From the Pastor's Desk
“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” I am really loving our journey through the book of Acts. I’m learning so much. One of the things that grabs my attention is the emphasis upon prayer. For the believers in these new churches prayer is the lifeline. We all need that! We need the same reliance upon prayer as a lifeline that the new-beginning church had. To that end, prayer is one of two big goals for GBC as we head into the fall and winter season. I’m convinced that prayer is learned, so we will learn to pray and then put into practice what we’ve learned! There will be more information to come, so stay tuned. The second big goal will be evangelism/disciple making. The elders are working diligently to prepare some training for you to use in sharing Christ in the places you go. We want to give you some meaningful resources to share Christ with friends and family who may not have any familiarity with the gospel. Again, stay tuned for more to come. Pray for your elders. We desire to lead well, and you get what you pray for. Blessings upon each of you. Pastor Jef.
Elder Update:
An Elder Commissioning Service was held August 6 th during which Jacob Hoy and Brian Hoffmann were officially commissioned as GBC Elders. Thank you, gentlemen, for your desire to serve the Lord and GBC as our elders. It is our privilege to serve alongside you and to keep you in our prayers as you grow in your faith walk at GBC.
Building & Grounds:
Much work has occurred over the summer months as the children’s play area was moved, new equipment installed, leveling work and gravel/rock spread at the east end of the building. New shrubs are planted in the front and things have been spruced up around the grounds. It has been enlightening to see how much of the work is done quietly without fanfare during the week by folks not seeking recognition or applause, but simply providing faithful service from willing hands and hearts. Thank you.
Mission Team:
The next scheduled Mission Team meeting is September 17th following morning worship service. The Missions Month team is busily planning the events for Missions Month. If anyone within the church body wishes to assist with the planning, be sure to see Cynthia Zareel. As the month draws near there will be a need for plenty of hands to make the work light.
Living Stones:
There will be a Senior Group event in December.
Small Groups:
Thursday Morning Small Group resumes meeting each Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. on September 7 th . we will continue the study of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.
Youth:
GBC hosted its first annual Back-to-School Bash on Sunday, August 27 th with games, bounce houses, food, bake sale, raffle basket drawings, and plenty of school supplies provided by donation. Loads of fun happened on a beautiful, sunny summer afternoon. We saw 12 families come to the event and everyone who came had a great time. The kids went home with a backpack full of supplies to launch them into the new school year. The abundance of school supplies was provided through the generous donations during our school supply drive. All left over supplies will be provided to the Sparta Area School District (SASD) for distribution to children needing them throughout the year. Thank you to all who donated supplies, food, baked goods, time, and talents to make our Back to School Bash a success.
As the new school year begins the Youth Team is easing the kids back into their Fall meeting schedule with two Youth Gatherings in September, one on the 10 th and the other on the 24 th at 4:00 p.m. There will be no “Mystery Night” for the Youth until November. Details and plans with be announced in the next newsletter. In conjunction with the Back to School Bash, we hosted a bake sale to provide funds for the SASD Backpack Program, which is run by volunteers and the Nutrition Services Department to prepare backpacks of food for weekend meals. These backpacks are given to families that we know need help with obtaining food on a regular basis. The Sparta School District has a large percentage of families that are at or below the poverty level and they greatly benefit from this much needed program. It allows many students in the Sparta community, who otherwise might not have a meal again until they return to school on Monday mornings, to be fed over the weekends. Volunteers and donations are an ongoing need for the Backpack Program, and both are welcome if you feel led to donate in any way. Thank you for your support of this program through our Back-to-School Bash bake sale, which raised $113 for the Backpack Program.
Coming Events:
Sep 10 th – Lord’s Supper at Morning Worship Service
Sep 11 th – Pastor Jef’s BD
Sep 17 th – Mission Team Meeting following Morning Worship Service
October is Missions Month at GBC, and we have a full calendar of special things planned. Keep your eye on the dates for each event in October as follows:
Oct 1 st – 4 th Quarter Member Meeting & Lord’s Supper following morning worship service.
Oct 1 st – Baskets for the Silent Auction are due at the church, ready for display (we want to create interest and a desire to bid on each basket)
Oct 8 th – Pastor Appreciation Day
Oct 8 th – Special Speaker Jameson Work, Representative, International Mission Board (IMB)
Oct 15 th – Special Speaker Mark Millman, Director, Southern Wisconsin Baptist Association (SWBA)
Oct 28 th – Mission Month Banquet, 5-8 p.m. at GBC
Oct 29 th – Special Speaker Jason Kopp, Missionary-Southern Baptist Convention Southeast Asia
Misc. Information:If your ministry group has updated information or events coming up in October, please provide updates via email to the church admin at: elkayel1147@gmail.com before September 28th, to be included in the October GBC Newsletter.
