COMING TO WORSHIP IN AUGUST

VIDEO RECORDING EXPERIMENT

For the next few weeks we’re going to be experimenting with video-recording the sermon. We’ll be working on location, sound and quality. When we are comfortable with the results, we will post on our YouTube channel, our website and Facebook. This will allow people traveling, people shut in, and people who don’t attend church at all the opportunity to worship.

The equipment was purchased with grant money Pastor Keith received for his sabbatical and comes out of the class he attended in June at Columbia Seminary in Atlanta.

MUSIC NOTES
 Lisa Cardwell | music director 

Chancel choir, after taking a break for a couple of weeks, is swinging into high gear in August with weekly anthems. We are still rehearsing at 9 a.m. on Sundays. We are always looking for new members.

 The adult handbell choir starts back up on Aug. 21. Be ready to hear some great new anthems this year. We are grateful for the donations that helped purchase new anthems for chancel, bell, and chime choirs.

 While this time of year is usually a relaxing and slow-paced in the music dept, plans for our Christmas program have already begun. We have set the date for Sunday, Dec. 15, during the 10:00 service. We will be looking for soloists as well as members for beginner bells and chime choirs.

 I want to thank those who have covered for me during bereavement and conference time in June. Jack Williams provided coverage for the 8:00 services and Mary McNair for the 10:00 services. I also want to commend Jenni Cain for her organizational and creative gifts of providing Swift with beautiful and accomplished music. Thank you all!

WORSHIP REPORT
 Greg McNair | worship elder 

A worship highlight for August is the annual blessing of the backpacks and teacher/staff recognition. This will take place Aug. 11 at both worship services. Baldwin County students return to class on Aug. 14. Please join us in helping the students and school employees get their school year off to a positive start by asking God to watch over them and help them to be secure and successful.

If you feel God is leading you to be a worship volunteer for the 10:00 services or you are one of our helpers looking to make a change in your duties, please let me know in the next few weeks. We will soon start working on the schedule for the next quarter that begins in October, and we would love to bring back or add people to the rotation as greeters/ushers, acolytes, adult leaders for “time with the children” and keepers of the nursery. We can use help with some smaller jobs, too.

TOP TEN REASONS
VISITORS DON’T COME BACK
By Thom S. Rainer • April 3, 2019
(edited for space)

We asked hundreds of guests why they didn’t return to a particular church. Their top 10 answers:

■ 1. An unfriendly and awkward stand-and-greet time in the worship service
There were two issues with the stand-and-greet time. First, some guests just felt awkward with the exercise. It seemed to be a ritual more for the members than the guests. Second, a number of guests did not mind the stand-and-greet time, but they felt left out during the welcome. Either they were totally ignored or they were inundated with what they perceived were superficial greetings.

■ 2. Unfriendly church members
Most church members do not view themselves from the perspective of church guests. They don’t usually speak to guests because they don’t know them. And the church members usually retreat to the comfort of the holy huddles of the people they do know.

■ 3. Unsafe and unclean children’s areas
This response generated the most emotional comments. If your church does not have clear safety and security procedures and if the children’s area does not appear clean and sanitary to the guests, do not expect young families to return to your church.

■ 4. No place to get information on the church
Guests are trained by their experiences to look for a central welcome and information center. But here is the catch. Some churches did have them, but guests couldn’t find them. And some churches have them in a good visible location, but they have no one staffing the welcome center. Guests told us they were hesitant to go to an unstaffed welcome center.

■ 5. Bad church website
Nearly all the church guests checked the church website before they attended a worship service. The two critical items guests want to see on a church website are the physical address of the church and times of the services. It’s just that basic. Keep in mind this reality. The church website is now the front door of the church. Will guests feel welcome when they come to your front door?

■ 6. Poor signage
If you have been attending your church a few weeks, you don’t need signage. But guests do. And they get frustrated when they don’t have clear directional signage for parking, for the entrance to the worship center, for the children’s area, and others.

■ 7. Insider church language
Listen to the words in the worship service of your church. Listen to the announcements. Listen to the sermon. Listen to the casual conversations. Are members saying things that a first-time guest would not understand? Well, that’s what church guests told us. They said they left some churches thinking that much of the language was foreign and filled with acronyms.

■ 8. Boring or bad church services
My surprise was not that this factor made the top ten. It was that it was only listed as the eighth-most-frequent concern. In the past, church leaders of small churches would tell me they didn’t have the resources for quality services. In the digital age, with so many affordable resources, no church is allowed that excuse.

■ 9. Members telling guests they were in the wrong pew or chair
I thought that this rude and insensitive behavior disappeared years ago. The most common comment was, “You are sitting in my pew.” Unbelievable. Totally unbelievable.

■ 10. Dirty facilities
Some of the comments were brutal: “Didn’t look like it had been cleaned in a week.” “No trash cans anywhere.” “Restrooms were worse than a bad truck stop.” “Pews had more stains than a Tide commercial.” A dirty church communicates to guests, “We really don’t care.”

‘TWO OR MORE’ FELLOWSHIP LUNCH
Thursday, Aug. 1 • 11:30 a.m.
O’Charley’s — 3060 S. McKenzie St., Foley

FELLOWSHIP LUNCH

Mark your calendars for Sunday, Aug. 11, for a time of food and fellowship after the 10 a.m. worship service.

Signup sheets for food are in the back of the church. Donations will be taken to help defray the cost of the chicken. Contact Mark (269-8051) if you can help set up, serve or clean up.

BUTTERFLY GIRLS/GUYS NIGHT OUT
Thursday, Aug. 15 • 6:30 p.m.
Warehouse — 18475 U.S. Highway 90, Robertsdale

Butterfly Girls and Guys Night Out will be Thursday, Aug. 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the Warehouse restaurant in Robertsdale (former VFW building at 18475 U.S. Highway 90). To review their menu, visit https://www.warehouse-al.com, then click “menus” in top banner. Please confirm plans to attend with Mary McNair by calling or texting her at 251-295-5267, preferably by Wednesday, Thursday morning at the latest, so a reservation can be secured. You’re encouraged to invite others to come, too.

Couples or singles are welcome. Join us and suggest new places for us to try.

MISSION REPORT
 Pate Cardwell and Al Sprouse | mission elders 

Food pantry
Our Swift Food Pantry served 26 families consisting of 69 people on July 10, and we served 27 families consisting of 56 people on July 24. We sincerely appreciate the time and talents that are volunteered by so many to keep the food pantry working to provide for the less-fortunate in our community. Lee Mansell has not only volunteered herself, but she has provided several fixtures of shelves to accommodate our food pantry with the room needed for our expansion of God’s word locally.

Please, don’t be shy. Time and talents are needed at our food pantry. Call Tina Sprouse at (251) 510-5444, she will be glad to help you find a suitable way for you to extend God’s love to others. Don’t think of what you can’t do. Look for what you can do through God.

Elberta Elementary School
Swift’s “local community support” has a mission at Elberta Elementary School. As you are certainly aware, Elberta Elementary is our newest mission. This mission is being supported by our “two cents a meal” donations for daily snacks for the less-privileged students in all the classes at the school.

But the needs of Elberta Elementary School go beyond snacks. They have reached out for help with some immediate needs:

■ Volunteers to help with kindergarten-through-second-grade lunch on Aug. 14-16, 5–10 volunteers each day.

■ School uniforms: Any would be welcomed, but most needed are tennis shoes, underwear, socks, and larger shorts/pants. (Youth 10–12, 14–16, and adult size small/medium).

■ School supplies: pencils, washable markers, backpacks, and plastic folders.

Your donations can be brought to Swift for delivery to the school.

Our invitation to the faculty and staff of Elberta Elementary for a back-to-school lunch on Aug. 8 has been accepted with enthusiasm. We anticipate 70 to 75 guests for this luncheon. This opportunity to express our thanks and admiration to these professionals will be coordinated by Mark Melton, fellowship elder.

Many Swift members and their talents of hosting will be needed to make this luncheon a success.

Living Waters for the World
On Aug. 4, Swift will collect a special offering that will be donated to Living Waters for the World. Living Waters trains, equips, and supports volunteers in forming global, clean-water mission partnerships. Everyday people are empowered to change lives through clean water. And their mission field is the world.

FELLOWSHIP TIME
Fellowship time will resume Sept. 8 after the 10:00 worship service.
Thank you to everyone who helped provide sweet and healthful snacks this past year.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION REPORT
 Brett Cardwell | elder/children • Tara  Morrow | elder/youth   

CHILDREN/YOUTH ACTIVITIES

■ The youth will have a kickoff party at Ginny Kleinschmidt’s house on Aug. 9 at 6 p.m.

■ On Aug. 10 at 10 a.m., they will have a Montreat service rehearsal for Foley First.

■ Sunday school, GΦG, and Refuel will resume in September.

■ Children’s Sunday school and children’s church will resume on Sept. 8.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL WRAP-UP

“I want to extend a very heartfelt thank you to everyone that helped decorate, cook, volunteer and donate money for vacation Bible school. You were all a tremendous help and I could not have done it without all of you. Thanks again to everyone that made this a successful VBS and I greatly appreciate everyone.” — Brett Cardwell

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL
 Cheryl Jensen | leader 

The class meets from 9 to 9:45 a.m. in room 2 in the annex. We are studying the New Testament in chronological order, led by Cheryl Jensen.

Our class continues studying Paul’s journey to churches in Asia and Rome. Oh, what passion and love he had for our Savior. We are starting 2 Corinthians as Paul is striving to strengthen church leaders.

Welcome to our class; everyone is invited.

SNACKS WITH SUSAN AND DARYL
 Susan and Daryl Pichoff | leaders 

The class normally meets in the fellowship hall on Sundays from 9 to 9:45 a.m. and is led by Susan and Daryl Pichoff.

It is taking a seasonal break and will resume Aug. 25.

If you have been thinking about joining an adult class, come and check us out! We gather to have a bite to eat and discuss a video series that usually lasts six weeks, then move on to a new topic. We value all opinions as we discuss the material and appreciate hearing from all who join us.

Starting Aug. 25, we are going to look at one of the most interesting of people in the Bible — Paul the Apostle. Follow the journeys of Paul, beginning with his dramatic conversion, as he spread the Gospel through modern-day Greece and Turkey. Travel to the early church sites and explore Paul’s conversations with the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. In this six-week study, you are invited to experience faith through Christ’s greatest teacher and missionary. 

■ Called to follow Christ
■ Called to go
■ Called to suffer
■ Called to love
■ Called to give
■ Called to be faithful

BIBLE STUDY AND FELLOWSHIP 
FOR ADULTS AT A GLANCE

We are blessed to have so many people who would like to be part of Bible study and fellowship at Swift Church. Here is a listing of the groups that are meeting. All of them are open to people visiting and/or joining the group, whether you are a member of Swift Church or not. For more information, contact the leaders or the church office.

Weekly:

• Sundays, 9 to 9:45 a.m., adult Sunday school class, room 2 in the annex, continuing a chronolgical study of the New Testament. Led by Cheryl Jensen

• Sundays, 9 to 9:45 a.m., Snacks with Susan and Daryl, fellowship hall, led by Susan and Daryl Pichoff; topic varies. The class usually watches a DVD and discusses informative topics. The class is taking a break and will resume Aug. 25.

• Sunday evening and Thursday morning Bible studies are not meeting for the summer. If you are interested in studying a particular book of the Bible, or a topical study, please contact Pastor Jody Beth or Adult Christian Education Elder Andrew King.

• Thursdays (first Thursday of month), 11:30 a.m., “Two or More” fellowship lunch at O’Charley’s in Foley on South McKenzie Street. Contact is Lee Mansell.

• Thursdays (third Thursday of month), 6:30 p.m., Butterfly Girls and Guys Night Out fellowship dinner at area restaurants, different place each month.

WE APPRECIATE OUR AUGUST VOLUNTEERS

---

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” — 1 Peter 4:10

---

GREETER/USHER TEAMS
Aug. 4 — Susie Alexander
Aug. 11 — Willard Penfold and Eunice Ray
Aug. 18 — Lynn and Mike Barnwell
Aug. 25 — Kim Whitchard and Judy Walker

ACOLYTES
Aug. 4 — Lainey Thomas
Aug. 11 — ZoeyLynn and Zadie Grace Barnwell
Aug. 18 — Sully Curry
Aug. 25 — Cadi Cardwell and McCoy Cooper

NURSERY VOLUNTEERS (if needed)
Aug. 4 — Tracy Akins and Lisa Turner
Aug. 11 — Jane King and Carlie Sims
Aug. 18 — Ginny Kleinschmidt and Tara Morrow
Aug. 25 — Pate and Brett Cardwell

TIME WITH THE CHILDREN
Aug. 4 — Cathy Rogers
Aug. 11 — Lynn Aspray
Aug. 18 — Pate Cardwell
Aug. 25 — Debbie Schmidt

CHILDREN’S CHURCH
(Will resume in September)

ELDER OF THE WEEK
Aug. 4 — Brett Cardwell
Aug. 11 — Mark Melton
Aug. 18 — Greg McNair
Aug. 25 — Pate Cardwell

PROJECTIONIST
Andrew King

SANCTUARY FLOWER SCHEDULING
Please contact Susie Alexander to reserve your date.

Flowers can be offered for a special occasion, birthday, anniversary, in memory of someone special, or just because you want to. They don’t have to be an expensive bouquet or arrangement, but something out of your own garden can be just as beautiful. We keep a calendar in the office so that you can check to see if your date is available. To reserve your date(s), you can contact Susie Alexander at 251-943-4145 or sign up on one of the charts in the narthex or the back of the chapel.

ABOUT ONLINE GIVING . . .

You may have noticed this box in your bulletin. Using your “smart phone” and this box you can connect to the church’s online giving page. You can set up for automatic donations of your tithes or one-time gifts to a number of funds benefiting ministries of Swift Church. Use this by either entering your credit/debit card information or your checking account information. Of course, this is a secure website.

You can also do the same thing by clicking a donation link on the church’s website.