Children quickly filled up our parking lot, entry way, and social hall as our festivities for our Trunk or Treat kicked off last Wednesday. Smiles filled faces as fast as candy filled buckets and baskets. The decorated vehicles brought our south parking lot to life with various themes and splashes of color. It was such a good time connecting to our church family and community.

November promises more good connections for the community. Our youth will be participating in their annual All Day Long event where they reach out to organizations throughout the community to help. They have walked dogs, sanitized toys, pulled weeds, and so much more. As they, once again, give of their time to serve others this Saturday, they will also be able to enjoy the follow-up scavenger hunt at the end of the day. Students race throughout the church building and beyond, finding items, videoing activities, and logging their escapades to see which team can get back the fastest and win. Our youth are also looking forward to registration opening shortly for their annual DiscipleNow event coming in January. They will worship, once again, with a band led by Kevin Alexander, as well as get to hear a new speaker this year, Davis Howell. Of course, the same overnight fun, small groups, meals, and assemblies will be enjoyed, as usual. Be looking for details on our Facebook page (facebook.com/firstbaptistmoultrie) about registration in the coming days. 

Also for the community in November is our Men’s Dinner. Cohosted with us by Mt. Olive Baptist and First Baptist Norman Park, we will be opening our doors here at First Baptist Moultrie to men throughout the community for a meal and message from Ott DeFoe, Bassmaster Classic Champion in 2019, as well as multi-stage winner on the MLF Bass Pro Tour. The event begins at 6 p.m. on November 14. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today. Tickets cost $10 and are available for purchase at all three churches or at firstmoultrie.org/men. 

We are in full swing with our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Did you know that Samaritan’s Purse has delivered boxes to kids and teens in over 50 hard-to-reach places since 1993? They also have translated the Gospel message that goes with every shoebox into over 80 languages. Shoeboxes have been sent to over 100 unreached people groups, and they have been sent to 1,000 Pacific islands. This year, it’s even easier to bless these children with much-needed supplies, toys, and the gospel of Jesus through building shoeboxes online. You can simply go to firstmoultrie.org/occ, pick the age and gender of the child you would like to give to, and select what items you would like Samaritan’s Purse to pack on your behalf for only $25. Our goal is 400 physical shoeboxes packed and 60 online boxes packed. I know we can reach that goal together!

It’s hard to believe we are rapidly approaching the holidays. Thanksgiving is right around the corner to kick off the hustle and bustle of shopping for Christmas. Both are always a special time of year for us. The weekend following Thanksgiving holds our annual Manger Scene Lighting with our Preschool Choir and tasty goodies in our Social Hall on Sunday night. Thankfully, this Christmas looks to be more typical with our Adult Choir Christmas Performance of “The Symphony of Christmas.” We have scheduled two times to come listen – December 11 at 6 p.m. and during our 10:30 a.m. worship service on December 12. As always, our talented choir will be joined by gifted instrumentalists in a wonderful orchestra for the performances. Everyone is looking forward to it, especially since we had to cancel the performance last year due to a COVID spike. As we get closer to Christmas, we will also be having our usual candlelight Christmas Communion service at 5 p.m. on December 19, leading into the week of Christmas Day.

Mark all of these events on your calendar and plan to join us as we celebrate our Savior and teach others about Him. As always, we welcome you to come on Sunday mornings for our 8:15 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. worship services and Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. for Bible studies or prayer meeting. The doors are always open to you here at First Baptist Moultrie. 

As we approach the new year, we continue to expect many transitions in our church office. Some staff has retired, some have transitioned to new roles, and some are brand new. We are looking to add more new ones with a church secretary and media & communications director. If you are interested, please find details about the jobs and apply at firstmoultrie.org/apply.