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Rev. Tom Rives
Pastor |
"Carrollwood Baptist is our home..."
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A Word from our Pastor....
Worship Services
Sunday morning
- Bible study - 9:15 AM
- Worship - 10:30 AM
Sunday evening
Wednesday night
- Bible study - 6 PM and 7 PM
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Let me begin this article by saying thank you, to our church family, for providing the Sabbatical during September and October. We traveled over 8,500 miles, through 21 states and visited many relatives, friends, former CBC members, and got to see some of our country for the very first time. Thank you for your prayers, especially for Dianne’s physical stamina to make the trip. God was gracious in allowing both of us the strength to make such a journey. We got to visit the four churches where we served prior to moving to Tampa 28 years ago, (Whitehaven Baptist Church in Memphis, TN, First Baptist Church of Cleveland, TN, First Baptist Church of Hurst, TX and Red Bank Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN). The question that has been asked several times since our return is “Well, are you going to retire or will you be around a little while longer?” While we will still meet with our Exit Strategy Committee to discuss the what, when and how our exit will take place, right now I do not feel the urgency to retire. For now, we will “keep on keeping on” and continue to look for the exact right time for my family and for our church to proceed with our retirement. By the way, Dianne and I are not going anywhere when that day comes. Carrollwood Baptist is our home and will continue to be our home for all the remaining days ahead.
Check out this edition of the GNL. December is always a busy month. I don’t know about you, but I have to plan ahead and do some juggling to get involved in as many of the events as possible. Then, just when the Christmas Holidays wind down Upward Basketball starts and 2012 gets into full gear. I just got used to writing 2011 on my checks and now I have to start remembering to write 2012. Where has the time gone? You will notice as you look through this GNL that some changes are taking place for 2012. Look at the back page and see what will happen as it relates to this publication. Also, we are not having Cross Training or 5-H Club during the year. Instead, we are trying to provide more family time on Sunday evenings and planning special events every 4-6 weeks.
Someone commented the other day “you’re having church on Christmas Day!” and my response was a resounding YES. If there is any day we ought to have church, it should be when Christmas falls on Sunday. We will have one service at 10:00 am with a Live Nativity taking place in our Worship Center. There will be no choir or nursery that morning, since we want all of our families to sit together that day. Come dressed as casual or as formal as you would like. The last time Christmas fell on Sunday some of our families brought their children in their pajamas while others put on their new Christmas outfits. Either way will be fine. We will have a great service with donkeys, sheep and goats in our midst, and with Jesus as the focus of all we do.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Tom |
