Forest Baptist Church

OUR YEAR IN REVIEW – 2016

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Outreach Ministries and Activities:

• Butterflies of Hope/Sewing Circle continues to create handmade quilts to help local individuals and families affected by emergency situations, fire, flood, disaster as well as those in need.

• Celebrated our 5th year of Partnership with God’s Clear View Ministries as well as our monthly soup ministry

• Big Heart/Benevolent Fund continues to minister to our community with helping with financial assistance.

• Church Picnic to include our morning worship service was held at Black Moshannon State Park.

• Mission Support /Special Missions financial stewardships with American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware.

• Our “Fishers of Men” float was entered in the Philipsburg Heritage Days Parade and we had a great time handing out business cards and our anticipated Swedish fish!  We also were honored to be awarded 1st Place for Church Floats for the second year in a row!

• “Coffee with the Pastor” continues twice a month, held prior to our morning worship services.

• Participated in the Salvation Army “Treasures for Children” Program, providing Christmas gifts to  local children.

• Financial support to our local Ministerium program as well as our local Salvation Army Kettle Program

• Began a midweek Bible Study with Pastor Sue, which has included a bible study held inside the Modzel Barn followed by mountain pie making around the campfire.

• Hosted a West Branch Ministerium Lenten Service

• Hosted several missional guest speakers:  Leah Daytec and family (Philippine Missionaries), Erica Rendos (special needs adoption in China) and Samuel Smeal (recently returning from spending a year in China).

• Fall Fest and Hayride – a fun time of food and fellowship hosted by Modzel Family Farm

• Kids Bible Club meets every Thursday evening as well as Children’s Sunday School every Sunday morning.

• Sunday evening Prayer Meeting and Bible Study

• Pastor Sue attended the American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware (ABCoPaD)Biennial Leadership Conference held in Altoona

• Participated in a Volley Ball tournament and hosted the bake sale for this event to benefit Tailor Pelton.

• We will be Christmas Caroling in the Kylertown and Winburne Communities during the month of December.

Life Celebrations:

• We welcomed four new babies into the Forest Baptist Church family:  Lincoln Pelka, Emmory Modzel, Greyson Castillo, and Emlynn English.

• We hosted the wedding of Macey (Hamm) and Nick Frank, with Pastor Sue officiating.

• We also celebrated the life of our beloved Jean Fisch and Amanda Lesnick, both who passed away this year.  Pastor Sue also held several graveside services, memorial and funeral services in honoring the life of several community members.

Baptism and Membership:

• We extended the Right Hand of Fellowship to 5 new members in February; and 6 new members in November. 

• We gather along the bank of the Susquehanna River to witness the personal testimonies and baptisms of 7 folks this year.

Completed/Future Projects:

• We continue to maintain church building and property, and we are looking into possible replacement windows.

• We have established a Building Fund to help us in our future building expansion as well as in prayerful consideration of the possibility of land acquisition.  Please keep our church family and board members in prayer as we continue to research and look into these possibilities.

• We also have purchased new church hymnals, with extending the option of purchasing a hymnal with designating a personalized “In Memory or Honor of”  label in the hymnal  to help offset the cost.