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Frank and to the Point

by Dr. Frank Lewis, senior pastor

As we gather for worship this Sunday, our forty-day Season of Prayer comes to a close. For the past six weeks we have joined together as a church family to lift our nation, our community, and our church to the Lord in prayer. Taking one hour a week, 168 people have prayed around the clock asking the Lord to renew our spirits and strengthen us to be faithful. The experience has been good. There's been a sense of anticipation in our worship services along with an awareness of God's presence during this time for those who've participated.

While Easter marks the end of our Season of Prayer, it does not mark the end of our commitment to pray as followers of Christ! The fact is we need your continued prayers now more than ever.

During the month of April we are trying to discern the Lord's will for a ministry opportunity in Haiti that will involve giving and going to establish an orphanage and a school in a village affected by the January earthquake. I'll be going to Haiti with a team of others from First Baptist Nashville to assess the need and consider our response. Your prayers are appreciated as we seek the Lord's direction.

We need to pray often for the Music City Centre, the biggest development in our church neighborhood in years. With construction underway, we are reminded daily of the challenge that is ours to be a downtown church. On one hand there's the slight aggravation of navigating around road closures and bracing for the occasional tremors related to blasting at the site. On the other hand, there's the promise of continued development and growth in the central business district that comes to life everyday in the shadow of our steeple. As our newest neighbor prepares her site, we must continually seek the Lord's leadership in keeping our church campus attractive and viable for the ministry God has called us to embrace at Seventh and Broadway.

Your prayers for our continued growth, spiritually and numerically, are also important. We are seeking to Build Bridges with those who could call First Baptist Nashville their home church. We need to be about the business of "Everyone reaching someone for Christ." This work of ministry can only be accomplished when God's people are praying.

I am looking forward to worship this Sunday. It's Easter Sunday, the day we celebrate the resurrection of Christ from the dead. We'll gather at 8:15 in the Chapel for the Service of Word and Table (a time of worship for those wishing to participate in Communion). We'll gather in our Sunday School classes for fellowship and Bible study at 9:00, then we'll gather for a celebrative worship experience at 10:30 in the Sanctuary. Invite a friend to join you and let's make this Easter Sunday special!
Blessings!

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Alleluia! Amen! A Festival of Hymns

Sunday, April 18 - 7:00 p.m.

Featuring:
Dr. Albert L. Travis
The King's Brass
The Sanctuary Choir of First Baptist Nashville

First Baptist Nashville is well-known as a singing congregation. We express our adoration and praise to God through the singing of hymns in our times of worship, both corporate and personal. We encourage one another in our faith journey through the singing of hymns which are filled with Scripture and sound doctrine designed to teach us how to walk this journey more closely with the Lord. The Apostle Paul bids us to "...sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:19-20). He also urges us in Colossians 3:16-17 to "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God."

We will celebrate the goodness of God in our lives through a Hymn Festival on Sunday, April 18, 2010. This festive and robust service of worship will feature Dr. Al Travis at the organ, The King's Brass, and our Sanctuary Choir. Dr. Travis is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Organ at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He is highly sought after as an improvisational workshop clinician, composer, arranger, and leader of Hymn Festivals. The King's Brass is a professional ensemble of seven brass instrumentalists, a percussionist, and keyboardist. They employ the very best in sacred brass music to create an innovative worship experience inspiring to all generations. We are also fortunate and blessed to have Dr. Travis, the King's Brass, and Dr. Terry York of Baylor University as a part of our morning worship service that day. Invite your friends, family, neighbors, and business associates for this rousing experience of singing the great hymns of our faith.

Union University Singers in Concert

Wednesday, April 21, at 6:00 p.m., Union University Singers will present a concert in our Sanctuary as part of their annual Spring Tour. The auditioned, 40-voice mixed ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Christopher W. Mathews, explores literature from a broad spectrum of styles and periods, focusing primarily on sacred, a cappella literature. Selections will include a setting of Psalm 51 by Johannes Brahms, "If Ye Love Me" by Thomas Tallis, several spirituals, and an arrangement of the hymn "My God, I Love Thee" by Shawn E. Okpebholo of the Union University faculty, commissioned for the tour. After leaving First Baptist, Union University Singers will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, and then on to Washington D.C. for a performance at the National Cathedral.

Union University is an academic community in Jackson, Tennessee, affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention, equipping persons to think Christianly and serve faithfully in ways consistent with its core values of being Excellence-driven, Christ-centered, People-focused and Future-directed. These values shape its identity as an institution which prioritizes liberal arts based undergraduate education enhanced by professional and graduate programs. The academic community is composed of quality faculty, staff, and students working together in a caring, grace-filled environment conducive to the development of character, servant leadership, and cultural engagement.

Coming Up...

CHURCH FAMILY
April 4 - Easter Sunday
              Service of Word and Table
April 17 - Building Bridges Day
April 18 - Alleluia! Amen! A Festival of Hymns
May 2 - Service of Word and Table
May 6 - National Day of Prayer
              Prayer Breakfast
              TBL Organ Recital

ADULTS
April 13 - EQUIP
April 22 - JuniorSeniors Spring Banquet

FAMILIES
April 23 - Family Game Night
May 7 - Parents Night Out

CHILDREN
April 24 - State Bible Drill

It's Not Too Late to Sign Up for Building Bridges Day!

Join us on Saturday, April 17, for a day of service to the Nashville community. As a GO Team volunteer, you may choose to partner with the Dismas House, the Freedom Recovery Community, Preston Taylor Ministries, or the Front Porch Ministry. You may also choose to volunteer with a GO Team that focuses on encouraging people in downtown parks and the Farmers Market.

The day begins with breakfast and orientation at 8:00 a.m. Teams will travel together to the volunteer sites and serve until 2:00 p.m. You may register in the foyer or by emailing Scott Allen at scott.allen@firstbaptistnashville.org.

GO and serve, sharing your compassion and the love of Christ!

Church-wide Game Night

Friday, April 23 l 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

It's free and fun for all ages! There will be a Wii tournament, Ladder Ball, Beanbag Toss, Corn Hole, and more!

Families with last name A-L, bring sweet snacks. Families with last name M-Z, bring non-sweet snacks. Please bring your favorite board game to share!

Childcare will be available for Newborn - Threes. Reservations for childcare are due by Wednesday, April 21. To register for childcare, please contact Lele Griesheimer at lele.griesheimer@firstbaptistnashville.org or 664-6023.

For more information about the event, please email Marianne Meriwether at marimeri@bellsouth.net. Game Night is hosted by the Family Enrichment Committee.

Youth Choir Spring Music Presentation

Please save the date for the Youth Choir Spring Music Presentation.
Sunday evening, May 2
6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

JuniorSeniors Spring Banquet

The annual JuniorSeniors Spring Banquet will be held Thursday evening, April 22, in the Fellowship Hall.

Join us for a delicious dinner and great fellowship! Our guest entertainer will be Georgana Riddell, professional storyteller. Some of our folks have heard her and raved about her entertaining. She is employed by the Shaker Village in Kentucky.

Call 664-6051 to make your reservation.

Help Welcome the World to First Baptist

May 17 - 21, First Baptist is hosting the 2010 Festival of Homiletics with about 1,700 ministers from many denominations across the nation and from other countries. It is important for First Baptist to demonstrate our Christian hospitality in the best ways possible. We need volunteers to help with registration, hospitality, security, prayer support, and more! Please call Charlie Doggett at 780-3898 if you are interested in volunteering. Please consider helping with this important ministry... you may also get to hear some great preaching!

Crow's Corner

Our church men's ministry has a name--MOUNTAIN MOVERS, from Matthew 17:20, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

First Baptist Nashville men will do just that--move mountains! We are providing opportunities for service, spiritual development, and adventure throughout the year. Upcoming opportunities include Building Bridges Day, April 17; Spring Hikes, April 24 & May 22; and Pilgrim Prayer for God's Cause, May 15.

Be on the lookout for details about these and many other MOUNTAIN MOVER opportunities in upcoming church publications. For more information about our men's ministry, visit www.firstbaptistnashville.org/mens-ministry or email mens.ministry@firstbaptistnashville.org.

We want to help our men be men of faith--strong, courageous, trusting and serving, who have the faith of a mustard seed to be MOUNTAIN MOVERS!

Speaking of mountain movers, it feels like mountains are being moved next door to our church as the construction of our Music City Centre has begun and is making progress. Blasting of the construction site is occurring throughout the day. Road work continues down Demonbreun but only delays a moment in approaching or exiting the church.

We continue to provide ample free parking for church events! Encourage your friends and neighbors to join us in the happening place of Music City, downtown at First Baptist Nashville!
Easter Sunday will be a great morning of Celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in Bible study and worship. It's not enough to simply attend--BRING A FRIEND! INVITE A NEIGHBOR! Join us April 4 for worship.

God bless you as we seek God in transforming lives for Jesus Christ.

Church Picnic - SAVE THE DATE!

First Baptist Nashville's Annual
Church Picnic

Sunday, May 30
Joe C. Davis YMCA Park

Why I Chose Adoption

by Susan Smith

Many of you have probably seen the blockbuster movie, The Blindside. If so, you know that a defining moment for the Tuohy family came when Leigh Anne Tuohy told her husband to turn the car around. You know how their life would be forever changed by that decision.

We all have defining moments in our lives and in our families. For our family, one of the most significant came about 6 years ago. After experiencing another of many miscarriages, my husband Mark and I realized that having more children biologically was no longer an option. I remember the moment when Mark said to me "I think God has closed this door. We need to consider adoption." It was truly a "light bulb" moment for me. Years earlier, we had discussed the idea of adoption. We had watched friends around us adopt children. God had been planting the seeds all along and we finally saw that yes, God was calling us to parent more children. He was just going to take us on a different journey to bring those children home.

Our adoption story is not without bumps in the road. But just as a biological birth is full of miracles so too was the arrival of our two precious adopted daughters. Never have I felt the presence of God and His divine intervention more than during our adoption process. God used this journey to strengthen our faith and give us opportunities to trust Him. And as with the addition of any child to a family, He expanded our capacity to love immeasurably.

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