Breakfast with Santa

From Blogging with BA

This weekend was packed full of fun.
Saturday morning I was privleged to help with our Children and Youth fundraisers. The first being "Breakfast with Santa." A number of kids got to come sit on Santa's lap (AKA my Dad) and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Their parents got to take pictures of their kids with their own camera so that they could then download them and email them to all their friends and families.

Dad worked with a local photographer, Lori Gragg, where people got some really great pictures of their kids with Father Christmas.

The picutres taken at the church didn't look anything like this one. I'll see if I can't download some of them later.

After the kids got their picture with Santa they went to the Social Hall and were served Sausage and Pancakes.

I think the kids and the parents alike had a great time.

I want to say something before I post this blog.
We go to a church in Fitzgerald Georgia that may not be perfect, and a person can't say we're a small church nor can they see we're a big church, but we are a church that sees the need to do things for and with the children and youth. More importantly, we are a church that will get up and do things for and with children and youth. There are people in our church that show up EVERY time they're needed to help. There are people in our church that volenteer EVERY time they hear there might be a need of help. There are people that donate funds EVERY time funds are needed. I can say "THANK GOD!" our church is a church with a vision, a desire, and the willingness to step up. I mean we know it is not of us. We as men and women couldn't or wouldn't do it of our own and we know it is of God. But; I know people can and sometimes do turn a deaf ear to what it is God is asking them to do. It is just that God is so wonderful and has done so much for the children and youth of our church that it blows my mind.
It would be impossible to mention everyone that has helped, so I would personally like to take the time to publicly say thank you to each of them. Thank you for helping but THANK YOU for showing me how much a person has to give and how special that gift can be. When I sit back and look at our church, I can't help but be proud of what God is doing; even when I may not be totally happy with everyone in it, God's blessings totally outshine any mistakes we as members may ever make.

RA's 2008

From Blogging with BA

This is a picture of most of the boys in our RA class. All the boys are not there, but to have a night when we are all there is very rare.
Something that has just developed is a partnering with an RA class from Liberia. We are going to send packages to one another which will give the boys to chance to learn what God is doing in boys lives across the world. It is very exciting and very cool to see how God works in our lives in matters like setting this up. I can say that I don't always, if not almost never, stop to see just how God is working in my life. I think as Christians, we can all get to the point where our own actions is all that matters and when faced with opisition, we allow ourselves anger and resentment; when if fact if we've sat back and given God control we would find it less stressful and that pieces more easily fall into place. There is a project that I feel God has laid on my heart with the teens in our community. Last night, on my way home, I started thinking about it and that little quiet voice came up and asked if I was going to pray about it and let God part of it or was I going to charge ahead, steamrolling everything that gets in the way. Well, as we all know, it is easy for us Christians to ignore that voice we know is the Holy Spirit and do what we want to anyway, but this time I listened. I've given this project to God and only ask that those that read this blog will spend alittle time in prayer. Pray for our RA class. These boys are faced with a world that doesn't reflect the things we teach in church. Pray for the boys in the RA class in Liberia. I don't know anything about their living conditions, but to know there is a church starting an RA class is encouraging and I know Satan is raging an attach there. Pray for me, that I will give God control and I will be the example to these young boys that God would have me be. Pray that God would give me patience with the leaders of our church, and that this vision will come to be and will impact the teens in our community and who knows the world. Pray for our teens and children. They face battles we hardly knew exsisted when we were that age and pray for each other. Many times we're told something or see something that ticks up off without ever taking the time to try to understand what the other party is going through that would have provoked the offending action. Church politics is a nasty monster in a church and I truely wish it were banned from all churches. Let us all get on board doing God's will and leave our own agendas at home. I pray that God blesses you all and that a lesson of God's love will be learned by us today. I pray that peace will be in our hearts and our spirit of combativness will be silenced. I pray a smile will rise up from our hearts to our faces and that the lost world would see that smile and be encouraged to allow Christ into their hearts.
Bless you,
Brian

It's not about US ... It's all about Him!

Click on Pic to view album

Fall Retreat '08

Fall Retreat '08 - Know His Character

On September 26-28, West Side Baptist Church - Youth and Children went on our FIRST ANNUAL FALL RETREAT. We left Fitzgerald at 4PM Friday and, after stopping to eat a pizza picnic dinner at around 6PM, we arrived at the FFA FHA Camp in Covington Ga at just after 8PM. By 9PM we were in our meeting room and starting the intro of our lessons.

On Saturday morning we enjoyed a breakfast of grits, eggs, and sausage. Some also had fruit and or cereal, with milk or juice. Class began at 8:30.
We started our first lesson with a taste test. With four volunteers, who could pick out the "Real" Coke between four samples.
The first taste was of Ritz Cola, 3 of the 4 thought it was the "Real" Coke.
Second was COKE Cola, and again 3 of the 4 thought is was the "Real" Coke.
The third sample was Chek Cola, made here in Fitzgerald at Deep South.
ALL FOUR KIDS THOUGHT IT WAS THE "REAL" COKE.
The fourth sample was Tonic Water, and ZERO kids thought it was the "Real" Coke.

This was a lot of fun, but with a point. After the taste test, we asked why some of the volunteers liked the other drinks better or thought that the other drinks were the "Real" Coke? and How does that relate to people believing in false gods or not sure they follow the REAL God.
We asked an open question, "How do you know your following the real God?"

The second lesson started with a race. Four children volunteered, each blew up a balloon and on the word go tossed the balloon in the air, put both hands behind their backs, and blew the balloons across the room and back.

It was a close race, and when each team of two finished, we explained what the race represented. The balloons represented us, and the contestants represented the Holy Spirit. We asked the kids what was hard about blowing the balloons in the direction they wanted them to go. They said the balloons didn't want to cooperate and kept falling down. What happened. The volunteers (remember are the Holy Spirit) had to keep picking them up and getting the balloons (us) back on track. We talked about how hard the Holy Spirit has to work to keep us on the right track, and what we can do to make that job easier.

Our third and last lesson began with a skit performed by the teachers that went on the retreat with us. The skit made the point that unless we first know Jesus for ourselves, we can not share him with others. Of course this was done in a fun way where one lady loved food, not Jesus; a man spent his time pursuing relationships with women rather than one with Jesus; two women found joy in shopping, not knowing Jesus; another man found life in books, not Jesus; a grumpy old man kept to himself rather than surrounding himself in Jesus; a drunkard searched for joy in the bottom of a bottle; and finally at the end of our short skit, the young lady finds Jesus with the help of another young lady who knew Him and could tell her how to find Jesus Christ and shared the ABC's of becoming a Christian.

In between class, WE HAD FUN!

We got to play mini-golf, basketball, tennis, volleyball, and ping pong. The children got to play on the paddle boats and the youth were allowed to participate on the Low Ropes course. At the end of the day we were treated with a nice bonfire on the lake. We sang a couple songs and had a moment of invitation, followed by everyone holding hands and taking turns praying.

We had lots of fun in the cabins too. Pouring cold water over the shower curtain on someone while he was taking a shower was a favorite prank in the boys cabin.

Everything went well and we knew we had been blessed by getting to know more about God's character while having such a good time.

BACK TO SCHOOL BIBLE BASH

Back2SchoolBibleBash

CLICK ON PIC TO VIEW ALBUM
July 30, 2008

West Side Baptist Church at 612 West Altamaha Street in Fitzgerald Georgia, held its FIRST annual Back to School Bible Bash.

Each Sunday School class hosted a game table. Some games encluded a basketball throw, ring toss, and darts, just to name a few. Children were treated to free hotdogs, popcorn, drinks, and free school supplies. Each child was given a New Testiment NIV Bible. We even had a great up and coming contimparary Christian band, called Allegiance, out of Jessup Georgia.

Click Pic to see Album

Howdy,
Going to try to see about blogging. The children at our church are doing alot and I would like to have a place my friends all over can visit and see'em.

Later,
Brian