SHARING JESUS. MAKING DISCIPLES. SERVING THE KINGDOM.
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Passionate Faith
Passion. A concept that is hard
to grasp and even harder to
sustain. Passion is defined as
“a strong and barely controllable emotion or an intense enthusiasm for something.” For
believers, upon becoming a
new creation, there is great
passion in sharing the good
news of Jesus, toward Bible
study and church attendance.
That passion wanes as time
progresses for a myriad of reasons. A lackluster mentality
takes hold and faith becomes
more about routine maintenance than a passionate pursuit
of Jesus.
What are you passionate
about? Is there purpose in
your passion? If you are not
sure, take a look at your calendar. What fills most of your
time (e.g., work, leisure, family
time, meetings, civic engagements)? That which is important to any individual
whether out of necessity or
preference will always find its
way onto the daily, weekly, or
monthly calendar. In truth,
passion without purpose is
nearly impossible to sustain for
a lifetime. An infatuation with
no greater an end than our
own delight is like soap bub-
bles, fog, or a sunset—
fascinating and fleeting at the
same time.
John the Apostle was a passionate man. He was most passionate about one person—Jesus
Christ. In any of the four books
of the Bible that bear his name
there exists within the vernacular of each sentence a deepseated passion that seemingly
bursts forth from the page. He
writes of Christ in his gospel
account, “In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was
God. He was in the beginning
with God. All things were made
through him, and without him
was not anything that was
made. In him was life, and the
life was the light of men. The
light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.” What doctrinally true
and powerful words that John
used to describe his love and
passion for the Savior of the
world! The purpose behind his
passion was two-fold—share
the truth of the gospel with the
world and grow as close as humanly possible in his love and
relationship with Christ.
For the modern-day Christ follower, most would claim the
same purpose and passion as
John. Unfortunately, we are
likely to meander in our commitment because of our involvement and, dare I say,
passion about the fleeting
things of the world.
We
would do well to remember
the words of Robert Robinson. In 1757, at the age of
twenty-two, he penned the
hymn “Come Thou Fount of
Every Blessing.” Out of the
overflow of his heart and passion for Christ came his desire
despite his sin nature and the
allure of the world when he
wrote, “prone to wander Lord
I feel it, prone to leave the
God I love. Take my heart
Lord, take and seal it, seal it
for thy courts above.”
-Pastor Brent
God’s Word
can’t get into
you, unless
you get into
God’s Word!
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New Members
Haskell and Cassie Justice joined on March 12,
2017 by transfer of letter.
Billy and Amber Ball (left) and Kymberly Stanek joined
our faith family on Sunday, April 23, 2017.
Be sure to help these new
members feel welcome!
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up…” 1 Thess 5:11
IBC’s Prayer closet
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Dottie Bissell—recovering from stroke
Toni Bradford—in nursing home
Weldon Edwards (Shalla Pack’s brother)—difficult
health issues
Eleanor Engler (Kathy Stinnett’s niece)—cancer
Kimberly Harrison—long-term mission work in Africa
Debbie Henson (Shalla Pack’s sister)—difficult health
issues
Shirley Hobbs (Carol Mitchell’s Mom)—vision issues
Marine Kennedy—homebound
Bobby Linville—cancer, undergoing treatment
Jayne McClure—health issues
James Reed—health issues
Merle Stuckey—homebound
Rachel Turner—in nursing home
David Webb (Leslie McCrary’s Dad)—health issues
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Jimmie Jean White—in nursing home
Ben Witherspoon—deployed in Africa
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The man God is preparing to be our next student
pastor.
The Student Pastor Search Committee
Our Associational leaders
Our Associational missionaries, Anthony and Mary
Pennington
Our nation’s local, state, and national leaders
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VOLUME
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ISSUE
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Looking Ahead
May 1-4
BMA National Meeting
May 10
Awana Closing Ceremony
May 14
Mother’s Day
May 21
Graduation Sunday
June 11-15
VBS
June 19-23
Howard County Camp
June 24-27
JV Super Summer
Jun 27-Jul 1
Sr High Super Summer
Things to Come,
A Review of Eschatology
(End Times Events)
Wednesday Evenings starting May 24th
@ 6:00 PM
in the Young Adult SS Class
Even though the first book order has been
made it is NOT too late to sign-up!
There is a new sign-up sheet on the bulletin board
in the hallway for anyone interested.
Questions? Contact:
Mac Warren
[email protected]
903-748-8914
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STATS
4 Week Average Attendance
Sunday School: 94 A.M. Worship: 179
Budget Summary
March Budget Requirement:
March Receipts:
March Budget Surplus/Deficit:
$23,518.68
$22,444.37
($1,074.31)
YTD Budget Requirement:
YTD Receipts:
YTD Budget Surplus/Deficit:
$194,723.36
$163,931.90
($30,791.46)
March Actual Receipts/Expenses
Receipts:
Expenses:
Surplus/Deficit:
YTD Actual Receipts/Expenses
Receipts:
Expenses:
Surplus/Deficit:
$22,444.37
$21,397.40
$1,046.97
$163,931.90
$158,043.34
$5,888.56
*The complete Financial Statement is coming soon to
our website, www.myimmanuel.com, viewable in the
member’s section.
Sanctuary AC Unit Savings
Goal Update:
Savings Goal: $23,600
Savings as of 4/28/17:
$9,422.24
Remaining to Reach Goal:
$14,177.76
Coming to IBC
June 11-15, 2017
Climb into a snazzy submarine and plunge into the
deep---where you'll learn
that Christ is our loving Redeemer! Join Dr. Vanguard
and his crew to follow Jesus' life story from Bethlehem to Calvary, and see
how he brings us joy, happiness, peace, hope, and
love. I know that my
redeemer lives! Job 19:25
VBS Volunteers NEEDED! Sign up on the list in the hallway
near the children’s Sunday School classes.
Creation Museum and Ark Trip
August 4-8
IBC families are invited to join us for a fun-filled trip to Kentucky to visit the Creation Museum and the
Ark Encounter! These two venues seek to promote a Biblical worldview by highlighting the truth
taught in Scripture.
The state-of-the-art Creation Museum is a 75,000 square foot facility in Petersburg, KY, which allows
visitors to venture through biblical history, stunning exhibits, botanical gardens, planetarium, petting
zoo, and much more. www.creationmuseum.org
The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY, features a full-size Noah’s Ark, built according to the dimensions given in the Bible. Spanning 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high, this modern engineering marvel amazes visitors young and old. www. arrkencounter.com
Adult Cost: $175 plus the cost of food
Children and Students: $150 plus the cost of food
Children under 5 are free with a paying adult!
Sign-up Deadline with a $50 deposit: Sunday, June 4
Final Payment Deadline: Sunday, July 9