01 January 2010

Dear First Church Family,

Thank you for coming together to ensure that our church family will continue to securely inhabit this beautiful house of worship that the Lord has blessed us to occupy for nearly 35 years!  We thank our many supporters, throughout this nation who supported us and contributed to the victory that we will continue to celebrate for the next 93 years!  As we move toward our 93^rd anniversary, there is exciting work that the Lord has set before us in the new decade.

Education is a primary focus for First Baptist Institutional Church in 2010. First Church is currently partnering with community organizations to fight illiteracy, by providing G.E.D. training and testing by Pathways & Visions, elementary school mentoring by A-1 Skill Builders, tutoring programs for k-12 students having difficulties with academics by AMP (Achieving Maximum Potential), and computer skills classes in partnership with Maria Madeline Project/50 Plus Prime, preparing baby boomers for new economy jobs.

We are collaborating with AMP to enroll students who require tutoring in reading comprehension phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, writing, MEAP/TerraNova preparation, and mathematical concepts & applications. Programming is free and runs from 6 to 8 weeks (32 hours).  The only requirements are that students attend public schools requiring supplemental tutoring and are acknowledged recipients of a free or reduced lunch program.  First Baptist will continue to welcome and sign up students throughout the school year.  For further information, please call the church at 313-838-0166 or visit First Baptist Institutional Church online at www.fbiconline.org. 

This new decade must be a time for us to get back to the basics of how authentic Christians are supposed to live our lives.  In 2010 we will focus very clearly on learning how to live our lives in the way our Lord desires, and learning how to be more effective in sharing our Christian understanding with those who so desperately need the salvific love of Jesus Christ.  In the beginning of this year we will read Pastor Rick Warren’s new book from his Living With Purpose Series, “God’s Answers to Life’s Difficult Questions.”  Starting in February our FBIC 101, 201 301 and 401 Membership Classes will begin again to re-train our members to become exemplary armor-bearers for Christ.

Our theme this year will be taken from Matthew 25:31-40:

25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.

25:32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,

25:33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.

25:34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

25:35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

25:36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'

25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?

25:38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?

25:39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?'

25:40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'

First Church, we thank God for 93 years and pray that he will bless us another 93 years!

With Great Love,

Howard B. M. Fauntroy, III

Pastor

First Baptist Institutional Church