Pastor Ricky Powell

Our Sending Capacity Is More Important Than Our Seating Capacity

Rick Warren said, "The greatness of a church is not in her seating capacity, but in her sending capacity." God is not necessarily impressed with a crowd. God is looking for churches that will send out believers to live for Christ and to love for Christ in the world. When I became your pastor sixteen years ago God placed a vision in my heart. It was the vision of a church impacting our community and the world with life changing ministries. It was the vision of sending our members out into the community and world to live as missionaries. Since then, our church has become one of the top missions-giving churches in the State of Florida, and we have launched ministries that are touching lives every day (a professional counseling ministry, Celebrate Recovery, Grief Share, Divorce Care, Fort Caroline Baptist Academy, just to name a few). We have also set our members free to partner with community groups that are impacting our city (Waterleaf Elementary School, Mayport Middle School, St. Francis Soup Kitchen, Baptist Home for Children, Trinity Rescue Mission, Sidewalk Funday School, etc.).

I believe God is about to do even greater things through our congregation of believers who are committed to "loving God, loving others, and serving the world." That is why I want to invite all of you to join me on September 9, 2012 for the annual meeting of the Jacksonville Baptist Association. We will hear from Dr. Bob Roberts on how to impact our city by being the church in our everyday lives. The meeting will be held at First Baptist Church of Orange Park (a church that is already known for its impact in the community) from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. Take a look at the video from Pastor Bob below and you will get a preview of what he is going to challenge us with as a network of churches. I will look for you at ENGAGE-Jax!

 

You Are Invited To ENGAGE{JAX}!

I want to invite you and every member of FCBC to join me for the annual meeting of the Jacksonville Baptist Association. This is going to be an exciting time as believers from across our city gather to celebrate what Christ has done through our churches over the last year, as well as learn how we can be on mission to engage our city with the Gospel. You will also hear about the Cabaret Orphanage and School in Haiti, vote on the associational leadership team (I have been nominated to serve as the Vice Moderator), and have a chance to participate in breakout sessions on how to reach our community. The details are below. Please make every effort to attend. Invite your circle of influence to join you. I would love for our church to be the best represented church there!

EngageJax JBA Annual Meeting -September 9th at First Baptist Orange Park (1140 Kingsley Avenue - Orange Park, FL 32073 - 904.264.2351 - [email protected]),  from 5:30-8:30pm.  Featured Speaker - Dr. Bob Roberts, Senior Pastor Northwood Church, Keller TX.  Through his leadership, NorthWood has planted 130 churches in the US. Bob is an international speaker and thinker in transforming people, churches, communities and the world. He has led NorthWood and other churches to provide international development projects which include building schools, clinics and hospitals, micro-businesses, water systems and exchange student programs. He frequently teaches courses on church planting, church growth, church multiplication, community transformation and international development at seminaries and universities around the globe. Bob is a graduate of Baylor University (BA), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div), and Fuller Seminary (D.Min). Bob is married to Niki and they have two children, Ben and Jill.

The meeting will include breakout conversations for engaging our city. Please note child-care is not available for the annual meeting. 

Blessings,

Ricky Powell,
Senior Pastor 

Thank You for Donating 2,319 Pairs of Underwear & Diapers on Undie Sunday!

Here is the final report from "Undie Sunday." (From Kirstin Montenari)

Thanks to everyone who donated items last Sunday to benefit the Cabaret Baptist Children's Home in Haiti!!! Because of your generosity, we were able to deliver the following items for "our kids" in Haiti:

• Underwear - 715 pairs
• Diapers - 1604
• Baby Wipes (over 2814 wipes) -approximately 75 packages
• Toothpaste & Toothbrushes - 43
• Misc. Kids & Baby Items - 12, Deodorant - 5, & Towels & Washcloths - 4

God is so good!! You have made a difference in the lives of these children. Thank you for your faithfulness in giving and helping.

Missional Principles (Guest Sermon by Rick Wheeler)

9/4/2011 10:30am service from Fort Caroline Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Look At What God Is Doing Through You

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27 (ESV)

We began packing the donated supplies for our upcoming mission trip to the Cabaret Children's Home in Haiti. Our trip is from August 1-8. Thank you for being such a generous church. You can see from the pictures that you truly responded to the call to help the boys and girls of Haiti! Thank you! (I am also grateful to David Garrett of the Jacksonville Baptist Association for his passion for missions!)

Here is how you can help us as we go.

• Pray. Pray for safety. Ask God to use us as His servants in our witness and work.Pray that God will be glorified through us.
• Learn. Visit the JBA Haiti website and learn more about this wonderful ministry of our network of churches called the Jacksonville Baptist Association. You will be blessed! 
• Give. It is not too late to make a financial contribution to this trip. Contact Lori Gray at the church office at 904-642-2288 for more information on making a contribution. No gift is too small.

Have you ever been on a mission trip? Where did you go? What did God do through you? How can we live as missionaries right here at home? What does James 1:27 teach us about real religion? Leave your comments below. I would love to hear from you!

Vacation Bible School Training Is Coming To Fort Caroline Baptist Church!

VBS 2011 Jacksonville Baptist Association Training Clinic 

Saturday, April 30, 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 NOON @ Fort Caroline Baptist Church (11428 McCormick Road)

 Let's get prepared to give the children of our community the best Vacation Bible School ever!

The following classes will be offered:

• VBS Directors and Pastors 
• Preschool 
• Children
• Preteen 
• Classroom Leaders
• Music and Missions Rotations

*Those serving in Snacks and Crafts do not need to attend this training.

For more information and resources about this year's theme (Big Apple Adventure: Where Faith and Life Connect) please visit Lifeway's website here.

"Are we going to allow a church to be held captive to the personal preferences of a few in our attempt to bring salvation to the many?"

This morning I received a thought-provoking and convicting e-mail from Walter Bennett who is serving as the interim Director of Missions for the Jacksonville Baptist Association. I have posted the entirety of his e-mail to pastors below. I love and respect Walter more than he knows. He has spoken into my life in so many ways over the last few years. As I reflected on his question I realized that I have often been guilty of focusing more on those I am trying to keep rather than those I am trying to reach. I know there has to be a healthy balance between reaching out to the lost and ministering to the saved, but most of the time our church is too focused on the latter group. Try changing "the way we have always done it" (what ever "it" is) and you will raise the ire of many who care more about their preferences than reaching the lost. Don't misunderstand me. I am not one for railroading changes in the church for the sake of being trendy. I am not one who acts quickly without first trying to communicate the how and why of the changes. But I am increasingly convicted that the world is going to Hell too quickly for us to drag our feet before getting serious about reaching the lost. That is why I will never apologize for asking the members of Fort Caroline to remain committed to our common Master (the Lord Jesus Christ), our common message (the Gospel of Jesus Christ), and our common mission (to reach the lost by sharing the Gospel, and to disciple the saved so they will increasingly love God, love others, and serve the world). Here is Walter's e-mail:

??? A Penetrating Question???

Steve Furtick is lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C. which has experienced an incredible blessing of God. In a recent article, he noted that people often ask him what he has done to be able to reach so many people.

Listen to his response: "I could tell you a lot of things that we have done. But none of it will help you until you make the decision we made in the early days of our church. That was the decision to be more focused on the people we are trying to reach than on the people we are trying to keep. As others have said, TO BE FISHERS OF MEN, NOT JUST KEEPERS OF THE AQUARIUM."

That response caused me to do some serious thinking. We talk about our desire to reach people, but are we more focused on keeping than reaching? When we look at our church calendar, budget, and what we enlist and train people to do, what does it say about our priorities? Is our vision and ministry shaped by the people we now have or by those we are trying to reach?

Furtick speaks to those who would pit evangelism against discipleship. He responds, "I believe true disciples should care more about making disciples than freeze-framing the church the way it was when they became a disciple.
...if the mark of Christian maturity is a bunch of people who want to create a museum glorifying and preserving their personal preference, and then sanctify it by calling it a church, count me out."

The penetrating question: "Are we going to allow a church to be held captive to the personal preferences of a few in our attempt to bring salvation to the many?"

Steve set me to thinking, and I know he does you. Wasn't it Reggie McNeal who said "the church does not have a mission, the mission has a church"? My prayer is that God will give each of us a compelling vision of His work in our lives and the passion for it that will ignite every person around us!

Walter Bennett, Interim DOM
Jacksonville Baptist Association

Ministering Beyond the Walls: An Article By Guest Author Dr. Ron Rowe

Dr. Ron Rowe is the Director of the Jacksonville Baptist Association. He recently wrote an article in our associational newsletter that resonated with me. I asked for his permission to reprint the article here and he graciously agreed. As you read it, be reminded that our church has a great partner in the JBA in reaching our community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every week that you contribute financially to our church we send a percentage of your gifts through the JBA to reach Jacksonville with the Gospel.

Quite often I get a call or e-mail that goes like this: "We've just moved to this area and we're looking for a good church. Can you recommend one? And, by the way we want a church with a dynamic preacher. We're used to being well-fed. Also, we want a top-tier music program, a vibrant youth ministry, etc., etc."  
 
Now I know, people are rightfully concerned about the church family they join. But, I often have the feeling, it's more about a consumerist mindset that has driven our culture into crisis, including the followers of Jesus. For some, the more pressing criterion is, "Who can best meet my needs? Who can best serve me?" Again, a pervasive consumerist mindset.
 
We see this at many levels of church and denominational life. Some time ago, a church inquired about joining Jacksonville Baptist Association. And, between the lines in the conversation I heard, "What can you do for us? Will we get our money's worth?"  And, it sounded so much like those calls from newcomers about recommending a "good" local church. I told that church about our many ministries and opportunities for training, fellowship, etc. But I ended by saying, "It allows your church to minister beyond its walls. The major 'benefit' is-it will provide your church with a means to faithfully carry out all of Acts 1:8; ...you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  With Jesus, it was more than having my needs met (consumerist mindset)-it was about giving and serving and ministering.  
http://www.jaxbaptist.org/