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For Everything there is a time and a season . .

6/1/2016

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

For me, these past several months have been a season for discernment and prayer. As I reflect back over our twenty plus years together, I am humbled by the privilege that has been mine to serve as your pastor.
Many seasons have come and gone during this time of shared ministry. Fourteen individuals have witnessed to their faith through the act of baptism, and we have welcomed forty-seven new members into our church family. I have officiated at sixteen weddings and have participated in seventy-five or so memorial and/or committal services. But these are all numbers.

The greatest joy has been witnessing to the power of God’s presence at work in the lives of our church family. As you have matured in your faith, you have learned to be the church of Jesus Christ. You have given witness to your faith as you participate in leading in worship and prayer, and as you reach out to help one another.
Your faith has taken you beyond the doors of the building as you have shared Jesus’ love during our times of worship and hymn singing in long-term care facilities. You have given generously of your time and resources for the outreach of South Providence Neighborhood Ministries, Canonicus Camp & Conference Center, and our mission interests across our land and around the world.

I rejoice with you and pray God’s blessings upon you as you move forward into the next chapter of God at work in and through the people of Tabernacle Baptist Church. May the peace of God abide with you always.

Pastor Joyce

Spiritual Exercise . . .

4/23/2016

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. Hebrews 10:23-25

In the spring season, our thoughts often turn to our need for physical exercise. We welcome the warming days when we can open our windows and enjoy the fresh air. We may resume our walking regime or get back to the gym. We plan to spend time doing yard work. We want to spruce up our own selves and our environment.

This is also a time to take stalk of our spiritual exercise regime. Do we make it a daily practice to spend time in prayer? Where do we fit in some time for Bible reading?

Our Church Covenant calls us to walk together in Christian love, exercising care and watchfulness over each other. We are comforted and encouraged when we know that others are praying for us. We may make a phone call, send an email or text message, or stop by and lend a helping hand, as we consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.

We covenant to participate faithfully in the worship service of this church, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. Yes, your presence in worship is an encouragement to others.

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. Our God is faithful. How will you exercise your faith in this spring season? May it blossom and emit a sweet aroma.

America for Christ . . .

3/30/2016

We are partners in ministry with the American Baptist Home Mission Society.

During the month of April we will be receiving our America for Christ offering that supports the work of ABHMS.

What is the vision of ABHMS?
We seek to bring to bear the whole gospel on persons, congregations, communities and cultures, sharing God’s love in word and deed in places and spaces where God’s grace is not yet fully manifest. Our vision is about discipleship and incarnational practice.

What is the distribution of the total AFC Offering 2016?
   The offering is distributed in three parts:
• 29% supports regional ministries (ABHMS is the only mission board to share its offering with ABCUSA regions).
• 59% supports the ministries of ABHMS    (20% directly supports American Baptist Neighborhood Christian Centers)
• 12% supports the offering’s promotional and deputation cost

Let us prayerfully consider our part in this annual mission offering.

“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”
                                                                                Ephesians 2:10

This Scripture asserts that everything offered by the Lord is via God’s grace, God’s mercy and God’s love. In a marvelous manifestation of God’s ability, we have been transformed to produce good works. God is working out in our lives a tremendous exhibition of Christ’s wisdom, power, love, life, character, peace and joy. God is teaching us, training us, bringing us along, applying the paint in exactly the right places, producing marvelous masterpieces to be put on display—we, in fact, are God’s masterpieces. These virtues are to result in good works: kindness, love, mercy, compassion, help to one another and meeting each other’s needs.

Do you know how many good works God has prepared for you? The situations are there, ready and waiting for you to embrace, as you depend upon Christ, walking in faith and trust. God has called you to good works. As you answer, you become a vivid manifestation of the heart and hands of Christ.
As American Baptists, let us respond to the America for Christ Offering 2016 theme of “Discipleship: Becoming More Like Christ.” Let us take our place of service, as we seek to serve the most vulnerable in our communities.

With Life-transforming Grace,
Dr. Jeffrey Haggray
Executive Director, ABHMS
American Baptist Churches USA

Ordinances of Baptism & the Lord's Supper

3/2/2016

Go . . . and make disciples . . . baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19

We affirm Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as ordinances designed by Christ to be observed by his disciples. (From our Church Covenant)

Ordinances, or sacraments as some churches call them, are rituals or practices that engage us in recalling and remembering our faith commitments. Participating in the ordinances of the church is a call to renewal of our faith commitment to Jesus Christ.

Although many churches baptize babies, in our Baptist tradition we practice believer’s baptism. This means we baptize those who are old enough to make a personal decision to accept Jesus as their Savior. Baptism then is an outward sign, a public testimony, to the individual’s commitment to follow Jesus. Baptism is a one-time event that marks the entrance into a new life in Christ.

The second ordinance, generally observed on the first week of each month, is Communion or the Lord’s Supper. This symbolizes the sustaining of our relationship with Christ. Jesus instituted this practice at his last Passover meal. The bread represents Christ’s broken body and the grape juice represents his shed blood. Participating in this ordinance is a reminder of our dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Bread of Life. It is this fellowship with Jesus that sustains us on our faith journey.

On Palm Sunday we will hold a baptism service at North Scituate Baptist Church. All are invited to join with us as Cara Holloway and Taila Nakopinski profess their faith in Jesus through the act of baptism. Join with us and take this opportunity to renew your own baptismal vows.

Source: Maring & Hudson: A Baptist Manual of Polity and Practice

They bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord.

2/11/2016

Tabernacle Baptist Church Times
February 2016

They bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord.                            Nehemiah 8:6

   The Prophet Ezra read from the book to all those gathered together in the square before the Water Gate. It is noted that this gathering took place outside the wall of Jerusalem. It was in a location where any and all were welcomed to gather. No one was excluded.

   We are a people of faith who open our doors to welcome into full membership and participation all who profess Jesus as Lord without regard to race, class, or any other distinction.

   We join in worship that we might be prepared to serve God wherever we are. As the people of Nehemiah’s day, we bow our heads as an act of adoration of our Holy God. It also indicates our submission to God.

   We listen to the reading of God’s Word. We seek understanding and discernment through reflections on this Word. We are all parts of God’s body and recognize our inter-dependence on one another.

   It is our prayer that hearing the proclamation of God’s Word will make a difference in our lives; that it will equip us to leave this place of worship prepared to serve others. We do this, not in our own strength or wisdom, but as Luke says, because the Spirit of the Lord is upon us. This equips us to bring good news to all who are open to hear it.

   May the presence of the Holy God fill our hearts with joy and peace. Let us go forth to share the good news of God’s redeeming love.

Pastor Joyce

The Word of God is Alive and Active

12/2/2015

For the word of God is alive and active. Hebrews 4:12
   Our church covenant states that “We believe that the Bible is the written Word of God and our authority in matters of faith and Christian living.” The respondents to our recent church survey place a high value on Scripture and identify the main purpose of Christian Education as helping people know what is in the Bible.

   Christian Education takes place in many facets of our church life including worship as well as during Sunday School and Bible Study. During the weeks of Advent we will experience a prayerful reading of the Bible called Lectio Divina during our worship times. Following is a brief explanation of this practice.

Lectio - Reading the Bible passage gently and slowly several times. The passage itself is not as important as the savoring of each portion of the reading, constantly listening for the "still, small voice" of a word or phrase that somehow speaks to the practitioner.

Meditatio - Reflecting on the text of the passage and thinking about how it applies to one's own life. This is considered to be a very personal reading of the Scripture and very personal application.

Oratio – Responding to the passage by opening the heart to God. This is not primarily an intellectual exercise, but is thought to be more of the beginning of a conversation with God.

Contemplatio - Listening to God. This is a freeing of oneself from one's own thoughts, both mundane and holy, and hearing God talk to us. Opening the mind, heart, and soul to the influence of God.

Let us take time this Advent Season to listen to God.

                                                                                Pastor Joyce

Source: http://www.gotquestions.org/lectio-divina.html

Faith Foundations . . .

11/11/2015

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.     Hebrews 11:1

What is the foundation of our faith? Our faith is established on Scripture. Sola Scriptura – Scripture alone as the supreme authority for faith matters - was a foundational doctrinal principle of the Protestant Reformation in counter balance to the prevailing Catholic reliance on tradition. Some would hold to Prima Scriptura, Scripture is primary but understood by tradition and reason. Other denominations would add experience. Humanists would exclude Scripture, with their primary tenet being reason.

As Baptists we recognize the Bible as the authority for our faith – as understood through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. We seek God’s guidance in reading and interpreting Holy Scripture. We recognize the roles of traditional Christian interpretations, rational thinking and our own personal faith experiences.
We read the Bible – not as a source of history or science – but as a part of our faith journey. We read the Bible to learn the story of how God was present in the lives of the Hebrew people. We read the Bible to learn the teachings of Jesus and the struggles of the early Christian Church. We read the Bible as a source of hope and as a guide for daily living. We read the Bible with hearts open to the voice of God’s Holy Spirit. As we read the Bible – as part of worship or in your own daily devotional time – let us hear what the Spirit is saying. Let us be still and know God.

                                                                                                          Pastor Joyce

“For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have.”

6/3/2015

It’s that time of year again when we are given the marvelous opportunity to share in the abundance of needs of our sisters and brothers by contributing to One Great Hour of Sharing. By the grace of God, all of us have the power to give, and the gifts we give make the world more the way God intended it to be—a place where everyone has what they need. Together, we can achieve a fair balance on this planet we all share, giving right back to God what God has so richly bestowed upon us.

As the Church in the world, through One Great Hour of Sharing, we have the opportunity to act in one accord as the body of Christ, to ensure that all of God’s children have what they need. This is the offering that Paul was promoting, and this is still our ministry, all these centuries later. Together, we will achieve a fair balance, bringing about a world the way God intended it to be.           (From OGHS online resources.)

Last year’s OGHS giving provided assistance in the fight against Ebola in Liberia where our own Kristy Engel served as a consultant. This is just one example of worldwide assistance provided by OGHS funds.
Will you prayerfully consider your gift to help meet the emergency needs of others?

Peace and Calm

Stillness, Calm, Peace . . .
Bring me release
From busyness,
Anxiety . . .
Help me do less.
Help me focus
On You, my Lord.
Lead me today
Along your way.
Let me be still
And know your will.
Let me see you
In all I do.
                jbd

Will you pause to reflect on God’s presence in your life?

Hearing God's Call . . .

4/1/2015

"This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21)

   Where is God calling you to walk today? We know that Jesus is the way, but at times we are challenged to discern the path Jesus wants us to take. It was twenty years ago that I attended a conference on discerning God’s direction for me. This was a time when I heard Jesus calling me by name. Here are some words I wrote at that time.

Hearing God’s Call
(Conference on the Ministry – March 1995)

Lord, give me your peace.
I hear you calling me by name.
Take me and use me for your glory
That I may minister to you wherever I am.

To the small church you are calling me
To shepherd and nurture your flock.
Guide me in the steps I take
That they may fulfill your will in my life.

Affirm me, sustain me,
Work in and through me.
Reach out to others and enrich them
As I minister in your name.

Humble me in yieldedness to yourself
That I may follow the steps Jesus trod.
I hear you calling me by name.
Give me, I pray, your peace.

O Lord I pray for a clear understanding
     of your call to me.
Prepare me for your ministry.
Nudge me, shove me, show me, Lord
That I might proclaim your name.

                                      Pastor Joyce

Jesus is the Way . . .

1/27/2015

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6).

Jesus came to earth, born in Bethlehem, that day so long ago, to show us the way. He walked the Galilean paths and the streets of Jerusalem showing his disciples the way. Yes, he came to show us the way to eternal life with our Creator God; but he also came to show us the way to walk with God in our daily living.

Is Jesus showing you the way to walk each day? Let us pause, be still, and listen for the voice of God. Jesus is our road map. Jesus is our GPS. We can turn off the audio and wander our own pathway, or we can tune in and walk the way that Jesus shows us.

Will you let Jesus be your guide as we journey together through this coming year? Will you nurture your spiritual self by participating in corporate worship? Through taking time to be alone with God? By immersing yourself in God’s Word? As a community of faith, let journey together, knowing that Jesus is the way!

Pastor Joyce