Rehearsals Performances March 29 6:00 April 3 7:00 March 30 7:00 April 4 7:00 March 31 7:00 April 5 10:45 April 1 7:00 April 2 7:00

Our dramatic musical production of More Than a Story is

almost here. About 80 people (including several from Iglesia Bautista Peniel) are involved in the final preparations for this exciting presentation of the life of Christ. You must invite your friends and neighbors to come with you to witness this spectacular event on Good Friday night, Saturday night, or Easter Sunday morning. Everything we do at Spring Woods is about lifting up Christ and telling others about Him. Nothing we do says it any better than this incredible staging of the true and complete story of Jesus.

If you need tickets or flyers or e-mail advertisement to help you invite people, please call the church office. Don't miss this opportunity!

After the presentation is over on Easter Sunday morning, we will immediately begin taking down the set. Please volunteer to help on Monday and Tuesday as we try to complete this task by Wednesday. -Jerry Williams

Spring Woods Baptist Church

10131 Emnora Ln. Houston, TX

77080 713-464-7614

March / April 2015

In This Issue More Than a Story 1

Sunday School News 2

April VIP List 2

Spotlight on Deacons 3

Rain, Rain, Go Away! 4

Birthdays 5

Events 6

www.springwoodsbaptistchurch.com

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March 29 April 5 April 12 RP – Angela Stevens RP – Betsy Green RP – Axie Bullock Betsy Green Judy Tripp Rae Ramirez Debbie Bullock Regina Horton Sara Saenz Butch Mancuso Jimmy Bullock Laura Payne Alicia Herrera Thalia Wade Katie Mayfield

April 19 April 26 May 3 RP – Angela Stevens RP – Denise Traphagan RP - Wendy Mancuso Betsy Green Marlene Moore Brandy Boudreaux Debbie Bullock Martha James Sandy Mayfield Butch Mancuso Daisy Herbert Dennis Moore Alicia Herrera Leslie Bonham Donna Moore

The adult Sunday lessons for this quarter are very exciting. The first eight lessons are about various attributes of the life of Christ. The author uses familiar stories to illustrate what set Jesus apart as the one true God that we worship and serve. These attributes of life include the promises made hundreds of years before His birth and His ultimate exaltation at the right hand of God the Father.

The second series instructs us on how to form and preserve the relationships that make us unique as Christians. These relationships require love, encouragement, forgiveness, service, humility, and acceptance. These characteristics should all be part of our way of life. They are part of the witness of our faith. We all have these characteristics at times, however this series of lessons will highlight biblical ways to improve each of these essential parts of our daily walk as a Christian.

We are still planning on having a formal high attendance Sunday. We have not set the date as yet, but we will give each class ample time to make plans for the event.

-Carol Nixon

The nursery is blooming! New volunteers are always welcome. Contact any RP or the church

office to volunteer.

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Buddy remembers that as a small child, he followed his sister down the aisle to accept the Lord as his Savior, but continued to struggle with that decision. Years later, he accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Columbus, Mississippi, where he was later ordained as a deacon.

Buddy is very active in the music program and currently serves as Chairman of the Building and Grounds Committee here at Spring Woods. He is married to Gail Lootens Thweatt. They both enjoy fishing and an occasional golf game.

on our Deacons This month our deacon focus is Lonnie (Buddy) E. Thweatt, Jr.

He is currently serving his second term as deacon here at Spring Wood Baptist Church.

Buddy Thweatt was born in Port Angeles, Washington and belongs to the Makah Indian tribe of Neah Bay, Washington. His family moved to Columbus, Mississippi when he was a young boy. There he grew up on a small farm, where he learned to milk cows and raise cattle, chickens, and hogs. He attended high school at New Hope High in Columbus, Mississippi and college at Holmes Jr. College in Goodman, Mississippi and Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, where he earned a degree in Business Administration.

Buddy and Gail found Spring Woods in 2008 by searching “Southern  Baptist  Churches” on their Garmin! Fun Fact:

If you would like to contribute articles and/or photos to our next newsletter, please email submissions to

swbcnewsletter@gmail.com

by April 24.

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This has been our mantra for the SWBC Upwards Soccer Program. According to our calendar, we have had 3 full weeks of practices and games. However, we have only been able to hold 1 practice and game so far!

With all the  weather  “interruptions”  I  keep  asking  myself,  “What are the families of the players thinking, since they paid to be part of this experience?”      After  all,  the  whole  purpose  of  a  sports  league  is to play ball. When I played football, I had the best time playing in the rain and mud. However, as a father and  “mature”  adult,  I  need  to  think  about  the safety of the players and the responsibility of the church. How can we allow someone to get hurt on the wet and muddy field?

I have also wondered about the purpose of the league. Are we here just to play a game, or is there more to it? Are we just teaching the basics of soccer? Are we here just for fun? Why did SWBC decide to start this league 4+ years ago? I found information that answered some of my questions on the Upwards website (http://www.upward.org/blog/cazscorner/act-or-react-when-passions-collide).

x 90% of Americans are influenced by sports each week.

x 60% of Americans associate themselves with a sports team more than with a church.

x 35 million youths play organized sports each year.

x 8 million people are leaving the Christian church each year, resulting in a decline in church attendance for the first time ever.

These statistics may all seem commonplace, but they are very meaningful. With so many people influenced by sports, and especially children, it makes sense for us to merge the Great Commission and soccer in order to reach our community.

If you have a desire to share your faith with those who are searching for the truth, I would encourage you to consider these 5 steps:

1. Be Aware – Be open to new experiences. Allow new opportunities into your life as potential outlets for ministry.

2. Seek Passion – As you experience new situations, be sensitive to God's prompting of your heart.

3. Alter Your Perspective – When there is a problem, God has a plan, even if we do not see it. Be willing to be obedient to whatever it is God asks you to do. When God reveals His vision, it is always "BIGGER THAN ME."

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Kathy Beal March 1 Becca Averitt March 21 Dwain Beasley March 5 Ron Bernucho March 24 Alicia Herrera March 5 Mary Hemmeter March 24 Justin Moore March 7 Raúl Vásquez March 24 Jetty Barnhill March 10 Jo Garrett March 28 Pauline Cowart March 11 Arit Ekpro March 30 Thalia Wade March 12 Lynne Fleming March 30 Pat Payne March 13 Casey Mancuso March 30 Yvonne King March 14 Genevieve Wade April 3 Sandy Mayfield March 15 Butch Mancuso April 9 Emmanuel Vaca March 15 Brandy Boudreaux April 13 Christina Christopher March 17 Georgia Pogue April 19 Sean Bullock March 19 Debbie Bullock April 21 Destiny Herbert March 19 Suzan Bernucho April 23 Christian Herbert-Klutts

March 19 Alexander Herbert Aprl 30

4. Get Ready –Obedience always requires an act of FAITH. Be prepared to step out into the unknown.

5. Be Intentional – The vast majority of incredible opportunities usually "stall out" at this phase because everybody is waiting on someone else to do something. Maybe it is your turn to be intentional about what God has asked us to do. At this point, it is time to "get out of the boat."

God has given us all different passions in life, but when He matches the needs in our community with our passion, we have to decide whether we will act in obedience upon his calling. Our community has changed through the years, and now it seems we have found a new channel to start reaching out again. As a church family, we have to be aware of things happening around us, seek out passions prompted by God, see  God’s  vision  for  our  service,  be  ready  for  the  unknown  through  our  faith,  and  be  intentional in getting out of the boat!

-Richard Maynard

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Spring Woods Baptist Church 10131 Emnora Lane Houston, TX 77080

April 1 No  GA’s,  RA’s,  Youth:    Pageant  Rehearsal

April 14 10:00 Ladies Morning Bible Study Continues

April 6 Church Office Closed in Observance of Easter

April 18 8:00 am B-Men

April 7 6:00 Nominating Committee Meeting

April 18 2:00-4:00 GA Culture and Art Activity – Korean Fan

April 8 6:30 – 7:30 GA’s,  RA’s,  Youth  Resume

April 19 5:00 Children’s  Department  Meeting

April 12 6:00 Children’s  Choir                    “Fun  in  the  Gym”

April 19 6:00 Children’s  Choir  Resumes

April 13 6:30 – 8:00 Ladies Evening Bible Study Begins

April 25 8:30 am Quilt Group Lock-in

Address Service Requested

Staff Emails Jerry Mayfield, Pastor jerrylmayfield@aol.com Anthony Aquino, Associate Pastor thesilverchord@gmail.com Jerry Williams, Music jerrywilliams@travelleaders.com Donna Moore, Programs dmooreswbc@gmail.com Marie Burthlong springwoodsbaptistchurch@gmail.com

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