First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens celebrates the “Summer with the Son”
July is Women’s Month and the dfree celebration; Pastor Soaries expected to preach every service in August
(SOMERSET, NJ) – First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens will be celebrating “Summer with the Son” in July and August – two months that will offer worship, fellowship and entertainment.
July is Women’s Month and Rev. Alyson Browne Johnson, executive pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG), has planned activities for each week of the month.
“The focus is on prayer, which we all need. Intercessory prayer invites God to act on behalf of those we pray for and it forms the foundation for our discipleship,” Browne Johnson said, adding the theme is “Sisters Breaking Down the Walls.”
Next month, women will be asked to fast and pray, be given an opportunity to place prayers on a Prayer Wall, attend Joy Night, which will feature poetry, spoken word and liturgical dance, and participate in intercessory prayer with Sisters-Standing in the Gap. The month will conclude with Women’s Day on July 25, when women will be asked to wear red and/or red and white. For a listing of all activities, visit http://fbcsomerset.com/blog/?p=1639.
To register online for Women’s Month activities, visit http://womenmonth.eventbrite.com/.
A highlight of the month will be placing prayers on a Prayer Wall.
“It is based on the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Women will insert their prayers in a wall and we will have a worship experience or Bible study,” Browne Johnson said. “At the end of the month, we will collect the prayers and hand them to the Prayer Posse and that will let us know that they will keep praying. The symbolism will be powerful.”
Events scheduled at the Prayer Wall, which will be in the church, are at 7:15 p.m. July 6 and the July 20 Sisters-Standing in the Gap event, where women will get in groups and pray for one another, will take place at the Prayer Wall.
In addition to Sisters-Standing in the Gap at the Prayer Wall, a sunrise Sisters-Standing in the Gap has been planned for 5 a.m., July 24 at Colonial Park.
“At previous Sisters-Standing in the Gap prayers, women talked about how they love the sunrise, and I do, too, so we’ve planned a sunrise event,” Browne Johnson said.
In the midst of Women’s Month, on July 11 FBCLG will be celebrating the 5th anniversary of dfree – no debt, no deficits, no delinquencies. Dr. Teresa Hairston, publisher of “Gospel Today,” magazine will lead a financial seminar for women July 10 and she’s expected to speak July 11 at the 11 a.m. service, along with a representative from Urban Trust Bank, which is backing the launch of the national dfree initiative, in which Senior Pastor DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. will introduce his pre-paid Visa card and kick off his plan to implement the dfree strategy in 50,000 churches across America over the next year. There will be a reception after the 11 a.m. service.
To RSVP for the July 11 reception, visit http://dfree5.eventbrite.com/.
The dfree Ministry will offer an accelerated version of the dfree level one class July 6-27. The class runs from 7-8:30 p.m. and will use the “Learn God’s Way of Managing Money” curriculum.
FBCLG members have two options for class this summer – dfree and Summer Renewal. Summer Renewal’s theme is “20/20 Vision” and is July 12-16. There will be classes for all ages.
In August, Soaries will preach every service every Sunday. He’s expected to speak on the life of Jesus – The Birth; The Childhood; Jesus’ Ministry; Jesus’ Miracles and His death.
Soaries said it’s important to keep church members engaged during the summer.
“We take summer as seriously as the rest of the year. First Baptist is open for the summer. We’re using this summer for the glory of God,” he said.
First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG) was founded in 1937 by a congregation that embraced the black church tradition and doctrinal style, but today is best understood as a multi-cultural church. Over the years, FBCLG has grown from a handful of members to 7,000. Inspired by its senior pastor, the Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr., who has a history of community activism, FBCLG has become a church without walls by reaching out and impacting the community in areas of housing, employment, health care and youth and economic development. The focus of FBCLG is to provide a three-dimensional ministry that nurtures spiritual growth, supports academic excellence and promotes economic empowerment.
