Vol. XXXVIII • No.

6 • March 28, 2008

“Among Friends” “Ministry Support”
This Sunday, March 30, we are going to worship
By: Aubray Abrams and Bob Williamson
on the front lawn together under a big tent. I’m glad
Thanks to all for your support of the ministry needs of our church.
about this for several reasons. For one thing, who
This support is shown by staff and finance team working together to
doesn’t enjoy being outdoors at Springtime? First
control spending, it is demonstrated by your serving on ministry teams
Baptist Decatur has one of the largest green spaces in
and giving of your money to make these ministry activities possible.
Decatur—let’s enjoy it! More significantly, I’m glad that we’re
We are behind year-to-date in meeting the 2008 Budget needs by
“taking it outside” because it’s good for us and for our community.
$37,682, but by the time all of our ministry costs and revenue are
It’s good for us because anytime we deviate from some of our
accounted for we have $205 on the positive side of the ledger. We
regular church habits, we discover all over again how alive God is in
have been able to send the team to Thailand, help with another Habitat
all kinds of settings! I know you know that God isn’t confined to our
House, and collect a truck load of items for DEAM. We have
church’s sanctuary or to Carreker Hall. Worshiping in a new
provided items for our clothing room, some of the items needed for
environment is a nice reminder of that lovely truth. And our being
the Moncrief Center’s mission work, and a ton of donations have
outside is good for Decatur because it sends significant ripples
come in for the Yard Sale. Thank you for your generosity and your
through any community whenever a church visibly ventures beyond
heart for missions and ministry.
its own walls. I can’t wait till Sunday!
Finishing the year with the 2008 Budget met will put us in a great
But I’m also glad to be under the big tent this Sunday because
position to accomplish even more for God in 2009. This year our
it’s such a great visual picture of the church that First Baptist Decatur
year-to-date giving numbers indicate we are not far from that giving
has come to be through the years. What is a “big tent” congregation?
goal. Julie made a statement in the sermon last Sunday that God's
It’s a church that, because of an unwavering focus on the gospel and
train is ready to leave the station. We believe that to be true and
on the towering, all-encompassing call of Christ, draws all kinds of
encourage all to help us get the cars lined up, support the energy
people from all walks of life. In a “big tent” church on any given
needed by giving our resources to run the train and then get on board
Sunday, folks with widely differing opinions about all kinds of topics
for an exciting journey with God.
sit side-by-side in worship and Bible study and lean together toward
the one reality that matters most: Jesus is Lord!
Admittedly, “big tent” churches are rare. That’s because they Celebrating 15 years of Service!
require a great deal of patience and humility and love.
A pastor friend of mine, Brett, reminded me recently of a great Gene Ealey started working at FBC Decatur
story about the church. A man with a pile of bricks was measuring in March of 1993. Gene works on our
how long and wide and deep each brick was. He threw a bunch of maintenance staff and does a variety of
good-looking bricks out, saying: “I’ve got to get them all exactly the cleaning and maintenance tasks around the
same. I’m building a church and I want it to stand.” Some people church. You will often see him in the late
think that the way to build a church is to gather people who are from afternoons and early evenings cleaning the
the same economic, political, social and educational background first school classrooms and making sure our
because then they’ll stick together. The man stacked the bricks, all buildings are locked up each night. Gene is a
just alike, but the bricks fell down. very dependable member of our staff team and he is always quick with
Around the corner there was a man with a pile of rocks. What a a smile and a warm greeting. Gene loves sports and following the
mess! No two rocks were alike—there were round ones, dark ones, Atlanta Braves. He has seen so much happen around our church that
small ones, big ones and little ones. He said, “I’m building a church he might be able to write a column for the Outlook each month. We
that’s going to stand.” He went over to a wooden tray, took want to take this opportunity to thank Gene for his service to our
something like a hoe, and began to stir something back and forth. It church and support of our ministry. Thank You Gene!
looked like cement but that’s not what he called it. He slathered
generous amounts of the mixture in-between the stones. That church
is still standing. The stuff between held it together. He called it “the
Spirit of God.”
First Baptist Decatur is built with all kinds of wonderful,
oddly-shaped stones. The Spirit of God is doing a beautiful thing in
our midst. What a privilege to be part of it!

See you under the Big Tent…

Congregational Life Prayer Concerns as of
March 25, 2008
Current Wednesday Night Series—
“The Six Hottest Moral Issues of Our Time” Congratulations to:
Dr. David Gushee, the Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at ▪ Marsha and Neal Britt on the birth
McAfee School of Theology, will be leading our Wednesday Night discussions through of Mallery Britt.
April 9. The schedule of issues to be discussed: ▪ Tim and Kristen Dalton on the
Mar. 26 – euthanasia Apr. 2 – reproductive technology Apr. 9 – terrorism & torture birth of Tyler Graham Dalton.
▪ Scott and Michelle Morris on the
March is DEAM Collection Month birth of Matthew Morris.
Even though March is almost over we are still collecting canned goods and non-perishable food ▪ Galen and Melissa Swint on the
items for the Decatur Emergency Assistance Ministry (DEAM). Boxes are through-out the church birth of Hannah Claire Swint.
to collect your donations. Sympathy To:
▪ Nancy Peralta on the death of her
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia General Assembly held at FBC Decatur! sister, Joy Courtney.
Save the date for the CBF/GA General Assembly on April 4-5 here at FBC Decatur. Diana ▪ The family of Ada Pruitt.
Garland, Dean, School of Social Work, Baylor University will be the speaker for this event and the ▪ The family of Elizabeth Sells.
theme is “Loving God, Loving Neighbor.” Go to cbfga.org for more information or to sign up. ▪ Frances Smith on the death of her
sister, Helen Stinson.
Women on Mission—April 8 ▪ Ann Murphy on the death of her
Our next meeting of the Women on Mission will be Tuesday, April 8 with the leadership meeting at mother, Willamette Graham.
10:00, group meetings at 10:30 and the program at 11:00. Karen Dobson, the Executive Director of Thank You Notes Received from:
Mountain View Personal Care Home, will be our speaker. ▪ The Armando Family
▪ Elaine Sakas
Atlanta Metro Baptist Association Celebrates 100 years! ▪ Evelyn Jackson
The Atlanta Metro Baptist Association will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Sunday, April 20 at ▪ Genie Massingale
6:00pm at Smoke Rise Baptist Church. The cost of the event is $25/person or $175 for a table of 8.
For more information about reservations, call Bob Williamson in the church office, 404-373-1653. Tithes & Offerings
Sunday School Workers’ Appreciation Luncheon A Generous People
Sunday, April 27 following our 11:00 worship time, we will celebrate all that our Sunday School 2008 Ministry Action Plan
Workers’ have done for the FBC Decatur family. There will be lunch provided and entertainment Weekly Need: .....................$ 27,361
provided by the band “Old Enough to Know Better.” They are local Decatur folks with a great Received on Mar. 16:..........$ 14,025
sound and a “classical repertoire” - Beach Boys, Ink Spots, Episcopal Hymnal and doo-wop (that Received on Mar. 23:..........$ 29,564
kind of classical). There is no cost for this event and all Sunday School Workers and their families Y-T-D Need:.....................$ 328,336
are invited to attend. We do need you to RSVP so we can prepare the right amount of meals. Call Y-T-D Received: ..............$ 290,752
the church office, 404-373-1653 and let us know if you can join us for this fun event. Surplus/(shortfall):.............. (37,584)
Chastain Experience Comes to Decatur! “Years of Opportunity 2007-09”
Chastain Park is known for its outdoor summer concerts where people enjoy Campaign
elaborate picnic suppers while listening to great music. The same thing happens Given to Date:...................$ 291,504
each Spring on the lawn of First Baptist Church when Young at Heart sponsors Bank Loan Balance:..........$ 271,229
its annual big band concert. Music will be provided by Atlanta 17, with all the Owed to FBC Fdn.:...........$ 180,000
great sounds of the Big Band Era. Everyone is invited to bring their own picnic
supper and it can be as fancy or as simple as you want it to be. There is no Wednesday Dinner Menus
charge for the concert, but there is a $10 per table reservation fee if you want the
church to set up a table and eight chairs reserved in your name. You bring your own food, April 2
tablecloths, decorations, etc. The church will furnish bottled water and soft drinks. The event is Glazed Ham Steak, Potato Salad,
sponsored by Young at Heart but it is open to the entire church family and Decatur community. The Steamed Carrots, Salad Bar, Yeast
date is Friday, May 2, the time is 6:30 P.M., the dress is casual, and we have ordered perfect Rolls, Apple Pie
weather! Tables can be reserved until April 30 or until we run out of tables. Kid’s Menu
Cheese Pizza, Salad w/ Ranch
Let’s Go To the Coast!—YAH to Savannah Dressing, Cupcakes
Young at Heart will be sponsoring a Spring Trip to Savannah, May 12-16. We leave on Monday April 9
and return on Friday of that week. We will stay four nights at the same hotel in Savannah but Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes,
we will be making day trips to Jekyll Island, St. Simons, and Beaufort, S.C., as well as historic Steamed Cabbage, Salad Bar,
Savannah. The cost per person for double occupancy is $399, and that includes transportation, Buttermilk Biscuits, Vanilla Pound
hotel, all breakfasts and dinners. A deposit of $75 is due to hold your reservation. For further cake
information, pick up a flyer in the church office. We need 30 people minimum for the trip, so sign Kid’s Menu
up today for a really fun week together with fellow church members. Hot Dogs, French Fries, Sweet Peas,
Cookies
Youth Sp•t
Kid’s Zone
The youth ministry is gearing up for a summer of great ministry and we need
your help! First of all we ask that you familiarize yourself with our summer Parents’ Night Out Coming Soon!
schedule and keep us in your prayers throughout the summer as we travel to Our next Parents’ Night Out is coming up soon. We
and from our mission experiences and retreats. Secondly, we ask for your sponsor this event to give parents’ of our community a
support with our annual yard sale. The yard sale is our primary fund raiser chance to get out for an evening while their children
each year and we need your donations and the donations of everyone that you are taken care of in a safe and fun environment. This
know. You can help us by encouraging your family, friends, neighbors, and event is free for all who participate but we need at least
co-workers to donate their unwanted items to the yard sale. We will take just 75 volunteers to help us make this event a
about anything from cars and boats to cookware and televisions. Donations can success. The Spring Parents’ Night Out is April 25,
be brought to the church or you can call 404-219-3920 or email 2008 from 6:00-9:00. This is offered to children from
youthministry@fbcdecatur.com to schedule a pickup. 3 months-5th grade. If you are able to volunteer for
this event please contact Debbie Britt,
Big Summer Youth Dates dbritt@fbcdecatur.com or 404-373-1653.
Yard Sale
(May 29-May 31) Just a Reminder
Junior/Senior Retreat Spring Break is April 7-11 so we will not be having
(June 6-June 14) Children’s Choir and Missions on that Wednesday,
Intown Mission Week April 9.
(June 22-June 28)
Out of Town Mission Week Thank You to all our Extended Session
(July 12-July 19) Volunteers!
Beach Retreat April Extended Session Volunteers:
(August 3-August 8)
April 6 April 13
Hinkle Castleberry
One of our newest Carter Clay
Salcedo Warshauer
“Easter People,” Hamrick Jones
Kimberly Laing.
April 20 April 27
Kimberly was Stanford Eargle
Hayes Perry
baptized Easter Fewell R. Leeth
Sunday. Duke Henderson

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
Ryan Forbes.....................................404-370-7690
Julie Pennington-Russell.................404-370-7684
Kurt Varney......................................404-373-1653
Bob Williamson ...............................404-370-7687

Computer Connections:
Website—http://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