November 20, 2011
Today we are celebrating Thanksgiving as a Church family. I am so thankful for the Leadership of our Church for having this special day even though we are not in the worship center and do not have a kitchen to cook in. Tim and Pam, thank you so much for your part in the planning, and Judy for the decorating. Some people would not be rejoicing because of having the meal and the service in the same room, but I am. There have been a lot of things we have had to adjust to in the last several weeks because of the fire. Don’t forget to thank the Lord for what we do have. We are a blessed people. Look around at the things we have here in this building: Friends, family, and faith. What more could we ask for? The worship center has been painted and that is a praise. We were told this week again that by Christmas day we should have a service in our updated worship center with new paint, new carpet, new pad pews, new ceiling, new sound equipment, and much much more. We are blessed!
My Big Praise is 20 years ago I became the Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church. I did not know what the journey would be and here we are 20 years later celebrating Thanksgiving together. As I am typing this article my mind goes through some wonderful memories which the Lord has allowed us to enjoy together. The fire reminded me just how quickly it all can be gone and it will be one day. I am proud of the things that the Lord has accomplished through my ministry here. I have failed to tell some of you what you have meant to me but each family has a special place in my heart. The births of all the babies, the marriages, the celebration of answered prayers, the outreach in the communities, the wonderful funerals where you just felt the presence and power of God, to hospital visits and so much more. I am thankful I was the one God chose to be part of this. Miracles after miracles have taken place here and we were a part of them. Church, let’s just Praise the Lord. Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving without thanks. Thank you Lord and Thank you New Bethel Baptist Church.
Banner
Monday, November 21, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Pastor's Weekly Message - 11/13/11
November 13, 2011
We are seeing some progress on the Church buildings. The ceiling in the worship center is now removed. All the downstairs rooms are gutted. By that I mean all that’s left standing are the 2x4’s. The sheetrock, paneling, ceiling, wiring, and carpet have are all removed along with the contents. In the upstairs they have built back the floors which were burned. Brenda’s office and my office still lack a lot of work.
As most of you know by now the church voted to build a kitchen between the old fellowship building and the new fellowship building, which is on the side where we park the bus. It is going to cost somewhere around $10,000. Praise needs to be given here because someone came forward and offered to loan the church the money at no interest for the next two years plus pay the loan off at the bank, which was less than $10,000, and let us have that free of interest too.
God is so good to us. When I begin to see how he has worked though this fire I have to say Praise the Lord. Miracle after miracle has come through for us as a church. We now have classes for all the Sunday school classes and Wednesday night classes. We are almost back to doing things like they need to be done. We still have to have the Porta-Potties: Hope that will change soon.
Let me remind you that we are taking care of some families for Thanksgiving with a full meal and all the trimmings. A lot of you have already given food for this project, but there is more to do. If you don’t want to bring canned goods you can donate some money for this project. Speaking of Thanksgiving, we are going to have our Thanksgiving meal next Sunday with the deacons and myself fixing the meal and we want everyone to come. This is a way to thank the church and show you we love you. We may have to do something a little different, but we will make it work. This is always a special Sunday for our Church.
Pastor Tommy
We are seeing some progress on the Church buildings. The ceiling in the worship center is now removed. All the downstairs rooms are gutted. By that I mean all that’s left standing are the 2x4’s. The sheetrock, paneling, ceiling, wiring, and carpet have are all removed along with the contents. In the upstairs they have built back the floors which were burned. Brenda’s office and my office still lack a lot of work.
As most of you know by now the church voted to build a kitchen between the old fellowship building and the new fellowship building, which is on the side where we park the bus. It is going to cost somewhere around $10,000. Praise needs to be given here because someone came forward and offered to loan the church the money at no interest for the next two years plus pay the loan off at the bank, which was less than $10,000, and let us have that free of interest too.
God is so good to us. When I begin to see how he has worked though this fire I have to say Praise the Lord. Miracle after miracle has come through for us as a church. We now have classes for all the Sunday school classes and Wednesday night classes. We are almost back to doing things like they need to be done. We still have to have the Porta-Potties: Hope that will change soon.
Let me remind you that we are taking care of some families for Thanksgiving with a full meal and all the trimmings. A lot of you have already given food for this project, but there is more to do. If you don’t want to bring canned goods you can donate some money for this project. Speaking of Thanksgiving, we are going to have our Thanksgiving meal next Sunday with the deacons and myself fixing the meal and we want everyone to come. This is a way to thank the church and show you we love you. We may have to do something a little different, but we will make it work. This is always a special Sunday for our Church.
Pastor Tommy
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Pastor's Weekly Message - 11/6/11
November 6, 2011
This past week one of the finest men that I have ever known went home to be with our Saviour. Charles Lee Fitzsimons was 82 years old. Charles lived across the road from our home where we were reared up. Growing up without a dad he was the one who we depended on for hundreds of things and became the father figure in my life. As a boy, he was the man that I wanted to be like when I became an adult. He was the most godly man that I have ever known. In my 59 plus years on this earth he stood head and shoulders above all others in my eyes.
Many years before I knew what a godly man was I could see that he was different than other men. He was a deacon in our home church and I later found out it was Charles who got us to go to Church. If any person fulfilled the call of a Deacon, Charles was the man. He took care of church duties which included the less fortunate and the poor. He was one of the hardest working men I have ever known. He was always doing things at the church. Any work that was going on he was in the forefront. He never missed any services unless he was very sick.
He was the junior boys Sunday School teacher and the best I have ever seen. Every boy in his class could say the books of the Bible by the time they were out of his class. Today I still can recite them because of him. Charles had no boys of his own but had three girls. He took us as his boys. Charles bought me my first Coke and took me on my first camping trip. He made sure we always had something for Christmas. He got me my first job at US Pipe. He helped me get my first car loan. Anytime I needed help he was there.
When the Lord was calling me to preach, he was the one who prayed with me and counseled me. He was there when I preached my first sermon. I owe so much to him for the time and love that he put into me and my family. Any one of us boys could be writing this article today because he was the man. Everyone needs a man in their life like Charles. I thank God for allowing Charles into my life.
Pastor Tommy
This past week one of the finest men that I have ever known went home to be with our Saviour. Charles Lee Fitzsimons was 82 years old. Charles lived across the road from our home where we were reared up. Growing up without a dad he was the one who we depended on for hundreds of things and became the father figure in my life. As a boy, he was the man that I wanted to be like when I became an adult. He was the most godly man that I have ever known. In my 59 plus years on this earth he stood head and shoulders above all others in my eyes.
Many years before I knew what a godly man was I could see that he was different than other men. He was a deacon in our home church and I later found out it was Charles who got us to go to Church. If any person fulfilled the call of a Deacon, Charles was the man. He took care of church duties which included the less fortunate and the poor. He was one of the hardest working men I have ever known. He was always doing things at the church. Any work that was going on he was in the forefront. He never missed any services unless he was very sick.
He was the junior boys Sunday School teacher and the best I have ever seen. Every boy in his class could say the books of the Bible by the time they were out of his class. Today I still can recite them because of him. Charles had no boys of his own but had three girls. He took us as his boys. Charles bought me my first Coke and took me on my first camping trip. He made sure we always had something for Christmas. He got me my first job at US Pipe. He helped me get my first car loan. Anytime I needed help he was there.
When the Lord was calling me to preach, he was the one who prayed with me and counseled me. He was there when I preached my first sermon. I owe so much to him for the time and love that he put into me and my family. Any one of us boys could be writing this article today because he was the man. Everyone needs a man in their life like Charles. I thank God for allowing Charles into my life.
Pastor Tommy
Monday, October 31, 2011
Pastor's Weekly Message - 10/30/11
October 30, 2011
Another week has gone by and the cleanup and recovery is going on as you can see on the website. It is a slow process and time-consuming but things are happening. All the carpet has been removed and the youth room has been taken apart: walls, ceiling and furniture. The nursery has been cleaned up: beds, rocking chairs, and other things. We are hoping to have some buildings here in the next few days for the Sunday School classes and for the Wednesday night classes. The baking soda blasting is cleaning up the charred boards in the old fellowship building. See pictures on website. The committees are doing a great job getting things in order.
We are planning to have a Thanksgiving meal on Sunday the 18th. You will be hearing more about it in the days ahead and we will be posting it on the website also. Tim Moore is heading this up for us this year. We also are having “Can and Quarter” project for Thanksgiving families. We have changed it to “Can and a Dollar since things are costly now. There will be a box for you to put things in here in the Fellowship Building. Our food banks are low on canned goods and other things this year, so we need to help out all we can.
I want to say again Thank You to each one who reached out to me this month. Everything was appreciated, the kids, notes, the meals, the cards, the gifts, the desserts, the visits, and the love. My heart has been overwhelmed with all the kindness. The timing could not have been any better. Thanks Church. Sometimes it is hard to be on the receiving end, but I do thank you so much.
Much Love, Pastor Tommy
Another week has gone by and the cleanup and recovery is going on as you can see on the website. It is a slow process and time-consuming but things are happening. All the carpet has been removed and the youth room has been taken apart: walls, ceiling and furniture. The nursery has been cleaned up: beds, rocking chairs, and other things. We are hoping to have some buildings here in the next few days for the Sunday School classes and for the Wednesday night classes. The baking soda blasting is cleaning up the charred boards in the old fellowship building. See pictures on website. The committees are doing a great job getting things in order.
We are planning to have a Thanksgiving meal on Sunday the 18th. You will be hearing more about it in the days ahead and we will be posting it on the website also. Tim Moore is heading this up for us this year. We also are having “Can and Quarter” project for Thanksgiving families. We have changed it to “Can and a Dollar since things are costly now. There will be a box for you to put things in here in the Fellowship Building. Our food banks are low on canned goods and other things this year, so we need to help out all we can.
I want to say again Thank You to each one who reached out to me this month. Everything was appreciated, the kids, notes, the meals, the cards, the gifts, the desserts, the visits, and the love. My heart has been overwhelmed with all the kindness. The timing could not have been any better. Thanks Church. Sometimes it is hard to be on the receiving end, but I do thank you so much.
Much Love, Pastor Tommy
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Quick Update (with two photos)
Greetings all! As soon as we receive new photos or information from the folks at Paul Davis Restoration we post it for you here. We also link to this information on Facebook and in the e-mail newsletter. If you would like to sign up for the email list to be notified when new information is posted, please CLICK HERE.
Below are two photos of the rafters in the education wing of the building. They are in the process of soda blasting the soot. Soda blasting is basically (as this writer understands it) a highly pressurized baking soda cannon that helps to remove the soot. The clean wood is not new wood...it was as dark as the black wood prior to the soda blasting.
The folks at Paul Davis are providing updates as they can. They hope to have another update for us by the end of the week.
Below are two photos of the rafters in the education wing of the building. They are in the process of soda blasting the soot. Soda blasting is basically (as this writer understands it) a highly pressurized baking soda cannon that helps to remove the soot. The clean wood is not new wood...it was as dark as the black wood prior to the soda blasting.
The folks at Paul Davis are providing updates as they can. They hope to have another update for us by the end of the week.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Pastor's Weekly Message - 10/23/11
October 21, 2011
What
a great service we had last Sunday. I am still rejoicing. I do believe that
people are looking at us to see what we are doing since the fire. I am not
talking about where we are meeting and who is singing and preaching, but what
we are doing as serving the Lord and what our spirit is like. Look around, things
are looking up and God is getting the glory that He desires. Does not the Bible
say in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for
you? Yes, even from this fire we can grow if we keep our eyes on the Lord and
not on what was lost. The fire has
caused many people who have never before mentioned our church to ask about the
Church and what we are doing.
Today
would have been our Homecoming special service.
We can still make today special if we just open our hearts to the Lord.
Who has a praise to give? Who has a testimony to share? Who has a song to sing?
Who holds the key to today’s service? Somebody needs to let go and share with
the Church what God is doing.
This
is Pastor Appreciation month and I want to say Thank You for all that you are
doing for me. Every day has been a blessed surprise for me. The Calls, the Cards,
the Gifts, the Meals, the Desserts (pies, cakes, and cookies) have all been
appreciated. With all that is going on will the Church, for you to reach out to
me I am truly grateful.
I am putting on weight but that’s the fruits of enjoying eating.
Pastor
Tommy
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Letter from Paul Davis Restoration with pictures
October 14, 2011
Dear members of New
Bethel Baptist Church:
We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and share a
few things with all of you. First, let
us begin by saying “Thank You”. Thank
you for allowing Paul Davis Restoration of Northeast Georgia to help you in
this time of need.
We will work very hard to keep you informed as to the
progress of the mitigation and the restoration of the Church. We understand that this is a difficult time
and we will do everything we can to make the process as seamless as
possible. There will be lots happening
and we will keep you posted as to the progress.
We will work very closely with Pastor Tommy and your
building committee during this process.
We would encourage you to direct your questions to one of the members of
this committee. For many questions, they
may already have the answer. If not, we
will be more than happy to answer any question you may have.
We understand that there has been great concern over the
contents of the buildings. We promise we
are taking great care to restore everything we can. However, there have been many items that are
not restorable due to extensive damage.
We are making every effort to be very thorough in evaluating every item
and treating your contents with the respect they deserve. We plan to provide pictures and a brief
update weekly to be posted to your website.
This will enable all of you to see the progress.
We know that a church is like a home to many. Because of the dangerous nature of the
construction, we ask that you do not “drop by” to walk in or around the
building. Your safety is a priority and
we would not want to risk anyone being hurt.
While we know it is a place of comfort to you, please treat the area as
a construction zone. Keep an eye on your
website for updates!
Again, please let us reassure you that we are taking the
greatest care of your church. We
appreciate the confidence you have shown in us.
It has been a pleasure meeting many of you and we look forward to
meeting many more.
Sincerely,
Kelley N. Padgitt Larry M. Gill, CPA Kevin L. Padgitt
Client Advocate President Vice President
These first three photos are from Thursday, October 6th.
These last three photos are from Wednesday, October 12th to show the progress.
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