THE
FELLOWSHIP BANNER
Dan Trepanier – Pastor-Teacher
Chris Dyer – Assistant Pastor
THE
FELLOWSHIP BANNER
Dan Trepanier – Pastor-Teacher
Chris Dyer – Assistant Pastor
The Pastor’s Corner
God with Us
Behold, the virgin shall be with
child, and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which
translated means, God with us.
Matthew
1:23
Babies are
born every day all around the country. Parents, siblings, grandparents, are
excited and rejoicing over these new arrivals. To each family newborn is so
special, the most perfect child. Stories begin to abound as to the uniqueness
of this child. It is a wonderful experience, and by God’s Grace Linda and I
have experienced it 5 times as parents, and 4 times as grand-parents, so far.
But when we
talk about a truly unique birth, and the most significant birth ever to have
taken place, we must look to the stable in
The
Scriptures teach us that God’s nature is that of a spirit being (John
Yes, Jesus
Christ is God in the flesh, sent to save sinners from the penalty of their sin.
That is exactly what John
Only God
could save sinners, only God could provide Salvation, only God could be “born”
of the Holy Spirit. Yes, as we celebrate Christmas at this time of year, what
we really need to meditate on
is not all the presents, glitter and
activities of the day, rather, it is on the fact that the birth in
It was “God
with Us” who was born in that stable. It was a baby that was sent from the
Father to redeem sinful man. He grew as a man and bore the penalty and price
for our sins on the cross of
This
Christmas might we truly reflect on the miraculous work of God in the conception
and birth of Jesus Christ, who came to give us Life.
And let us, like the multitude of
heavenly hosts in Luke 2:13, praise God for this marvelous birth:
In the same region there were some
shepherds staying out in the field and keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord suddenly
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were
terribly frightened.
But the angel said to them, Do not
be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all
the people;
for today in the city of
This will be a sign for you: You
will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
And suddenly there appeared with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, And on
earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. Luke 2:8-14
Pastor
Dan Trepanier
GOD’S
PRESENCE
Is the Lord among us or not? Ex 17:7
In the context in which this question was asked, it
was sarcasm by the people of
What
should we look for in answer to this question? What would be irrefutable
evidences that God is among us? That
answer cannot be satisfied by pointing to one thing only. If God is among us, there should be a
combination of evidences to which we can refer.
THE PREACHING should have the “ear-marks” of the
Holy Spirit working in the preacher, who walks with God, who lives by faith,
and who does not interpose the process of God using him by sin dwelling in his
life. Any preacher is but a man, but the evidence of God in him should be
clearly seen. Also, the type of messages
should be useful to the hearers, whether they be
instructive only, and/or corrective.
People should “get something” from the pulpit ministry, which will
encourage them throughout the week, set a positive attitude within them, make
them desirous of living for Christ, taking out a ministry to others, living the
message in the home. The pulpit is not
the be-all of God being among us, but it is a good place to start the
examination.
THE GENERAL ATMOSPHERE within the fellowship of the
congregation. There should be a
non-tense atmosphere. There should not
be some kind of discerning that “there is something wrong”, like you cannot put
your finger on it, but you know “it is there”.
When “it is not there”, that is because the peace of God rules over
all. It is not to say that perfection
reigns, but it is to say that God’s blessing reigns. There should be a positiveness in the congregation, a responding to
the leading of God through the leadership of the church, a mutual “vision” to
which effort is pressed, a willingness to labor, a generosity of spirit and
giving. There should be a desire for the
Word of God, not only to hear it so as to “check up” on it being taught rightly,
but to be taken into mind and heart with the purpose of working it through each
of us for the glory of God.
A RIGHT VIEW TOWARD MONEY. Many ministries make it evident that they are
ALWAYS on the subject. Here at FBC we
seldom deal with the subject. The pulpit
is not attempting to “hoard” money, nor to make
wrongful uses of it. When the pulpit
says that we feel that the Lord is leading us to do
such and so, there needs to be a confirming spirit among the congregation which
“catches the vision” by God’s witness among us, and then money needs to be
given or pledged toward the project in view,
say a
building program, or whatever the Lord is leading in. In addition there needs to be an accounting
to the congregation of how the money is being spent so that there is no
mischief behind the scenes. Not to
distrust our leadership, but by observing terrible results in other ministries
because proper accounting was not pursued, we need to be careful.
RESULTS OF MINISTRY where the power of God is at work
among us there will be evident results in the lives of people. Good progress will be made. Personal, spiritual growth will become
apparent in people and in leaders, and there will be a sense that “we are
getting somewhere” in walking with the Lord.
Souls will be saved, success will be seen in purposes pursued, increase
will happen, blessings will multiply, people “outside” will be stirred to visit
us, and to come back, enter in and take a place of faith and service. THAT can be definite evidence of God’s
presence and work among us. Growth alone
is not proof that God is among us. There
are very large churches, still growing, the likes of which if you attended
there to get the sense of things, you would conclude that God was not among
them, nor in charge. Anyone wants to see
a church growing but if the Lord is not evidently in the process bear in mind
that Sears Roebuck can also grow and so can Wal-Mart. Business practices, crowd control, programs
which entertain, can produce growth in numbers but not quality from God. To detect that God is among us, we need to
see the quality of all that is happening.
A COMPLIANT SPIRIT in individual believers which
recognizes the valid and obvious ministry of God accepts it as such, benefits from
it. THAT is what makes individual believers part of the picture of God’s work
in a congregation. Resistant “believers”
who churn continually within, need to get right with God. They will be a “drag” on any work, and can
become subject to the chastening hand of God in order to bring correction. Across the page, under “General
Atmosphere”.... read that again. Ask the Lord and be honest with yourself about
whether you have the peace of God ruling in your mind and heart. If not, start with yourself,
are you part of the problem? or part of the
solution? It is all too easy to shift
blame onto someone else as though “if they would only do such and such, then I
could be a better Christian”. No, if you
would humble yourself, you could be a better Christian and God will get the
“other fellow” to do the same. It is not
always easy to be a Christian, but it is possible by God’s grace.
Pastor Joseph Stringer
Missions
The
Journey of the Missionary
During
the past few months a number of missionaries have visited
The
life of the missionary on the field is difficult enough. The journey to get their can be even more
difficult. Have you ever contemplated
the cost for a missionary to get to the field?
Excitement occurs when we hear of a missionary answering the
“call.” The excitement seems to die
until the missionary is ready to physically leave to the field to which the
Lord has called him. What we miss is the
activity that occurs in between the call and the departure and the departure
and the furlough.
This
activity has never been more real to me since my brother felt the Lord calling
him and his family to the country of
The major segments of the
journey are
Each
of these activities individually can be exhausting and together can cause many
“called” missionaries to quit. The
approval to the departure takes at least 12 months of “pleading”—traveling
thousands of miles and visiting hundreds of churches. Many missionaries are on
deputation two to three years before heading out to the mission field. For missionaries called to countries that
speak a language or languages other than English, there is language
school. Language school can take up to
two years before a missionary feels comfortable with the language.
Putting
the numbers together, there could be potentially five years from when a
missionary begins deputation to where he feels that he is actually ministering
to the people to whom he has been called.
Think of this in the sense of getting a new job. How would you feel about three to five years
of training before you began performing the duties for the position to which
you have been hired?
Often
missionaries are relegated to second class citizens receiving used furniture,
old clothes, and used tea bags. Yet we
expect them to obtain immediate results seeing hundreds of heathens coming to
the Lord and national pastors standing in a queue ready to start new local
churches. The typical missionary is
under supported, overworked, and unappreciated.
I
say these things to help you gain a better understanding and appreciation for
the missionaries we support and those that come through our doors that seek our
financial support. Isaiah 52:7 describes
more accurately God’s attitude toward missionaries: “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of
him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of
happiness, who announces salvation, and says to
Curt Paquette
Director of Missions
Our Gift to God
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;
Isaiah 9:6
What a tremendous joy it is to know “Unto us a Son is given;” The Son of God came
to us not as the King of Creation, but as the baby son of a carpenter. Not as Ruler
of the Universe clothed in purple, but as a servant wrapped in swaddling
clothes in a barn with animals. Jesus was sent to die for our sins.
That God would come and dwell with us, to be rejected and ridiculed, to suffer torture, and death, the
death of a criminal. That God would offer up His Only Begotten Son for us, as atonement for our sins is
something we will never fully comprehend. Yet, it is God’s own definition of
LOVE. A love never to be equaled or accurately defined.
It is the true meaning of Christmas, God’s Gift of His Son, the
culmination of God’s perfect plan of redemption.
It was for us,
that he died on the cross and rose again. It was for us that the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us. And it is Christ who
continually makes intercession for us to the Father. We are the object of God’s
love. He desires our fellowship, our worship, our
hearts.
Christmas has become so commercialized that for many
Christmas means “Gifts”, gifts to buy, gifts to return, gifts to open, gifts to
wrap, getting gifts, and sending gifts.
In the busyness of the season we often trot from store to store wishing
it was over and time to relax again. To some, the stress of Christmas can be
overwhelming and sometimes tragic. To many others, Christmas is the loneliest,
the most depressing time of year… Not so in a stable in
With what shall I come
before the LORD,
And bow myself before
the High God?
Shall I come before
Him with burnt offerings, …
With calves a year old?
Shall I give my
firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Micah
6:6-7
As Christians, we celebrate Christmas with the intent of
focusing on God, His Son, the marvelous mystery of His birth, and the reason he
came to us. We strive to make Christmas a more meaningful holiday, not just
gift-giving. Yet, we may be falling short of what God expects us to be
concentrating on. In Micah 6:6 the question is, What
can I give God?
Do our hearts agonize with the conviction of our sinful
nature? Do we in complete humility attempt to grasp the gravity of our sinful
state? Do we realize the immensity of God’s sacrifice of love, His Son’s
sufferings and death? Do we burn with a desire to give God everything in
recognition for what He has done to bring us to Himself? If God’s gift of His Son is the meaning of
Christmas, then, is what we do in response to that fact our gift to God?
There is nothing created, no ability or potential, no
natural talent, nor effort that would ever satisfy nor, by any scope of the
imagination, come close to being an adequate gift or offering to God for what
He has done through Christ. Yet, we are
to honor and glorify the Lord in our bodies, in our lives, in everything we do.
“By this My Father is glorified, that you
bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” John 15:8
God desires gifts that come as a result of a life led daily
by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit-filled life is one where the Holy Spirit directs
the heart and our attitude toward God. It is the determined will of the Holy
Spirit to point us to God, to teach us how to pray, and to live a life of
worship pleasing to God. “And whatever
you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to
God the Father through Him.”
Christmas takes on a whole new meaning when we stop to
consider God’s gift of Jesus Christ. “For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
His life, death and resurrection are the true meaning of Christmas.
This is our gift to God: A life that thirsts for God, a life
that bears fruit for the glory of the Father in Heaven that others may be drawn
to the Savior.
Maria Millett
Women’s Ministries Director
Presents
"The Majesty and Glory
of
Christmas"
and
Light Refreshments will be served after the programs
Nursery will be provided free of charge
Driving Directions To
From Route 93 South: take the "
From Route 93 North: take the "Pelham St. exit in
Driving Directions to
From the South: Take Route I-93 north to exit 46. The exit sign will
read "Lawrence/Dracut Route 110." At the end of the ramp, go 3/4 of
the way around the rotary and exit the rotary at the sign for Route 110 West.
You will come to a set of traffic lights and see a gas station on your left.
Pass straight through the traffic lights. Follow Route 110 West about 5 miles
to a sign that reads "Dyson Piano." After the sign, take your next
right onto
From the North:
Take Route I-93 south to exit 46. At the end of the ramp, go right and
immediately exit the rotary at the sign for Route 110 West
(be careful not to follow Rt. 113). You will come to a set of traffic lights
and see a gas station on your left. Pass straight through the traffic lights.
Follow Route 110 West about 5 miles to a sign that reads "Dyson
Piano." After the sign take your next right which will be
Church News and Prayer
Requests:
Prayer Requests:
Please see the calendar for all the activities, but here are some of the highlights:
News:
Note: If you have any special
news you would like to be included in the Banner, please submit it to Kameel Wakim, either verbally or
by e-mail at kwakim@yahoo.com
Happy Birthday!!!
Our beloved Beulah Dennison will
be 90 years old on
God continue to bless you, and us through you, J
Board of Elders, & Staff @ FBC
Philippians 1:3
Weddings
Pastor Dan & Linda Trepanier are proud to announce the wedding of their son,
David Jonathan – “FCA Class of 2000”, to Miss Keara
Beth Kistler, daughter of Rev. Jeffrey and Marguerite
Kistler of Pittsburg, PA. The wedding will take place
on January 1st @
* An Address for the newlyweds will be provided in the near future.
Other Announcements
Greg & Maria Millett are proud
to announce their daughter Sabrina -"FCA Class
of 1999", and her
husband Zach Thompson are expecting their first child
on
Our prayers and sympathy go out to the Martin family for the loss of Steve’s mother, Rose.
Cards may be sent to:
Steve & Cindy Martin
Women’s Ministries
Presents
Women’s Christmas
Brunch
“Gifts”
Thanks be unto
God for his unspeakable gift.
2 Cor. 9:15
