update 12-17-21

Ordination to the Gospel ministry is an important event in the life of a church. In Baptist life, it has never been seen as an absolute essential to effective service in ministry (think Charles Spurgeon and D. L. Moody who were never ordained). Nevertheless, ordination represents the opportunity for a church to affirm one of its own in the Gospel ministry. We have such an opportunity with T. J. Burns this Sunday afternoon and evening. T. J. graduated from two Southern Baptist institutions of higher learning: Criswell College in Dallas, TX, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. He and his wife, Alana, and their three children will be moving to South Asia in January (Lord willing) to serve with the International Mission Board. They were commissioned by the IMB during a Sending Service on the eve of the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Nashville last summer. They have been waiting until the arrival of their newest baby to go to the international field. Please come out to support them and affirm them in God's call upon their lives. *Note that the times for the council and for the ordination service have changed due to a change in circumstances. The Ordaining Council will meet at 3 pm and the service will be at 5:30 pm, followed by a cake and punch reception in the fellowship hall. 

This Lord's Day! (12/19)
The Children's Christmas program will be held this Sunday, Dec. 19, at 10:40 am. Please come out to support them as they share the Christmas story with us during the first 20 minutes or so of our gathering. This is the single time of year when we set aside time on Sunday morning for our children to depict Scripture in action and song.  We will move directly into the worship service
It is also the fourth and final Sunday of Advent. I encourage you to supplement your daily Bible reading schedule with the Advent Bible readings listed below.  The first reading of the day is normally repeated across three consecutive days for reinforcement. Click on the link to go to the electronic version.

• • Monday, December 20, 2021: Psalm 113; Genesis 25:19-28; Colossians 1:15-20
  • Tuesday, December 21, 2021: Psalm 113; Genesis 30:1-24; Romans 8:18-30
  • Wednesday, December 22, 2021: Luke 1:46b-55; Micah 4:1-5; Ephesians 2:11-22
  • Thursday, December 23, 2021: Luke 1:46b-55; Micah 4:6-8; 2 Peter 1:16-21
  • Friday, December 24 & 25, 2021: Nativity of the Lord - Proper I
  • Friday, December 24 & 25, 2021: Nativity of the Lord - Proper II
  • Friday, December 24 & 25, 2021: Nativity of the Lord - Proper III


• Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions will be received during December. Our church goal is $1200. So far, we have received $445. For more information on the LMCO, visit this link.

• Sunday School/Bible Study for All Ages at 9:30. If you are not in a Bible Study class, there is no better time to join than this Sunday!
• Worship Together at 10:40 in the Sanctuary. Here are the Scriptures we will be reading that will shape our corporate worship. Take a few moments to read and meditate on them. Also, we have seven different Scriptures in our morning worship, so they make a great resource for personal or family worship Sunday through Saturday. Click anywhere on the link to see a printable version of these passages on biblegateway.com
  • Fighter Verses: Psalm 23:3-4
  • Call to Worship: Psalm 24:1-10 
  • Old Testament: Isaiah 9:2-7
  • New Testament: Hebrews 10:5-10
  • Assurance of Pardon: 1 John 2:1-2
  • Sermon Text: Colossians 1:13-23
  • Benediction: Numbers 6:24-26

• Final Budget Proposal for 2022 will be available in the narthex on Sunday as a convenience for you if you did not pick one up last week. The adoption of the budget was moved and seconded in last week's member meeting. After discussion, the motion was tabled until this Sunday morning immediately following the worship service. A "YES" or "NO" vote will be taken at that time.

MONDAY (12/20)

• Monday "Sunday School" online via ZOOM at 7 pm. 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 (12/22)

• NO KIDS' CLUB UNTIL JAN. 5
• Worship Choir Rehearsal, 5:45 pm in the sanctuary
• Midweek Service, 6:30 pm in the Great Room. 

FRIDAY (12/24)

• 6 pm - Christmas Eve Candlelight Service in the Sanctuary. This is a service of Scripture lessons and carols with a brief sermon, closing with the lighting of candles by the congregation. This is always a meaningful family service, and it is a fitting way to remember the Incarnation of the Son of God on the eve of the day most associated with His birth. The service is casual and lasts about one hour. A great time to invite friends and family to a service centered on the Gospel and the person and work of  Christ.

ICYMI: Last Sunday's Message What Is a Disciple? Luke 9:1-9
Please visit our YouTube Channel to see the edited service video. 


READ THROUGH THE BIBLE schedule is attached. We are in Week 51. Almost there! Let me take a moment to encourage you if you, like me, have often found yourself behind in your attempt to read through the entire Bible in one year. "Getting it done" is not your primary goal. The goal is to read with thought, with consideration, with meditation. Think deeply about what the text says, what it means, and how it applies to your life. If that means you only get through one-half or one-third of the Bible in a year, so be it! As a former professor of mine, Don Whitney, used to say, "It is better to read less of the Bible if that means you meditate on it more."


SAVE THE DATE: Mark your calendars and save the date for Sunday, January 25. On that day, Lord willing, we will have Steve Sewell with us. Steve has been a pastor, a hospice chaplain, and is now a speaker on the subject of death, dying, and the accompanying grief. You may remember Steve being with us in fall 2018 for a Holiday Grief Seminar. He will preach in the morning service, and then in the afternoon he will teach a seminar, focusing on the peculiar kinds of grief our congregation has been experiencing. All of these services will be open to the public. More details will be forthcoming as the time approaches.


BONUS: This time of year is a time for listening to great music of the season, and there is no greater music than that of Handel's "Messiah." Often we think of this great oratorio being performed with a choir of hundreds of voices, accompanied by a magnificent pipe organ, or a huge symphonic orchestra. But that is a far cry from the way it would have originally been performed. Take about 95 minutes to watch this video and listen to the Academy of Ancient Music, Apollo5, and VOCES8 Foundation Choir perform this masterwork with 24 expert singers and 16 players on period instruments HERE. It will be well worth your time. If you only have time for "Part the First" (the Christmas section) it is a mere 49 minutes in length. But you won't hear the "Hallelujah Chorus" if you stop at part one since that famous piece is in "Part the Second" (the Easter section). It is well worth listening to "All We Like Sheep" at 53:07 just to hear this limber group take it a bit more up tempo. It only shaves about a 25 seconds off the total time, but it is enough to make a difference. Enjoy!




See you in church!


Grace and peace,


Pastor Greg