October 30, 2021
Greetings from the State Office and the Executive Board!
I hope everyone is doing well and you’ve had a nice taste of fall weather with more to come. We want to share with you a few things for your information and participation.
It is once again time for us to consider planning for our future events within the association. The next major event on the statewide calendar is the 2022 All Boards Meeting. This meeting is traditionally where the state boards do a lot of their planning for the calendar year and beyond, in addition to sharing ideas and fellowship. The 2022 meeting has been scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, January 27-29 at Fellowship FWB Church in Bryan. We expect to meet in person at this meeting, and the Executive Board will consider plans for the 2022 State Meeting, among other items as we develop the meeting agenda. Our Mission Board, Christian Education Board, and WAC officers will also meet and plan upcoming events, programs, and initiatives. Please be in prayer for the discussions that will take place at this meeting and leading up to it.
Speaking of the State Meeting, the 2022 meeting is scheduled for June 8-9 at First FWB Church in Duncanville. We will provide updates as the details are confirmed, but mark your calendars now.
The Men’s Conference that was originally scheduled for this month has been rescheduled to the more typical springtime date of March 4-5. The Christian Education Board made this decision with the expectation that a few more months of promotion and reminding will provide an opportunity for more registration. The speakers (Wes Hood and John Bivens) and the location (Lakehills Church in Cedar Park) will remain the same as originally scheduled, so make your plans now to attend!
October is typically celebrated among Free Will Baptists and other denominations as Pastor Appreciation Month. Churches recognize their pastors in a variety of different ways, but we offer our recognition to all of our pastors statewide as well. Thanks to each and every one of you for all that you do throughout the year!
This year’s Mission North America Offering is scheduled for Sunday, November 21. Please plan to give generously, to help provide necessary resources and vital ministry funding to spread the gospel at home and around the world! You can download promotional material for the offering here.
The current issue of ONE Magazine marked its 100th issue and 16 years in print, celebrating a milestone and looking forward to the exciting things ahead for the magazine and Free Will Baptists. You can read the current issue, as well as previous issues, on the ONE Magazine website using the link above. You can also sign up to have the printed magazine delivered to your home, at no cost, through the signup form on the website.
Finally, as many of you are aware, Bro. Herbert Richards recently passed away, just a few months shy of 102 years of age. Bro. Richards has been a pillar of Texas Free Will Baptists, and we offer our condolences to the Richards family during this time. It so happens that there is an excellent article about Bro. Richards in the current issue of ONE Magazine; if you haven’t already read it, you should do so in your printed magazine or online at this link: http://onemag.org/102years.htm.
We offer our typical closing reminder to please visit the State Association website at www.texasfwb.org and review your district’s and church’s information in the directory. We want to make sure that the contact information is all up to date. If you see any information that needs to be changed, please send updates and corrections to me at the State Office.
We appreciate all that you do for Texas Free Will Baptists and for the work of God. As always, you can contact us with any questions at stateoffice@texasfwb.org.
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