July 2023 Fellowship Connections Newsletter
/From the Elders
As you may have heard, our church will be having a child dedication service on Sunday, September 3. You might be wondering what child dedication is and why we practice it here. The BFC Articles of Faith answer those questions this way:
“Child dedication is a voluntary act in which believing parents publicly present their child to the Lord as an outward expression of their gratitude to Him for the child and as a formal appeal to God for divine assistance in the bringing up of the child. It is not to be confused with baptism, or to be considered as imparting salvation, or viewed as an ordinance of the church.
The child is a gift from God and therefore the parents promise, as God’s stewards, to bring up the child in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
In dedicating their child in the presence of fellow believers, parents are publicly dedicating themselves to the faithful fulfillment of their parental responsibilities and are acknowledging their need of the prayerful support and encouragement of those fellow believers.
Child dedication becomes meaningful as the parents explain to the child the meaning of this act and consistently carry out the promises made before God and the church at the time of dedication. When one of the parents is an unbeliever, only the believing parent shall make the public presentation.”
Please contact me if you are interested in learning more. We’re looking forward to our child dedication service!
— Pastor Wes Bunting
Announcements
Family Worship Summer — During our summer services, children’s church will not meet. Also, the nursery will not be staffed, but the room will be open on a self-serve basis if you have a small child that needs to take a break from the service.
VBS 2023: “Kingdom of the Son” — Mark your calendars! Our Vacation Bible School will be held on July 16—19 from 6—8 PM, with a Family Fun Night on July 20. Please pray that, over the next few weeks, God will be preparing the hearts of the children and families who will be attending and helping the team as they prepare.
Teen Week — Students entering grade 6 through those who just completed 12th grade are invited to join others from the BFC for a week of fun, fellowship, and solid Bible teaching from August 16—19. Check out the bulletin board in the hall across from the rest rooms or see Pastor Ricardo for more information about this exciting event.
Men’s Bible Study — The Men’s Bible Study continues to meet on the second Tuesday evening of each month. Please contact Pastor Ricardo if you’d like more information.
Women’s Ministry — On Saturday, July 15, the Ladies’ Bible Study will meet at 10:00 AM and continue walking through the book Women of the Word, by Jen Wilkin. Contact Kasha Vargas for more information or to get a copy of the book. In addition, the Ladies’ Fellowship Group will continue to meet every other Thursday at 10:00 AM to interact over Change and Your Relationships, by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp. See Jean Soyke for more information on this group.
Meet the Herbs
Hello! We are the Herb family: Colton, Paulina, and Darius. We also have two dogs, Lulu and Nani. Colton has been attending Faith BFC since 2018, and Paulina joined in 2020 after getting married. Colton is a welder for BAE Systems. He has been there for over five years but is interested in exploring other job opportunities in the future. Colton enjoys hunting, fishing, cars, sports, and the bass guitar. Paulina has her degree in social work and worked in foster care at Bethany Christian Services for four years until Darius was born. She became a stay-at-home mom this past March and plans to continue for as long as possible as we grow our family over the next few years. Paulina enjoys traveling, going to the beach, visiting cities, and exploring new places. Darius is three months old and loves smiling, being held, napping, eating, and, most of all, crying. Together we enjoy going out on walks, hanging out with friends and family, and ministering in the Youth Fellowship. We love the church and our amazing church family!
Meet Josh and Scarlett
Hello! We are Scarlett Littman (soon to be Nesbitt) and Josh Nesbitt.
Scarlett has been attending the church for two years and recently became a member. Josh has been attending since relocating to PA in March. Scarlett works as the Greenhouse Manager of Stauffers of Kissell Hill, and Josh is a Sales Manager for a safety shoe company. We enjoy spending time with family, gardening, going to museums, and attending baseball games.
We have known each other since high school and are getting married in September. We are very grateful to have such a loving and Bible-believing church to help support us on this journey. We have both enjoyed attending and volunteering at church events and look forward to meeting more people as we continue to do so.
Love Life Adoption Week
We are delighted to share an exciting update on the Love Life prayer walk that took place on Saturday, June 24. We had an amazing turnout with approximately 50 people joining us, including representatives from four other churches in addition to our own. The level of participation from our church members was truly inspiring, and we are incredibly grateful for your commitment and support.
The Love Life prayer walk was a powerful demonstration of our collective dedication to the cause of ending abortion and promoting a culture of life. We witnessed firsthand the unity and passion that can arise when believers come together for a common purpose. It was truly a blessing to see the Church mobilize in such a meaningful way.
In light of the tremendous response and the impact we made, we want to emphasize the importance of staying involved with Love Life beyond the prayer walk. There are several ways you can continue to make a difference:
Prayer Walk Championship: Help the Church run to the scene in prayer as a Committed Walker, Volunteer, or Prayer Intercessor.
Life Discipleship Mentorship: Befriend, equip, and do life with families choosing LIFE.
Financial Partnership: Invest monthly to help bring HOPE and HELP to families across the nation and beyond.
Sidewalk Outreach: Offer HOPE and HELP to families as they arrive at the abortion center.
Orphan Care: Advocate for children in need of a family to be placed in godly homes.
Life Restoration: Participate in post-abortive healing and restoration for women and men.
Let us remember that our commitment to defending the sanctity of life extends far beyond a single event. Together, as a united body of believers, we can make a lasting impact in our community and beyond.
We ask that you continue to pray fervently for an end to abortion, and we invite you to take action by exploring the opportunities to stay engaged with Love Life. By doing so, we can be part of a movement that brings hope, healing, and transformation to those affected by abortion through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
— Alex Kocman
Puller Baby Shower
On June 25, at the monthly Fellowship meal, we were delighted to show our love to the Puller family as they await the arrival of their new little one in August. Please pray that God’s hand would be on the delivery and for His grace as the Pullers transition to a family of five.
Missionaries of the Month
You will not hear much about one missionary family we support. In fact, we can’t even give you their names. This is because they have been called to an unreached people group in a country that is currently closed to the gospel. However, we will share the general details of their experience here to give you some direction as you pray for them.About ten years ago, this young couple packed up their things and moved into the community to which God had called them. There they set up a business, which enables them to support themselves, contribute to the economy of the community, and develop relationships with the locals. Their long-term vision is to see an indigenous church established within this ethnic minority group.
Over the years, this couple has faced many challenges: dealing with government bureaucracy, overcoming distrust of foreigners, missing fellowship with other believers, facing opposition, and suffering through Covid. This is in addition to the daily responsibilities of homeschooling their children and running the business. The biggest hurdle they face, though, is the spiritual condition of the local church. While there are about a dozen believers already in the area, they come from groups with different dialects, and some are hesitant about expressing their faith openly. Basically, it is unlikely that any of them would be willing to form a church, so our missionaries are focusing on leading new believers to the Lord while still loving and reaching out to those who already know Him.
Needless to say, it is very easy for this family to become discouraged and give up. Please pray for them as they come to mind. Also, if you would like to connect with them personally to offer encouragement, you can ask Lorna Good for their contact information. We praise God for this courageous family who have laid their lives on the line to reach others with the good news of Jesus Christ.