June 05th, 2023

Greetings, Church Family and Friends!
We are officially in the summer vacation season. Weekly attendance at Bible Study and Lord's Day worship services typically takes a little dip. That is expected. But going on vacation does not mean you take a break from worshiping with God's people wherever you are, if it is at all possible. Wherever you might be this summer on the Lord's Day, find a local, Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church to attend. It will be especially encouraging to a smaller congregation if you visit because they (like us) are likely experiencing a little "dip" in attendance. If the church you decide to attend while you are out of town has a printed bulletin, have the pastor or staff member sign it and bring it back home with you. I half-jokingly suggest that you bring your signed bulletin back to church with you. Many of you do just that during the summer and other times when you are gone, and I appreciate it! While it is not absolutely necessary to bring back a signed bulletin, I cannot emphasize enough just how important it is to maintain the holy habit of weekly worship attendance during the summer and throughout the year. Happy summer vacationing!

THE LORD'S DAY (6/4):

• Bible Study for All Ages, 9:30 am. Nursery through Senior Adults, we have a group for you.
• Worship Together at 10:40 in the Sanctuary. We will be in Luke 22:39-53 "Prayer and Betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane." We can orient this passage around seven sayings in the garden:
  • First Saying: Jesus to His disciples, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."
  • Second Saying: Jesus to His Father, "...if You are willing, take this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done"
  • Third Saying: Jesus to His disciples, "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."
  • Fourth Saying: Jesus to Judas,"...would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?"
  • Fifth Saying: Peter to Jesus, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" (cuts of Malchus' ear)
  • Sixth Saying: Jesus to Peter, "No more of this!" (response to Peter's action)
  • Seventh Saying: Jesus to the crowd, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

Scriptures for Sunday.  Here are the Scriptures we will be reading that will shape our corporate worship. Take a few moments to read and meditate on them as you prepare for worship tomorrow. Click anywhere on the link to see a printable version of these passages on biblegateway.com

• Call to Worship: Psalm 8
  
• Scripture Reading: Exodus 25:1-22
  
• Assurance of Pardon: 1 Peter 3:18
  
• Sermon Text: Luke 22:39-53
  
• Benediction: 2 Corinthians 13:14
  

Baptist Catechism Questions are Questions 8-10 "On the Nature of God." For the entire catechism, follow this link.

• Question 8: What is God?
  Answer: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
  Scripture: John 4:24; Psalm 89:14; 90:2; 147:5; James 1:17; Revelation 4:8; Exodus 34:6, 7; 1 Timothy 1:17; Numbers 23:19.
  Comment: Ask what "infinite" means (there is no limit to how great he is!). What does "eternal" mean? (He never had a beginning and will never have an ending!) Talk about how God can respond to us and yet not be "changeable." (His character never changes; he acts consistently on the same principles always. Even his responses to us are known and planned long before so that his purposes are unchanging.)
  
  Question 9: Are there more Gods than one?
  Answer: There is only one living and true God.
  Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4; Jeremiah 10:10; Psalm 96:4-5.
  Comment: There are "gods" which are idols, but they are not "living". And there are "gods" which are angels or demons, but they are not "true" God, that is they are not eternal, infinite and unchanging. Only one God is living and true.
  
  Question 10: How many persons are there in the Godhead?
  Answer: There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God, the same in essence, equal in power and glory.
  Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:11; 8:6; John 1:1; 10:30; 14:9; 20:28; Acts 5:3,4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3.
  Comment: The word "Godhead" is needed because we shouldn't say that there are three persons in God. No, there are three persons who are God. Nor should we say that there are three Gods. There is one God. They are distinct persons with special roles in creation and redemption. But they are in perfect harmony and are (in ways beyond our comprehension) perfectly One God. 

Pregnancy Resource Clinic (PRC) Bottle Drive begins on Sunday. Baby bottles are available in the narthex. Take as many as you like, place them wherever appropriate, and bring them back filled with coins and cash by the last Sunday of June. All proceeds go directly to the PRC of St. Joseph and Cameron.We welcome Libby Owens, director of the PRC, to be with us on Sunday and share about the work of the PRC especially in Cameron.

MONDAY (6/5)

• Men's Discipleship Group, on hiatus for the summer
• Monday "Sunday School" not meeting this week 

TUESDAY (6/6)

• Men's Fellowship, 6:30 pm. NOTE: This is a change to Tuesday  from last week's announcement of Monday since I will be out of town on Monday. We'll gather at the church for a cookout and fellowship. Our discipleship groups are officially dismissed for the summer, but we still want to encourage one another and spur one another on to love and good works. Come on out, and bring a friend! (And if your discipleship group wants to meet periodically, that is absolutely ok, too).

WEDNESDAY (6/7)

• Women's Wednesday morning ZOOM Bible Study is on hiatus until June 21.

• Men's Wednesday Morning Discipleship Group is on hiatus for the summer.
• Men's Wednesday Evening Discipleship Group is on hiatus for summer.
• Youth Bible Study, 6:30 - 8 pm, in the youth room. Fellowship and hangout time, snacks, followed by time in the Word of God. We are "storying" our way through the Gospel of Mark. We will be in Mark 7:24-37. If you are in grades 7-12, come out and join us. 
• Bible Study and Prayer, 6:30 pm in the Great Room, live and via ZOOM.  Join us for a time of prayer and time in God's Word as we study the book of Exodus. We will be in Exodus 17:8-16, "Israel Does Battle with Amalek." To join Zoom Meeting, follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87573789453?pwd=Zjg5ZWZ2N1h5WklxOEFjM3IrVUt1QT09    Meeting ID: 875 7378 9453    Passcode: 478672 

THURSDAY (6/8)

• MEN'S DISCIPLESHIP GROUP is on hiatus for the summer.

SUNDAY (6/11)

• Bro. Gary Dean will be preaching during morning worship as I will be in New Orleans for the SBC Annual Meeting. Please be in prayer for this meeting as the SBC is facing significant challenges. Pray that there would be a change in the leftward drift of certain institutions and agencies and that we would become more biblically oriented rather than less as a convention. The Bridgmans and I will be messengers this year, and we would welcome three more who might be willing to serve. If you would be available and willing to pay your way to go, even for just the Tuesday session (June 13), please let me know.

MONDAY (6/12)

• SBC Pastors' Conference, New Orleans LA

TUESDAY (6/13) and WEDNESDAY (6/14)

• SBC Annual Meeting, New Orleans LA

ICYMI: Last Sunday's sermon audio will be posted at a later date
Other previous messages are archived here .   Please visit our YouTube Channel to see the edited service video. 
COMING UP:

• GRAND OAKS CAMPS SAVE THE DATE https://sjbamo.org/2023-sjba-grand-oaks-camp/
  • Youth Camp, completed grades 7-12, June 19-23. We are now in the Late Registration Period so cost is $170, church funds 1/2 of the cost.
  • Children's Camp, completed grades 4-6, July 24-28 (REGULAR REGISTRATION FOR $160 IS AVAILABLE NOW UNTIL JUNE 30. AFTER THAT IT IS $170). Church funds 1/2 of the cost.
  • Introduction to Camping at Grand Oaks, June 23-24, for children who have completed grades 1-3. Cost is $25 per camper. Parents are encouraged to attend with their children for this overnight event. Pastor Kyle and myself will be on staff at Intro to Camping. For more info on Intro to Camping, follow this link. If you would like to attend with your child, please let me know. If you need financial assistance, please let me know.
  • Also, we are in need of volunteer staff to serve as cabin coaches for youth and children's camp, and ACITS (assistant coaches in training) for children's camp. The ACITS typically need to have completed their sophomore year in high school, but occasionally we will accept an ACIT who has only completed his or her freshman year. See me about either of these opportunities.

• VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL, July 10-14, in the evenings, around 5:15 - 8:15 or so. We will have a meal each night for all attendees. The theme is "Twists and Turns," and the idea is what it means to follow Jesus in the ups and downs of life. This event is fast approaching in just a little over two months! Contact Dava Hackett for more info.

FIGHTER VERSE: Our Fighter Verse this week is James 4:13-14
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.


READ THROUGH THE BIBLE The Five-Day Bible Reading Plan is attached to this e-mail for your convenience. You may want to access additional resources to support your reading available at this website. Daily Bible reading is one of the leading indicators of spiritual growth and vitality in the Christian's life.


See you in church!


Grace and peace,

Pastor Greg
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