‘Great is thy faithfulness’

Lamentations 3:23

From The Pastor

Dear Gunpowder Family,

As we are now in the first week of the new year, many of us have already broken our New Year resolutions. Many of the things we resolved to do were good and needed things in our lives.

We don’t have to wait until next January to try again. God’s mercies are new every morning. Each day is a chance to start over. Today we can built on the victories and learn from the mistakes of yesterday.

One question that we can ask ourselves is: “Am I closer to God today than I was yesterday?” The honest answer to that question will help us determine how to live today. Such striving for Christ-likeness is the abundant life that God promised us. So if you have given up on your resolution, remember that as the sun rises we have a new opportunity to live for Christ.

Let’s do it together.

Your servant in Christ ,

Pastor Jack

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From the Associate Pastor

To our GBC Family,

Words cannot express the overwhelming flood of emotion we have experienced as a result of your love and grace, as expressed through your prayers, encouraging words, finances and delightful food.

Thank you for the bottom of our hearts! It’s not very hard to have a joyful spirit when you’ve been filled to overflowing by God through His precious Body – Gunpowder Baptist Church.

We love you,

The Bourcier’s

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Dear GBC Ministry Leaders,

The Nominating Committee is holding a series of meetings in February to provide ministry leaders and department directors with an opportunity to discuss your vision, plans, mentoring / succession planning, concerns and issues in a small group setting . As a committee, we want to help you take your ministry to the next level. Meetings will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evenings in accordance with the schedule noted below. If you can’t make it on the evening that your group is scheduled to attend, please feel free to come on one of the other evenings. Please let Steve McCarty know if you can not attend any of the scheduled meetings. If you hold more than one ministry position, there is no need for you to attend more than one meeting, unless you would like to do so.

1 st Meeting – Tuesday, February 6 th – Children and Youth Department Directors

2 nd Meeting – Tuesday, February 13 th – Adult Ministries and Missions Organizations

3 rd Meeting – Tuesday, February 20 th – Music Ministry (all leaders)

4 th Meeting – Tuesday, February 27 th – All other ministry leaders*

*Includes the following: Moderator, Church Clerk, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Trustee Chairman, Website Communications Coordinator, Usher Captain, Baptismal Preparation, Sanctuary Flower Décor, Social Committee Co-Chairs, Bulletin Boards, Public Relations Coordinator, New Member Welcoming Rep, Blood Drive Coordinator, Children’s Videos, Pantry Ministry, Crisis Closet, Dinnertime Ministry, Bereavement Ministry and Church Sign Ministry.

Please begin to think and pray about the various aspects of your ministry that you would like to share and discuss with the Nominating Committee and other ministry leaders.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Steve McCarty.

Sincerely,

GBC 2006-07 Nominating Committee

Barbara Bobbitt, Larry & Gloria Elligson, Steve & Diane McCarty and Pastor Jack Newton

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Special Thanks

Dear Church Family,

Thank you for the Bibles that were given by GBC in Brenda’s name. My prayer is that they will lead someone to come to know the Lord as their Savior.

Richard Swope

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Dear Church Family,

Words can never express how much we appreciate all of your cards, phone calls, prayers, meals, fruit basket, visits and flowers. God has truly healed me so far. I start chemotherapy in January. God will give me strength to get through this. We have an awesome God.

Everyone has touched our hearts with their outpouring of love and concern for my illness. We pray that each and everyone has a very happy new year and blessed life with good health! Thanks again,

Love and Blessings,

Joan and Ray Krebs

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Snow Emergency Plan

We do not plan to cancel any of our Worship Services but in the event of an ice storm or heavy snow, we may be forced to miss a service.

Since it is not practical for us to call you, you may call any one of our Deacons after 7:00 a.m. or look on this website's homepage. The decision should be made by then.

In other years, we have had ice storms leaving the driveway and parking lot hazardous. Therefore, we had to cancel all services. On some occasions after a snowstorm, we get the driveway opened only in time for the 11:00 church service. On the decision concerning Sunday School you may call Pastor Newton.

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Keenagers

In December, we had a $1.00 gift exchange. We didn’t have to fight for someone else’s gift because everyone was pleased with the gift they chose, except Iris, who took an angel away from Bill Abbey. And of course, Pastor Jack wanted to take a snowman away from someone but he chose his gift before the snowman appeared. It was a lot of fun. We had a very nice lunch and Pastor Jack read the Christmas story.

On January 9 th, we will be blessed to have June Naylor sing for us. We always enjoy her visit. She is such a happy person and she shows Jesus not only in her life but in her singing. If you have never heard June sing, you are missing out on a wonderful time. You are invited to come and not only hear June sing, but to have lunch with us as well. We just know that you will go away feeling very blessed.

On Wednesday, January 24th, you are invited to go with us on our monthly trip to tour the Martin Guitar Factory, and then of course, we will eat out before coming home.

Your Keenager in Christ,

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Children's Sunday School Department

Thank you little elves for a great job. Your little gifts were truly heart touching to our senior elf’s. Also, thank you senior elves for allowing us to share our love with you. You are truly a role model for us. We watch you every week to see how you worship our awesome God. Please take a minute to share God’s love with us - a smile, a hello, a hand shake, etc. Something little will be remembered for a life time. Thank you again.

Don’t forget January 19 th at 6:30 p.m. til 8:30 p.m., we will have our Snowflake Dinner and show. Parents and grandparents, please join us for a dinner of soup and salad. After dinner, the children will sing, the 4 th and 5 th grade classes will present a puppet show and the 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd graders will present a play. There will also be a guest speaker. Your children are working hard to show you what they learn during Sunday school.

January will be a busy month. Other than working on our program, we will learn about God’s church. The first week, we learn to “Come to God’s Church”. The next week, “Help at Church”, followed by “Give at church” and finally “Bring people to church”. Please join us for Sunday School and bring your friends. Let’s have a great new year and fill our classes. Every child, neighbor and friend needs to know about God. Hope to see you on Sunday.

God’s servant,

Joan Krebs

Director

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Children's Church Schedule

Nursery Worker Schedule

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Adult_Sunday_School_Department

Go NUTS! Welcome to the 2006-2007 Sunday School year. I would like for all of you to bring your friends to Sunday School so they can be introduced to Christ and learn about the love letter that God wrote us, in His Word, the Bible. So beginning the Sunday AFTER the Football Super Bowl Sunday and ending the Sunday PRIOR to the Opening Day of Baseball, Gunpowder Baptist Church is having a contest. The rules will be outlined in a future Sunday School News Flash, but I need you to make your list and start beating the bushel baskets to find some new friends. Since Baseball games typically have peanuts, the measurement on the bulletin board will be in peanuts, so GO NUTS! The nuttiest class, and I’m defining that as the class with the most visitors from February 11 through April 1, will receive a surprise. Good luck, and again, GO NUTS! Your S-3 Cheerleader! Ginny Thompson Sunday School Superintendent “When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul.” Proverbs 2:10

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Prayer Ministry

Watchman Prayer Ministry - “Intercessors”

Dear Church Family,

I want to thank each of you who have made a commitment and can be counted on to pray for those on the prayer wall. I am going to mention areas of prayer we must be conscious of. If you are not a member of the prayer wall, please consider joining as there are several slots that need to be filled. I have mentioned in the past, apart from prayer, nothing gets accomplished and we truly have nuch to pray about.

Every aspect of Gunpowder's ministries should be focused on prayer. If we are having trouble with not having people to pray for church activities, is it any wonder we can not stop any of the atrocities that are in our lives? (abortion same-sex marriages, partial birth abortions) I am sure you get the idea.

Some helpful insights to prayer:

1. Place - Have a regular place where you can feel in-tune with God.
2. Practice - Develop the regular practice of prayer. It helps to have the habit.
3. Privacy - There are times for group prayer, but personal growth usually comes from being alone with God.
4. Posture - Pray in any position, but remember that kneeling to pray helps develop humility.
5. Purpose - Forget self, seek God's Will.
6. Price - Be ready to go through the process of emptying yourself of negatives so god can come with His love and power.

Nowhere does the Bible say that prayer is easy. At times, while you are still on your knees. Satan will attack, harrassing you with doubt and sending distracting thoughts into your mind. Do not worry about praying for something too large. There is nothing too big for God to accomplish. We do not always like the answers God gives. He promises in Matthew 7:11 that everything He gives is good for us.

It would be wise for all of us to ask God with a humbled Spirit what areas of our lives are offensive to Him. Failure to pray leaves peopl vulnerable on the battlefiled. Nehemiah 4. When we do what we are supposed to do, God is faithful to do His. We will pray as we should, until we see it as a necessity. Henry Blackaby "only through prayer can we know tha heart of God."

Prayerfully,

Bob Scheuerman

Prayer Coordinator

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Women's Ministry

Community-Wide Ladies’ Event

Saturday, January 13 th

6:00 p.m.

Gunpowder Baptist Church Fellowship Hall

WHAT: Mission Project – Learn to Knit and hear about an organization called “Stitches of Love” which will give you more motivation to learn how to knit

WHEN: Saturday, January 13th 6:00 p.m.

BRING: A crock pot of soup to share, cornbread, or a dessert

You may bring your own knitting needles and yarn, or you may pay $3.00 when you arrive and we will supply you with knitting needles and yarn.

WHO:Pat Elligson with give us an overview of the organization “Stitches of Love” and share with us some of the benefits of knitting

Judy Baseman will be available to teach us how to knit.

All ladies are invited to attend! Come and learn how to knit; if you already know how, please come and help teach others!

Please sign up on the sheet provided in the church lobby, or by calling Mary Hamrick at 410.357.0658 or Conchita Whitaker at 410-218-4131.

Stitches of Love is a community outreach program that provides for infants, and young children where babies are born into difficult circumstance or born prematurely, including those families where tragic, early termination takes place. Stitches of Love also strives to meet the needs where other means are not accessible by providing:

Afghans, quilts and blankets for newborns, Matching caps, Toddler or sibling blankets, Burial clothing for preemies too weak to sustain life or stillborn babies, Fetal bereavement clothing, Layettes, Isolette Covers,

Sweaters, Dolls, Chemo caps

All items are provided at no cost to the recipients. Stitches of Love presently support 45 hospitals, pregnancy centers and safe houses located in several states.

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Next Ladies Events:

WOMEN’S MINISTRY

INVITES YOU TO JOIN US FOR A

BRING-YOUR-SWEETY BANQUET

When: Saturday, February 17, 2007

5:30 p.m. – Meet at Restaurant

Where: Meet at Restaurant at 5:30 p.m.

Rib ‘N Reef Steak and Seafood Restaurant

22 W. Padonia Road

Timonium, MD 21093

410-560-0905

Who: Anyone may sign up to attend. You may bring your spouse, friend, child. It’s a “bring-your-sweety” party, so you decide which “sweety” you would like to bring.

Cost: $27.95 per person plus tax and 18% gratuity.

Deadline: RSVP by February 10 th by signing up on sign-up sheet (sign up is required so that we can turn in the head count on February 10 th.) We have reserved space for 60 people (30 sets of two). When signing up, please make your dinner selection choice so that the restaurant can have adequate food supplies on hand.

Dinner Selections

(All selections include a house or Caesar salad, potato, vegetable of the day, beverage, mini French baguette with whipped butter and a choice of specialty dessert)

Angus Prime Rib – Slow roasted Black Angus Prime Rib of Beef served with Au Jus

Single Jumbo Lump Crab Cake – 8 oz Jumbo Lump Crab Cake

Roughy Zakynthos – Cold water orange roughy broiled and crowned with spinach and feta, finished with imperial sauce

Seafood Scampi – Shrimp, scallops and jumbo lump crab meat in a garlic Beurre Blanc over penne pasta

Imperial Stuffed Chicken Breast – Skinless boneless chicken breast charbroiled and topped with jumbo lump crab imperial

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Gunpowder Baptist Church

Ladies Events for 2006-2007

Schedule

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SNOWFLAKE DINNER & SHOW

Everyone is invited – parents, grandparents

January 19, 2007

6:30 til 8:30 p.m.

1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd graders – Play

4 th and 5 th graders – Puppet show

All children will sing.

Surprise special guest speaker

RSVP Joan Krebs or Iris Singleton

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Women’s Fall Retreat

Friday and Saturday

November 9-10, 2007

Spinners of Hershey

Hershey, PA

Cost: $60 to share a bed

$80 for your own bed

Theme: Soaring Like Eagles

Details are being finalized for the Women’s Fall Retreat. Special music, speaker, testimony, meals will be uplifted to God in prayer for His will to be fulfilled. Please make plans to attend. God would love for you to join us! Let’s celebrate God’s blessings, love, comfit and even strength with each other, especially with Him. Let us all “Soar Like Eagles”.

More information in August. Sign up sheet in September. I pray you will join us for a time of fun, fellowship and spiritual uplifting.

Prayerfully yours,

Joan Krebs

Retreat Coordinator

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January Birthdays & Anniversaries

Anniversaries 12 David and Mary Dodson 23 Matt & Julie Scott 26 Kenny & Myrtle Gettle 28 Raymond & Joan Krebs

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Belfry Archive

February, 2005

March, 2005

April, 2005

May, 2005

June, 2005

July & August, 2005

September, 2005

October, 2005

November, 2005

December, 2005

January, 2006

February, 2006

March, 2006

April, 2006

May, 2006

July / August, 2006

September, 2006

October, 2006

November, 2006

December, 2006