Communicator

Our Vision As the Word of God

shapes our lives, we

long to be a church

devoted to Christ’s

Kingdom by

Knowing Christ,

Growing in His Grace

and Going in His Love.

Inside this issue:

March

2015

Eric’s Notes 2

Women’s Ministry 2

Nursery News 3

Men’s Ministry 4

Library News 4

Children’s Ministry 5

Birthdays and Anniversaries 7

by Kelly R. Randolph

Are You a Fruit Detector? Are You a Fruit Detector?

continued on page 4 see Are You...

There is a show on one of the cable networks called “Diggers.” It’s a show about these

two guys with metal detectors who go to historical sites and look for treasures buried in

the ground. They set their metal detectors to locate things that might be made of

precious metals. They find all kinds of artifacts such as jewelry, musket balls, and

sometimes rare and valuable coins. They will at times dig up worthless items made of

metal. But they are trying to detect treasures.

In our men’s study on the prayers of Paul, one of our lessons emphasized the gratitude

Paul expressed for the fruitful lives of the Thessalonian believers. The author writes,

“Paul was constantly on the lookout for signs of God’s saving, transforming, and

equipping work in the lives of believers.” Like the two guys sweeping over the soil to

detect treasure, Paul surveyed the lives of these Christians with a desire to detect the

fruit of grace for which he could give thanks to God.

That idea chastened me a bit. It is easy to walk around looking for sins, failures, and

flaws in other believers. But how often do we intentionally look for the evidence of

grace? Of course, I am not suggesting that we ignore sin or live in some kind of spiritual

Good Friday Service

April 3 at 7:00 p.m.

Nothing But the Blood: The Accomplishment of the Cross

Easter Celebration Service

Sunday, April 5 at 10:30 a.m.

Good Friday and Easter Service Good Friday and Easter Service

We ought to always give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing

abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast

about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the

afflictions that you are enduring. (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 ESV)

Food Handler ClassFood Handler Class

Page 2 Communicator

The answer to that question is that

we need approximately $20,000

dollars to purchase a C7 Yamaha

grand piano and we need an

additional $7,000 dollars to make

this a reality. If you have not given

and would like to, we would be

thankful for any gifts toward this

endeavor. This piano will serve the

needs of this body for many years to

come and will be an asset to the

worship life at Country Acres Baptist.

Once again, I am overwhelmed of

the generosity by the body and want

to say thank you again.

It would be a wonderful thing if we

could purchase this instrument so

by Eric Stone

Page 2

Eric’s Notes Eric’s Notes

Communicator

Dear Church Family

I want to express to you my sincere

gratitude for your wonderful

generosity as we are closing in on

$14,000 in the piano fund. I made

this announcement of a piano fund

back in the last part of December

and you have stepped up and

provided more than half of what we

need to purchase this instrument for

our Sanctuary in only eight weeks.

Thank you to all who have given so

far. Many people have talked to me

and said that they have not had a

chance to contribute to the fund and

have asked if it is too late to give.

that we could use it for our Easter

service in April.

Thank you for all you have done to

make this a reality

P.S. We plan on having a dedication

concert from several of our pianists

once it is here. What a great time of

worship that will be.

Soli Deo Gloria

Eric

Precept Study - Romans part 3

God doesn’t go back on His promises.

He can always be trusted. Romans 9-

11 is an extended discussion of the

subject of God’s sovereignty—

election, predestination, and

responsibility—focusing on His choice

of Israel and His faithfulness to His

covenant.

Thursday evenings

March 5 - April 23

Leader: Shelly Wolfe

Phone: 393.2888

Bible Study Bible Study

Baby Shower Baby Shower

You are invited to a baby shower in

honor of Lindsay and

baby girl Bucy.

Saturday, March 28

10:00 a.m.

CABC Parlor

Lindsay is registered at

Women’s MinistryWomen’s Ministry

On Sunday, March 15, Country

Acres Baptist Church will be hosting

a food handler training class on our

church campus. Food handler cards

are required for all persons working

or volunteering in a food service

establishment in Wichita (Chapter

7.20 of the Municipal Code of the

City of Wichita). As our church

expands its area, this card will be

very important and required for

anything food related, so it is

important to have has many adults

and students possible certified. This

two-hour training is completely free

for anyone who wishes to get their

food handler card. A light lunch will

be provided following the morning

services and then the training will

begin at 1:30 p.m. A signup sheet is

located in the foyer as well as at

the Venue welcome desk.

Page 3

Nursery News Nursery News

Israel was instructed to regularly

pause and reflect on their sin and

God’s outpouring of grace. They were

to remember their bondage and God’s

wonders as He rescued them from the

hand of the Egyptians. Their festivals,

sacrifices, and feasts were designed as

spiritual check-ups, a time to evaluate

and re-center their desires on God

alone. Even in their daily activities and

decorations in their homes God called

His people to proactively recall His

faithfulness.

In Life Group this past week we

discussed spiritually maturity, what it

looks like and how to measure our

journey. In the past I had considered

the practices of the Israelites to erect

a monument in the place where God

showed His faithfulness and wanted to

create a tool of remembrance in our

home. I would like to have a visual,

even tangible reminder, for myself and

my family. Spurred on by our Life

Group’s conversation I researched

various ways God’s people remember

and wanted to encourage you to

consider one for your home.

Jordan River Stones

Prayers and significant moments of

God’s love and grace can be written

on stones and placed in a glass vase.

Display this in your home, add to it,

and occasionally review, thanking

God for His faithfulness.

Prayer Boards

Display an empty frame and use

wire mesh or strings across the

back. Clothespins hold small

papers that record prayer requests

or thanksgiving. When you fill up

your board remove some of your

prayers and keep them in a jar or

scrapbook. You could also use a

magnetic board or even paper on

the wall, such as pretty wrapping

paper.

Family Capsule

At the start of a new year begin to

fill a glass jar with mementos and

prayers from that year. Special

thoughts can still be written down

on paper but you can also include a

sea shell from your trip to the

beach, a photo, mission trip

reminder, or concert ticket. This

idea can be good for younger

children who do not yet read or

write. On New Year’s Eve take out

the notes and items from your jar

and remember together all the

good gifts God has given. Set up

jars from previous years on display

in your home.

by Juliana Williams

Clothespin Wreath

Attach clothespins to a wire frame in

the form of a wreath. You can paint

the clothespins different colors.

Hang it in your home and write

moments of God’s faithfulness on

individual clothespins.

Thankful Tablecloth

Use a fabric pen to record special

family memories, prayer requests,

and God’s acts of grace on a

tablecloth. You can pull it out for

certain meals throughout the year

and theme your writings accordingly.

For New Year’s you can write prayers

or offerings to the Lord for the next

year. On Easter you can record

thankful thoughts about God’s grace.

Thanksgiving write thanks for God’s

blessings.

Art Collage

Start your own collage on a large

empty wall in your home. Collect

small blocks of wood or mini canvas.

Paint, mod podge, write, or post a

picture on your wood or canvas. Use

color, symbols, words, and more to

remind you of significant moments in

your spiritual journey. This is also a

good visual and hands on option for

small children.

Dear Church Family,

I just wanted to thank you so much for the Christmas basket. I’m so

blessed! Thank you so much for thinking of me.

Much love in Jesus , Terri Cliburn

Many thanks to our church family for your visits, meals, cards and concerns

as I have been recuperating from surgery. The power of prayer has been

evident and we are grateful for that. Please continue to pray for complete

healing.

In Christian love, Bert Monson

Page 4 Communicator

Are You a Fruit Detector?Are You a Fruit Detector?… … from page 1

Candyland. Paul was not afraid to call out Christians who were apathetic or unrepentant or unfruitful. Yet, I am

suggesting that we should be more intentional about detecting the fruit of grace in others.

Paul not only detected this fruit and thanked God for it. He took it a step further and told them that he thanked God for

the fruit he saw in them (1 Thess. 1:2-3; 2 Thess. 1:3-4). Imagine sitting in a room with some other Christians in

Thessalonica as Paul’s letter is read publicly to them. They hear, “I thank God for your growing faith. I see your love is

increasing toward each other. I boast to others about how you remain firm and steadfast in the persecution and

affliction you are enduring.” This was, no doubt, a great encouragement to them. It built them up. It reminded them

that God was working in their lives.

When we tell others that we thank God for the fruit of grace in their lives, we both encourage them and glorify God.

When is the last time you told another believer that you were thankful for the evidence of grace in their life? When is

the last time you heard such encouragement from someone? Think of the impact those words had on you. Now, go and

do likewise.

“I am the way, the truth, and the

life” John 14:6

1. The way - there is only one way

to obtain a relationship with

God, through faith in Jesus

Christ. The world would say

there are many paths to God,

but as a Christian we must hold

fast to faith in Christ as the only

true path.

2. The truth - truth is a relative

thing in our culture these days.

Truth is dependent on the one

who is speaking and their world

view. God’s view is that there is

truth that stands alone and is not

subject to interpretation. The

gospel is one of these stand

alone truths that is an eternal

truth. The life, death and

resurrection of Christ is God’s

true message to His creation. We

are responsible for making sure

that His message is given

truthfully without change.

3. The life - the true life, for the

believer, is one that is bound up

in Christ. We must not settle for

less than the best that God offers.

We are to live for Christ daily;

surrendering our will to His.

Reflect this month on this scripture

and allow it to seep into your spirit.

Seek God’s best at all times and in all

situations.

Man to Man Man to Man

Men’s Ministry Men’s Ministry

by David Browning

Men’s Fellowship Men’s Fellowship

Breakfast Breakfast

Our next fellowship breakfast will be

on Saturday, March 7 at

8:00 a.m. Please join us for food,

fellowship and prayer. We will meet

in the gym at CABC.

Library NewsLibrary News

Monumental DVD!

Our Families Are

Worth Fighting For

This DVD will present to you and

your family a new adventure to

discover the true national treasure.

Kirk Cameron, of Left Behind fame

and father of six, takes us across

Europe and the United States,

meeting with historians and experts

in order to discover America’s true

national treasure—”people, places,

and principles creating the greatest

nation the world has ever known.”

He presents to us the journey of a

small band of religious outcasts we

know as the Pilgrims of Plymouth

Rock, their struggles and victories in

establishing a nation that has

become the best example of civil,

economic, and religious liberty.

A monument in their honor has

been erected near Plymouth, rightly

named Faith.

by Kim Evans

Page 5 Communicator

As we approach the Easter season, here is a devotion plan for Easter week to work through with your family. Make this

week a special time together as you celebrate what Christ did for each of us on the cross.

•Palm Sunday — Read aloud Mark 11:1-11. Make palm-leaf cookies. Cut frozen cookie dough into 2 1/2 inch strips.

Place aluminum foil on a cookie sheet and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Roll the cookie strips and shape them

into an outline of a palm leaf on the foil. Close all edges in the outline. Crush green candies in a bag with a hammer,

and sprinkle to fill in the cookie center. Bake at 375 degrees for about eight minutes. Contrast the sweetness of the

cookies with the harshness of breaking the candies with a hammer. Tell your children that this was a sweet day for

Jesus, but he knew that soon he would be broken — or would die — for our sins.

•Monday — Read aloud Mark 11:15-18. Tell your children that this area of the temple was the place non-Jews could

come to pray, but it had become a dirty, noisy, unworshipful place. Together, decorate a worshipful space in your

home for Easter Week. Include a Bible, candles, and an area to display the items you’ll use this week. You can review

these items at the beginning of each devotion. A small, bare tree branch laced with white Christmas lights makes a nice

backdrop. Light the candles or turn on the lights only during devotions to keep it special and meaningful.

•Tuesday — Read aloud Mark 14:3-9. This woman gave Jesus a gift that was very precious. We can give gifts that come

from our heart, too. As each child shares something he or she can do to honor Jesus, spray perfume into the air or on

the child. Decorate a beautiful piece of paper and form a cylinder around the perfume bottle for display at your family

worship space.

•Wednesday — Read aloud Matthew 26:14-16. You’ll need 30 dimes. Tell kids that Judas betrayed Jesus for about 120

days wages. Let the kids count the dimes and place them at your family worship space. Ask, “Was Jesus’ life on earth

worth more than 30 pieces of silver? Why or why not? What was the true value of Jesus’ life to our family?”

•Thursday — Read aloud John 13:1-5. Jesus washed feet to show his love. Have a bowl, a bar of soap, and paper towels

ready. Take turns washing each other’s hands and drying them as you express love to each other. Display the soap at

your family worship space.

•Friday — Read aloud Mark 15:21-39. You’ll need two horseshoe or carpenter’s nails, light gauge wire, and a shoelace

for each child. Help children lay their nails across each other like a cross, and then start wrapping the wire around the

point where the nails intersect to bind the nails into a cross. Crisscross the wire in the center. Have the kids recall an

event of the Crucifixion with each wrap. Wrap more wire around the top and make a loop to hold the shoelace.

•Saturday — Read aloud Mark 15:42-47. Take turns wrapping each other in toilet paper just as Jesus may’ve looked

when prepared for burial. Talk about how the disciples might’ve felt when all their hopes seemed destroyed when

Jesus died. Ask, “How would you have felt if you had been there when Jesus died? What would you have done?” Talk

about how the burial isn’t the end of the story, but that it was a very sad day for Jesus’ friends.

Children’s Ministry Children’s Ministry

Page 6 Communicator

1

Willie Kihle

2

Charity Gaza

3

Forest Elder

Geno & Melissa Sylvester

4

Lois Mackey

Eva Newman

6

Joshua Bostian

Pete Eicher

Philip Schepis

Randy & Roberta Lauer

Randy & Bethany Libke

7

LuAnn McMannis

8

Carol Hladik

Shaylah Salter

Ron & Sharon Trowbridge

9

Roxie Herrman

10

John Penhorwood

11

Melissa Sylvester

12

Tom Schwarz

Langston Suderman

13

Sue Montgomery

Jeff Nemmers

Jonathan Stratton

14

William Moore

Robert Mossberg

A J Nightingale

16

Rex Boyle

Marcus Lindley

Merrill & Virginia Bupp

Lee & Nancy Jones

17

John Ashworth

Randall Harris

Cheryle Henley

Jim McClary

Steve & Ashleigh Hazell

18

David Sellin

19

Anthony Cowen

Don Wilbur

Randall & Gwen Harris

21

Dan & Kim Evans

22

Jackie McKown

Zane Pykiet

Kim Schmidt

Agie Soria

John & Jan Penhorwood

23

Barb Love

25

Ron Gaston

Bob & Joan Klapprott

26

Tammy Baumann

Shirley Brooks

Dee Anne Browning

Melodie Reimer

Paul Sanford Jr

27

Duane Frederick

Mary Hermansen

Robert Neer III

Sam Travis

Andrea Trulove

Brad & Rena Lindley

28

Sharon Unrein

Paul & Kasey Brown

29

Carl Hiebsch

30

Chuck McClary

Vernon & Jean Claxton

31

Paul Brown

1

Mike Cox

3

Chase Hiebsch

Marie Humphrey

Galen & Judy Fruth

5

Gaven Neer

6

Deanna Ray

7

Earnie Tooley

If your birthday or anniversary is this month and not listed, please contact the church office

at 722.1239 so that we may update our records. Thank you.