Joyful Life Baptist Church 1618 South Houston Lake Road Kathleen, Georgia 31047 (478)987-6344 jlbckathleen@gmail.com
August 12, 2020 Greetings Church Family, It is an honor to serve Joyful Life Baptist Church. I thank God for allowing us to be part of this Family of Believers. Thank you all for your continuing support during this difficult time of unusual circumstances and COVID-related issues. We have had to adjust our standard operating procedures and adapt our ministry while continuing to represent Jesus. You have been faithful in your prayers, contributions, communications, and commitment. Thank You. We may not all be able to assemble regularly in one place at this time, but we can be and are in one accord in our desire to worship and serve Jesus. The new church year begins September 1, 2020. The Deacons, Church Staff, Finance Committee and I have met to discuss plans and preparations to move forward in view of current physical circumstances. As previously announced, we will be having a Communications Meeting after The Worship Service This Sunday, August 16, 2020. At that Meeting, Members in attendance will be asked to vote on the following recommendations:
Current committees and officers will continue in place into the new church year.
Adopt a six-month budget covering the first half of the new church year. (The budget for the second half will be presented in February when we will have a better perspective on our needs and resources.) A copy of the proposed budget is attached for your consideration. If you have any questions, please call one of the Deacons or me. Our phone numbers are listed below.
Since we are limited in our on-campus gatherings, we are not able to have our regular communications meetings. Therefore, we will temporarily have an abbreviated Communications Meeting each Third Sunday after The Morning Worship Service. This will allow us to address needs as they arise until we can return to our normal schedule.
We encourage all members who are comfortable attending services at this time to attend and participate. Again, thank you for all you do for Joyful Life Baptist Church. It is our prayer that we Honor God, Represent Jesus, and Serve in Holy Spirit that we may be Salt and Light in a world in need. Pastor Roy Gibbs
Roy Gibbs – 229-938-4817 Johnny Woods - 478-319-2625 John Bowen - 478-331-0086 John Baldwin – 478-396-0303
Our COVID-19 Precautions and Response
7/19/2020
The end of the church year is just around the corner (August 31st) and there are a few church business matters that must be addressed. They include: 1) agreeing and adopting a budget for FY2021 (September 2020 through August 2021), 2) agreeing on how to handle the annual Deacon election, and 3) settling on the membership of the varied committees of the church
These are matters that would normally be taken care of during one of our monthly communication meeting that were held on the third Wednesday of each month. Unfortunately, we've not been able to hold our mid-week Wednesday night services for some time now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent shutdown, and restrictions on gatherings.
In order to maximize church member opportunities to take part in the planning and decision making, we are scheduling a communication meeting for the third Sunday of August (16th) immediately following the morning service. We will take up the three items mentioned above.
We've implemented safety measures and procedures in the sanctuary to make our gatherings as safe as possible. Maintaining the recommended social distancing, minimizing contact with people and surfaces, availability of cleaning/sanitizing products and making personal protective equipment (masks) available have all been addressed.
If you feel safe in doing so, and you are well, please make plans to join us August 16th and be a part of handling the business of the church.
6/16/2020
An improved recording system (audio and video) has been installed at church, and is being used to record all services held in the church sanctuary. The resulting improved recordings are being uploaded to the "Recent Services" page of this web site.
The recordings for Sunday Morning services are being provided in four sections to increase the convenience of viewing, and to ease finding specific points of interest. The four sections are: 1) Welcome and Opening Prayer, 2) Announcements, 3) The Music Service, and 4) The Morning Message
Along with the new recording system, an improved DVD creation capability has been implemented. If there is a need for a DVD recording of a service held in the church sanctuary (for a shut-in, etc.) please let us know.
5/6/2020
Dear Joyful Life Family,
After much prayer and discussion, and taking into consideration the guidelines given to us by Governor Kemp’s office, we will begin to meet face-to-face on Sunday, May 31st, 2020.
As excited as we are to be gathering again, this will not be a gathering as we have become accustomed to having through the years at JLBC. This will serve as the beginning of the process of phasing us back into full family gatherings. These are the highlights that you need to be aware of for our first meeting back on May 31:
Initially, we will begin to meet for Sunday AM worship only beginning at 10:00 AM.
There will be no nursery provided, no children’s church, and no Sunday School.
As you arrive, you will be greeted by our deacons who will instruct you how to enter the building and where to sit.
The doors will be propped open into the sanctuary in order to reduce surface contact to a minimum.
Those in attendance must maintain social distancing.
We are asking that everyone in attendance wear a mask. We are, unfortunately, unable to provide you with one at this time and ask you to secure your own before arriving.
Hand sanitizer will be available.
There will be no bulletin provided. Announcements will be put on the screens before the start of the worship service and at its conclusion.
While the offering plate will not be passed, you will still have the opportunity to worship through giving at the conclusion of the service. Instructions will be given at that time.
The sanctuary will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before each service.
Bathrooms will be available, but we are asking that you make every effort to not use them except for an emergency if at all possible.
If you, or anyone in your household, are sick, please, stay home.
For everyone's health and safety, we are asking for strict adherence to these guidelines and any instructions given by staff or deacons.
If you are not ready to begin gathering publicly, we understand and want you to feel no pressure concerning your decision to continue to shelter in place. The current “Live Streaming” schedule will continue as follows:
Sunday Morning Message by Pastor Roy Gibbs Praise and Worship Music with John Davis Sunday Mornings at 10:00 a.m. View On Facebook Page - "Roy Gibbs"
Mid-Week Prayer Service with Pastor Roy Gibbs Wednesday Evenings at 6:00 p.m. View On Facebook Page - "Roy Gibbs"
Sunday School Lesson with Jeanette Hall Saturday Evenings at 8:00 p.m. View On Facebook Page - "Jeanette Hall"
There will still be matters to work out as we go through this process of implementation. I ask for your patience as we learn how to work through all of the important safety issues together.
Remember that these guidelines are in place not to restrict but rather protect. Your health and safety are our primary concern as we begin to physically gather once again. Stay informed and aware of the directives that are being given by our state and local authorities.
Please, continue to pray for our community, our state, our nation and the world as we begin this task of getting back to some semblance of normal life. I also ask you to continue to pray and seek opportunities share Christ with those around you.
The Deacon Body and I will continue to make adjustments to our plan as necessary. We continue to seek wisdom and direction from our Lord in these days as tough decisions are wrestled with and made with our eyes on Jesus and His mission for us at such a time as this. Please, do not hesitate to reach out to me or to any one of our deacons with any questions that you may have. I am looking forward to seeing you soon. You are all greatly loved and missed!
In His Service & Yours, Roy Gibbs 229-938-4817
JLBC News Update 3/28/2020, 4:30 p.m.
No new uploads for this week, but if you check the "EVENTS" page you'll see a full schedule of Live Streaming opportunities this week.
All our Sunday morning messages for 2020 are now available on the "RECENT SERMONS" page for you to view at your convenience. You can also download the individual messages to your personal device to view at a later date if you like. If anyone has difficulty, let me know.
If anyone has any needs, please contact the Pastor or one of the Deacons (contact information is on the "STAFF" page).
If there is a need to get something delivered from a Pharmacy or Grocery and you are unable to go out yourself, we have volunteers who can help. Contact me if that is the case.
Johnny Woods
JLBC News Update 3/22/2020, 2:18 p.m.
Hope everyone was able to enjoy Bro. Roy's live stream this morning.
I regret that we weren't able to upload his message for this week to the website. Unexpected technical difficulties precluded getting the upload done. Hopefully these will be worked out for next week.
If anyone has ideas or suggestions on how we can improve our communications please pass them along to your Deacon. If anyone has needs please let us know.
God is in control and He will help us get through this. We just need to trust him and do what we can to care for each other.
Johnny Woods
JLBC News Update 3/22/2020, 2:18 p.m.
Hope everyone was able to enjoy Bro. Roy's live stream this morning.
I regret that we weren't able to upload his message for this week to the website. Unexpected technical difficulties precluded getting the upload done. Hopefully these will be worked out for next week.
If anyone has ideas or suggestions on how we can improve our communications please pass them along to your Deacon. If anyone has needs please let us know.
God is in control and He will help us get through this. We just need to trust him and do what we can to care for each other.
Johnny Woods
JLBC News Update 03-19-2020 Hello Brothers and Sisters, I hope that you are having a good day even in these unusual circumstances. I know that God is in control and He will see us through these challenges. Our response to Coronavirus requires us to make changes in the ways we communicate, worship, and serve. We will post updated information from time to time on this web page as well as phone calls and text messages. Please feel free to call me or one of our Deacons should you have a need, concern or question. We are currently posting recent sermons on this web page. A sermon for this Sunday will be posted by Sunday AM for you to view at your convenience. I will also do a Facebook live message for those who do not have access to the web page. I will give the time in advance and the message will be saved. My Facebook page is “Roy Gibbs”. Nancy is doing a Daily Devotion at 3:00PM on her Facebook page which is “Nancy B. Gibbs”. John Davis is working on some music which will be posted on our sermon page next week as we work out the logistics Please be patient and pray for us as we as we try to provide platforms for communication, information, and worship. I want to thank Johnny, John, John, John, Carol, and Nancy as they work on logistics, communication, maintenance, security, ministry, and devotional messages. As we continue to minister as Joyful Life Baptist Church, we are having to adjust the way we receive tithes and offerings. Since we are not meeting on campus, we are encouraging mailing tithes and offerings as you are able to the following address: Joyful Baptist Church 1618 S. Houston Lake Road Kathleen, GA 31047 As a Church, we can Pray, Study the Word, Check on and Encourage each other, and Trust God. Please forward to us any needs or concerns. Roy Gibbs, Pastor roycgibbs@aol.com 229-938-4817
JLBC News Update 03-21-2020 Brothers and Sisters, I thank all of you who are doing so many things for JLBC. If you have an immediate need or prayer request, please call me or one of the Deacons. Please continue to pray and trust God for a quick resolution to this challenge. There is a recent sermon on our web page which you can access. Nancy, “Nancy B. Gibbs” does a Facebook Live Devotion each day at 3:00PM. Tomorrow, Sunday, 03/22/2020, at 9:00AM, I, “Roy Gibbs” will share a brief message via Facebook Live. Please continue to Pray, Study the Word, Check on and Encourage each other, and Trust God. Roy Gibbs Pastor roycgibbs@aol.com 229-938-4817