Busy Weekend

Don't forget about all that is going on this weekend!!

Saturday will be our Fall Festival from 4:00 - 6:00 PM.  Food, fun, fellowship and outreach!!

Set your clocks back one hour Saturday night!

Sunday following the morning service will be the Pastor Appreciation Lunch...bring a covered food dish!

Please bring in your donations for the ongoing ministries...new diapers, new clothes or toys and pick up an empty shoe box to fill for Operation Christmas Child.

How To Pray For Your Pastor

How to pray for your pastor?

Pray specific Scriptures over him and his family.
Pray for his spiritual life to flourish.
Pray that he will be strong in the face of opposition
Pray that he will flee temptation
Pray that he will be spiritually “wise” and equipped for battle (Ephesians 6)
Pray that he is sensitive to the leading and conviction of the Holy Spirit
Pray that he has wisdom to balance ministry, family and other responsibilities
Pray that he fixes his eyes on the eternal reward and doesn’t get discouraged
Pray that he humbles himself continually before God
Pray for he and his wife: that they would be unified, give one another support and understanding, and that they would fight for their marriage on their knees and with their time.
Pray for he and his children: that he would spend sufficient time with them, validate and affirm them and that he would be present and available.
Pray that God would grant him breakthrough in his ministry: that he would see lives transformed!

If you’d like to have a copy of these ways to prayer for your pastor to print off an hang on your fridge or put in your Bible, you can download a copy here.

Easy Ways to Thank Our Pastor

1. Pray for them. 

What better way is there for you to uplift your pastors and church leaders than through approaching the throne of grace with confidence?

The Lord hears the prayers of His people, and the Lord cares for the leaders of His people. Take time regularly, each day even, to pray for the men and women on your church staff. Pray for their emotional well-being, their physical strength, their spiritual wellness, and any specific needs you know. This is definitely the simplest and perhaps most impactful way you can support your church leaders.

Before you do any of the following, be sure to pray. 

2. Write them encouraging letters.

Being approached after a sermon and hearing how the Lord convicted or encouraged people

through the Word is great. But letters of encouragement, especially handwritten ones, are true treasures.

What should you write?

• Share some Scripture that may be encouraging to them.
• Tell them about how the Lord has been using their ministry to make you more like Jesus.
• Write about how you saw a friend come to Christ.
• Your pastors and church leaders will appreciate anything encouraging. 

3. Serve in the church. 

Churches are always looking for more volunteers.

Willing hands and warm hearts are so needed in the local church, especially when it comes to children’s ministry or nursery help.

How can you encourage your church leaders by serving? 

• Start by asking your leaders where they need help.
• Spend a couple of months being a greeter.
• Sign up to be on the monthly rotation for parking lot duty.
• Volunteer to hold and pray for babies while their parents worship in the sanctuary.

Any service you offer will be helpful for your church leaders. Simply ask where help is needed and be willing to be a faithful servant.

4. Encourage their families. 

Occupational ministry is a family affair, even if the pastor is the only family member working in the church. Late nights, working weekends, phone calls in the middle of the night—the demands of ministry affect more than just the one in the role.

Encourage the families of your church leaders in much the same way you encourage your church leaders: prayer, notes and acts of kindness. 

5. Speak well of the church. 

One of the most discouraging parts about leading the people of God is hearing them talk bad about others in the church. Don’t gossip about the bride of Christ. The body of Christ is a wounded body because it is made up of wounded people. Don’t add salt to its wounds. Speak of the bride of Christ as you would like someone to speak of your spouse. October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Don’t just give a card — be an encourager.

Family Ministries Menu

The menu for Family Ministries this week will be BBQ Port, Baked Beans, Macaroni and Cheese, Vegetables, Salad and Dessert. Meal begins at 5:30 PM and ministries for the entire family begin at 6:30 PM.  

Be encouraged to take the time out of your busy week to dedicate to the Lord.  This is precious time, a sacrifice that will be well rewarded with spiritual growth, greater dedication, closer fellowship with one another. Family ministries is a time for the entire family to come to church to worship and grow together.  What greater investment is there in this life? 

Pastor Appreciation

The month of October is known as Pastor Appreciation Month.  A time for churches to express appreciation to their pastor for his leadership.

Antioch will hold a special time of appreciation on November 1.  We will celebrate with our pastor and family a luncheon following the morning service.  Fried chicken will be provided and church family is asked to bring a complimentary side dish or dessert.  

This week, several resources will be shared on the blog about how to celebrate and appreciate our pastor. Please be encouraged to be involved on Sunday!

Operation Christmas Child

Antioch has been involved with Operation Christmas Child for several years. This ministry sends boxes packed by people around the world to children in need. When the children receive their Christmas gifts, the gospel is shared with their family.

The ministry is life-changing for many children. The gifts they receive provide them with a few necessities and some Christmas fun. More importantly, though, the gifts show the children that they are loved and cared for—by Jesus and His people.

If you’d like to pack a shoebox this year, National Collection Week is November 16-23.

Here are a few tips for packing:

Consider using a plastic box instead of a shoebox. As long as it is shoebox size, it works! Many kids keep their boxes and use them for other things. The plastic boxes can be used to carry water or store things so they don’t get wet or damaged.

Toss in a bar of Ivory soap. It floats! It’s handy for those kids who might wash in a river.

Pray about what your child might need. There are countless stories of kids getting the exact thing they are wanting or needing—shoes, a musical instrument, the perfect toy. That is only possible through God!

Involve your kids. Packing shoeboxes is an excellent family tradition. Kids love picking out toys and items for shoeboxes and learning about children around the world who may receive them.

Track your box. You can follow your box when you print a special tracking code. It is so fun to see where your box ends up and you can be more specific in your prayers when you know what country your box ended up in.

Write to the children who will receive your box. In addition to the other things you’ve picked out, consider including a family picture and a note about yourself. You can even include your address and the child may write back!

Family Ministries Menu

This week our Family Ministries Meal will be Chicken Tetrazzini and Chicken & Dumplings, Green Beans, Salad and  Dessert.  Meal will begin at 5:30 PM and ministries of the entire family will begin at 6:30 PM.

Be encouraged to come out, bring the family and be a committed part of growing in the Lord and in fellowship with one another.

Fall Festival is coming!!!

The Fall Festival is coming!  Don't forget to spread the word and invite friends and family!!

You Might Be a Southern Baptist...

...if you think God's presence is always strongest in the back three pews.
...if you think John the Baptist founded the Southern Baptist Convention.
...if you think "Amazing Grace" is the national anthem.
...if the first complete sentence you uttered was "We've never done it this way before."
...if you judge the quality of the sermon by the amount of sweat worked up by the preacher.
...if your definition of "fellowship" has something to do with food.
...if you ever wonder when Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong will be paid off.
...if you honestly believe the Apostle Paul spoke King James English
...if you think worship service music has to be loud.
...if you think Jesus actually used Welch's grape juice and saltine crackers.
...if you think preachers who wear robes are in Cahoots with the communists.
...if you judge the quality of a service by the length of the service.
And finally, if you ever wake up in the middle of the night craving fried chicken and interpret that feeling as a call to preach, you might be a Southern Baptist.

Suwannee Baptist Association Annual Meeting

Just a reminder the Annual Celebration of Suwannee Baptist Association is this coming Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015 @4:00. A covered dish dinner will begin at 6:00( covered dish provided by those in attendance) Friendship Baptist is hosting the Annual Celebration. Hope to see you there!

Diaper Drive

 

 

Once a year, Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, Orphan’s Heart & The Porch Light team up to collect diapers for children in our care both domestically and internationally.  This year, our goal is 350,000 diapers!

From now until Orphan Sunday, November 8^th, help Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, Orphan’s Heart & The Porch Light meet our Orphan Sunday diaper drive goal!

 

Antioch has set a goal to donate 1,000 diapers for this drive. We are almost half way there!  Please bring a box of diapers of any size to church.  There is a box in front of the sanctuary where donations will be accepted through October.

Church Homecoming

What a great day Sunday was as we celebrating our 164th Church Homecoming.  Our guests ministered through beautiful and anointed music and a powerful message to point us to the Lord was shared.  Food and fellowship were abundant!  Thanks to all who came out and participated and of course, we thank the Lord for all His blessings.

Family Ministries This Week

Wednesday night is Family Ministries.  The dinner will be provided and the menu is Roast Beef, Rice/Gravy, Green Beans, Salad, Rolls and Dessert.  

Children and youth will meet and this Wednesday is Business Meeting, so all adult will be in the sanctuary.  There will be no Ladies Bible Study this week. 

Be encouraged to come out and be a part of mid week Family Ministries. 

Fall Festival

Antioch will be hosting a Fall Festival on October 31 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM..  Activities will include games, prizes, inflatables, cake walk, horse rides, chili/hot dog supper and a hay ride!  Of course there will be lots of fun and fellowship!  Be encouraged to bring the family and invite some friends to take part.  

We are also looking for volunteers in several areas.  People will be needed at the booths, to provide food for the meal and desserts for the cake walk.

This is a wonderful opportunity to share a night of fun, fellowship and ministry outreach!

Funny For the Day

After the christening of his baby brother in church, little Johnny sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, “That priest said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I want to stay with you guys!”

In Sunday School, they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs. Later in the week, his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and said, 'Johnny what is the matter?' Little Johnny responded, 'I have a pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife.'

A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination, and looked at the old pages as he turned them. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible, and he picked it up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that had been pressed between the pages. 'Momma, look what I found,' the boy called out. 'What have you got there, dear?' his mother asked. With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered: 'I think it's Adam's suit!'

Homecoming is This Sunday!!

This Sunday is Antioch's 164th Homecoming!   All church family and friends are welcome and encouraged to come out and celebration God's blessings on our church.

Activities will begin at 9:45 AM with the singing group Delivered.  This group is one of our favorites with family roots in Antioch.  The morning message will be shared by former pastor Rev. Roger Sumner.  Bro. Roger is involved in ministry in an association church near us and is an active part if the children's summer camp each year.  We are excited to renew and catch up with Rev. Sumner.  

Don't forget about the dinner on the grounds following the morning service. Our ladies love to prepare and lavish out guest with home cooked food.  Church family, be encouraged to bring a covered food dish to share and let's prepare to celebrate God's faithfulness to Antioch.

 

Family Ministries This Week

This will be one Family Ministries meal you won't want to miss!!  We will be serving a baked potato bar, which is a baked potato with all the fixings along with soup/chili, salad and dessert.  Meal will begin at 5:30 PM. 

 

Ministries for the entire family will follow at 6:30 PM.  

S.T.A.R.S. Ministry Opportunity

 

Our S.T.A.R..S. (widows ministry) are participating in their Annual Guardian Ad Litem Children's Ministry.  They are asking for your help to provide donations of NEW clothes or toys from Age 1 to 18 yrs. old.  This provides Christmas for the Guardian Ad Litem children who are often placed in alternate homes due to crisis situations.  There is a box in the Sunday School foyer to accept donations which will be accepted through December 4, 2015.

 

Thank you for your support!

Walk 4 Life 2015

Here is our group who participated in the Walk 4 Life!

Church Workday

There will be a church workday to help prepare the grounds for Homecoming.  The workday will be this Saturday (October 3) beginning at 8:30 AM.

Everyone is welcome to come and pitch in, there are many jobs inside and out that need to be tackled!

"Many hands make light work"