Nov. 5th 2023

Greetings, Church Family and Friends! 
A big thank you to Walt Thomack for supplying the pulpit for me last Sunday. My family and I were able to attend the 75th Anniversary and Closing Service of Spring Valley Baptist Church in Raytown, a church I served on staff at shortly after Lorrie and I were married. It was a bittersweet celebration, but a celebration nonetheless, as around 500 folks gathered for worship in a sanctuary whose attendance has been averaging fewer than fifty for some time. As I mentioned last week in the update, the church voted to turn its property over to Lenexa Baptist Church to do a church replant coming in January. Please join me in praying for this dear congregation as it walks through this transition to a new day of ministry under new leadership.

This update is tardy because I participated in the Agros Fellowship Annual Conference today in Atchison as one of the speakers. This is an outstanding (free) small conference geared toward small town and rural churches. 
I encourage you to put this conference on your calendar for next year, normally on the first Sunday of November. 
You will be blessed.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS: Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour before going to bed. But if you don't, the worst thing that will happen is you arrive one hour early for Sunday School or worship service:)

THE LORD'S DAY (11/5):

• Bible Study for All Ages, 9:30 am. Nursery through Senior Adults, we have a group for you.
• Worship Together at 10:40 am in the Sanctuary.  The sermon will be a special Reformation Sunday message from Romans 9 entitled "The Sovereignty of God." We will be picking back up with Acts 3 next Sunday, Lord willing.
• 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 43 
• Scripture Reading: Exodus 38:1-20
• Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 107:19-22 
• Sermon Text: Romans 9:1-29
• Benediction: Numbers 6:24-26

• Baptist Catechism Questions 55-58
  • Question 55: Which is the second commandment?
    Answer: The second commandment is, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments."
    Scripture: Exodus 20:4-6.
  • Question 56: What is required in the second commandment?
    Answer: The second commandment requires the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances, as God has appointed in his word.
    Scripture: Deuteronomy 12:32; 32:46; Matthew 28:20.
  • Question 57: What is forbidden in the second commandment?
    Answer: The second commandment forbids the worshipping of God by images, or any other way that draws the heart away from his glory rather than toward his glory.
    Scripture: Romans 1:22, 23; Deuteronomy 4:15, 16; Colossians 2:18; 3:17; 1 Corinthians 10:31.
  • Question 58: What are the reasons added to the second commandment?
    Answer: The reasons added to the second commandment are God’s holy jealousy for his name, and the zeal he has for his own worship.
    Scripture: Exodus 20:4-6; Exodus 34:14; 1 Corinthians 10:22.

• • Visit this link for the full catechism: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-baptist-catechism
• Deacon Nominations will be received . Deacon nomination forms were distributed to the membership on last Sunday and will be once again this Sunday. Please take the opportunity to review the Scriptural qualifications for deacons in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 as you make your nominations. Completed forms will be received at the conclusion of the worship service (please submit only one nomination form). You are also encouraged to listen to the messages from last fall concerning Elder and Deacon selection, listed below:
  • Elders and Deacons: Qualifications and Selection
  • Elders and Deacons: Complementary Offices

• Movie Night: “Essential Church” at 6 pm, Old Sanctuary. When California cracked down on churches during 2020 and essentially ordered them not to meet on pain of exorbitant fines and other legal measures, Grace Community Church stood up to the state government and won. "Essential Church" is the story of what happened there, along with what happened to James Coates, pastor of Grace Life Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, when he defied orders from the provincial government not to meet. Come out at 6 pm and join us in watching this account of courage in the face of government interference and overreach.

MONDAY (11/6)

• Monday "Sunday School" online via ZOOM. See Pastor Kyle to join this virtual Bible study group.  To join Zoom Meeting, follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87573789453?pwd=Zjg5ZWZ2N1h5WklxOEFjM3IrVUt1QT09      Meeting ID: 875 7378 9453       Passcode: 478672   

WEDNESDAY (11/8)

• Women's Wednesday morning ZOOM Bible Study.  The group is studying Heaven by Randy Alcorn. You will need to secure your own copy of the book. Please see Jan McElwain for further details.  To join Zoom Meeting, use this link (different from the one above):  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3665081666?pwd=N21LSEJaYURhUzZVSmRLcFhPdW8zZz09 Meeting ID: 366 508 1666   Passcode: 844160
• Men's Discipleship Group, 10 am in the Library (Russ Wright, leader). This group has completed their study and is on hiatus until the new study begins.
• KIDS' CLUB, 3:35-5:15 pm. All children, K-6, are invited to attend.  We pick up children from Maysville school at 3:30; parents/guardians may pick up children from the old sanctuary at 5:15 pm. 
• Men's Discipleship Group, 7 pm in the Library (Robert Kendall, leader). 
• YOUTH BIBLE STUDY meets at 6:30 in the Youth Room. All students in grades 7-12 are welcome to attend as we study through the Ten Commandments. This week will be #6 "You Shall Not Murder."
• 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 walking through the book of Exodus. We will be in Exodus 20:13 "You shall not murder."  To join Zoom Meeting, follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87573789453?pwd=Zjg5ZWZ2N1h5WklxOEFjM3IrVUt1QT09    Meeting ID: 875 7378 9453    Passcode: 478672 

THURSDAY (11/9)

• Community Christmas Choir Rehearsal, 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. All singers who enjoy praising the Lord with the music of Christmas are heartily invited to attend. Just five rehearsals left! Presentation date is Sunday, Dec. 10, 3 pm and 6 pm.
• Men's Discipleship Group, 7:30 pm in the Library (Greg Dixon, leader). 

FRIDAY (11/10)

• Men's Discipleship Group, 3 pm in the Library (Ron McElwain, leader). 

COMING UP:

• Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes are available in the narthex for you to fill. Collection week is November 13-20, but you can bring filled boxes back anytime between now and then. 
• Sunday, Nov. 12, following worship DIRECTORY PICTURES "RETAKE" SESSION:  We will be contacting families who have not had their picture taken for a "retake" session with Lindsay Jestes. Anyone who is not able to be present for this session will be welcome to submit photos of their own for the directory.                    
• Tues., Nov. 21 - ThanksLiving Meal, 6 pm. Save the date and plan to come out and join us for our annual "ThanksLiving" celebration with songs, prayers, testimonies, a brief message, and of course a traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the fixins'. 

ICYMI: Last Sunday's sermon audio Luke 1 Who Is John the Baptist?

Other previous messages are archived here .   Please visit our YouTube Channel to see the edited service video. 


FIGHTER VERSE: Our Fighter Verse this week is John 5:39-40
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.


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. 



See you in church!


Grace & Peace,

Pastor Greg