Dear church family,

Thank you so much for the opportunity to take a vacation in which we were able to do what we have never done before (a cruise) and see places we have never seen before (Alaska).  The cruise spoiled us, and the scenery amazed us.  Thank you to Zac and Keith for the wonderful job they did filling the pulpit and to Keith and Damon (tonight) for covering Wednesday night prayer meeting & Bible study.  Thank you to our committees, teams, and volunteers who have kept things going and the Rise and Build project moving forward. 

Though we will not be back to church until this weekend, we returned to Texas on Memorial Day.  On that flight, I sat next to a couple from Ashville, NC who had recently moved to Oklahoma.  They shared with me how their three sons served in the Air Force after attending the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.  Their youngest son was a fighter pilot until a seizure grounded him and led to a return to a childhood goal of pursuing medicine.  He is now an urologist, an area for which I am personally grateful because of my experience with frequent kidney stones.  Their middle son served in the Air Force Pararescue, an elite force trained to enter hostile or otherwise unreachable areas to rescue and medically treat military personnel anywhere in the world.  On a joint mission with the Army in Afghanistan, his helicopter was downed.  Several fellow soldiers were killed in the crash, and he was severely injured.  After rescue and transfer, he spent 40 days in a US hospital in Germany with his parents by his side.  He’s had over 30 surgeries, will need more, and lives with many deep wounds.  Though he was not expected to survive, have children, or even walk again, he can walk, is married, and has children of his own.  Their oldest son was an F-16 fighter pilot until a crash during training took his life.  As these parents shared with me their personal journey and the struggles they experienced along the way, this Memorial Day was different.  I saw the grief of loss in a mother’s eyes and the pain of sorrow in their voices as they shared.  But they indicated that they did not make their journey alone.  They spoke of the presence and activity of God, the support and prayers of God’s people, and the importance of their church family.  Their relationship with God has sustained them, encouraged them, and continues to use them in this fallen and broken world.  I look forward to a time when such sacrifices will not be necessary and such suffering will no longer be experienced.  Until then, may we too look to the Lord and support one another.

In Christ,

Jerry

I came across this reference document when I was doing college ministry and it was something I wanted to give out after the sermon on Pentecost this past week. We ran out of printouts, so here it is in digital form.

Here are 50 Things the Holy Spirit Does

1. The Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8).
2. The Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13).
3. The Spirit regenerates us (John 3:5-8; Titus 3:5).
4. The Spirit glorifies and testifies of Christ (John 15:26; 16:14).
5. The Spirit reveals Christ to us and in us (John 16:14-15).
...

May 27:
• Choir Practice - 5:30pm
• Dinner for Kids/Youth - 5:30pm
• Children's Activities - 6:00pm
• 109 Youth - 6:15pm
• Adult Prayer/Bible Study - 6:30pm

May 28:
• Guys Basketball - 7:00pm

May 31:
• Sunday School - 9:30am
• Worship Service - 10:50am
• Deacons Meeting - 4:00pm
* Business Meeting - 5:00pm

We want you to come fellowship with us at the lake on May 31. We will our annual summer kickoff at the Heart of Texas Baptist Camp on the afternoon and evening of May 31. Swimming will begin at 3:00pm in the pool. Waterfront will open at 4:30. We will serve dinner in the pavilion at 6:00pm. We will have burgers and all the trimmings, chips and drinks. If you want to bring anything, please feel free to bring a side or a dessert. This is always such a great time of fellowship. Hope to see you there.

Heart of Texas Baptist Camp
May 31, 2026

3:00pm - Pool opens
4:30pm - Waterfront at the Duck Pond opens
6:00pm - serve dinner in the pavilion

We’re excited to offer an opportunity for you to help send a child to camp through our Adopt a Camper Sponsor Program!

You can sponsor a camper in three ways:

• Full Camper – $225
• Half Camper – $112.50
• Quarter Camper – $56.25

When you choose to sponsor, you’ll pick a “kiddo” from our board to support. Before camp, you’ll receive the child's week long prayer requests to begin praying over your camper. During camp, you’ll continue to receive updates and specific prayer needs, and you’ll even get a photo of your camper while they’re at camp!

This is more than just giving—it’s investing in a child’s faith journey.

Stop by the display (in the children's wing)  and Adopt a Camper today!

On June 4th, our area FCA will host their annual FCA All Star Games. Brownwood will be the site for baseball and softball this year. 

We have been asked if we can have 10 people sign up to pray for athletes and their families on the field during the opening ceremonies. Each athlete family will have a specific person who will pray over them and give them a prayer rock for them to keep. 

Prayer partners are asked to be at the Brownwood High School baseball/softball fields at 5:30pm that evening.

If you would be interested in being part of this prayer rock ceremony,  you can sign up through the church office or contact the office for more details.  

The committee for the building project wanted to update everyone on where we currently stand for donations given.

So far we have pledges for: $1,491,649 out of an estimated $1,800,000 goal.

We have received $463,817 of those pledges and gifts so far.

If you have made a pledge to give periodically, we encourage you to make every effort to keep that pledge. Work with us in the office if anything in your pledge needs to change or if you are unsure how to make any contributions.

Our choir is open to all who want to join. Weekly practices happen on Wednesdays at 5:30 to rehearse upcoming music.

Join us each week for "Huddle @ First" our weekly Wednesday Night program for children 3yrs old through 6th grade—a fun and faith-filled evening just for kids! We’ll kick things off with a free dinner at 5:30 PM, followed by an exciting time of Bible stories, games, and activities from 6:00 to 7:30PM. It’s a great midweek boost where kids can grow in their faith, make new friends, and have a blast. We’d love for your child to be part of it! 

Join us on Wednesday nights for 109 Youth! There is a free meal served at 5:30 pm. Youth will then get started around 6:15 pm. We will study the Bible, play some games, and learn the way of Jesus together in a loving community! 

Open basketball night in the Brick for pickup games. Men from all around the area are welcome and all levels of skill are welcome.

If you or someone you know is interested in applying for a children’s ministry intern position, please email Amanda at amanda@fbcbwd.com.

We want to highlight a deacon of the month so that you are familiar with our deacons. These people will be the ones to help coordinate any impromptu fellowships like funeral meals or other deacon services this month.

For May, we want to highlight Jay Bennett.

Cindi Caraway, David Grooms, Jennifer Vickers, and Thomas Foster

If you want to be familiar with the songs we sing on Sunday morning, there are a few ways to do that. Below is a list of the songs we will be singing this coming Sunday. Listen to the words this week as we prepare our hearts for the next time we meet and worship God together.

Come People of the Risen King #17

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty #1

He Is Exalted #296

Majesty #297

Behold Our God #14

I Need Thee Every Hour #423

He Is Exalted #296

Weekly Required: $15,032.88
Weekly Received: $8,355.32
_________________________
Year to Date Required: $319,985.52
Year to Date Received: $299,362.75

PHYSICAL NEEDS
First Family
Katy Brown – Redstone
Robert Smith, Jr. – Redstone
Carolyn Ogden – Redstone
Tom & Mary Nance – Mary is in Songbird
Wanda Greer
Calvin & Ronda Lee
Bill McAlpine
Malcom & Quimoni Freeman (& baby boy Freeman)
 Sarah Boyd
Kevin & Laura Rodgers
Jan Tucker
Michael Daub
Deb Anguiano
Doug Chandler
Roy Curbo
Barbara Powell
Richard & Verna Semones
Mary Gonzales
Henry McGowen
Alexis Garcia
Dallas Huston
Richard Jackson
Paula Love 

Extended Family
Jay Monson
Linda Bantau (friend of Elaine McNeeley)
Cambri Evetts (Jen Evetts’ granddaughter)
Roxanne Curbo
Kelsey Johnson (wife of Jeremy Johnson)
Ryker Stippick (son of former staff member)
 Dave Bain (step-dad of Anne Daub)
Don & Pam Williford (former pastor & wife)
Britney Aviles (Deb Anguiano’s daughter)
Kalyn Chandler (Deb Anguiano’s daughter)
Kristy Harp (Rex Alexander’s bro-in-law’s sister)
Sandy Avants (Mary Johnson’s daughter)
Lynn Fuller (Linda Bessent’s brother)
Sue Cutrer (Damon Wilson’s mother)
Coy Williams
The Campbell Family
Bryson Rhoads
Nixon Hernandez
Jennifer Hale (Kay Shields’ friend)
Janie Stanfield (Elaine McNeeley’s sister)
Charles and Janette Patillo
Jean Cammack
Parker Everett
Elisabeth Johnson (Joy Ivy's daughter)

CHURCH NEEDS
Weekly activities
Youth & Children Program & Activities
Property Decisions; Rise & Build Campaign
Sharing the gospel as we go & outreach efforts
Summer Camp Sign Ups

Partnerships
Good Samaritan
Heart of Texas Baptist Network
Ukrainian Partnership – Ternopil – Igor Bilorus
Howard Payne
Loaves & Fishes
Heart of Texas Baptist Camp
Christian Women’s Job Corps
Chapel of Hope
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Pregnancy Care Center
Cooperative Program
Baptist World Alliance

Staff
James & Samantha
Bill & Jessie
Jon & Michelle
Interns/Min. Asst:  Brian, Suzanna & Kendall
Keith & Amy
Amanda & Austin
Jerry & Kay
Zac & Rebekah
Sarah & Jorden
Cassie & Josh 

AREA & WORLDWIDE CONCERNS
Staci Powers, Missionary to Zambia
The “S” family in Central Asia
The “F” family in the Middle East
First responders
Leaders in the community, state and nation
Schools, students, teachers, administrators & staff
Crises – Natural disasters
wars & conflicts
food & water deficiencies
Christians persecuted around the world
Network & Area churches – staff, conflict, insurance
Rain
The moving of God’s Spirit in us & our world

You can now view our services live every Sunday on our website. Every week we will post our service to YouTube and our website during the week, but you can watch live as the service is happening on our YouTube page. Go to our YouTube page to stream our service on Sunday mornings at 10:50. Or you can catch last week’s sermon on Astound Broadband on channel 7 Sunday mornings.

Need Help: The church office is available Monday-Thursday, 9:00am-4:00pm to answer any questions or to help you with any of the above.
We are HERE to help you stay connected!
Phone (325-646-8505)
Address (208 Austin Avenue)