FSBCA & EFBC Weekly Feb 21

A Weekly Newsletter of

First Southern Baptist Church of Avondale and

Estrella Falls Baptist Church of Goodyear

February 21, 2008

Jesus Centered, Bible Focused, and Prayer Powered

Feb 24

8:30 and 11:00 FSBCA Worship

10:00 EFBC Worship

February 28

Chik-Fil-A Fundraiser

March 16-19

Kid's Kamp

March 23

Easter

March 30

FSBCA Dessert Auction (7:00 pm)

April 19

Faith & Family Day at Chase Field

Easter Sunrise Service

We invite you to join us on Easter Sunday morning at 6:00 am for our annual Sunrise Service at the Avondale City Amphitheater! It is a great time and a great way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Upward Reunion

Hey, Upward friends . . . . we are having a reunion! We are going to open the gym for some informal and fun games of basketball or maybe even a game of H-O-R-S-E. All players and cheerleaders are welcome to join the fun. Parents -- we would love for you to join in, too!

We will open the gym at 10:00 am on February 23rd. Bring your ball if you like (with your name on it). If you need more info, please contact Amy Zimmerle at 623-932-2723.

For more info, go to First Southern Baptist Church of Avondale or Estrella Falls Baptist Church.

Here is our online weekly. If you can't read this version, you can access it online!

Please Do Not Become Religious . . . .

Maybe this sounds strange when coming from a pastor, but I get very tired of "religious" people who carry their religion on their sleeve instead of with their actions. And I'm not alone in this distaste. Most people (according to surveys) have a healthy dislike for those who talk religion or who act religiously but who fail to live up to their own hype.

Jesus reserved his strongest denunciations for the religious; people who prayed long prayers to impress others, givers who gave to gain recognition, rabbis who taught without understanding, and preachers who knew--but who did not live--the truth. Hypocrisy is not something new; it's been around from the beginning, and those who are most vocal about their faith or often the most susceptible to it.

So when I encourage people to Live Like Jesus, I'm not at all encouraging typical and traditional religious behavior. I'm not even sure that we need people to loudly proclaim their faith. If we live our faith, people will listen even if we whisper.

Pastor Jack Marslender

Wow!

Kid's Kamp is here! If you have not signed up for Kid's Kamp, time is running out! The deadline to register is March 7 and camp is March 16-19. We are going to Whispering Pines camp in Prescott,. There may even be snow when we get there. We want to pack the bus so kids grab some friends and get signed up now! Kids Camp is for all children in the 1st-6th grades. For more information contact Amy Zimmerle at 623-932-2723

Faith & Family Night

The Arizona Diamondbacks have announced their first Faith & Family Night this season for Saturday night, April 19th. We will have 100 tickets available for a 5:10 pm game. Tickets to the game include entrance to a rally afterwards that includes a testimony from one of the Diamondbacks and a concert by Todd Agnew. Tickets are only $10. You can reserve your tickets online.

"The Job Jar"

We've added a few jobs to our "job jar," from painting to electrical to general maintenance. The list is online, and if you have an afternoon, you might be able to do one of these jobs!

Thanks! Church and community members did an incredible job of providing love and financial support to Michael Honey and his family during last week's fundraiser. Our church, Lattie Coor School, the Avondale Fire Department, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Phoenix Coyotes, the state legislature, the West Valley View, and dozens of local businesses, truck owners, and individuals cooperated together in a great evening. We were proud to be a part of the southwest valley community!

Eat More Chicken

Join us for our Chick-fil-A Family Fellowship Fundraiser night on Thursday, February 28th, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Come to the Chick-fil-A on Dysart (just south of McDowell) for a great time of fellowship and a good meal with friends. CFA will donate 10% of their sales during that time frame to our youth ministry to help with camp expenses, so invite your friends and help us out in this fun and easy way!

New Movie

It has been our custom as a church to support movies which are family friendly and which portray Jesus, Christianity, or positive values in a good light. Oftentimes, we go as a group to see them in a theater.

In May, a movie that meets this criteria will be coming out. The second movie in the Chronicles of Narnia series will be released on May 16th. It's called Prince Caspian, based on a book that was one of Pastor Jack's favorites as a boy. We will be announcing soon more details on a trip to see this movie.