I NS I DE THI S ISSUE :

A Letter From Our Pastor 1

Church Activities 2

Bible Study Opportunities

Deacon of the Week

3

Bro Allen’s Quotable Quotes and

Recommendation of the Month

4

FBC Birthdays &

Anniversaries

5

UPCOMING

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0

January 1st

Office Closed

January 1st

No Evening Activities

January 4th Men’s Breakfast

8:00 am

January 5th Deacon’s Meeting

5:00 pm

January 11th Dinner Trip to Pony Express

Van leaves at 5:30pm

January 12th Ordination Ceremony and Reception for David Sanderson

6:00 pm

January 19th

Sanctity of Life Sunday

January 19th SBCTA Annual Meeting Copperas Cove

5:00 pm

January 26th Chili Cook Off

12:00 pm

January 26th Council Meeting

5:00 pm

January 26th Business Meeting

7:15 pm

Dear Church Family . . .

When I think back on the previous year there are mixtures of joy and sadness. Joy because of all the great

things God has allowed me to do and be a part of; but sadness because of all the disappointments that have

affected me personally and the ones I have observed in the lives of others. I am reminded that the burdens I

carry are much lighter because Jesus has taken away much of the load. My biggest problems and my biggest

worries have already been solved by Christ!

Singing, when I am alone, has always been a part of my spiritual walk from childhood to the present. The

deep meaning in so many of the great hymns speak to me over and over again. I have a few that I always seem

to go back to time and time again such as “Amazing Grace,” “Blessed Assurance,” “It is Well with My Soul” and

“All the Way My Savior Leads Me.” There are lines in these songs that always touch me no matter how many

times I sing them.

One very special hymn to me was written by Charles Albert Tindley in the late 1800s. It has been just

what I needed, more times than I can count. The hymn is “We Will Understand it Better By and By.” The first

stanza says “Trials dark on every hand, and we cannot understand, all the ways that God would lead us to that

blessed promised land. But he guides us with his eye, and we’ll follow till we die. We will understand it better

by and by.” The chorus proclaims “By and by, when the morning comes; when the saints of God are gathered

home; we will tell the story, how we’ve overcome. We will understand it better by and by.” Another stanza

says “Oft our cherished plans have failed, disappointments have prevailed and we’ve wandered in the darkness

heavy-hearted and alone, but we’re trusting in the Lord and according to his word, we will understand it better

by and by.”

When life is going well, it seems as though we would not mind life going on forever that way, but then

something, or several somethings, hit us and we are taken back to our knees in prayer and to the Word of God

for guidance. It is hard when it happens, but it can also be a good thing. We need to never stray from the

Word of God and from time with God spent on our knees in humble prayer.

We all get hit with things, but should we expect it to be any other way? Jesus warns us multiple times and

multiple ways that when you are a believer, and when you are engaged in any sort of ministry you are a target

for the devil who desperately wants to stop the work of God in the lives of people. We get weary yes, but we

travel on. Numerous times in ministry I did not think I could carry on another step. It is easy to become over-

worked, over-stressed, under-appreciated, and burned-out. Problems are everywhere. Disappointments with

people are on your right and on your left. When Tommi and I lost Devin, nearly 3 years ago, I did not think I

could go on at first and still hurt so badly on the inside that it makes everything else I do much more difficult.

But through all of this, I read words such as what Paul wrote to the Corinthians in his second letter “But we

have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are

hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsak-

en; struck down, but not destroyed – always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life

of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” (2 Cor. 4:7-10)

The reality we have because of Christ is enough to push us onward. It does not matter if it is bankruptcy,

suicide, cancer, a car accident, wayward children, marital problems, a bad job, or even no job at all, Christ is

sufficient. As we enter a new year, I am reminding myself that when bad things happen this year, and we all

know they will, God is in control and 2 Cor. 4:7-10 will be just as true. We can brace ourselves for reality, but

make sure you know in advance what reality actually is, according to God’s Word!

In Christ Our Lord,

Bro. Allen

ROGERS

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

fbcrogers.com

P A G E 2

Ordination Ceremony for

David Sanderson

Sunday January 12th @ 6:00pm

followed by a meal/reception.

Please join us as we honor David!

Annual SBCTA Association Meeting

Sunday, January 19th @ 5 pm

Church van will leave @ 4:15 pm

Meeting will be held at Unity Baptist Church

in Copperas Cove

UPCOMING MESSAGES

P A G E 3

Nursery Volunteers this Month

1/5 Susan Faucett

1/12 Jill Metcalf

1/19 Aggie Cecil

1/26 Laura Posas

Deacon of the Week

1/5 Greg Kieffer

1/12 Dennis Ray

1/19 Todd Marek

1/26 Brian Ray

Sunday AM

1/5 – “Finding True Riches” (Pt. 1) (Selected Scriptures)

1/12 – “Finding True Riches” (Pt. 2) (Selected Scriptures)

1/19 – “The Sanctity of Human Life” (Selected Scriptures)

1/26 – “The Secret Servant” (Mat. 12:15-21)

Sunday PM

1/5 – “Faith without Works is Dead” (Pt. 4) (James 2:21-26)

1/12 – Ordination Service

1/19 – SBCTA Annual Meeting

1/26 – “The Untamable Tongue” (Pt. 1) (James 3:1-12)

Ongoing Bible Studies

Sunday Mornings @ 9:45am

Adult Class: Deeper Life (Let’s Dig Deeper)

Ladies Class: Study of Ruth

Video Class: Right Now Media

Men’s Class: Robert Morris Series

Youth & Children’s classes

Wednesday Evenings @ 7pm

Adult’s, Youth, and Children’s classes Adult Class

Deacon’s Meeting-Sunday 5th @ 5pm

Council Meeting-Sunday 26th @ 5pm

Business Meeting-Sunday 26th @ 7:15pm

No Evening Activities & Office Closed on January 1st

New Online Church Directory

We are trying something new with an online

church directory. Each member who gives the

church office their email address will be able to

access their own information and make changes

as needed. This makes it much easier for the di-

rectory to stay up to date. Please let the church

office know your email address as soon as you

can so you can be given access to the directory to

start the process.

The access will also allow you to set what infor-

mation you want people to be able to see or not

see. You control your own preferences.

More information will be given at each stage of

the online directory setup.

As for now, the church office just needs to get

everyone’s email addresses please.

Thank you!

P A G E 4 January 2020

Right Now Media Recommendation of the Month

Bro. Allen’s QuotABle Quotes

“Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst; he promises honor, and pays with disgrace; he promises pleasure, and pays

with pain; he promises profit, and pays with loss; he promises life, and pays with death. But God pays as he promises; all his pay-

ments are made in pure gold.”

(Thomas Brooks)

“It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day.” (Matthew Henry)

“Before God can deliver us we must undeceive ourselves.” (Augustine)

“One of the most fundamental marks of true repentance is a disposition to see our sins as God sees them.” (Charles Simeon)

“Instead of complaining that God had hidden himself, you will give him thanks for having revealed so much of himself.” (Blaise

Pascal)

Erwin Lutzer is one of my favorite authors and speakers. He served for more than 30 years as the Pastor of

Moody Bible Church in Chicago. One of the first series I watched on Rightnow Media was a series he did on Heaven

and the afterlife. It was a tremendous encouragement to me!

From the website description: "One minute after you die you will be either elated or terrified...And it will be too

late to reroute your travel plans." When you slip behind the parted curtain, your life will not be over. Rather, it will

be just beginning-in a place of unimaginable bliss or indescribable gloom. This extraordinary series, with 8 transfor-

mational teachings from Pastor Erwin Lutzer, is the perfect companion to the bestselling One Minute After You Die

book. Follow along as Pastor Lutzer opens a window of eternity with a simple and moving explanation of what the

Bible teaches about death. These messages bring a biblical and pastoral perspective to such issues as:

Channeling, reincarnation, and near-death experiences

What heaven will be like

The justice of eternal punishment

The death of a child

Trusting in God's providence

Preparing for your own final moment”

P A G E 5

January Birthdays

4th Brianne Posas

5th Audie Faucett

6th Barbara Welsh

7th Joyce Mertz

8th Shirley Medford

9th Jerry Griffith

9th Kylie Bedrich

23rd Hunter Goonan

26th Aggie Cecil

27th Kim Sowell

31st David Sanderson

31st Elsie Connally

Wedding Anniversaries

9th Steve & Joyce Lemmons

We want to remember you on your birthdays and anniversaries! If we have missed your special day

please call (254) 642-3327 so that we can update our records. Thank you!

January 4th @ 8am

Operation Christmas Child

Item of the Month for January

Ivory Soap Bars

We prepared and shipped about 301 boxes last

month! Thank you to everyone who donated time,

items, or money to help with this ministry!

January’s Dinner Trip will be on Saturday, January

11th at the Pony Express in Hearne. The church van

will leave at 5:30pm to be at the restaurant about

6:30pm. This place offers a little something for eve-

ryone: steaks, chicken, sandwiches, spuds, salads,

burgers, and more.

Hope you can join

us for a night of

food and fellowship.

Church phone: (254)642-3327

Fax: (254)642-1198

Email fbcrogers@fbcrogers.com

Church Website:

www.fbcrogers.com

Senior Pastor, Dr. Allen Raynor:

araynor@fbcrogers.com,

Phone: (720) 951-1856

Associate Pastor/Youth Minister:

Robert Copeland:

rcopeland@fbcrogers.com

Music Minister/Children’s Minister:

Brian Weaks

Secretary: Stephanie Werner

fbcrogers@fbcrogers.com

Non-profit

US Postage Paid

Rogers, TX

Permit No. 1

First Baptist Church, Rogers

Box 296

Rogers, TX 76569

(254) 642-3327

Church Contact Information Sunday Schedule

9:45am Sunday School

11:00am Worship

6:00pm Evening Fellowship

Meal (Fellowship Hall)

6:30pm Evening Service

(Auditorium)

7:15pm Choir Practice

Wednesday Schedule

3:30pm CYC

6:00pm Family Meal

7:00pm Discipleship Classes

for All Ages

Looking Ahead…

2/1 Men’s Breakfast

2/2 Deacon’s Meeting

2/9 Valentine’s Banquet

& Movie Night

2/16 Business Meeting