FCDI:
First Church
Discipleship Institute

On behalf of our Senior Pastor Dr. Gary L. Williams, Sr. and the entire First Church staff we’d like to welcome you to the First Church Discipleship Institute (FCDI). FCDI is designed to equip and support the continued growth of the members of our congregation by providing biblical and practical teachings.  From youth age 15 to mature adults, FCDI offers various classes and courses of study to promote and facilitate the learning of the bible, its principles, and its application to life and ministry situations. 

First Baptist Church of Mandarin is committed to your Christian growth.  We believe it is God’s will for every believer in Jesus Christ to develop into a mature, knowledgeable, and ever growing vessel that He can use.  FCDI will help you regardless of your current stage of development in your faith walk.

FYI:

Classes are scheduled for each Tuesday night for the next eight weeks to begin promptly at 7:00 p.m.  To help offset supply and administrative cost, an offering will be taken up during the class.  Your class will be in the same location each week providing no unforeseen emergencies occur. 

Biblical Knowledge

What do you know about the Bible, the articles of faith, the men and women who make up the central characters of scripture? FCDI will guide the disciple student through a wide-ranging review of scriptures into a deeper knowledge of the Bible and the Christian Faith. Old and New Testament Surveys, the Sovereignty of God, the Life of Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit and Bible History are among some of the many topics that will be explored during FCDI.  If you’ve always wanted to know more about the Bible then we’ll see you in class.

Life Applications

What does God require in order for me to live “the abundant life?” In my family and relationships, my finances, my social life, my professional life, my day to day life. We believe the Holy Scripture is the panacea for life’s perplexing problems; but how do we put social feet to our scriptural faith? One of the main culprits hindering us is lack of knowledge.  As believers we all should have hope, but hope alone will not solve every problem. What we need is a stronger faith; “faith is the substance of things hoped for…” so we need more substance.  FCDI and the Life Application classes will assist the believer in the HOW TO’S of dealing with life’s issues. How to be a better father, how to lead a successful family. FCDI is the place for building personal faith by understanding more clearly the relationship between God’s Word and everyday life.  Highly practical and user-friendly, these classes will help to make what you know of scripture come to life by providing real tools for real people with real issues seeking real solutions.

Module 2

The Book of judges

Few periods of history are so much like our own as the time of the Judges--at one moment scaling the peaks of glory and at the next plunging headlong into the swamp of sin...The book of Judges is filled with people very much like us--people with God-given potential for greatness and unfailing capacity for catastrophe. In Judges you will find heroes with hearts of iron who trusted God, and made positive impacts on their times.  By looking in on the lives of Judges like Deborah, Gideon, and Samson we can learn principles that enable us to live powerful, productive lives amid a society that is increasingly hostile to loyal followers of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This book covers the period following the death of Joshua and the Israelites’ initial conquest of Canaan. During this time the people, wavering between apostasy and repentance, are ruled by individual leaders called Judges. Because they have not completed the conquest and occupation of the Promised Land, the Israelites begin to adopt sinful ways of the surrounding nations. A tragic cycle develops: Israel falls into sin; God disciplines with foreign oppression; the people cry to God for His help; God raises up a deliverer (Judge); peace is restored.

The Nurturing Parent

As you perhaps know being a strong Disciple of Jesus Christ is more than just biblical knowledge but God also calls us to be good and wise stewards over all the things He has given us.  This includes our families. As parent we have to admit by the grace of God we manage to get some of the parenting skills correct.  But then there are other areas in which we all can use a little coaching. “The Nurturing Parent” series is designed to assist parents with the tools necessary to raise healthy, well-adjusted children.  Going beyond the basics of providing for their physical needs, the course emphasizes teaching children discernment, self-awareness and behavioral management. 

The concepts of positive reinforcement and punitive consequences as learning tools for children are reinforced throughout the course with interactive activities to solidify their correct definitions and applications.  The information in this series is also designed to alleviate the pressure to which parents often subject themselves, in order to create a safe, relaxed environment in which both parent and child can thrive. During the course parent will have the opportunity to share some best practices secrets when it comes to raising children. “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child; but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.” Proverbs 22:15 (NIV); which simply means children by nature need guidance.  These sessions will help parent in a loving and Godly manner to be or to become better at being the God ordained guides their children so desperately need.
 —Facilitator Ms. Gail Antoine, Founder and CEO of Creating Healthy Families