February 2017 | Monthly Newsletter of Selma First Baptist Church

Non Profit Org.

U.S. Postage Paid

PERMIT # 68

SELMA CA 93662

Selma First Baptist Church 2025 Grant Street

Selma, CA 93662

559-896-5842 www.selmafirstbaptist.org

facebook.com/SelmaFBC SELMA FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

Mission of Selma First Baptist Church:

“To help make disciples of Jesus Christ, who love God and love others in our community, region, and

world.”

SELMA FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

Church Office Hours:

T-TH 9:00am-3:00pm

M ARK Y OUR C ALENDAR

2 . 3 K ID ’ S W INTER C AMP

J U NIOR H IGH W INTER C AMP

2 . 12 S WEETS FOR Y OUR S WEETIE

M I SS ION B AKE S ALE

2 . 14 V AL ENTINE ’ S D A Y

2 . 16 S ERV ANT B OARD M EETING

2 . 20 P RESIDENT ’ S D A Y

2 . 26 Y OU TH P ARENT M EETING

Pastor Seth Pankratz

Pastor Luke Chow

Danay Niles

Pastor Greg Parker

Karri Smith

Tiffanie Harrell

Cathy Christensen

Senior Pastor:

Student Ministry:

Senior Adult Ministry:

Facilities Ministry:

Office Ministry:

From The Vine: A Congregational Blog

To Know Him Is to Love Him

Heart-shaped boxes of candy and paper valentines lining the shelves of

drugstores remind us that Valentine’s Day is almost here. I remember the joy of

Valentine’s Day, as a child. It was such fun to deliver valentine cards to my

classmates. I loved dropping them into the slots of the “mailboxes” that lined

their desks. I remember the excitement of choosing the “perfect” cards for

classmates. I must admit, however, that my favorite part of Valentine’s Day was

opening my cards to read messages of love and friendship from others to me.

Relationships are important—especially our relationship with God. Like any good

relationship, it takes time and effort to know God. Consider the differences

between our friends and acquaintances: we wave or say hello to acquaintances;

we talk about trivial things; and we don’t get too closely entwined in each

other’s lives. Friends are different. We spend more time with our friends. We

know their joys and frustrations, their likes and dislikes, their strengths and their

Continued on page 3…

WEEKLY BUDGET OBLIGATION (Includes Missions): $6,681.00

February 2017 Page 2

FAITHFUL GIVING

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Letters

Online Giving If you would like to give to Selma FBC electronically, you can do so through our website, or by scanning the QR code to the left.

Dear Selma First Baptist Church,

Thank you so much for your generous support and

powerful prayers this year. I am sending you a table

runner that was made by Syrian refugee women from

my church. I thought you might consider using it to

adorn your communion table.

We continue to pray for peace and a better future for

those who mourn and wait.

Thank you, again, for your friendship and support as I

serve and learn in Lebanon.

Love,

Melanie Baggao

***Melanie is an American Baptist Missionary currently

in language study in Beirut. After completing her

language and cultural studies she will serve Syrian

refugees in Lebanon. She has been supported by

Circle Dorcas this past year, and this year was added

to our church budget as a missionary.

Sweets for your Sweetie!

Mission Bake Sale

Get out your best recipes and put on your

aprons… it’s time to get baking!

This year our donation bake sale will be on

Sunday, February 12, immediately following

the worship service. Please bring cakes,

cookies, pies, pastries, or any other luscious

goodie, to donate for our Mission Bake Sale.

All proceeds will be divided equally between

our missionaries working in Congo and

Lebanon. Specifically, in Congo, the funds

raised will help to pay for the transport and

customs costs of goods sent to our hospital

in Kinshasa. The other half will be sent to our

missionaries in Lebanon, where they are

ministering to Syrian refugees.

Donate your baked goods or take home a

delicious “Sweet for your Sweetie!”

See you February 12!

1-1-17 1-8-17 1-15-17 1-22-17 1-29-17

Offering/Tithing/Missions $3,182.10 $5,417.19 $6,951.86 $3,472.50 $6,056.00

Benevolence Fund $88.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $10.00

Designated Funds $0.00 $876.65 $1,460.00 $614.00 $2,864.35

Building Expansion fund $50.00 $165.00 $355.00 $9,000.00 $570.00

February 2017 Page 3

weaknesses. And they know ours. It takes time, effort, trust, and

open communication to form deep, intimate relationships with

people.

The same is true of our relationship with God. Jesus prays, “Now

this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and

Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Knowing someone’s

name is not the same as knowing them. In other words, it is not

enough to believe in God, for “even the demons believe that- and

shudder” (James 2:19). If we are going to call ourselves Christians,

we must be willing to know Him intimately, and intimacy requires

trust. Do we trust that God hears our prayers? Do we trust that His

promises are true? Do we trust Him enough to submit to his

commands?

We come to know our Father and understand His will as we spend

time with Him in study, prayer, and meditation. God already knows

us. We were created in His image and the Bible tells us that even

before we were formed in our mother’s womb, he knew us

(Jeremiah 1:5). Even though He knows our needs and desires, His

will is for us to be in constant communication with Him (1

Thessalonians 5:16-18). God tells us to pour out our hearts to Him

because He will be our refuge (Psalm 62:8). I find that there is so

much freedom in being able to express my joys, desires, pain, and

even my failings to a loving God that listens to me. It is also through

this honest dialogue that I am able to open up and ask God to

change my heart when I know that it is not in tune with Him.

It can be difficult to ask God for something and not receive the

results that we were expecting. Sometimes we pray for healing,

difficult family situations, joblessness, or finances and God doesn’t

answer in the timeframe or with the results that we expect. It is in

times like these when we must cling to the truth that our Father

knows what we need and that He will provide for our needs

(Philippians 4:19; John 15:7).

Relationships require two-way communication. If prayer is a

conversation with God, then we need to let Him speak to us.

Therefore, we should spend time actively listening for God’s voice. I

have found that it is hard to slow down and turn off the

distractions. God still speaks to His people. When God seems silent,

perhaps we can’t hear Him through the noise. As a culture, we are

stressed out and overstimulated. A moment of silence or inactivity

quite often causes us to fiddle with our cell phones and mindlessly

check email, texts, or our social media accounts. I know that I’m

guilty of this. But Psalm 46: 10 tells us to, “Be still, and know that I

am God.” Jesus knew how to spend quiet time with God. He went

out to a solitary place, early in the morning to pray (Mark 1:35). Just

before his arrest, Jesus retreated to the garden in Gethsemane. It

was an intimate time with God which is evident by the language

that he uses (“Abba, Father” Mark 14:36). Silence and solitude

allow us to slow down and listen for God’s voice as we seek His

guidance.

Once we turn our attention and energy towards God, how can we

discern whether it is God that is truly speaking? When I feel that

God is calling me to action, I ask myself, “Does this glorify me or

God; and is this consistent with God’s Word?” Then I search to see

whether the Bible supports or contradicts the action. Often it is

helpful to seek the counsel of a pastor, spouse, or another Christian

friend to see if they can give some confirmation. It is important not

to mistake our emotional reactions for God’s voice. Our emotions

will often betray us and the Enemy wants nothing more than to use

them to distract us from God’s will (1 Peter 5:8).

Knowing the will of God can only come through our knowledge of

God’s Word. God’s promises and commands are all laid out in the

Bible. The way to godliness is found by living according to the Word

(2 Peter 1:3-8). Every verse in Psalm 119 talks about God’s Word:

10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

12 Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees.

13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.

14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.

15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 16 I delight in your decrees;

I will not neglect your word.

I’ll admit that I haven’t always felt excited to study the Word of

God. I’ve found it challenging to read the law, genealogies, and

histories of the Old Testament. As I’ve grown in my knowledge of

God and His Word, however, I find myself drawn to study and

meditate on scripture. The Bible is God’s message of love and

friendship for His people. I have so much more to learn but the

more I read from Him, the more I want to know Him. The joy of

reading God’s “love letters” surpasses the joy of reading any

valentine we could ever receive.

Continued from page 1…

From The Vine:

Our February guest blogger is Tiffanie Harrell. She seeks to know

the only true God. Her passion for people leads her to connect

with them, pray with them, and offer them opportunities to grow

in their relationship with God.

February 2017 Page 4

Serving the

Community of Selma

The Enterprise has not yet been refurbished but SFBC has already taken opportunities to use the building in order to serve to our community. Recently, you may have seen police and sheriff vehicles in the parking lot of the old Selma Enterprise. The Fresno County Sheriff K-9 unit was able to train some of their newest canine officers in our building. As a part of their training, officers and their canine partners ran drills where the dogs searched for suspects and contraband.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Department expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to use our building to run scenarios to train their canine team. They were wonderful guests and we are so happy to be able to support our local law enforcement.

February 2017 Page 5

1- Carol Berry, Brayden Brand, Tony Escobedo, John Hoyt

2-Lisa Davis, Justin Martin, Mark O’Brien, Emerson Rogers

3- Brooklyn Dellamaggiore, Janessa Mtoubsi

5- Lola Cruff, Greg Golding, Jayden Stephens

6- Gary McKay

7- Rosemary Alanis

8- Linda Cropsey, Bev Reed

9- Jacob Coigny, Asher Langstraat, Kylie Pulley

11- Chris Plata

12- Alison Rogers

13- Andrew Pankratz

14- Eric Collier, Leo Yarbrough

16- Thomas Oakley

17- Virginia Lees, Sally Timmons

18- Amanda Smith

19-Jullian Flores, Jim Robison, Gary Tilley

22- Robert Gonzalez

23- Owen Wenter

24- Denice Hagen, Jack Reed

25- Nadine Daniel, Olivia Mariscal

26-Elva Gonzalez, Cindy Howell, Joe Harrell

28- Kiley Reetz

Serving February 5

Nursery - Kristi & Joshua Pankratz

Toddler/Preschool - Rosemary Alanis & Caitlin

Larkin

K-6th Grade - Tony Escobedo, Jeremiah Escobedo,

Heather Ornelas

Computer Check In - Dan Sparks

Greeters - Doug & Lynette Hecker

Serving February 12

Nursery - Venessa Golding & Kiley Reetz

Toddler/Preschool - Tom & Katie Chandler

K-6th Grade - Jamie Wenter, Jo Murray, Debbie Lopez

Computer Check In - Dan Sparks

Greeters - Tony & Heather Escobedo

Serving February 19

Nursery - Leola Kaiser & Wealthy Grilione

Toddler/Preschool - Christina Stephens & Sarah Mitchell

K-6th Grade - Chris Smith, Heather Ornelas, & Clarissa Cole

Computer Check In - Dan Sparks

Greeters - Jo Murray & Virginia Lees

Serving February 26

Nursery - Russ & Janet Mitchell

Toddler/Preschool - Judy Fusi & Judee Howard

K-6th Grade - Jamie Wenter, Jo Murray, Heather Ornelas

Computer Check In - Dan Sparks

Greeters - Linda Cropsey & Esther Silva

SERVING THIS MONTH

Worship Service 10:00 am

BIRTHDAYS IN FEBRUARY

CHURCH FAMILY

CELEBRATIONS

ANNIVERSARIES IN FEBRUARY

7- Byron & Kelli Woods

20- Tony & Heather Escobedo

26- Jerald & Peggy Traeger

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