Vol. XXXIV • No.

3 • February 6, 2009
 “Among Friends”
Sometimes when I have a few minutes to spare I
pick up Hettie Johnson’s wonderful book, The
Church Expanding, a history of FBC Decatur from
1862-1987. Hettie was a terrific storyteller and I
learn something new every time I open these pages.
Last week I found myself lingering for a while in the 1940s. Did you
know that between 1940 and 1951 FBC grew by 1,500 people?!!
Anytime a church grows, it groans. Whenever there is an
outpouring of the Spirit on a congregation, unless “machinery” is put
in place (teams, committees, staff, more worship services, programs,
facilities, etc.) to help facilitate the growth, pretty soon the growth
that was once exhilarating becomes irritating. Eventually the
disorganization becomes discouraging and the movement loses steam.
In the 1940s FBC Decatur put some new “machinery” in place in
direct response to what God was doing in their midst:
• Enlisted and trained additional Bible study teachers.
• Paid off the church’s staggering debt of $40,800—during the
war years, no less—in order to purchase 12 acres of land on
Clairemont Avenue (at that time our facilities were located
over on Trinity).
• Organized FBC’s first finance committee
(after 80 years without one!)
• Started a men’s ministry called “The Brotherhood” with 105
charter members.
• Enlarged the number of pastoral and support staff. March Mission Madness 2009
• Started a second worship service at 8:30 a.m.—before the days
of coffee and cinnamon rolls! The youth will leave for Newnan, GA for March Mission Madness on
• Doubled the number of deacons (from 24 to 48). Fri., March 20. This is a great time to worship God, serve others and
• Enhanced the record-keeping system in order to keep up with all meet with youth from across the state. We will leave the church the
of the newcomers. evening of March 20 and return the afternoon of March 22. Youth
• Established the FBC Foundation in order to strengthen the work should be prepared to have fun, work hard and get dirty. We will
of missions, benevolent ministries, ministerial education, and likely be working in one of the following service projects: home
to provide for future construction and maintenance of repair, painting, ministering with the homeless, clearing land,
facilities. cleaning, working at food and clothing ministries, and working at a
• Began building the facilities at our present location. nursing home and rehabilitation assistance facility. We will stay at a
local hotel as assigned by the event coordinators. The staff and
These stories from almost 70 years ago are inspiring, and they congregation of Central Baptist Church in Newnan is the host facility
strike me as being similar to the place we find ourselves in today. for gathering and worship. For more information, see Brandon Tubbs.
New people are showing up every week. The Spirit is drawing people
to Christ. Men, women and children are being baptized. More
believers are discovering and using their gifts. Thanks be to God!
And, as our predecessors experienced here so long ago, as we grow
we find ourselves groaning just a bit:
• Parking has become an issue.
• We need significantly more Bible study teachers.
• Our 9:00 worship service will outgrow Carreker Hall by the end
of this year (and maybe by fall).
• Our Sunday School ministry—especially our young adult and Go...Be...Do! Missions Corner
children’s areas—needs to create new environments in order
to accommodate growth. Goal for Thailand Scholarships within Reach
• We need more welcomers on Sundays and Wednesdays. We need just under $3,000 to complete our offering to provide
• We need to pay off our current indebtedness in order to be continuing education scholarships for our friends at the Upland
poised for God’s next dream for FBC. Holistic Development Project in Thailand. Use your red Special
Offering envelope to contribute to this project that is truly providing
All of the above present challenges for us. But as I told somebody people with a sustainable way to thrive economically.
recently, I’ll take growing pains over “dying slowly” pains any day!

Grateful to be growing (and groaning) with you…

Congregational Life
Women on Mission to Hear Carolyn Bishop
Join the FBCD Women on
Mission on Tuesday, February 10
at 11 a.m. in the third floor
conference room of the Sanctuary
Building to hear Dr. Carolyn
B i s h o p , P r e s id e n t o f t h e
Consortium for Global Education. A graduate of
Furman University (B.A.), Clemson University
(M. Ed.), and Emory University (Ph.D.), Dr.
Bishop leads CGE in developing and
strengthening international education programs
between 45 American colleges and universities
and 241 overseas institutions in more than 80
countries. The WOM leadership will meet at 10
a.m. and the groups will meet at 10:30 before
Dr. Bishop’s presentation at 11 a.m. Everyone is
invited.
AARP Driver Safety Driving Class Offered
Feb. 16-17
There will be an AARP Driver Safety Driving
class on Feb. 16 and 17 from 9:30-1:30 here at
FBC Decatur. If you are interested in signing up
please call the church office (404-373-1653) to
get on the class list. The cost is $14 and you get
a discount with an AARP membership card.
“Prayers and Squares” Prayer Ministry
Orientation gathering February 12, 10:30a in
Carreker Hall. Interested? Give us a call in the
church office, 404-373-1653,
For all Parents and Grandparents .... you won't
want to miss this exciting upcoming event!!
Spring/Summer Children's Consignment
Sale March 6-7th; 9am-3pm-church gym
Most items ½ price on Saturday. Items from
130+ moms including clothes (size 0 to Junior
7), shoes, toys, books, videos, bikes, riding toys,
nursery items, maternity, and much more.
Everything a child could need at great bargain
prices!! For additional info, email Jeannie at
tskidsale@bellsouth.net or call 770-414-6099.
Young at Heart Shortlines
There is still time to sign up for our Greek Isles trip that is Nov. 7. See Bob Williamson by Feb. 15th
for details and to register for the cruise.
Young At Heart Luncheon and program February 26th at 12 noon. The cost will be $5 for lunch
and the program is on Fraud/Scam Alerts and “ALL the Documents You Need to Have At Home”
taught by Chris Laws. Sign up today in the church office.
King Tut in March. We will have two opportunities to go to visit the King Tut exhibit in
March. Sunday Mar. 1 & Mar. 15. More information will be coming soon but if you are interested
get your name on the list for a ticket now! Contact the church office.
Volunteers Needed for Nursery Duty
We are currently developing the 2009 Nursery
Duty Schedule for both the Fresh Start Service
and Sanctuary Service. With a fresh crop of
babies in the infant room and all the wonderful
new children in our congregation...we need a
few more volunteers!! If you are interested in
volunteering in the nursery for either service
contact Emily Herndon (678-431-3130 or emily-
herndon@gmail.com).
Did ya’ know?
…that you can visit any music ministry group
rehearsal without obligation to join for the rest
of your life? You will be welcomed! Come
give it a go! Orchestra (Sunday, 9:15am), Youth
Vocal Ensemble (Sunday, 6:00pm), Children’s
Choirs (all ages – grade 5; Wed. 6:30pm), Adult
Vocal Ensemble (Wed. 6:35pm), FreshStart
Band (Wed. 7:30pm), and Sanctuary Choir
(Wed. 7:30pm).
Yard Sale News
The Annual Youth Yard Sale is approaching
quickly and we need donations. If you do not
know much about the yard sale it is the primary
funding for our youth ministry each year and it
is dependent upon donations! We will take just
about anything except broken appliances and
electronics. This is a great way for you, your
family, your friends, your neighbors, and your
coworkers to clean out unneeded and unused
items from your home, garage, office, and
vacation home. Donations can be brought to the
church almost anytime and it is also possible to
schedule pickups. It seems like our donations
are down at this point so please help us out by
letting us have your old stuff. We literally will
take anything from clothing to
automobiles. Please help us spread the word! If
you have questions or need to schedule a pickup
please contact Kurt Varney.
(kvarney@fbcdecatur.com or 404/219-3920)
Prayer Concerns as of
February 4, 2009
Congratulations to:
•Mark and Adrienne Howard on the
birth of Lauren Elizabeth Howard!
Sympathy To:
•Vera Mack, First School Teacher, on
the death of her mother, Jeanette Gay.
•June Gilson on the death of her
brother, Vincent Kessler.
•Shannon and Zeno Douglas on the
death of Shannon’s brother.
Weekend Emergency Pastoral
Care—Pastor On Call
Feb. 6-8.....................Sharyn Dowd
Feb. 13-15...................Ryan Forbes
Call the church office for the number
Tithes & Offerings
A Generous People
2009 Ministry Action Plan
Weekly Need:.......................$ 29,126
Received on Jan. 18 ...............$ 9,572
Received on Jan. 25 .............$ 23,985
Received on Feb. 1...............$ 24,844
YTD Budget:......................$ 145,631
YTD Received: ..................$ 102,244
“Years of Opportunity 2007-09”
Campaign
Given to Date .....................$ 365,137
Bank Loan Balance ............$ 219,728
Owed to FBC Foundation ..$ 180,000
Missions Offering YTD........$ 2,959
Wednesday Dinner Menus
February 11
Pick one of the following menus:
Blue Plate Menu
Meat Lasagna, Steamed Veggies,
Salad Bar, Texas Toast, Chocolate
Cake
“Lighter Side” Menu
Broccoli & Cheese Soup, Baked
Potato/Salad Bar, Chopped Steak,
Pepperoni Pizza, Lite Yogurt
February 18
Pick one of the following menus:
Blue Plate Menu
Beef Tips in Mushroom Gravy,
White Rice, Green Peas, Salad Bar,
Yeast Rolls, Peanut Butter Chip Pie
“Lighter Side” Menu
Cream of Chicken Soup, Baked
Potato/Salad Bar, Tuna Salad,
Cheese Pizza, Jello
Youth Sp•t Kid’s Zone
It is hard to believe that it is 2009 and the Youth Ministry is already Let’s take a trip to the Circus!
having a great year. Our annual Ski Retreat was a super weekend of
being on the slopes at Snowshoe, West Virginia. Next month we March 7, 2009; 4:00 pm
will be heading to Newnan, Georgia for March Mission Madness ---
There are more details on page 2 of the Outlook. Before you know Tickets are $21.00 each for
it, the Yard Sale will be over and we will be in the midst of our mezzanine side seating
summer mission and retreat experiences. We are always looking
for ways to welcome new youth into the Youth Ministry want to ask If you are interested please let Debbie
for help in two ways. First of all pray for the youth on a regular ba- know by Feb. 12th so the tickets can be
sis. Pray that God will guide us and keep us safe and that God will ordered as a group.
bring new people into our midst and that we will all encounter God
in ways that will help us be the kind of people and church that God Important dates…
wants us to be. Secondly, please help direct youth in grades 6 Baby Dedication—April 26th
through 12 to the youth ministry. We can add them and their
families to our mailing list and also extend special invitations. If you Crocodile Dock:
are ever interested in helping out with the Youth Ministry in other Where fearless kids shine God’s light.
ways please get in contact with Kurt Varney through the church (children’s Jekyll Island beach retreat)
office. Completed 2nd grade –completed 5th grade
May 31-June 6
Big youth dates for 2009 Cost $295.00
Spring Break Retreat at the Beach
Camp E D G E:
Sunday, April 5 through Saturday, April 11
Experience + Discover God everywhere.
(Dogwood Lodge, Chattanooga, Tn.)
Junior/Senior Trip
Completed 2nd grade-5th grade
Tuesday, June 9 through Wednesday, June 17
July 6-10
Cost $225.00
Intown Mission Week
Friday, June 26 through Wednesday, July 1
VBS Rome:
Out of Town Mission Week to Hurley, Virginia
Paul and the Underground Church
Saturday, July 11 through Saturday, July 18
Children 6wks-5th grade
July 20-24
Beach Retreat
August 2 through 7

The Outlook, a publication of the First Baptist Church of Decatur,

Georgia, is mailed to members and friends of the First Baptist family.

Main Office......................................404-373-1653
Finance.............................................404-370-7694
First School ......................................404-370-7688
Activities ..........................................404-373-2442
FAX ..................................................404-370-7692
Debbie Britt .....................................404-373-1653
Sharyn Dowd....................................404-373-1653
Ryan Forbes.....................................404-370-7690
Julie Pennington-Russell.................404-370-7684
Kurt Varney......................................404-373-1653
Bob Williamson ...............................404-370-7687
Computer Connections:
Website—www.fbcdecatur.com
E-Mail—fbcd@fbcdecatur.com

The Outlook, USPS 600-320, is published bi-weekly, except

Christmas week, by First Baptist Church Decatur, GA

Postmaster: Please send address changes to First Baptist Church,

308 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030