Correspondence Received

FIRST BAPTIST PIGEON FORGE

3290 Parkway - PO Box 98

Pigeon Forge TN 37868-0098

Phone 865.453.4647

www.fbcpf.org

Tithes & Offerings Report

Amount Received for Budget

March 6 $17,210.00

March 13 $12,395.68

March 20 $15,602.10

March 27 $11,785.08

BUDGET TOTAL $56,992.86

Designated Receipts: $27,099.55 (Includes Annie Armstrong $3,649.00;

Sound System $16,000.00; Bus Fund $3,375 + others)

Still needed toward the cost of the new bus: $60,574

Thank you for your obedience of giving tithes and

offerings to the Lord.

“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the

firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns

will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be

bursting with wine.” Proverbs 3:9, 10

Sympathy to:

The Family of Sue Solomon

The Family of Chuck Fleming

The Family of Michael Mallette

Irene Whaley in the death of her sister -

Pauline Cooper of Knoxville

Also, please remember in prayer the families of the 5 people that were killed in the helicopter crash in Pigeon Forge.

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First Facts A Publication of First Baptist Church Pigeon Forge

APRIL 2016 Volume 22, Issue 3

Shepherd’s Notes

Dear Church Family,

“You will make know to me

the path of life; in Your pres-

ence is fullness of joy; in Your

right hand there are pleasures

forever” (Ps. 16:11).

Well glory! God is good all the time! My article this

month is shorter because I wanted to allow plenty of

room for the announcement on the front page. Let me

simply say that this is a huge event and I hope you’ll be

much in prayer for it. And I hope you’ll attend! We are

privileged to have such stellar servants of God spend the

weekend with us—God has used them mightily through-

out the world in bringing people to Jesus.

Please welcome Katie Layfield as our new Ministry As-

sistant as Shirley has retired; and Debbie is cutting back

on her hours. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the

ladies God has sent here to help serve. They are praying,

godly, sweet ladies and we’re lucky to have them. The

staff and the Personnel Team are very excited about hav-

ing Katie join us.

Please know that Constance and I love you and we are

grateful for our church family!

Brother Dale

G.R.O.W. “W” Team

will meet on May 3rd

Morning Team - 9am

Evening Team - 6:30pm

Loving God & Loving People

May 13 - 14, 2016

Friday Night

6 – 8:30 pm

Saturday: 8:30 am – 12:30 pm (Starting with a light breakfast)

THE MOST INCREDIBLE,

PRACTICAL AND POWERFUL

SEMINAR YOU WILL EVER ATTEND

Learn: To Understand a religion one must know

two things: Who is the Founder and what

does their Holy Book teach.

Who do they worship

Keys to Understanding their Beliefs

Major Stumbling Blocks

How to respond to false teachings

Understanding Religious Customs

Practical Tips on sharing

Questions to Ask

How to Share Christ

(continue on page 3)

Location: First Baptist Church 3290 Parkway Pigeon Forge, TN 865.453.4647

Words from Wayne

GriefShare meets on Sunday Evenings from 4:30 to 6pm in Room 101-A. Please arrive 15 minutes early for

your first session to register. Please feel free to share this information with others that are grieving the death

of a family member or friend. They too are welcome and will benefit by joining us. Anyone who has experi-

enced the death of a family member or friend is invited to attend GriefShare. You may begin at any time and

do not have to attend in sequence.

For more information contact one of the Grief Share facilitators below. Marcia Hathaway - 803.719.6965 Lila Teaster- 865.323.7230 Betty Robertson - 865.680.8688 Don Weber - 865.851.4555

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Grief Share Recovery and Support Group

It was back in 1959 when First Baptist moved off

Upper Middle Creek Road, by the golf course, and

moved into a building some 5 times the size of the

original!! WHAT FAITH AND VISION!! I was

just two years old at the time and now my genera-

tion is having grandchildren!! My how time flies.

Many of you may remember the excitement of see-

ing those little children moving into modern, large,

and bright rooms during those days as parents

brought their children to the most modern facility of

their time back in 1959.

I am so excited to be part of this generation that

is praying for NEW BEGINNINGS here today as

we seek God on what He would have us do during

such a time as this! Are you praying for our Pastor

and Property Team as they seek the will of God for

this new generation? Praying for a place for them to

come and bring their children to a fresh and new

place of worship? I think about how excited Nehe-

miah must have felt as he began remodeling and

building the Temple to a new and refreshing place

for the people of God to Worship.

This past Sunday was just an example of seeing

numerous young families visiting our church that

can be a part of this new work and vision God is

planting in our midst. Continue to be diligent in

your praying! I praise God for Pastor Dale as he is

on his face each and every day praying for the souls

of this community and how to better reach them. He

is seeking the Lord for a wonderful and safe place of

worship for all, but especially the new generation.

THEN NOW

THE FUTURE!?

WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE?

MANY ARE PRAYING LIKE THEY DID 59 YEARS AGO; ARE YOU?

Ministers’ Anniversaries Senior Fellowship News

We are blessed to have 4 men that love the Lord

and His people serving at First Baptist. They all

celebrate their anniversary in serving with us this

month. Thank you for praying for and ministering

to them.

Pastor Dale April 24th 5 years

Pastor Wayne April 15th 15 years

Pastor Joel April 6th 1 year

Pastor Nick April 19th 1 year

Jacob & Brittany Cave with daughters Charlotte & Savannah

Another blessing on Resurrection

Sunday, March 27th was the

commitment made by Jacob &

Brittany Cave to dedicate

themselves to the Christian

nurture of their twin daughters

Charlotte & Savannah.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Pastor Dale sharing

God’s instructions for

parents.

SENIOR FELLOWSHIP DAY TRIP DOGWOOD TRAIL

THURSDAY, APRIL 21

COME JOIN TOGETHER FOR A DAY OF FUN AT THE DOGWOOD TRAILS

IN KNOXVILLE! WE WILL BE EATING LUNCH AFTERWARDS AT AUSTIN’S

STEAK & HOME -STYLE BUFFET. THE COST WILL BE $7.79 PLUS DRINK.

THE BUS WILL BE LEAV ING AT 9 :15AM.

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Historical Marker Placement

The City of Pigeon Forge is dedicated to the preservation and protection

of objects and histories significant to the interpretation of the Great

Smoky Mountains region. In these efforts, historical markers are being

placed throughout the city to designate places that are an important piece

of Pigeon Forge heritage.

A historical marker of the original location of First Baptist Church

Pigeon Forge has been placed at Dollywood Lane at the east end of the

cemetery near where the original church sat.

Cooperative efforts between the city and its residents make the preserva-

tion of history a reality and provide future generations with a look into the

town’s past. The City of Pigeon Forge gratefully acknowledges permis-

sion granted to place this historical marker.

History of First Baptist Church, Pigeon Forge Recognized

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This JUST-IN… New Youth Worship

Leader!!!

It’s an exciting season in Frontline Student Ministry.

We took a team of students to Camp Smoky over

spring break to do some mission work, and we are now

gearing up for our annual Rod Run Fundraiser, selling

tea and lemonade to those walking the Parkway! All

proceeds for the fundraiser will go toward sending our

students on their mission trip this summer to Jackson-

ville, Florida, so if you’re in the neighborhood, be sure

to stop by and get an ice cold drink!

With all the busyness that comes on a Spring-time

youth calendar, we’ve been diligent to continue our

mission of making disciples in our student ministry.

Not only have we kept busy and done our best to re-

main on task, but God is honoring our efforts and

showing up in ways we never could have imagined!

One such demonstration of God’s faithfulness to this

ministry is His sending of a youth worship leader for

our Wednesday night youth worship team!

Justin Johnson is a new addition

to our church family here at FBC

Pigeon Forge, and since getting

plugged in to the church, he has

committed to helping lead our

youth worship team! Justin grew

up in Alabama, was raised in a

Christian home, professed his

faith in Christ as Lord and Savior

as a child, and he has been serving

in the church since he was a teenager. Along with many

other God-given gifts, Justin is an extremely talented

and gifted musician and performer. He plays guitar,

drums, piano and sings! Justin moved to the area last

year to take a job as a performer at Dixie Stampede,

and since moving here, God has led him to our family

here at FBC Pigeon Forge. By now, you may have seen

him playing the guitar on stage on Sunday mornings,

yet off stage he can also be found preparing music

slides, coaching students, and leading worship for our

Wednesday night youth worship service.

Currently living in

Seymour, there are

a number of differ-

ent places God

could have sent

Justin to serve, so I

firmly believe

Justin’s service in

our congregation is

nothing short of a

testimony of God’s

faithfulness in pro-

viding for the needs

of His people here at First Baptist.

While I am grateful that God has sent Justin and

others like him, I am also convinced that much of

the talent and giftedness we need to move our

church forward into the future is sitting in our pews

every Sunday morning. So let me ask you, if every-

one in the church was as committed as YOU are,

what would happen? For some, that would be great

news! Yet for others, this may cause some concern.

Let me encourage each of you to prayerfully con-

sider if you are serving in God’s church the way He

would have you. Chances are, if everybody did their

share of the work and ministry in our church, we’d

be running out of seats every Sunday like we did on

Easter. While it’s not about how many seats we can

fill, it is about how many feet we can send. The

question is, are you willing to step up and serve? To

serve like Justin? Like Jesus? If so, I believe God

has tremendous blessings in store for you beyond

your imagination!

It’s been said, “We don’t know what the future

holds, but we know who holds the future.” And

from where I sit, it looks like God has great things

in store for Justin Johnson and our church family as

a whole! Don’t miss out on your piece of the joy by

not doing your piece of the job!

Fight the Good Fight!

Nick Swarthout

Justin on the job!

Graduation Recognition

May 22nd

Let us know if you are graduating this year!

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Welcome New Members

Harley Baker joined by baptism

on Sunday, March 27th. Chris Holden joined by

baptism on March 27th. Shane Knuckles joined

by baptism on March 27th.

Sharing Your Faith (continue from pg 1)

You will learn how to share your faith with other religions.

Don’t miss this Seminar!

BOOKS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE CONFERENCE.

Pastor Nick and

Shane just before

baptism. Praise the LORD for those that were obedient to Him in baptism on Easter Sunday!

And Jesus came up and

spoke to them, saying, “All

authority has been given to

Me in heaven and on earth.

Go therefore and make

disciples of all the nations,

baptizing them in the name

of the Father and the Son

and the Holy Spirit, teach-

ing them to observe all that I

commanded you; and lo, I

am with you always, even to

the end of the age.” Matt. 28:18-20 NAS

International Student Ministry News

The time to open the International Student Center is very near.

Opening date is scheduled for Monday, May 16. The hours of operation will be Monday through Friday - Noon till 4 PM.

The following are opportunities for service:

1. Prayer Meeting and Bible Study -Scheduled Monday through Wednesday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The Bible Study will be offered to students so that they have the opportunity to hear about Jesus when the Center is not open to the public; as well as a time for volunteers to pray about the upcoming events of the day and seek wisdom and direction from Holy God. We invite all church members to attend, especially workers of that day. We are praying that we will have enough interest by both church members and students to offer the Prayer Meet-ing and Bible Study 5 days a week. We have some volunteers to teach the Bible Study, but if you are interested in teaching a class, please contact Don and Paula Nichols.

2. Evangelism Ministry-Simply talk with students at the Center, praying that by getting to know these students that they will open up and allow the message of Jesus to penetrate their heart.

3. Front Desk Ministry-Help with enrolling the students as they enter the Center each day. Giving directions and information to the students and assisting in other duties at the center.

4. Venue Ministry-Sponsor an after-hours event so that we get to know the students better and share Jesus at each event.

5. Transportation Ministry-Help provide transportation to events when extra vehicles are needed to transport students.

6. Food Ministry- Prepare or help provide food for the center and events such as mountain out-ings, picnics at members home, etc. so that we can share Jesus.

7. Laundry Ministry– Teach students how to do their laundry and/or assist them as needed. 8. If you work and can’t attend events at the Center, pray about helping with an after-hours

event or providing washing powder, dryer sheets, coffee, sweet and low, coffee creamer, lemonade, paper plates, disposable silverware, napkins, toilet paper, paper towels, large gar-bage bags, etc.

9. As a Sunday School Class pray about providing snacks for the Center for a week or two during the summer.

10. Attend Prayer meetings at 4 PM every Wednesday starting the first week in April until the Center opens for The International Students Ministry on May 16th, 2016.

If God is leading you to help with any of the above ministries or if you have any other ideas for this Ministry please contact Don or Paula Nichols.

Phone Number-Don Nichols -865-223-4239

Email-dpnichols@aol.com

a cup of cold water

in Jesus’ name

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Worship Ministry

All I can say is WOW!!! Praise the Lord for a won-

derful Resurrection Celebration! I feel that is one of

the most moving worship experiences I have ever

been a part of. Thank you to all that had a hand in

making our Easter program so successful! With that

behind us, I have had many ask…what are we going

to do now? The answer is A LOT!!! We are gearing

up for two back to back projects, the first of which is

Our First Ever Multigenerational “Night of Praise”

in June. You will be hearing much more about this in

the future, but let me tell you, you don’t want to miss

this one. It will involve our entire Worship Ministry

from the Carpenter Shop Kids up to Senior Adults,

all complete with our Live Worship Orchestra. It will

be one of the most unique worship services you have

ever been to. So please be in prayer for that. Immedi-

ately following on July 3 will be our “Freedom Fest”

Celebration with many of our Patriotic favorites, as

well as demonstrating the freedom we can only find

in Jesus Christ.

As most of you are aware that our Sound Equipment

was long overdue for repairs…and thanks to the

Good Lord, we are on our way to giving it a com-

plete overhaul. This will create a much better atmos-

phere for worship where we can all effectively com-

municate the gospel through both song and sermon.

To each of you who donated, Thank you from the

bottom of my heart! We are well on our way to hav-

ing a new system, but we are not there yet. And still

a little short on paying for it all, but I know God will

provide. If you wish to donate, we would gladly put

the funds to good use, and each Sunday you will

know you had a part in making the new system com-

plete.

Please bear with us as we transition from our current

analog system over to the new digital equipment. It

will be a learning process for our volunteers and

many adjustments will have to be made over the next

few weeks.

On a side note, most of the songs we sang on Easter

are up on Youtube.com but we are making a DVD

available for those who could not attend our Worship

Service. Please see me if you would like a copy. We

would love to get one to you.

Again, thank you and as always it is a true joy to lead

you in worship! I love my church!

Bro. Joel

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