Mt. Carmel No. 1

Sunday was a beautiful day to worship. Just as beautiful were the flowers in the church for our Homecoming celebration of 78 years. We are thankful for all who attended services.

Donald Liveoak, our music director, welcomed our visitors and home family, and Bro. Derrell led the opening prayer.

Our hearts and souls were touched with the singing and praise songs sung by the quartet “To the End.” The music was great and the spirit of the Lord was felt. We are so thankful for Christian men who stand and sing praises to the Lord.

We were thankful to have one of our own from years past, Dr. Larry Patterson, son of the late Bro. Curtis Patterson, with us. Dr. Patterson was licensed my Mount Carmel on Aug. 26, 1973, and is now serving as pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Bay Minette, Ala. His message was taken from Matthew 14:22-33, titled “Christ’s Action for Christians.”

Jesus spoke about living as one of his disciples and as a member of the church, concluding with the command to make disciples of all nations. Peter walked on the water toward Jesus until he took his eyes off Jesus, then he began to sink. Jesus then reached out his hand and caught Peter, asking, “Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Ask yourself whether you are living as a disciple of Jesus, as well as how you can tell others the story of Jesus.

We enjoyed the visit from Dr. Patterson and his wife, Wanda. We look forward to seeing them again soon.

Also visiting with us on Sunday was Bro. Larry Felkins and his wife, Judy. We always welcome them to visit any time and we appreciate their presence. Our prayers are with you.

We want to thank everyone who participated in getting the church and grounds ready for Homecoming. We also thank those who attended services. We enjoyed lunch and fellowship together.

Remember to pray for our nominating committee. Let us pray for each other to do God’s will if asked to fill a position. A special prayer concern is for Lou Liveoak, Barbara and Winston Liveoak, Elladene Mims, unspoken requests, our church and our nation. Remember to pray for each other. We will see you in church on Sunday.

Rocky Mount United Methodist Church

What a great way to end your Sunday morning worship service—with a picnic!  Homecoming at Rocky Mount was different this year in that we didn’t have the regular convention singing, but we still had plenty of food to fill our bodies after filling our souls with a great message and great music. Mike Gothard, accompanied by his wife, Martha, presented, “How Long Has It Been Since You Talked With the Lord.” Such a great song, and a reminder of how we need to have our quiet time and not only talk to, but listen to, the Lord.

Our scripture lesson came from Luke 11:1-13. How much more will our Heavenly Father love us than we can possibly love him?  We serve a God who throws us parties when we mess up and forgives us for all of our transgressions. God loves us so much that he gave us his only son so that we may have life eternal. He answers our prayers, even when we can’t pray or don’t know how to pray. Jesus stretched out his arms for us and promised to save us from our sins. God knows the depth of our sins, but he still chooses to love us.

We hope you want to know this God and be a part of his kingdom. We serve a God who has given us great things, but nothing to compare to the riches with which he has blessed us.