The Scituate Spire
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, 660 Country Way, Scituate, MA 02066
The Rev. Dr. Leo D Christian. Pastor Church Office 545-0058
Email: praisebe@comcas t.net. Web site www.firstbaptistscituate.com
Vol. 56 No. 2 -- February, 2014
Faithful Servants
Matthew 16:25 Romans 12:1-2
St. Paul, when writing to the believers at Rome, penned these words. “I
beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service.” If I understand the Apostle right, he is saying that for us
who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, it should only be reasonable that we
are busy serving Jesus. We who want to be at the top and to be great in the
Kingdom need to begin now by becoming servants to all. Now is it any
wonder that Jesus would say, that if we should be willing to lose our lives for
the purpose of the Kingdom. In essence we are called to be FAITHFUL
SERVANTS.
As faithful servants we are to look for opportunities to serve others in the
name of Christ. St. Paul wrote to the Ephesian Church, “Therefore, be
imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love as Christ has also loved
us and given Himself for us. See that you walk circumspectly, not as fools ,
but wise, redeeming the time.”
In his book Living Faithfully, J. Allen Blair tells of a man who was struggling
to get to Grand Central Station in New York City. “The wind blew fiercely,
and the rain beat down on him as he lugged his two heavy suitcases toward
the terminal. Occasionally he would pause to rest and regain his strength
before trudging on against the elements.
At one point he was almost ready to collapse, when a man suddenly
appeared by his side, took the suitcases, and said in a strangely familiar
voice, "We're going the same way. You look as if you could use some help."
When they had reached the shelter of the station, the weary traveler, the
renowned educator Booker T. Washington, asked the man, "Please, sir, what
is your name?” The man replied, “The name, my friend, is Roosevelt. Teddy
Roosevelt.” We never know who it is that we are reaching out to or the
difference that we might be making in someone’s life.
I heard a story told which took place during World War II about a church in
Strasbourg that was destroyed. After the bombing, the members of this
particular church went to see what was left and found that the entire roof had
fallen in, leaving a heap of rubble and broken glass. Much to their surprise,
however a statue of Christ with outstretched hands that had been carved
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centuries before was standing erect. It was virtually unharmed except that
the hands had been sheared off by a falling beam.
February Days to Remember
The people hurried to a sculptor in town and asked if he could replace the
hands of the statue. He was willing, and he even offered to do it for nothing.
The church officials met to consider the sculptor's proposition and decided
not to accept his offer. Why? They felt that the statue without the hands
would be the greatest illustration possible that God’s work is done through
His people.
Birthdays:
This is so true even today, that the Lord Jesus Christ has chosen human
hands to accomplish some of His greatest work on earth. Sometimes they
seem to be the most inept hands, the least potentially successful, or maybe
the least qualified hands, but those are the hands God uses. If we wait until
we get smart enough or wealthy enough or educated enough, we might
never find the opportunity to be obedient servants to our Master.
Unfortunately we in our prosperity at times have become selfish. Dr. James
Dobson has labeled our generation the "me" generation. Do you remember
that mythological Greek character Narcissus who fell in love with his own
reflection? When we say that someone is narcissistic we mean that they are
totally absorbed with themselves. The Church, along with the world, has
been affected with this problem. Like our culture we are becoming
increasingly infatuated with our own image. The largest selling books within
and without the Christian community fall under the category of self-improvement, self-satisfaction and self-gratification. The obsession with the notion
that we must be fulfilled has caused us as a church to be weakening. It
would do us well to get back to the concept of being faithful servants to the
Lord Jesus. We as the Church must be more concerned with pleasing the
Master than even pleasing ourselves. I am not saying that we cannot have
hopes and dreams, because we serve a God of hope. What I am saving is
that those hopes and dreams must be wrapped up in God’s plan and
purposes for our lives.
I would challenge us as individual members of our congregation to find out
what God is doing and join in. If we do, we will enjoy life to the extent that
we’ll not have the time to worry about being fulfilled. I do understand that
none of us can or should do everything but each of us can do something.
The following on dedication is by Edward Everett Hale. “I am only one, but I
am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I
ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the grace of God I shall do!” Let us
become a people of service to our Lord God.
Pastor Christian
Roger Cobbett (1)
Carol Miles (5)
Francina Campbell (5)
Wayne Robbins Jr (12)
Rebeccah Serino (16)
Alanna McCravy (18)
Muriel Smith (19)
Barbara Robbins (29)
The First Snowfall
by James Russell Lowell
The snow had begun in the gloaming,
And busily all the night
Had been heaping fields and highway
With a silence deep and white.
Every pine and fir and hemlock
Wore ermine too dear for an earl,
And the poorest twig on the elm tree
Was ridged inch deep with pearl.
From sheds new-roofed with Carrara,
Came Chanticleer’s muffled crow,
The stiff rails were softened to swan’s down,
And still fluttered down the snow.
Spyer News .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . with Snoopy Sue
The First Baptist 2013 Annual Meeting was held on Sunday,
January 12, following worship. There was a pot luck luncheon which,
as with all Baptist luncheons, was a veritable feast! Folks brought
their special dishes and a good time was had by all. The meeting was
held by members of the Steering Committee, chaired by Gary
Ludwig. Cheryl Hebert of Hanover First Baptist was there. Marlene
Gil opened the proceedings with prayer, Diane Badger read from the
Financial Report, and the meeting was open to questions and
comments by the attending congregation. Other members of the
Steering Committee attending were Michael Dickenson who left on
the following Thursday on his first Mission trip to Honduras, along with
Wayne Robbins who has been on other Mission trips to Honduras.
“As we heal and love each other, we can rebuild” -The Steering Committee.
Pastor Leo, Polly Fallon, Sylvia Jenkins, Ellen Reynolds, Cynde
and Wayne Robbins attended the Leadership Conference at
Grotonwood recently. The focus was reaching the world for Christ.
Amen!
Here’s an item for all you sports fans: The 2013 World Series Trophy,
won by the Boston Red Sox, recently made a trip to Scituate,
transported by pitcher John McDonald to various venues, including
Rocco’s Barber Shop and Owl’s Crossing Pre-school at First Baptist
Church – much to the delight of all at the various locations! What a
treat! John lives in Scituate and his son attends Owl’s Crossing.
Pastor Leo will be conducting a Lenten series on the book The
Prodigal God on Wednesday evenings. Details to come.
First Baptist will be working the redemption area at the Scituate
Landfill for the month of February. There’s a sign-up sheet in
Fellowship Hall. Workers are needed. Thank you for helping in this
fund-raising endeavor.
If you would like to be part of the Easter Choir, speak to Pastor Leo
or our music director Dan Spahn. Let us join in singing to our Risen
Lord! Speaking of choir, Anne McDonley has joined the choir!
Grace and Peace.
Prayer Needs
Our church and its ministry, for local ABC ministry
to the people of La Romana in the Dominican
Republic. For God's presence in our services, our Sunday School, our Bible
Studies, our Church Boards and Committees and officers.
For our local, state, and national government leaders, healing and protection
for our country, and for revival and peace in our nation and world.
Prayer Requests by the Congregation:
Cindy Lou Strachan
Kathryn Holland
Liz Hatch’s daughter Judy
Our troops
First Responders
Our missionaries
Whitfield family,
Bereaved
Sue Cobbett
Bobbie Arico
Cindy’s family
Sammie
Peggy Lee
Our leaders
Bob Baggs
Wayne Robbins
Rodriguez family,
bereaved
Herbie’s neighbor
Delisle family, bereaved
Wes’s aunt Kathy
Steve Walsh
Chuck Rivers
Police, Firefighters
Liz’s friend Mary
Michael Dickenson
Riley family,
bereaved
Dorothea Smith
Angela Wadsworth
Celebrations: Thank you, Lord, for all that has been accomplished here at First
Baptist. Kenny Olson thanks God for having a wonderful father. His father passed
away 28 years ago. Rhonda Leate thanks the congregation for prayers for
granddaughter Sammie who was able to walk without a knee brace or crutches 24
hours after surgery. Praise the Lord! Dorothea Smith’s surgery went well. Pat
Bongarzone’s son in law Dennis is doing well. January 26 would have been Pat’s
51st anniversary.
Sanctuary Flowers
The Flower Calendar for 2014 is now in place in
Fellowship Hall. Please write on the appropriate date the Sunday you
wish to supply flowers for the worship service. Your participation is
appreciated.