Live The Great

Over the past few months the Information Technology department and your SkyKids crew have been working long and hard to setup a new automated SkyKids Check-in System for our children’s ministries.  We are all very excited to announce that we are ready to start beta testing the new system that is going to help everyone speed up and increase the security that we provide for the families at KCBT.  Starting September 7th we’ll begin rolling out the new check-in system to the 2nd Grade SkyKids class, then over the next few weeks we’ll begin rolling out the check-in system to the other classes in our children’s ministry.   You’ll be notified by our SkyKids team prior to your child’s class moving to the new system.  We’ve chosen a deliberately phased rollout to ensure that we can handle the influx of families using the system from week to week.  This will allow us to bug fix any issues we come across as we begin rolling out the new system, and ensuring that we have enough coverage and labels to survive a busy weekend in the SkyKids ministry.  I wanted to take a few minutes and discuss the process of checking the kids at SkyKids and some of the benefits of moving to this new automated system.

Checking in: It’s so easy!
We will have four check-in stations available in the building.  Two at the connections counter in the lobby located on either side of the counters, and two at the top of stairwells on the third floor.  You can check your child in at any of the four check-in stations and then proceed to drop your child off in their classroom.  When using the check-in station, simply enter the last four digits of your phone number, and the system will locate any family that has those four digits as the end of their phone number.  Then simply choose which family you are, and a list of your family members will appear on the screen.  Touch the child’s name that you wish to check-in, and then confirm that you are checking in the correct child to the correct class and your done.  The printer will print off two stickers.  One which will go on your child and the other that you as the parent will use when you pick your child up.  On your child’s ticket is their name, the date and name of the class they are attending, and any allergies or important medical information we know about your child.  If there is a medical condition that we are not aware or isn’t printed on your child’s ticket, let one of our SkyKids workers know so that we can update our records immediately. Thats it, your checked in!

Checking Out
When you return to pickup your child simply go to the room where your child’s class is held and present them with the ticket you were given from the SkyKids Check-in system.  You’ll notice both stickers have a three digit alpha-numeric code on them to ensure that only the authorized guardian of that child can pick up your child.  In addition on your ticket it will also list the date of the class, your child’s name (incase you have more then one child your checking in) and an important message from our SkyKids team.

We are really excited about this new system, and although we know that change can be a difficult thing at first, we are excited about implementing this new part of our new SkyKids wing now before construction even begins!  We encourage you to let us know your thoughts regarding this new system and if you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to contact me directly via email (jedwards@kcbt.org) or phone at 816.399.0032

This article was written by Junior High Pastor Chris Ruzicka.

This question has been raging for decades in student ministry. The obvious answer is yes, but the “making it happen” aspect remains elusive. On September 14th our church is undergoing major changes in its effort to reach a younger generation. At the same time, the Student Ministries would like to make improved effort to reach the parents of that generation, with the information they need in order to be well informed.

At the present time, Student Ministries has been relying on this email, letters, and word of mouth from the students, all of which are legitimate avenues of communication. Beginning September 14th we are going to add another tool. The Student Ministries will now have counter space on the connections counter!! Located next to the “Recibidores” sign, we will have counselors and/or pastors posted to answer all your questions in regards to getting connected, directed and perfected in Student Ministries. We will have calendars and other handouts available to you the parent. The space will be occupied before the first service, between the first and second service and after the second service to help meet your needs.

Please take advantage of this new communication tool. Come meet the men and women who are investing in your student(s). Student Ministries looks forward to connecting to you.

How would you describe your family life right now?- Mundane or miraculous?

So many times, when describing how to raise children, the anecdote is given that children need “love and discipline.” Obviously, both of these qualities are incredibly important. Without them you will most definitely fail to see your children become the citizens they should be. When children get involved in gross sin or become belligerent toward their parents the issue almost always centers on how parents are 1) loving their children, and/or how they are 2) training their children. Questions to ask surrounding these two topics include: Am I ministering to my child according to the child’s love language? Am I teaching them how to walk with the Lord through my life? Do they see unwavering integrity in my life? Do I promote their development through restricting who they spend time with and what they are exposed to? When dealing with typical sin issues in the lives of teens, these are the typical issues to explore.

But is this all we are shooting for? Too many parents would rest satisfied if their children ended up with good occupations and good families, thinking that they had done their jobs as parents. In reality, if this is all there was, they would have failed as parents. Our goal should be to have godly children- Children who love God with a passion…Children who serve God by serving others… Could it be that we have been operating with the wrong goals?

One may ask what is missing. What needs to change in my parenting in order to have godly children? I believe there is a very important third quality that is often overlooked… Our children need 1) love and 2) discipline. But just as important is the area of miracles. The Book of Judges teaches us that Israel served the Lord up until the men died who had seen the miracles of God. When they died, Israel went their own way and stopped following God. Our kids need an appetite for following the Lord that only miracles will accomplish. They need to see that GOD IS FOR REAL!

Begin to ask the Lord to reveal His power in the life of your family. What are you praying for as a family? What is your family trusting the Lord to do that only He can do? How do your kids see God answering their prayers? Why would our kids be excited about a God who last “showed up” five years ago in the life of their parents? Our kids need to see God at work in the here and now.

So how would you describe your family life right now? Is it miraculous OR has it slipped into the mundane?

Life can get really crazy and most of us like to settle in, get comfortable and resist change. While that may sound appealing, especially when times get turbulent, have you ever thought what you miss with no change? Without change it is impossible to grow, to mature, to discover God’s plan for your life.

There are some things in life that never change, and we can be thankful for that. God does not change, nor does his truth. The mission he has given to us does not change – to make disciples of Jesus Christ among all the people groups of the earth. But, other than that, just about everything else stays in a constant state of flux. You can count on it! And, if you try to resist it, you are probably going to end up about the same as if you tried to stop a speeding train by jumping out in front of it, digging in your heels and holding your hand out in front of you. You would be far better to jump on the train and let it take you to wherever it is headed.

I had a birthday last month and have thought back on the many things in my life that have changed over the years. While there are mistakes I’ve made along the way and things I would do differently if given the opportunity, I really wouldn’t want to go back. I much prefer to embrace every season of my life as a God-given adventure and opportunity.

This month our church prepares for some significant changes in our Sunday morning schedule. We will divide Sunday mornings into three time slots, offering Bible classes during all three and our worship services during the last two time slots. By now you have probably seen the details in the bulletin, heard about them, or read about them on the website.

Why are we doing this? Change simply for the sake of change is no good. Change for the purpose of growth and development is essential. We are making these changes for one simple reason: to do a more effective job of making disciples of Jesus Christ. Specifically, we want to be able to provide more opportunities for adults to grow in their understanding of the Bible and have more opportunities for community, even before the new addition to the building is finished. Second, by targeting our second service to a younger generation and re-arranging class schedules to feed into it, we want to do a better job at engaging youthful leadership and participation.

Please join me in praying that God would bless us and continue to guide us through these important changes. And, speaking of prayer, I also invite you to join me for our Prayer Ministry every Tuesday night at 7:00pm at The Point. This is rapidly becoming one of the most important things we do. It is a blessing to see God answer prayer and transform lives.

Discover Missions with Pat Cate

We have a wonderful opportunity this next weekend. Dr. Pat Cate is the former president of Christar and currently is their ambassador at large. He is a former missionary to Afghanistan, holds a Ph.D. in Islamic studies and is recognized as one of the outstanding missions leaders in the world today. Some of you have read his workbook Through God’s Eyes. This is a book I require for the basic mission course I teach in Shepherd School of Ministry and one that we have used with some of our short term missions as well.

This Saturday, September 6th, Pat is going to be giving a seminar entitled Discover Missions from 9:00am until 12:00 noon. This is a required event for Shepherd School students, but it is open to the public at no charge and with no registration required. This is a fantastic chance to gain great insight about missions from someone who is a genuine expert. God has used this seminar in the lives of many people. I urge you to attend this event if at all possible. Please feel free to invite others to come. You won’t be disappointed! Sunday, Dr. Cate will be speaking in our services.

Building World Changers: Direction in Real Time

So, where are we headed after the study of Haggai? That’s a question I am often asked. I’m very excited to announce that on September 7 I will begin a study called Building World Changers: Direction in Real Time. The study will be based in Acts 9-13 and centered on the spiritual growth and development of the Apostle Paul. We normally tend to focus on Paul the missionary. The question I want to consider is how did Paul become a world-changing missionary? What can we learn from his pattern of growth?

Paul is, of course, a unique figure in history. Not many people come close to having his influence. But, there is much for us to learn and several possible applications. First, I believe that there are people sitting in our congregation who have the potential to be greatly used of God on a great scale. How do we develop to realize the full potential that God has given us? Second, you may not be a great preacher, teacher, missionary or evangelist, but you just might be the one to help build a world changer. We will meet some of the people God used to develop Paul and learn from them. Finally, every single one of us has our own world or sphere of influence. I believe that God wants us to grow, be transformed and develop to be able to turn our worlds upside down with the effective use of the influence of our transformed lives.

I will look forward to seeing you on September 14th either at 9:45 or 11:15am.

La vida puede tornarse realmente agitada y a la mayoría de nosotros nos gusta sentarnos, ponernos cómodos y resistir el cambio. Si bien eso puede sonar atractivo, especialmente en tiempos turbulentos, ¿alguna vez se ha puesto a pensar de lo que se perdería si no hubiera cambios? Sin cambio es imposible crecer, madurar y descubrir el plan de Dios para nuestras vidas.

Hay algunas cosas en la vida que nunca cambian, y podemos sentirnos agradecidos por ellas. Dios no cambia, ni tampoco su verdad. La misión que nos ha encomendado no cambia: hacer discípulos de Jesucristo a todos los pueblos de la tierra. Pero, aparte de eso, casi todo lo demás se encuentra en un estado permanente de movimiento. ¡Cuente con ello! Y, si trata de resistirlo, probablemente terminará igual que si trata de detener un tren que marcha a toda velocidad por medio de saltar delante de él, hundir sus talones en el suelo y estirar la mano. Mejor le sería subirse al tren y dejar que le lleve donde quiera que se dirige.

Cumplí años el mes pasado y me puse a pensar en las muchas cosas que han cambiado en mi vida con el paso de los años. Si bien hay errores que he cometido en el camino, y cosas que haría de modo diferente si tuviera la oportunidad de hacerlo, realmente no quiero volver atrás. Prefiero recibir cada una de las temporadas de mi vida como aventuras y oportunidades que Dios me ha concedido.

Este mes nuestra iglesia se prepara para unos cambios significativos en nuestro programa de los domingos por la mañana. Dividiremos nuestros domingos por la mañana en tres períodos, ofreciendo clases bíblicas durante los tres períodos y nuestros servicios de adoración en conjunto durante los últimos dos períodos. Para ahora probablemente ya ha visto los detalles en el boletín, ha oído de ellos, o los ha leído en nuestra página Web.

¿Por qué estamos haciendo esto? El cambio por el mero hecho de cambiar no es cosa buena. El cambio con el propósito de crecer y desarrollarse es esencial. Estamos haciendo estos cambios por una razón muy sencilla: para ser más eficaces en la tarea de hacer discípulos de Jesucristo. Específicamente, queremos brindar más oportunidades para que los adultos crezcan en su comprensión de la Biblia y tener más oportunidades para desarrollar comunión entre nosotros, aun antes de que se termine la adición nueva al edificio. En segundo lugar, al dirigir nuestro segundo servicio hacia una generación joven y acomodar nuestros horarios para alimentarlo, buscamos hacer una mejor tarea de involucrar a los jóvenes en liderazgo y participación.

Por favor, acompáñeme orando a Dios que nos bendiga y continúe guiándonos a través de estos cambios importantes. Y hablando de la oración, también le invito a que nos acompañe en nuestro Ministerio de Oración, los martes a las 7:00 de la noche en The Point. Esto está convirtiéndose rápidamente en una de nuestras actividades más importantes. Es una bendición ver a Dios responder a la oración y transformar vidas.

Descubra las Misiones con Pat Cate

Tenemos una oportunidad maravillosa este próximo fin de semana. El Dr. Pat Cate anteriormente fue presidente de Christar y en la actualidad es su embajador extraordinario. Previamente sirvió como misionero en Afganistán, posee un doctorado en Estudios Islámicos, y es reconocido como líder sobresaliente en misiones en el mundo actual. Algunos de ustedes han leído su libro de trabajo, Through God’s Eyes (A través de los ojos de Dios). Este es un libro que exijo como lectura obligatoria en el curso de misiones que enseño en Shepherd School of Ministry, y además lo hemos empleado en algunas de nuestras misiones a corto plazo.

Este próximo sábado 6 de septiembre, Pat estará enseñando un seminario titulado Discover Missions (Descubra las Misiones) de 9:00 am a 12:00 pm. Este es un evento obligatorio para los estudiantes de Shepherd School, pero está abierto al público en general sin cargo alguno y no es necesario inscribirse. Esta es una oportunidad fantástica para obtener una buena perspectiva sobre las misiones de alguien que es un experto genuino. Dios ha utilizado este seminario en las vidas de muchos jóvenes. Le insto a que asista a este evento, si le es posible. Siéntase en libertad de invitar a otros a asistir. ¡No quedará defraudado! El domingo, el Dr. Cate predicará en nuestros servicios.

Edificando a los que Cambiarán el Mundo: Dirección en Tiempo Real

Luego, ¿hacia dónde iremos después de terminar el estudio de Hageo? Esa es una pregunta que me han hecho frecuentemente. Me entusiasma anunciar que el 7 de septiembre iniciaré una serie de estudios titulados Edificando a los que Cambiarán el Mundo: Dirección en Tiempo Real. El estudio se basará en Hechos 9 13 y girará en torno al crecimiento y desarrollo espiritual del apóstol Pablo. Normalmente nos enfocamos en Pablo el misionero. La pregunta que quiero que consideremos es: ¿Cómo llegó Pablo a ser un misionero que cambió al mundo? ¿Qué podemos aprender de su patrón de crecimiento?

Pablo, por supuesto, es una figura única en la historia. Pocos se acercan a tener una influencia como la suya. Pero hay mucho que podemos aprender de él y varias aplicaciones posibles. Primero, creo que hay personas en nuestra congregación que tienen el potencial de ser usados grandemente por Dios, y a gran escala. ¿Cómo podemos desarrollarnos para convertir en realidad ese potencial pleno que Dios nos ha dado? En segundo lugar, tal vez usted no es un gran predicador, maestro, misionero o evangelista, pero tal vez sea uno que ayude a desarrollar a otro que cambiará el mundo. Conoceremos a algunas de las personas que Dios usó para desarrollar a Pablo y aprenderemos de ellas. Finalmente, cada uno de nosotros tiene su propio mundo o esfera de influencias. Creo que Dios quiere que crezcamos, seamos transformados y nos desarrollemos hasta que podamos trastornar nuestros mundos por medio del uso eficaz de la influencia de nuestras vidas transformadas.

Anticipo con gozo verles el 14 de septiembre, ya sea a las 9:45 o a las 11:15 de la mañana.

As KCBT prepares for the new service changes on September 14, a critical need presents itself in the Nursery and Preschool Departments. This department often gets a less-than-desirable reputation as people look to minister and serve in our body.

Working in the Early Childhood Department is more than child care - It is truly ministry to children and their families. It is Discipleship.

Infants hear songs about Jesus loving them and keep full attention on the face of the person singing. Toddlers learn to bow their heads and pray and say, “Amen.” Preschoolers retell Bible stories in their own beautiful language, surprising their families at their knowledge and application of the passage. Parents forge relationships with each other that last a lifetime. Leaders and teachers co-labor together, building relationships with each other that could not be formed any other place.

As we plan for September 14, we project a need for 100 dedicated servants to adequately staff our Nursery Department. Workers 18 and older are needed for one service time (9:45 or 11:15) two Sundays per month; you’ll still be able to attend the main service or a ministry fellowship at the opposite service time. Visit the department page for class descriptions and a list of current openings.

Contact Summer Montgomery for more information as you consider this unique calling.

Caring for each other, Obeying God’s Word, Reaching out to the community, and Expecting God to work. These are the CORE principles to a new KCBT ministry fellowship taught by Troy Stogsdill beginning September 14, 2008.

A life-long member of the Kansas City Baptist Temple, Troy was saved as a child and graduated from the Shepherd School of Ministry in 1999. He and his wife Jennifer have been married twelve years and have two sons:Tanner, 8 and Jackson, 4. Troy  has been an active member of the Career Ministry Fellowship for sixteen years and led numerous ministries including Discipleship, Sports, Pre-marital Counseling, Home Teams, and Sons of Thunder (SOT).  Troy was also a member of the circuit riding preaching ministry for four years and has been a Deacon since 2000.

With the start of this new class, the CORE Ministry Fellowship will focus on establishing community through its four goals: Caring, Obeying, Reaching, and Expecting. All are welcome to join as we work to build a diverse group that includes all ages and ethnicities and looks like the whole body of Christ.  Our first sermon series titled, “The Greatness of Grace”.  Come check out CORE, starting September 14 at 11:15 in Rooms 101/102 (The Fellowship Hall).

Whether you are new to our church or have been a part of our family for years, there is a place for you to get connected. Whether you tend to be shy or love meeting new people, there is a place for you to get involved. You are invited to utilize your talents, natural gifts and abilities to serve the body of Christ at KCBT. It only takes your willingness to say, “I’d like to help”.  Below are a few of the many areas in which you can become involved, click here for a complete list or to take the online Spiritual Gift test.

The Media Team is looking for dedicated volunteer camera operators to work on a two-week per month basis during the 9:45am service. Please contact Tom Brooke for more information about this key opportunity.

The People Ministry is seeking those with a heart and the desire to assist others in achieving their God given talents and in giving direction that allows fellow Christians to grow and understand what God’s will is for them. Contact Vince Broker for more information.

Are you an outgoing individual that enjoys meeting new people? The Connections Ministry has current openings for foyer greeters; greeters serve one per month.  Sign up today or stop by the Connections Counter for more information.

It seems like there are many things that distract young adults from becoming all that God desires. Whether it be college coursework, relationships, new job and travel opportunities, family, or social activities, it can be difficult to focus on one thing. How can you discern which opportunities are from the Lord and what could be a potentially devastating distraction?

In his letter to the Corinthians the Apostle Paul discussed the pros and cons of marriage and singleness. He noted that the unmarried person cares for things of the Lord and how he can please the Lord, while a married person naturally considers how decisions effect his/her spouse. This is also the time of life when you begin to discover the gifts God has blessed you with and learn to use them within the local church body. That could mean serving on a Greeter team one Sunday a month, the Nursery Department two Sundays per month, or take 6 months to work in a foreign country. Do you know where you should begin?

Young adults 35 and under are welcome to join us as we learn to focus on who God has made us to be, surrender our desires and passions and make decisions that will have an eternal impact. Focus meets at 9:45 in the Fellowship Hall beginning September 14.

All us SkyKids here at the Kansas City Baptist Temple would like to invite you to participate in this year’s SkyKids Extra Christmas Program! Whether you’re a singer, dancer, actor, builder or techno-gadget guru (or you’ve always wanted to try being one) we’ve got a place for you.

Sign-up online today; classes begin Wednesday, September 10 and meet from 7:00 - 8:30pm. Below you find the names of the groups and the rooms they will be meeting in. Once you have signed up, you will receive more information about your group in the mail. We hope you’ve had a great summer and are ready to have a great year in SkyKids Extra - come join the fun!

Little Lights Choir: (Kindergarten - Grade 2) in Room 317

Shepherd Song/Kingdom Players: (Grades 3 - 6) in Room 312

Christmas Program: Sunday, December 2, during Sunday morning worship services