STCH Ministries

Patty
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STCH Ministries

STCH Ministries, originally South Texas Children’s Home, is a faith-based, nonprofit organziation that has been caring for children and families since 1952.

STCHM is able to provide:

For even more information visit stchm.org

Community Table

Patty
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Community Table

In 2007, Pete Chamberlain of the First Presbyterian Church had a dream of people in the community coming together to share a meal in fellowship and love.  The doors would be open to welcome anyone, without restrictions, to come in and be fed.  It became known as the Community Table.  It began with just one church but soon grew to include other churches and organizations in the area.  First Baptist Church of Rockport joined in January of 2009.  Pete’s idea was that anyone could some, sit down and be served as if a guest in his home.  We are happy to share God’s grace, as well as food.

Several times a year, our church hosts the event on a Tuesday night at First Presbyterian Church.  If you would like to help prepare, serve or clean up after the meal, we would love to have your help.  If you would like to help, contact Maria Seaman in the church office.

Romania Mission Trips

Patty
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Romania Mission Trips

First Baptist Rockport has sent mission teams internationally to England, India, Honduras, Africa, Romania, and other destinations to build relationships seeking opportunities to spread the Gospel.  Since 2015 much of the effort has been in Romania working with Stepping Forward Ministries. Our own Phil and Rhonda Barnes have gone to serve as missionaries there.  Stepping Forward Ministries own and manage Camp Living Waters, remotely located in the Carpathian Mountains. Cabins and various other structures such as a kitchen, meeting hall, recreation center have electricity (solar), running water and sanitation facilities.

Camp Living Waters host camps during the summer, providing activities such as football (soccer), games, hiking, water games.  Daily Bible classes and worship round out the activities.  Each child receives a gift bag with hygiene products, toys, and school supplies at the end of the week.

Campers who are able to attend this free camp not only come from the local villages but also the orphanages in Urziceni.  These orphans come from abusive situations and are “given” to the Romanian Government. Because of this, many of the children are in survival mode. It is common to sense distrust in the motives of those trying to build relationships. They show outbursts of anger and frustration toward each other.

Pitulicea has a small congregation of worshippers.  Our mission teams have a special relationship with Pastor Marion and his wife, Coco.  Their daughter Maria goes to serve as an interpreter at Camp Living Waters.

Our church has sent at least eight people every year to the Camp for at least one week. In the coming years, FBCR hopes to maintain its involvement and perhaps send construction teams to help build and maintain the buildings the Autumn and Spring.  If you would like to become involved please contact the Serve team via the church office.

Update for July 7, 2020

Patty
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Update for July 7, 2020

Greetings Church Family, I hope all of you are well. One of my favorite quotes is, “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” That’s attributed both to Nils Bohr, Nobel Laureate in Physics, and to Yogi Berra, baseball philosopher. While true, I need to let you know of some important developments and how it changes our plans at FBC Rockport.

 

Today, Marcie Peterson, our Minister of Music, tested positive for COVID-19. Her husband tested positive the day before. Marcie and Chris are quarantined for two weeks. Please be in prayer for them as they endure the many symptoms associated with this illness. They are not feeling well.

 

We have been advised to follow the CDC guidelines for community-related exposure. So, all those who had certain kinds of exposure to Marcie at church this past Sunday will also need to be quarantined for two weeks. There is a small group of people who meet the necessary criteria for quarantine, and they are being notified. Unfortunately, that group includes our Youth Minister, Wes Robbins, and me.

 

Obviously, our plans will change for the next few weeks. Here’s how:

 

  1. There will be no in-person worship for the rest of July. We will have one on-line worship service at 11:00 a.m. Sundays. The Wednesday Night Bible Study live stream will go on as usual, 6 p.m.

 

  1. Jeff Lanningham is contacting the Life Groups that meet at the church throughout the week to discuss with them their options. Your Life Group leaders will let you know of any change to your class’ meeting plans.

 

  1. There will be no in-person youth meetings for two weeks. Wes will give more details later about youth ministry plans.

 

  1. There will be no in-person children’s meetings for two weeks. Marcie will give more details later about children’s ministry plans.

 

  1. The church office will be closed to the public for two weeks. However, it will be staffed, so if you need assistance with anything please call the church office.

 

My prayer is that the Lord will protect all of you and have mercy on those who are enduring illness of any kind. Let’s keep our eyes focused on Jesus and continue to walk by faith rather than by sight.

 

I love you all and I am proud to be your pastor!

Scott

Update from Pastor Scott

Scott Jones
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Update from Pastor Scott

As you know, our local officials issued a new order this week regarding the wearing of face coverings in Aransas County. It reads in part, “All people 10 years or older shall wear a face covering over their nose and mouth when in a public place where it is difficult to keep six feet away from other people or working in areas that involve close proximity with other coworkers.”

I believe the stay-at-home orders we were under in April protected our community from a medical disaster, but also created economic and social disasters. I do not want to return to a situation like that. Going forward as a church, and as a community, requires us to remain “open” and meeting in-person when appropriate and possible. Being able to meet in person requires us to follow local, state, and federal guidelines to keep people safe. We must learn to do both well until there is a cure or a viable treatment for the disease, which could be months away. While offering in-person options, we will continue to provide on-line options for worship services and some Life Groups.

Keep in mind, if a staff member or worship leader tests positive for COVID-19, we will likely have to quarantine all the staff and worship leaders for two weeks, which means no in-person or online worship. If your Life Group is meeting in person and someone tests positive, everyone present with that person might also have to be quarantined for two weeks. Please help us keep everyone safe!

First Baptist Church will remain open for our currently scheduled in-person meetings throughout the week. Until further notice, we ask that everyone who comes to our building on any day:
• Maintain physical distancing of at least 6 feet apart when possible.
• Wear a face covering while in our building, especially at times when the 6 ft. distance cannot be followed well. We will have face coverings available.
• Follow CDC guidelines for good hand hygiene and covering coughs.
Please stay at home and enjoy our on-line options if you are not feeling well or uncomfortable meeting in person and following our guidelines.

The purpose of these guidelines is to keep everyone safe. In-person gatherings of any kind, whether at the store or at church, raises the risk of being exposed to the virus. Following the protocols helps to lower that risk. Face coverings help lower the risk of me spreading the virus to others in case I am infected but do not know it.

It is important to me that we keep the church and our community open for business and in-person gatherings. Doing this means that we must follow the loving, sacrificial servant example of Jesus Christ and do all we can to keep ourselves and others safe. Thank you for cooperating with us!

CHILD DEDICATION

Cynthia Williams
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CHILD DEDICATION

If you are interested in dedicating your baby or young child during a worship service, please contact our Children’s Minister or the church office.

Update from Pastor Scott

Scott Jones
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Update from Pastor Scott

This week has been difficult on many levels. I am feeling so many things that it is hard to sort through it. Personally, I want to open my mind, my heart, and my whole life to the truth of scripture, to lay myself bare to the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit. I do not condone rioting and violence. But I can no longer turn a blind eye to the possibility of racism in my life, church, and community. I do not want to be in denial about my apathy toward the plight of people of color in the United States. If it is true that God loves and values all people, then I want to have God’s character in these matters. I want to be like Christ. Prayerfully, I invite you to join me.

This will not be easy. Confronting racial and religious prejudices was a necessary part of the growth of the early church in the book of Acts. It was not easy, and the conflict lasted for years. In Acts 10, God prepared Simon Peter for ministry to the Gentiles. Peter may have believed, as many Jews did, that Gentiles were excluded from God’s plan of salvation. Peter had tried to be a good Jew and follow all the rules and kosher laws that set Jews apart from the rest of the world. He did this even after the death and resurrection of Christ. That is why he was shocked when God revealed to him that the time had come to reconsider the kosher laws. Peter’s first response was, “Surely not, Lord!” He had never eaten anything unclean. God’s response: “Don’t call anything unclean that I have called clean.” Right after that God led Peter to Cornelius, a Gentile, and Cornelius and his household came to faith in Christ. Peter connected the dots. God was helping Peter to address his own prejudices to prepare him for work among those Peter would never have even thought twice about.

Could God be doing the same thing now? Is God trying to help me to face my own prejudices so that I can be more open to God’s activity in the days to come? I would say to God, “Surely not!” at the suggestion that I may be harboring prejudice in my heart. But perhaps God saying to me, “Look closer…” Could this be happening in your life too? Maybe, together, we can put aside our pride, our denial, our anger, our fear, and allow God to examine us.

I love you all, and I am proud to be your pastor.

Phase 2 Worship Plans for Re-Opening

Scott Jones
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Phase 2 Worship Plans for Re-Opening

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Governor Abbott has moved the State of Texas into Phase 2 of his plan to “reopen” the state safely during the pandemic.

Governor Abbott’s minimum guidelines for church attendees can be found here:

https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/organization/opentexas/OpenTexas-Checklist-Church-Worship-Attendees.pdf

The minimum guidelines for churches can be found here:

https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/organization/opentexas/OpenTexas-Checklist-Churches-Places-of-Worship.pdf

The combined statement about places of worship from the Texas Attorney General and Governor Abbot can be found here:

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/admin/2020/Press/Revised%20Guidance%20for%20Houses%20of%20Worship%20During%20the%20COVID-19%20Crisis%20-%20Final.pdf

The Church Council met on May 26, 2020 and voted to continue to follow Governor Abbott’s minimum standard health protocols for churches/places of worship.

The Church Council also approved the church staff’s recommendation for a Phase 2 for FBC Rockport. This plan is effective immediately and will last at least until June 30. We will adjust that plan as the Lord leads.

FBC Rockport Phase 2 Worship Plans

We are excited to be able to gather people again for worship and we are doing what we can to keep everyone safe. However, it is the current reality that attending church services may involve a certain amount of risk. Please make wise choices for yourself and your family. Gathering again for worship will NOT look like it has in the past. We ask everyone to practice the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ as we follow these guidelines:

 

  1. There will be two Sunday morning worship services:
  • 8:30, Traditional Service; 11:00 Contemporary Service
  • Both services will be streamed online on Facebook and YouTube.
  • Those who are ill or at-risk are encouraged to stay home.
  • Those who are vulnerable and/or 65 years of age or older are encouraged to attend the 8:30 service.
  • All others are encouraged to attend the 11:00 service.

 

  1. Due to social-distancing guidelines, worshippers not from the same household will need to remain six feet apart, including in the sanctuary where we will use every other pew.
  • We think we can accommodate 150-175 worshippers in each service.
  • When the worship space is full, people will be directed to an overflow room in the Fellowship Hall, where there is space to spread out and watch the service on a big screen with a good sound system.
  • Our ushers will be available to help people find places to sit in the sanctuary or direct people to the Fellowship Hall. Our ministerial staff will also be on hand to assist.

 

  1. There will be no childcare available at either service.
  • Your children, regardless of how active, are welcome at our church!
  • There will be activity packets available for children. These are for you to keep.

 

  1. Those entering our building are asked to sanitize their hands and are encouraged to wear facial coverings for the protection of others.
  • We will have hand sanitizer available if you do not have your own.
  • Nobody knows for sure how much singing can spread the coronavirus. We encourage the masks because we want our worshippers to sing!

 

  1. Those attending worship are asked to avoid congregating in common areas, to move to their seats, to avoid touching others, and to leave the building in an orderly fashion after worship, maintaining the social-distancing guidelines.
  • There will be no food or drinks available, and we ask that you do not bring your own.
  • Water fountains will not be available. We will have some bottles of water on hand for those who need it.
  • Restrooms will be available and sanitized for your protection.
  • There will be no bulletins, and we will not pass the offering plates. The offering baskets will be available in their usual locations in the back of the sanctuary.
  • We ask people to not move freely about the building so we can track which areas need to be sanitized.
  • When the services are over, we ask that you exit the building so we can sanitize.
  • Visiting outside is encouraged! Open-air settings are better than enclosed settings.
  • There will only be two entrances open: the front doors under the portico and “Tower Door” located near the choir room.

 

  1. Information for our staff and volunteers, per the minimum guidelines given by Governor Abbott:
  • Each staff member and volunteer serving on Sunday mornings will go through a quick medical and temperature screening by a Safety Team member. Anyone who demonstrates the following new or worsening signs or symptoms will be sent home: cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degree Fahrenheit, or no know close contact with a person who is lab confirmed to have COVID-19.
  • Staff members and volunteers will wash or sanitize their hands upon entering the church.
  • Staff members and volunteers will maintain at least six feet separation from other individuals. If such distancing is not feasible, then other measures will be rigorously practiced (i.e., face coverings, hand hygiene, cough etiquette, cleanliness, and sanitation).
  • Staff members and volunteers will sanitize the building before and after each worship service: Regularly and frequently clean and disinfect regularly touched surfaces, such as doorknobs, tables, chairs, and restrooms; disinfect seats between services; disinfect any items that come into contact with attendees; make hand sanitizer readily available.

 

Life Groups Plans

  • There will be no Life Groups at the church on Sunday mornings at least through June 30.
  • Life Groups are encouraged to continue to meet online or to contact Jeff Lanningham for possible meeting times and locations at the church throughout the week other than Sunday morning.

 

Meeting at the Church

Should your Life Group, committee, or ministry decide to meet at the church during Phase 2, please contact Jeff Lanningham and he will arrange a time and place for you to gather safely. You will be asked to follow our guidelines:

  • Not all groups will be allowed on the campus at the same time in order to protect the vulnerable and to follow the 50% capacity limitations given by Governor Abbott.
  • No group, ministry, or class may use the building without coordinating with the church office. This is to help us know what parts of the building have been sterilized and are, therefore, safe to use. The more people are in the different parts of the building, the more work it creates for John, our custodian.
  • Groups will need to enter and exit near the rooms in which they gather. We ask that no one move freely about the building so we can keep track of which areas are safe to use.
  • No childcare will be available.
  • No group may have food or drinks inside the building (including coffee!).
  • Every person entering the building will need to sanitize his or her hands. We encourage each person entering the building wear a mask for the protection of others.
  • Those in the immediate family or household may sit together. Otherwise, all people will need to stay six feet apart.
  • Spaces used should be sanitized thoroughly after each meeting. Groups that meet should have someone in charge of doing this. The church can provide supplies.
  • Please note: many groups are planning meetings outside the building in the shade. Open-air gathering spaces require fewer restrictions. Jeff will help you know what is possible.

 

Church Office

The church office will be open to the public from 10 am – 12 pm Monday through Friday. Please call before you come so we can be expecting you. The front door will remain locked during this time to assure social distancing restrictions. All visitors should wear a face mask. These are painful requirements within the church family but is the only way to ensure the safety of our members and employees.

 

Wednesday Night Plans

Pastor Scott will continue to do the Wednesday night Bible Study online throughout the month of June. There will be no church-wide, in-person meetings at the church on Wednesday nights. Small groups desiring to gather at the church on Wednesday nights should contact the church office to inquire about the possibility.

Church Update from Pastor Scott, May 14, 2020

Scott Jones
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Church Update from Pastor Scott, May 14, 2020

Greetings! I miss seeing all of you and I pray that you are well.

We are waiting to see if Governor Abbott updates or revises his statewide guidelines and restrictions. It is possible he will release more information on Monday, May 18. We will assess the information we have and give some specific details by the middle of next week regarding our plans for in-person worship. I hope we can safely gather beginning on May 24, or May 31 at the latest.

I want to commend all of you for your encouragement, support, sacrificial attitudes, and love for one another. I could not be prouder of our church!

My assumption all along has been that this pandemic is a temporary situation, and that by June or July we could be back to a “normal” schedule. I thought we could just bite the bullet and wait it out. Now I think I have been wrong. I started paying attention to the ongoing negotiations in Major League Baseball to start the abbreviated season in July, a plan that might mean no fans at first, then maybe 25% capacity, then 50% through the summer into the fall. I began listening to friends who work in school districts across the state who may have to consider opening schools in the fall with 50% capacity guidelines, or something like that. No one knows yet what is going to happen. I am becoming convinced that this situation is not something that is simply going to disappear anytime soon. I am becoming more convinced that this summer and fall, and maybe beyond, we are going to have to re-think and re-imagine how we operate and function as a church. Many of you have pointed out that we did this to a certain extent after Hurricane Harvey. That’s true! And, if necessary, we will do it again together with the Lord’s leading.

I ask you all to fast, pray, and seek the Lord with me in the coming weeks as together we try to follow the Lord’s leading into the future.

Please contact me if you need anything or if you just need someone to talk to.

I love you and I am praying the Lord will bless you greatly!

Pastor Scott

Report from Pastor Scott

Scott Jones
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Report from Pastor Scott

Included in the Weekly Church-wide email newsletter for today, May 1, 2020 is a description of FBC Rockport’s Phase One of a phased-in regathering plan. Essentially, we will continue to meet online for worship, Life Groups, ministry groups, and so on for at least the next two weeks in May. We are not planning any in-person gatherings at the church. However, your Life Group, ministry, or committee may want to gather at the church. If so, our plan describes how that would look for you with all Governor Abbott’s guidelines and restrictions. Please contact Jeff Lanningham if you are interested in scheduling a meeting at the church.

Let me share with you some of my personal feelings. Thursday morning I was part of a meeting with pastors and ministers from our sister churches in the Blanco Baptist Association. Very few of them are planning on gathering before mid to late May. While spirits were up, these folks were concerned, weary, and wary. Thursday afternoon I was part of a meeting with leaders from twelve different Aransas County churches. All are waiting until mid to late May before regathering their churches, with two exceptions. Coastal Oaks Church is giving outdoor worship a try this Sunday. The Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi said that their churches can begin having Mass on Mother’s Day, so on May 10, Sacred Heart will have 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. services. Both churches have plans to implement the strict guidelines for churches given by the White House and Governor Abbott.

After having discussions with our staff members, ministry leaders, Life Group leaders, and childcare workers, and after listening to the plans of these other churches, I began to feel like gathering people together would be for the purpose of keeping people safe and following all the guidelines. Worship was becoming an afterthought. One church had plans for men to patrol their worship gatherings for the purpose of removing anyone who starts coughing. I can’t imagine what that would look like or feel like. I became convinced that our ministers, volunteers, and I would be so focused on implementing and policing the guidelines that we wouldn’t be focused on why were gathering in the first place. Our intentions would be good, but we’re human. It seemed best to continue as we have been until we are able to gather with fewer restrictions and distractions. We will reassess in couple of weeks and report back.

Here’s some good news:

  • All our different online meetings seem to be going well, with all the expected glitches and gremlins. I am thankful to be able to gather in this way for now. We will continue Live Streaming our worship services and posting them on YouTube even after we begin meeting in person again.
  • Our church has not needed to be physically present together in order to be the church or to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. Many of our members are involved with cooking and delivering meals. Some have made masks for people. Some are shopping for people. Many are making phone calls and other contacts to keep people connected. There are many online meetings, Bible Studies, and prayer groups.
  • We have helped dozens of households in Aransas County that are experiencing financial hardships due to the pandemic.
  • We continue to give financial assistance to our sister churches in the Blanco Baptist Association who need it because of the quarantine.
  • We did not apply for the financial help from the Federal Government, and our giving has remained very good in March and April.
  • Plans are being put in motion to shift some events away from this spring and summer into the fall.
  • I hear from people who are watching us online and the Lord is touching their lives through the online ministry of FBC Rockport.

I am convinced that God is at work in mighty ways during this time. I am thankful to be your pastor, and I love you. Remember that the Lord is with you! ~ Scott

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