My name is Jonas Taylor.

I
attend Rolla High School and am
graduating this year. My parents
are
Daren
and Jeanne
Taylor and I
have one sister, Faith. My
parents grew
up in Texas
and
my
grandparents
are currently living there. I love all
the Texas sports teams and frequently go to Texas. I am a certified umpire and love umpiring softball and baseball. I love sports.
I have been going to First
Assembly my whole life. I have participated in many events growing
up in the church. I went to VBS as a
kid and had a blast. I have gone to
kids camp and youth camp and I
recommend going or trying to get
your child to go.
I have also participated in
Fine Arts, which is where you use
your talents to exemplify Jesus. No
matter how good or bad I perform,
I am doing it for an audience of
one: Jesus. I have played my trumpet, given a short sermon and spoken word, and have participated in
an alternative percussion group;
that is where we bang on things
that arent drums.
I have also helped set up a
couple youth Christmas parties
and a youth lock-in. I have greeted
in the mornings handing out the
bulletins. Greeting is a way that

My name is Braiden Wells,

and I am a member of First Assembly of God, Rolla. I am a graduating
senior at Rolla High School, and
this August Ill be moving to Springfield to attend Evangel University. I
have two sisters and an adopted
three year old brother. My mother,
Darla, is a Pre
-K special edu c a t i o n
teacher
at
Wyman and
my
father,
Jon,
is
a
Chaplain at
Boys
and
Girls Town. I hope that I can attain
a degree in Biochemistry in premed, and eventually work in pediatrics. I am a member of our local
High Schools jazz band, jazz choir,
NHS, and many other extracurricular activities. However, what I find
most important in any young adult
is an avid relationship with Christ.
I was born in Springfield,
MO, while my parents were earning
their degrees from Evangel University. From the start I was attending
church every Sunday, and as a kid
the thought of not having such a
connection with the church was
unimaginable. When we first
moved to Rolla my father was
hired as the youth pastor here at
First Assembly, and for many years
I grew up in the church community.
However, when my mother began
receiving job offers to revive other
churchs kids and youth programs,

(Jonas continued on page 6)

(Braiden continued on page 5)

My family moved to Rolla

when I was 18 months old. With
that said,
Rolla, MO,
is the only
home
I
have ever
known. My
family
is
made up of
my dad and
mom, Clive
and Patti Adams, and Mackynze
and Michaela, my two older sisters.
Being the youngest in my family is
something I have always enjoyed!
This past year my dad had a job
change that moved my family near
the St. Louis area and I have had
the privilege of living with the Gibson family (Pastor Jason, Erin, Hannah, Gracie, and Josiah) so I could
finish out my senior year of high
school. Even though it has been
difficult to be away from my family,
it has been a true blessing to live
with the Gibsons and I think of
them to be my other family.
In 2010, my family started
attending First Assembly, the year I
was going into 7th grade. Over the
past 6 years I have been involved
in the Fine Arts program, KidCare
America (the after school program
our church hosts), and just recently
Junior Bible Quiz. Being involved in
church has allowed me to serve
God in different ways, including
some ways I didnt see myself serving, and for that I am thankful. It
has caused me to grow closer to
(Macey ontinued on page 4)

ANNUAL PATRIOTIC MUSICAL SET FOR END OF JUNE

God Bless the U.S.A. is our patriotic musical this
year and is developed around one of the most popular
patriotic songs of the last 25-30 years. The music celebrates our nation's legacy of deep faith and great
freedom.
It includes classic favorites such as
America, the Beautiful and Youre a Grand Old
Flag and has new songs such as I Love These Fifty
States. One song in particular, While Theres Time, tells
us to thank our veterans for
all theyve done and the difference theyve made in our
lives, while theres still time.
Another song, In God We Still
Trust, reminds us that God is
the source of our strength
and the One who watches
over us. We pray that God will
bless America...not because
we deserve it more than any other place on earth, but
because we recognize that our nation is totally dependent on Him. God Bless the U.S.A.
Our speaker this year is Chaplain (COL) Michael
Thomas who was born in Marshall, Missouri. He is a
1982 graduate of Hannibal LaGrange College, Hannibal, Missouri, with a Bachelor of Theology. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
in 1986 with a Master of Divinity and received a Mas-

ters in Leadership and Ethics from John Brown University in 2002. Chaplain Thomas served as the pastor of the Emmanuel Baptist Chapel, Oskaloosa, Iowa,
from 1987-1991. Chaplain Thomas received a direct
commission as a First Lieutenant in the Iowa Army
National Guard, April 1988, serving as Battalion
Chaplain, 734th Maintenance Battalion and then entered active duty in 1991.
Chaplain Thomas awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal with four
oak leaf clusters, Army Accommodation Medal with
three oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal
four oak leaf clusters and the Joint Meritorious Unit
Citation. He and his wife Sandra have two adult children, Ashley and Curtis.
This event will be
held on Sunday, June 26
at 10 am in a combined
service. The church invites all current and former servicemen and
women to wear their uniforms, and be recognized during the service.
Each year, the patriotic service draws large crowds,
and we ask that you park to the back of the lots to
leave room for visitors if possible.

As I sit here reflecting upon why Youth Church is important, I am quickly immersed in memories from
my days as a teenager. I have fond memories from those years and many of them are rooted in my Youth
Church.
Youth Church gave me a chance to build numerous solid, faith-based relationships. As I navigated my
way through High School, there always seemed to be someone in the hallway, on my band trip, down the hallway, or at a sporting event that was part of my Youth Church. We were able to hold each other accountable and
encourage each other regularly. We also spent many hours outside of school hanging out. While many in my
class were getting together to drink on the weekends, my Youth Group friends and I created our own parties
with games, bonfires, and worship sessions.
I was (and still am) a little on the quiet side. It was extremely difficult for me to strike up conversations
with students who didnt share my faith. But Youth Church provided me with opportunities to invite students to
outreach events and begin those hard conversations. Two girls who ended up being some of my closest friends
in high school were saved at our Mudbowl outreach event.
My youth pastor called out the leader in me. Left on my own, I would have silently sat back, but my
youth pastor put a microphone in front of me to share my testimony on more than one occasion. He knew and
believed that my story was as important as anyone elses story. He encouraged me and challenged me in a
way that led me to be one of the keynote speakers at my high school baccalaureate. Sharing my heart for the
Lord in front of a crowd of hundreds was never something I thought I would do.
God made us with a need for community. As Christians, we need a place where our community is built
on a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. We need the accountability, the encouragement, and the challenge it
provides. Youth Church offers a place for that to happen for teenagers. If you have a teenager or know one, encourage them to fully take advantage of Youth Church!

No deity will save us; we must save ourselves. So states the Humanist Manifesto II, a document of the American Humanist Association (AHA)
published in 1973. It also declares, We find insufficient evidence for belief in the existence of a supernatural, and Promises of immortal salvation or fear
of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful.
It should not surprise you that the motto of the AHA
is Good without a God. Lets examine more tenets
of the worldview of Humanism, also called Secular
Humanism or Secularism.
Humanist Manifesto I, published in 1933,
helped to set the stage for the change in worldview of
the United States culture and practices, from theism,
a belief in God and an honoring of His laws, to atheism, a belief in no God and a spurning of His commands. Corollary beliefs included a total commitment to Evolutionary theory and a rejection of divine
Creation. Although having many lofty goals for humankind, the Humanist Manifesto II document also
rebuffed traditional moral codes, based on Biblical
Christianity, in favor of ethics which are autonomous
and situational needing no theological or ideological
sanction. This is also called relativism. It also incorporated the right to birth control, abortion and divorce and no prohibitions against sexual behavior
between consenting adults as well as a recognition
of an individuals right to die with dignity, euthanasia
and the right to suicide. As you have observed, secularist philosophies have fueled a steep decline in
American culture and morality, as evident in recent

jaw-dropping court decisions and government decrees. Ideas have consequences!

Secular Humanism has increasingly permeated our entire culture including political discourse, media and education. John Dewey, the father of modern
public education, was one of the authors and signers
of Humanist Manifesto I. [Smith 18] In higher education, the chances are ten times greater that students
will have a Secularist professor than one who holds to
traditional Judeo-Christian values. [Myers, Noebel 82]
Thank God we have many Christian teachers, staff
and administrators in the educational arena who
shine the light of Christ there.
No God. No Creator. No supernatural. No
eternity. No absolute moral standard. Man and this
life is the ultimate. Belief in God is a barrier to progress. Thats Secular Humanism in a nutshell, flattering man and renouncing God. So, what can we conclude? Can a worldview which rejects God completely
ever truly help mankind? What does the Scripture
say? Proverbs 1:7 and Psalm 111:10 instruct us that
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and
wisdom. Contrast this with Psalm 14:1 which warns
us that those who reject Gods existence end up being
corrupt. The irony of Secular Humanism, whose stated
goal is to bring mankind into its full potential, is that
by eliminating God, man is not ultimately helped, but
diminished. Lets heed Pauls exhortation in Colossians 2:8, See to it that no one takes you captive
through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of
this world rather than on Christ.
-Beverly Flori
Humanist Manifesto I & II
Jeff Myers & David A. Noebel, Understanding the Times: A Survey of
Competing Worldviews
New International Version Bible
Paul Smith, New Evangelicalism: The New World Order

THE NEED FOR CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CLASS

Christian Education has been an anchor for

our entire Christian lives. As teenagers both Marzetta and I were active in our respective churches in
Christian Ed. Looking back
we now appreciate the love
and passion that many of our
teachers taught with. Their
passion for the Word of God
impacted us on so many levels. We both went on to be
leaders in high school and
college with campus ministry
groups.
Christian Education provided the root structure for our lives. Preaching is a wonderful tool for
edifying believers. Christian Ed takes the preached
word and allows the believer to study, research and
evaluate how the scripture can be applied to their
lives.
Marzetta and I have taught several classes
here and at other churches. One thing has become
so apparent in our teaching of both youth and adult.
We now live in an age where many of us have become comfortable in our knowledge of the
Lord. Some of us have even become comfortable or
stagnant in our personal relationship with the
Lord. A famous Theologian once said, "the only thing
I am satisfied with is that I am not satisfied in my
relationship with The Father. My prayer for the body

of Christ is that we will hunger for more of Him. The

Bible promises that "those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled (Matthew 5:6).
As teachers for the high school class, we pray
that the Lord will ignite a passion in our young people
that will change their homes, their schools, our city
and eventually our nation for the glory of the
Lord. Lord, let Revival begin with Me!!!
Marzetta and I teach the 10th 12th grade students in room 301 during second service on Sunday
mornings. We would love to extend the invitation to
the other teens in the church who would like to get
plugged into a Christian Education class. Wed love
to have you and look forward to meeting you.
-Todd Neal

(Macey continued from page 1)

Him throughout my junior high and high school years!

Since my senior year has finished up, I have been
thinking a lot about what I want to do in the next
chapter of my life. I have plans to go to Evangel University in Springfield, MO, and pursue a major in English Education. My ideal job would be to teach 7th or
8th grade English. However, my dream job would be to
become a writer of some sort because that is what I
love to do! I am not totally for sure what God has in
store for me over these next few years, but with my
eyes on Him, I know He will lead me through it all!
-Macey Adams

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL IS COMING SOON!

VBS is coming July 11-15 from 8am to noon daily! This

year, strap on your helmets for an underground adventure in Cave Quest: Following Jesus the Light of the
World. Kids age 4 thru those entering 5th Grade will
start the day at Sing & Play Rock where they will meet
fun characters and learn exciting praise and worship
songs. After that theyll break up into groups to visit
different stations. Theyll have loads of fun playing at
Spelunker Sports & Games, explore fun science-y
gadgets and make cool crafts at Imagination Station,
eat yummy treats at the Cavern Caf, get to see videos of real kids just like them applying the daily Bible
Point to their lives in KidVidTM Cinema, and, most importantly, learn about following Jesus, the Light of the
World, in Deep Bible Quests. At the end of the day
they will all come back together for Cave Quest Clos(Braiden continued from page 1)

my family began moving from church to church. We

helped reinstate interactive programs to encourage
kids to attend their local church, and we even moved
to St. Louis to help churches there. However, after a
year in St Louis, my father received an offer to counsel and preach to troubled teens at Boys and Girls
Town. With this, my family moved back to Rolla, and
shortly after my mother began teaching in St James.
However, it was not until more recently that once
again I began to attend the church I remembered so
well growing up in. My experiences with so many different churches and the people that attend them,
whether there be less than twenty or far more than I
can count, has given me a bigger perspective on
Christian life, and I pray that my next transition into
adulthood can teach me to love God even more.
-Braiden Wells

ing where they will sing some more songs, watch a

slideshow created about THEM, and get a chance to
pray with one another. We need volunteers 12 years
and older to help make all this happen. Sign up
online
at
www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/
rollafirstassembly or at the VBS table in the church
foyer. For more information please contact Kristen
Schmid in person, on Facebook, by email at [email protected], or by phone (text or call) at
573-201-4904.
-Kristen Schmid

FIRST ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP

RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED
The scholarship committee is pleased to announce that due to the generous donations from our
church family, we have
been able to award 6
one time scholarships
this year! Scholarships
have been awarded to
the following first time
college freshmen: Tyler
Conway, Miranda Lane,
Kyle Morris, Leslie Perona, Joshua Rogers, and Jonas Taylor. A formal presentation during church will be made later this summer. Several of these students will be attending universities who provide matching funds for a church
scholarship, which makes this scholarship an even
greater investment in the education of our young people.
We are grateful to be able to be a small part of
the continuing education of our young people. Please
pray for these students, as well as all of our college
students, as they follow the Lords leading in their lives.
The scholarship committee is already making plans for
next years scholarships, so please pray about supporting this ministry to our students. If you wish to donate, please mark your envelope college scholarship.
-Kathi Garner

1603 N Olive

THE CONQUER SERIES: THE BATTLE PLAN FOR PURITY

Chains are being broken. Marriages are being
restored. For the first time in history, a cinematic
teaching series on sexual purity is here to offer men
proven principles and practical tools to conquer pornography and other sexual sins.
The Conquer Series, a project two years in the
making, is a comprehensive discipleship tool hosted
by Dr. Ted Roberts, who has for decades helped thousands of men find healing and freedom.
This five week curriculum lays out biblical strategies, scientific facts and, in military style, teaches men
how to use Gods weapons to conquer sexual sin.
Included in each DVD are action-packed reenactments based on Dr. Ted Roberts war experience as a
Marine fighter pilot in Vietnam. We take a look at the
battlefield, examine the bondage that takes place in
the mind and study key biblical principles to help men

prevail against the enemy.

The Conquer Series will be taught on Sunday
evenings at 6pm in the Open House at 1603 N Olive
beginning June 26. For more information about the
c la s s , p le a s e c o n t a c t T od d N ea l a t
[email protected].

(Jonas continued from page 1)

you can really see the church. After all it is the people
that make up the church not the building.
This youth group has meant a lot to me. All the
youth leaders are so helpful with guiding your walk
with Christ. Both Pastor Jason and Pastor Dalton have
helped my walk, and I eventually built up the courage
to do a full-length sermon in youth. I am thankful for
such great leaders helping lead me so I can lead others to Christ. Our youth leaders truly care about you.
When I was in the hospital this past August, Gibby,
Chuck Lawson, and several other church members
came to visit me, driving one and a half hours.
My plans now are to attend Evangel University
in Springfield, MO. I am excited to be going to a University that can help me get into a career that I want,
but also continuing to build my relationship with
Christ and teaching me how to lead in the workplace.
I plan to major in Biochemistry, and hopefully, one
day attend medical school. You never know what
Gods plans are, but His are the ones we need to follow.
-Jonas Taylor

OUR PASTORS

Jason Gibson
Youth Pastor

[email protected]

Sam Parker

After School &

Missions Director
[email protected]

Brian Feller

Childrens Pastor
[email protected]

Ray Cook

Associate Pastor
[email protected]

Chuck Whitmire
Lead Pastor

[email protected]

ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBERS

Karen Turner, Administrative Assistant [email protected]
Mark Berry, Facility Manager [email protected]
Stephanie Bingham, Business Administrator [email protected]
Abby Swearingen, Media Assistant [email protected]

NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT #116
ROLLA, MO

1608 N Oak St
Rolla MO 65401-2342

ERIN GIBSON
Pastors Corner

SECULAR HUMANISM
Worldview FAQs

YOUTH MINISTRY
Pages 4 & 5

GRADUATING STUDENTS
Spotlight Family

Congratulations to our
High School graduates!