In response to this crisis caused by Hurricane Matthew, we seek to address the need in Haiti through both our Hurricane Relief and Hungry Stomachs appeals. Please consider giving prayerfully and generously to one or both of these appeals.
 
For more information or to donate to Haiti: Hurricane Relief appeal click HERE
 
For more information or to donate to Haiti: Hungry Stomachs project click HERE
 
Have a blessed week,
Steve Jones

                       ​The Fellowship’s DAY of PRAYER
 
Would you join me in seeking the Lord, asking Him to guide us as churches and God’s people to those things He blesses.
 
Our annual “Fellowship National Day of Prayer” is Sunday, November 6, 2016.
 
I’m asking every Fellowship Baptist Church to spend some time in their November 6 worship service to pray for our churches and our ministry for the sake of the Gospel. This time could include some (or all) of the following:

• A sermon on prayer
• A prayer time
• A testimony
• Information in your church’s bulletin on prayer requests for the Fellowship
• Showing the four minute long “We Are the Fellowship” video which tells our story (to download the video click HERE).

 
You can find more information on how to promote and conduct your “Fellowship National Day of Prayer” onSunday November 6 by clicking HERE.
 
May you, your church, our movement of churches experience the blessing of God as we submit ourselves to His will and work.
 
Have a blessed week, 
Steve Jones

Dear pastors, missionaries, chaplains and friends,

Steve Jones here… For twenty years I had the joy of calling Dr. Roy Lawson my friend and mentor. I also had the privilege of serving with him on a church staff for ten years. I learned so much from Roy.
Listen to some of Roy’s “pearls of wisdom” for leaders:
​
> “We don’t give enough time to the teachable people because the draining people are making such extreme demands on our time.”

>“We terribly overestimate what we can do in one year and underestimate what we can do in five.”​​​

>“Behind every inactive member there is a story to beheard and a hurt to be healed.”

> “There’s been real tension when people wanted me to be strong and have refused to let me be weak.”

> “My most painful experiences have been when I’ve had a problem and no one loved me enough to tell me about it.”

> “Plans don’t usually come off a boardroom table unless they have been taken there.”

> “In change people feel alone, even if everyone is going through it.”

Good stuff, eh?! Dr. Roy prepared a brief document for our church leaders regarding giving. I thought his practical wisdom might be helpful as we prepare our personal and church budgets this autumn.

The Ten Commandments of Giving
 
Commandment #1: Percentage Giving
(Malachi 3:6, 7, 8) “‘I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed. Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my laws and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty.’ But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ ‘You have cheated me of the tithes and offering due to me.’”
 
Two great mistakes we make regarding percentage giving:

1. We have given people the idea that if you give a tenth everything else will be taken care of. God is not obligated to bless poor management.
2. We have led people in a direction as to the purpose of their giving that is incorrect. “If everyone tithed we would never have a need.” The reason God asked man to give is the very same reason He put the tree in the garden: man needs a constant reminder that God is in authority over him.

 
Commandment #2: Generosity Giving
(Luke 6:38) “If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving – large or small – it will be used to measure what is given back to you.”
 
A lot of people have taken this principle and abused it. It is not just giving or the size of your giving, it is the condition of your heart. We tend to be cheap with God.
 
Commandment #3: Faith Giving
(1 Tim. 6:17) “Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for enjoyment.”

It takes much more faith to give what you have than to give what you do not have.
 
Commandment #4: Grace Giving
(2 Cor. 9:6) “Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seed will get a small crop, but the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.”
 
When you give to God, by His grace, He returns it. So you have sufficient for yourself and enough to give again.
 
Commandment #5: Giving in Appreciation
(2 Cor. 9:12-13) “So two good things will happen – the needs of the Christians in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanksgiving to God. You will be glorifying God through your generous gifts. For your generosity to them will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.”
 
Commandment #6: Systematic Giving
(1 Cor. 16:2) “On every Lord’s Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.”
 
We tend to look for the big gift, but the need is met by a multiplicity of people being systematic.
 
Commandment #7: All-inclusive Giving
(1 Cor. 16:2) “On every Lord’s Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.”
 
Every member is important and we should do whatever we can to get everyone on our membership list to be a systematic giver.
 
Commandment #8: Blessed Giving
(1 Cor. 16:2) “On every Lord’s Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.”
 
We give as God has blessed us. One of the reasons we are not blessed is because we might not be giving.
 
Commandment #9: Faithful Giving
(1 Cor. 16:2) “On every Lord’s Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.”
 
Do not procrastinate your giving. Everybody needs to be systematic, giving as God has blessed them and not waiting to give someday.
 
Commandment #10: Responsible Giving
(1 Cor. 16: 3-4) “When I come I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem. And if it seems appropriate for me also to go along, then we can travel together.”
 
(2 Cor. 8:20-21) “We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this gift. We are taking pains to do what is right not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.”
 
Have a blessed week,
Steve Jones
​

​The Devastation
On October 4th, Hurricane Matthew, a deadly category 4 hurricane, began pounding Haiti with 145 mph winds. Storm alerts warned of a direct hit and the very real potential of three feet of rain falling in a matter of hours as the slow moving storm passed over the region. Deforestation in the countryside over the years makes flash flooding and mudslides a dangerous threat to villages and shantytowns throughout the country. Many of the hardest hit areas have been cut off due to severe flooding and collapsed buildings and bridges. The UN has estimated that 350,000 Haitians have been affected by what they’re calling the largest humanitarian event since the earthquake that devastated Haiti six years ago.

The Need
Many families have been living in tents and “temporary” shelters since 2010’s earthquake, leaving them and their livelihoods exposed to the devastating winds and water. The possibility of landslides, which typically follow the high rains of hurricanes, also poses a threat, and even as the physical danger subsides, access to clean water, food and shelter is a significant issue. There are fears that the lack of clean water may cause a rise in the ongoing cholera epidemic that has claimed the lives of 9,000 people since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

FAIR Response
FAIR is partnering with Baptist Relief and Development (BReaD) Network, an organization with which FAIR has been developing a working relationship over the past year. Relief will be distributed through local Haitian churches, enabling them to reach those within their community who are in greatest need. 

We encourage you to prayerfully consider how you can partner with FAIR in this project as we seek to extend the love of Christ to those most affected by the hurricane in Haiti, and relieve the immediate and ongoing suffering caused by this event.

​Dear pastors, missionaries, chaplains and friends,
 
Steve Jones here… This weekend we celebrate Thanksgiving. A few years back I pastored in Sarnia, a border town with Port Huron, Michigan. My wife, Marilyn, worked as a nurse at a hospital in Port Huron. We got a chuckle once in a while about how little our American friends knew about Canada, a country only one short bridge away from their shores.
 
Marilyn recalls one American nurse stating that Canada must not have a Navy because we don’t border an ocean. Really?
 
Or during the run up to “American Thanksgiving” (as big as Christmas as far as celebrations go in the US) one nurse stated that “Canada doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, does it?” Hmmmm…
 
A Christian from Canada arrived at the “Pearly Gates” and asked Peter what he must do to enter Heaven. Peter said, “You must gain peace with God.” The man asked, “How do I do that?” Peter replied, “You need to spell the word GRACE correctly.” He spelled it perfectly and remained at the pearly gates watching Peter welcome other folks. One day Peter had an appointment and left this believer in charge of the gate.  This man’s American brother-in-law showed up. He did not like his brother-in-law much. He had teased his sister and mocked their faith throughout life.
 
The brother-in-law asked what he had to do to enter Heaven. The man declared, “You must gain peace with God.” His brother-in-law asked, “How do I do that?” The man replied, “You must correctly spell a word.” The brother-in-law retorted, “What’s the word?” The believer grinned ear-to-ear and said, “Saskatchewan!”
 
As disciples of Christ we are not always as gracious as we should or could be. In 2 Timothy 3:1-2 Paul writes, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be… ungrateful.” Are we really grateful? Or are we more apt to complain than to give God thanks?
 
Gratitude is from the same root word as grace. A person who has begun to accept how gracious God is to us becomes a grateful person. Thanksgiving is from the same root word as think. So, to think about life accurately is to thank God for His graciousness in the midst of life!