Pastor Harry (September Family Talk )

Dear Congregation,

Someone once said, “The past isn’t our past if it is still
affecting our present.” A personal past, and we all have one,
and sometimes they are not very glorious. In some cases,
a painful past is the consequence of our own bad choices.
I call this “self-inflicted wounds.” Often, however,
the heartache from the past has been caused by others:
Betrayal, unfaithfulness, deceit, broken trust, slander.
They become like wounds. Did you know it is impossible
to reach and stretch for the future when we live
in the pain of the past?

At age 30 (thirteen years after his brothers sold him into slavery),
Joseph is given Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera,
priest of On (Gen. 41:50).  The name of his firstborn son was Manasseh
(meaning “made to forget.”) For he said, “God has made forget
all of my hardship and the loss of my father’s home.”
The name of his second son was Ephraim (fruitfulness).
“For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affiliction.”
(Gen. 41:1-52.) Joseph determined that he would not be a
prisoner of his past. He learned all that had happened in the past
prison season of his live was nither fatal nor final.
I like what the Apostle Paul shared in Phill, 3:13-14:
“One thing I do forgetting what lies ahead.
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of Godin Christ Jesus.”

Let go of the past.
Press toward the future.
It just could turn your life around.

Pastor Harry

Women’s Ministry Steak Fry

Women’s Ministry is having a Steak Fry on July 30, 2011.

Ladies, be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend this event,

which will be held on the FBC patio from 5-7PM.

Pastor Harry (July Family Talk )

Dear Congregation,

Please join me in fasting one day a week for the next seven weeks.
We are facing a new day and a new time for First Baptist Church
as we wait for God to show the Search Team who He has for His church. In our lifetime, we only have one life cdycle to be born, grow and die. But His Church has many life cycles and we are in one now.

Remember, with any birth there is pain and discomfort, but the end result is worth it. Let us keep the Faith and pray
for unity for His Church.

Pastor Harry

Pastor Harry (March Family Talk)

Dear Church Family,

As we face each day, we should be asking,
“Am I moving forward or standing still?
Do I love what I am doing in my Career?
Am I pleased with my relationship with
my spouse, our kids?
Do I have healthy lifestyle?”

The root word for motivations “move” and movement is change. Truthful answers to the above and the other questions will tell you whether you want or need to change. the key to successful change
is discipline and reprogramming our mindset. Sometimes our
inner voice will tell us not to rock the boat, to stay on the path
of least resistance, but our heart is telling us otherwise.

Pastor Peter (March Family Talk )

Dear Congregation,

I think it was Billy Graham who said there are three essentials to doing God’s work. They are prayer, prayer, and prayer.
I’m sure he’d agree it takes more than prayer. It takes faith in God and Jesus. It takes faith in God and Jesus. It takes obedience to the
Word of God. I think what he meant was that it can’t be done without prayer. Well, it can, but it won’t be lasting. As I think back over
my thirty-five years of being in church work in four different churches, my main regret is that I didn’t pray more. I regret that I relied more on techniques and programs than I did on prayer. I regret that
I didn’t stress prayer or call people to pray more. I guess that’s why I’m making such a big deal about prayer
while I am serving as your interim Pastor.

I want prayer to increase in my life. I want to prayer more.
I want to pray with others more. I want to invite others to pray more.
I want to prayer to precede and permeate everything I do for God.
I want it for my life and my ministry.
I want to do all I can to infuse prayer into the life and ministry of
First Baptist Church of Corona.

It is essential to doing God’s work. Please join me in making prayer

THE Priority.

Peter Carlson,
Interim Pastor

Pastor Matt (March Family Talk)

Dear Church Family,

In youth group, we’ve been talking about the Holy Spirit.  I love Paul’s writing in Galatians 5 about the fruit of the Spirit.  He writes that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  I want you to think about trees for a minute.  How would a typical person identify different types of fruit trees?  By the fruit they produce, of course!

Who or what is the guiding force in your life?  If you want to know the answer to this question, look at the type of life you are living.  If we are truly being filled with the Holy Spirit and following Jesus with all our being, we should be producing the fruit that Paul mentions in Galatians.   My encouragement to myself and to each of you is to daily
be aware of God’s presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit and to let that Spirit produce godly fruit in us.  I pray that you will join me
in taking a close look at your life to see if the type of fruit you produce matches the type of “tree” you want to be.  Let’s pray that God continues to grow us into a church that consistently produces good fruit.

In Christ,

Pastor Matt

Pastor Matt (February Family Talk )

Dear Church Family,

In just a couple weeks, we’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day.
I’m sure some of you are disillusioned by the commercial nature of it.  However you feel about this day, I think we can all agree that we don’t need a special occasion to show our love and appreciation for those closest to us in our lives.  I have somewhat of a backward challenge for you
in light of Valentine’s Day this month.  Go ahead and celebrate the way you normally do, but in addition to that, make it a point to show love to people you wouldn’t normally love.

Take a minute to read Matthew 5:43-48 and see what Jesus says about love.  Jesus sure raises the bar!  “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (v. 44).   In a month focused on showing love to those we already love, let’s follow Jesus’ command and also love our enemies, the people who treat us poorly, the people who are mean and the people we just don’t get along with.  As Paul writes in
Ephesians 3:14-21, may God enable you to begin to grasp just how incredible His love is and as we do that, may we turn around and show that love to those around us.

Your servant,
Pastor Matt

Pastor Pete (February Family Talk )

Greetings,

Thank you, First Baptist, for making me feel so welcomed to Corona and to your church. I’m enjoying getting to know everyone and visiting many of  the events you have going on. You are very friendly church. For those I have not met, let me introduce myself. I am serving
First Baptist as Interim Pastor for 3 months, January to March 2011.
I am on leave of absence from Berkley community church near Detroit, Michigan, where I have been the Senior Pastor for 19 years.
Prior to that, I served in three other churches in the Midwest from 1976 on. I am a graduate of Biola University in LaMirada. I am married with
3 children and 7 grandchildren. I am staying with one of my daughters and her family while I am in Corona. My parents were missionaries
in South Africa for 38 years. I was born in Swaziland and raised
in Zululand until age 16. While here, along with preparing Sunday messages and attending church functions and meetings,
I want to let you know that I am available to serve you personally
in any way I can. Please do not hesitate to call the church to let me know of any need you may have or if I can help you in any way.
keep up the good work you are doing and may God bless and reward you.

Pastor Pete

Pastor Matt (January Family Talk )

Dear Church Family,

I’m not sure how you feel about New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you
make them every year but forget them by the next weekend.
Maybe you’re one of those rare folks who pursue it the entire year. Personally, I don’t think we need a special occasion to think critically about our lives and the areas in which we need to improve, but
the New Year is a s good a time as any for us to do that. regardless of what you call it, I want to challenge all of us to take a few minutes
(or longer if you need) and  critically examine the different areas
of our lives. Look back at 2010 What were some of the things that
you need to change to be a stronger follower of Christ, serving Him
in all you do?

Don’t make a resolution simply for the sake of making a resolution. Truly ask yourself if there is something in your life you need
to add or take away in order to be closer to God. I hope this isn’t
something that just lasts a few weeks or even a few months. I hope this decisions we make are things that will stay with us the entire year. Here’s to the hope and prayer that God will do great things in and through our lives this year!

Your Servant,
Pastor Matt

New Year’s Resolutions

Did you make any resolutions for New Years? I know a lot of people do this and few succeed in keeping them very long. (This is Pastor Matt writing) Last night, my wife and I were at the gym and it was packed! A couple weeks into the new year, this is certainly to be expected. The employees at the check-in counter said this usually lasts for a few months. What if we were able to hold each other accountable for our resolutions? Did you resolve to read the Bible more or pray more regularly? Join with someone who did the same thing and keep encouraging each other throughout the year so that you can last longer than just a few weeks or months! Let’s share our resolutions with each other (it’s not too late to make one now, even) and find accountability to make this year count.