Greetings, everyone! Just to let you know right off, I tested positive for COVID-19 this week, so my family and I will be isolating until October 7 (14 days after I became symptomatic) per doctor's direction regarding the incubation period. So far, no one in the immediate family besides me is symptomatic, and mine seem to be relatively mild at this point. I will keep you posted as things progress.
TOMORROW I hope you are planning to attend Prayer Event 2020: Return to God at 10:30 am - noon on the courthouse lawn. Area ministers will be leading out in Scripture reading and prayer punctuated by musical praise. It looks like it will be another pleasant morning in the 60s and 70s, so bring out your lawn chairs and be prepared to pray for our community, our state, our country, and our world as we offer prayers of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication/intercession up to our great God and loving heavenly Father. Pray for Rick Sharp, Randy Baker, Roger Brumley, and Mike Wolf as they lead out in prayer, and for our own Kyle Bridgman as he leads in moments of musical praise. (Bro. Roger Brumley graciously agreed to take my spot on the program tomorrow, so many thanks to him for his willingness to do so). ABUNDANCE QUARTET will be in concert Saturday at McCorkle Park in Cameron at 6 pm, sponsored by First Baptist Church, Cameron. A love offering will be received. THE LORD’S DAY Take time to prepare for the Lord's Day services with God's people by reading and meditating on these Scriptures which will serve to frame our corporate worship. Our aim is to have plenty of Scriptural material for reflection and application in addition to the Scripture for the morning sermon. Fighter Verses: Proverbs 4:23-24 Call to Worship: Psalm 27:1-6 Old Testament: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 New Testament: Matthew 21:23-32 Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 34:4-7 Benediction: Numbers 6:24-26 Many thanks to Bro. Jerry Scott for filling the pulpit this week in my absence. MMO: The Rheubin L. South Missouri Missions Offering will be received once more on this final Sunday of September. To find out more about what you MMO dollars do in Missouri, take a few moments to visit the MMO webpage. THIS WEEK Join us via ZOOM for "Monday School" at 7 pm Monday. This is Bible Study for those either not yet ready to return to in-person Bible Study or who just want an extra opportunity to be in God's Word together with others. Join us live and in person or via ZOOM on Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm for our Midweek Service. Both of these services use the same ZOOM link, which is usually included in a Wednesday e-mail to the church. You can click on the link and follow directions from there. COMING UP
MAN KNOWS NOT HIS TIME: A. H. Stahl died this week after a four-year battle with cancer. Services of Christian burial will be held at First Baptist in the sanctuary on Monday, Sept. 28, at 2 pm, followed by interment at Oak Lawn. QUOTE FOR THE WEEK: "He is much happier that is always content, though he has ever so little, than he that is always coveting, though he has ever so much." -- Matthew Henry Visit the website for more up-to-date information! See you in church! Grace and peace, Pastor Greg
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Greetings, everyone! This is coming to you a little late in the day as I spent a few days helping my aging parents with some things at their place and just returned this morning. Thank you for bearing with me!
THE LORD’S DAY is TOMORROW! We gather each Lord's Day to remember the resurrection of our Lord Jesus . Another way to remember the resurrection is through the words of the recently deceased evangelical theologian/pastor, J.I. Packer: "The victim of Calvary is now ... loose and at large." Yes, He is no longer a victim, but still bears in His body the "five bleeding wounds ... received on Calvary; they pour effectual prayers, they strongly plead for me. 'Forgive him, O forgive' they cry, 'Forgive him, O forgive,' they cry, 'nor let that ransomed sinner die!'" ("Arise, My Soul, Arise!" by Charles Wesley). The risen and ascended Christ not only died, rose, and ascended for our justification, but is also actively working in us to bring about our practical holiness. This same Christ will one day glorify us as objects of His grace. All of this is not just good news, it is exceptional news! And for that, we offer God our hearty praise, thanksgiving, and wholehearted commitment. Please take time to prepare your hearts for Lord's Day services by reading, meditating on, and praying through the Scriptures being used in tomorrow's worship service. Fighter Verses: Psalm 73:25-26 Call to Worship: Psalm 145:1-8 Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:21-30; Matthew 20:1-16 Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 32:5 Sermon Text: Ruth 2 Benediction: 2 Corinthians 13:14 MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY TOMORROW: Sunday, 1-5 pm, report to Journey Baptist, 5708 King Hill Ave., St. Joe Rebuild efforts are wrapping up from the July 21 flood in St. Joe. There is a big push for volunteers to put drywall on walls and plywood on floors. The effort is for churches to send 5+ people to help. The need is to work on 9 homes (as of today; the number may be fewer now). You don’t have to be an expert or even knowledgeable about construction. The need is laborers, there will be someone at each project to lead the way. Information on Rebuild is found on Journey Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/journeystjoe/ THIS WEEK finishes up our Week of Prayer for Missouri Missions. I encourage you to ask the Lord how He would have you to give, then set aside that portion for the MMO (Rheubin L. South Missouri Missions Offering) which goes to support a whole host of mission efforts across our state. I sent out daily prayer reminders this week for these mission and ministry efforts, and I hope you were able to use them.
COMING UP
ICYMI Last Sunday’s Message "Ruth: God's Faithfulness in Conversion" (Ruth 1) QUOTE FOR THE WEEK I recently found a thumb drive that had been missing for four (!) years. On it was a file of quotes I had compiled over a period of several years. Here is one that I found quite pertinent for our times: "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." -- Corrie Ten Boom See you in church! Grace and peace, Pastor Greg Greetings, everyone! Here we are at Labor Day weekend, the traditional end of summer. The promise of harvest, cooler temperatures, and brilliant fall colors all grace the horizon. I, for one, consider that cause for rejoicing. Evidently so did the psalmist, as these words testify: "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy? He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him." (Psalm 126:5-6).
TOMORROW is THE LORD’S DAY
Fighter Verse: John 10:10 Call to Worship: Psalm 149 Scripture Reading: Romans 13:1-14; Matthew 18:15-20 Assurance of Pardon: 1 Peter 2:24 Sermon: Ruth 1-4 Benediction: Numbers 6:24-26 Call to Worship: Psalm 149 Scripture Reading: Romans 13:1-14; Matthew 18:15-20 Assurance of Pardon: 1 Peter 2:24 Sermon: Ruth 1-4 Benediction: Numbers 6:24-26 THIS WEEK church office will be closed on Monday due to the Labor Day holiday. Regular office hours will resume on Tuesday. On a personal note, I will be in Bolivar on Friday, September 11, for our eldest's junior violin recital which was postponed from the spring. (Some of you have asked about whether it will be livestreamed, and yes it will at 3 pm that day. I will have more information about it on my Facebook page).
Sunday, Sept. 13: Back to Sunday School, 9:30 am Sunday, Sept. 13: Church Council at 5 pm followed by Member Meeting at 6 pm Sunday, Sept. 13 - Sunday, Sept. 20: Week of Prayer for Missouri Missions Wednesday, Sept. 23: See You At The Pole, 7:30 am at south entrance to MHS; also for the community at large at 8:30 am at the DeKalb County Courthouse flagpole Saturday, Sept. 26: Day of Prayer for Revival and Spiritual Awakening, 10:30 am - noon, on the south lawn of the courthouse. Join us in this community day of prayer as we seek the Lord, confess our sins, and ask for God's hand of blessing on us. ICYMI Last Sunday’s Message Church Discipline and Exclusion, Part 2, 1 Cor. 5 BONUS Perhaps you have heard the terms "privilege," "critical theory," "intersectionality," and other terms associated with race, gender, and sexuality, but but don't really have a grasp on their meaning or current usage. Watch or listen to this episode of Thinking In Public with Al Mohler as he interviews mathematician and writer James Lindsay about his new book Cynical Theories, written with Helen Pluckrose. (a little over an hour in length) See you in church! Grace and peace, Pastor Greg Greetings, everyone! One of the great joys and responsibilities of ministry is to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). It seems as though there is never a shortage of reasons to weep. The afflictions of this life, whether it be destitution, disease, or death, roll like a flood. Archibald Alexander (1772-1851) was the first professor at Princeton Seminary. He wrote the following words on suffering to young people in his Thoughts on Religious Experience:
"Remember that whatever sufferings you may be called to endure, they are always less than your sins deserve. Consider that these afflictive dispensations are fraught with rich, spiritual blessings. They are not only useful but also necessary. We should perish with a wicked world if a kind Father did not make use of the rod to reclaim us from our wanderings. Besides, there is no situation in which we can more glorify God than when in the furnace of affliction...And when schooled in adversity, you will be better qualified to sympathize with the children of sorrow and better skilled in affording them comfort." (emphasis in the original) THE LORD’S DAY TOMORROW
If you are not yet a part of a Bible study, this will be a great time to join. Sign-ups will be available in the narthex on Sept. 6, and the entire month of September will be enrollment emphasis
Fighter Verses: John 8:31-32 Call to worship: Psalm 26:1-8 Old Testament: Jeremiah 15:15-21 New Testament: Romans 12:9-21 Assurance of God's Pardon: 1 Peter 3:18 Sermon: 1 Corinthians 5 Benediction: Numbers 6:24-26
THIS WEEK In addition to our regular weekly Monday ZOOM Bible Study at 7 pm, and Midweek Service on campus and via ZOOM, Wednesday at 6:30 pm, there will be a major push to finish the flood cleanup and rebuilding in St. Joseph before Labor Day. Volunteers are needed Monday through Friday of this week, 8 am - noon [lunch provided] and 1 - 4:30 pm. With DR food feeding station pulling out to head back east to help with the hurricane, meals for volunteers are also needed. If you can help provided a meal for 10 to 20 volunteers each day, please let me know or contact Bro. Roger Brumley at St. Joseph Baptist Association at 417-440-0425. Please consult the attached PDF for more information about this local mission and ministry effort. (People in these affected neighborhoods are coming to know the Lord through the evangelistic efforts of DR volunteers!) COMING UP
ICYMI Last Sunday’s Message Church Discipline and Exclusion, 1 Cor. 5 Don't Forget: Pick up your copy of Our Daily Bread devotional booklet in the narthex this Sunday for September-November. If you would rather receive Our Daily Bread in digital form, visit the Our Daily Bread website to sign up for e-mails, download the app, or read online. See you in church! Grace and peace, Pastor Greg |
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