Focus On Missions

Located in Nyabisindu, one of the poorest neighborhoods of Kigali Rwanda, is the Iranzi Clinic. Although they are surrounded by upscale neighborhoods with decent healthcare, the women of Nyabisindu feel forgotten and neglected, with needlessly high rates of

maternal death and complications of childbirth. The clinic was born out of this immense need by a local church, and serves these forgotten women.

Iranzi is a Kinyarwandan word which means ”God knows me”, and the clinic and its midwives provide a safe place for women to receive prenatal care, education, labor and delivery, but most importantly to learn that God knows them and has not forgotten them. Last month, the Missions Team decided to partner in support of this clinic!

One of the midwives recently relayed this story, an incredible example of how God is moving through them: “Zawadi, one of my clients that came through IJM, who had been trafficked out of boarding school at age 16 (given a spiked drink, drugged and locked into the trunk of a car, driven across the Ugandan border and woke up in a brothel - lived and forced to “work” there for 4 1/2 months before she managed an escape) is in her final year of High School. We are SO thankful. Her story is totally about God re-deeming. She is HIV positive, but because she was on ARV’s in pregnancy and we arranged for a C-Section and supportive midwifery care, her daughter is not! This has been a highlight for me personally. Seeing God bring about hope in an absolutely crazy horrible situation.”

This is just one of the many ministries we support with the 30% of your giving that is designated for Missions. On Sunday the 17

th, we will be highlighting many of the other ways that your giving has been

used in furthering God’s kingdom. You won’t want to miss it!

Upcoming

Women’s

Events:

Ladies Retreat

Sept 8,9

Baptist Assembly

on Casper Mtn

Call Debbie

259-1178

for info

October 13th

Movie Night

at the church

November 4th

Brunch

I wrote this article about 8 years ago. I wanted to bring it back and share it with you as we enter into the fall season.

I recently read Western Theology by Wes Seeliger. I was invigorated by the idea that God continually calls us to leave what we have known and move deeper into Him, toward the wild unknown.

Wes Seeliger identifies two types of people in life. The first see life as a possession to be carefully guarded. They are the settlers. The second see life as a wild, fantastic, explosive gift. They are the pioneers. The settlers and pioneers operate with two completely different theologies.

Let’s take a closer look. In Settler theology, the church is the courthouse. It is the center of town life. The old stone structure is prominently located in the town square. Its windows are small which makes things kind of dark inside. Within the courthouse walls, records are kept, taxes are collected, and trials for outlaws are held. The courthouse is the settler’s symbol of law and order. It has an air of stability and provides a sense of security for all the settlers.

In contrast, the Pioneers’ church is the covered wagon, a house on wheels, always on the move. The covered wagon is where the pioneers eat, sleep, fight, love and die. It bears the marks of life, movement and change. The creaks are reminders of the scars and the constant need for repair. The covered wagon is where the action is. It moves toward the future and doesn’t bother to glorify its own ruts. The old wagon isn’t very comfortable but this isn’t noticed by the pioneers. Pioneers are all about the journey.

In Settler theology the mayor represents God. You don’t see the mayor much as he sits silently in his office high up in the courthouse with the window curtains drawn. He is impersonal, unapproachable, safe and definitely in control. Peace and order are the mayor’s main concern and he sends the sheriff to check on pioneers when they ride into town. Order in the town signifies that the mayor is doing his job.

In Pioneer theology God is compared to the trail boss. He is wild and full of life. He lives, eats, sleeps, and fights alongside the pioneers. Their well-being is his concern. Everyone knows that without him the wagon train won’t move. When the wagons get stuck in the mud, the trail boss digs with the pioneers to free the wheels. He prods when they get soft and want to turn back. He leads by riding in the front and alongside the wagon train; occa-sionally looking back to make sure everyone is keeping up.

In Settler theology the sheriff is Jesus. He’s the guy who is sent by the mayor to enforce the rules. He wears a tall white hat and is quick on the draw. The sheriff decides who is thrown into jail. He is the keeper of order and peace.

In Pioneer theology Jesus is the scout. He rides out ahead to find where the dangers lie. He finds the best trail for the pioneers to follow. He lives and endures all the dangers of the trail. The scout experiences the hard times along with the pioneers and he often faces enemy attacks. Through his words and actions he reveals the intentions of the trail boss. By looking at the scout, the pioneers can see the trail boss. Pioneers have a desire to be like the scout.

In Settler theology the Holy Spirit is the girl behind the saloon counter. Her job is to comfort the settlers after a long hard day. They come to her when they are alone or when life gets too dull or even too dangerous. She soothes their fears with words of comfort, but is quick to squeal to the sheriff when someone gets out of line. (continued on page 2)

Volume 13 Number 9

September 2017

LIFE Group: Living In Freedom Every day It is for freedom that Christ set us free. (Gal 5:1). Jesus said that He came to earth so that we may

have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). Just imagine that: life abundant. Not barely surviving, but truly living. Laughter. Hope.

Restoration. Purpose. Freedom. This is the kind of life God wants you to have, and through the LIFE study, you’ll discover why this is His desire and

also how you can experience it each and every day.

(Continued from page 1) In Pioneer theology, the Holy Spirit is the wild buffalo hunter. His main task is to provide fresh meat for the pioneers. His horse is quick. One minute he is riding alongside the wagon train and in the next minute he spirits his horse over the hills in pursuit of buffalo. He is wild and mysterious. The pioneers never know what his next move is going to be and the settlers are just plain afraid of him. Every week the set-tlers gather in the courthouse for an ice cream social. Sometimes during one of these socials, the buffalo hunter takes his big black gun and shoots it next to the windows. Men jump and women scream but the buffalo hunter just chuckles. He rides through the town, shooting into the air smiling as he returns to the wagon train.

The Christian in Settler theology fears the open, unknown frontier. His concern is to stay on good terms with the mayor by obeying the law and keeping out of the way of the sheriff. He never misses a single ice cream social and the courthouse has the records to prove it.

In Pioneer theology, the Christian is the pioneer. He is not afraid to take risks and is full of life. He rides hard and knows how to use a gun when necessary. The pioneers feel sorry for the settlers holed up in the town and take every chance they get to describe life on the trail, the joy, the adventure, the fulfillment. When Pioneers die, they die with their boots still on.

In Settler theology faith equals trusting in the safety of the town: obeying the laws, keeping out of trouble, and believing that the mayor is in the courthouse.

In Pioneer theology, faith is the spirit of adventure. It’s the readiness to move out when the trail boss gives the signal. It’s the willingness to risk everything in order not to miss out on the journey.

Salvation in Settler theology is living close to home, hanging around the courthouse, and not missing a single ice cream social.

Salvation in Pioneer theology is being more afraid of sterile town life than of death on the trail. Salvation is joy at the dawn of another day that will lead into the unknown and the chance to experience life. Salvation means trusting the trail boss and following the scout, while living on the meat provided by the buffalo hunter.

Sin in Settler theology is breaking one of the town’s ordinances.

Sin in Pioneer theology is turning back.

I want to be a pioneer and live in a land where adventure abounds. At First Baptist Casper, I have found many others who want to be pioneers and answer the call of the West, the call of the wild and what I ride that will be!

CHANGES TO “THE HUB”!

We want to let you know how the HUB is changing

this fall. We won’t be meeting together in an

organized way at 5:30PM but instead we will have

a prayer station for you to come and go through

Wednesday night beginning at 6:00PM.

We appreciate so much those who have given

leadership week after week to the hub because

prayer is vital to the life of the church body. We

don’t want to discontinue it but simply make some

changes this fall for our time of prayer.

Join us in the CRYroom where we will have the

prayer requests available for you to prayer over!

LAUNCHPAD

If you are serving anytime/anywhere this is for you!

Starting this Sunday, we will be gathering for a time of prayer and direction.

Each of you plays a significant role in all we do here at First Baptist. So let’s

launch our Sunday together and see what God has in store!

Join us in the old nursery at 8AM for our Launch Pad.

September 3rd and every Sunday following!

As the school year begins, we are so excited for what God has in store. We love small groups and can't wait to see what this semester brings. We will be doing things slightly different this fall. Middle school will be on Wednesday nights and high school will be on Thursday nights still. We will be doing smaller groups within those respective nights. We will also be incorporating some new ideas like leadership training moments and life skills moments where we will take a leadership quality or a specific life skill and teach on those.

We are really looking forward to spending time with the students this fall! Pastor Beau Gamble

I have to tell you that after I decided to have prayer activities for the kids for the 21 Days of Prayer I started thinking “what did I get myself into,” but I can tell you that I am so glad I did. I found it a privilege to pray with your children. We not only prayed for people and things in our life, we also learned a few things. We learned the Lord’s Prayer - it did not take the kids long to learn either. We also learned a song ‘Whisper a Pray-er.’ To our delight we could teach it to the adults who helped. The Doxology was the other thing we tried to learn. I told the kids that when I was growing up my mom would have us sing that before Thanksgiving dinner instead of a prayer and they thought that was neat. Every night we would have people and things we would pray for and every night we had something to praise God for. God answered a couple of our prayer requests during that 21 days. We were praying that Delaney would not have to have therapy for her arm she hurt this summer and indeed she did not. We prayed for a friend of mine, Spencer, that his surgery for his tumor would go well and it did. We also prayed for a little boy with tummy troubles and God healed him. On the last night that we were together upstairs, I prayed a prayer of blessing over the children. They in turn prayed a prayer of blessing over one another. It was one of the most beautiful things we experienced. I thank God for allowing us to see Him at work. On the last day, Saturday when the children stay down with the adults, the kids gathered in the back and prayed for all of things we had been praying for upstairs. We are raising up a mighty generation of prayer warriors. I don’t want to leave out the nursery. Jane and the people who served with her also prayed with the children and read them prayer books. Each child received their own set of pray-er books. Thank you for this incredible opportunity to worship with your kids. I would like to thank everyone who served with me during our 21 Days of Prayer. I hope you were as blessed as I was to spend time in prayer with our kids. Wednesday nights are starting! We are all ready to be back in the building. Preschool, which is for ages 3 and potty trained through kindergarten, will be learning lessons from Lil K, a program filled with Bible stories, singing, and many fun activities. Our 1st-5th graders will be learning lessons from Chris, Joy, and Gizmo, our main Superbook characters, who take us back in time to learn from some of the best and worst people in the Bible. Each lesson will reinforce the historical accuracy of the Bible and it will also show us how God is pointing us to Jesus. Please join us every Wednesday starting September 6th 6:30-8:00PM. Nursery is available for anyone participating in activities at the church. I will leave you with a prayer of Blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His counte-nance upon you, and give you peace.” Blessings, Diane Shaffer

Thanks to all of you who came to our

21 Days of Prayer.

It was the best attended yet!

Contact Us

fbccasper@gmail.com 307-234-6946

514 S Beech St Casper WY 82601

Pastor: John Marshall

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

Church Blog "Enter In" Go deeper with our interactive

conversation relating to Sunday's sermon. enterin.blog

Note: If you would prefer to receive the

First Focus by email, please send an

e-mail to fbccasper@gmail.com.

It is also available to view on our

website fbccasper.com

September is here bringing with it a new season and new opportuni-ties! The summer went by quickly, but for many members of the Justice Group it was packed full of learning and going deeper with God. We hope your summer was marked with rich experiences too. Since school is back in session, we will resume our donations to Food for Thought so that school children in Casper, who would not otherwise be able to eat, will have an evening meal and food for the weekend. This month's items are Chef Boyardee and Mac and Cheese. You can bring those with you on Sunday mornings and leave them at the Justice booth. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and makes a huge difference in our community. Thank you! On Sunday, September 24th, the Justice Group will have the opportunity to share with you some of what God has been teaching us and present new ways that you can get involved. Please join us in prayer for that day and for how God may lead you to get involved. We have learned so much about justice, equity, and Jesus' heart for all people since 2011 when God really started bringing it to the forefront at FBC. We look forward to what God has in store for all of us as we continue to learn and seek His heart for justice in all areas of life. Blessings, The Justice Group

First Baptist Church 514 South Beech Casper Wyoming 82601

FBC Financial Report

July 30 $ 2,930.00

Aug. 6 $11,070.56

Aug. 13 $ 7,764.58

Aug. 20 $ 4,735.00

Aug. 27 $ 2,987.00

Online Giving:

To give online using your smart

phone, send 'fbccasper' to 77977 and

you will receive a one-time reply con-

taining a link to give to FBCCasper.

There is also a link on our website to

give using our giving site: Pushpay.

Please be aware that msg & data rates may apply to

texts. For full terms & conditions please visit https://

pushpay.com/terms. For the privacy policy please visit

https://pushpay.com/privacy.

For help reply HELP or STOP to cancel.

Small Groups Newness is in the air! Fall is

quickly approaching, the new school year will be

here before we know it, and with that comes new

small groups!

Many groups are kicking off during the first and

second week of September, and trust me, you don't

want to miss out. We have all kinds of groups for all

kinds of people with all kinds of needs at all times of

the day! The vision of small groups is for ministry to

happen in the context of a smaller, more intimate

setting than our Sunday morning services. Life

change happens, relationships deepen, and

knowledge and love for the Lord grows.

You can check out the small groups opportunities

available this fall by going to our website:

fbccasper.com, viewing them on our app,

FBC Casper, or in the foyer of the church.

Questions? Call the church office or

email fbccasper@gmail.com.

May you find a place to belong and

connect with church family.

Charity Harkins, Ministry Coordinator

Mothering is hard. You don’t have to do it alone.

Reason # 299 to come to MOPS: Keeping little ones alive is exhausting. Come take a break with us.

What do you long for? What is the thing that your heart craves? Is it possible that your deepest desire is to be free? Free from feeling stuck? Free from hustling to be loved? Free from a heaviness you can’t put your finger on? Free from thinking you should be someone other than exactly who you are? At the core, maybe what we’re all longing for is to be free indeed.

Reason # 605 to come to MOPS: You won’t have to ask the question, “Where are your pants?!” You wear yours, I’ll wear mine. Perfect!

The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the

favorable year of the Lord. Luke 4:18-19 This is the theme verse for this year. This year we will let LOVE be the loudest voice, Be Gutsy, and GO First as we pursue becoming FREE INDEED!!

Reason # 22 to come to MOPS: Friendship…..is born at the moment when one man (or woman) says to another, “What! You too!? I thought that no one but myself…..” C.S. Lewis. Come have some “You Too?” moments with us!

At First Baptist MOPS our vision is to reach moms of Casper right where they are; relationally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. We are here to meet the needs of mothers with preschoolers. MOPS of FBC has a heart to include all moms of young children to feel safe, to be authentic to who they are, feel encour-aged by other moms, and know they are accepted and supported unconditionally to they come to know they are a part of God’s purpose and plan. OUR GOAL is to draw each mom one step closer to Jesus. Better Moms make a better world!

Reason # 223 to come to MOPS: You can’t pour from an empty cup. MOPS helps to fill you up!

We meet the first and third Thursday’s of the month during the school year. We will be starting Sept 7th, here at the church in the Fellowship Hall at 9:15-11:15. We have brunch every meeting, as well as messages of hope to inspire and encourage, small groups to meet other moms and develop new and deeper friendships, mentor moms to listen and offer the voice of experience, and of course the all important child care we like to call MOPPETS, a fun educational kids program that is Christ based.

Reason # 43 to come to MOPS: Eating food you didn’t have to make off plates you don’t have to wash!

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 Middle School Youth Ministry

Wednesday 6:30-8PM

High School Youth Thursday 6:30PM

Connect GROW