Category: Faith-Friends

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

Wow, it was minus four degrees this morning and we’re supposed to have a January thaw next week (up in the mid to high 50’s on Tuesday). Maybe I can get my car washed! We won’t complain about some warmer temperatures, but the drastic changes are a little hard to take. I wonder how many Christians are like the weather – up and down daily, weekly, or from season to season? Are you striving to be consistent – “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (I Cor. 15:58)?

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Time for a smile: (from a circulating e-mail)

This is why women should not take men shopping against their will:

After Mr. and Mrs. Fenton retired, Mrs. Fenton insisted her husband accompany her on her trips to Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, Mr. Fenton was like most men — he found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally, unfortunately, Mrs. Fenton was like most women — she loved to browse. One day Mrs. Fenton received the following letter from her local Wal-Mart…

Dear Mrs. Fenton,

Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behaviour and may be forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against Mr. Fenton are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.

1. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
2. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, “Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away.”
3. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&M’s on layaway.
4. September 14: Moved a ‘CAUTION – WET FLOOR’ sign to a carpeted area.
5. September 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he’d invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department.
6. September 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, ‘Why can’t you people just leave me alone?’
7. November 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.
8. December 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled ‘PICK ME! PICK ME!’
9. December 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed ‘OH NO! IT’S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!’
And last, but not least…
10. December 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, ‘Hey! There’s no toilet paper in here!’

Regards,
Wal-Mart

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Sunday, January 6, 2008

Family Bible Classes – 9:30am
I will be starting a new series in our Auditorium Bible Class. We will be studying I Timothy in a series I am calling, “How To Behave In the House of God.” We will examine our culturally based ideas about church in light of the apostolic truth in God’s Word. I wonder how those two things compare? Are you willing to adjust your ideas about church as you are exposed to the light of Scripture?

Morning Worship Service – 10:45am
The message for this Sunday will be, “The Truth Shall Make You Free,” (from John 8:31-36). That is such a familiar saying – repeated often by politicians and other public speakers. Most of them have no clue about the context from which it comes. What truth? Freedom from what? Do you know the answers? What will we learn from our study of these verses? Here’s a teaser – the actual focus isn’t on being free. Take a look and figure out what the main theme is.

We will remember the Lord’s death as we celebrate the Lord’s Table at the conclusion of the Morning Worship Service

Evening Celebration – 6:00pm
Our evening celebration will include the message, “Do’s and Don’ts of Prayer,” from Matthew 6:5-8. It is the message I would have preached on Sunday night, December 16th, but we canceled the service for the weather. In this message we will look at the warnings Jesus gave to help His disciples avoid some common abuses of prayer. As we see these practical truths we will gain a better understanding of the underlying essence of prayer.

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That’s all for this edition of FaithFriends. Pray with me that God’s people will be equipped and encouraged and the lost will hear the good news of the Gospel and trust Christ for their salvation!

Your faithful Minister of the Word,
Pastor Harriman

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

Yes, we cancelled our services last Sunday. The huge storm that was predicted, with one to two feet of snow, didn’t materialize, but on Sunday morning we did have freezing rain and sleet which made things icy and dangerous. Now we are preparing for our Christmas Sunday worship. It will be a great day of remembering the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Because we will be with our family next week, there won’t be a FaithFriends until next year. So, here is the advance “heads up” about Sunday, December 30th. I will preach the morning message – “I Am Going Away” (from John 8:21-30). Ironically that will come after I’ve been away, but it isn’t about me going away, it’s what Jesus said. Then, in the evening service on the 30th, our own Dan Noyes will bring the message.

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Time for a smile:

I’ll admit, it can be hard to buy gifts for men. There are still a couple of shopping days left, so I’m going to give you a little help: buying gifts for men is not nearly as complicated as it is for women. Follow these rules and you should have no problems.

Rule #1: When in doubt – buy him a cordless drill. It does not matter if he already has one. I have a friend who owns 17 and he has yet to complain. As a man, you can never have too many cordless drills. No one knows why.
Rule #2: If you are really, really broke, buy him anything for his car. A 99-cent ice scraper, a small bottle of deicer or something to hang from his rear view mirror. Men love gifts for their cars. No one knows why.
Rule #3: You can buy men new remote controls to replace the ones they have worn out. If you have a lot of money buy your man a big-screen TV with the little picture in the corner. Watch him go wild as he flips, and flips, and flips.
Rule #4: Buy men label makers. Almost as good as cordless drills. Within a couple of weeks there will be labels absolutely everywhere. “Socks. Shorts. Cups. Saucers. Door. Lock. Sink.” You get the idea. No one knows why.
Rule #5: Never buy a man anything that says “some assembly required” on the box. It will ruin his day and he will always have parts left over.
Rule #6: Good places to shop for men include Home Depot, John Deere, NAPA Auto Parts, and Sear’s Clearance Centers. They are all excellent men’s stores. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t know what it is. “From NAPA Auto, eh? Must be something I need. Hey! Isn’t this a starter for a ’68 Ford Fairlane? Wow! Thanks.”
Rule #7: Men enjoy danger. That’s why they never cook – but they will barbecue. Get him a monster barbecue with a 100-pound propane tank. Tell him the gas line leaks. “Oh the thrill! The challenge! Who wants a hamburger?”
Rule #8: Tickets to a football game are a smart gift. However, he will not appreciate tickets to “A Retrospective of 19th Century Quilts.” Everyone knows why.
Rule #9: Men love chainsaws. Never, ever, buy a man you love a chainsaw. If you don’t know why – please refer to Rule #4 and what happens when he gets a label-maker.
Rule #10: Rope. Men love rope. It takes them back to our cowboy origins, or at least The Boy Scouts. Nothing says love like a hundred feet of 3/8″ manilla rope.

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Sunday, December 16, 2007

Family Bible Classes – 9:30am

Morning Worship Service – 10:45am
Since our services were cancelled last Sunday, the message for this Sunday remains the same, “I Am The Light of the World,” (from John 8:12-20). Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” That is an extravagant claim and it was met by an extreme challenge (You LIE!), but Jesus responded with an encouraging certainty.

Our choir, Faith Singers, will also present their Christmas cantata titled, “The King of Kings.”

Evening Celebration – 6:00pm
Our evening celebration will be a “Christmas Carol Sing” – we will be singing our favorite Christmas carols along with some Scripture reading and special music including some from the children and teens. It will be like caroling except without the bulky coats, freezing temperatures, and getting children in and out of cars at multiple stops. You won’t want to miss this!

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That’s all for this edition of FaithFriends. Pray with me that God’s people will be equipped and encouraged and the lost will hear the good news of the Gospel and trust Christ for their salvation!

Your faithful Minister of the Word,
Pastor Harriman

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

“w00t” – did you know this was chosen as Merriam-Webster’s 2007 word of the year? It is spelled with two zeroes in the middle. The word, derived from video game speech (say what?), is used as an exclamation of joy, often upon the completion of a task or beating an opponent. It is the geek way of saying “yay!” The president of M-W, John Morse, applauded “w00t” as it’s choice because “it blends whimsy and new technology.”

We Baptists are a pretty reserved bunch – not too many hallelujah’s, a few amen’s, but I’ve never heard a “w00t” in any service. As you prepare to worship the Lord with your church family this Lord’s Day, you may not say “w00t” but I trust there is a sense of joy and anticipation for what the Spirit of God will do in you through the ministry of His Word and the fellowship with His people.

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Time for a smile:

Two roommates were shopping. One saw a humorous tee shirt that said, “It might look like I’m doing nothing, but on a cellular level, I’m quite busy.”

When she showed it to her (blond) roommate, her response was, “Oh, I should buy that one, I’m always talking on mine.”

Two “goobers” went deep into the woods searching for a Christmas tree. After hours of subzero temperatures and a few close calls with hungry wolves, one goober turned to the other and said, “I’m chopping down the next tree I see. I don’t care whether it’s decorated or not!”

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Sunday, December 16, 2007

Family Bible Classes – 9:30am

Morning Worship Service – 10:45am
The message for this Sunday, “I Am The Light of the World,” is from John 8:12-20. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” That is an extravagant claim and it was met by an extreme challenge (You LIE!), but Jesus responded with an encouraging certainty.

Evening Celebration – 6:00pm
For the next message in our series on prayer, we will look at Matthew 6:5-8 which includes several very practical “Do’s And Don’ts of Prayer.” When you look at the warnings Jesus gave – to help His disciples avoid the common abuses of prayer – you see the underlying essence of prayer. If you want to grow in the spiritual discipline of prayer, this message will have you saying, “w00t.” 🙂

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That’s all for this edition of FaithFriends. Pray with me that God’s people will be equipped and encouraged and the lost will hear the good news of the Gospel and trust Christ for their salvation!

Your faithful Minister of the Word,
Pastor Harriman

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

“Come Let Us Worship The King” – that is our theme here at Faith Baptist Church for this Christmas season. I trust that along with the family and commercial aspects of these next few weeks, you will spend significant time thinking about the spiritual aspects. I encourage you to thoughtfully and prayerfully read Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 between now and the end of the year (perhaps several times even). As you do, ask the Lord to bring a fresh delight for the story of Jesus birth. I pray that you will joyfully Worship the King!

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Time for a smile:

Two from Reader’s Digest:
A sign posted on the wall of an Army mess hall read: “Don’t Waste Food — Food Will Win the War.”
Beneath these words someone had scrawled: “That’s fine, but how do we get the enemy to eat here?” (from Irving Schiff)

Riding in a jet trainer for the first time was exhilarating. It was also frightening, especially when I began to think, “What if we crash?”
“Excuse me,” I said to the pilot. “Is there anything I should know in case we need to eject?”
“Yes,” he said. “If I say ‘Go’ and you say ‘What?’ you’ll be talking to yourself.” (from Harry Foster)

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Sunday, December 9, 2007

Family Bible Classes – 9:30am

Morning Worship Service – 10:45am
Our text for this Sunday is John 8:1-11. Here we are, plunging ahead in our Christmas series of messages, with the obvious Christmas message of the woman taken in adultery (yes, that was said tongue in cheek)! “Wait a minute,” you say, “how is THAT a Christmas message?” Good question (which usually means you won’t be getting a good answer). But, think about it. Jesus was the only one there who was without sin (that was his challenge to the woman’s accusers), and He chose to say to her, “Go And Sin No More.” Isn’t that what Christmas is all about – an opportunity to respond to Jesus and repent of sin? Hence – it’s a fitting Christmas message after all!

Evening Celebration – 6:00pm
As we continue our series on prayer, we finally come to the New Testament. The first time we find the word “pray” in the New Testament is in Matthew 5:44. “But I say to you, love your enemies… and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” The message will be, “Pray For The Malicious.”

After the service we will have our Annual Business Meeting to elect deacons and vote on the 2008 Budget.

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That’s all for this edition of FaithFriends. Pray with me that God’s people will be equipped and encouraged and the lost will hear the good news of the Gospel and trust Christ for their salvation!

Your faithful Minister of the Word,
Pastor Harriman

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili, 

This Saturday, as an outreach event we are having a Bread Making Class (December 1st).  My wife, Janet, will be teaching bread making and sharing some techniques she learned from our Amish neighbors in western Ohio. Around fifteen have signed up to come, there is room for a few more.  Call and let us know (or e-mail) if you want to be part of that.  The point of it is to invite an unsaved friend and bring them with you to build a relationship and look for an opportunity to share Christ.

Continue reading “November 29 – FaithFriends” →

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili, I am writing this FaithFriends in a different way than I had been – it is going directly on the website and that will trigger an automatic e-mail to each of you. If we do this right, you’ll never notice the difference, but (since I have low confidence in my ability here) if I mess up, please be patient. Feel free to write me back and let me know if something isn’t right and we’ll try to fix it for next time.

Next week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving! I will be out of town for a few days next week, so it’s likely there won’t be a FaithFriends until the following week. Here at Faith Baptist we will have a Tuesday night (November 20th) Thanksgiving Service and no Prayer Meeting, Teen Club or Olympian Club meetings on Wednesday, Nov. 21st.Here is something – as an outreach event we are having a Bread Making Class on Saturday, December 1st. My wife, Janet, will be teaching the method of bread making she learned from our Amish neighbors in western Ohio. Class size is limited, so be sure to sign up quickly if you want to come. The point of it is to invite an unsaved friend and bring them with you to build a relationship and look for an opportunity to share Christ.
Continue reading “November 15 – FaithFriends” →

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

Don’t forget – this Sunday is the day we go back off Daylight Savings Time – and get to sleep an extra hour! Set your clocks back on Saturday night and have plenty of time to get to church for the 9:30 am hour.

We had a fruitful conference with T.W. Teall of Canton, Ohio last Saturday through Tuesday. The theme, “Our Holy God and His Healthy Church” developed into four main topics – a healthy church is… 1) a hearing group of people; 2) a hungry group of people; 3) a hardy group of people; and 4) a hopeful group of people. If you were unable to come but are interested, we now have those six message on our web-site as pod-casts. You will be able to listen to them right at your computer (click on either “play now” or “play in popup”), or you can download them to your computer and make a CD or listen to them on an mp3 player. I would encourage you to do that – they were a great blessing to our church family! You will find them at this link: www.fbcnorthchili.org/category/podcasts/

Continue reading “November 1 – FaithFriends” →

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

This Saturday is the beginning of our Fall Bible Conference with Pastor T.W. Teall of Perry Baptist Church, Canton, Ohio. It all starts with a 6pm Carry-in Fellowship Dinner followed by a 7pm service. We will then have the conference focus in all three of our services on Sunday as well as Monday and Tuesday evenings at 7pm. Hope to see you here!
Continue reading “October 25 – Faith-Friends” →

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

Our church web-site (www.fbcnorthchili.org) has been getting a face-lift this week. I invite you to check it out. There are still some pages under construction, but the bulk of it is up and running. Soon we hope to have the Sunday messages available for pod-casting (that is, you will be able to listen to them on your computer, or download them to an MP3 player and listen to them wherever you go). We greatly appreciate the work of Dan Campbell our site designer. He had a few late nights (probably normal for him) in putting this together, but the result is just superb! If you have some ideas of how to make it more informative or helpful, we welcome your input.

We are looking forward to our Fall Bible Conference with Pastor T.W. Teall of Perry Baptist Church, Canton, Ohio. The theme is: “Our Holy God and His Holy Church.” The messages (which commence on Saturday evening after a 6 pm Carry-in Fellowship Dinner) are:

A healthy local church is…

“A Hearing Group of People” (Ps. 19) – Saturday, 7 pm

“A Hungry Group of People” (I Cor. 2 & 3) – Sunday, 9:30 am

“A Hardy Group of People” (Acts 2) – Sunday, 10:45 am & 6 pm

“A Hopeful Group of People” (Heb. 12:18-29) – Mon. & Tues., 7 pm

“Understanding the doctrine of the church is especially important to contemporary North Americans, because their pragmatic approach to church life, their concern to be relevant to their culture, and their desire to see their churches grow leave them vulnerable to the danger that their churches will be shaped more by those concerns than by the design of the Lord of the church.” –Dr. John Hammett
Continue reading “October 18 – FaithFriends” →

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

Hello friends, this Sunday marks the one year anniversary of our coming to Faith Baptist Church of North Chili. Our starting day was October 15, 2006. I believe that was the weekend of an unexpected and unseasonably early lake effect snowstorm around Buffalo. A portion of the NY State Thruway was shut down on that Friday and we were driving up the next day. By the time we came through the snow was cleared so all we saw was downed trees from the wet, heavy snow. It seems a lot has transpired in the last 52 weeks – all to the glory of God. We praise Him for the privilege of ministry and the place of ministry. Thanks for praying!

Continue reading “October 11 – FaithFriends” →