Reaching Out in Ministry
First Baptist Church of Tahoe City Newsletter - Fall 2011
"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 5:16
News and Thoughts on the Church's New House - Pastor Dan
Things are going well at the church parsonage. Last February, our church bought a house for future staff housing. I turned 65 years old this year - got my Medicare Card, and assume someday I will retire. We as a church are trying to prepare for that day by purchasing this house. By the way, I love my Medicare Card. I have had everything on this old body checked out, and all seems to be just fine.
Myself, and others have been working on the house all summer. The house was not in bad shape, but it had been left empty for almost three years. As you can imagine, there was a lot of cleanup and repair work to do in order to bring it back to an acceptable standard. On the whole, I have enjoyed working on the house with other men and women in our church. It feels like I am giving to the future of the church even though I will no longer be the pastor. When I work on the house and yard, I think and pray for the future pastor, his wife, and family. In my mind I see their children playing in the yard. I see many of you sitting on the back deck having a meal together with them, so I work hard to make everything as safe and as secure as possible.
The good news is not only have many of you done physical work on the house, but many more of you have been faithful in supporting through your finances. I know everyone does not have the skill or desire to paint or install a new water heater, so we thank you for your participation through your financial gifts. Since February we have paid $38,000 on the mortgage; we now owe only $138,000. The sooner we pay off this house, the sooner we will be able to use it for full time ministry staff. This past summer, it felt good to see three of our Children’s Program directors live in the house and work in our summer programs. By the way, they said they “loved the new house and wanted to live there forever!”
Having this house opens up the possibility of having another pastor come and work with me before I retire. I have always wanted to have another pastor to team up with, to preach sermons and take on the responsibility of the work here. Teams of ministers working together are common in many bigger churches. They all share together in the work of preaching and teaching, the work of funerals and weddings. I think God has brought us this far for a reason, and the best is yet to come. I believe God has some great things ahead for us as a church, and for me as its’ minister. I am personally looking forward to these next two or three years. They should be exciting and great fun. I think together with you and the future pastor, we will be able to do great things for the Kingdom of God. Keep on praying for our work here!
As always, in His love…
Pastor Dan
The Power of Words and Affirmation - Debbie Wohler
When I am relaxing, I like to read spy novels. There is always a crisis. However, by the end of the book, the crisis is solved and the good guy usually wins. I was reading a novel by Brad Meltzer and this line jumped out at me. “So much harm comes into this world when the wrong thing is said. But that’s nothing compared to the pain from what goes unsaid.”
Who knew a spy novel was going to whack me upside the head spiritually? My mouth often speaks before my brain engages. I work really hard at not saying everything that comes through my mind. We all know it is not good to criticize and put others down. Yet, we all do this from time to time. I began thinking after reading the quote above. I wonder how much better my life and other people’s lives would be if I would say all of the positive things that I feel about people? Do you look for the positive in others and in our church? Does anyone reading this ever get too much affirmation? I do not think so! Do people know how much you love them and appreciate them? Do they know that by the words you say and the things you do? Do you make it the practice of your life to encourage others? In the Bible, Barnabas was known as “The Encourager”. Are you known as an “encourager”?
It seems like our world is a mess and that many people are feeling discouraged. The economy is difficult. Many people are unemployed and others are losing their homes. The political season is cranking up and it feels like gridlock and attacks, instead of hope for tomorrow.
I began thinking that, if we as Christians started being the most positive and encouraging people with our words and lives, we could change our world. The Bible says that we should not live like those with no hope. We have Jesus, and He is more than enough.
When I am discouraged, I remind myself of these three things. God knows my name. God knows my need. God is still on His throne in spite of how I feel today!
With that in mind, let me share some positive words with you about our church.
- One of the things I love about our church is the laughter, joy, and grace that we experience when we are together on Sunday mornings.
- I love how we as a church attempt BIG things for Jesus. We know that little things like Campbell’s soup labels, ink jets, cell phones, shopping on line and at grocery stores can provide vans for our children’s ministries, as well as contribute to housing for staff. We know that a church building can be built by mostly volunteer labor. We know that you can buy a house in the middle of the worst economy in decades. Our God is alive and well and so are His people!
- We see lives of children and families changed by God Himself, as we faithfully serve Him through Sunday School, Nursery, Music, Youth ministries, Bible studies, My Morning Out, Parent’s Night Out, Big A Club, A+ Preschool, and A+ School age ministries. Jesus said, “Let the children come to Me,” and we are doing that and more. Hallelujah!
- Many of you serve through telling people about Jesus at 7 different ski areas every Sunday between Christmas and Easter. Thank you Jesus!
- Many of you serve in one or more of the following ways: drive people to doctor’s visits; call and give a word of encouragement; send cards of encouragement; give a kind word in Jesus name; comfort those who have lost a loved one; rejoice with new babies; visit the sick; help those who are struggling by fixing something at their house or stacking their firewood; fix and clean things at the church, bring food for fellowship time; pray for the needs of the body and community; and so much more!
I could go on and on!! Those are just the things I can see at a glance. I know that God sees even more! There is much to celebrate! Let’s live our personal lives and our corporate life as a church with celebration, love, and grace. May it never be said of any of us that we have caused pain by positive and joyful things left unsaid!
The A+ Program - Gaynell Jackson
The school year is in full swing! It appears that the kinks have been worked out of the system, and we are full steam ahead! God has truly blessed us this year with 9 semester missionaries! Stephanie Spickard, from Missouri teaches the Busy Bee class (3 year olds); Kyley Benson, from Missouri teaches Friendly Frog 1 class (4 year olds); Megan Mitchell, from Alabama teaches in all three preschool classes; Andrea Orr, from Tennessee teaches in the Friendly Frog class, and is also the 4th-6th grade teacher in the school-age program. Julie Williams, from California teaches our kindergarten class; and Jessica Bandy, from Georgia teaches our 1st-2nd grade class. We have extra help with Tiffany McCord, from Georgia who is helping not only with the children, but with administrative projects as well. Jolene McGuire, from Arizona is helping with both the preschool and the school-age program. We have more than a full staff, and it has been truly wonderful!!!
Esther Shin has been serving as our assistant preschool director since January. At the beginning, Esther committed to staying and working with us through the month of September. But we say a big thank you to her for her service to the program, the church and the community. The great news is that she is staying in Tahoe. You will see her face around A+ from time to time, so it does not have to be an official good bye.
Leana Greene from Jackson, Tennessee showed up on our doorstep at the end of July. Leana is now our permanent assistant preschool director. She is learning a lot, and can we say she is a bit overwhelmed? It is a lot to learn, and we are taking it a month at a time. We are thrilled to have Leana join us. She served here as a semester missionary one spring semester, and has been helping us with the month of August for the last two years. Leana is doing a great job!
This past Sunday we had the privilege of baptizing 3 of our 6 baptism candidates. They are: Graeme Hugo, Noelle Beck, and Cole Anzar. It was a glorious day! All three of these children came through our programs. It was a great reminder of why we do what we do. It was a windy and rough day on the lake. Pastor Dan saved me from going out there. (He would have had to save me from the big waves! HA!) We baptized in the nick of time – it snowed on Wednesday. Please pray for these who have made this all important decision. I begin another “How to Become a Christian” class on Thursday, October 13th.
The first day of school, the 4th and 5th graders were supposed to ride the same bus as the 1st –3rd graders. They did not get off with the 1st –3rd graders. I asked the 1st – 3rd graders if any of them had seen the 4th –5th graders. My precious twins, Jackie and Zion, asked me “aren’t we enough?” The answer to them was “yes!” I was just worried about the other class. Not to worry, they came on the later bus.
It did remind me of Jesus and the lost sheep. Jesus stopped what He was doing to go and find one lost sheep. There were 99, but Christ knew that one was missing. This is especially important if you are that “one!” What a wonderful assurance that Christ knows our name and cares so deeply about and for us. That became more real as we experienced a beautiful baptism service.
We are so thankful to God for providing such a wonderful staff of young women who love God, and love these children. They are doing a beautiful job. It is exciting to see what God is up to!
Youth Group - Craig Smith
Youth group here at FBCTC is rolling along. We have lost some of the older students due to graduation and moving on to college. Lately we have had an influx of younger students. The younger group makes for some crazy nights, but we have been having a lot of fun. A few weeks ago we started reading/studying through James and Proverbs, two very practical books full of wisdom.
We had a successful trip to camp. This year’s theme was “Connect.” We talked about connecting to God, connecting to the lost, connecting to those in authority, and connecting to other Christians. On the first night of camp, the camp pastor said something like “connecting with God is kind of like Wi-fi. The quality of the connection is dependent on how close you are and how many distractions are in between.” What great insight.
It reminds me of Hebrews 12:1 where it says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every weight, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and run with endurance the race that is set before us…” We know that sin gets us all tangled up, gets in the way of our closeness with God, and distracts us from the course we are running. This verse also talks about throwing off weight that holds us back. It seems this weight is different from the sin. This can be things that are not inherently bad, or even things that are “good,” but which slow us down. Anyone who has been backpacking knows that after lugging everything you need to live for a few days, you are oh so ready to take your pack off. When you do, you feel like you could jump to the moon. All the stuff is good, but definitely slows you down. The lighter your pack is, the more efficiently you can travel. The writer of Hebrews is trying to get us to ditch all the unnecessary weight, or distractions in running our race, so we can be as efficient as possible.
In my own life, I have been learning I need to cut some weight to run the way I want to. I’ve been cutting back on exercise, so I have more time to read my Bible. I have been resisting the urge to sit down and watch a movie after a hard day or week. Instead I have been trying to spend more time reading and praying. The result is that it is becoming easier to run “looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” When I look around me, I see all kinds of weight holding people back. Television is a big one. Watching sports consumes tons of time. Too much focus on work can squeeze out time with God. The need to ski over 100 days a season can be like trying to run for Jesus with a hundred pound pack on your back. (Although that one is less of a burden when we have only four months between snows!) We all have things that take our time, energy, and money that do not help us in our mission of living for Christ. What is in your life that you can throw off, so that you can run with endurance? Remember, the quality of your connection with God depends on your proximity to Him and the number of distractions in between. “God made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21. Now let’s have fun with Him!
Sunday School - Maureen Stelzride
Sunday School at First Baptist of Tahoe City is a treat all year round, but summer has some added blessings. When it is time for Pastor Dan’s children’s circle in the outdoor worship area, the kids get to walk down the stairs, and back up the stairs. This parade is almost as big a treat as hearing the kids’ jokes. Mrs. Mo’s personal favorite was on July 3, when Mike Stelzriede, who was one of the first Big A Club students, carried the big American flag, while his son, Owen, proudly carried a little flag.
Pastor Dan’s circle continues to be a real life parable. I hope it inspires you, as it does me, to see the children rush to the front, seek to sit close to Pastor Dan, and wave their offering money so it will not be forgotten. I think children crowded around Jesus in the same way.
The red velvet bag holds many surprises that turn into object lessons. For example, jewels are beautiful, but they do not do anything. Magnets may not be as pretty but they stick together, and also stick to others things. Dan often reminds the kids, and us, that a group of Christians is a church; it is not just the name of a building. Another Sunday, Pastor Dan passed around some boring round rocks. The kids were amazed to see sparkling crystals inside. This reminds that God looks on the inside to see our hearts, not the outside, as so many people do.
Guest leaders in the children’s circle include Eben Schreiber. He used his son Zeb’s tools to teach us that just as the tools are different, people are different. We cannot do each other’s job, we are all needed to accomplish the task; and we have God’s big plan, the Bible, to follow.
The day Levi brought live crawdads to the circle will stand out in our memories as clearly as the time Pastor Dan released ladybugs. I do not remember the point of the object lesson; maybe it does not matter. Levi’s contribution was accepted and welcomed by everyone. Another picture of God’s love and acceptance is joke time. Whether the jokes are really humorous or really terrible, the congregation laughs and makes the joke tellers feel welcome and valued. Here are some examples: Q—What is smarter than a talking cat? A—A spelling bee. Q—In what country are French fries made? A—Greece. Lastly, we have heard this twice, but I do not think we will ever get tired of it. Q—What kind of bird is always on its knees? A—A bird of prey.
In warm weather, the youngest children, (nursery age), get to walk up more stairs and play in the preschool classroom. The early elementary class meets in the computer room, as usual. After the service, the kids love the opportunity to play on the computers, the train table, or even join in a game of Foosball. The oldest class climbs the highest of all, to the mezzanine. There they can study and discuss their Bible lesson without disturbing or being disturbed by the sermon. As we enter the fall season, and cool weather, we are back in our usual locations: the Nursery, the Computer Room, and the Fellowship Room.
Mrs. Mo has started to teach the kids that fellowship is more than grabbing a snack and retreating to familiar territory. Their assignment every Sunday is to talk to three people they do not know very well, then tell Mrs. Mo the names of these folks. Thank you to all the people who have shared your smiles and names with the young ‘uns.
We are grateful to the many folks who have “showed up” and “been there” for our kids on Sundays. The missionaries alternate with volunteers from the congregation, which makes the load lighter for all of us. We are delighted to welcome and train new teachers, as well as rely on the “old pros.” Men and women have found a place in Sunday School about once every three months. We would like to thank Jacqui Daniels, Ruth Hoyt, Chet Moyer, Robbie Long, Scheyer Anzar, Mark Griffin, Melinda Barton, Carla Platt, Helen Roberts, Bill Roberts, Bernie Clark, Brooke Barrett, Chris Jackson, Roxy Jackson, Mark Lewis, Jason Boyd, Carol Beck, Eben Schreiber, Allison Schreiber, Kaitlyn Emerson, Jill Whisler, Colleen McDermott, and CA Jones for their time, energy, creativity, and devotion.
Men's Bible Study
Men’s Prayer Breakfast meets every Thursday morning at 6:30 a. m. at church. Following breakfast we have Bible study and prayer time.
Come join us! For more information, call Pastor Dan at (530) 583-6266.
Ladies Bible Study
After a long summer vacation, we are happy to be returning to our usual day and time for Bible study this fall. The ladies meet at 9am, Wednesday, at Tillie’s home. Beginning September 21st, we hope to see the regulars and some new faces too.
Call Tillie at (530) 583-2601 for the location of the meeting.
Truckee Bible Study
The Truckee Bible Study meets on Wednesday nights at Justin Anderson’s home. The study is an outreach ministry of the Living Stones Church of Reno. All are welcome. For questions and directions, call Justin at (530) 721-0379.
Gourmet Literary Society
Pastor Dan’s “Gourmet Literary Society” will meet to eat and study on Sunday evening at 5PM. Call Pastor Dan at 583-6266 for additional information on the book and location of this study. Childcare will be provided, if needed.
Upcoming Events
- November 6 - Daylight Savings Time begins. Fall back one hour Saturday night at bedtime.
- November 20 - Church Thanksgiving Dinner at 5:00 p.m.
- December 24 - Christmas Eve Services at 5:30 and 7:00 p.m.