Archived News
Easter Service – April 20
Easter Egg Hunt – Saturday, April 19
We will be having an Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 19, at 11:00 a.m. This is always a fun event for the kids, so please bring your children! Please meet in the Activities Building at 11:00 a.m. so we can organize the group. Then, after the hunt, we will be serving pizza for lunch! All kids from our neighborhood – and beyond – are invited!
Special Good Friday Combined Service at Genesis FWB Church – April 18
We are participating in a combined service with three other churches on Good Friday, April 18, at 7:00 p.m. at Genesis Free Will Baptist Church on New Beason Well Road here in Kingsport. The four pastors will be joining together to preach a message on “The Seven Last Sayings of Christ from the Cross.” Don’t miss this meaningful evening of worship and reflection.
Special Palm Sunday Services – Morning and Evening on April 13
We will be having TWO special services on Palm Sunday, April 13. Our morning worship service at 10:30 a.m. will be a special communion service to celebrate the Lord’s supper. We will also have a special evening service at 6:00 p.m. to practice the ordinance of foot washing, which is a symbol of service and humility.
Ladies Fellowship Annual Chocolate Easter Egg Sale – April 6 and 13
Our ladies fellowship group will be having their annual chocolate candy Easter egg sale after church service on Sunday, April 6, and again on Sunday, April 13. Chocolate covered peanut butter eggs and chocolate covered coconut eggs will be available for a donation. All proceeds will go to support missionaries.
God’s Man Conference April 11-12 at Evergreen FWB Church
Our men are once again invited to attend the God’s Man Conference at Evergreen Free Will Baptist Church. This year’s conference will be held on April 11-12. Our church is once again covering the conference fee for all of our men who wish to attend; this fee includes a meal after each of the two services and also a T-shirt. This year’s speakers will be Curtis Linton, Jeff Jones, & Scott Coghilll. There is a sign-up sheet in the church foyer; please be sure to include your T-shirt size so Pastor Josh can order your shirt.
For more information about the conference, click here. There is no need to register online if you are signing up to attend through our church; Pastor Josh will register our group. As the date gets closer, please listen for announcements at church about possible car pooling.
Special Missionary Service Sunday Evening, March 23
Instead of having our traditional fifth Sunday night singing on the fifth Sunday in March, we will be having a special missionary service on the evening of March 23. The service will begin at 6:00 p.m. Brother Lory Rawlinson will be with us. He and his family have answered a call to serve as missionaries in Pueblo, Colorado, to assist the missionary pastor at Free Will Baptist Church of Pueblo. Brother Rawlinson was previously serving as the children’s minister at First Free Will Baptist Church of Florence, SC. An offering will be taken to help support the Rawlinson family with their move and their work at the church in Colorado.
Ladies Annual Valentine’s Cookies and Goodies Sale – Feb. 2 & 9
New Study Beginning in Our Ladies Sunday School Class
Special Services on Sunday, January 26
We will be having a day of special services on Sunday, January 26. First, during our Sunday school hour beginning at 9:30 a.m., we will have a special presentation by Chris Dotson, the Director of the Tennessee State Association of Free Will Baptists. Dr. Dotson’s presentation will be “The History of Tennessee Free Will Baptists.” All of our adults will have one combined Sunday school class for this special presentation, while the children will still attend their respective age-appropriate classes.
During the worship service, at 10:30 a.m., we are excited to have a musical concert by the group Phillips & Banks! They are a southern gospel group that is well-known in our region. For more about the group, visit their website here. After the concert, Dr. Chris Dotson will be preaching for us.
Please be sure to join us for these special services!
Spring Retreat for Senior Adults/Legacy Conference – March 10-12
Details have been announced for the Tennessee State Free Will Baptist Legacy Conference, a Spring Retreat for Senior Adults. The retreat will be held from March 10-12, 2025, again at the historic General Morgan Inn located in Greeneville, TN. This year’s special speaker will be Rev. Glenn Poston, former director of the Tennessee State Association of FWB and currently pastor of Corner Stone Church in Murfreesboro. Rev. Jon Forrest will be providing special entertainment; he is a veteran youth pastor, having served Bethel Church in Ashland City for 30 years.
Tickets for the entire conference are $79.95 per person and include the conference, a full breakfast on both mornings, and a delicious dessert each night. This does NOT include lodging at the hotel. To register for the conference, or to learn more details, go to the conference web page here. If you wish to make hotel reservations, you will need to contact the General Morgan Inn directly; the phone number and website link are on the conference web page. You may also opt to drive from home to Greeneville each day; it’s only about an hour away from Kingsport.
Fifth Sunday Night Singing – December 29
December has five Sundays, so we will be having another fifth Sunday night singing on Sunday evening, December 29, at 6:00 p.m. Our choir and many of our soloists will be singing. A voluntary offering will be taken to benefit one of our many Free Will Baptist ministries. Please join us for this special service!
December 22 – Special Christmas Service
Please join us on the Sunday before Christmas, December 22, for a special Christmas service during the morning worship time. Sunday school is at 9:30 a.m, as always. At 10:30 a.m. we will have a Christmas worship service which will include a special program presented by our children. Pastor Josh will be bringing us a message, and then we will worship with the Lord’s Supper. This will be a very special service; please don’t miss it!
No Service on Wednesday Evening, December 25
There will be no service on Wednesday evening, December 25, 2024. Please enjoy the holiday celebrations with family and friends and then have a peaceful and restful evening. Remember the true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who came to earth to live the perfect life that we never could, to die on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins, and then to rise again as proof that God accepted the sacrifice and that all who accept Him as Lord and Savior can live with Him forever! Merry Christmas!
New Website Calendar
Children’s Christmas Program – December 22
Free Community Bluegrass Christmas Concert – December 7 – First FWB Church of Morrison City
Our church has joined with several of our sister churches to present a free Bluegrass Christmas concert at First Freewill Baptist Church of Morrison City (located on West Carters Valley Road in Kingsport). The concert will be held on Saturday, December 7, at 7:00 pm. The Ben Rochester Family and the group Redeemed will be performing. Please join us! This will be a great way for you to begin celebrating the Christmas season!
Community Thanksgiving Service – Tuesday, November 26 – Parkers Chapel FWB Church
We will be joining several other area churches for a special community Thanksgiving service to be held at Parkers Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in Kingsport on Tuesday evening, November 26, at 7:00 p.m. There will be special singing, and Rev. Jim McComas, CEO of Free Will Baptist Family Ministries, will be preaching. A free will offering will be taken to support Family Ministries. Refreshments will be served after the service. Please join us for this special night of worship, thanksgiving, and fellowship.
Wednesday Before Thanksgiving (November 27) – No Service
Craft Fair/Bake Sale/Hot Dog Lunch – November 8 & 9
Our ladies fellowship group will be having their annual craft fair and bake sale on Friday and Saturday, November 8-9, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. They will be inside our Activities Building at the corner of Bloomingdale Road and Free Will Drive. Crafts, seasonal items, and baked goods will be available. They will also be selling hot dogs, chips and drinks, so stop by for a delicious lunch!
Please support this worthy cause; proceeds will go to support our Free Will Baptist missionaries as they spread the gospel around the country and around the world.
Join Us for Trunk or Treat – October 31
Trunk or Treat
We will be having Trunk or Treat on Thursday, October 31, beginning at 6:00 p.m. We are collecting candy donations now, so anyone who wants to donate candy may bring it to the church and put it in the coat area. Please do NOT put it in the large barrels, as they will be for Second Harvest Food Bank. There will be a sign up sheet in the church foyer for those who plan to bring a “trunk” so we can get an idea of how many will be participating.
All neighborhood kids are invited to join us for the Trunk or Treat!
Food Drive
Our ladies group is once again sponsoring a drive for Second Harvest Food Bank. Barrels will be placed in the coat area next to the church foyer. Please bring donations of non-perishable food items and help fill the barrels! They will be there through the end of October.
Homecoming Service – October 27
We will be celebrating our church’s 75th anniversary during our annual homecoming service this year! The service will be on October 27 at our normal service times, with a special Sunday school service at 9:30 a.m. and a special worship service at 10:30 a.m.
During the Sunday school hour at 9:30, our Free Will Baptist Tennessee state director, Rev. Chris Dotson, will be speaking to our adult classes about “The History and Ministry of Tennessee Free Will Baptists. All of our adults will be in one combined class for this special presentation. UPDATE: Chris Dotson will not be able to be with us, so we will be having our normal Sunday school classes at 9:30. Everyone is encouraged to join us during Sunday school for some good Bible teaching.
For our 10:30 a.m. worship service, we will be having Rev. Steve Lytle preaching for us. Brother Lytle is a former Free Will Baptist missionary. He and his family were a part of our church many years ago, when he and his family lived in our mission house during a stateside term. We are excited to have him and his wife Judy back for this special service! Also during the service, our own Pastor Josh McKinney will be singing and providing us with some special music.
After the service, we will be having a meal and fellowship time in the activities building. Our church will be providing a selection of meats as well as bread and drinks. Everyone attending is asked to please bring a side dish or dessert. If you can, please sign up on the sheet in the church foyer and let us know what you plan to bring. This will be a delicious meal and a fun time together!
October Is Pastor Appreciation Month
Upcoming Craft Fair and Bake Sale
Church Picnic – Saturday, October 5
We will be having our church picnic on Saturday, October 5, at the Eastman Cabins Picnic Area at shelter number 9. We will begin at 4:00 p.m. The church will be supplying hot dogs and hamburgers. We are asking everyone to bring a side dish or a dessert. There is a sign-up sheet in the foyer of the church; please sign up if you plan to attend so we can know approximately how many people are coming and who is bringing what dishes. We know this will be a great time of fun and fellowship!
5th Sunday Night Singing – September 29
September has five Sundays, so we will be having another 5th Sunday night singing on Sunday evening, September 29, at 6:00 p.m. A special offering will be taken to benefit Free Will Baptist North American Ministries (formerly known as Home Missions). Our choir will be singing as well as several of our soloists.
UPDATE: Due to the massive flooding and destruction caused by Hurricane Helene in our neighboring counties, we made a last-minute change to the beneficiary of the offering. We were able to raise over $3,200 for the Free Will Baptist disaster relief fund. THANK YOU!
Fellowship Church Celebrating 75 Years!
Fellowship Free Will Baptist Church is celebrating our 75th Anniversary this year! Our church was organized in August of 1949. We will be having some events in October to celebrate this milestone anniversary.
Church Picnic – Our church picnic will be Saturday, October 5, at the Eastman Cabins picnic area. More details will be provided later, but please save the date on your calendar.
Homecoming – We will be having our annual homecoming service on Sunday, October 27. Former FWB missionary Steve Lytle will be preaching for us. Brother Lytle and his family were a part of our church many years ago when he and his family lived in our mission house during a stateside term, and we are excited to have him back for this special service. More details about homecoming will also be announced later, but please also save this date on your calendar.
Walk-a-Thon for Missions – September 28
Our church will be participating in a walk-a-thon to raise funds for missions on Saturday, September 28, at Laurel Run Park, Shelter 10. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. There will be a devotion at 9:30, and the walk will begin at 9:40. This year’s walk is planned for 5 miles. A lunch, followed by a worship service, is planned for after the walk.
Mike Bays is coordinating the walk-a-thon for our church. Anyone who would like to participate in the walk should see Mike for more information.
If you are unable to participate by walking, please consider participating by pledging a donation. The walk-a-thon has been beneficial for many years in raising much needed funds for Free Will Baptist International Missions. It has kept many of our missionaries on the field when their missions accounts have fallen dangerously low. They would have been called back stateside to raise funds for their ministry without the boost from the walk-a-thon. So please pray for this project and give as generously as you can.
Women’s Conference – Liberty FWB Church, Chucky, TN
All of our ladies are invited to the Union Free Will Baptist Association Women’s Conference, which will be held at Liberty Free Will Baptist Church in Chucky, Tennessee on Friday, August 16, at 3:00 p.m. More details are on the flyer below. This will be a great time of learning and fellowship!
Yard Sale and Hot Dog Lunch – August 2 and 3
Our ladies group will be having a yard sale on Friday and Saturday, August 2 and 3, from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. each day. This will be at our Activities Building at the corner of Bloomingdale Road and Freewill Drive. They will also have hot dogs, chips, drinks, and desserts! All proceeds will be going to support missionaries. Please come out to find some bargains and enjoy a delicious lunch!
Change for Life – Baby Bottle Campaign for Hope Center
This past Sunday we had Pam Crank from the Hope Center visiting with us to kick off a Baby Bottle Drive to raise money for the Hope Center. Plastic baby bottles were distributed after the service. We are now out of the bottles, but if you did not receive one you can still use a jar or bottle or whatever you may have at home. You are encouraged to fill the bottle with coins, cash, or a check and then bring the filled bottle back to the church. (Please write the checks payable to our church and make a notation that it’s for the Hope Center.) We have a plastic bin in the church foyer for collecting the bottles. Please return them anytime on or before Sunday, July 28.
If you prefer to donate online, you can go here and make a donation directly to the Hope Center. Click the “Give” button and then type “Fellowship” in the search bar to select our church so it will count toward our goal.
Your donation to the Hope Center will save and change lives! Thank you!
Union Association Northern Quarterly Meeting – July 27
We will be hosting the Northern Quarterly Meeting of the Union Association of Free Will Baptists on Saturday, July 27, at 10 a.m. Our choir will be singing. We will also be providing a catered lunch. Everyone is invited to the service.
The choir will be practicing after our regular Wednesday night service on July 24.
Upcoming Ladies Yard Sale – Donations Needed
Our ladies group will be having a yard sale on August 2-3. They are now accepting donations for the sale. Please bring anything you would like to donate to the Activities Building and put it in the back of the annex section, in the area next to the garage. Please put a price on everything except clothing, as this will save our ladies a lot of work.
Pam Crank from the Hope Center – June 30
Pam Crank, administrator of the Hope Center (part of Free Will Baptist Family Ministries in Greeneville, TN), will be with us on Sunday morning, June 30. She will be speaking about the work of the Hope Center and will also help us to kick off a special fund-raising drive for the month of July. It will be a bottle-change drive; we will be filling bottles with our change.
(Pastor Josh will also be preaching and presenting his final message from the “Mission Series,” about the mission of the church.)
Special Choir Practice June 26
New, Additional, Men’s Sunday School Class Begins July 14
5th Sunday Night Singing June 30!
We are excited to announce that 5th Sunday night singings are returning! Traditionally we have held a singing on Sunday evening whenever there are five Sundays in a month. We will be doing so again on Sunday night, June 30, at 6:00 p.m. Our choir will be reassembled for this service, and several of our congregation will be doing special numbers. (Any of our congregation who would like to sing a special needs to let Mark Adams know so he can prepare a schedule.) A special offering will be taken that night to benefit Free Will Baptist International Missions.
Website Maintenance Complete
We have finished correcting the formatting errors that resulted from the change to the new web platform. If you have any difficulties with the website or see anything that looks strange, please let us know by sending a message to the web administrator using the form on the “Contact Us” page.
We do seem to have an issue with the embedded Google map not showing on the “Maps and Directions” page. However, we have added a note on the page to scroll down and click the link at the bottom; this link takes you to the actual Google Maps page showing where we are located.
Guest Speaker May 26
Special Event for Children’s Church – Sunday, May 26
UPDATE: Date has been changed to May 26.
On Sunday, May 26, our children’s church will be showing the movie “Pilgrim’s Progress.” The movie will begin at 9:30 a.m., the time that is normally the Sunday school hour. So please be sure to bring your children at 9:30 that morning so they will be able to watch the entire movie!
Older Sermons from 2017-2019
The sermon pages for 2017-2019 have been removed. We needed to delete some files to make more space for new sermons. Selected sermons from these pages have been moved to the “Selected Older Sermons” page. We have checked everything and believe the links and the files are working fine. However, if you have any problems with any of these sermons, or any other links or files on our sites, please go to the Contact Us page and send a message to the web administrator so she can look into the issue. Thank you.
Women’s Conference at Parker’s Chapel Church – May 11
All of our ladies are invited to attend the 2024 Women’s Conference at Parker’s Chapel FWB Church here in Kingsport on Saturday, May 11, from 8:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. There will be speakers and special music, and lunch will be served. Also, there will be separate sessions with special speakers for girls ages 6-12. Teen girls are invited to attend the adult conference. So please bring your daughters and granddaughters, too!
Our church will be paying the registration fee for anyone connected to our church who wants to attend. There is a signup sheet in the foyer. If you have any special dietary restrictions, please make a note of that, and they will do their best to accommodate them. More information about the conference can be found on their Facebook event page, here.
Northern Quarterly Meeting of Union Association of FWB
On April 27 the Northern Quarterly Meeting of the Union Association of Free Will Baptists will be held at Eastern Star FWB Church. Our church recently voted to join the Union Association, and this will be our first meeting with them. All of our church members are invited, and Pastor Josh would love for as many of our people as possible to attend the meeting.
Guest Speaker Layton Bentley – October 8
We will be having Layton Bentley, the Executive Director of Harmony Church Missions, speaking for us on Sunday, October 8. Harmony Church Missions is the church on Bloomingdale almost right across the street from us, and we are supporting them financially. Rev. Bentley will be sharing some information about the work of this mission church and he will also be preaching for us.
Guest Speaker – Eli Murdock
We are excited to announce that Eli Murdock will be returning as a guest speaker for the next three weeks. Eli is the grandson of our own C. D. and Gerry Murdock and is planning to become a minister. He impressed us so much with his recent message that we have asked him to come back and preach for the next three Sundays, beginning September 17. He will also be presenting a lesson on Wednesday evenings during those weeks. We are looking forward to hearing what Eli will be teaching us from the Word of God.
Luncheon for Pastor Will and Elizabeth – September 10
On Sunday, September 10, we will have a luncheon honoring Pastor Will and Elizabeth, following the morning church service, in the activities building. The food will be provided by Buddy’s Bar-b-q in Bristol; however, anyone who wishes to bring a dessert is asked to do so. Please come out and help us honor this sweet couple who have faithfully served us for the past several years.
Special Speaker on August 27
Special Services June 18
We are excited to have the Sounds of Praise Ensemble from Southeastern Bible College coming to be with us on Sunday morning, June 18. At 9:30 a.m, we will have our Sunday school classes combined in the auditorium and the Ensemble will be singing. For our 10:30 a.m. worship service, the group will be singing again, and Brother Steve Berry, Director of Development & Donor Relations for the college, will be preaching for us. Please join us for this very special service! This is also Father’s Day, so fathers, please bring your family to church!
Summer Youth Camp/Youth Conference
Our church will be sponsoring youth camp for our kids at Camp Jacob again this year. We will be doing something different for our teens and will be taking them to the Youth Aflame youth conference in Pigeon Forge. Details are below. Please sign up as soon as possible using the sign-up sheets in the church foyer, or talk to Pastor Will if you have questions. Please don’t wait too long to sign up because the availability is limited.
Junior camp is for kids who are rising 3rd graders through rising 6th graders (the grades they will be in for the 2023-2024 school year). The date this year is June 26-30, and it will be held at Camp Jacob in Clintwood, Virginia. The church will cover the fees for any of our kids who want to go. For more information about Camp Jacob, click here.
The teens, those who are rising 7th graders through rising 12th graders (the grade for the 2023-2024 school year) are invited to attend the Youth Aflame conference in Pigeon Forge at the Ramsey Hotel and Convention Center. The conference will be held from June 19-22. Again, our church will cover the conference and hotel costs of any of our kids who want to attend. For more information, you can visit the Youth Aflame website here.
Free Community BBQ Supper – November 19
We would like to do something for our community and let our neighbors know we are here for them! Therefore, we are hosting a free community BBQ supper on Saturday evening, November 19, at 6:00 p.m. at our activities building on the corner of Bloomingdale Road. Everyone is invited to attend! We are looking forward to having a great meal and a great time of fellowship!
Sweets Sunday – Again!
Sweets Sunday – June 26
Our ladies are having “Sweets Sunday” on June 26! They will be selling cookies, candy, and also bread after church that morning. All proceeds will go to support missions. So bring a few (or a lot!) of dollars to donate and help our missionaries, and pick up some delicious treats to take home!
Sunday School and Wednesday Evening Service Returning in May!
We are excited to announce that we will resume Sunday School on Sunday morning, May 1! The time will be 9:30 a.m., just as it was previously. Also, we will be resuming Wednesday evening services beginning May 4 at 6:30 p.m. Pastor Will will soon be announcing what we will be doing on Wednesday evenings.
Youth Camp June 20-25
We are excited to announce that we will be sending our kids and teens to youth camp this year! They will be going to Camp Jacob in Clintwood, VA, and we will be joining with another church to participate in “First Bristol Week,” June 20-25. The Junior camp is for rising 3rd graders through rising 6th graders, and the Teen camp is for rising 7th graders through age 18. Check in will be on Monday afternoon, June 20, and check out will be Saturday, June 25, at 10:00 a.m. The church will pay all registration fees for our youth! Please see Pastor Will if you would like your kids to attend. You need to register online, but Pastor Will will need to provide the special code. He will also help if you have problems registering online. Please note that space is limited for the Junior Camp, so please register ASAP to ensure your spot! For more information, go to the First Bristol Week page on the Camp Jacob website, here.
WAC Ladies Group to Resume Meetings!
Ladies Brunch on Saturday, March 26
Important Announcement – Service Schedule Changes
Finally – Return to Normal in August! But with Changes!
We are happy to announce that we are going back to a normal full schedule of services, beginning in August! However, we are making a few changes, so please read carefully.
Beginning August 1, Sunday School will resume on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m., as in the past. The morning worship service time will remain at 10:30 a.m. Kids’ church will continue to be on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays in each month. Nursery will continue to be provided each week.
Evening services will be changing. Our Sunday evening services will be held in the Activities Building and will be a Bible study service with a lesson from Pastor Will. We will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday evenings. We will also resume choir practice at 5:30 p.m. on Sundays, prior to the Bible study.
Instead of a Wednesday night service for everyone, we will be having small group Bible studies on different nights for different groups. These will also be held in the activities building, but at 6:30 p.m. We are starting with two groups. The men will be meeting on Monday evenings, beginning August 2; the ladies will be meeting on Wednesday evenings, beginning August 4. We will split into additional groups if these groups grow large enough.
We are excited about these changes and about the return to a full schedule and we hope you are, too!
Grill Out
Special Guest Speaker – March 14
On March 14, we will be welcoming Marcus Stephens as our special guest speaker. He and his wife, Tonya, are joining Chad and Paula Kivette in Sevierville to work as missionaries in planting the 24/7 Church. A special offering will be taken to support this important work.
Staffed Nursery Available
We are pleased to announce that we have resumed our staffed nursery during the Sunday morning service. The nursery will be available every week for babies and preschool children.
As a reminder, children’s church for school-aged kids is available virtually every other Sunday – on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month (and also on the 5th Sunday for months which have five Sundays). The school-aged children will join the adults in the sanctuary on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month for Family Sundays.
Exciting News – Children’s Church to Resume September 6
We are excited to be resuming Children’s Church during the morning services beginning in September! The children will be meeting together for their own class on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month, and also on the 5th Sunday for months which have five Sundays. The 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month will be “family Sundays” when the children stay in the main auditorium. Please join us at 10:30 on Sunday mornings!
Exciting News! Sunday Morning Services Resuming June 7
We will be resuming Sunday morning services next month, beginning June 7, meeting at the regular time of 10:30 a.m. Social distancing guidelines will be followed, and people are asked to sit only with their immediate family. There will be no Sunday school, no nursery, no children’s church, and no choir, as those activities do not allow for the necessary social distancing. There will be no evening services; we are only resuming the Sunday morning service for now. It will be different, but we look forward to being able to worship together again!
Cancellations Due to COVID-19
Our board has cancelled all services until further notice, due to the ongoing concerns about COVID-19. Pastor Will will continue to record a message each week which we will post here on our website. Please continue to make time for God each week and listen to these messages. Please also remember to take a moment and pray for everyone on our prayer list. We may not remember all of the names, but God does!
Changes Coming Soon
As had been planned when Will Scrivner was elected to join us as Associate Pastor, he will assume the position of Pastor when current pastor Bob Lewis retires. Pastor Bob, after consulting with our church board, recently announced that his retirement date will be March 31. This means that Will Scrivner will become our new church pastor on April 1, which is Easter Sunday. We are praising the Lord for His awesome leadership in bringing us to this point! Bob and Brenda Lewis’ final service with us will be Sunday morning, March 25. That evening we will be having a fellowship for them.
(Though Bob and Brenda will not be attending Fellowship FWB Church after the transition, they are staying in the area and will remain members of our church. They want to support our church financially and help in the ministry in whatever way they can behind the scenes.)
Farewell Service and Fellowship for Jonathan and Robin Lewis
This Sunday night, October 22, Jonathan Lewis will be preaching for us one last time before he and Robin move to North Carolina. Then we will go to the activities building for a special time of fellowship and express our appreciation to them. (Their final service will not be until November 12, but we are having the fellowship a little early.) Please bring finger foods and join us in letting them know how much we appreciate their ministry with us.
Changes are Coming
Jonathan and Robin Lewis are in the process of moving to North Carolina. We hate to lose them, but we know that is what is best for their family. Recently we voted to hire Will Schrivner as our new Associate Pastor. Will and his wife Elizabeth will be officially joining us on November 1. Jonathan will remain with us for the first two weeks of November to allow a smooth transition of responsibilities.
New Year, New Website!
Welcome to our brand new website! For the past several months, we have been working behind the scenes to transition our website to a new platform and a brand new theme. We have finally completed the transition! Our menu has changed and some of your favorite pages may now be listed as a sub-menu item. For example, the Calendar page is now listed under the “What’s Happening” menu button. If you have any problems with the new site, please click here to send a message to the web administrator.
Josh McKinney’s Ordination Service
On Sunday evening, May 3, we will be meeting at Midfield Free Will Baptist Church, where we are having a joint service for the purpose of ordaining Josh McKinney to the ministry. This special service will begin at 6:00 p.m., and Pastor Bob will be preaching the ordination sermon. You don’t want to miss this exciting event!
Special Service to Congratulate Rev. Josh McKinney
We will be having a special service next Sunday afternoon, February 8, to honor and congratulate Rev. Josh McKinney, who was recently elected as pastor of Midfield Free Will Baptist Church. Many of us have watched Josh grow up in our church from a young boy to become the man of God he is today.
The special service will begin at 4:00 p.m. and will take the place of our regular evening service. We are changing the time because of Josh’s responsibilites to Midfield Church. Josh will be speaking for us during the service. Congratulations, Josh! We will miss you, but we know God has great things planned for you.
Sunday Morning Service Time Change is Permanant
On Sunday evening, August 31, the majority of the church members voted to make the morning service time changes permanent. Please join us for Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. (classes for all ages) and for morning worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sunday evening services will continue to begin at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday evenings we will continue to meet at 6:30 p.m.
Congratulations Rev. Josh McKinney!
On Monday evening, May 6, our own Josh McKinney received his preaching license at the Eastern Quarterly Meeting of the Union Association of Free Will Baptists. He will now be under a two-year observation period, which is required before becoming ordained. Josh is currently enrolled in a Theology/Pastoral Studies program at Liberty University Online. Our church congratulates Josh on all he has accomplished so far, and we look forward to seeing how he will be used of God in the future. May God bless you, Josh!
New Security Measures
Who would have ever thought that our church would need security? The time and condition of our culture have changed enough to necessitate better security here at Fellowship Free Will Baptist Church. This is a must according to the county sheriff’s office and the district attorney’s office.
When we remodeled in 2006, we installed a security system to monitor our buildings when no one was around. Now the time has come to step up security even when people are around.
In recent days, several churches in our area have been broken into or robbed during worship services.
Beginning Sunday, August 1, we will be locking the doors of the church during service times. About 5-10 minutes into the services, an usher will lock all doors of the church, including the main sanctuary door. Please understand we are not trying to keep anyone out of our church except those who would like to do us harm. We want everyone to feel welcome, but we also want everyone to feel secure. We are having paddle locks installed on the doors so that people on the inside can get out very easily even when the doors are locked. This does meet the requirements of the fire code for Sullivan County.
There should be no problem with this new system. Just a word to the wise, come early and you won’t be locked out.
We also encourage everyone to lock your vehicles and put all valuable items inside the vehicle out of sight.
Yes, it is sad when we must go to these kinds of security measures, but the times and culture demand that we do so. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the pastor or one of our board members. They can answer any question to clarify any concern you may have.
Web Changes
The new webmaster would like to thank Connie for all the work she has previously done to develop this site. She was no longer able to maintain it, so I have volunteered to try. I have made a few changes and have some ideas that I will probably be using in the future. Any changes that I make are only to build on the hard work that Connie has already done. Thank you, Connie, for making this web site possible.