Window Newsletter 9.19.24

We are working to create a church and world where all people are welcome and belong in the beloved community of God. Through the ministries of worship, education, compassion and advocacy, Broadway provides a place of grace, beauty, sanctuary, inclusivity, and brave faith.

Gospel Hymn Sing
Last Sunday’s Gospel Hymn Sing was a huge success with approximately 250 in attendance. Thanks to Bradley Reznicek and Tiffany McClain for planning and leading in this joyful event. Special thanks to all the choir members who participated, Chris Cook in directing the choir, Scott Ayers on piano and to all who brought a frozen sweet treat for all to enjoy at the ice cream social afterwards!
 
             
             

Today is North Texas Giving Day 
North Texas Giving Day is a chance for you to support the non-profit and charitable organizations making a difference in our community. We ask that you consider making a donation to support the mission and ministries of Broadway Baptist Church between now and September 19. Your tax-deductible contribution will help provide essential services through our Community Ministries.
Below are examples of how your donations provide support. 

May Street Market
Broadway’s food pantry serves over 400 families in our community experiencing food insecurity each month. Help us keep the shelves stocked for our neighbors in need.

Agape Meal
Since 1995, Broadway has hosted the Agape Meal on Thursday evenings as a way to build relationships and strengthen our community. Everyone is welcome to this free meal, especially those experiencing homelessness and food insecurity. Your tax-deductible contribution ensures we can continue to provide a hot meal and place of fellowship and connection for our neighbors.
 
School Uniforms 
Each school year, Broadway provides FWISD students with uniforms including two shirts, two pants, socks, and underwear. This year, Broadway distributed uniforms to over 600 students. Your tax-deductible gift helps set up students for a successful school year.  

Double your gift today! A donor has made a generous offer to match all gifts made to Broadway as part of North Texas Giving Day up to $10,000! This means your contribution goes even further to serve the needs of our community. Help us take advantage of this generous matching gift by making your donation today. 

DONATE TODAY 

Share this giving opportunity! Visit our church’s Facebook and Instagram pages to share this opportunity to give to the community ministries of Broadway with your friends and network. 
 

Agape Meal, Tonight at 6:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall
Broadway’s weekly Agape Meal is an opportunity to serve in fellowship with our neighbors. Broadway volunteers are always needed, and this is a wonderful way for friends and family to serve together.  

Volunteer Orientation and training for new volunteers is provided prior to the Agape Meal between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Meal service begins at 6:00 p.m. with a worship service from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. There are several ways to volunteer: set up tables, serve meals, host tables, and clean up. Email Josh Lucas with questions.

Broadway Youth Challenge to Fill the Tahoe for Ronald McDonald House
September 19 -25 
Fill the Tahoe! On Wednesday, September 25, the BBC youth group will donate much-needed supplies to the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth. Please help us “fill the Tahoe” by bringing supplies from the list below Thursday, 9/19-Wednesday, 9/25.

This event launches our QUEST partnership with Ronald McDonald House Fort Worth, which we will continue throughout the year. Don’t know about QUEST? It’s our mid-week programming youth service that happens on Wednesday nights from 6:00-7:30. This year, QUEST will focus on caring for our community by engaging the Ronald McDonald House on Wednesday nights and inviting those families to visit family-oriented events at BBC. The youth group will also incorporate other local service work throughout the school year as they consider what it looks like to extend the kingdom of God by loving others. For questions, please reach out to Emily Maples or Jennifer Davis.

 
Donation Items Wish List: 
 
Little Debbie® /Hostess Snacks®
Individual Serving Size Boxes/Bowls of Cereal*
Single Serve Mac & Cheese
Dryer Sheets
HE Laundry Detergent
Plastic Utensil Sets Individually Wrapped*
Heavy Duty Paper Bowls & Plates*

* Most needed items 
 

Fellowship Southwest Compassion & Justice Conference September 20-21 in Dallas, TX. 
The Compassion & Justice Conference will bring together people and organizations from different backgrounds to worship, grow, pray, and take action.

As a non-traditional network of Christians, Fellowship Southwest acknowledges that compassion and justice work are complementary and equally essential in serving vulnerable communities. FSW connects people of faith, passionate about compassion and justice, to challenge, inspire, and empower them to be and do better together for our communities and those we serve.

You will have the opportunity to hear and learn from the prophetic and diverse voices of leading advocates, pastors, and practitioners who will focus on our four priorities of work: Immigration, Indigenous Topics, Hunger, and Racial Justice. Learn more and register here: Conference Link 

Coffee Fellowship Sunday at 9:00 a.m. in 302
Join us for coffee and fellowship this Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. in room 302. Enjoy fresh locally made pastries from Three Danes Bakery as well as hot tea and coffee from Cherry Coffee Shop of Fort Worth.  

Worship Sunday September 22 at 10:50 a.m.
Sunday in worship, Jennifer Baergen Davis will discuss John Thomas in the Children’s Sermon. The Chancel Choir will sing “Offertory” by John Ness Beck, which is based on Micah 6:6-8. Ryon Price will preach on “Mr. Thomas, Please Come Up Higher to Sit” from Mark 9:30-37.

Annual Church Business Meeting and Fellowship Luncheon
Sunday, September 22 After Worship in Fellowship  Hall
Our annual church business meeting is this Sunday, September 22. An important agenda item for member review now is the proposed revisions to the bylaws recommended by the ACT Council in collaboration with the ACT Council/Deacons Bylaws Task Force. These bylaws changes were unanimously recommended by the ACT Council and then approved by unanimous vote by the Board of Deacons on July 22, 2024. They now require a congregational vote for the final decision.

View the proposed bylaws changes here. 

As per our bylaws, a quorum of 100 members is required to conduct the business of the church. Mark your calendars and please make every effort to attend! The meeting will be held in Fellowship Hall immediately following worship with a free lunch for everyone attending. Contact deacons@broadwaybc.org with questions. 

Chancel Choir Search Committee Candidate Recommendation: Dennis Jewett

The Chancel Choir Search Committee is recommending their candidate for Chancel Choir Director: Dennis Jewett. This recommendation was made to the Board of Deacons and will be presented to the congregation for a member vote this Sunday, September 22 at the annual business meeting. 

Read Dennis Jewett’s bio here. 

New Deacon Nominees for 2024-2027
The Deacon Nominating Committee is recommending the following persons to the congregation to be ordained as deacons and added to the Board of Deacons at Broadway Baptist Church. These names will be presented to the congregation at the annual business meeting on September 22 for a vote. Below are bios for each new nominee. In addition to these nominees the following members of the Diaconate are returning to the board of deacons for a new 3-year term: Jean Andrus, Alan Bean, Mary Sue Blackwell, Stan Ford, Bob Madeja, and Jan Westmoreland. The Deacon Nominating Committee submits the following names be deemed Deacon Emeritus of the Broadway Baptist Church Board of Deacons: Iona Richardson, Lilla Schmeltekopf, Sarah Olge, and Sara Lee. 

Kendra Bowie has been a member of Broadway Baptist Church since March of 1994. She is a member of the Ragamuffin Sunday School class, has served as a volunteer in the Community Center as well as several Broadway committees. Kendra raised her two children, Paxton and Payton Hicks at Broadway. She is an art teacher with Fort Worth ISD at Como Elementary School. Kendra loves spending time with her 1-year-old granddaughter, Charlotte “Lottie” Mae Hicks.

Donna Harris is a retired public school educator, having taught middle school and high school mathematics and provided professional development for 30+ years. She is a proud graduate of Texas Tech University (BS in Secondary Education) and Texas Woman’s University (MS in Science Education). Donna joined Broadway in 1979 and has served on a variety of committees, volunteered in several ministries, and is a member of the Terry Swift Sunday School class. Outside interests include Texas Rangers baseball and helping rescued/animal shelter dogs find their furever homes.

Byron Griffith was born and raised in the Fort Worth area in the Assemblies of God tradition, but his Christian formation mainly happened at Blackhawk Church in Madison, WI during the years he and his wife Jennifer were in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It was at Blackhawk Church where Byron first saw what it looked like for people to read the Bible seriously rather than literally and where church was not something that happened mainly on Sundays but whenever people in Madison were being the hands and feet of Jesus.
Byron has been a member of BBC for almost three years and found his way to BBC because of the ACT Council, where he currently serves. Byron also serves on the Justice Committee and was a member of the Ragamuffins Sunday School class before becoming a 7^th-8^th grade Sunday School teacher. Byron has been married to the amazing Dr. Jennifer Griffith for 28 years, and together they have two beautiful children, Samuel (22) and Rosie (18). Byron received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from UW-Madison and has spent most of his career developing new medicines for the treatment of eye diseases. He is currently the Director of Regulatory Affairs at a small company working on age-related macular degeneration. In his free time, Byron likes to do just about anything outdoors and loves to learn about theology, philosophy, politics, and literature.
 

Dedication Service of John Thomas Memorial Portrait
Saturday, September 28 at 10:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary 
Broadway Baptist Church invites you to a very special dedication service on Saturday, September 28 at 10:00 a.m. A commemorative portrait of Mr. John Thomas was commissioned by our church as an act of reparation for the racial discrimination he experienced during his career at Broadway. The portrait is painted by internationally recognized artist Sedrick Huckaby and will be dedicated at this service with a reception to follow. This act of reparation was featured this week in the Fort Worth Report. Read the article here. 
View invitation 
 
RSVP Here
 

Pet Blessing
Friday, October 4 at 6:00 p.m. in Fleming Chapel
Broadway’s annual Pet Blessing service in observance of St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day is Friday, October 4. All are invited to attend in Fleming Chapel. Pets will receive a special blessing and gift. Stay tuned for more details soon. 

World Hunger Offering 2024
Sunday, October 6
This year’s recipient of Broadway’s World Hunger Offering is the Marv Knox Immigrant Relief Fund. This is a ministry of our partners at Fellowship Southwest and serves the needs of refugees and asylum seekers at the U.S. Southern Border. Many at the Mexico-U.S. border are fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries. Your World Hunger Offering gift will help support children and families who are waiting to gain entrance into the U.S. by providing them with water, food, clothing, shelter, and essential items. Later this year, Broadway will be making two mission trips to the border in partnership with Fellowship Southwest.

Read more about Fellowship Southwest’s work along the border here.
 

Book Talk with Guest Author Sarah Towle
Sunday, October 6 at 1:00 p.m. 
Save the date for this exciting opportunity to meet author Sarah Towle and hear about her experience writing “Crossing The Line: Finding America In The Borderlands”.

Books will be available for purchase and have signed by the author. This event will kick off home group book studies of the book in October. Stay tuned to for more details soon.

Contact Jenn Nelson with questions. 

RSVP to attend

Affiliate Newsletters
Interested in learning more about Broadway’s ecumenical and denominational partners? Reading their newsletters is a great way to keep current on affiliate events and news. Click the links below to view newsletter and blog options. You may recognize Broadway members featured in them frequently. If you want to subscribe to any of these newsletters, use the sign up-links provided on those sites. 

Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptist (AWAB) The Welcoming Spirit newsletter

Alliance of Baptists Blog

Baptist News Global (BNG) https://baptistnews.com/

Baptist Women in Ministry (BWIM) E-News

BJC BJC Online

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) fellowship! magazine

Fellowship Southwest  Newsletter &  Blog

August by the Numbers
August was one of the busiest months ever at our Community Center.
 
Here’s a brief report of services provided in August:

• Sack Lunches: 1,820 lunches distributed
• Groceries: 431 households served (1559 persons)
• Agape Meal: 610 meals served (over five dates)
• Room in the Inn: 40 men served (over four dates)
• Adult Clothing Ministry: 166 people served
• Rental and Utilities Assistance: $210 in financial assistance provided
• Diaper Bank: 58 children and adults served
• Volunteer Hours: 465 hours from 131 volunteers

These services are in addition to our annual school uniform distribution, where we provided uniforms to 530 FWISD students.
 
Demand for these essential services continues to increase. We give thanks for our wonderful staff and volunteers who make these services possible and for those who contribute financially to support the ministries and mission of Broadway. 

May Street Market
The May Street Market needs your help! Over the last two months, the Market has served a historic number of families. We continue to be met with shortages at the food bank, and we are unable to keep our shelves fully stocked. We rely on support from the congregation each week to provide pantry staples and non-perishable items. In fact, this week we sent out a call for help, and you answered generously.

Thank you to all who continue to support the May Street Market and Community Center through faithful giving, volunteering, or donations in kind. It takes all of us to feed, clothe, and care for our neighbors.
 

Current needs in the May Street Market:

• Cereal
• Mac N Cheese
• Canned Tuna
• Canned Vegetables
• Rice
• Peanut Butter

Interested in volunteering? Contact Erin Cooper for information on volunteer opportunities. 

In person attendance = 332
Online attendance = 205
Total = 552
 

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Need login information? Contact Jenn Nelson. To download the app click HERE.

Mobile Membership Directory: The Broadway membership directory is available online via the mobile app. For security, this directory option only shows when the app user is also a Broadway member with a church membership account. You may make updates to your contact information through the app, including uploading a picture. Please email Jenn Nelson with questions and to let us know if you prefer to not have your contact information listed in the membership directory.

Not seeing the Directory any longer? If you are a member and no longer see the directory option, scroll down to profile and sign in again. This will refresh your app and restore the directory.
 

Beloved Broadway member Earl Martin passed away on Friday, August 23. A memorial service will be held Monday, September 23 at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary with a reception to follow. CBF shared a tribute article to Earl who was an emeritus field personnel and missionary for 32 years. Read the article here.