Lime Springs United Methodist Church
Our Sunday School lesson focused on Revelation 11:1-14.
The morning message was taken from Joshua 6, on the importance of knocking down the walls in our lives that keep us from being the witnesses God desires. Bro. Shannon reminded us that many problems in this world can become stumbling blocks to us, like idolatry, greed, fear, depression and sickness. However, when we allow these blocks to remain in our lives, they can accumulate and become a wall. Like the Israelites facing Jericho, we must be prepared to knock those walls down. We do this by facing our problems and not running away from them, obeying God’s word instead of man, and being willing to march around our walls the seventh time. Then we can stand back and watch our walls come tumbling down.
Our Sunday evening Bible study focused on the Epistle of James.
Happy birthday to Josey Shannon and Angie Bates. Happy anniversary to Angie and Kenny Bates.
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 755-4950 or 755-6356.

Mt. Springs Church
The singing began with “I Will Not Be Denied,” “I’ll Be Somewhere Listening” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Bro. Rickey Bice thanked Bro. Gary Smitherman for supplying a place for the men and boys outing. Bro. Chris Thomas supplied the bales of hay for them to sit on. It’s good to see each one working together to make it a wonderful time of fellowship. If you missed it, you missed a blessing.
Bro. Rickey’s devotion was taken from Psalm 119:35. Don’t starve your soul. You need to feed your soul on God with prayer and Bible reading. What a wonderful devotion.
Geneva Johnson sang “I’m Still Amazed.” She blessed hearts as she sang.
Bro. Don’s message was taken from Psalm 63:1-11. King David wrote this psalm while he was in the wilderness. When you find yourself in the wilderness, it can be some dangerous times in your life. It feels like you are falling apart. What do you do?
Searching for God and the glory of God will transcend our wilderness. It is not where we are but whose we are. The lovingkindness of God continues to flow when everything else is gone. When everything seems to be going wrong, just praise God. We can rejoice just knowing we are in the shadow of his wings. King David knew that if God was for him, who could be against him?
The song service began with “Joy Unspeakable,” “I’ll Have a New Life,” “I Never Shall Forget the Day” and “Just a Little While.” Bro. Roger Cleckler sang, “I Own a Clear Title,” and Bro. Larry Johnson played for him to sing. How wonderful to see people use their talent for the Lord. Bro. Sam Ross let God use him as he brought the message from Mark 12:28-34. The Lord wants a mature relationship.
Each Christian should strive for a mature relationship with God. Our faithfulness to God’s house is an example of our maturity. We must tell others of Christ and what he has done for us and represent a loving and caring God in our lives. We also need to tell Christ how much we love him. It is good to see Christ using our young people. They are the church of tomorrow. Be sure to pray for Bro. Sam as God uses him and opens doors for him to present God’s word.
Our hearts are heavy as we learned of Bro. Tony Greene’s death. Most of you have seen him sing with the Greenes. Remember Taranda, his wife and his children, and his entire family. As we understand, they were at his bedside and sang to him as he stepped into heaven.
Our weekly services are Sunday morning at 9:45, Sunday evening at 5:30 and Wednesday evenings at 6:45.

Mt. Carmel No. 1
God has blessed us with beautiful fall weather and the forgiveness of our sins. Thank the Lord.
Our special music for the morning service was by Tammy and Lilly Jones. They sang “Please Forgive Me,” a very fitting song for Bro. Derrell’s sermon entitled, “A Passion for Souls” from Matthew 9:35-38.
Jesus doesn’t just look upon our lives; he explores and looks at every disease and sickness and every need. He saw the sin sick and their departure from God. He didn’t just look for church membership; he looked at the heart. Where will your soul go after your last breath? “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.”
We always welcome our visitors. Our prayer is that they received God’s blessing as they worshiped with us. It’s always good to see our friends and neighbors. Remember, adult choir practice is Sunday afternoons at 4, Wednesday night is our organization meetings. Come be part of the Brotherhood, WMU, youth mission and Bible study.
Sunday night, Bro. Derrell preached from 1 Kings 17:1-7, 17-23. His message was titled, “Meeting Needs.” Elijah had predicted a drought. Elijah had to be obedient to the word of God to know that God would meet the daily needs. Let us be worthy of his blessings.
Saturday, Oct. 2, the Prime Timers of our church took a trip to one of Alabama’s last active plantations in Marion. The tour included hayrides, farm equipment museum, gristmill, blacksmith shop, basket weaving and quilting. Homestead hamburgers and other food and drinks were served for lunch. Historic papers and many other items of interest were viewed in the old country store. A good time was had by all. Our group total was 19. Our next meeting will be Nov. 16.
Association representatives, remember the annual meeting Oct. 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Union Springs Baptist Church. Lunch will be served. Come join the celebration.
Oct. 15, our church will be serving a light supper for the Mustangs football team and their coaches before the game. All that can help with this service will be appreciated.
A Bible trivia study will be Wednesday night, Oct. 20. Study John 18 and 19 and be prepared to answer the questions.
Continue to pray for those named on our prayer list. Pray daily, do not put social and physical needs before a relationship with God. See you in church Sunday.

Christ Independent Methodist Church
On this perfect Worldwide Communion Sunday, people around the globe knelt before the altar of their church to honor our Lord and Savior by partaking of the Communion elements. This sacred observance is always special. Our Heavenly Father is pleased by the act of repentance much as our earthly fathers view repentance for our daily misdeeds.
Sunday, Dr. Stinson took his text from Galatians 6 beginning with verse 11. His sermon title was “Glory in the Cross.” In this New Testament book, the Apostle Paul is writing to the church in Galatia.
We all reach the same point in our lives when we must choose whether to serve God or mammon. Our encounter may be less dramatic than Paul’s encounter, but the result is the same. Dr. Stinson phrased the same thought very poetically in his sermon when he said, “Sinai should begin our journey to Calvary.”
Please continue to pray for Dr. Stinson and Glenda. His heartbeat is now regulated but other problems remain for both of them.  Adell Edmondson remains critically ill in a nursing home. Also remember Wilma Ellison, Jean Gilmore, Hazel Northcutt, Kelly Parker, our military, their families, our church, community and pray for each other.
Sunday, we were happy to welcome Harold Williams, Mable Mitchell and Dwight Sammons back to church. While their absences were unavoidable, they have been missed and we were happy to have them present.
Joe Kunkle, missionary with World Gospel Mission, was scheduled to be with us Wednesday night, Oct. 6. Joe has been a missionary in Bolivia and Paraguay for nearly 45 years.
Our Singspiration service and fellowship dinner that followed were enjoyed by all present Sunday night. We invite you to join us for these first Sunday night programs. Each person present gets to choose a favorite hymn, and we all sing in unison. It is a great way to sing, or to hear, your favorite hymn sung. Our Singspiration services are always followed by a meal in the fellowship hall. We let the good times roll!
Have a blessed week.

Friendship Baptist Church
Our special music was brought to us by Macayla Ratcliffe, singing, “He Is With You.” What a voice! She also sang “Temporary Home.”
Our special guest speakers were missionaries to Russia, Jody and Melanie Ratcliffe, along with their children, Macayla, Leia and Aiden.
Bro. Ratcliffe’s message was from Acts 11. He also shared some interesting facts about Russia.
Russia is three times larger than the USA. It has 11 time zones. Only about 1 percent of the population is saved. Russia has three different regions.
The Ratcliffes could not minister to people under 17. They would minister to college students, and there were 100,000 students. They couldn’t talk about religion unless it was brought up. They could teach English and tell about America, but they were always watched by an assigned policeman.
One of the young ladies told them up front she didn’t want to learn about their religion, but later she became a Christian. She learned Chinese and started ministering to the Chinese.
During the evening service, Shay Dennis signed to the song “You Are God Alone.” Bro. Gene Hitchcock’s sermon was from Acts 27-28 and titled, “An Example of Paul’s Witnessing.”
Upcoming events: our children will be going to the Pumpkin Patch on Oct. 17. We will eat first and then go.
Happy birthday this week to Fred Glover.
Prayer is requested for the James C. Johnson family, Joyce Johnson, Sandra White, Mr. and Mrs. McCall, unspoken requests, missionaries and travelers.

Floyd Baptist Church
What a glorious morning to be in the house of the Lord! Bro. Mike brought a message from Luke 23:39-43 on “Looking to Calvary.” As we look at this scripture we see three different men on Calvary this day. One was a hardened sinner who, even in the face of death and the last hours of his life, rejected Jesus and doubted Christ as the Savior. Many today still reject Christ like this man and will face Him as Judge, not Savior, which is very sad. Then we see an honest sinner — this man, even though he was dying for his crimes, accepted Jesus as Savior and was told that he would be with Christ in paradise before the day was out.
Sunday night, Bro. Mike brought us a message on “How to be a Giant Killer” from 1 Samuel 17:32-40. We all face giants in this life, but we can overcome them just as David overcame Goliath if we follow his example. David had the right motives; he didn’t fight Goliath because he was mad that Goliath was taunting the army of Israel, but because Goliath was cursing God. We must have the right motives when we go to battle with the giants in our life, not to receive glory for us, but so God can be glorified. David also used the right methods, he didn’t trust the armor and manmade things, but rather he trusted God who had delivered him before. Today we must rely on God and our faith in Him to overcome the giants of this life. Don’t tell God how big your giants are; tell the giants how big your God is! Giants are defeated on our knees in prayer. David expected the right miracle, with everyone telling him that Goliath would kill him; David bravely went to battle and told Goliath that God would deliver him to David. We have to expect God to act on our prayers when we go to battle and rely on Him and not ourselves.
On Oct. 10 we will be having our Fall Festival at 3 p.m., so come and join us.
If you would like to learn more about our Angel Food Ministry and how you can save on your grocery bill, call us at 205-294-1577 for more information.
If you are looking for a God-loving, Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church where you will be loved, join us for Sunday School at 9:45 a.m., Discipleship Training at 5 p.m., worship at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Wednesday night Bible study and prayer at 7 p.m.

Walnut Creek United Methodist Church
Our service began with a prelude by Joan McGriff and Sara McPherson, and our call to worship, “His Name is Wonderful.”
Happy birthday, Bro. Tony! Some of the other birthdays for October are Dwayne Maddox, Jace Mims, Allen Popwell, Shirley Henley, Debra Florea, Jamie Mims, Johnny Mims and Jenson Gore.
Beautiful flowers were placed by Sara McPherson. Welcome home from college, Crimsynn and Ben. We also welcomed visitors.
Following the invocation, Bro. Tony reserved a special time for lighting the Christ Candle. As the water reflects the man, do does a man reflect his faith.
During our time for children, Diane Handley explained that faith is something we believe but cannot see.
Sharing joys and concerns: Bro. Tony asked that we remember Lavada Attaway as she is going through some tough times. Personally, I know that there are those praying for us all the time. We feel the results, but please know she is struggling daily even as she gets up and manages one of her priceless smiles and says, “But tomorrow will be better.” Bless you, whoever you are!
Also remember the Johnny Mims family, Bertie Ray family, Jerry Woods, Terry Minor, Jerry Tompkins, Peggy Cleckler, Carolyn Popwell and Marilyn Popwell.
Bro. Tony brought us the message from the word of God, 2 Corinthians 3:18.  Do you want something that you can feel glad about? I’m about to tell you something that we can all be happy about — When I am faced with a time when I don’t have the slightest idea what I’m going to do, God does! This month we have decided on a theme of reflection. We should reflect on Holy Communion or the Last Supper, the Eucharist, and baptism. This is World Communion. Sometimes we change our day; today we have a common way of coming together and remembering what Jesus said on that night as he broke the bread and gave it to his disciples: “This is my body given to you. Do this in remembrance of me. Do it as often as you will.”
We must reflect each day and ask ourselves, “Am I more like Christ than I was before?” We can be, with the help of God. If I am willing, I can be the face of Christ!
After sharing the bread and cup, we closed with the hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross.”
We are seeing some very friendly faces in the back. I hope we are as friendly as you expect us to be. Please keep coming; it gets even better! Don’t forget, next Sunday will be our meal after church.

Jackson Chapel
Bro Dewayne Castleberry taught a good Sunday School lesson entitled “Live and Grow in Christ.”  Bro Gary Fant got the morning service started off with “Glory to His Name” and “Just Over in the Glory Land.”  Glenn Riley sang “I’m So Glad Jesus Lifted Me” and Bro Dennis Smith sang “Help Is on the Way,” and these were a blessing to everyone present.  Bro Dennis’ text came from 1 Peter 1:3-9 with a message entitled “Faith Is.” We as Christians need to praise God because he is worthy of our praise.  We need to have faith that God can do whatever we ask him to do.  If there are things in our lives that are not pleasing to God, all we have to do is ask him and he will remove the things in our lives that hinder us from worshiping him the way that we need to.  The service ended with several coming to pray and the Holy Spirit was truly present.
Bro Gary Fant got the evening service started off with “O The Glory Did Roll,” “Jesus Is Coming Soon” and “Come Morning.”  Bro Gary Fant sang “Crown of Bright Glory,” Bro Dennis Smith, Angel Bavar and Misty Burnett sang “Look What I’m Trading For a Mansion,” and Bro Dennis sang “Master of the Sea.”  Bro Dennis’ text came from Hebrews 11:23-32 with a message entitled “Choosing.”  We as Christians need to be very careful about the choices we make in this life.  Satan will paint us a real pretty picture and he will try to get us to go down the wrong road, but we need to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ and he will never lead us in the wrong direction.  We need to choose Jesus Christ over everything else and our rewards in heaven will be more than we could have ever imagined.
Happy birthday this week to Janie Smitherman
Please remember these as you pray this week — Sam Glass, James and Marie Johnson, Derek Gray, Betty Mims, Earl Davenport, Peggy Castleberry, Margie Waites, our service men and women and our lost loved ones.
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.

Bethsalem Baptist Church
The morning service began with ministry opportunities and a welcome to all. This month’s children’s message was based on puzzle pieces and how people connect to love, serve, pray and care.
Special music by the Celebration Choir was “Be Unto Your Name.”
Our message by Bro. Brad Eubank, “The Call to Stand: Be Unashamed,” was from 2 Timothy 1. We were blessed again by Jeremy and Robin Mims joining our church by letter.
Join us for our 40 Days of Prayer Sept. 27 through Nov. 5 and for our 48-hour revival and friendship connection on Sunday, Nov. 7.
Our evening message was on the need for revival from Revelation 3:14-20.
Remember, Wednesday night is family supper at 5:30 p.m. followed by prayer meeting, choir practice and programs for all ages.
Pray for James Moore, Cathy Patton, William Jacks, Kacy Barrett, Thomas Jackson, Nancy Deavers, Thomaseen Johnson, Charles Bryant, Candy Cleckler, Sue Bradberry, Larry and Brenda Dickerson, Jennifer Wall, Cathy Patton, Anna Clemmons, Brent Jackson, Clyde Smith, Terry Johnson and Sue Bradberry.
Happy birthday this week to Belinda Boyles, Justin Gray, Ashton Arnold, Allison Poarch, Baylen Watkins, Hazel Gothard, Bruce Moore, Thomas Nichols, Leah Dryden, Courtney Pack and Theresa Pierce.
Happy anniversary to Roy and Pattie Martin (22 years), Jack and Belinda Lyster (18 years) and Shane and Rebecca Lovett (five years).
Next Sunday night we will host an ordinary service for Cleve Mallory, followed by a fellowship and housewarming for Cleve and Jenny.
We welcome all visitors. Come and get connected with us in Sunday School and Life Tracks.

Cedar Grove Methodist-Protestant Church
Oh! Thank you Lord for the cool and beautiful weather you have blessed us with this week.
“When We All Get To Heaven” and “Jesus Hold My Hand” was the beginning of the service this morning. We still sing the good old-timey Gospel songs that most of you remember. The special songs are usually always the newer ones. All are beautiful.
Happy birthday to Joyce Scott, Shannon Bullard and Tori Boothe, and happy anniversary to Joey and Mary McGuire.
Please remember in prayer our church family, our pastors, those in the nursing homes and hospitals, our country, soldiers, the spoken and unspoken requests, the lost, our leaders and president. Especially remember Sister Ellen Scott, Sister Dolly Price (Woodrow), Tammy Porter and Callie Ramsey.
Remember the ones whose loved ones have gone on to be with the Lord. Twenty-three years ago today our son (18) went on to be with the Lord. We didn’t think we would make it but with the Lord on our side, we have. Praise God.
Brother Steve Price led the congregation in singing “Down On My Knees” and “At Calvary.” Sam Price and Chris Cleckley blessed us with two beautiful songs, “Drinking from My Saucer” and “He Chose The Nails.”
Brother Jeff preached a good message entitled “Better.” With God, it always gets better. He also read Proverbs 21:19. His sermon came from Hebrews 1:1-4 and 7:19-28.
Our evening service was a blessing, too. Sister Patricia Cofer (as a special favor to me) did “Telephone Call From Heaven.” She did a great job and we thank her for doing it for us.
Brother Heath preached a good sermon from Deuteronomy 6:1-15 entitled, “Passing Things Down.” In raising a family, you need to be very careful of everything you do as your children will follow in your footsteps whether it is good or bad.
If you are looking for a home church, come to Cedar Grove. We are growing every week and we would love to have you with us.
We welcome our visitors. We missed seeing Derek Gray and his wife last week but did see them Sunday, and we were so glad to have them with us.
For information about our church, call 646-2390.

Samaria Baptist Church
We celebrated Homecoming 2010 this Sunday. It was such a wonderful day at Samaria.  Brother Charles Brooks and his daughter, Lashelle Harris, sang “Beulahland.”
Broken Vessels were our special guests, with Steve Roberson, and our hearts were blessed abundantly.  Brother Charles’ message was entitled “Whose approval do you seek?” The text was from John 12:35-50.  The crowds that heard Jesus speak didn’t really know about Him.  These people were His own people, but they rejected Him.  They saw miracles that Jesus performed, but they still did not believe that He was the Son of God.  God has a plan for all of us, and He has a place provided in heaven for us, where we won’t be strangers to Him then.  Jesus is still healing, raising people up; and He is doing what our faith will allow Him to do in our lives.
God is a miracle working God. Jesus was born to an ordinary family, here on earth, to bare the sorrows of His people then, and His people now. Muslim faith is based on violence, and eliminating enemies.  Our God is a loving, living God who saves us, and delivers us from evil, when our sins would make us deserve hell.
Jesus went to the cross for you and me. He opened not His mouth but went to the cross that we might have life everlasting.
There is no in between. You are either with Him or you are against Him.  Get on the Lord’s side of life today. Visit us at Samaria for a true blessing of God’s love and Holy Spirit in this place.  God bless you!

Rocky Mount United Methodist Church
When someone asks you if you went to church last Sunday, do you respond with, “Yes, and also to Sunday School!”?  First, we recognize that for many reasons varying from job to health, many are not able to get to both Sunday School and church worship services.  But for those that can attend both, a real joy can be had.  First of all, Sunday School is generally a less formal format and one in which members can get to know each other better.  This less formal format also enables one to ask questions, interject, add their own comments, etc.  Some classes study from purchased lessons that might deal with blending the Bible with the problems of today.  Some use commentaries to help understand what the Bible is actually saying.  There is so much history in the Bible and you know how many times you’ve heard that history repeats itself.  While your minister puts a great deal of time into his sermon each week, so, too, do Sunday School teachers.  If you have not been attending a Sunday School class, try some until you find the one that is a good fit for you.  We, at Rocky Mount, have two different adult classes that each invite you to join them.
Sunday was World Communion Sunday.  It was a great privilege and pleasure to come to the Lord’s table in remembrance of the love God showed us through his son Jesus Christ and to know that we were joining in with fellow Christians across the world.
“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;  Praise Him, all creatures here below;  Praise Him above, Ye heavenly Host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  Amen.”