So, November is a great time to take stock of our blessings, thank God, and hug a vet.

News and Upcoming Events

November Birthdays
11 – Barbara Gage
20 – Marge Cornell (will be 101 yrs old)
21 – Judi Scheel
22 – Carrie Ahearn
27 – Margaret Drakeley

5th Sunday: November 30th
This is the last month in our Deficit Reduction 5th Sunday program. The Advisory Council has designated the months with five Sundays in them as dates to encourage “extra” giving toward the reduction of the $12,000 deficit in this year’s budget. Special envelopes will be provided in the pews and bulletins for whatever “extra” amount, large or small that you feel you can contribute.

Church & Community Supper 5:00 pm, Mondays - $3.00 per person
Followed by a free-family-friendly movie!
Nov. 3 – Chili
Nov. 10 – Church Ham Loaf (Whit Yonge night)
Nov. 17 – Macaroni and Cheese
Nov. 24 – Scalloped Potatoes, butternut squash

Hot Cocoa for the Backpack Program
Mmmmm… nothing is better after raking leaves or a hard day of school than a mug of hot cocoa. Please consider adding a box to your grocery cart to help support our community children through the Backpack Program. Every little bit helps, it really does.

Thanksgiving Service
The Penn Yan Area Council of Churches invites you to come with Thanksgiving in your heart to the Ecumenical Thanksgiving service. An offering will be collected for the Yates County Food for the Needy Program. Sunday, November 23rd at 3:00 pm St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

Biennial Notes 2014
The 2014 Biennial meeting of the ABC/NYS was held at Tabernacle Baptist Church of Utica. This church is the home church of hundreds of Karen refugees from Myanmar (Burma). Burma was the first country to receive missionaries from ABC/NYs. The Judsons went there 201 years ago.

A great deal of the program was bilingual. Statements first in English and then in Karen.

Friday night’s program featured the installation of Rev. Jerrod Hugenot as Associate Executive Minister of ABC/NYS. Rev. Hugenot’s main function is to work with churches seeking ministers.

Saturday’s program featured sermons from Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickle, President of Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School. He was an outstanding preacher. He used excellent anecdotes and humor to support his points.

Ringing the Bell for Christmas for the Needy
A sure sign of the holiday season is when you hear the bells ringing around town, signaling an opportunity to help those who are less fortunate. Saturday, November 22nd is the day that First Baptist Church people get to “get-out-there and ring-the-bells” at Tops Supermarket. Watch for the sign-up sheet, grab a buddy and sign up.

Missions Report

Again, Congratulations! You received a Thank You for giving $300 to Camp Vick for its camping program. You also received a nice Thank You from Ruth Spencer for hosting Peter and Sarah McCurdy. They shared their vision of why they want to be missionaries to the Dominican Republic.

Giving: We received the WMO on Oct. 26th. You gave $1029. This was just $21 short of our goal of $1050. Thank you. With 9 weeks remaining in 2014, we still need $3550 to meet our adopted budget or an average of almost $400 per week.

Funding: We are taking a motion to the Advisory Board to use funds from the Passage Bequest to give $2200 to ARC in memory of Rev. Passage for a printer, $500 to the Living Well to help with food and $500 to Christmas for the Needy to help with Christmas dinners.

Note: Please don’t forget to bring in your cancelled stamps, Campbell Labels and Boxtops for Education.

We call to your attention: the MISSION GIVING IS RUNNING BEHIND what we need to meet your 2014 Budget!!! On average, we need $1580 each for Oct., Nov., and Dec. To date you are averaging about $1200 per month. PLEASE KEEP YOUR PLEDGES UP TO DATE. GIVE EXTRA IF YOU CAN!!!

Your Board of Mission

News from the Board of Christian Education

Nursery: The Board of Christian Education encourages all to visit the Nursery here at FBC. The facility is available before and after worship service for families with children from infants up to 3 years of age. The Nursery is supervised on an “as needed” basis.

Primary: In October we have had 3 children attending the Primary Church School. Sue Willson is taking them through the story of Moses and the Exodus.

Youth Fellowship: The American Baptist Youth Convention will be held at the Holiday Inn in Liverpool, NY on November 7th through the 11th. We encourage our young people 21 years of age and younger to attend. There are funds available for this trip, so call the church office for details. 536-9821.

Christmas Pageant: Our Christmas Pageant this year will be held on December 21st during our regular service. We are looking to our youngsters and “not-so-youngsters” to help us put on one of the really traditional events of FBC.

Budget: The Board submitted its tentative budget for 2015. The $1750 that we are requesting is based on the needs of the youngsters of our congregation. This includes scholarships for youth conferences as well as support for children attending Camp Vick. Please pray for us and this church as we continue our efforts to bring people to Christ.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Heavenly Father, as Thanksgiving arrives, we think of the Pilgrims who sailed across a stormy ocean long ago, in search of religious freedom and a new opportunity for life. Early on they learned that faith in you, combined with hard work, is an unbeatable recipe for contentment. They were supreme realists.

Centuries later, we are still pilgrims. Often forgetting the formula of faith and hard work, we wonder why life so often disappoints us. At our Thanksgiving feast, may we take a long, loving look at our lives, all stuffed with blessings, and then remember the source of all that is good. Make our holiday a time of true thanksgiving for all we have, and may we offer both a prayer and a hand to those who have less. In your holy name we pray. Amen.

(From A Chaplain’s Book of Prayers, USAF)

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