging the children to sit by and get to know other children. I am hoping to make church one of the safest, most loved places our kids encounter. So, ask your kids who they met and how it makes them feel to know others. We are all learning that we have much in common.
Blessings, Diane Shaffer Children’s Ministry
Sunday Worship 8:30 and 10:30AM
Youth & Children
Classes and Nursery at
10:30AM
The Bridge between services -
brunch, coffee and
fellowship
Children and Youth
Ministry
Wednesday 6:30-8PM
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Can you believe
it’s almost time to
decorate the
church for
Christmas.
Join us on
Dec. 2nd
at 9AM to
help!