News from Mt. Gilead Baptist Church http://www.mgbconline.org/ en News from Mt. Gilead Baptist Church http://www.mgbconline.org/typo3conf/ext/tt_news/ext_icon.gif http://www.mgbconline.org/ 18 16 TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:00:00 -0500 Ryan Fontenot Called as Senior Pastor http://www.mgbconline.org/index.php?id=article&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=115&cHash=5c665ac9f3845349993b796db5bc4093 Rev. Ryan Scott Fontenot has been chosen as the senior pastor of Mount Gilead Baptist Church. He... Rev. Ryan Scott Fontenot has been chosen as the senior pastor of Mount Gilead Baptist Church. He will be the 50th pastor in Mt. Gilead's 160 year history. Ryan served as the director of new church planting at the Trinity Bible Church of Willow Park, Texas, and is also founder and lead communicator of the Reaching A Generation Endangered (R.A.G.E.) Ministries, which is based in Keller. Fontenot, a veteran of 19 years as a student and full-time minister, has been married to his high school sweetheart, Heather, for 14 years.  They reside in Keller, with their six-month-old daughter, Elyn. Both Ryan and Heather are natives of Waskom, Texas.  Ryan was a member of the First Baptist Church of Waskom and accepted Christ as Savior and became a Christian there. Ryan & Heather both graduated from Waskom High School, where he was captain of the football team. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas.  His Bachelor of Applied Science degree is in church ministry and psychology. Rev. Fontenot’s post-graduate education includes a Master of Divinity degree from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary near Memphis, Tennessee, awarded in 2000. He currently is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary at Wake Forest, North Carolina.  Graduation there is anticipated in 2012. Rev. Fontenot became a Christian at the age of 18 and served as youth minister and associate pastor at Rose Park Baptist Church in Shreveport, La.,  as Student Pastor in Memphis, TN and Southaven, MS. He felt a call to enter the ministry the same year he first became a Christian. Ryan felt called to enter the Itinerate Ministry in 2002, when he formed R.A.G.E. Ministries. Since then, Rev. Fontenot has preached to more than 100,000 persons as far away as Canada, and Belize, in Central America. When he came to Trinity Bible Church, he was initially called as church planter, planning the foundation of new churches in the area.  Recently, however, in line with his doctoral studies, he more specifically has been led to the calling of revitalizing and replanting an existing church. Ryan will assume his new office on Sept. 6, 2010.]]> General Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:00:00 -0500 Back[pack] to School http://www.mgbconline.org/index.php?id=article&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=114&cHash=3ef612a918db68fdcf634f6bef846a9d It's time to head back to school. Let's show Keller God's love by helping children get ready to go... Mt. Gilead is collecting backpacks filled with school supplies to help Keller ISD schools provide for families who need assistance. We have currently received requests for assistance for 17 students from KMS, Friendship Elementary, Chisolm Trail Intermediate, Fossil Ridge High School, and Fossil Hill Middle School. We will collect the backpacks and provide the backpacks to the schools. We'll have full lists with each "student", but if you need a quick reminder, here are the Keller ISD School Supply Lists

How does this work?

  1. Each person or group wanting to provide a backpack of supplies will start by selecting a "student". Each student will have a list of the supplies needed for their particular grade and school.
  2. Each person or group will then purchase or gather supplies
  3. Once all supplies are gathered, bundle them together with the backpack
  4. Return the supplies to the church by August 22 if possible, but no later than August 29th. We want these students to have the backpacks when school starts!
If you want to participate by giving money, please ensure that your donations are designated "Backpack to School" or contact Sarah Lambert. She needs monetary donations as soon as possible in order to have time to purchase and package everything before school starts.]]> Missions General sarah.lambert@mgbconline.org Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:19:00 -0500 The Mount Mobile http://www.mgbconline.org/index.php?id=article&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=113&cHash=ac73fb991409f0ce876ffadd082ba623 The heart of the gospel and God’s heart for people is transformation.  The measure of effective... The heart of the gospel and God’s heart for people is transformation.  The measure of effective discipleship in a church is how much its people are changing into the image of Christ.  The easiest way to demonstrate such a transformation is the exercise of an individual’s gifts and talents in serving the body and building Christ’s church.  It is necessary, then, to ask “How have you been transformed by your relationship with Christ?” and “How are you performing His work?” simultaneously.  As I see it, it’s another form of the faith-works relationship explained in James 2.
In our SLT meetings, we discussed the service of the body and the success of the staff ing effecting ministry by the church; that is, equipping the members to perform and lead the ministry.  The trying reality is that no one can do a good job forever and that, at some point, everyone must move on.  As a cold-hearted economics major, it’s easy for me to comprehend that there comes a point of zero and (even negative!) marginal returns for anyone’s work, even for church staff.  Surrendering those relationships, though, is always difficult—even when necessary.  We need not only to understand God’s direction, but to execute it ruthlessly, stripping away everything that inhibits, distracts, or otherwise prevents us from His goals.
One of the most interesting theological points raised here and in the SLT meetings is the role of “the call” of an individual’s life.  It’s clear that God calls every believer to action.  Ephesians 2:10 proclaims our design to do good works as a fulfillment of our salvation; at the same time, Romans 11:29 tells us that God’s gifts and call are irrevocable.  II Corinthians 3 explains the believer’s role as a minister of a new covenant.  These passages, and the promises of Psalm 139:15 and Jeremiah 1:5, suggest that God has issued a unique call for every professor of Christ: there is a job that only you can perform optimally. So, it’s important for us to understand the identity God has created for us and to accept His assignments for us.
A Christian’s identity must be found in the middle of who Jesus is.  Here, the spelling lends itself to a memory device: a sense of self is not a stand-alone entity, but must find itself surrounded by “Christ”: “I” show Jesus only when “I” am a part of Christ.  Beyond this, we’re lost in space.  Similarly, outside of the calling God has given us, we can’t accomplish anything of eternal merit.  In fact, the body as a whole will suffer if our calling and tasks don’t fit together.  These fundamentals challenged me personally.  Often, I feel a sense of loyalty to the teachers and role models in my life; but my loyalties cannot exceed my faith in God and commitment to what He wants to accomplish.
As “The Mount” moves forward, the mobilization implementation team, coached by Janna Ellsworth, and the evaluation team, coached by Gary Cartwright, will figure critically into our progress.  Begin praying now for these teams and leaders.  Pray too that we become a body of Ephesians 4 believers.  Find out how God has gifted and designed you and how that shapes your ministry role (there are some links below to get you started).  Pray for a deeper understanding of your calling and what form it will take in serving Christ in the community.
“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.   I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 1:18-20.   So then, how have you been transformed?  How are you performing God’s work?  The God we serve is extraordinary, and so are our lives when He is in charge.
Helpful links: Spiritual gifts inventory Gifts and personalities]]> General mrt3southlake@aol.com Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500 Dessert Theater http://www.mgbconline.org/index.php?id=article&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=110&cHash=da721ed14b2c57429bb5aa72c05c5971 Our Youth are sponsoring a Dessert Theater on June 6, 2010 at 6pm to help raise money for Summer... Youth sarah.lambert@mgbconline.org Wed, 05 May 2010 17:49:00 -0500 Family Night Kickball http://www.mgbconline.org/index.php?id=article&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=109&cHash=0362c06bd6ca83d18d56ca8dfd6c7bdb Our Youth are sponsoring a family night kickball league starting Friday, June 11, 2010. Youth sarah.lambert@mgbconline.org Wed, 05 May 2010 17:37:00 -0500 Youth Camp http://www.mgbconline.org/index.php?id=article&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=108&cHash=4c3edee28c85d7a0d341ac3f1f7bde3e Our youth are going to Tarrant Youth Camp June 15th-19th at Riverbend Retreat Center in Glen Rose,... Our Youth Camp is “Tarrant Youth Camp” at Riverbend Retreat Center in Glen Rose, TX. This camp is an awesome way for youth and their leaders to escape the "real world" and get re-focused on what is truly important: their relationship with God. All distractions are put aside and God always uses this time to grow and change the youth for His purpose! Please check out www.tarrantyouthcamp.com for more information! The last day to sign up is May 23, 2010.   Cost per Attendee is $200.00. Installment #1 due May 23, 2010 - $100.00 Installment #2 due June 6, 2010 - $100.00   Pay online for Youth Camp.]]> Youth General sarah.lambert@mgbconline.org Wed, 05 May 2010 17:34:00 -0500 Milestones Sunday http://www.mgbconline.org/index.php?id=article&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=112&cHash=6cd142cd09d2e4f67fee6cb24b1c94cb We’ll be celebrating how God is with us in each of our milestones. The youth will be leading us in... Youth Sarah.Lambert@mgbconline.org Wed, 05 May 2010 17:01:00 -0500 Youth Mission Trip - San Antonio, TX http://www.mgbconline.org/index.php?id=article&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=111&cHash=34f28e52cf00ae203a014e61597d77ed Our Youth are going to San Antonio this year to lead underprivileged children in learning about God... Sarah.lambert@mgbconline.org]]> Youth sarah.lambert@mgbconline.org Wed, 05 May 2010 17:00:00 -0500 Kids in the Know - Pizza Party http://www.mgbconline.org/index.php?id=article&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=105&cHash=29a48456b9e81c4cde9d4e4c4deb7b8b Children's Bible Study kids have finished a two year study of the Old Testament! On April 11th we... Yeah! Children's Bible Study kids have finish a two year study of the Old Testament.  On April 11th we begin the study of the New Testament. Don't miss a Sunday at 9:15 am so you won't miss out on God's blessings for us as we study His Word. To Celebrate, we're having a Pizza Party! Meet at CiCi's on 1709 in Southlake on Saturday, April 17th, 11:00am, to celebrate this achievement. Parents are Welcome.  Cost per person $5.00. Please let Miss Janie know if you are coming so seats can be reserved.]]> Children janie.greer@mgbconline.org Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500 GA / RA Camp http://www.mgbconline.org/index.php?id=article&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=106&cHash=2ac92c86cc52008e95c1b401d67118a0 This will be our children's summer camp. We need counselors in order to attend as Miss Janie will... Miss Janie for details. Dates: June 14 - 18 (camps are at the same time, but are separate camps.) Where: Camp Copass in Denton Who: Boys and girls who have finished grades one through six will be eligible to attend. How Much: $185.00/per camper   $20.00 deposit due by May 14, 2010.]]> Children janie.greer@mgbconline.org Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500