NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 36
Benton Illinois
We are on the web!
Visit us at www.ibcbenton.com
The
IMMANUEL
BAPTIST
CHURCH
Connection
March 2015
516 North Main
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Benton IL 62812
Phone: 439-3513
Fax: 438-2611
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.ibcbenton.com
Pastor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Sammy Simmons
Education Pastor……...Rev. Michael Kramer
Student Pastor……………Rev. David Seaton
Visitation Pastor………...Rev. Eddie P. Davis
Music Pastor………………...Rev. John Odle
Preschool Director……………..Alex Glueck
Secretary………………………Jane Lampley
Publications…………………...Victoria Price
Custodian………………….…..Misti Sample
Worship Opportunities:
Morning Worship Service 8:00 A.M.
Sunday School
9:30 A.M.
Morning Worship Service 10:40 A.M.
Evening Worship Service 6:00 P.M.
Wednesday Night
6:30 P.M.
Church Office Hours:
Monday - Thursday
8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Friday
8:00 A.M. - NOON
THE BOTTOM LINE...
February 2015
WHAT IS LIFE
ACTION SUMMIT?
1
SCHEDULE OF
EVENTS
1
PRAYER FOR
REVIVAL
2
MARCH
CALENDAR
3
YOUTH UPDATE
5
MISSIONS
6
LENTEN LUNCHEON
SCHEDULE
7
THE BOTTOM LINE
8
Morning Worship Attendance Average 8:00….190
Morning Worship Attendance Average 10:40...269
Evening Worship Attendance Average 6:00…...215
Sunday School Attendance Average……………434
Weekly Budget Amount Required…… .$16,345.02
Average Weekly Offering Received……$15,780.39
Year to Date Budget Required …….…$130,760.16
Year to Date Amount Given………….$125,384.52
Building Fund Total Given……..……..$838,638.20
What is the Life Action Summit coming to
Immanuel?
Life action Summit provides a one-of-akind opportunity for reconnecting with God and
transforming relationships. It’s a time for us to
join together and seek God and experience His
presence like never before. As our leadership team learned more about what is
happening someone noted – it’s a New Camp experience for the whole church!
The Life Action Team includes a revivalist preacher, a family revivalist, musicians,
youth workers, and children workers. You might wonder why does it last 8 days –
because it takes time to seek God and hear from Him.
A Life Action Summit is designed with everyone in mind. Dynamic children’s programs, specialized sessions for teens, truths to engage adults are all
tailored to address the age-specific needs for individuals and families.
A typical evening service: The 4yrsold – 6th grade will upstairs into the
Kids Zone, students in the youth room, and adults to the sanctuary to start a typical evening service. Children 4 yrs – 1st grade will enter Happy Heart City where
they learn the 10 commandments through drama, motions, creative lessons,
songs and more. They learn “Obdedience is Key” The 2nd-6th graders will enter
Base Camp, a unique experience where they will learn to become “climbers” who
will be trained to pursue the ultimate adventure of knowing God and loving Him
every day through music, drama, and interactive lessons. The youth will enter
awake, aiming at igniting a generation of young people by seeing the dead raised,
the sleeping revived, and the passionate refreshed. The adults will enter the
sanctuary as Shane Black encourages and instructs us about God’s desires for
our family. At around 6:30, we will all join in the sanctuary for worship led by the
Life Action Team. After worship, the children will again go back to Happy Heart
City and Base Camp. The youth and adults will be encouraged by God’s Word by
our revivalist Greg Simmons.
Life Action Summit Schedule of Events
Jim, Julie, Savannah, & Seth Boles
Lincoln Thomas
Tate Prusaczyk
Sophia Kramer
Wanda Karnes
Lyn Higgins
Building Fund
Please continue praying for
our Building Fund. We have
recently added two more
bricks for a total of
$838,638. We only lack
$163,362 till we break
ground! Keep it up church!
Sun. March 15th
Sun. March 22nd
8am or 10:40am, 9:30am Joint Sunday School 8am or 10:40am, 9:30am Joint Sunday School
with Youth and Adults & 6pm service
with Youth and Adults & 6pm service
Mon. March 16th at 6:30pm
Tues. March 17th at 6:30pm
Wed. March 18th at 6:30pm
Thurs. March 19th at 6:30pm
Thursday, March 19th at 11:30am
Ladies Luncheon
9am**1pm
Saturday, March 21st 9am
Expedition Creation (Children)
Life’s Pizza House ( Youth)
Home Life Café (Adult)
Page 2
2) Making your
attendance a priority is
key. Will you clear your
calendar and attend as
much as possible? Pushing pause in life to seek
God’s face and to listen to
Him can make all the difference. Will you rework
your schedule as much as possible:
March 15th*
15th*22nd
excuse yourself from that meeting,
skip that practice, change your normal routine and make atten1) Making time to seriously pray will make all the difdance a priority for these special times together? I am praying
ference. Will you begin praying for God to make you sensitive
God will work in your life in a great way as you slow down and
to whatever He wants to do in your life? Will you pray for God
seek Him.
to send a revival to your life and to your church?
Getting the most out of the Summit
I firmly believe that God wants to do something great
for His glory as we join together and humbly seek God. Who
knows how God wants to use these 8 days in your life? Maybe
God will restore your first love, give you a renewed desire for
His Word and prayer, resolve any bitterness or conflicts in your
life, remove worry and fear, refresh your spirit, or repair your
marriage. I don’t want you to miss what God wants to do in
your life.
I think there are two things you can do to get the most
out of this time together:
Pray for your walk with God.
Prayer for our Life Action Summit
Revival is always birthed in and sustained in prayer. On
Thursday, March 12, we are having a day of prayer and fasting
for our revival. We are asking for you to consider how you can
spend a block of time on the 12th seeking God and praying for
revival. The church will be open from
5am until 10pm. We would love for
you to come and pray in the sanctuary if
possible. Prayer cards to help guide
you in personally praying for the
revival can be found on the welcome
desk.
We will be hosting
a ladies luncheon
on Thursday,
March 19th from 11:30am-1pm. This luncheon will provide
an opportunity for ladies to hear what God says about their
roles as women, wives, mothers, and grandmothers. During
a time of sharing, women will hear from the revivalists’
wives. Nursery will be provided. “Come when you can,
leave when you must.” Please sign-up at Sign-Up Central.
“Personal revival
begins when the
believer faces his sin
honestly. Through
painful, only honest
with God and others
will enable the
Christian to walk in
purity and power”
Jim Eliff
Pray for your church.
•
Ask that God would work in such a way that we might
see a great move of God for His glory.
•
Ask that God would enable us to truly live love to each
other and the community.
•
Ask that our love for the Lord would increase more and
more.
•
Ask for God to move in member’s lives who are not
actively involved with us at the
present time.
•
Ask for God to send genuine
revival to our church and use
the Life Action Summit anyway
He chooses.
•
Ask God to make you sensitive to sin in your life (confess
and repent of anything He shows you).
•
Ask God to help you have an increased desire to read and
obey God’s Word and worship Him.
Lenten Luncheon Schedule
•
Ask that Jesus will become the first love in your heart and
the priority of your life.
March 4, First Baptist Church
•
Ask that you would experience true revival as you
“Seek Him” in the days ahead.
“Revival is not
some emotion or
worked up
excitement; it is
rather an invasion
from heaven
which brings to
man a conscious
awareness of
God.”
Stephen Olford
Pray for your community.
•
Page 7
Ask God to make your Top 5 sensitive to the
gospel
(5 individuals who need to know Christ).
•
Ask that God would give you an opportunity
to share your faith and courage to do so.
•
Ask that God would move in the hearts of
the 26,000 in our county who do not know
Christ.
Super Saturday-March 21st
9am-1pm
Expedition Creation
for 4yrs old to 5th
grade
Prepare for an epic mission to explore and
discover the universe and it’s Creator.
Life’s Pizza House
for 6th grade to 12th grade
Throughout the day, teens will
have opportunities to ask
questions and hear real-life
struggles and victories in small
group settings with revival youth leaders.
Home Life Café
for Adults
Set in a relaxed
atmosphere and
designed for all
adults - singles, newlyweds, parents,
grandparents, single parents - the discussions
will provide you with practical tools for
experiencing God in every relationship in
your home.
March 11, First United Methodist Church
March 18, St Joseph Catholic Church
March 25, New Life Church of God
April 3, St Joseph Catholic Church (Good Friday)
Women’s Retreat
Immanuel’s women’s retreat is just around the corner. This
year’s theme is Blessings. This retreat will be a great opportunity to get away, enjoy fellowship of other ladies, and grow
deeper in your walk with Christ. The retreat will be April 17th18th at Lake Sallateeska. We are excited to have Barb Hansen
join us as our speaker. Barb has been an integral part of Bible
Study Fellowship in Indianapolis for the last 25 years. A dynamic teacher, wife, mother of three, mother-in-law, and
grandma of seven, Barb has a wealth of life experiences. You
won’t want to miss this time of refreshment and fun!
“Revival awakens in our hearts an increased awareness of
the presence of God, a new love for God, a new hatred for
sin, and a hunger for His Word.”
Del Fehsenfeld
Daylight Savings
Time
March 8th
Immersed – 40 day spiritual
emphasis
Following revival and
Easter we are excited to begin
our 40 day spiritual emphasis.
Beginning April 12th we will
dive into our seven-week Bible
study, Immersed: 40 Days to a Deeper Faith! During
these seven weeks we will focus on what it looks like to
go deeper in our walk with the Lord.
Pastor Sammy’s Sunday messages will align with
the spiritual emphasis, our Sunday School classes will be
utilizing a Bible study written by Pastor Doug Mutton,
Wednesday nights will be focused on scripture passages
reinforcing each weeks theme, and throughout the week
all will be encouraged to walk through a daily devotional
book written by Dr. Mutton that will unpack the topics
that we will be studying.
During this spiritual emphasis we will also be
conducting our church Ministry and Missions Fair
designed to help individuals engage in 1 ministry and 1
mission (1 M & M). Following the ministry fair we are
asking our Sunday School classes as well as all our members and attendees to participate in a church without walls
missions project to be held on May 16th, 23rd, or 30th.
Sunday School curriculum for Immersed will be
provided free of charge through the Adult Education
Department. All are encouraged to purchase a daily
devotional book – Immersed. It will be available for
purchase in the library beginning Sunday April 12th. The
Cost is $10.
Generous Giving to Missions
Did you know that through your generous giving to the Great Commission Giving to support missions all around the
world that Immanuel was the top giver to
the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
(supporting Southern Baptist Missions all around the
globe) in Illinois, and in the Top 3 to the Annie Armstrong offering (supporting church planting and sharing
the gospel in North America)? God is using you to lead
the way in supporting the spread of the gospel in our
state!
Church Directory
We had a great turn out for Immanuel’s new
pictorial directory. Families who get their
picture taken will receive a free 8 x 10 as
well as a free directory. If you were not able to have
your picture taken this last weekend, you can schedule a
make-up session this Saturday (February 28th; once Saturday slots are filled Colorcraft will begin to schedule
pictures for Sunday March 1st) or drop a picture of your
family off at the church office. To schedule a time to
have your picture taken, please contact Cindy Miles at 1
(800) 638-9107.