Church Blog

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! We had a wonderful day yesterday as we worshipped our great God and learned what it means to live in the light. Followers of Jesus walk in light and love. They are no longer darkness but light in the Lord. They seek to avoid sinful and selfish behavior. Followers of Jesus refuse to participate in the fruitless deeds of darkness and by their lives, actions and words expose evil. The seek to know God’s good, pleasing and perfect will. And they seek daily to live lives full of God’s Spirit, controlled and empowered by Him to walk in light and love.

It was also wonderful to celebrate Thanksgiving together as the East Madison family of God. The food was wonderful and the fellowship was sweet. I want to thank all those who made the food, those who helped set up for the meal, and all those who came. Also, thank you for sharing what you are thankful for this year. As I said last night, I am thankful for you. I am thankful to serve as your pastor. I am thankful for your desire to live for Jesus, walk in love with each other, and for your desire to see others know Him. May all our desires for these things grow as we walk with Jesus together.

Remember, we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper during our worship time next Sunday, November 19.

If you want to contribute to the Operation Christmas Child boxes, you will need to get your contributions to the church this week. Contact Damon and Megan Tolhurst with any questions about Operation Christmas Child.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Good afternoon! As much as I want to say “Happy Monday” to you today, I really cannot do that after the tragedy at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Another senseless tragedy caused because of hate has invaded the sacred spot where the people of God had gathered to worship. Like the hatred and bigotry that caused the senseless killing of nine at the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina a couple of years ago as they studied God’s Word, hatred drove another person to take 26 lives, many of them children, and wound twenty more in the middle of a worship service. We join with our brothers and sisters across the country in praying for the families of these victims, those who were wounded in this attack (many of whom in critical condition still) and for the people in Sutherland Springs, Texas impacted by this act of hatred.

In a world where there is much bitterness and hatred around us, let us as the people of God put into practice Ephesians 4:31-32: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.”

Our annual East Madison Thanksgiving Feast is this Sunday night, November 12 at 6:00 PM! I hope you will plan on joining us for this time of Thanksgiving celebration we share as God’s family.

Thankful to be your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday it was great to be together with the people of God and worship God as we focused on His glory and as we focused on Jesus as “the Lamb of God taking away the sins of the world.” We looked yesterday at keeping the unity that we have because of what Jesus has done for us by saving us and providing peace with God. We looked at the things we need to do to not let anything disrupt the unity we have because we believe and belong to Jesus. All of us need to maintain proper attitudes of humility and gentleness as we work together for Christ’s glory. All of us need to seek to use our abilities and giftedness to build up the body of Christ and see His Kingdom extended to others. All of us need to seek to continually grow in knowledge and maturity in that unity so that God would through us shows the greatness of Jesus. As Ephesians 4:1-3 say and I really can’t say it better: “Live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Our annual East Madison Thanksgiving Feast on Sunday night, November 12 at 6:00 PM is less than two weeks away! There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the foyer with a list of things we need for that feast. I hope you will plan on joining us for this time of Thanksgiving celebration we share as God’s family.

We have a new grandbaby! Our granddaughter, Anastasia Lucette Ray (Tacy) was for Thursday, October 26 at 11:38 PM. Mom and baby are doing well. We thank God for his blessing of another granddaughter and we pray for her to know, love and serve Jesus with her life.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday! I hope your week started well this morning. I also hope our worshipping and gathering yesterday prepared you for what God has for you this week. We have a great and powerful God who has saved us with a great salvation! As we more and more understand this great salvation, we are motivated to boldly pray. In humility and boldness we can pray for inner strength and power to serve Jesus. We can pray for us to understand better intellectually and know experientially the great love of God for us and the world. We can also be assured of God’s power to do not only what we ask, but so much more than we can ask or even imagine! To Him alone belongs glory now and forevermore!

We will be having a fire pit and hot dog roast on Sunday, October 29th at 6:00 PM. I hope you will plan on being here. Bring buns and wieners for hot dogs for you and your family and some marshmallows.

We will have our annual East Madison Thanksgiving Feast on Sunday night, November 12 at 6:00 PM. There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the foyer with a list of things we need for that feast.

Pray for the annual Minnesota/Wisconsin Baptist Convention meeting held in Milwaukee at Layton Avenue Baptist Church this Friday and Saturday.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Wasn’t yesterday a great day of worship? The music was great and Ron’s new song was fantastic! And even though Pete and I plan independently most Sunday’s the music and message, God always seems to fit it all together. God’s ways astound us, don’t they? We saw how God’s plan for the ages calls people from all nations, tribes, peoples and languages to Himself to be His One people. We saw that God’s servants through the ages include choices that amaze us, people whose lives have been radically changed by the gospel. We saw how God’s church through the ages even enlightens the angels of heaven. And we saw how God’s methods through the ages continually confound the wisdom of men. We saw how even in the bad stuff that happens to us and the very difficult times when we can’t see through the darkness, God is working for our good and for his glory. God can and does bring good from horrible circumstances and evil things that happen to us and all around us. Yes, God works to glorify Himself and create His one people in ways that absolutely astound us! We need to remember that when we are going through times when it is hard to see any rhyme or reason to what is happening. We need to remember God is with us and working through us and for us to accomplish His redemptive purposes.

We will be having a special Sunday next Sunday, October 15. Part of the leadership of the church planting team that David Juhlin and Hoyt Lovelace work with on their trips overseas will be with us to share about this work. They will be sharing in the Bible Study hour in Jason’s class at 9:30 AM and then bringing the message during the morning worship. We will also celebrate the Lord’s Supper during worship and follow that by a Pot Luck luncheon. Bring some food for your family and a little extra for our guests to the luncheon. It will be a great day!

Pray for our Damon and Megan and our youth as they go to the “Called Out” conference in Baraboo this weekend. Pray that our students and leaders would be drawn nearer to God and to one another. Pray that this conference will help them more faithfully live for Jesus and more effectively be His witnesses wherever he places them.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! I hope the day has started well. We had a great day yesterday as we worshipped together. Although our worship team was a little slim because of all that was happening among our church family, Pete and Ron did a fantastic job leading us. Thank you brothers! I want to also thank our childcare workers and those who provided children’s worship. It is fun to see how much the children look forward to children’s worship when we have it. Often our childcare providers work behind the scene and are not recognized but they provide wonderful ministry and witness to the children. My prayer is that God would use them to plant the seeds of the gospel deep into the hearts of children that children might come to know Jesus early in life.

I hope the message encouraged you by helping all of us to see the unity that is being restored through the cross of Christ to humanity. Jesus’ death not only reconciles us to God when we believe, but it reconciles us to each other. God does not have many peoples, but in Christ Jesus He has the one people of God from every tribe, language, nation and tongue. There is a tremendous diversity among the people of God who believe in Jesus, but that diversity is a diversity in oneness, not in division. Through the blood of Jesus people from every nation, tribe, language and tongue are one! We should protect and strive to live in that oneness by denying ourselves, taking up our crosses daily and following Jesus. We must always be seeking to live for Jesus and not ourselves. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” I pray that God would continue to help us to do this today and every day!

Ladies, remember there is a Ladies Night Out scheduled for this Sunday evening, October 8th. The ladies will meet at Cheryl DiFonzo’s home to watch a movie together at 6:00 PM. Bring a snack to share if you can.

The Veritas Forum places the historic Christian faith in dialogue with other beliefs and invite participants from all backgrounds to pursue Truth together. Veritas Forum is sponsoring an event on Monday, October 9, at 7:00 PM at High Point Church called “Can a Scientist Believe in the Resurrection?” John Lennox is Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and an internationally renowned speaker on the interface of science and religion. He has also participated in several debates with some of the world’s leading atheist speakers. If you are interested in going as a group to this event, contact me.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday! We had a wonderful day yesterday as we worshipped Almighty God and thanked Him for His marvelous grace. We serve a God who speaks life to people. God came to us in our spiritual deadness when we could do nothing to save ourselves. When we were following the ways of the world and the wicked ruler of the world and were children of disobedience, God loved us and sought us. In His love, God had mercy on us and did not give us the punishment we deserved for our sinful rebellion. Instead, God by His Holy Spirit gave life to us through Jesus Christ by His grace. By His grace He saved us through faith. It is all God’s doing and none of our doing, so that we will be trophies of His grace forever and ever. None of us will ever be able to boast before God, because our salvation is totally a result of His grace and not in any way a result of kind of our work. No keeping of religious rituals, no morality in and of ourselves, no sacrificial lifestyle could ever save the “sons of disobedience.” But God in His grace and power saves those who cannot and would not save themselves! Praise His name! May our lives be a continual shining testimony to our great and gracious God who saved wretches like us!

Most of you heard that Annette’s step dad went to be with the Lord yesterday afternoon. Annette, we want you to know we are keeping your mom, you and David and your kids, and all your family in our prayers.

Ladies, remember there is a Ladies Night Out scheduled for Sunday evening, October 1st. The ladies will meet at Cheryl’s home to watch a movie together.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! I hope your week has started well as you serve the Lord wherever He has placed you. Yesterday was a good day to worship the Lord and be together as His people. We sang of His greatness and read from His Word about the greatness of God and the greatness of His salvation. We looked in Ephesians 1 and thought about all the resources God has provided us to walk with Him and live for His glory. Everything we need to live for God we already have in Christ Jesus. We just need to continually ask God for the wisdom and insight to know how to utilize and appropriate those resources. We can grow in the hope to which God has called us. We can grow in understanding the riches of being a part of His people, the church. And we can continually grow in understanding the immeasurable greatness of the power of God and how that power enables us to live victorious Christian lives!

We begin the new small intensive discipleship group for those interested this Wednesday, September 20, at 6:30 PM. There is still room for you if you are interested in being a part of this study.

September is the month we take a special offering for the ministries of the Minnesota/Wisconsin Baptist Convention. There are some offering envelopes and prayer calendars on the table in the foyer. If you would like to know more about the ministries this offering supports, go to mwbc.org and click on the link to the state mission video. (You will also see a really handsome young man related to Carla Ray in that video!)

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! I hope your day is going well. Yesterday was a good day to be together as God’s family. I hope the message encouraged you as you realize that as believers, we have everything we truly need in Jesus Christ. We have every spiritual blessing in Christ kept safe for us in the heavenly realms. God sought and chose us and made us His own because of His wonderful grace. We are holy and blameless in His sight because God views us through the lens of the blood of Jesus. He sees Jesus’ righteousness counted toward us because Jesus has taken our sin. He chose us to be adopted as His children. He purchased us from sin and death for Himself through the blood of Jesus. We have forgiveness, the putting of our sins as far as the east is from the west, through Jesus. And these things God gives lavishly to us who hear the gospel and believe it. He is not some God who gives enough just to get by, but lavishly pours out these spiritual blessings on us! How can we not seek to live every moment for this gracious God and seek through our lives to give Him continual praise? How can we not seek to share this grace with those God places in in our path?

We will begin the new small intensive discipleship group for those interested next Wednesday, September 20, at 6:30 PM. There is still room for you if you are interested in being a part of this study. We also have a men’s small group that meets on Saturday morning and a ladies group that meets this Saturday and every other Saturday. Call or email Annette Juhlin or me if you need any details about any of these small groups.

If the recent hurricanes and other natural disasters have put in you a desire to volunteer when these disasters occur, there is a disaster relief training on Monday, September 18 at Trinity Baptist in Reedsburg, Wisconsin from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM. Contact me for more information.

We will have a pot luck luncheon this Sunday, September 17, after our morning worship. Bring enough food for you family and a little extra for any guests we will have.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Tuesday to all! I hope you had a relaxing holiday yesterday. (I know some of you even had to work on Labor day. I am sorry about that!) Sunday was a good day as we worshipped the eternal King of the universe together. He alone is the true and living God who sought us to forgive us and give us eternal life. We praise His name! I hope the message helped us to deal with the fears that all of us face from time to time. We can acknowledge our fears to God and take them to Him and He will deliver us from all our fears. The all-powerful God loves us and is watching over us as His children!

I want to remind the youth of the lock-in next Friday, September 15, here at the East Madison building. Also, the Called-Out Conference is coming up on October 13-15. This will be a time of growth and fun and I encourage our youth to go. Talk to Damon or Megan Tolhurst for details on either of these events.

There will be a short meeting for those interested in being a part of the new small intensive discipleship group this Sunday, September 10th following the morning worship. At the meeting, we will be trying to find a night that works for all who are interested in being a part of this study.

We will observe the Lord’s Supper this Sunday, September 10th during our morning worship service.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church