Vespucia, Vespucia — God shed His grace on Thee….Wait what?
By Tony Tench on July 4, 2019 On the birthday of our nation we proudly sing, “Vespucia, Vespucia, God shed his grace on Thee…” Wait, what? Of course that’s not right, we sing of “America!” But, it could have been Vespucia. Either way, I am glad our continent carries this name! Two hundred and forty-three […]
“What is it? — a VBS Reflection
By Tony Tench Community Vacation Bible School has been a great time of learning for children, as well as a timely reminder for all of us as we have served together. This year’s theme has brought us to an African game preserve where being in the presence of “wild life” has taught us to “roar” […]
Revival is Coming!
Sermon Synopsis: Eduardo Steibel, preaching on May 26, 2019 Consider “Revival” this morning! Revival comes when we surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit. Revival is our commitment to seek God’s Kingdom in the very, very first place of our lives. Think about the rooms of a house being listed for sale. If the house’s owner […]
“Blessing” in Any Language– ESL Celebration 2019
Though we have missed our Director, Cindy Canoy, due to illness this semester, our faithful team of teachers and encouragers have met each Monday since January to teach English to our Cleveland County neighbors who have come from around the world. Flavored by wonderful international foods prepared by our students and featuring their grateful words […]
Good News: Children and Youth Lead the Way
By Tony Tench There’s always room for good news, right? And, there’s plenty of good news in our FBC Kids and FBC Youth ministries. I am thankful for a couple of examples of such good news that were shared with me just this week! First, last Wednesday, while talking to Cecelia Beck at the supper […]
Donuts for Dads: A Reflection About Being the Parents Our Children Need
A Mother’s Morning Out Fellowship at First Baptist Church by Tony Tench Annually, about this time of year, our Mother’s Morning Out (MMO) ministry hosts a Friday morning fellowship called “Donuts for Dads.” Since MMO is not in session in June when Father’s Day rolls around, like they are in session in May when Mother’s […]
First Things First: The Joy of Serving in the Nursery
by Tony Tench “Thinking of God as living only in the past is one of the early mistakes of a ‘child’s theology’ which must later be corrected.” –William L. Hendricks, Theologian and Educator The reason behind the thinking expressed above is that since we read stories about God and his work in the world from […]
Giving Thanks for the Recipe!
By Tony Tench, Thanksgiving Day My Mother is a great cook! She always has been able to bring the skills to the kitchen. We all have our favorites from her culinary repertoire. There was a day when she would make cakes to order and she was in such demand that it liked to have worn […]
“Mommy, We’re Having a FEAST!!!” — a Thanksgiving Reflection
by Tony Tench Enjoying the pace of retirement from teaching, and getting in all the time possible to be an encouragement to Erin and be with our grand-girl and grand-boy (yes, ain’t life grand!), Janet was recently down in Greenwood, SC. She and Erin, our daughter, were parked in line to pick up Mattie from […]
I Will: Nine Traits of the Outwardly Focused Christian
Session 1: I Will: 9 Traits of the Outwardly Focused Christian Introduction “Here is the church…here is the steeple…open the door and see all the people!” That little hand gesture describes WHAT WE DO in the church, viz. what we do, we do TOGETHER and this study, entitled “I Will,” is going to help us […]