EVERYONE, young, old and in between is invited to attend the church-wide pool party and cookout with games and fellowship this Sunday, August 10th, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Family Pool in South Smithfield. No sign-up is required. Bring a friend or neighbor! See ya there for the FUN!

YOUTH NEWS

Upcoming Youth Activities
Movie Outside on the Lawn: Next Tuesday, August 12 at 8:00 p.m. we’ll be showing a movie outside on the church lawn. Popcorn and drinks will be provided. All you need to bring is a chair or a blanket to sit on. We’ll be done by 10:30 p.m.

Collection Cans: Next Thursday, August 14 meet at the church to decorate cans that will be used to collect money for Mpolonjeni, the village we are sponsoring in Swaziland, Africa. Be here at 11:00 a.m. and we’ll be done by 1:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

Parent Youth Meeting will be Sunday, August 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. See ya there.

WAYS YOU CAN HELP
Mpolonjeni Needs
We Need Containers
Random is the name, containers are the game. What kind of containers? That is up to you. They can be coffee cans, tins, bins of all shapes, but not bigger than a bread box. These containers will be used to collect change for Mpolonjeni, but collect where? Your house. The youth are going to decorate the containers you give us and redistribute them as transformed family change containers for Mpolonjeni. Put them in your laundry room, kitchen, where ever is best for you to collect change. Bring your containers by the Church office, and Hinton Armstrong will gladly take them.

Community Garden Needs
Glass Bottles/Jars
We will be collecting glass bottles, 5 inches tall or larger to use as vases for flowers from the Community Garden. These flowers will be distributed to nursing homes and throughout the community. If you have jars, please bring them to the storage room in the church office. If you would like more information about this project or the Community Garden, contact Michelle Ball.

Plants Needed
We would like to plant blueberry bushes and grape vines at the Community Garden. If you are cleaning out your blueberry bushes and have new “volunteer” bushes you would donate, and/or grape vines that you could root and donate, please contact Michelle Ball.

Rescue Mission Needs
The Smithfield Rescue Mission needs laundry detergent. If you would like to donate this or any other household cleaning supplies please contact Mallory Barnes at 934-5628. Thanks for your help.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE AN USHER?
Usher positions are available for each Sunday of the month. You would serve in this position once a month. If you are interested, please contact Billy Wiggs at 934-8284.

PRIMETIMERS’ IMAX TRIP
All who signed up for the IMAX Theatre trip, please meet at the church by or before 10:00 a.m. to depart for Raleigh. We will stop at Big Ed’s Restaurant for an early lunch/late breakfast (your cost) followed by the 1:00 p.m. showing at IMAX of “Greece: Secrets of the Past” The movie lasts about 45 minutes. The cost of $9.00 for gas and movie will be taken up that day.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY
Get ready for Christmas in July. For the remaining Sundays in July, every M&Ms Cookbook you purchase at full price, you can purchase another one for half price. The first cookbook will be $20.00, but your second one will only be $10.00. This is a great way to stock up for Christmas. It will be here before you know it. Cookbooks will be available in the Church Fellowship Hall before Sunday School for the remainder of the month, or contact Michelle Ball for large quantities at 524-9631.

LAY WITNESSING CONFERENCE
The 51st Annual Baptist Lay Witnessing Conference is being held at Camp Caraway on Friday, August 15 (starts late afternoon-ends at lunchtime on Saturday, August 16th.) Entire focus will be on witness training. We are hoping to get enough people to fill a bus to go from our church. Are you interested? Call Terry Carroll 934-5882 or Judy Williams at 934-0261 for details.

SYMPATHY
We express our Christian sympathy to Donna Johnson in the homegoing of her mother, Carolyn Barfield.

We express our Christian sympathy to Bob Goodwin in the recent homegoing of his father, Marco Goodwin.

MEN’S BIBLE STUDY
Attention Men. Monday night Men’s Bible Study will be cranking up on September 8th at 7:00 p.m. in the Youth Room. If you are interested in attending, please contact Steve Adkins at 634-1742.

OUR KNOWN SICK
Mac Stacy (Home), Jean Simmons (Home), Bob McLamb (JMH), Stephen Grice (Home), Abby Salas (Home)

ATTENTION 3RD – 6TH GRADERS
Join us for Friend’s Inc. Retreat weekend at Camp Oak Hill September 5 – 7. Cost: $95.00 per person. All registration forms and money are due in the church office by August 24. Brochures/registration forms and FBC Permission forms were mailed out earlier this week. Feel free to invite a friend. Additional forms are available in the church office. The Theme this year is inspired by the 2008 Olympics, “Choices: Cross Training for the Christian Life.” If you have questions, please contact Tommy Cook at 934-9771 or by email, tommy@fbcsmithfield.org.

YOU ARE INVITED
You are invited to the Girl Scout Gold Award Ceremony honoring Mallory Barnes, Olivia Booker and Alison McMillen on Sunday, August 10th at 3:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall.

NEW MEMBERS
We welcome into our Christian fellowship Dustin and Marie Mobley who comes to us by letter from Lanier’s Chapel Original Free Will Baptist Church in Chinquapin, NC

ATTENTION EVERYONE
LET’S GO TO SEE THE MUDCATS!!!
We have FREE Mudcat tickets for Friday, August 29th. We will go as a group OR you can meet us there. Call to reserve your tickets by or before Friday, August 22.

ATTENTION LADIES
Wednesday afternoon Bible Study will begin in September. If you would like to participate call Sybil Edwards at 934-4973 We need to order books so please call ASAP.

THE CROSS: JESUS IN CHINA
The Olympic Games begin on August 8 and continue through August 24th. While viewing the ceremonies and the competition, please be in prayer for the Chinese Christians as they suffer persecution for their beliefs.

There have been reports of prominent house church leaders and their families in Beijing that have been evicted from their homes with the intention of detaining them or even removing them altogether until after the Olympics. Pray that God will use the 2008 Summer Olympics to reach many for Christ.

On Wednesday evening August 13th from 7:00 to 8:30 in the Fellowship Hall, there will be an opportunity to view sections of a video entitled The Cross: Jesus in China.

Part I, The Canaan Hymns, tells the amazing story of a farm girl XIAO Min. She is a high school dropout with no musical training. Nevertheless, she created nearly a thousand hymns by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Part II, The Bitter Cup, includes testimonies by missionaries of the younger generation. Their dedication, suffering, faithfulness, and thanksgiving have led to an unprecedented revival of the Chinese Christian church.

OPPORTUNITIES OF THE WEEK

* Nursery provided