Lime Springs United Methodist Church

Our Sunday school lesson focused on chapter 19 of the book of Revelation.

We lit the third Advent candle symbolizing joy during the morning service. Brother Shannon bough the morning message from Matthew 2:1-12 on how real joy comes in small packages.

He used the story of the wise men as an illustration — they came to Bethlehem expecting to find somebody of great social status, as evident by their gifts. However, they found a little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manager. The end result: they rejoiced with exceeding great joy! Using their story, brother Shannon shared three things we can do this season to help us find that same joy.

First, we must be willing to take time out of our busy schedules to seek Christ. Second, we must be willing to bring him our best gift, worship. Finally, as they departed in a different way, we too must be willing to be changed.

In conclusion, just as these learned men found joy in something small, so we can find the same joy this Christmas season.

The youth held a Christmas play after the morning service. We enjoyed our Christmas lunch and party after the morning service. We held our Bible study after the party.

We invited everyone to join you for our Christmas Eve service from 6-7 p.m. This is a “come as you are” service of candlelight, music and silent communion.

Happy Birthday wishes to brother Shannon.

Lime Springs service times are as follow: Sunday school at 9:30 a.m., Sunday service at 11 a.m., Sunday Bible study at 5 p.m. Wednesday prayer meeting is at 6:30 p.m. For more information, please call 755-6356.

Mt. Carmel No. 1

When we drove to church Sunday morning, we saw the beautiful picture of God’s wonder — snowflakes were falling, to me it’s always a sight to see.

The morning service began with the joyous singing of Christmas carols. Brother Derrell’s message was titled, “The Silent Figure.” Scripture was 1:18-25. He spoke on the beautiful story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Our focus was on Joseph, “the silent figure.”

Joseph, a just man, had an angel of the Lord to appear unto him in a dream and speak to him concerning Mary and the birth of her child. May we ask God to teach us the lesson that was taught Joseph at this time. Pray that we might feel the mercy of God and hear him say, “I forgive you.”

The children will be doing our Christmas post office. We ask you to donate the postage to be given to Lottie Moon Christmas offering. Bring your Christmas cards for our church family and help our children with that project Dec. 19.

Thursday afternoon the children will go Christmas caroling. Come join the fun — meet with them at the fellowship hall at 4 p.m.

Christmas cantata by our adult choir will present “The Christmas Song” and the drama by our young people, on Sunday morning Dec. 19 at 11.

Children’s Christmas program, Sunday night, Dec. 19, following the service. You are invited.

The W.M.U. will be preparing and delivering our Christmas baskets to the shut-ins Saturday, Dec. 18 at 10 a.m. If you can help, meet us in the fellowship hall.

Relay for Life yard sale is being prepared for; bring yard sale items to the church life center. The date will be announced later.

God bless you, and we wish you a Merry Christmas. We always invite you and your family to come and worship with us at Mt. Carmel No. 1.

Christ Independent Methodist Church

On this cold third Saturday of Advent, it was good to gather in the Lord’s house and express our thanks for the joy of the season as represented by the third candle.

Our scripture reading for Sunday illustrated the joy Elizabeth experienced with the angel Gabriel told her that she was to bear a son named John long after the child bearing age when she has despaired of ever realizing that particular joy.

We all realize today that hindsight is always 20/20. We also realize that with God all things are possible. Even the apparent impossible is possible as Elizabeth’s experience illustrates.

Dr. Mac Stinson took his scripture from Isaiah and preached on the joy of music. Particularly the music of Christmas. What would the season be like without our traditional hymns such as “Joy to the World,” “Away in a Manager,” “Hark the Heralded Angels Sing,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Mary Had a Baby,” and etc? All of the sweet Christmas carols that tell the story of our savior’s birth reaching across race, religion, gender, greed, time, etc. Dr. Stinson said that music brings us all together. I think he is right.

The crowd that attended the Gaither’s Homecoming (Christmas Tour at BJCC Arena) Friday night, Dec. 4, was indisputable evidence of this. When thousands of people sit enthralled so you believe the proverbial saying that a “pin could be heard if it dropped” you know the reason is powerful. That was the scene at the concert, as thousands of tiny flashlights became points of light in the dimly lighted auditorium.

Our prayer request is urgent as we ask you to join us in praying for the missionaries who have been told to the leave the island of Haiti and for the pilots who are flying in and out of Haiti removing the missionaries as quickly as they can. Time is of the essence and danger is very real. Remember the pilots who risk their own lives in an effort to save others.

Remember all who are dealing with health problems, including Dr. Stinson, his son Mac Stinson II, Horace Carden and Mary Ann, Wilma Ellison, Opal Miller, Kelly Parker, Jeanette Frost and Jean Gilmore.

Our praise report for this week concerns one of our church family, Gail Joseph Owen. Gail’s daughter, deceased, wrote an autobiographical memoir that her mother had published posthumously. The book title is Tara and the Place of the Irish Kings by Tara Owen. Word has been received that the book will be made into a move released this summer. Gale Owen reviewed the daughter’s book shortly after it was published for the Tuesday Night Book Club.

Our Candles and Carols Program began at 5 p.m. Sunday. It was impressive and informative amid candlelight and season decorations.

Wishing you all the joys of the season. Have a blessed week.

Walnut Creek UMC

After a beautiful prelude by Joan McGriff and Normal Popwell, we had invocation and the lighting of the third Advent candle — of course this was the pink candle or candle of joy.

After our affirmation of faith, we had an infant baptism, as Drew and Julie Croft brought forth their precious son Harrison — what a special and touching service as always.

We then heard our joys and concerns; the infant baptism of little Harrison; congratulations Charlotte and Edwin; prayers for the family who lost a teenager in an automobile accident in northern part of county; Gail Nettles’ mother, Buddy Baker, Bill Erkus, Marilyn Popwell, who still has awful pain and her report was not good. Please continue to pray for Lavada, she now is battling seizures along with other symptoms of Parkinson’s.

After an outstanding offertory by Joan McGriff and Sara McPherson, we were blessed by; The Kempter’s Christmas Concert. What a beautiful, gifted family that is really enjoying “The Gift of Faith.” Don’t remember ever seeing a better group and they’re our neighbors, right here in SlapOut!

What a pleasure to meet Harrison and his family.

Don’t forget Christmas Party, Dec. 19, 5 pm and Christmas Communion, Dec. 24 5-6 p.m.

Bethany Baptist Church.

Memory Verse: “But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”  (Luke 11:28)

Sunday morning borhter Aubry’s message was about being afraid to offend.  We should not fall into the trap of trying not to offend.  We should not be ugly or disrespectful, but God wants us to be trustworthy and loyal to Him.

The hope we share at Christmas: “God kept every promise He made about the coming of His Son to us, and He will keep every promise He made about the coming of His Son for us.”  (Ron Lessin)

Happy anniversary to Henry and Myra Moore (on the 19th).

Prayer List:  Lillian Burkhalter, Sherry Cooper, Jean DeLoach, Ashley Friday, Jack Friday, Ernestine Hatch, Gloria Headley, Mary Knight, our military, Larry Miller, Nell Mims, Billie Neeley, Pvt. Josh Peppers, Jesse Wallace, Pastor Wallace; REVIVAL IN AMERICA.

Don’t forget the reason for the Season!

Mt. Pisgah

The day got off to a cold, snowy start as we celebrated the third Sunday in Advent. Today we lit the candle of joy or the angel’s candle.

The message was given on the Virgin Mary and her anticipation of the birth of Jesus. Wednesday, Dec. 22, we will be Christmas caroling in the community and will meet at Peggy and Brian Smith’s house afterwards. We will all meet at the church at 5 p.m. and leave from there. We all had a wonderful time at the church’s Christmas party. The food and fellowship was enjoyed by all.

Sunday night we had a planning session on the vision of our ministry and where we want to go from today. We had some wonderful ideas for our ministries in the future. So watch for our coming events.

Sunday, Dec. 19, will be a special candlelight service to be held at 5 p.m. The Chilton County Emmaus Cluster will have its Christmas Party on Dec. 17, at Clara’s Café at 6 p.m. We look forward to seeing all of you there.

Our cake sale is on Dec. 18. We need your orders in by today.  We will be having a special Communion Service on Christmas Eve. This is a chance for you to have Communion with your family. The church will be opened from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. for those who would like the special quiet time with their families as we celebrate the birth of Christ. Please enter the Sanctuary quietly, and wait in meditation in the pews until altar is clear. Families may then move to the altar to receive communion and a blessing, pray and leave silently. This service is open to the public.

We were missing a lot of our families Sunday due to illness. We pray you are all feeling better and will be back soon.

Call 334-349-5725 for Mt. Pisgah information.

Jackson Chapel Church

Brother Dewayne Castleberry got the Sunday school hour started off with a good lesson and following the Sunday school hour brother Gary Fant got the morning worship service started off with “Joy to the World” and “I Love To Tell The Story.”

Gary McKee blessed us with “The Anchor Holds” and brother Dennis’ text came from Luke 17:26 & 27 with a message entitled “A Promise is a Promise” — there is a promise that God has made to his chosen people that he has gone to prepare a place for us but for us to go to that prepared place called Heaven we have got to prepare ourselves to go there.

If we’re not ready to go we need to prepare ourselves to go at anytime because no one knows the day or the hour that Jesus will come.  God will shut the door one day and when God shuts the door it will be to late for us to make things right.

We as Christians need to just live a Christ like life everyday so when Jesus Christ comes back to get his chosen people there will be no doubt in our minds that we would go.  The service ended with several coming to pray.

Happy Birthday to Bonnie Cleckler and Juanita Wyatt.

Please remember these as you pray this week – Gail Edwards, Marie Johnson, Janie Smitherman, Arthur Robinson, Linda Lewis, Delma Mayfield, Freddie Mayfield, Duane Chadwick, our service men and women and our lost loved ones.

We are located at 4020 Yellow Leaf Road, Clanton, AL  35045.  Our service times are Sunday school – 10 a.m. Sunday morning worship – 11 a.m. Sunday evening worship – 6 p.m. and Wednesday evening prayer meeting & bible study – 7 p.m.

Cedar Grove Church

Sunday December 12 2010

We had our Christmas supper last night, soups, all kind of desserts and salads, a good time was had by all.

Our Sunday morning began with the congregation singing Christmas songs led by Brother Steve Price.

The service started out with just a few people , after awhile we ended up with almost a houseful. Winter has arrived and we will appreciate  warmer days more when they come.

“Ruth’s Reward was the title of our Sunday school lesson. The Text was taken from Ruth 4: 1 -11,17. Golden Text: For them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly estemmed. 1 Samuel 2:30b. We were dismissed from Sunday school by Brother Earl Caton.

I have a praise report and want to thank God and everyone who prayed for our daughter Kim . She had a lump in her neck which had to be removed. It was on the right side  and we were very worried about the outcome. The surgery was performed Nov.29th, they removed a lump the size of an egg. Praise the Lord it wasn’t cancer. She is fine now , recuperating  and we are all very thankful for all the prayers.

Remember to pray for all the sick and shut-ins, Ken Robinson still very sick, pray for the sad and bereaved, the ones lost in sin, our country , leaders and military.

We welcome our visitors, among them were Nick and Tiffany Hudgins, we were so glad to have all of you with us and hope you will come again.

Happy birthday to Jimmy Flowers, Felica Patterson and Rita Price.Happy anniversary to Brother Heath and Freda Vines and Joey and Felica Patterson.

After the Congregation singing the Choir blessed us with several song, “I Was There When It Happened featuring  Brother Alton Russell, they sung Brother Marion Easterling song ” Lord Lead Me On”.Sister Sandra Carroll blessed us by singing ” My Home Is Not Here”

Brother Jeff Carroll  brought a good message from John 1: 1 -12 , 14 , the Title was “The Light. ” The word of God becomes a light to us..

The evening service was great too , it was very cold but still a good crowd came .

We began by singing “Jesus Hold My Hand ” followed by : Everybody Will Be Happy Over There”Brother Alton Russell and Sister Amelia Hubbard sang “I Saw The Light ” and Sister Amelia sang ” Who Touched Me”.

Brother Jimmy Flowers has answered the call to preach and he preached his first sermon for us at Cedar Grove tonight. He really did good . His sermon was entitled ” Forgiveness”.His   sermon came from John 3: 16-18 and 1John 1- 9.

Next Sunday night at 5:30 we  will have our Christmas program. Come on out  and see “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, We promise you will enjoy it.

For more information call 646-2390.