Church News for Oct. 15

Published Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Lime Springs United Methodist Church

Bro. Shannon brought the morning message from John 3:16. He reminded us that Jesus Christ came to save all people. However, Jesus saves us on His terms and not ours. One of the terms we must accept to be saved is "moving toward holiness" each day. Growing in holiness is not just a privilege; it is also a command from God: "Be thou perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect."

To move toward holiness daily requires giving our lives completely to Christ. Sadly, many people are not willing to make that final commitment. Why? Too many people are like the rich man in Mark 10:21 who had desire, motivation, emotions and resources to follow Christ completely but failed to give his life completely to Jesus because the cost was too high.

Bro. Shannon completed the message by reminding us of the danger of "once saved, always saved" theology. He shared several scriptures, including the story of the prodigal son, to prove this point.

We closed the service by receiving Holy Communion.

Our evening Bible study focused on Moses and the Exodus story.

Happy birthday to Elijah Crawford.

Our service times are as follows: Sunday School at 9:30 a.m.; Sunday morning worship at 11; evening Bible study at 5:30; and Wednesday night prayer meeting at 6:30.

For more information concerning Lime Springs, please call 755-6356.

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Friendship Baptist Church

Bro. Gene's message was from Matthew 23:1-12. Jesus pronounces woes upon the religious leaders. Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach."

Before we follow anyone, we need to know where they are going.

During the evening service, Jessie Mims sang "Daddy's Hand."

Bro. Gene's message was from Matthew 23:13-36. Jesus pronounces woes upon the religious leaders: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

As Christians, we must be complete. We do not need to look like Christians on only the outside, but on the inside as well.

Don't be a hypocrite. Be clean on the inside as well as the outside.

Happy birthday this week to Dianne Varden and Cassie Wakefield.

Prayer requests: unspoken requests, Josh Cleckler, Nick and Pattie Hughins, McCall family, pastor and family, Jeremy Alberts, our church, Sam Maniscalco, Mindy Weeks, U.L. Gore, Edith Williams.

Upcoming events:

Oct. 24: Youth hayride and cookout at the Glovers'.

Oct. 31: Children's department will go to the Tannehill Festival at noon (eat before you come). Cost is $12 per child. Children can dress up if they want to. The festival will include pony rides, face painting, space bounce, trick-or-treating and more.

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Christ Independent Methodist Church

Sunday, Dr. Mac Stinson took his scripture reading from Mark 10:17-30 and called his sermon "The Deal of a Lifetime."

We are all looking for that good deal, aren't we? Mark tells us of a man who came to Jesus asking, "Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"

Jesus said to him, "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God."

We all know how Jesus continued talking to the man and gave him the answer to his question. Unfortunately, it was not the answer that the man wanted to hear, so both he and Jesus parted sadly.

He refused the deal of a lifetime that Jesus offered him. It pays to be careful what we ask for. God hears and answers every prayer request, sometimes "yes" and sometimes "no." Be sure you want what you ask for. God is busy filling requests.

The man in our story led a charmed life and kept all the commandments, but he asked Jesus for an answer that he was unwilling to accept (Mark 10:21-22).

We request your prayers for Tanya Dawson and Cindy McCavitt. Cindy is giving bedside care to a critically ill family member and needs our concerned prayer.

We request your prayers for members of our church family who are traveling this week. Some are returning home and some will be getting on the road heading out.

Always let us remember to pray for our military, church, community, ourselves and each other.

If you were absent Sunday, you were missed. We hope you can be present next Sunday.

Have a blessed week.

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Mt. Carmel Baptist Church No. 1

It's always good to be in God's house, singing and praising our Lord with his people.

Bro. Junior Davenport introduced our guest speaker for the day, Bro. Justin Nelson. His morning message, "The Gospel of Salvation," was taken from John 3:1-21: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, 'Ye must be born again.'"

Bro. Justin did a wonderful job with his message.

Also, the evening sermon was great. His sermon was taken from Matthew 16:24-28: "The Cost of Discipleship."

Discipleship will cost you your life, but it will gain you eternal life.

We enjoyed and we welcome Bro. Justin and his family.

Sunday afternoon, several church members gathered at the home of Robert and Minnie Childress. They have been on our sick list for some time and missing church, so we took our service to their home.

Bro. Marty Smith and Bro. Johnny Giles read from the Bible. There was also congregational singing led by Holly Smith and special songs by Pat Hayes and Johnny Giles.

October is World Hunger Month. We will be having a "poor man's supper" for world hunger this Sunday night following the service. Please bring simple foods like vegetables (no meat). We ask for a donation in the amount of what you would spend for a meal for you and your family. Please come join us and help with this mission project.

Please join us in daily prayer for the names and requests listed on our prayer list. We would welcome you to come join us Sundays and Wednesday night services.

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Mount Bethel Baptist Church

Our worship Sunday was great as usual. It started with a song of praise followed by prayer, after which we went into our Bible study classes.

The Rev. Oneal Cleckler's sermon was taken from 2 John 8 and Revelation 4:10. Bro. Cleckler's message was on rewards.

There are five rewards we should gain through prayer. The rewards we gain are crowns, including 1) the crown of incorruption by overcoming worldly things, 2) the crown of rejoicing by leading lost souls to Christ, 3) the crown of righteousness by looking forward to the day of Christ's return, 4) the crown of life by enduring trials, and 5) the crown of glory by feeding the flock or preaching and teaching God's word.

Bro. Cleckler started a study in the doctrine of prayer and the way we should pray for our prayers to be effected (Matthew 6:9-13, 7:7-8, 18:19-20). The acronym forms the word PRAY: (P) praise him, (R) repent, (A) ask God for daily provisions and (Y) yield.

Happy birthday this week to Darrell and Dawn Blow, and happy anniversary to Rusty and Sherry Easterling.

Visitors are invited to join us for worship and fellowship. Sunday School is at 10 a.m.; morning worship at 11; Discipleship Training at 5 p.m. and evening worship at 6.

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Rocky Mount United Methodist Church

In Jeremiah, we learn that the Lord came to Jeremiah and told him that he had known him, even before his birth and that he had been ordained as a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah tenaciously clung to his assigned task through years of rejection and persecution and he was a tribute to the grace of God. God has a plan for each of us. We must pray and listen for God's direction. We must be truthful to ourselves in our understanding of the difference of God's will or our will. We must pray about everything, even in regarding to reading the Bible. When the time comes, what are you going to give to God? Is it yourself? Or is it a big house, an expensive car or any other number of things that the Lord doesn't need? God has a plan for each of us. We just have to open our hearts to the understanding of it.

Next Sunday, Oct. 18, the Rev. Marvin Edmondson will preach at our 11 a.m. worship service. His message is "How Beautiful Heaven Must Be." Come and be blessed. Rev. Edmondson is a retired Methodist minister and once served the Rocky Mount congregation.

Remember that our parking lot will be a fun place to visit on Oct. 30 with trunk-or-treat fun.

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Samaria Baptist Church

We had a wonderful day in the house of the lord at Samaria Baptist Church. We celebrated pastor appreciation day with members stating their love and support for our fine pastor. We also presented him a monetary donation for the occasion. We had a good crowd today, and several visitors.

Our special music was sung by Payton Knight; a high school junior, and she blessed our hearts with "Perfect People."

Our pastor's message was taken from Acts 8:5-25. His emphasis was that the apostles enjoyed great power, given to them through the holy spirit, and we can also receive this same power by our faith. In the absence of our pianist, Christy Bryant served us well as pianist. We welcome Christy and her family to join us anytime.

Our homecoming will be next Sunday, Oct. 18, beginning at 9:30. Featured singers will be Broken Vessel Ministries, with Steve Roberson, Lisa and Scott Roberts. We hope you will plan to come if Samaria is your home, or if you are looking for a church home. Remember: this is the day the lord hath made. Let us rejoice, and be glad in it. Live each day as if it were your last. God bless you.

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Bethsalem Baptist Church

Bro. Brad Eubank preached the Sunday morning message, "My Friendship Connection: Inviting Others," from John 1:35-51.

Sunday evening's message was a continuation of the series on 12 extraordinary women in scripture. This week's focus was the Samaritan woman and her encounter with Jesus.

Wednesday night is supper at 5:45 p.m., followed by prayer meeting, choir practice and programs for all ages.

Pray for Our Friendship Connection, Dot Smith, James Moore, Debra Mims, W.L. Broome, Margaret Wyatt, Charles Blow, Cleo Pack, Hollan Horton, Hanna Vines, Shelia Wright, Sylvia Wingard, Carol Gore, Christy Brown, Lemerle Shed, Carol Frucci, Joy Smith, Ken Messer, Ken Scott, Elaine Hayes, Tina Beard, Ronald Smith, Wilburn Gleen, James McGowan.

Remember our new pictorial directory Oct. 15-17.

Tell someone about Jesus this week.

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Oak Grove Church of God

Bro. Northcutt took his text from Nehemiah 2:11-18, and the title of his message was "Proper Preparations."

No task can be successfully completed without proper preparation, whether it be repainting a house trim that has been cracked by the elements or becoming a teacher. A cracked painted surface must be first scraped and cleaned before repainting for the results to be what you want. A person cannot just decide to be a teacher and simply walk into a classroom and start teaching. First a teacher must spend a period of time acquiring the knowledge needed on the subject as well as the skills needed to properly present the subject matter in an effective way. The same is true with our ministry for God and His church where it is as a nursery worker, a bible class teacher or a pastor. When God places a call on us for a ministry He does not expect us to just charge headlong into it without first making preparation. Moses spent 40 years on the backside of the desert getting his life in balance for his ministry. Elisha spent many years of apprenticeship under Elijah preparing for his ministry. Samuel spent his entire childhood in preparation under the High Priest Eli to become one of the greatest prophets of Israel. Even Jesus spent a number of years in preparation for His ministry as the bible states that He "grew in grace and knowledge."

Oak Grove is a loving and caring church striving to better serve our God and our community. There is a true worship experience for the young and the old and all those in between, so come and worship with us.

If you do not have a church home we invite you to come worship God with us and be a part of our church family at Oak Grove. Service times are: Sunday School at 10 a.m., worship service at 10:45, Sunday evening service at 5:30 and Wednesday night service at 7.

Our church is easy to find. When you leave Clanton heading south on US 31 turn left at Peach Park and follow the signs to Oak Grove Church of God.

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Bethany Baptist Church

Fifty-two Weeks to a Better You: Memory verse for this week is 1 Peter 3:15: "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."

Sunday morning, Bro. Aubry brought a good message from Philippians 3:12-21. The Apostle Paul had learned to be content with any circumstances that came his way (see Philippians 4:11). However, it seems he was never content with his level of spirituality. In Philippians 3:14 he stated that he was "pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Bro. Aubry urged us not to be satisfied with the way things are at our church, or with where we are in our spiritual lives, but to always be striving to grow spiritually. If we are content, shame on us!

We were surprised when our pastor said he was beginning a series on the "Dog Days." But this does not mean what we may think, but the D.O.G. Days -- the Depend On God Days, focusing on how various Bible characters depended on God. There are always times of trouble when we feel we have nowhere to turn, when the only "light at the end of the tunnel" may be the freight train headed straight for us. But God is always there for us, willing to deliver. In the text Sunday night (Exodus 14:10-14) the situation the Israelites were in seemed hopeless, but Moses reminded them in verses 13 and 14 not to be afraid, that the Lord would fight for them. What an encouragement!

Upcoming Events: Nov. 1-4, Revival meeting at Bethany. Times are Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Monday through Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Nov. 15-18 there will be a revival meeting at Landmark in Prattville. The Thanksgiving mission offering goal is $1,800.

Prayer list: Bonnie and Gerald Burks, Lillian Burkhalter, Lela Mae Courtney, Mildred Crawford, Bro. Mike Faulkner and family; Doug and Helen Mims, Ellen Gray, Billie Neeley, families of Audrey Griffin and Doris Driver, James Robinson, Pastor and Mrs. Wallace, Zachary Jackson (in Afghanistan), revival.

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Jackson Chapel

Bro Dennis' text for Sunday morning came from Genesis 27:18-24. God loves everyone and he doesn't show any favoritism to anyone. We are to bring up our children in the ways of the Lord and when they are old they will not depart from it. We as parents have a very important role in our children's lives, and we are to live a godly life in front of them because they walk in our footsteps.

The service ended with several coming to pray, and immediately following the altar service, Bro Dennis got the privilege to baptize Faith Castleberry.

Sunday evening, Bro Dennis' text came from Romans 5:1-11. When things begin to happen to us, God will look down and see what is going on in our lives. He will let us know that he does see exactly what is going on and that he will take care of the situation the way that he sees fit.

The service ended with several coming to pray, and several also came forward to be anointed and prayed for. If you missed the service, you missed a blessing because the Holy Spirit was truly present.

Please remember these as you pray this week: Freddie and Jean Mayfield, Gary and Gail Fant, Bro. Dennis Smith, Billy Burnett, J.E. Burnett, DeVaughn Welcher's mom, our lost loved ones, the Phillip Jones family, Virginia Cole, Mason and Matthew Pate, Orell Baker and our service men and women.

We are located at 4020 Yellowleaf Road in Clanton. Our service times are as follows: Sunday School at 10, morning worship at 11, evening worship at 6, and Wednesday night prayer meeting and Bible study at 7. We also have Kid's Club on Wednesday nights at 7 for grades 1-6.

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Walnut Creek United Methodist Church

Taylor Hughes is back and doing well after his accident on Wednesday. We are glad to have him back.

A spaghetti lunch will be served Sunday, Oct. 25 after worship to benefit the youth.

Happy birthday this month to Chris Calloway (Oct. 22), Jenson Gore (Oct. 28), Johnny Mims (Oct. 18), Jamie Mims (Oct. 28) and Allen Popwell (Oct. 12).

Happy anniversary to Linda Stewart (Oct. 28).

During our time for children, Diane Handley asked, "Are you good enough?" The young rich man asked Jesus, "What can I do to gain eternal life?" First, you must sell everything you own and give it to the poor. We might think that's real hard, but we know that it's only through God that we can be saved.

Remember those on our sick list: Myrtice Enfinger, Russell McGriff, Grayson Gore and Melinda Puckett.

Flowers were placed by Debbie Popwell, and the beautiful arrangement was by our own Viriginia Rose Littlefield.

Our scripture was from Psalm 90. After reading the entire scripture in such a reverent way, Bro. Tony said, "Wisdom and God are interchangeable. Life is short. It has its good moments and days that are empty. Teach us to number our days and remember how few there are, help us to spend them as we should."

God knows the number of our days. He knows everything. Nothing is hidden from Him. God is not going to judge you. Your life, your wisdom, or lack thereof, will judge you.

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