October 22nd, 2023

Greetings, Church Family and Friends! 

TODAY will be a Church Work Day, 8 am - no later than noon. Several projects are available, including finishing the application of primer to youth room walls, some light concrete repair outside the north entrance, weedeating of the east bank of the church property, clearing the clematis from the trees on the south church property, and more.
I will bring the donuts!

THE LORD'S DAY (10/22):

• 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 an exposition of Acts 2:41-47, entitled "A Vital Church Grows." What should “ordinary” church life look like? What should an “ordinary” Christian look like? We find several clues to help answer this question by looking at the brand new church in Jerusalem. Come and find out the answer as we explore the text together.
• 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 99 
• Scripture Reading: Exodus 37:1-16 
• Assurance of Pardon: Isaiah 53:4-6
• Sermon Text: Acts 2:41-47
• Benediction: Hebrews 13:20-21


• Baptist Catechism Questions 51-52
  • Question 51: Which is the first commandment?
    • Answer: The first commandment is, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
      • Scripture: Exodus 20:3.
  • Question 52: What is required in the first commandment?
    • Answer: The first commandment requires us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God, and to worship and glorify him accordingly.
      • Scripture: Joshua 24:15; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Deuteronomy 26:17; Psalm 29:2; Matthew 4:10.
  • Visit this link for the full catechism: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-baptist-catechism

• The Lord's Supper will be observed at the conclusion of worship on Oct. 22. Take some time if you haven't already for self-examination as you prepare to partake in this memorial meal. Here is a list of starter questions for you to use in that preparation.
  A few questions to aid in self-examination include, but are not limited to, the following:
  1.   Am I a believer? Am I truly in the faith? Or is it merely an outward profession?(Am I truly trusting only in Christ's finished work on the cross for my salvation?)
  2.   Have I obeyed Christ in believer baptism?
  3.   Am I living in fellowship with God’s people in a local assembly, covenanting with them for accountability and service? (This will be known partly by frequently assembling with the local church for worship and study of God's word).
  4.   Have I confessed and repented of all known sin?
  5.   Do I have any broken relationships with fellow believers which need to be restored before partaking? (Matthew 18:15-20)
  6.   Is my reputation in the community outside the church one of integrity and Christlikeness? 
  7.   Am I coming to the Lord's Table with a sincere heart to be fed by Christ?
• Please take a few moments to examine your life in light of the observance of the Lord's Supper. Paul instructed the Corinthian believers to do this in 1 Corinthians 11:28, "But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup..."

MONDAY (10/23)

• MISSOURI BAPTIST CONVENTION ANNUAL MEETING, Crossway Baptist Church, Springfield. Pastor Kyle, Sue, and myself are attending as messengers from our church. I found out this week that Bro. Gary and Louise Dean who were also planning on attending as messengers are unable to go since Louise has not been feeling well. If there are others who would like to attend as messengers or guests, please let me know.
• Monday "Sunday School" online via ZOOM. (NOT MEETING THIS WEEK). 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   

TUESDAY (10/24)

• MISSOURI BAPTIST CONVENTION ANNUAL MEETING, Crossway Baptist Church, Springfield. 
• FREE APOLOGETICS EVENT: Dr. Frank Turek, author of the book “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist”, will be at MWSU in room 101 of Spratt Hall, 7-9 pm. This event is sponsored by Christian Challenge (Baptist Collegiate Ministries). Dr. Turek speaks regularly on college campuses, engaging atheists and other secularists with Scriptural truth. He has debated the late atheist, Christopher Hitchens. The public is invited, and there is no charge to attend.

WEDNESDAY (10/25)

• I will be returning to Maysville on Wednesday afternoon after an overnight visit to my folks following the MBC Annual Meeting.
• 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). We are studying Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. 
• 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. 
• 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 (10/26)

• DEACON/WIVES/WIDOWS & WIDOWERS Luncheon at Frederick Inn. Those planning to attend please meet at the church at 10:30 am and we will caravan over to St. Joe to eat lunch out together at Frederick Inn. We will return in the early afternoon.
• 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. 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 (10/27)

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

COMING UP:

• DIRECTORY PICTURES:  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 that session (day and time TBA) will be welcome to submit photos of their own for the directory.
• Deacon Nominations will be received on consecutive Sundays, October 29 and Nov. 5. Please take the opportunity to review the Scriptural qualifications for deacons in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. 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
• Tues., Oct. 31 - “Trick or Trunk” on the city square, 3 - 5 pm. Please drop off fun size candy in the green tub adjacent to the Operation Christmas Child table in the narthex.
• 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.
• Sun., Nov. 5 - Movie Night: “Essential Church” at 5 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.
• 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 Acts 2:25-41 "This is That: The Prophecy of Pentecost, Part Two" 

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 1 Corinthians 10:31
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."


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