Pastor Ricky Powell

An Open Letter To My Deacons

Dear Deacons,

I thank the Lord for you and for your family. I trust that you are off to a great 2017!

I just want to give you a quick word of encouragement as you serve the Lord in this vital ministry. I know you are all very busy. You have families, careers, responsibilities in and outside the church, and a host of other pressures. It means a lot to me that you are willing to serve the Lord in this capacity. 

Sometimes people get discouraged because they cannot do everything they want to do in a ministry. They may even feel like quitting when they start thinking of the things they have not had time to do. Granted, sometimes we need a break. There is nothing wrong with that. But quitting because you feel like you are not doing everything you want to do as a deacon may not be the answer. Let me give you two reasons why this may not be the Lord’s will for you. (By the way, no one has told me they want to quit. Just some thoughts I wanted to share with you.)

1. No one can do everything. 

Every night that Jesus went to bed there were still people he had yet to heal, sermons he had yet to preach, people he had yet to show God’s love, and people wanting a touch from him. However, Jesus went to bed every night knowing he had done the will of the Father for that day. A new day would bring new opportunities to serve the Father by loving people.

Remembering that Jesus could not do everything in a day has brought me great comfort. Every day I realize there are more demands of ministry than I am able to meet. I cannot do everything for everyone. Sometimes I feel guilty. Granted, there are times I could have done a better job had I been a better steward of my time. No matter how good I am in managing time, there will always be more ministry than time. My goal each day is to be faithful to the Father as best I know how. I would encourage you to remember this about Jesus, as well. Do what you can. Trust the rest to the Father. 

2. No one can please everyone.

It did not matter what Jesus did, there were always people who did not approve of his actions. If he healed someone on the Sabbath day, someone complained. If he reached out to sinners in love and forgiveness, someone complained. If he preached the Word of God, someone complained.

Your goal in life is not to please everyone, but to please the One. Jesus lived to do the will of God. This should be our guiding motivation. We will not stand before people at the day of judgment to give an account of our lives and ministry. We will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that we will hear him say, “Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joys of thy Lord.” 

With these two thoughts in mind, let me encourage you to live by this motto:

I will do for one what I wish I could do for everyone.

When you feel tempted to quit the Deacon ministry because you can’t do everything, remember to just do what you can. Instead of seeing a list of 50 or 100 people that you are called to care for, see the one. Do for that one what you wish you could do for everyone. Send a card, send a text, make a phone call, or make a visit. Just do what you can each day.

Please let me know how I can pray for you, support you, and resource you. I’m so humbled to be your partner in ministry.

“Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 3:13, NLT)  

Your friend,

Pastor Ricky

Free Seminars Just For Pastors (By Pastors, For Pastors)

Gee Sprague (Crossroads Methodist),Tim Maynard (Fruit Cove BC), David Tarkington (First Baptist Orange Park), Father Peter Church (First Coast), Ricky Powell (Fort Caroline BC), in Partnership with Geoff Shattock (WORKTALK) warmly invite you to a free, safe time of learning:

WORKTALK-THE PASTOR'S CUT 

    be blessed so you can bless

    be fed so you can feed others

Designed exclusively to empower you as a pastor to face your unique issues as you fulfill your high calling 

SCHEDULE: Note each event is standalone : come to one or all

Tuesday, 11/5 Coping with Pastor Pressure and Stress

• Understanding how stress builds up
• Knowing specific pastor pressure points
• Seeing how Jesus handled pressure
• Connecting prayer with pressure
• Learning to let Jesus reduce your pressure
• Discovering Jesus’ key stress management skills

 
Wednesday, 11/6 A Pastor’s Guide to Evangelism

• Identifying your core message
• Know what the Gospel is not
• Taking the guilt out of the Great Commission
• Empowering your people to be good news
• Seeing the Jesus model of evangelism

 
Thursday, 11/7 Balancing your Life as a Pastor

• Learning to say 'yes' or 'no'
• The art of delegation
• What is work and what is not
• Dealing with worry
• Finding your own purpose
• Seeing how Jesus balanced his own life

  
Tuesday, 11/19 Taking Tough Decisions
(when you’re naturally a people pleaser)

• When and how to stand your ground
• Seeing how Jesus dealt with difficulties
• Dealing with your own dark times
• When to speak out and when to stay quiet

 
Wednesday, 11/20 Being Yourself 
(and not just what everyone else wants you to be)

• Finding freedom in your created character
• Seeing how Jesus stayed true to Himself
• Discovering a deeper expression of your leadership
• Enhancing your pastoral skills

 
Thursday, 11/21 Knowing your Job and getting it Done

• Finding a clear sense of your unique role
• Ending each day with a sense of achievement
• Seeing how Jesus reached his goals
• Letting the New Covenant impact your staff interactions
• Doing all things well
• Living a life well lived

Friday, 11/22 Letting the Lord Develop your Spiritual Life

• Staying spiritually fresh when you are busy
• Seeing all your work as worship
• Tasting the sacred in everything
• Empowering your people in their work
• Developing a deep sense of security

 

TIME:    10AM-11:30 AM
VENUE: CROSSROADS METHODIST CHURCH
10005 Gate Pkwy N, Jacksonville, 32246

SPEAKER: REV. GEOFF SHATTOCK

CEO/Creative Director WORKTALK

(Former pastor/Director Of Evangelism:London Baptist Association/leading pioneer in faith and work integration/specialist in stress management)

With contributions from some of Jacksonville's leading pastors

COST: Free (Donations welcome as you are able)

RSVP TO: Jennifer Fleetwood

[email protected]
cell: (904) 704 1745

OR SIMPLY REGISTER USING THE LINK:

www.worktalkpastors.eventbrite.com

'these are, without doubt, the best materials I have ever used' 
                            Ricky Powell 
                               (Lead Pastor Fort Caroline Baptist Church)

 'I have benefited so much from this study..'

                            Tim Maynard
                                 (Lead Pastor Fruit Cove Baptist Church
                                  President Florida Baptist Convention)

'this is deep but also accessible to me as a pastor and so well designed'
                             Gee Sprague
                                 (Lead Pastor Crossroads Methodist)

 'a unifying and releasing study into 24/7 Christ-centered living'
                             David Tarkington
                                  (Lead Pastor First Baptist Orange Park)

 www.worktalk.gs/pastors

Great Ideas For Greeting First Time Guests At Church

I preach in many churches throughout the year. It is always fun to see how churches handle the greeting of guests. Sadly, some don't greet them at all. They leave guests to find their own way in and around the church. This week I am in a church revival meeting at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia. I was immediately impressed with the friendliness of the members and the intentional way they greeted first-time guests. Here's how they did it.

The Mission and Strategy of Fort Caroline Baptist Church

Our Mission and Strategy

At Fort Caroline Baptist Church we are all about helping people love God, love others, and serve the world (Matthew 22:36-40, Matthew 28:19-20). To achieve this mission we have created three environments where people can be inspired and equipped to pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ and with others. Specifically, we want people to experience intimacy with God, community with believers, and ministry to others. We do this through three environments: 1) weekend worship services, 2) Life Groups, and 3) ministry teams.

1. Love God (Environment: Worship Service. Goal: Intimacy with God)

Our weekend worship services are like the foyer of your home. The key word of this environment is guest. 99% of our first-time guests come through a weekend worship service. In your home, when guests are present, you tailor what you do and say with them in mind. You don't compromise your values, but you are sensitive to theirs. You don't pretend to be someone you are not, but you are sensitive to the fact that not everyone sees the world as you do. You strive to make them feel comfortable and at home. These are just some of the things we keep in mind when we design our weekend services. We want your family and friends, neighbors and co-workers to find our door open wide to them. We want them to come in, feel welcomed, enjoy a relevant service, and leave with a desire to return. We want to help develop intimacy with God through biblical teaching and engaging worship.

2. Love Others (Environment: Life Groups. Goal: Community with believers)

Our Life Groups are like the family room of your home. The family room is where good conversations can be shared and friendships formed. The key word for this environment is friendships. People who share similar interests or life-stages come together for Bible study, prayer, friendships, and mutual care. It is in a Life Group that you are going to experience accountability, encouragement, and support. It is in a Life Group that our large church becomes a close community of friends.

3. Serve the World (Environment: Ministry Teams. Goal: Ministry to others)

Our volunteer Ministry Teams are like the kitchen of your home. In most of our homes life revolves around the kitchen. We serve our family, our guests, and our neighbors from the kitchen. The key word for this environment is ministry. Our Ministry Teams enable you to serve the community, the church, and the world. We believe every Christian should enjoy God working through them to serve others. We are involved in missions locally and globally. We provide opportunities through small groups for you to serve people within our great city and the world. 

So now you know our church's mission and strategy. “Our mission is to help people love God, love others, and serve the world by creating environments where people are encouraged and equipped to pursue, intimacy with God, community with believers, and ministry with others.” 

What is your next step? Are you regularly involved in a worship service so you can grow in your intimacy with God? Are you inviting your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to join you for a worship service? Are you connected to a Life Group so you can experience community with believers? Are you serving on a ministry team? Take the next step!

 

 

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.

Sidewalk Funday School (Taking It To The Streets)

God has called our church to reach outside the walls of our buildings and share the Gospel with the people of this city. Instead of asking people to come to us, let us go to them! What a novel idea; Sounds like the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Watch the video below for a great opportunity to reach this city. This is a great ministry for a church, Life-Group, or individuals to partner with. It is called Sidewalk Funday School. Perhaps God is calling you to lead your Life-Group to partner with Sidewalk Funday School as a missional expression.

 

Creative Stage Designs For Church

My wife made the worship-center backdrops for this year’s Vacation Bible School. The theme is “Big Apple Adventure: Where Faith and Life Connect”. She crafted a skyline scene that works well for VBS as well as the sermon series, “God of This City,” that I began last Sunday morning. Here are a few photos to give you an idea of how it looks. I am always amazed at how she pulls this off! I truly appreciate her and all the volunteers who work so hard to help the boys and girls experience God’s love in a creative environment. (The adults love it, too!)

P.S.

Donna will change the scene a little next Sunday when she adds some Jacksonville-specific skyline features. We will use the backdrop for the next few weeks for the message series, “God of This City”.

Celebrate Recovery At Fort Caroline Baptist Church

Hardly a week goes by that I do not hear the story of someone whose life has been changed through Celebrate Recovery (CR). Therefore, I thought it would be a good time to re-post an article I wrote a while back about CR. Please read it because CR just might be what you are looking for as you deal with hurts, habits, or hang-ups! You can read the article about this Christ-centered recovery group here.

Fort Caroline Baptist Church Ministry Highlight: Celebrate Recovery

 

Celebrate Recovery (CR)is a Christ-centered, biblically based program for individuals and their family members who are dealing with addictions, compulsions, past hurts, and potentially destructive behaviors; what we call life's hurts, habits and hang-ups. Our groups meet on Friday nights.

Friday Night Schedule at Fort Caroline 

Celebrate Recovery meets in the Sandiford Education Building - Building "A"
 
600-6:45 p.m.  Dinner
7:00-8:00 p.m. Large Group Meeting    
Time of Praise and Worship and teaching/testimony
8:00-9:00 p.m. Small Groups - Separate men's and women's groups to share similar hurts, habit's, and hang-ups. 
9:00-9:30 p.m. Celebration Cafe
Dessert, coffee, and fellowship

Childcare
6:45-9:20 p.m. (Note- Childcare is available for all that attend the meeting from newborn through the 5th Grade) 

Fort Caroline Baptist Church Points of Contact for Celebrate Recovery Questions: Greg Herrin (904)708-0017 [email protected]

Continue Reading for an Overview of the Eight Principles of Recovery