Missions Banquet Reaches Around the World

The spotlight was on missions during Second Ponce de Leon's recent Missions Banquet. Along with musical entertainment, reports on various mission endeavors, and reflections on work accomplished in the past year, the church also used live video feeds to communicate with missionaries in China and France during the banquet. "The ability to use cutting edge technology to reach around the world and make contact with our missionaries in real time was exciting," said Randall Cash, Associate Pastor for Education. For details about the banquet and the live video feed, contact Randall Cash at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Dinner With Friends 

At FBC Rome, the supper groups are creating so much enthusiasm and enjoyment that they have announced the third round of the event. As in the first and second series, random groups are formed, which consist of 8-10 people (couples and singles) who meet monthly between February and May for casual dinners. On January 24, all of the participants had a potluck dinner at the church to meet their friend groups and kickoff the spring series of supper groups.

A Creative and Captivating Message

 First Baptist Church Columbus will present the message of Christ in a whole new way through Brad Sherrill's "The Gospel of John." Sherrill is a professional actor from Atlanta who uses very simple props in a variety of ways to transform the gospel into a captivating drama. This one-man-show presents the story of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Keeping the Kids Informed

The children at First Baptist Church of Athens can keep up with their church activities through their own monthly newsletter called "Lil' Scoop." Produced by the children's ministry, the newsletter provides information for children and their parents about upcoming events and activities. "Lil' Scoop" also includes quizzes, a Bible verse of the month, and the Parents' Corner, which gives helpful tips for parents.To download February's issue of "Lil' Scoop, click here.

Supporting Our Military

First Baptist Church of Marietta is reaching out to individuals who have family or friends currently serving in any of the US military branches, overseas or stateside, in addition to veterans who have previously served. The goal of the Military and Veterans Ministry is to provide spiritual and practical support to military families, and to act as a source of information for needed services.

You probably peruse catalogs to find the best deals in electronics, shoes and clothing, but have you ever thought of browsing through a catalog to support missions? Smoke Rise Baptist Church has created their first Mission Support Catalog this year as a guide for church members as they give to the church's mission endeavors.

The catalog, which includes information about 10 different mission projects, encourages members to give very specifically to support the work of the church. Individuals and families can choose to give $5 to feed three families in Tijuana for a day, $50 to pour a concrete floor in a house in Honduras, or $2500 to send a mission team volunteer to Uganda.

This year's campaign for mission giving at Smoke Rise culminated on February 14, with Mission Celebration Sunday. The morning began with breakfast and mission booths in the fellowship hall, followed by a mission-centered worship service and a special mission offering at the conclusion of the service.

Would you like to spend some time in peaceful quiet, surrounded by glowing candles and soft music, where the only voice you hear is the voice of God within? This restful and meditative form of worship, called Taize, can be found at two of the churches in our BP Network.

The Taize service of song, prayer, meditation, silence and rest originated in Taize, France. When First Baptist Church Gainesville offered their first Taize service in November, their members responded so positively that they have incorporated a monthly Taize service into their schedule through May.

"We had a contemplative prayer group that met during the season of Lent last year," explained Elizabeth Burnett, Associate Pastor of Discipleship at FBC Gainesville. "The group had a real desire to continue something similar beyond Lent, so we visited a Taize service at an Episcopal church in Atlanta. They loved the simplicity of the service, and wanted to bring it back to our church."

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