If you or your Sunday School class is interested in helping to expand First Baptist's recycling effort, please contact Tim Stewart, stewartt@mail.belmont.edu, or Chris O'Rear, cdorear@yahoo.com. Volunteers are needed to assist with monitoring collection bins soon to be placed around the church and dropping off cardboard at the downtown recycling center several blocks from church. This will be a great project for individuals, families and classes and will be a way for us to build bridges with our neighbors by showing that First Baptist cares about the environment!

The "Get Growing" conference is designed to provide practical teaching and tools to equip you and your church to better understand life-controlling behaviors and how they affect our society. Based on her book, In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart, Ruth Graham, along with a select group of highly qualified speakers will address these "life-controlling behaviors." They will provide a Biblically based understanding, along with practical steps for overcoming and preventing these issues from stunting the growth of yourself, your church or your friends.

Information Phone Line:  615-664-6015

Registration is now open for Terrific Tuesday! This summer program takes place on Tuesdays from June 3 - August 5 and is for children who have completed 1st-6th grade. Our director this year is Pam Raney, and we have lots of exciting trips planned! Registration packets and a list of activities are available on the bulletin board outside the Children's Ministry office and in the third floor foyer area. The medical form included in the packet must be notarized and turned in before your child can participate. For more information, call 664-6023. The following is a schedule for the summer:

June 3 - Terrific Tuesday kick-off... Bowling @ Playmor Lanes!
June 10 - Investigate animals at the Nashville Zoo!
June 17 - Investigate the force of gravity at BounceU!
June 24 - Vacation Bible School: Outrigger Island
July 1 - Investigate the outdoors at Warner Park Nature Center!
July 8 - Investigate your creativity at Brushfire Pottery! (grades 1-3 only)
July 15 - Investigate the solar system at the Adventure Science Center!
July 22 - Investigate friendship at the Scudders' Pool and Cookout!
July 29 - Investigate color at the Frist Center for Visual Art! "Color of Field" Exhibit and Art Quest & Centennial Park
Aug. 5 - Investigate animation with a movie and a picnic!(Disney's WALL-E)

The Joe C. Davis YMCA Campground is the site of our church picnic. It is located on Percy Priest Lake east of the airport. All the events will begin at 3 p.m., food will be served all afternoon, and the conclusion will be a worship service on the lodge grounds. Plan now to come and bring friends.

Richard Dabbs: First Pastor of First Baptist Nashville

May 21 marked the 183rd anniversary of the death of Richard Dabbs, our FIRST pastor, it seemed appropriate for our historical spotlight to provide some information on Pastor Dabbs.

Pastor Dabbs was in the habit of visiting locations where Baptist churches had not yet been formed or were in decline so that he might have the opportunity to preach the gospel of Christ. Richard Dabbs and his family arrived in Nashville near the end of 1821. Dabbs' pastorate began in 1822. "The Baptist Church of Nashville" was at that time located in the "west" and Nashville had only been settled for about 40 years.

Under Dabbs' leadership, the congregation erected its first building on Church Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues (at the current site of the Nashville Public Library). Pastor Dabbs tenure was to last only a few years as he fell gravely ill and died on May 21, 1825, at the age of 53.

Chuch history memoribila and books about our pastors are available in the Heritage Room of our media library.

Representatives of First Baptist Nashville that will serve as messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention June 10-11 in Indianapolis, IN.

• Patrick & Lydia Watts
• Tom & Tena Hellams
• Jim Shull
• Diane Parish

Thank you so much for your willingness!
There is room for additional messengers. If you are interested in serving in this capacity please contact Lori Towns at 664-6001, lori.towns@firstbaptistnashville.org.

Our purpose and hope is that life change has been brought about in each individual that has taken part this spring. The following is a testimony of one of the participants.

Insight Group Testimony

by Steven Douglas Saunders

What I mainly received from this course is the assurance that I am on the right path in my walk with the Lord. For the past several months, I have been on an amazing journey, seeking the Lord to overcome severe alcoholism. My major stumbling block was giving my complete trust over to Jesus. I could see my sin and see how I needed a Savior. But I needed some direction on how to give my self-will over to His will and let Him be Lord of my life. This study course has shown me how to break down the wall of isolation that I had built between myself and the Lord, not to mention the rest of the world. In my delusion of self-pity that Satan cast me into with alcohol, I could not see God's purpose for me. But now I can better control my feelings and emotions and focus on God's will and the kingdom of heaven and put away my self-will. Now I humble myself before God and put away my pride, for pride seeks to take away God's authority in my life.

It's a dangerous world out there, and complicated too. Don't talk to strangers? Which ones?! Strangers are walking the streets and surfing the web. And here's some sobering news: most children know more about the Internet than their parents.

Today's parents have their hands full keeping their children safe. But there's hope, because "with God, all things are possible." So how can we do it? I don't have all the answers. I don't even know all the questions! But here are some practical steps that parents, grandparents or caretakers can take to protect the children that we love so dearly...

1. Pray for your children's protection. Do it every day. And don't think for a second that it can't make a difference. This side of Heaven, we may never know the trouble that prayer has helped our children avoid or at least endure. Don't have kids? Pray for the children at your church.

2. Talk to your children. Know where they're going. Know who they're with. Parents are at their best when they are involved, and their children are safer because of it.

3. Lean on your church. It's a wonderful harbor for children during the exciting and sometimes dangerous days of youth. My best friendships blossomed at church--it's the kind of place to make the kind of friends that keep you out of trouble at ANY age.

4. Embrace technology. Your children already have. You've seen their classrooms, but what about their chat rooms? Learn about Internet. Learn about iPods. Email is old news...learn about texting! Then establish guidelines. In the process, you might grow closer to your children--and have some fun along the way.

5. Know Your Neighbors. Neighborhoods, even "good" ones, aren't as safe as they used to be. Get to know your neighbors, and develop a network of eyes and ears to help keep your community and your children safer.

If we commit our children to God's protective care and get involved in their lives, we can help them stay safe in a dangerous world!

On May 4 we celebrated Children's Day during morning worship. The sermon focused on the Israelites' commemoration of God's protection as they crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. At Joshua's instruction, each tribe gathered a large stone from the dry river bed and set up a rock memorial on the other side. When asked by future generations "What do these stones mean?" parents told their children of the day the Lord provided for His people. Pastor Frank challenged our church to symbolically set some stones for our children by living out the love of Christ in spirit, word and deed.

This summer our family of faith has the opportunity to set some stones with our children by participating in the second annual Family Mission Trip to Elizabethton, Tennessee on
July 3-6. Entire families will engage in hands-on ministry that demonstrates the love of Christ to individuals with physical and spiritual needs.

By participating together, we can create memories that will be markers of our faith.
We will work with Hale Community Ministries in the mountains of East Tennessee. A ministry of the Watauga Association of Baptists, the mission of Hale Community Ministries is to "evangelize the lost; demonstrate the love of Christ by promoting, encouraging, and facilitating Christian ministry; and outreach to individuals and families . . . who have physical and spiritual needs." We expect to participate in a wide range of ministry projects that can involve the whole family including young children. These projects include Backyard Bible clubs for children in low income housing, clothes closet support, food pantry work, and nursing home visitation.

Last year's participants included families with preschool-aged children and teenagers, as well as "empty-nester" grandparents. Families of all ages and stages in life are invited to participate. If you are interested, please contact Jason or Elizabeth Rogers, 665-7363 or rogerse@mail.belmont.edu, no later than June 1.

July 13 - 18, 2008

Get ready for one of the most incredible experiences of your life!! "FBC Summer Camp is the best week of the year!" This is the testimony of every person who attends this awesome event. At CAMP08, you will discover new friendships, have an unfathomable amount of fun, and see first-hand the life-changing power of the living God. This is what happens when you take the God of the Universe and put 150 students and adults together on one of the coolest beaches in the country for an entire week! You have a blast, and your life is changed. Interested?

The daily Bible studies at CAMP08 will focus on the life of the Apostle Paul.

As we study passages from the book of Acts, we'll discover how God transformed Paul from a persecutor of Christians into a bold missionary, leading us to consider how God wants to transform our lives. As we study Paul's example, we'll discuss how to persevere during times of trial, encourage other believers, and serve God whole-heartedly.

You don't want to miss this life-changing opportunity! 

A time with the living God! At CAMP08, you will experience more joy, more fun, more energy, more friends, more excitement, and more love than any other week of your life. It's a great escape from the world and a great time with Jesus!Besides the awesome recreation, swimming pools and a beach, there is Jesus and His ever-present, life-changing, mind-altering power! Get a taste of all that God has in mind for your life as you encounter the "Wild West." Sign up now for this incredible adventure!

Camp Speaker

Jason Britt! New to camp this year, Jason will be our Camp Pastor for the week. He has a heart for students and a genuine gift for helping the Word of God come alive. Get ready to hear the Bible communicated in ways that you have never heard before.

Camp Musician

Sara Beth Geoghegan! You mean the awesome worship leader who has been with us for the past 2 years? That's right! Sara Beth and her band will be leading us in worship for this special week of CAMP08.

Click here to go to the student ministry website for more information ...