NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #116 ROLLA, MO

1608 N Oak St Rolla MO 65401-2342 573-364-1266 www.rolla-firstassembly.org office@rolla-firstassembly.org MARCH 2012

Chuck Whitmire
Lead Pastor
pastor_chuck@rolla-firstassembly.org

Spotlight on . . .

MAKING EVERY CHRISTIAN A MISSIONARY

Todd and Marzetta Neal & family

credible ministry that is changing the world. Many do not know that almost half of the proceeds of My Father's World goes to supporting Bible translation in other countries around the world. We travel five months out of the year around the country to various conventions sharing the vision, ministry, and curriculum of My Father's World. Our whole family will travel to these conventions. It is important that families see our children and realize that homeschooling kids are just as bright and well rounded as public or private school children. I must give kudos to my wife for the outstanding job she has done with our children as it pertains to homeschooling. We started the homeschool journey when our oldest was four and we have not looked back. There were many bumps along
Neal continued on page 2

Ray Cook
Associate Pastor
fireguy@rollafirstassembly.org

Dalton Avery
Youth Pastor
pastordalton@rollafirstassembly.org

~ Weekly Schedule ~
Sunday Morning Worship Contemporary - 9:15 am Traditional - 10:45 am Christian Development 9:15 & 10:45 Sunday Evening Service - 6:00 pm Caf College Group at Open House Wednesday Evening - 7:00 pm Prayer Service Royal Rangers Girls Ministries The Forge Youth church
Nursery provided for Sunday morning & Wednesday evening services

Brian Feller
Childrens Pastor
pastorbrian@rollafirstassembly.org

Prayer Meetings Sunday 9:00-9:15 am MondayFriday 7:00-8:30 am Tuesday 12:00-1:00 Second Fridays Monthly 8pm-3am Saturday 6:00 pm Bible Studies Men's: Tuesdays 6:30 am Ladies: Thursdays 9:30 am
Youth Girls: Thursdays 7 am at Panera

Sam Parker
KCA/TSC Director
kcatsc@rollafirstassembly.org

Additional Staff
Cora Parsons
Office Manager office@rolla-firstassembly.org

Marzetta and I met while I was attending graduate school at the New Orleans Baptist Seminary. Marzetta is originally from Alabama, although she spent most of her growing up years in New Orleans. I grew up in both Ohio and West Virginia. Marzetta and I have been married for 15 wonderful years. We came to Rolla to work for My Father's World. The initial connection with My Father's World came through a friend of ours who told us that My Father's World was hiring. I had been unemployed for some time and was believing God for a new opportunity. We have worked as educational consultants for My Father's World for 4 months. We consult with prospective, new, and seasoned homeschool families about curriculum choices and what will work best for their family. We have been blessed to be part of such an in-

Mark Berry
Custodian

~ Office Hours ~
Monday-Friday 8-12 and 1-5

Pansy Bingham
Business Administrator pansy@rolla-firstassembly.org

Inside:

This month:

Coming Up:

Abby Swearingen
Media Assistant media@rolla-firstassembly.org

Prepare the Way China missions trip Pinewood Derby results

Louisiana Missions trip China trip Car care

Easter choir Art of Marriage

Rehearsals are well under way for our Easter musical. We have invited singers from other churches to join our choir for this Easter an Easter musical celebration and eight people accepted the invitation. Singers from the Nazarene, First Freewill Baptist, Philadelphia Baptist, Second Baptist and Spring Creek Baptist churches are participating. We are having a great time singing together and getting to know one an-

This We This Believe Believe

other. There is a line in one of the songs that says we are the church and we stand as one. A lady from another church commented that every time she gets to that line she thinks of this choir and what a joy it is for her to be singing in it and says its due to our church inviting them. We are so blessed to have these singers join us. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Performances are fast approaching. They are Friday, April 6th at 7:00 pm and Saturday, April 7th at 6:00 pm. Please invite your family, friends and neighbors. -Betty May
Neal continued from page 1

March 2012
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday 1 Thursday 2 Friday Saturday 3 On call this weekend: Pastor Chuck 341-8086 All Nations Christian Fellowship 4 Missions Sunday Membership class 9:15 room 202 Amazing Moms Courageous 6 pm 11 Communion Membership class 9:15 room 202 Daylight savings timeturn your clock forward 1 hour! 18 Building Fund Sunday Amazing Moms Home fellowship groups 6:00 25 26 19 12 5 6 7 8 Board meeting 6:00 am Rangers, Girls Ministries, The Girlfriends in God Forge Youth Church 13 14 All Nations Christian Fellowship 15 9 10 On call this weekend: Pastor Ray 578-7609 Pancake breakfast & yard sale 8am2pm All Night Prayer 16 17 On call this weekend: Pastor Dalton 202-4208 The Accord Home Fellowship group

The checkered flags were flying on Saturday, February 18th at First Assembly for the annual Pinewood Derby! All of our Ranger boys raced cars they had been working hard on, all hoping to cross the finish line first. There were many different cars there, including several in our Open Division which even included Beverly Fellers car shaped like a piece of cake. We also served race track goodies like Hot Rod Hot Dogs, Nitro Nachos, Pit Stop Popcorn and drinks which raised over $40 dollars for BGMC! So start getting ready for next year, race fans!!! Blessings, Pastor Brian

the way, but that just comes with the territory. We have three children. Our oldest is Hannah, who is 11 and enjoys acting, some sports, and reading. Next is Lexi, who is 9 years old and enjoys dance and cheerleading. Our youngest, Josiah, is 3 years old and enjoys everything! We are an active family who enjoys playing several sports (tennis, basketball, walking, hiking, etc.) My wife and I along with our kids are very competitive. Rolla is a big change from what we were used to in Raleigh, but we are getting used to it. Everything was so close in Raleigh. We miss some of our favorite stores and of course Chick-FilA! What we appreciate about Rolla is it is simple in a great way. The people are welcoming and real. We have enjoyed getting to know many at First Assembly. Marzetta and I have both been in leadership for a number of years at the church we served at in Raleigh. We both have a passion for the family and seeing it "whole" and complete in Jesus. We have led couples ministry and men's ministry as well as women's ministry. -Todd Neal

Missions Committee Mens Breakfast

Rangers, Girls Girlfriends in God Ministries, and The Forge Youth Church 20 21 Family Feast 5:30 Rangers, Girls Ministries, and Girlfriends in God The Forge Youth Church 27 28

All Nations Christian Fellowship 22 23

24 On call this weekend: Pastor Brian 426-6235 Car Care

All Nations Christian Fellowship 29 30 31 On call this weekend: Pastor Ray 578-7609

Girlfriends in God Louisiana missions trip China missions trip

Congratulations to the Pinewood Derby winners, from left to right: Patrick Allen, Luke Thomas, Chad Moentmann, Josh Morris, Richard Lawing, Tyler Ragan

Calendar updates at www.rolla-firstassembly.org/aboutus/calendar

China and the US have some powerful ambassadors, and many of them are pint-sized. Adoption from China has brought over 55,000 children to homes in America, and the overwhelming majority of them are girls. Since its start around 1992, adoption of Chinese children has grown to be one of the most stable and reliable international programs, and thousands of families around the world have been blessed with daughters and sons of Chinese heritage. For years the greatest demand has been for healthy infants, but within the last few years China has placed a greater emphasis on finding homes for children with special needs. The definition of special needs is quite broad: things as minor as birthmarks or an extra toe are considered special needs, as well as serious issues like heart conditions. The advantage for families to choose the special needs program is that they are able to look at the child's information and pictures early in the process, and gather information about the child's condition. One other major bonus to the special needs program is that the entire adoption can be finished much more quickly, sometimes in as little as eight to nine months. Many reliable agencies work with China's children, and the costs of adoption from China are in the mid to lower range of international adoption. The process is considered very safe by most adoption professionals: China's guidelines are clear and their timeline is fairly reliable. Families desiring healthy infants have a wait of several years before them, but

families open to children with special needs can have their children home quickly. And oh, what a blessing these children are. Some good places to start for information on China's children and adoption are: RainbowKids.com and lovewithoutboundaries.com . -Elaine Harrison

Are there still real-life heroes? Yes, there are, and they can walk in humble shoes. Robin Hill and his wife Dr. Joyce Hill were successful businesspeople on temporary assignment to China when they first went on a casual outing to visit a Chinese orphanage. What they saw struck them to their cores, and they gave themselves to the Lord to serve the orphans of China. Starting with taking in just one child, they have since been blessed to open and run four medical foster homes and to partner with Show Hope to run Maria's Big House of Hope. They take in children with medical issues: some can receive surgeries and treatment and live, others are given loving hospice care until they pass on into the kingdom. The Hills have cared for over one thousand children since they said "yes" to God twelve years ago. Mike and Deena Van't Hul were typical Americans on the path to the American Dream when God touched them during a church service and they knew they were supposed to serve Him by serving His abandoned children. In God's timing, they moved their two sons and their newly-adopted daughter to China, and prayed for the favor of orphanage officials to allow them to help take care of children in need. They started with one child seven years ago, and now have 48 special needs children in their care, depending entirely on the provision of God for the means to feed, clothe and give medical care to the "least of the least". Elizabeth Smith and Elaine Harrison will be meeting these followers of Jesus and observing the work of their foster homes while traveling to Beijing and Fuzhou, China March 23 thru April 1.

They will have opportunity to meet and play with the children, interact with the staff, and see the operation of these two homes. They will also gather information on the needs and how we at First Assembly might be part of helping meet those needs. Each home will be given an offering to help with their work. Please pray for safe travel and for the purposes of God to be revealed, as well as for the children. For more information on the homes please visit these two websites: www.hopefosterhome.com and www.loavesandfishesintl.com -Elaine Harrison

Sam Parker will lead a mens study based on the movie Courageous. It will be held March 11, 18, 25 and April 1. Men, please join us at 10:45 (during second service) at the Open House 1603 Olive St.

In the Roberts Family Life Center

Christ distributes courage through community; he dissipates doubts through fellowship. Max Lucado

MARCH 11

March 16 5:30-6:30
Everyone welcome!
Students and first time visitors free!

Preparing the way for Missions and the Persecuted Church through fervent intercessory prayer.
The next membership classes will be on March 4 and 11 during first service in room 202 (next to the church offices). If you are not currently a member of the church, please consider these biblical reasons for establishing and maintaining local churches. 1. The local church, through the preaching of the gospel, is a place for salvation of the unbeliever (1 Corinthians 4:15) and for nurturing the new believer (1 Corinthians 3:1,2). 2. The church provides teaching and stability, which is a strong defense against error. Paul wrote to both Timothy and Titus to warn them of the danger of falling into error (2 Timothy 2:2, Titus 1:10) and to the elders of the church at Ephesus and to encourage them to carefully guard their church (Acts 20:28-30). 3. The church provides a place to receive power for service. The church is intended to be a place where believers can receive that they might be fully equipped to mount an offensive against the gates of Hell. This can happen as you unite with believers in the church and seek for the power of the Holy Spirit. 4. The church is a fellowship of believers to whom we can turn in times of sorrow, sickness, or discouragement. Whether it is to witness to the world as the church stands together (John 13:35, Acts 2:42-47) or to receive comfort and encouragement from fellow believers (Galatians 6:2), this support is crucial for facing bad times. 5. The church provides a way to sustain a local and world missions program (Acts 13:1-3, Philippians 4:16-18). Local and world evangelization can be accomplished only when believers unite. 6. The new testament church pattern provides for other benefits, including systematic care for the material needs of the destitute, true worship in the Spirit, creating and maintaining proper attitudes and relationships among believers, a means of properly receiving and disbursing funds for Gods work, providing for the selection of scripturally qualified leaders, and providing the means through which the ordinances of water baptism and communion are administered. As a believer whose desire is to become spiritually strong and mature, you need the church and its various ministries. Likewise, church needs you to help it fulfill its God-given mission in the world.

Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. Yet even now, declares the LORDReturn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God? Joel 1:14, 2:12-14 A solemn assembly is raised for the primary purpose of corporate repentance. It is a time for Gods people to assemble together and ignite, through prayer, a Holy Fire that will rain down revival upon us. It is a time for confession of the sins of the land in which we live. Earnest prayers are lifted together in unity beseeching the mercy of God. And Gods people move with intention toward their Savior with cries of the longing to return to Him. A solemn assembly is not meant to be a mere ritualistic event. It is not intended for show or as a means to climb yet another rung in the ladder of religiosity. It is not a time where we look for the majesty of the Lord as much as we long for His mercy and grace to rescue a nation or a people group from the spread of sin in the land. When you come to a solemn assembly there is an expectation of fasting. It is a season of consecration crying out to the Lord. There is central desire to return completely to the Lord, individually and corporately. There is a lament, an outcry of weeping and mourning over the things lost and the sorrow of

sin all around us. When Gods people set apart a time for such an assembly the result is mercy and grace and ultimately praise to the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power of the Holy Spirit draws us to a complete and humble acquiescence before God Almighty. And when we return to Him, there is grace and steadfast love, such as may turn the hand of God from disaster and toward an outpouring of blessings. Friday, March 9, 2012 is set aside as a day of prayer and fasting for the city of Rolla. Gods people are being called to fast if they are able and to pray for the city to return completely to the Lord. There will be a solemn assembly for the city at Rolla First Assembly from 7:00 pm 9:00 pm, whereby we can corporately lift up the name of Jesus, spend time in corporate repentance for our city and wait on God through prayer. It is a city-wide assembly and a call to Gods people to gather and call upon the Lord though repentance, prayer and praise. Who can come? Anyone who is hungry and thirsty for the Lords blessings can come. Anyone who desires to see change in their city, and any who are simply seeking the face of God and longing for more of His presence can come. Anyone who needs the Lord and his touch are welcome. All who long for more of God and those who simply want to see who he is can come. -Carol Hudler March Madness is here! Not just for college basketball, but for BGMC. March is when we invite everyone to help our kids make their goal for the year. Our goal for 2012 is $3000, and we have until the end of December to reach it. How can you help? Either through a designated donation, through picking up a Buddy Barrel in the entryway or simply by seeing a child carrying around their Buddy Barrel and dropping a donation in it. We believe in teaching our kids about the importance of giving to missions, so wont you please help encourage them by showing how important it is to you? Blessings, Pastor Brian

Contact Grace Smith for more information at grace@campdavidozarks.org or 573-201-8833

Are you sick of looking at the same ol stuff at home? Let us have it! Donate your used items that are in good shape to go in our yard sale March 10 in the Roberts Family Life Center. Let us sell it for you! As a business owner, you can also donate goods from your establishment for the sale. This can include free services, products, coupons, or gift cards. Its a great way to advertise and help out the best mentoring program in town! (Donated goods can be given as a tax-deductible gift). Plan to come March 10 for our all-you-caneat pancake and sausage breakfast from 8:00 am to 11:00 am. Get it all, including biscuits and gray, for $8, or pick one for $6. Children 3 and under eat

for free. Before or after you eat, shop our yard sale items. Were sure to have something you cant live without! If you are donating items, please bring them on Friday, March 9 between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. Donations are tax-deductible, and all proceeds stay within our church to benefit KidCare America and Thrive Student Centers. -Sam Parker