An independent Baptist church.
Archive for September, 2010
Bro. McCracken is no stranger to Calvary Baptist Church, and we are excited to announce our Revival meeting scheduled for November. Mark your calendars today!
Sunday through Wednesday, November 7 – 10, 2010.
Sunday School 10AM | Sunday Morning 11AM | Sunday Evening 6PM | Monday – Wednesday Evening 7PM
The following biography can be found on his website:
Brother Dave McCracken is the son of J. T. McCracken, an “old fashion hell fire and brimstone, two fisted, gun barrel straight, soul winning, Bible believing Independent Baptist preacher.”Brother Dave was saved at an early age in a revival meeting at the Grace Baptist Church in Bowling Green, KY, under the preaching of Brother Raymond Tracey. A missions trip to Mexico was key to the surrendering of his life to do anything that God would direct. The next year, 1972, at the Mountain View Baptist Youth Camp in southeastern Kentucky, under the preaching of Brother Tommy Trammel, he surrendered to the call of God to preach the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ.Brother Dave attended Baptist Bible College of Springfield, MO, and Independent Baptist College of Dallas, TX. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Theology in 1978. Before graduation, Brother Dave met Nancy Vance of Garland, TX. Nancy was saved under the ministry of Brother Charles Thomas of Rogers Baptist Church in Garland. They met as students at IBC and were married in 1976. They have two daughters Angie and Becky and both are preparing their lives for the ministry.
After college, the McCrackens moved to Oklahoma City to serve six years at the First Bible Baptist Church. He served as Youth Director, Bus Director, Junior Church Director, Visitation Coordinator and Pastor’s Assistance. In 1984 they moved to Glenpool, OK, where they were involved in founding of the Calvary Baptist Church. In 1989, the McCrackens went into full time evangelism for less than a year when God stopped their bus in Stillwater, OK, at the Bible Baptist Church. Brother Dave pastored for almost nine thrilling years when God’s sovereign control moved them back into the field of evangelism.
Brother Dave has been preaching in every setting of church ministry. Because he has pastored for over fourteen years and worked on church staff for six additional years, he is well aware of church needs. He also understands the meaning of having a “Pastor’s Heart.” He is well known for his fun-loving, straightforward, powerful delivery of Bible Truth.
Hello again, parents! It’s always a joy to write to you, and as soon as I finish one letter I have floods of thoughts for the next one. I will be sending the following letter to you in the mail tomorrow, but for those of you who regularly check the website you’ll get a “sneak preview” tonight.
Once again, thank you so much for your support and prayer! Your teens have been the best part of our lives the last couple of months, and we appreciate your life’s work in raising them so well.
When: September 29, 2010-10:00 am-12:00 pm
Where: Sensory Time Center-41421 Date Street, Suite 101, Murrieta, Ca 92563
How Much: Adults, crawlers and first timers are free. It’s $3.00 from 10:00 am-1:00 pm.
Come on out for a chance to get the kids out of the house and let them play. Also, it’s a great opportunity to fellowship with other moms.
As ministry grows, so grow the responsibilities. As responsibilities grow, so grow the opportunities.
Some may think that it’s crazy and manipulative to call it an opportunity when it’s “just more work,” but to say that would be to say that all the references to the joy in serving the Lord are false and manipulative. The one who discredits the Bible and all its meaning is the one who disdains the thought of serving God through the church! The Bible teaches exactly the opposite, and those who truly desire God’s blessing from obedience will use their God-given gifts to serve the Lord excellently (1 Cor. 14:12).
That being said, the music ministry desires to “excel to the edifying of the church,” and with that responsibility comes more opportunity to serve. Amber Hedman and Megan Stopera will be helping us build a music secretary position over the next several months, and as we all grow into this together we will be working out many, many details along the way. We wanted you to be aware that Amber and Megan are filling a needed position of help so that when they call you with reminders about screening, or email the ensembles about a special practice, or talk to you about a schedule change at church, they are doing it as an extension of the music ministry and not as the Lone Ranger. Please encourage and thank them for their help, and consider again your own involvement. It will never be time that is wasted.
Paul wrote lots and lots of letters to churches in some major cities of his day. These churches HAD to have been filled with beggars and poor folks who seemingly had “no life” and lots of time on their hands as well as to professionals and major business men! But Paul didn’t relegate the work of the ministry to those who didn’t have anything better to do, so to speak. He explained that a church is made up of all sorts of body parts and each is expected to do the part for which it is gifted (1 Cor. 12-14).
We are members of a body called Calvary Baptist Church, and no matter how busy our lives seem to be, we are given spiritual gifts that are meant to be used in the church. In the Teens of Faith series through Romans we discussed chapter 12 in which Paul explains a few gifts that ought to be used in service. Thankfully, as we look at a week in the life of our church, we can see multiple hours poured into service; but look at your week’s schedule and add up your time in service. I’m not accusing anyone of anything, but it would do us ALL good if we honestly evaluated our hearts in light of our command to serve.
Every week I praise the Lord for the men who spend hours working with the finances. Ladies and men serve in the kitchen, some come every Friday for cleaning or yard work, and many hours are poured into visits, prayer, study and preparation for Sunday School classes. What a blessing to know that people desire to serve the Lord!
Whether you are an adult, teen or child, if you are interested in being involved, we ALWAYS have ways for you to help out. ”Ministry” is not that “little bit of work” that Pastor does a couple times a week… that’s called “preaching.” ”Ministry” is done day in and day out, and lots of people just call it “work.” God will abundantly bless your labor. Just this week we have had people volunteer to be involved as music assistants, and starting today will be adding a couple more hours of “busy-ness” to their lives each week. Do YOU think they’re wasting their time, or would you like a chance to get in on “the work of the ministry” as well? (Eph. 4:12) You’re gifted not for your glory but for God’s.
The final Sunday of our Family Fun Month in July was dubbed the “Cardboard Sprint Cup.” Adult Bible classes competed against one another in a “Best-in-show” contest as well as a race. We’ve shown you the pictures already, but you’re sure to enjoy the memories as you watch this video of the race!
Cardboard Sprint Cup 2010! from Calvary Baptist Church on Vimeo.
Enjoy some pictures of our Labor Day activities. We enjoyed a gorgeous day playing softball, volleyball and horseshoes, and a wonderful group of people enjoyed time together all day long.
I Peter 2:4-5 “To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”
When we began preparing for our class, we wanted to give it a specific name so that it wouldn’t become a nebulous Bible class with no real identification other than the young adults. We wanted a name so that we could have a class identity and to build a fellowship and connection to one another through that identity. You may be thinking, “That’s all well and good but what’s a ‘Lively Stone’?”
We chose Lively Stone for a couple of reasons:
- It identifies us with Christ-
He is the Living Stone and we are the lively stones that are built up on Him. He is the true foundation by which we are compelled to guide the building of our lives. - It speaks of the need for growth and advancement-
All Christians are called lively stones, having been quickened in the Spirit and should be actively participating in holiness. - It declares our responsibilities as individuals and as families-
We are to build ourselves up a spiritual house and offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. In other words, we recognize that our bodies and lives are the dwelling place of the Spirit of God and we sacrifice our own will and desires by submitting ourselves to the Will of God. - It offers us great blessings when we fully surrender to God-
We will not be confounded. People in this world are willing to pay anything for clarity and peace; the very kind that Christ promises to those who believe on Him and follow His will. (I Peter 2:6)
Ultimately Christians are to be identified with Christ. The very name Christian means,”like Christ”. Our desire as Lively Stones is to strive to be more Christ like and help and encourage one another to do so as well.
Every year we enjoy the youth rally that is hosted at Liberty Baptist Church in Newport Beach. Very few good reasons can be given for missing this rally, and we’re hoping to take as many teens as we can. I can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon than with a group of like-minded teens who want to hear God’s Word one more time that week! The point of this youth rally is to grow teen’s spiritual lives, and that’s a much higher calling than finishing up a little homework or going to a friend’s house to watch TV and talk about “school stuff.” Think about it, and arrange your schedule to come with us!
Leaving church: 1PM
Returning: 7:45PM
Cost: $5
What: Youth Rally at Liberty Baptist Church, Newport Beach, CA. Teens will be challenged from God’s Word through the preaching and will enjoy games, food and fellowship with teens from several other Southern California churches.
Ladies: skirts, dresses, nice tops
Guys: slacks, Dockers, collared shirts
It is always good to be reminded of things that we basically already know. A few weeks ago we had a meeting that spelled out some of the foundational reasons for emphasizing excellence in music, and here is the booklet that was handed out. Each person that is involved in our music program has read and agreed to this document, and as we strive to excel in our music let us always remember the great purpose for which it has been given to us!
