HERE’S WHAT’S NEW
Emory Baptist Church eNewsletter
Pastor's Pen
Bro. Richard Piles, Pastor
Where did the Summer go? Ready or not, school starts back this month, and another summer is behind us. I wish the summer temperatures were behind us as well.
Plan now to attend our annual “Back in the Game” Revival Meetings July 30-August 2. We will welcome FIVE guest preachers: Chris Osborne, Gary Dyer, Jim Sherwin, Zach Tunnell, and Scott Berry. In addition, the McNeill’s will be leading us in worship.
The Sunday meeting times will be our normal meeting times, and Monday-Thursday will be at 6:30 PM. Also, we will be taking a love offering for the McNeill’s. Please plan to come and give generously.
On Sunday night, August 6, we will have our end of the summer and Back to School Ice Cream Fellowship with T. E. L. Come for great homemade ice cream, and we will pray for our teachers and students!
Also, we will appreciate our staff on August 6 as well. You can bring individually address cards for our ministers, secretaries, and paid nursery workers. Don’t forget to throw in a gift card as well.
Finally, “Back in the Game” Sunday will be August 27. As has been our practice in the previous years, we will look back at what God did at EBC in 2022-2023 and look forward to 2023-2024.
I don’t ever want to take for granted how special Emory Baptist Church is. God bless you, and I’m grateful to be your pastor!
Choir Corner with Chris
Bro. Chris Henderson, Minister of Music and Senior Adults
July was a hot one and August doesn’t look like it will be any cooler. Things are also heating up here at EBC with our Back in the Game Revival Meeting starting the month off strong. Then, with Rains ISD beginning classes on the 7th, our Wednesday night activities will not be long behind. On August 16th, Wednesday night meals resume, along with KidzPraize. We have a new volunteer to KidzPraize, Jana Burchett, and we are excited to welcome her to the team as we teach kids the importance of worship and studying God’s word as well as singing together as a body of believers.
For those who haven’t heard KidzPraize is our children’s worship ministry that meets on Wednesday nights from 6:30-7:30. During that time, we teach kids about worship, why we worship, and we also SING a LOT. We welcome any student from Kindergarten to the Fifth grade, and we meet upstairs in the big room in the Children’s Building. If you have any questions about getting your child involved with KidzPraize or if you want to volunteer as well, please do not hesitate to visit with me and we will get you or your child plugged into ministry here at EBC.
Celebration Choir continues to meet on Sunday Evenings at 5 PM. We have worked hard all summer long to share a couple of songs with you soon. If you have interest in joining the choir, whether you’re coming back from a break over the summer, or if it’s your first time singing with us, please come at 5 PM to the sanctuary on Sunday evenings and lift your voice to the Lord with us.
Student Ministry Spot
Ronnie Witt, Minister of Youth & Education
The buzz of cicadas in the trees were the soundtrack of my childhood summers as July faded to August and hastened toward the beginning of school. As I walked down the road in front of my house a few weeks ago, the noise of the cicadas in the pecan trees was so loud it drowned out any other sound. That was a few weeks ago. That was in the middle of the activity of summer. But, now it seems that all the summer activities have slowed down again, like the waning of the cicadas song. As a child you seldom realize how when one season leads to another, you’ll miss aspects of the season you’re in and look forward to what you hope will be positive aspects of the season to come.
I am grateful for the parents I had and the family I grew up in. I’m thankful for the way my grandfather made faith a priority for himself and his family. He was a first generation Christian. He did not grow up going to church and got saved while in the army. But, all my memories about my grandfather come from the Christian character he had and the personal decisions he made based on his spiritual convictions. His faith shaped my mom. My parents took us to church, but lived their faith at home with us, too. That shaped how I grew up and how I lead my family now. And I pray my boys grow up with sincere faith that shapes every part of their future.
I feel the pinch of the end of summer, like I did when I was a kid. I’m not sure I’m ready. But ready or not, the next season is coming. I feel that way with two boys in high school and one going to college. There’s no elementary drop off lines for us this year (there haven’t been for a while). So, I reflect on the seasons gone by and look forward to the coming seasons and what God will do in the years to come.
Sonbeam Day School
Cecily Kirby, Director of Preschool Ministries
We are excited to announce our theme this school year is “Following Jesus Changes the Game!” In the upcoming weeks you may notice that the Sonbeam hall is transformed into our version of the popular children’s board game, Candy Land. “Oh, how sweet it is to follow Jesus?”
We are off to a great start with our enrollment process. We currently have 40 children enrolled with several on our waiting list. I am so excited to announce our teachers for the 2023-2024 school year! We have, once again, an amazing staff!
2 year olds: Donna Hensley
Mallory Thurman
3 year olds: Jennifer Sage
Heather Bunch
4 year olds: Diane Klump
Susie Camp
Upcoming Important Dates:
Meet the Teacher: August 31, 2023
First Day of School: September 5, 2023
Please continue to pray for our ministry, staff, students, and their families.