Text Box: May 20 Commitment Sunday/All Church Event Our historic capital program, His Church Rising!, culminates May 20th with a very special worship service, which will include an update from our campaign leadership. The service will take place under the large tent across from our new church property. This will be your opportunity to bring your commitment (pledge) cards to the morning worship service and celebrate, as a congregation family, God’s work through this church. We hope that everyone will have completed the prayerful consideration of his or her gift. All commitment cards will be collected at this morning’s worship service.   After the morning worship service, you are invited to join the church family for a very special celebration lunch in a second tent adjacent to the worship tent. Please plan to attend this historic and memorable Sunday worship service to celebrate and consecrate all that God has given us and all we are blessed to give in return. If you are unable to attend the worship service that Sunday, you are encouraged to mail your commitment card to the church office at 20144 Pineville Road, Suite B, Long Beach, MS  39560.   Sunday School will begin at 9 a.m. Text Box: OUR GOD REIGNS! Text Box: PRAY               BELIEVE            COMMIT

Double Wave: We’re on the Web! www.fbclb.com Text Box: Dear Church Family, The journey has begun! Site preparation for our new ministry campus will be completed within a few days. Then the concrete foundation comes, and upon this foundation the walls will stand tall. Indeed, a journey that officially began November 6, 2005, with the commissioning of our Committee on Committees to recommend a building team, has now taken a very visible form. Many people have invested much time and energy to get us to this point in our journey. We can now see His Church Rising! His Church is rising to meet the challenges associated with a rebuilding effort. His Church is rising to meet the challenges associated with effectively sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with the people in Long Beach. These are exciting days. God has been at work doing site preparation in your life. God desires to use the whole of your life experience to prepare a site and foundation from which He can do ministry. Think about this: God wants to use you for His glory and the eternal good of other people. However, God will not overrule your will. God will use those who are willing to be used for His glory. Are you willing to be used by God? In a few months we will dedicate a new ministry campus to God. We will celebrate all He has done in our lives personally and in our life as a church family to bring this new ministry campus to reality.                                     ...continued page 3 

Text Box: Events and Dates to Remember   Prayer Vigil May 19 Our church will be in constant prayer throughout the day for the future of our church.   Commitment Sunday/All Church Event May 20 The entire church family will meet for worship, fellowship and inspiration under a large tent across from our new church property. The congregation will be given the opportunity to make their commitment to His Church Rising! There will also be a special emphasis for children during the special event worship service.   Celebration Luncheon May 20 Following our commitment service on May 20, everyone is invited to a special celebration luncheon in a large tent adjacent to the worship tent. Please plan to attend as we spend time in fellowship and celebration for what God is doing at First Baptist Long Beach.   Announcement Service June 3 Join us for a special morning worship service to hear the exciting results of our His Church Rising! capital program, as well as plans for our next steps! Text Box: How Do I Make a Capital Gift Decision?   The measure of stewardship is not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice. Not everyone has the resources to make a huge gift, but every person can meaningfully invest himself or herself in what God is doing at this church in proportion to the resources he or she has to work with.   If there is no formula for what you should give, then how do you determine that commitment amount?   Consider the questions below to gauge your own internal measures:   · In a personal way, how will this commitment make a difference to me?   · Does this commitment change my life, investing me in the mission and calling of this church?   · Is this a decision I am willing to take time to pray about, genuinely seeking God’s guidance in how God might work through me?   · Is this a decision I have significantly discussed with my family?   · Have I thought creatively about a comprehensive giving plan that represents what I can do? What could I sacrifice? What priorities could I change to free resources to create a gift?   · Have I discovered a new joy in giving? Have I found joy in being invested in what I believe in? There is something deeper about the life of faith that we never fully experience until we learn  to give ourselves as fully, freely, and deeply as God gives to us.   Text Box: Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.    1 Chronicles 29:14 Text Box: Ways to Give to His Church Rising! Cash 36-month commitment Assets, including land, jewelry, equipment Stocks and bonds Life insurance Wills and estates Reduced living expenses Second jobs Postpone purchases Redirecting completed car payments and mortgage payments   Not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice

Text Box: …..continued from page 1   One of your fellow church members wrote to me: “This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to make a difference in our community. I cannot hold back from Him that which He has given in the first place. My family will postpone building our home in order to help rebuild His Church first. For us this is not a sacrifice. It is our desire and privilege.” Another fellow church member wrote: “My goal is to change the way I use my resources in order to reflect Kingdom values more accurately. Everything I have comes from God. It is all just on loan to me from my Master Creator. I know that whatever I give, I will receive back in full, and I will be storing up treasures in heaven. I have to trust Him to provide the resources. I do not want to limit what God can do by assuming what is and is not possible.” “When I think about eternity, many things lose their importance. It is so awesome to think about helping to provide resources for a building that will not only be here long after I have gone, but will be used for ministries… to reach people for God’s Kingdom. Now the question I have to ask myself is, ‘Does God’s love touch my wallet?’” What contribution will you have to celebrate? Will you join us and participate in this great endeavor for our God? Be a part of His Church Rising! Build a legacy of faith and ministry for your life and family!  Celebrating with you His Church Rising! Bro. LaRue

Text Box: Commitment: A Statement of the Heart   Many of us are asked, even expected, to make commitments in our lives. To commit means to pledge or make a promise to undertake a particular course of action. We make a commitment when we agree to take on a marriage, family, friendship, career, or education, to name just a few. We commit to invest our time, energy, and money in those things we hold dear, those things we set as priorities in our lives.    So it is with our church as we begin rebuilding our church campus. Our willingness to financially commit to the future of First Baptist Long Beach speaks volumes about our priorities as we wrestle with what our church means to each of us.   Jesus expressed this truth about the nature of commitment when He said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). May each of us arrive at a financial commitment that faithfully reflects our hearts! Text Box: Mailing Address: 20144 Pineville Rd., Ste. B Long Beach, MS  39560   New Church Property Address: 300 N. Cleveland Avenue Long Beach, MS  39560   Worship location: Long Beach Middle School 204 N. Cleveland Avenue Long Beach, MS  39560 Phone:  228-864-2584