God Matters - Alex Mabe
dorothy@belvederefbc.org
May 27, 2021 • Vol. 44, Issue 21
Church Adoption Conversation
June 2, 2021
6:00pm
In the Sanctuary
Please take this opportunity to meet with
key members of the staff of
Warren Baptist Church:
David McKinley - Senior Pastor
Lane Lowery - Executive Pastor
Joseph Humphreys - Lead Campus
Pastor (Warren-Grovetown)
Danny Hobbs - Chief Financial Officer
We will have a conversation regarding
the prospects for a church adoption of
Belvedere FBC by Warren Baptist
Church
Our Mission: We exist to obey Jesus Christ by
continuously reaching out to create relation-
ships and share Christ’s story in order to make
mature disciples.
421 Edgefield Road | PO Box 8168
North Augusta, SC 29861-8168
803-279-0415 | 803-279-0476
http://www.belvederefbc.org
No, I believe that in Jesus’ parable the
Dorothy Posey, Church Secretary
ryan@belvederefbc.org
Ryan Greene. Min. of Music & Youth
...Now the one who had received the one
talent also came up and said, “Master, I
knew you to be a hard man, reaping
Your Church Staff
where you did not sow, and gathering
where you did not scatter seed, And I
was afraid, so I went away and hid your
talent in the ground. See you still have
what is yours. But his master answered
and said to him,, “Worthless, lazy serv-
ant! Did you know that I reap where I did
not sow, and gather where I did not scat-
ter seed? Then you ought to have put
803-380-1024
803-508-3044
my money in the bank, and on my arrival
I would have received my money back
with interest. Therefore: take the talent
away from him and give it to the one who
has the ten talents.” Matthew 25:24-28
In the familiar parable of the master
that entrusted talents to his servant, Je-
Electronic service requested:
North Augusta, SC 29861-8168
P.O. Box 8168
Belvedere First Baptist Church
sus provides a picture of what He ex-
pects of us individually and as a church.
According to one’s ability, the servants
are given five talents, two talents, or one
talent accordingly. And when the master
returns each is expected to give an ac-
count of how the talents were used. Sad-
ly, when the master comes to the servant
given on talent, he learns that the servant
did nothing more than bury the talent for
safe keeping. Angered by the servant’s
lack of understanding of the master’s
heart for sowing and reaping, he not only
took away the talent from the “lazy serv-
ant”, he also cast him into the outer dark-
ness.
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Augusta, GA
US Postage Paid
Non-Profit Org.
A central question in understanding this
parable is what does a talent represent?
Certainly, a talent does not represent fi-
nancial resources. Nor should we view a
talent as some ability that God gives us.
talent represents an opportunity for us his
servants, to build the Kingdom of God.
The “lazy servant” claimed to fear the
master, and thus he was not willing to
take the risks that naturally come with
kingdom building. Question: What do we
professed Christians have which is God’s
peculiar property, which comes to us on
the basis of natural ability, which requires
a risk on our part, and that risk appears to
benefit only the Lord and not ourselves?
Can you answer that? Is it not an oppor-
tunity to use that gift? Should we not all
look for opportunities, young and old
alike? So, the talents of the parables are
to us golden moments of opportunity.
Who governs all this, ultimately? Can we
not agree that they are something which
God alone gives? They are his “property”
not ours.
Inevitably, Jesus moves to the climax of
his story...one servant yet remains to give
his accounting. This servant had gained
nothing because he had risked nothing.
There was no increase because there
was no investment. He had one great
(and long-continued) opportunity to risk
himself on behalf of his master, but he
deliberately ignored it. He had gone and
hid it in the ground! When it was safely
buried, he could forget about it and go on
about his own affairs. It was not there to
make him uncomfortable by constantly
reminding him of his master’s expecta-
tions. Likewise, when we take no risk for
Christ’s sake and bury the opportunities
given, we have also no spiritual influence,
no impact for eternal good. Our lives
count for nothing; there is no spiritual
power. We are only living for ourselves.
(continued inside)
 Weekly Ministry Opportunities Stewardship Report
Sunday, May 30 Week of: May 23, 2021
9:15a Sunday School Teens Reserved Unto True Holiness
Weekly Needs $6,281.00
10:30 Worship/Lord’s Supper Weekly Tithe $3,285.14
5th Sunday Benevolence Offering taken Needs/Date $132,222.14
11:45 Brief meeting of the “Pray & Go” When: Sunday, June 6, 2021 Offering/Date $124,638.65
Outreach Teams YOUTH
5:45p Small Group (John Baker) Sunday School @ 9:15am (No On-line giving included for this week)
Time: 2:30PM to 4:30PM Youth Building
Monday, May 31 Missions #8025 $45.00
Memorial Day - Church Office Closed Where: Millbrook Baptist Annie Armstrong #8040 $20.00
Wednesday, June 2 Church - in the Atrium Homebound Meals #5454 $45.00
6:00p Church Adoption Conversation (cont., from back page) Utilities #5500 $10.00
(see front page) 223 South Aiken Blvd. To risk for Christ’s sake is to find one-
6:30 No Praise Team/Choir Practice Aiken, SC 29803 self altered, redeemed, reborn. The tal- No figures available for Sunday School
Thursday, June 3 ents are given to all who are drawn to attendance this week.
10:30a Assoc. Prayer Mtg (FH) Christ Jesus, and our “Master” desires
Sunday, June 6 In Honor of:
that we are faithful and willing to richly
9:15a Sunday School Dr. Jim Diehl use the opportunities given to us now
10:30 Worship and and in the future. I am convinced that
(At the conclusion of the morning wor- the Lord has been guiding the hearts Members In Service
ship service - we will vote by secret bal- Mrs. Annette Allen and minds of the Pastor Search Commit- Welcome Team
lot on the Proposal to formally initiate tee to seize the opportunity before us
the process of church adoption by War- Please RSVP to: through a church adoption with Warren Ushers
ren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA) junehnew@gmail.com Baptist Church. I pray that individually
5:45p Small Group (John Baker) Or call (803) 508-4185 Deacons are filling in at this time
and collectively as a church that we, the
Belvedere First Baptist Church, will be Safety
bold, willing to risk it all, as we embrace Wayne Duke, Mike Gee
the opportunity to build the Kingdom of
God in Belvedere-North Augusta. Sound & Multimedia Team
Pulpit Supply Jim Seymour, Phil Solesbee
VOTE on May 30, 2021 Deacons-On-Call
June 6, 2021 Alex Mabe Homebound
Week of May 30

Pray & Go Blanche Fulmer Alex Mabe / 803-278-2939

207 Kerr St. 29841 Jake Farr / 803-279-3162
For those individuals who will be unavail- Team Schedule
able for the June 6, 2021 vote, ballots will Fifth Sunday - May 30 Extended Session
be made available in the Sanctuary on Sophronia McCabe
May 30, 2021. However, all ballots must A brief meeting of the “Pray & Go” 209 Kerr St. 29841 Sun., May 30
be submitted by the end of the morning Outreach Teams will be held imme- AM Service:
worship service on June 6, 2021. Please diately following the morning wor- Larry & Virginia Jones
notify the church office if there is a shut-in ship service (FH). 327 Woodland Dr. 29841
that would like to vote on this matter so Children are welcome to worship with their
No Team going out on this date! Sabri Jenison parents in the Sanctuary
that a ballot can be delivered to them.
354 Old Walnut Branch - 29860