Pastor Scot will be preaching on the “Measure of Maturity” (Ephesians 4:11-16).

If you are unable to join us in person, you can watch online via our Facebook page. Of course, we do not consider viewing online to be a replacement for gathering with the body of Christ for worship and fellowship, but we understand that some people are simply unable to gather in person due to sickness, travel, or other circumstances. Thus, we are making these options available to serve those individuals.

Here is the rundown of our schedule for this week…

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. = Men’s and Women’s Fellowships
–The women and men each have separate fellowship gatherings on Saturday mornings from 8-9. You are welcome to come and go as you are able. The women meet in the fellowship hall, and the men meet in the prayer chapel (Carson’s Family Group’s room). Invite others and join us for free coffee (or tea and/or lemonade) and snacks.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 13

9:00 a.m. = Prayer Gathering
–Our weekly prayer gathering is a time to pray specifically for our church, our community, our country, and the advancement of the gospel to the world. Everyone is invited to join us, and we do not have other activities during this 15-minute time of prayer, including nursery or children’s activities, as we want all ages to join us and see the value, importance, and power of intentional corporate prayer.

9:30 a.m. = Family Groups (aka Sunday School)
–Family groups are Bible study fellowships for all ages – children, youth and adults. Nursery is included for infants and toddlers, too. We consider family groups to be an essential ministry for discipleship and relationships.

10:40 a.m. = Morning Worship Service (and live on Facebook)
–Morning worship is an essential time of growing in God’s Word together. It’s that time of the week when most of our church family is all together for the purpose of worshiping our Lord and building up His body. For those who are interested, we also provide nursery (toddlers and infants) and children’s ministry (kindergarten and below) during our morning worship services.

12:00 p.m. = Trustees & Finance Team Meetings

…

Questions? Just let us know.

Membership Matters is our membership orientation class for learning about the church and why church membership is so important. This class is what we require for one to be baptized and/or to join the church.

Taking place during our family groups (aka Sunday School) hour, this class will last for six weeks (as often as scheduled and needed), after which time we hope you will plug into one of our weekly family groups.

The topics covered in this 6-week class are:

April 16 – Session 1: What do we believe?

April 23 – Session 2: What is our church covenant?

April 30 – Session 3: Why join a church?

May 7 – Session 4: What is the history of the church?

May 14 – Session 5: What does it mean to live on mission?

May 21 – Session 6: How can we do life together?

This class is great for anyone who wants to learn more about Richland Baptist Church, what we believe, how to get involved, etc. Whether you are considering membership or not, you are welcome to join us.

Nursery and children’s family groups are provided for children of all ages.

If you have any questions and/or want more information, please contact us. For our regular weekly schedule, please click HERE.

Next Sunday, January 15, Pastor Nick will begin a new sermon series through the book of Acts. What better place to consider who we are as a church and what we are called to do?! The themes of gospel, family, and mission run throughout Luke’s record of the early church. Will you join us as we study this book together over the next several months?

We will take a break in April – May for a sermon series on what we believe and then jump back into the book of Acts after that.

So, please make plans to join us for this new sermon series during our Sunday morning worship celebration at 10:40. For a lineup of the rest of our regular services and activities, please click HERE.

As always, if you have any questions, needs, and/or prayer requests, please let us know.

Missionary Task Foundation- Abiding in Christ from International Mission Board on Vimeo.

Here is the planned schedule…

Sunday, April 11 – “The Choice: Fight or Unite” (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)

Sunday, April 18 – “The First Quandary: Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” (1 Corinthians 8:1-13)

Sunday, April 25 – “The Second Quandary: Weaker Believer Syndrome” (1 Corinthians 8:8-9; Romans 14:1-4)

Sunday, May 2 – Heart of Missouri Baptist Association Missions Emphasis Message with Preston Thompson

Sunday, May 9 – “The Answer: Love of the Gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:1-18)

Sunday, May 16 – “The Cost: Whatever It Takes” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

Sunday, May 23 – “The Motive: Racing for the Reward” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Sunday, May 30 – Special Gospel-Centered Message from Carson Humphreys

Sunday, June 6 – “The Goal: All for the Glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1)

As always, we hope you will join us every Sunday morning for family groups (9:30 – 10:30) and worship (10:40 – 11:45). To see our full weekly schedule, visit HERE. If you have any questions or prayer requests, please let us know. Hope to see you Wednesday and/or Sunday!

Repentance is required for such worship, and praise God for the power of repentance!

Here is the planned schedule of messages…

Sunday, February 14 – “True Worship” (Nehemiah 8:1-8)

Sunday, February 21 – “Desired Worship” (Nehemiah 8:9-18)

Sunday, February 28 – “Repentant Worship” (Nehemiah 9:32-37)

Sunday, March 7 – “Learned Worship” (Psalm 145)

Sunday, March 14 – “Worship Celebration” (Psalm 98)

As always, we hope you will join us on Sunday mornings and evenings, as well as Wednesday evenings. For our full schedule, click HERE. If you have any questions, please let us know.

Questions, needs, concerns, and/or prayer requests? Please let us know.

The gospel transforms lives, and so we must live in light of this truth every day.

Lord willing, this is Nick’s schedule for the messages in this series:

April 19 – “Living Sacrifice” (Romans 12:1-2)

April 26 – “Living Ethics” (Romans 12:9-14)

May 3 – “Living Unity” (Romans 12:15-16)

May 10 – “Living Good” (Romans 12:17-21)

May 17 – “Living Difference” (Romans 13)

If you have any questions, needs, and/or prayer concerns, please contact us. In the meantime, you can keep up with our daily videos of engagement and encouragement in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic by going to our YouTube channel. Hope to see you online Sunday morning!

Still, while we shall not be ruled by fear, our faith does not call us to foolishness. Thus, we want to be faithful to God’s Word, which includes using common sense and the wisdom He has given us.

When we gather for family groups and worship Sunday morning, then, we will take some measures to avoid any unnecessary exposure to possible sickness. While we do not believe that should include neglecting our corporate gatherings (unless you are sick and directed by your doctor to do so), we do believe we can take common-sense measures to better protect ourselves.

Obviously, this includes our encouragement to wash your hands regularly, including before and after you meet with others; using your arm to cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough; etc. These are things we should be doing anyway.

There are a few additional things we can do in corporate fellowship and worship, though, to be wise in the midst of this pandemic…

1. We will bow, forearm smash, or fist bump instead of shake hands with one another. In fact, you can even just smile and say hello. Handshakes are not necessary to properly greet someone and ask how they are doing.
2. We will not pass the offering plate but will instead encourage people to give online, give via the free MyRichland App, or drop their offering in the plates before or after the service.
3. When we have communion again, we will not have the corporate handling of the Lord’s Supper trays. Instead, people will be invited to come forward and grab their own bread and juice without touching trays or plates. Those Christ-followers who are still uncomfortable doing so, of course, will be welcome to abstain.

As always, we have hand sanitizer in our children’s ministry areas and in the fellowship hall, so people can conveniently sanitize their hands (or marinate their entire arms) before and after serving children, as well as before eating and drinking on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.

Can we be assured of good health? No, and we never will be on this side of eternity. Rather, we use wisdom but recognize this life does not come without risks. Yet, we will seek to honor and serve our Lord with the faith and assurance that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.

Please pray that we will honor God in our response to this crisis, seeking to live for Him and seeking to love those around us.

If you have any questions or concerns, please be sure to contact us. Otherwise, we hope to see you, as usual, on Sundays and Wednesdays. To God be the glory!

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Nick