Last Weekend

Decisions for Christ

Membership by Letter
Jeffrey & Barbara Miller Donald & Beverly Shaw

December 8 & 9

Worship Attendance
1,034 1,431 833 3,298

Saturday Night Sunday 9:30 a.m. Sunday 11:00 a.m. Total

$3,004,329

2012-2013 Operating Revenues July 1, 2012 - Dec 9, 2012 Budget Actual Variance

Financial Stewardship

December 8 & 9

Bible & Life Attendance

24 714 115 332 599 572 2,356

$2,891,802 ($112,527)

Debt balance as of Dec 9 $6,456,128 Deacon of the Week December 17 - 23 Charlie Frame & Tim Roettele
If you need assistance, please call the church deacon hotline at 800-732-9573. For Spanish, call 601-6051.

Saturday 5:00 p.m. Saturday 7:30 p.m. Sunday 8:15 a.m. Sunday 9:30 a.m. Sunday 11:00 a.m. Home Groups Total

Next Week
Wednesday Family Meal
Meal for Dec 19 (4:45 p.m.-6 p.m. in the Fellowship Recreation-Gym) Pork Loin, New Potatoes, Salad, Veggie, and Dessert
Tickets may be purchased at the ` Lighthouse Cafe during regular business hours or at the door for $6 each or $25 for a family (immediate family residing in home). Alternate choices include grilled chicken breast, hamburger, pizza, or a grilled hot dog.

To ensure your contributions qualify for 2012, checks must be delivered or mailed (post-marked) on or before December 31, 2012. Checks placed in the church offering in 2013 will not qualify for 2012, even if the check is pre-dated to 2012. Please do not file your 2012 tax return until you have received your 2012 contribution statement from the church. Stock contributions in transfer form must be received into the churchs account no later than December 28, 2012. Please contact Conard Wrightsman at 596-8600 x257 for more information.

2012 Year End Tax Information & Stock Contributions

Saturday, December 15
5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

Weekly Schedule

Bible and Life Groups: Various Rooms on Campus Worship Service: Worship Center Bible and Life Groups: Various Rooms on Campus Bible and Life Groups: Various Rooms on Campus Worship Service: Worship Center Bible and Life Groups: Various Rooms on Campus Worship Service: Worship Center Bible and Life Groups: Various Rooms on Campus Family Meal: Fellowship Recreation-Gym AWANA: Education Building Band of Brothers Mens Ministry: Chapel RefresHer Womens Ministry: Worship Center (east side) High School Ministry: Student Center Middle School Ministry: Family Life Center-Gym

There is a guest reception in the Commons following the Saturday night and Sunday morning 11am service. Come meet Pastor Wicker.

Guest Reception

Touch Points

Sunday, December 16
8:15 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 4:45 p.m. 6:20 p.m. 6:25 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m.

For more information about any of our ministries, please visit our church website at and like us on Facebook at

www.fbcn.org

Wednesday, December 19

www.facebook.com/FirstBaptistChurchNaples.
3000 Orange Blossom Drive, Naples, FL 34109 Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Church Receptionist ............................................................. 597-6057 Enter ext. # for direct connection .......................................... 596-8600 Lighthouse Bookstore ........................................................... 449-4488 First Baptist Academy Naples .............................................. 597-2233 24-Hour Prayer Line ................................................597-PRAY (7729) Church Email .............................................................FBCN@fbcn.org

First Baptist Church Naples

Other events this week include: Living Christmas Trees Performances, MOPS, Prayer for our Pastors, and Celebrate Recovery. Please see our weekly schedule at www.fbcn.org/weeklyschedule.

Rich in Good Deeds

As you have heard again and again, Americans are comparatively wealthy compared to many other cultures around the world. Most of us feel we have a lot less than five years ago! However, Christmas reminds us that the spirit of giving is at the heart of joy, contentment, and the very meaning of Christmas. After all, God so loved the world that He gave (John 3:16). He has certainly Richly provided us with everything for our enjoyment, but also commands us to be rich in good deeds, to be generous and willing to share (1 Timothy 6:17, 18).

Upcoming Events
Holiday Schedule
Our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight services will be held on Monday, Dec 24 at 4pm and then again at 6pm in the Worship Center. Childcare will not be provided for either Christmas Eve service. All Worship Services and BLGs will meet as normal throughout the holidays. On Wednesday, January 2, our Mens Ministry and Womens Ministry will gather together for a special movie night in the Worship Center at 6:30pm. Pastor Wicker and Janet will be signing their respective devotionals in the Commons this weekend after the Saturday service, and after the Sunday 11:00am service (Janet will also be signing after the 9:30am Sunday service). Pastors devotional, Walk Through the Word (a New Testament Devotional), is on sale for $15. Janets devotional, The Hidden Person of the Heart, is on sale for $10. A Christmas Baptism - If you would like to celebrate Christmas by being baptized, we are offering baptisms on December 22 at 6pm, December 23 at 9:30 and 11am, and December 24 at 4pm and 6pm. For your reservation, contact Linda at 596-8600 x280 before December 20. Our next Public Issues Team Meeting will be held on Sunday, January 6 at 4:00pm in Room WC117. Anyone is welcome to join us if you are excited about bringing awareness of public issues to our congregation. Our annual Deacon Ordination Service will be held on Sunday, January 6 at 6:00pm in the Chapel. This is always a very special and moving worship service. A Parent Dedication Class will be held on Saturday, January 12 at 5pm in Room ED164. This class is for parents wanting to dedicate themselves and their child to the Lord during a Worship Service. Please call Kim at 596-8600 x360 to make your reservation. Worship Ministry Weekend - January 11-13. For Sunday Worship Choir/Orchestra, Saturday Worship Team (Band and Vocalists), and Media Team. Featuring a Night of Praise on Sunday, Jan 13 at 6:30pm. Contact Tina at 596-8600 x229 for more information. A new semester of Dave Ramseys Financial Peace University will begin on Tuesday, January 15 at 6:30pm in Room DC108 and go through March 12. To sign-up or for information, please go to www.fbcn.org/fpu. You will learn about super saving common sense, relating with money, cash flow planning, dumping debt, buyer beware, the role of insurance, retirement and college planning, real estate and mortgages, and the great giving misunderstanding. Please visit their table in the Commons this weekend for more details. DNOW 2013 - DNOW is coming soon! We need families that are willing to open their home to host groups of 8-10 students the weekend of January 18-20. Please contact the Student Ministry office at 449-4480.

According to a recent Barna survey, 41% of all American adults have reduced their donations to non-profit organizations, while 34% have done the same with their giving to churches and religious groups. A total of 11% have stopped giving to ministries completely after being hit by the downward economy a few years ago. Even with all the dangers of the fiscal cliff concerning our economy and the uncertainty of tax codes in 2013, God is still calling us to do what is right by His church and for His kingdom. Make the most of our time, because the days are evil; so then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:16, 17). We are not promised another year, minute, or second to glorify God. God has clearly revealed His will concerning the discipline of regular tithing and the joy of generosity. We have always urged our people to be H.O.T. for God concerning our giving: Hearing, Obeying, and Trusting God concerning the amount and the timing. End of the year giving greatly enhances our General Operating Budget, but I would also like to see us completely eradicate our Phase 2 capital indebtedness before the end of the year. That would be miraculous indeed. But as the angel told Mary when she learned that she was with child, Nothing will be impossible with God (Luke 1:37). Our response must be like hers: May it be done to me according to Your word (verse 38). The generations to come have been saddled with a $831 billion Federal Stimulus Package, the largest one-time expenditure ever by the Federal Government. It failed to keep unemployment under 8%. We now owe over $15 trillion in national debt and are saddled with a largely unread 2000-plus page health-care law. That is the bad news, but the good news is that every penny you give to the Lord is used by the King to stimulate people to hear the truth of the gospel. All of us are called to be employed in doing Gods will, serving Him, and sharing His Word. We owe a debt to our Lord that we cannot pay, but we can show our appreciation by telling others of the price that Jesus paid.

Dr. Hayes Wicker Senior Pastor

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering - Southern Baptist churches all over America collect this offering during the month of December for the sole purpose of supporting international missions. Every penny of this offering goes to the International Mission Boards overseas budget, thus supporting our missionaries and their work. Please use the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering envelope in the chair backs and make your check payable to First Baptist Church Naples (put Lottie Moon in the memo section). National Goal: $175 million Mens Ministry - Join our Band of Brothers this Wednesday, December 19 as we study Yielding to the Spirit and Accessing His Power taught by Larry Rigley at 6:25pm in the Chapel. RefresHer Special Series - Wednesdays at 6:30pm in the Worship Center - Come hear special speaker Shannon Moore speak about Bathsheba on December 19th. Tuesday and Wednesday RefresHer are combined for this special series. Bathshebas beauty stirred the passion of a king, and her pain moved the heart of God. She was faced with extraordinary, even scandalous, challenges. She took great personal risk to fulfill her calling, and she was destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Prayer Shawl Ministry - Our next Prayer Shawl Ministry event will be our annual Christmas party luncheon at the Heins on Friday, December 21 at noon. For more details, directions, or to RSVP, please call Brenda at 273-7595. Please RSVP by December 17. C2 (College Age and Career in their 20s) Christmas Party - Friday, December 21 at 6:30pm at the Schultzs (762 Lynnmore Lane). Also plan to attend our New Years Eve party on Monday, Dec 31 at 8:30pm at the Coles (9062 Autumn Haze Drive). For information or to RSVP for either event, please call Pam at 596-8600 x270 or email pcole@fbcn.org. Middle School New Years Eve Party - Strike & Hike on Monday, December 31 at 2pm-6pm. Meet at the Family Life Center for this fun event consisting of bowling and a scavenger hunt. New Seasonal BLG - Islam and Bible Prophecy begins on Sunday, January 6 and will be taught by Steve Plaster at 11am in Room WC117. This class will run through March 24. Can prophecy really be understood? This study will explore three sources to discover how the Bible, the Koran, and current events reveal and explain end times prophecy. This will give you insight into the state of our world from a Biblical perspective that better explains the prophetic references in Scripture in light of the importance of Islam to our understanding of the end times. Single Adults - We have some new Bible & Life Groups beginning Saturday night, January 19 at 7:30pm. Endurance is a group for endurance athletes and will meet in Room DC213. Going Deeper is a group study that will study such things as systematic theology, Bible doctrine, and how to study the Bible. We will meet in Room DC216. Also, a new session of Divorce Recovery begins in Room DC208.
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Ministries

Living Christmas Trees Performances

We still have some tickets remaining for the 30th anniversary production of The Living Christmas Trees. They are available in the Commons before and after worship services or online at www.fbcn.org. You may also call 596-8600 x803 for more information. Remaining performances are this Sunday, Dec 16 at 4pm and 7pm. Give the gift of the Living Christmas Trees! DVDs are now available in our Media Ministry (just outside the Worship Center in the Courtyard). $15 each.