200 S. Church St.

Rocky Mount, NC 27804

Church Office Hours: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday - Thursday 8:00 am - 2:30 pm Friday

Church Office (252) 446-9113

Fax (252) 446-5025

Website www.fbcrm.org

24-Hour Prayer Request Line (252) 446-5993

First Baptist Child Care Center (252) 446-7416

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Pastor’s

Article

2

Church

Staff

2

Ecuador

Contributions

3

Philadelphia

Church Planting

4

Women’s Bible

Study

4

Contribution

Envelopes

5

Calendar 6

First Baptist News J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 5 R O C K Y M O U N T , N C

Knowing God, Making God Known, and Becoming like His Son, Jesus Christ, through Worship, Bible Study, and Ministry

First

Baptist

Church

Living/Giving Principle #4 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly?

For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. -1 Chronicles 29:14

“I need to transfer the ownership of everything I have to God”

Campaign Dates: January 4 - March 1

During our 2015 Stewardship Campaign we will celebrate, through meaningful sermons and testi-

monies, the privilege of giving ourselves wholeheartedly to God’s Kingdom work. Every member

will be challenged to commit to stewardship in the following areas of life:

A daily time with God A weekly gathering with the family of God

A consistent ministry with God and A responsible financial commitment with God

ChurchChurchChurch---wide 5 week study beginning wide 5 week study beginning wide 5 week study beginning

January 11, 2015January 11, 2015January 11, 2015

at 6:00 pm in the Sanctuaryat 6:00 pm in the Sanctuaryat 6:00 pm in the Sanctuary

We will be studying the book:

A Display of God’s Glory:

Basics of Church Structure, Elders,

Deacons, Congregationalism,

and Membership.

Regular Sunday night Children’s

activities will be held in the FMC.

P A G E 2

WORLDVIEW . . .

We each have one - a worldview

that is. We all look at reality (i.e.,

the objective world outside of us

prior to our perceptions or encoun-

ters with it) through a certain set of

ideas. These ideas form the grid

through which we understand the

world and our place in it. We call

this set of ideas a worldview. At the

risk of oversimplification, we might

say that we all have a view of the

world.

A few questions immediately arise:

1) Is your view of the world true?

After all, you have been wrong

before, right?

2) Who is to arbitrate between

conflicting views? I mean, we

cannot all be right, can we? For

instance, it is self-evident that

the views of an atheist and the

views of a theist cannot both be

right. God either does or does

not exist!

3) Are there consequences for fail-

ing to “see the world rightly?”

Over the next several months, we

will explore these questions and

many others in an effort to under-

stand the significance of worldviews

and their central importance in our

lives.

Borrowing from the ideas of others,

I will eventually arrive at some

more sophisticated definitions for a

worldview. For the moment, let’s

use as a working definition the met-

aphor of glasses. It’s a time-

honored analogy. A worldview is

like a pair of glasses. We can look

at the physical world through glass-

es. In an analogous way, we must

look at the world through ideas.

Those ideas form our worldview.

We do not, at least normally, spend

time looking at our glasses unless

they are broken

or we are trying

to decide if we

like the way

they make us

look!! In the

same way, we

don’t spend

much time

looking at our

worldviews. In the former, we are

justified. In the latter, we are im-

poverished, perhaps, even damned.

That is to say, we should and we

must spend an enormous amount of

time “thinking about our thinking.”

A pair of eyeglasses is one thing.

Our idea about the nature of reality

is a whole new ballgame.

Of the many questions that demand

to be asked in light of this unavoid-

able truth, the first one that begs

our attention is this: Are our ideas

about the world right or wrong, true

or false, valid or invalid, defensible

F I R S T B A P T I S T N E W S

“Are our ideas

about the world

right or wrong, true

or false, valid or

invalid, defensible

or indefensible…”

It’s Importance and Consequences Rev. Dennis Darville

PASTORAL TEAM

Dennis Darville

Preaching & Leadership

Tim Griffin

Education & Discipleship

Mike Avery

Marriage & Families

Larry Curtis

Counseling & Coaching

Tom Jones

Missions & Evangelism

Jim Alley

Music & Worship

Stephen Weeks

College Students

Louis Griffin

Music & Worship

Bob Britt

Homebound Visitation

ADMINISTRATION

Beth Thompson

Operations Director

Jewell Pullen

Financial Administration

Faye Strickland

Facilities Administration

Mary Helen Batten

Receptionist/Admin. Assistant

Kayla Dozier

Administrative Assistant

Nina Daughtridge

Music Assistant

WORLDVIEW . . . . (continued)

or indefensible, and finally, are these ideas capable of being corroborated (i.e., shown to be true or not)?

In short, are the things we believe about the world true?

No doubt, you have had the experience of discovering that some of your previously held beliefs turned

out to be wrong. While you recognize you can afford to be wrong about small matters, you also recog-

nize, (hopefully) that you cannot afford to be wrong about weighty and eternal matters (e.g., the exist-

ence and attributes of God; the origin and destiny of the universe; and our moral obligations before a

thrice-holy God, etc.). In short, TRUTH REALLY MATTERS!

Consider for a moment what C.S. Lewis has a senior devil say to a junior devil in his book The

Screwtape Letters:

[Man] has been accustomed, ever since he was a boy, to having a dozen incompatible philoso-

phies dancing about together inside his head. He doesn't think of doctrines as primarily true or

false, but as academic or practical, outworn or contemporary, conventional or ruthless. Jargon,

not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church. Don't waste time trying to make

him think that materialism is true! Make him think it is strong or stark or courageous—that it is

the philosophy of the future. That's the sort of thing he cares about (emphasis mine).

What Lewis is getting at through this amusing, fictional account is the sad state of affairs that is all too

true on many, if not most, occasions-“we all live with incompatible philosophies dancing about togeth-

er inside our head.” Lewis is not arguing that this is the way it should be; quite the opposite. He is argu-

ing through satire that this is, at best, culpable laziness or, at worst, egregious and unethical, intellectual

behavior. We are obligated ethically (borrowing from the Apostle Paul), “…to take every thought cap-

tive to the obedience of Christ.” If for no other reason, we should desire to settle the dispute. Which, to

use Lewis’ words, philosophy of life is true? So, the place to begin is with our own reflections about

life. We must determine what is true and what is false.

Over the next year, I intend, God willing, to explore the concept of worldviews in our newsletter. Please

be patient! For some, this will be a reminder of what you already know. For others, the very concept of

worldview-studies is new. For those who are familiar, take this opportunity to renew your love for this

most important discipline. For those to whom this will be new - get ready for some eye-opening ap-

proaches to life.

F I R S T B A P T I S T N E W S

P A G E 3

Want to support our Church Plant in Ecuador? These are some different ways you

can contribute and what your contribution will be used for. Please indicate on the

outside of your offering envelope, the amount and ministry you want to support.

Write Ecuador: If you want your contribution to go toward travel and supplies needed by mission teams.

Write Salasaka: If you want your contribution to go toward evangelism & discipleship, future church

plants, training materials, facilities, audio/visual equipment, baptisms, and communion.

Write Ecuador Church Plant: If you want your contribution to go directly toward such things as Sunday

School materials, music, guitar ministry, Bibles, materials for pre-schools, church furnishings, and holiday

teaching aids.

P A G E 4

Philadelphia is a city whose foundation is built on Christi-anity. The name “Philadelphia” actually means “city of brotherly love.” This city was founded with the hopes of religious liberty prevailing. It is a place where, during the Great Awakening of the 18th and 19th centuries, thou-sands of people were coming to Christ. It is reported that, if one walked down the streets of Philly he would likely hear praises sung from open windows. Ben Franklin esti-mated that in the Center City, George Whitefield preached to over 50,000 people. The question that has arisen in my mind is this, “How does a city with such strong Christian roots become an urban center with only 3-6% of its population considering themselves to be evan-gelical Christians?” Mack Stiles says that the Gospel can be lost in a very short time. The dangerous slide usually goes like this. the Gospel is accepted- the Gospel is as-sumed – the Gospel is confused – the Gospel is Lost.

WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE?

GOSPEL CENTRALITY If Philly is going to be reached then we must plant churches radically committed to being Biblical and relevant. The first priority that comes to mind is that the Church must keep the Gospel blazing at the center. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 that the Gospel is of “first importance.” So the Gospel must be center in who we are. We must rightly proclaim and live out this Gospel.

GOSPEL COMMUNITY In Ephesians 2:11-22 we see that Christ did not die just to save us and leave us as individuals, but rather to make us Fellow Citizens, a Family, A Holy Temple for His Dwelling. Philadelphia not only needs to hear the Gospel, but she needs to see this Gospel lived out in the Church’s ordinary life together. We must display to her that the church is not a place to which we go, or an event we that attend, but rather a people to whom we belong and with whom share life. As Lesslie Newbigin says, the Church is the hermeneutic (i.e. the interpretation) of the Gospel. In other words, the shared life and message of the Church is the best way for the lost to understand the Gospel. The early Church displays this Gos-pel community in Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-37.

MISSION TOGETHER Just as in the incarnation Christ left Glory and sought us while in our sin, so we must be “incarnational” in going to the lost together. We must learn to live as missionaries look-ing for ways to share and live the Gospel out together. We are going to be strategizing ways to meet the lost, build re-lationships, share the Gospel, and disciple them. Our hopes in all of this is that God will receive the glory that He is due, that believers will know the joy of God’s presence in their life to make disciples, and that all peoples might know the infinite worth of knowing Christ and being made a part of His body. By God’s grace, Philadelphia will be a “city on a hill” and a “light to the nations” once again.

Call the church office for more information & to sign-up

Inclement Weather PolicyInclement Weather Policy

Check fbcrm.org,

WRAL, or WTVD

for closings or

schedule changes due

to inclement weather.

Is now accepting applications to host a child for

summer 2015. Contact Amy Daniel for more information.

252-451-8011 amypd@suddenlink.net

P A G E 5

Contribution Envelope Travels...

F I R S T B A P T I S T N E W S

Did you ever wonder what happens to your contribution envelope after you drop it into the collection plate? The envelope goes on a little journey into the Usher’s Closet. If the envelope was in the first service collection, it will wait until the second service collec-tion is taken and then all contributions are removed from the col-lection plates and put into tamper proof night deposit bags. The second part of the journey has two ushers carry the bags over to the bank and put them into the night deposit slot at the bank. Early on Monday mornings, three members of First Baptist go over to the bank to make the deposits. First they take out the loose cash and loose checks that were not in contribution enve-lopes. Next the count team opens each envelope. If the front of the envelope is not filled out, they look at the check for clues as to how you want your contribution to be distributed. If there are no instructions on the memo line, the total contribution goes to regu-lar budget. They also check the amounts – alphabetic & numeric – they must match - and they insure the envelope total is the same as the check amount. The count team totals all the contribution envelope amounts and then totals all the checks and cash. The amounts must balance. Then the count team makes all the deposits for the checks and cash. The third part of the journey is when the team brings the envelopes back to the church office to be posted to your individual accounts. (Remember the checks are already deposited – the Financial Administrator does not see your checks.) Please remember that if you do not fill out the front of your contri-bution envelope, you are giving that responsibility to someone else. The team does it’s best to correctly record your wishes for your donation but it would be much better to record your own in-formation. Please remember that any funds listed in the “other” box goes to House the Children (at the Bassett Center). If you would like your contributions to go to other ministries, please list the name of the ministry. If you use the pew envelopes, please list your name and address. Sometimes we have more than one family with the same last name, we even have a couple of members with the same first and last name. Without an address, we have to guess whom the dona-tion is from. We now have an option available for online giving. You may go to the church website, to the member’s page and see your contribu-tions, even if you decide not to give online. Online giving is safe and completely confidential (no one sees your contribution except the Financial Administrator) and you may set up donations for the entire year – even designated to all the different funds that you are interested in. Your contributions are updated weekly, so you could check them regularly.

Regular

Worship

Schedule

Resumes

January

4, 2015

Two

Worship

Services

8:15 am

&

11:00 am

Sunday

School

at 9:30 am

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

New Year’s Day

Church Office Closed

2 3

4 Regular Sunday Wor-

ship Resumes (8:15 & 11

am, SS at 9:30)

No PM Activities

5 6 7

Deacon Ordination (6pm Sanctuary)

8 Sr. Adult Lunch 90

yrs.+ (12pm F.H.)

9 10

11 Deacons’ Meeting

(4 pm M201A)

Biblical Church Structures

(6pm Sanctuary)

12 13

MOPS (7pm F.H)

14

A Perfect Injustice (6pm F.H.)

15 16 17

TLUSA Camping

Trip 17-19

18

Biblical Church Structures

(6pm Sanctuary)

19 20 21

Cambodia Mission

Report (6pm F.H.)

22 23 24

25

Biblical Church Structures

(6pm Sanctuary)

26 Blood Drive

(3-7pm FMC)

27 MOPS (7pm F.H)

28

Ecuador Mission

Report (6pm F.H.)

29 30 31

January 2015

w w w . f b c r m . o r g

Sundays 8:00 am Televised Morning Worship

(WHIG Channel 17)

8:15 am Contemporary Worship Service

9:00 am Church Library open until 10:00 am

9:30 am Bible Study

11:00 am Worship Service

6:00 pm Biblical Church Structures

TeamKID & KOGS (FMC)

Mondays 10:45 am Inspiration Singers (Choir suite) 7:00 pm Praise Team Rehearsal

Tuesdays 6:30 am Women’s Prayer Groups

9:00 am Staff meeting

Women’s Bible Study

10:00 am Women’s Prayer Group

1:00 pm Stephen Ministry (1st & 3rd Wks M103)

6:00 pm Handbell Rehearsal

6:30 pm Trail Life USA & Am. Heritage Girls (FMC)

Wednesdays 10:00 am EQUIP for Interns (E200)

3:00 pm Church Library open until 6:00 pm

COOL Kids (FMC)

5:00 pm Fellowship Meal

6:00 pm Nursery for Birth—1 yr. (M105 & M101)

Mission Friends for 2 yrs.—3 yrs. (M102)

Cherub Choir for 4 yrs.—K (E202)

Sonshine Choir for Grades 1 &2 (E201a)

Music Makers for Grade 3 (E300)

Young Musicians for Grades 4-5 (E307)

Crossroads for Grades 6-12 (M301)

Prayer Meeting for adults (Fell. Hall)

7:10 pm Adult Choir Rehearsal

Thursdays 6:30 am Men’s Prayer Group (Choir room)

12:30 pm Prison Ministry

3:00 pm COOL Kids (FMC)

7:30 pm The Bridge (Wesleyan College)

REGULAR WEEKLY SCHEDULE

CAMBODIA MISSION TRIP

CAMBODIA MISSION TRIP

UGANDA MISSION

UGANDA MISSION TRIP JAN. 17-30, 2015

UGANDA MISSION TRIP JAN. 17-30, 2015

COLLEGE MISSIONS CONFERENCE JAN. 2-4