Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Romans 12:11

 Worship Services

    8:25 a.m., 9:40 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. - Sanctuary

  11:00 a.m. - Journey, The Loft

  11:00 a.m. - Hispanic Service, Chapel

  Bible Study

    8:25 a.m. & 9:40 a.m. 

An Open Letter To Dr. Bob Hatfield

On behalf of the Dawson Family of Faith, thank you for faithfully ministering to our church for almost 36 years. You have served this congregation for 40% of its existence. However, the longevity of your ministry is not your legacy. Your legacy is the quality and the compassion of your service to the Lord.

While you are a very gifted musician, excellent choral director, and outstanding worship leader, your ministry extended far beyond any of your concentrated special skills. Whether you were leading a standing room only congregation at Candlelight or speaking with an individual Chapel Choir member about his or her calling, you were able to communicate both your genuine interest and the love of God. You have the gift of making every person you talk to feel important and aware that they are created in the image of God.

Your sensitivity to the leadership of the Holy Spirit was very evident in the way you planned and led congregational worship. During your 36 years at Dawson, you have led over 5,000 worship experiences. Through your hymn and choral anthem selections, you helped shape and form the theology of thousands of people. Through singing, you helped us to put into words what we believe and what we have spiritually experienced. You rejoiced with your church family in times of celebration, and you have grieved with your church family in times of sorrow.

I have so appreciated your commitment to excellence. The excellence of your planning and preparation was revealed in the excellence of your performance. You, and the musicians you led, have always been spiritually prepared and properly rehearsed. The only regret I have in your ministry at Dawson is that not everyone had the opportunity to experience a "Bob Hatfield" choir rehearsal. Soon after I moved to Dawson, choir members told me that a highlight of the week is your Wednesday night rehearsal. On more than one occasion, I have stood in the hall outside the Choir Room (or in the lower transepts of the Sanctuary) to listen and experience. You not only prepared the choir, but you also prepared me for our Sunday morning worship experiences.

Your family has ministered to Dawson as well. Polly’s gracious spirit and personal warmth has enhanced your ministry. Kim and Rob were models of Christian character while growing up at Dawson. Now, as adults, they and their spouses are Christian leaders and role models. We thank you for sharing your family with Dawson and your family for sharing you with us.

Your church family thanks you and praises God for these 36 years, and we anticipate God continuing to use you in our lives in your new ministry role at Dawson.

I am so privileged to have the opportunity to be a co-laborer in the kingdom with you. I cherish our friendship and am so grateful that we will be able to continue to serve together.

Your fellow minister, friend, and brother in Christ,

Gary Fenton

Honor Dr. Bob Hatfield today, July 20, 2014, as he retires as our Minister of Music. You have three opportunities to celebrate. You may join the Sanctuary Choir for the 9:40 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. services (please visit www.celebratingbob.com for details and music), attend a church-wide reception in the Fellowship Hall from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and/or attend the Chapel Choir Home Concert at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary which Dr. Hatfield will conclude by leading the Chapel Choir and alumni in singing "Let There Be Peace on Earth."

Please make plans to participate in one or all of these events as Dawson celebrates Bob Hatfield’s ministry!

Church-wide Reception

3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall

Chapel Choir Home Concert

6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Dawson has two mission teams in the field this week: the Peru team led by Bill and Paulette Rogers (July 19-27) and a Honduras team led by David Knight (July 19-25). Dawson annually sends a medical missions team to Peru to provide free treatment, eyeglasses, and medicines, while the Honduras team works each year with our partners, the Forgotten Children’s Ministry, to provide discipleship for teenagers, food for the community, and Bible studies for children. These mission trips also provide the opportunity to share the gospel with the people who are ministered to throughout the week. Please join us in praying for both of our teams and that hearts will be prepared to receive the good news of God’s love.

July 26–August 3, Somotillo and Corinto, Nicaragua

On July 26, a mission team from Dawson representing For Love of The Game will travel to Nicaragua to partner with Because We Care Ministries. For Love of The Game is an organization that combines the love of baseball with the love that Christ has for all humankind. John 13:35 says, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Please pray for the members of this team and for the people with whom they will come in contact throughout the week.

Monday–Thursday, July 21-24, 9:00 a.m.–Noon

The week of Hispanic VBS is a special week at Dawson. Over 100 children from the Birmingham area will attend four days of learning about God’s love. The theme for this year is Agency D3. Kids will hone their investigative skills to learn about the life of Jesus. They will discover what the Bible says and "check out" the evidence that proves Jesus is God’s Son.  Most of the children who attend Hispanic VBS are visitors to Dawson, so this is an incredible outreach opportunity for our Hispanic Congregation. It is our hope that when this exciting week is over, seeds will be planted and lives will be changed!

Please join us in praying for our volunteers—that they will effectively communicate the Bible truths to the children they teach. And pray that God will prepare the hearts of every child who attends, so they will increase in wisdom concerning His word.

This July, we are collecting back-to-school supplies for students in Coy, Alabama, Dawson’s adopted community in the Black Belt region of South Alabama. Your donations of paper, pens, pencils, crayons, and any new school supply are greatly needed and appreciated. Collection tubs are located at the Church Office and the welcome desk in the Arendall Building. Please contact David or Denise Bivin if you have questions or are available to help.

Clothes for boys in larger sizes are needed so that Kids Connection can meet the needs of the kids we serve. Please see if you have gently used clothes you can donate. You will make a difference in the lives of some young men.

Sunday July 20, 6:00 p.m., Sanctuary

The Dawson Chapel Choir returns this Sunday after a very successful week of ministry in Denver, Colorado. The Chapel Choir will present their Home Concert at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. This past week, 106 students and sponsors traveled to Denver for an important week of ministry and community building. On this 60th year anniversary of the Chapel Choir, please join us this evening as we reflect on the tour’s theme, "For the Glory of Your Name"; commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Chapel Choir; and celebrate the ministry of Dr. Bob Hatfield as he retires as Dawson’s Minister of Music.

The Chapel Choir Home Concert is always a highlight of the summer for the Dawson Family of Faith, and this year’s concert will be a very special evening of rejoicing and thanksgiving!

The Dawson Preschool and dawson kids Ministries are currently recruiting leaders for the upcoming church year which begins in August. There are many ways to get involved in these ministries to help plant God’s Word in young hearts and encourage forever relationships with Jesus Christ. For more information about serving opportunities, please contact Brooke Gibson, Minister of Preschoolers, or Danielle Bell, Minister of Children.

Wednesday, August 6, 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., Social Hall

Why do so many people have Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD? How can individuals with ADD/ADHD stay focused and be productive and not be too medicated? What can parents and teachers do to help individuals with this disorder? What can parents and teachers do when they see ADD affect someone’s self-esteem or compromise their school performance and even their social skills? What is the "latest" information on medication, coping techniques, and how nutrition impacts the disorder? Dawson is pleased to have Dr. Bert Pitts founder of Pitts and Associates, located in Homewood as our guest speaker. Who would benefit from attending? School teachers, parents and grandparents, Sunday School teachers, DMA teachers, babysitters, and the list goes on. Please mark your calendar to attend this very informative program.

Stephen Ministers are laypersons who have undergone training in distinctively Christian caring skills. Since 1993, we have trained well in excess of 100 persons to serve as Stephen Ministers here at Dawson. Beginning August 11, our new semester of training will begin. You are encouraged to sign up by August 10 for this great opportunity of training and to become a Stephen Minister at Dawson.

Dawson’s Cradle Care Team is a group of moms who meet monthly to pray for the expectant families in our church family. Each expectant family is assigned a Cradle Care caregiver who ministers to them throughout their pregnancy, birth, and baby dedication. Look for the New and Expectant Parents Announcement Board in the Preschool Atrium to find out who’s new and who’s due! Please contact Brooke Gibson, Minister of Preschoolers, if you would like to volunteer to be a part of the Cradle Care Ministry or if you know of an expectant family who needs to be added to the Cradle Care Ministry prayer list.

Collide is brought to you by dawson kids and the Dawson Children’s Choir Ministry and is for kids in grades 1-5 on Wednesday nights starting this fall. Please visit www.dawsonchurch.org/collide and subscribe to updates for this exciting new ministry.

Did you know that the Dawson Music Academy currently has 250 students taking private lessons in harp, percussion, flute, trombone, baritone, violin, viola, cello, piano, voice, clarinet, guitar, ukulele, harmonica, mandolin, trumpet, and bassoon in addition to 40 families participating in Kindermusik classes? Registration for 2014-15 is available online at www.dawsonchurch.org/dma.

Kindermusik classes with the Dawson Music Academy are available this fall on Mondays at 9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:10 p.m. in addition to Tuesdays at 9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 11:45 a.m. For more information or to register for Kindermusik, please visit www.kindermusikotm.com.

Read "Fenton's Friday Five" for observations and insights about being faithful at www.dawsonchurch.org/fridayfive.

Dutton Bonnell and family in the death of his wife, Marilyn Bonnell

Lynn and Lee Dorrill and family in the death of Lee’s grandmother

Joy and Sam Fitch in the death of Sam’s father and Lauren Fitch, Anna Kate Fitch, and Michael Fitch in the death of their grandfather

Jennifer and Lee Langston and family in the death of Jennifer’s grandfather

Marilyn Jean Bonnell ~ July 5, 2014

Lance and Brittainy Millsaps

              (Addison and Clayton)

Sunday sermons, by Dr. Gary Fenton, are available on CD in the Marketplace (located in the Foyer) immediately following the 11:00 a.m. service ($4 each). 

Dawson’s 11:00 a.m. Sunday Worship Service is broadcast (one week delayed) on WIAT 42, Sundays at 10:00 a.m.