Weekly Update - January 21st, 2023

Hi church,

Southern Baptists have planned a mission trip to Athens, Greece this September. There are limited spots available! From my conversation with the contact person, they are planning for about 150 volunteers from the United States who will serve that week. Some of the ministry will focus on refugees who come from a variety of places like Syria, Ukraine, etc. It will be a combination of ministry projects.

According to the contact person, "Our partners are only seeking specific skill sets to fill the last remaining spots. They need volunteers with professional skills sets in repair, sheetrock, painting, electrical and/or plumbing. 70% of a team needs to consist of these skill sets." She told me that volunteers do not need to be professionally licensed, but their work needs to be professional level quality. She indicated the type of work would be basic, not intricate.

If you are interested, please let me know since the spots may not last much longer. I will hold a meeting after church on January 29th to discuss the trip further. If you do not have a trade background, you may still be able to participate but we do need 70% of the team to possess those skills.

Click on the link for costs, dates, and schedule.

https://www.sendrelief.org/serve-tour/athens/

Questions About the Bible

Next Sunday evening (1/29, 5:30pm-7pm) we will begin a 3-week class to tackle important questions about the Bible. How can we study the Bible more effectively? How did we get the Bible? Why are these books included and not others like the Apocrypha? Is the Bible without error? Aren’t there contradictions in it? Are there reasons to believe it is inspired? How do we choose between different translations? I believe it is very helpful to answer these questions and clear away some of the misconceptions. Please note: this class will meet on 1/29, 2/5, and 2/19. There will be no class on 2/12.

Pastor’s Library

Pastor David was unable to take all of his books with him. On Sunday, Jan. 29th and Feb. 5th, these books will be available in the atrium for anyone who would like them.

SonShiners Planning Meeting

The SonShiners will be meeting at the Pizza Hut in Edgewater next Thursday (1/26) at noon. Join us as we plan activities for this year. Cost is $3 per person plus one idea! Please sign up at the Connect Center.

Wellspring Life Ministry (Pregnancy Clinic Ministry)

Wellspring greatly needs volunteers to ensure that they have the people to minister to the men and women who come through their doors. There will be a volunteer training which begins Feb. 8th from 9:30am-12:30pm at Faith Community Church in Gambrills. This is a 9-week comprehensive training on Wednesday mornings. The clinic has locations in Annapolis, Bowie, and Severna Park. Please see the full announcement at the bottom of this email. Flyers will be available at the Connect Center.

Coats in Cruisers

We will be collecting gently used winter coats for the Sheriff’s Department to hand out as needed. The biggest need is for men’s and women’s coats. All donations may be place in the designated area of the coat closet in the atrium.

Mark Your Calendars!

  • Women’s Retreat – March 3-4
  • Men’s Retreat – March 17-18

Both retreats start about 6pm on Friday with dinner and go through lunch on Saturday. These retreats are a great time of fellowship, study, and inspiration … just ask those who have attended in the past! Stay tuned for more information.

New Testament Challenge

If you are participating in the New Testament Challenge, be sure to sign up at the Connect Center so that you will receive the related emails.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Bryan

Bryan Sims