FBCJacksonville Blog

Have you ever wondered or thought to yourself, “Will I ever get these children raised?” or “What in the world am I going to do about my child and this or that situation?” or “Who can I talk to about being a mom?” or “Will I ever get to sleep again?”   If you have, then Mom to Mom is for you!

What is Mom to Mom?  Mom to Mom is a biblically-based parenting program designed around the Titus 2:4 concept of older women teaching and encouraging younger women in their relationship with their husbands and children.  Through small group interaction led by “Titus 2” leaders, growth occurs not only in their parental skills, but also as women, intellectually, relationally and spiritually.

The Mom to Mom objective is to adhere to the instruction given in Titus 2:3-4 and offer excellent, biblically-based instruction in parenting.  It provides a venue for older women to fulfill their call to teach the younger women.  It also provides an opportunity for less experienced mothers to interact with more experienced mothers (or Titus 2 leaders) who can serve as role models, share their wisdom and offer biblical guidance.  We also provide opportunity for interaction with other women experiencing similar struggles, challenges and joys in parenting.

Our goal is to create a safe place for both churched and un-churched women to evaluate the spiritual foundations of their families and to provide a potential “bridge” into the church.  We also desire to infuse into younger mothers encouragement, enthusiasm, and greater effectiveness in their roles as wives and mothers.   Our greatest hope is that we would stimulate one another to grow in our walk with God.

We have just started our second year of Mom to Mom and we meet each Tuesday mornings from 9:30 – 11:30 on the 6^th floor of the Administration Building at our Downtown Campus.  We have a great group of moms coming each week and each week we have new moms join us, so please come and visit us and see if Mom to Mom is for you! For more information, click here.

Children are everywhere. Just about wherever we look, children are there. This does not simply mean we must watch where we step and what we say. Through His word, God has given the Church a weighty responsibility for children. Even if you don’t have children of your own, you have an important role to play. The Apostle Paul carefully nurtured his spiritual son Timothy. James’ readers were exhorted to “look after orphans.” Christian parents in Ephesus were charged with bringing up their children in the “discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Considering the great responsibility we have in the lives of children, the ministries of FBC JAX are able to assist you in this with an upcoming Parenting Conference that is not just for parents, but grandparents, too!

As bookshelves are flooded with a myriad of books promoting various approaches and philosophies for parenting, it is essential that every Christian grow in God’s plan for parenting. This conference is also an incredible help to anyone who teaches or works with children, middle school, or high school students in the church.

The 2010 Parenting Conference will help you grow by teaching you:

*The Biblical Model for Christian Parenting
*The Biblical View of Children
*How to Cultivate a Godward Orientation in Children.
*Biblical Truths for Ministering to Youth During the Difficult Teen Years
*God’s Instructions for Discipline in the Home
*How to Lead Children in Family Worship

Register now for the 2010 Parenting Conference at FBC JAX or click here for more information.

Speaker: Lou Priolo
When: October 15-16
Where: Ruth Lindsay Auditorium
Cost: $30/couple; $20/individual
Included: All materials and boxed lunch

Pastor & Debbie will lead a group on a tour of the Holy Land February 27-March 11, 2011. This will be an incredible experience you will never forget!

See the hillsides where Jesus delivered the Beatitudes; sail on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus taught and walked; sit on the slopes of Mount Hermon where Jesus was transfigured and enjoy the beauty of the Holy Land. On this journey, you will travel to Jerusalem and see the city that God said He placed in the midst of the nations.  It was the city that David took and where Solomon built one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the temple of God.  Just outside the walls of this city, our Lord was crucified and resurrected.  Then if you choose, you can travel to Rome, known as the eternal city.  These two cities, of all the cities in the earth, stood opposite one another during the days of our Lord’s earthly ministry.  It was the city where Paul and Peter were executed; where Caesar ruled; and the city Nero burned and rebuilt.

“Nothing in your Christian walk will have a greater impact on your life than a trip to the Holy Land.  Journey with us to Israel as we follow the steps of our Lord and see how the stories in the Bible come to life.” – Debbie Brunson

If you are interested in this trip, please download a schedule & registration form.

On Friday night September 17,  the 400-voice Florida Worship Choir & Orchestra will lead an evening of praise and worship in the Main Auditorium at 7:00p.m.  This group of music ministers and their wives will be led by Terry Williams, Director of Music and Worship for the Florida Baptist Convention. Williams passion is to see the glory of God revealed in times of private & public worship; so much so that revival and spiritual renewal will take place throughout all 2800 of our Florida Baptist churches.

You have never heard worship like this as 400 trained musicians lift their voices and instruments as they present praise to the Saviour through the program ”God of the Ages.” This is open to the general public and everyone is welcome to join in worship with us. Admission and parking are free! (No childcare is provided.) Please click here to download the full flyer on this event.

Our newest video website is just days away and we think you will love it! Our hope is that you will help it go viral so the “word of Christ (may) richly dwell within” the lives of the people we touch.So what does that look like? Pretty cool, actually – I’m glad you asked! How about a one-stop site to Watch, Listen or Read our services and the great messages that the Lord has been giving us through Pastor Brunson. Simple to use, dependable and loaded with content! We’ll start with more than 40 messages from 6 series with easy navigation to watch the video, listen to audio or read the text of the message. Our plans are for this site to continue to grow and for all you techies out there to be able to access content like you never have before. Even if you don’t consider yourself a “techie” – try it out once it launches…I think you will be surprised at how easy it is to use.

Bottom line is, God’s great message will be more accessible to more people, on more points of planet earth…remember the every nation, tongue and tribe part? The site will have a current series section, as well as an archive of past sermons. We will have video of the full service available for those who want to enjoy the music as well. You’ll be able to listen online, or download to watch or listen on your mobile device. You may even choose to curl up with your computer and a mocha-frappa-something and read a sermon. Eventually, we hope to close-caption the sermons so our hearing impaired friends all over the world can, along with everyone else,  “receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21)

So to sum it all up – at FBC you have an enthusiastic team that is developing an awesome in-house site and not just because it’s so much fun. As much as we love our inner geek, we love the word of God even more and have all been transformed by it over the years, most of us right here from the teaching at FBC. So we are really all about participating with you in spreading abroad the wonderful message of Jesus. In our case it means translating it into all this technical stuff so it can travel…to a computer screen near you.

FBC JAX Communications Department & Media Ministry

On Sunday evening, September 19, the FBC JAX church family will “Meet at the Met” (Metropolitan Park, Downtown Jacksonville) from 5:00-7:30 p.m. for an evening of music, picnic dinners, a brief message from our Pastor, play & just an all-around good time. Come dressed for the outdoors and bring blankets, lawn chairs, tents, and enough food for your family or to share. You can bring your own drinks or there will be drinks provided as well.

Metropolitan Park is located on the beautiful St. John’s River in Downtown Jacksonville with plenty of room to run & play. There is a great Children’s Play Area, picnic tables, and restroom facilities located on the premises. For those using a GPS system, the physical address is 1410 Gator Bowl Boulevard (32202) or you can click here for directions. Parking is free with handicapped areas provided close to the entrance – follow the signage when you arrive on Gator Bowl Boulevard. For all those boat owners out there, full boat-docking facilities are available and you can reserve a boat slip for that evening by clicking here.

This is a great opportunity to invite friends & neighbors to meet your church family. If you are reading this and are not a member of the FBC JAX family – we invite you, too! Everyone is welcome & there are no strangers at FBC JAX…we are all here to grow together! If you have questions about this event, please call the Communications Department at 904.366.1240 and we will be happy to assist you.

KINGDOM KIDZ CHOIR

Are you ready for an exciting year with the Kingdom Kidz Choir?!  Enrollment night for our Downtown Campus is THIS Wednesday, August 25th at 6:00PM. Children in K4 and K5 meet on the 4th floor of the Preschool Building, while children in 1st-5th grade meet in the Children’s Building. Everyone who enrolls this Wednesday will receive a free Kingdom Kidz t-shirt and a special prize!

South Campus Kingdom Kidz continues at 6:30PM each Wednesday at our Ponte Vedra location.   (Please click here for direction to South Campus.) It’s never too late to enroll!

The Kingdom Kidz of First Baptist Church is a program for K4–5th grade children. (Church membership is NOT required.) Children are given the opportunity to sing and to learn hymns, songs with movement, music theory, proper vocal technique, and most importantly, how to praise and worship Jesus.  This program coincides with the school year with two semesters and a break at Christmas. The choirs meet each Wednesday and have the opportunity to sing in the Wednesday evening service during the year. These choirs also perform a Christmas and a Spring Musical that always proves to be spectacular.  The Elementary (2nd-5th grade) musicals will be December 12 and May 22. The Primary (K4-1st grade) musicals will be December 15 and May 25.   The year ends with a Children’s Choir Celebration on Sunday, June 5 (Downtown); Wednesday, June 8 (South Campus).

We would absolutely love to have your child involved in Kingdom Kidz!  For more information, please call 366-1264 or email us at tinaw@fbcjax.com.

Yours for the Cause of Christ,
Teri Van Duyn

As Middle School Pastor, I am so excited to report on our recent middle school activities to jump-start the new year! The theme for 2010-2011 in middle school is ³Forgiven.² We want our students to live their lives in such a way to honor Christ for the sacrifice He made for them on the cross and for that knowledge to affect their relationships with their peers. Our focus verse is Ephesians 4:32. Ultimately, we want our students to be known as forgiven and forgiving students!

During the week of August 2-5, we had 6th grade camp at our Hilliard  Retreat Center in Hilliard, FL. We increased our attendance by more  than 50% from last year and many students made decisions for the  Lord, including sixteen who gave their lives to Jesus Christ. Each  day, the students attended morning chapel, as well as classes on  Bible Study, Prayer, Evangelism and Thankfulness. The students also  enjoyed recreation time with games, fishing, and a 16 foot  waterslide. On Monday evening, chalk artist Jason Anthony gave a  simple Gospel presentation and created a beautiful chalk drawing. The  students forged new friendships, grew in their Christian walk, and created memories that will last a lifetime! The next week, we held our very first Genesis weekend at Trinity  Youth Camp in Keystone Heights. With an emphasis on “The Beginning,”  we welcomed over one hundred 7th and 8th grade students, including  several students new to FBC. The students were housed in cabins  according to Sunday School classes which allowed them to bond with people from their age and geographic circle. The retreat was packed with games and activities, as well as key  Bible study and commitment time. Since this retreat served as the  kick-off to the new school year, our students made a commitment to  reach their school campuses for Christ , as well as read their bibles  and pray every day. A total of ten students gave their lives to Jesus  Christ, but it was a life-changing weekend for everyone!

For more than 20 years, the Lighthouse Bookstore has been an integral part of First Baptist Church. Located on the corner of Laura and Ashley Streets, the store stocks a variety of books, Bibles, Bible study resources and accessories, as well as greeting cards, music, and gifts.  Under the leadership of Scott Kennedy, the bookstore has undergone a facelift both aesthetically and philosophically. With updated decor, the addition of coffee and reading tables, and new book and resource sections, the bookstore provides an excellent fellowship and study opportunity for the FBC community.

“Many mainstream Christian bookstores are willing to compromise Biblical truth in order to gain sales,” says Scott. “However, our commitment is to offer theologically sound, God-honoring resources at a reasonable price to support the ministries of FBC, the members of FBC, and the greater Jacksonville community. Although there an abundance of avenues available for purchasing Christian resources, I invite people to re-visit the Lighthouse Bookstore. Whether you need a new Bible, a book to help and encourage you in your Christian walk, or a place to fellowship with a new friend, the bookstore is open and ready to help.”

The Lighthouse Bookstore is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00 am -4:00 pm, Wednesday from 10:00 am – 6:30 pm, and Sunday from 11:45 am-12:45 pm and 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm. You can also contact the store by phone at 904-366-1310 or online at bookstoresales@fbcjax.com.

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Construction continues in a “big way” this week in the Main Auditorium. The upper and lower stage area is being demolished in preparation for the new orchestra floor and main stage. It will look totally different on Sunday August 15th.  The orchestra has moved to the main level and will stay there until the new stage is finished. The temporary stage will be adjusted each week to accommodate the construction process. The back choir wall continues to be renovated with new speaker cloth and the new wood is coming soon.