However, the one thing I would like you to understand, right up front, is that the concept of Small Group ministries is not new. The scriptures tell us the early Church originally met house-to-house to pray and worship God as a committed group of believers (See Acts 2:46 “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart”).

In fact, if you are familiar with our Church history, you know that this is the same way that First Baptist Church began. A group of committed believers, who loved the Lord, gathered in a gas station some 75 years ago, to share their love for Christ with each other and reach out to the lost and marginalized of this community. So you see, the success we enjoy today as a Church is part of a legacy created years ago by people who believed in the power, authority and righteousness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and investing their time, talents and money to build the Kingdom of God.

To read more, click here.

Working under the theme of “The Quest for Authentic Manhood,” The Men Building Men Ministry has planned a number of events for the Men’s Fellowship Weekend.

“The goal is to bring the men within the church and community together through fellowship, support, enlightenment and upward mobility through the word of God,” said Keith Harvey, ministry president.

The following are the events, which are open to all men:

• Bowling: 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday May 19 at Brunswick Zone Cavalier, 790 Route 1 North in North Brunswick
• Lunch: noon, Saturday, May 19, T.G.I. Friday’s, 993 Route 1 South, North Brunswick. Registration is required for lunch. E-mail Keith Harvey at chilzone@verizon.net.
• Prayer for guest speaker: 8:45 a.m., Sunday, May 20, parking lot of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG), 771 Somerset St., Somerset
• Worship Services: 9 and 11 a.m., Sunday, May 20, FBCLG, guest speaker – Daryl Webster, senior pastor of Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church, Indianapolis, Ind.
• 5th Annual Biker Blessing: 2-6 p.m., Sunday May 20, FBCLG parking lot. This event is co-sponsored by the GoodFellaz Motorcycle Club.

Hundreds of people attend the biker blessing every year, Harvey said. FBCLG Senior Pastor DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. is expected to pray for the bikers that day.

“This event brings the church and community together under one accord for fellowship, food and fun,” Harvey said.

The Men Building Men Ministry will continue their Quest for Authentic Manhood throughout this year with workshops on fatherhood, community outreach and a men’s educational/fellowship retreat.

The Men Building Men Ministry was founded on the following principle: Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

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.

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This "most experienced" mother was recognized at the 7 a.m. service.

This "most experienced" mother was recognized during the 9 a.m. service.

Photo Credit: Deacon Rinzalea Steward

Classes, which started this week, are Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:15 p.m. The online course begins May 17.

The new courses are “Let the Whole Church Say, ‘Amen’: A Guide for Those who Pray in Public,” which will be taught by Min. Errol Cooper beginning May 15, and “Relationships: Uplifting Healthy Relationships/Letting Go of Negative Relationships,” taught by Min. Ernestine Winfrey on Thursdays beginning tonight.

“This course grew out of the demand of the women who attended Min. Winfrey’s workshop at the Women’s Retreat,” said Min. Deborah Stapleton, head of the Institute for Christian Discipleship.

The online class, which Stapleton teaches, is “Getting to the Next Level.” It will begin online May 17.

“This class is based on Pastor Soaries’ sermon series ‘Getting to the Next Level,’” she said. “A computer with Internet access and a telephone are required.”

The class will be taught via this link.

To register for any class, please click here.

The remaining class schedule follows:

Tuesdays:

• “The Book of Hebrews – Jesus Christ – A Magnificent Savior Shepherd’s Notes: Hebrews” by Dana Gould; taught by Arthur Mitchell. This course is a continuation from the fall.
• FUSION: Real Talk (Young Adult Ministry); taught by Min. Lisa James. This class begins at 7:30 p.m.
• “Master Life: Disciple’s Personality,” taught by Lynette Clark Fields. This class begins May 15.

Thursdays:

• Diamonds: ‘Real Talk’ for 13-18 year-old girls; taught by Demetira Taitt and Deaconess Vickie Crawford.
• “Jesus’ Blueprint for Prayer,” taught by Larry Sampson. This course uses Jesus’ prayer (Luke) as the basis for learning to pray in any situation or circumstance.

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.

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New York (May 1, 2012) – Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE: SLF, TSX: SLF) today announced a powerful partnership that marries the financial services company’s commitment to advancing financial literacy education and workplace wellness with one of the nation’s foremost financial literacy advocates to eradicate America’s culture of debt.

dfree®, developed by Dr. DeForest B. Soaries Jr. and featured on the CNN documentary, “Almighty Debt,” is an ambitious movement that aims to emancipate American workers, students and employers from one of the biggest challenges facing our country’s economic prosperity – the crippling $2.635 trillion in U.S. consumer debt[1].

Sun Life is partnering with dfree® to galvanize the public to overcome this epidemic through the Breaking Free Workplace Tour, a public awareness campaign that educates audiences across the country, challenges them to pledge to lead debt free lives and provides a solution through free financial literacy education training and tools. The goal is to encourage consumers to become financially self-sufficient, greatly improving their quality of life while helping companies increase workplace productivity, morale and loyalty along the way.

The economic and societal costs associated with ill-informed financial decisions and the resulting feelings of powerlessness can be devastating. 76 percent of workers cite the state of their personal finances as a major cause of stress[2] leading to decreased productivity and higher absenteeism.

“Debt is becoming embedded in our society and our partnership with dfree® speaks to Sun Life’s commitment to reverse this trend by encouraging financial self-sufficiency and empowerment,” said Sun Life Financial U.S. President Wes Thompson. “Our goal is to help employers and employees understand the causal relationship between financial stability and health and prosperity, while providing them with the knowledge and resources necessary to achieve financial freedom.”

Through the Breaking Free Workplace Tour, which will include visits to select cities and to historically black colleges and universities this fall, Sun Life and dfree® will help U.S. workers, students and employers assess, pay down and manage debt through a variety of user-friendly money management tools and resources. This includes the Breaking Free Workbook, which will provide participants with interactive activities and evaluation tools to help them achieve financial self-sufficiency. People will also be encouraged to join the Billion Dollar Challenge, a free grassroots campaign started by Dr. Soaries to reduce consumer debt by a total of $1 billion. The Challenge will be operated through a confidential, password-protected web-based program, in which users can create and track personal debt payment goals and form support groups.

Sun Life will roll out financial literacy training programming to all of its U.S. based employees. As part of the program, each employee will receive the Breaking Free Workbook and participate in interactive training seminars led by Dr. Soaries. In addition, Sun Life will provide its current and prospective clients throughout the U.S. with the opportunity to offer dfree® programming to their employees.

“I have witnessed first-hand how debt and financial stress, particularly in the workplace, can cause serious suffering and ill health, so I’m excited to partner with a successful company like Sun Life that is committed to financial wellness and security for all people – students, families, workers and its own customers and employees,” said Dr. Soaries. “Together, Sun Life and dfree® share a deep commitment to helping low-income communities and individuals change their financial futures through education, technology, new tools and mentoring. I look forward to working together to spread our message and challenge more people across the country to live debt-free lives.”

Dr. Soaries, who served as New Jersey’s 30th Secretary of State and currently sits on the board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, first introduced dfree® to his 7,000-member congregation at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, N.J. Soaries’ program emphasizes living without debt, within your means and paying bills on time: no debt, deficits or delinquencies. The pastor is specifically focused on the predatory lending practices of the high-interest “payday loan” businesses, and on the spiritual, health and community benefits of economic empowerment and self-sufficiency.

In addition to providing support to Americans through the tour, Sun Life will provide the free financial education curriculum to its Sun Life Rising Star Awards program recipients. The company’s signature philanthropy program, now in its third year, addresses low high school graduation rates in large urban school districts by providing financial resources and education to students and nonprofit organizations committed to increasing success in high school and beyond, as well as promoting financial literacy as a means to achieve life-long financial wellness and stability.

About Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. In the United States and elsewhere, insurance products are offered by members of the Sun Life Financial group that are insurance companies. Sun Life Financial Inc., the holding company for the Sun Life Financial group of companies, is a public company. It is not an insurance company and does not offer insurance products for sale in the United States or elsewhere, and does not guarantee the obligations of its insurance company subsidiaries. In the United States, Sun Life Financial provides a range of products and services to employers and their employees. The U.S. Employee Benefits Group Division of Sun Life Financial offers group and voluntary life, disability, dental and stop-loss insurance products. These products are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada in all states except New York. In New York, these products are issued by Sun Life Insurance and Annuity Company of New York. Product offerings may not be available in all states and may vary depending on state laws and regulations. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com/us. Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

About dfree®

In 2005, Dr. Soaries began a ministry at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, NJ designed to help church members eliminate their debt, pay their bills on time and live within their means. After five years of using the dfree® strategy to motivate families to use resources that facilitate financial freedom, Dr. Soaries decided to share his strategy with the country in his book: dfree®: Breaking Free from Financial Slavery. His goal is to help one million families live a debt-free lifestyle. The dfree® strategy was designed as a response to our culture of debt. It provides tools and resources to help individuals and families become financially free. It is a holistic strategy that makes it popular to pursue economic freedom. It is delivered through education, celebration and support and is used by churches, organizations and ordinary people with their friends. A dfree® lifestyle gives us peace of mind, economic power and most of all; it allows us the opportunity to focus on life’s real purpose and the achievement of dreams without the distraction and burden of bills and debt.

Media contacts

Alexi Maravel, Sun Life Financial, 781-446-1624, alexi.maravel@sunlife.com

Keith Gainsboro, elevate, 857-234-1481, kgainsboro@elevatecom.com

On Friday, there was a health and wellness lounge that featured aromatherapy, lessons in make-up application, skin and body care, fashion and wardrobe consultations, 1o-minute massages and health screenings. The FBCLG Adult Liturgical Dancers and Brandy Pinnix performed. And there were also prize give-a-ways and “Girlfriends Talk” with Dee Marshall, life coach and founder of Girlfriends Pray.

Saturday featured Rev. Dr. Margaret Elaine Flake, first lady and co-pastor of Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in New York, more prize give-a-ways and a life class Dee Marshall.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. Photo credit:  Genevieve G. Jones

Women's Retreat massages

Make-up consultations

Health screenings

Retreat Committee Chair Nicole Pride opens the ceremony Friday night.

FBCLG Adult Liturgical Dancers perform

Brandy Pinnix performs

FBCLG First Lady and former Women's Retreat Committee Chair Donna Soaries, far right.

Life Coach Dee Marshall, far right, hosts a talk show. Malika Husbands, far left.

Rev. Dr. Elaine Flake, first lady and co-pastor of Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in New York

Women's Retreat worshipers

FBCLG 18th Annual Women's Retreat Committee

(Somerset) – Ladies, the 18th Annual Women’s Retreat begins today.  The theme is “A Light Unto My Path,” Psalm 119:105.

If you haven’t paid the $35 donation online, no need to worry. The retreat committee will begin taking donations at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Here’s the line-up:

Friday, April 27, 3-9 p.m. – Free
Health and wellness lounge at 3 p.m.
Evening talk show presentation hosted by Business Coach and TV Lifestyle Expert Dee Marshall

Saturday, April 28, 9-3:30 p.m. – $35 registration fee
Guest preacher: Rev. Dr. Elaine Flake, first lady of the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral, NY
A seminar with Dee Marshall and lunch

Sunday, April 29, 9 a.m., Special worship service

The colors are yellow and gray. T-shirts are on sale in the FIA Bookstore.

Bring a friend!

Click here to view the flyer.

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Pastor Soaries burns credit card offer letters to send a message to the banking industry.

(SOMERSET, NJ) – The rain didn’t stop DeForest B. Soaries Jr., senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, N.J., from burning credit card offer letters his members brought to church on Sunday.

Standing in the rain, Soaries—the former Secretary of State for New Jersey—publicly burned the credit card offer letters in the church parking lot to send a message that financial companies should stop targeting vulnerable borrowers.

“The time has come for us to stop making people rich off of our ignorance. We need to do something against consumer debt,” Soaries told the crowd. “We are burning up these offers as a show of enthusiasm against these practices—to minimize the use of credit cards, to moderate the debt. In the ‘60s it was segregation, and in 2012 it is this fight where the rich get richer and the poor stay poor. We are saying we will no longer contribute to this.”

While Soaries has been working for years to dispel the dangers of living beyond your means, he ramped up his efforts on Sunday because of an article that recently appeared in The New York Times.

“In recent months there has been a dramatic increase in the marketing efforts from major banks for credit cards,” Soaries said. “This seemed to subside at the peak of the economic crisis and recession when the mortgages’ default rates and credit cards’ default rates went up. Now that banks are on more solid footing thanks to the taxpayers bailing them out, they have once again increased efforts to lure people into credit card debt.”

Soaries, author of “dfree®: Breaking Free from Financial Slavery” (Zondervan, 2011), a financial strategy book that details a four-prong approach for getting out of debt, has made it a priority to work with people on becoming debt free. dfree® classes, which the book is based on, have been taught at First Baptist since 2005 and dfree® was featured in CNN’s Black in America 3: “Almighty Debt,” in October 2010.

Soaries is also working on a number of other programs aimed at financial literacy, including campaigning to shut down anti-payday loan centers, launching a website where people can securely enter their debt and track payments and a college tour to teach students about financial responsibility.

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.

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