Weekly UPdate 12-4-22

GREETINGS, CHURCH FAMILY AND FRIENDS! On this cold, (technically still) fall day, I want to invite you all out to the community Christmas parade at 5:30 this evening, followed by the lighting of the mayor's Christmas tree on the square. The Community Christmas Choir will be singing a couple of selections to celebrate the season and to give everyone a preview of the choir presentation "Noel: Born Is the King". Hoping it warms up a little by then, but in any case, we won't be outside all that long!
THE LORD'S DAY (12/4): 

• Bible Study for All Ages, 9:30 am. Nursery through Senior Adult, we have a group for you!

• Worship Together at 10:40 in the Sanctuary. We will be in Luke 17:5-10 on the theme "Faith and Duty."   In this second set of two sayings of Jesus in Luke 17, Jesus responds to His apostles’ request (really a petition in the form of a demand), “Increase our faith!” This petition appears to have been a response to Jesus' previous two sayings about temptation and forgiveness. In effect, Jesus’ reply indicates that the apostles don’t need more faith. In the final saying, Jesus exhorts the apostles to do what their Master commands without expecting special treatment for having done their duty.

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

• Call to Worship: Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
• Assurance of Pardon: 1 John 2:1-2
• Scripture Reading: Exodus 10:1-20
• Sermon Text: Luke 17:5-10
• Benediction: Numbers 6:24-26

• Baptist Catechism Questions
  • Question 59: Which is the third commandment?
    Answer: The third commandment is, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
    Scripture: Exodus 20:7.
    
    Question 60: What is required in the third commandment?
    Answer: The third commandment requires the holy and reverent use of God’s name, titles, attributes, ordinances, words, and works.
    Scripture: Psalm 29:2; 111:9; 138:2; Deuteronomy 32:1-4; 28:58-59; Matthew 6:9; Ecclesiastes 5:1; Job 36:24; Revelation 4:8; 15:3, 4.
    
    Question 61: What is forbidden in the third commandment?
    Answer: The third commandment forbids all profaning and abusing of anything whereby God makes himself known.
    Scripture: Exodus 20:7; Malachi 1:6, 7; Leviticus 20:3; 19:12; Matthew 5:34-37; Isaiah 52:5.
    
    Question 62: What is the reason annexed to the third commandment?
    Answer: The reason annexed to the third commandment is, that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment.
    Scripture: Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 28:58, 59; Malachi 2:2.

• Fellowship Luncheon and Member Meeting immediately following worship. Strangers Bible Class is hosting. The church will provide drinks and table service, you bring everything else for this carry-in luncheon. We will hear ministry reports, vote on the nominating committee recommendation for 2023, and discuss the proposed 2023 unified church budget. The stewardship team will present the budget, but the final vote for church approval will be on Sunday, December 18.
• WEEK OF PRAYER FOR INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS, Dec. 4-11. Follow this link to pray for our Southern Baptist missionaries around the world this week. A downloadable prayer guide is also attached.

MONDAY (12/5)

• 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 (12/7)

• Women's ZOOM Bible Study, 9 am (Jan McElwain, 816-449-0424)  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

• Kids' Club , 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm. This is a time of fun focused on the truth of Scripture and reinforced through games, music, and other activities for children K-6. We are currently preparing for the children's Christmas program coming up Sunday, Dec. 18.

• Bible Study and Prayer, 6:30 pm in the Great Room.  We have started studying the book of Exodus to complement our Sunday morning readings. This week, we will be studying Exodus 8:16-32. We will meet in person or via ZOOM this week (for ZOOM use the above link). Join with other faithful believers around God's word as we lift up prayers of praise, petition, thanksgiving, and confession to the Lord.

THURSDAY (12/8)

• WORSHIP TEAM REHEARSAL, 6 pm, in the sanctuary. Please see Pastor Kyle if you would like to be a part of the worship team.
• COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS CHOIR REHEARSAL, 7 pm in the Sanctuary. Oneregular rehearsal left! We will present on Sunday, December 11 at 3 pm and 6 pm. Plan to attend and bring a friend!

SATURDAY (12/10)

• MACH 4 Men's Ministry, 6 pm at Hopewell Baptist Church.

SUNDAY (12/11)

• Maysville Community Christmas Choir presents "Noel: Born is the King!" at 3 pm and 6 pm. Come out and enjoy this presentation of the Christmas story in song under the direction of our own Kyle Bridgman. Finger food snacks will follow the 3 pm presentation.  

INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS GIVING

• Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. We will be receiving an offering during the month of December. Every dollar, dime, and penny of this offering goes directly to the field to support our International Mission Board personnel.
• DIRECT GIVING TO IMB PERSONNEL. If you would like to give directly to support an IMB missionary or a special project click on this link and follow the instructions. We currently have members serving with the IMB in closed countries whose names cannot be published electronically for security reasons. If you would like to support them directly, but would rather not do so electronically, you can designate an offering to the church for them and we will see that it gets to them. If you want the gift to be reflected in your annual giving statement, the best practice is to include a note with their name or write their name on the envelope rather than the check itself. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me and I will be happy to assist you.
• DIRECT GIVING TO REACH BEYOND. We also have members currently serving with the independent medical missions organization, Reach Beyond. They are also serving in a restricted area, so we cannot publish their name here. But if you would like to give directly to them, you may do so directly to Reach Beyond, or designate the offering in the same way described in the paragraph above.

COMING UP

• Sunday, Dec. 18 - Children's Nativity Story Presentation, 10:40 am, prior to morning worship
• Sunday, Dec. 18 - Special called meeting to vote on 2023 Budget
• Saturday, Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve Candle Light Service, 6 pm
• Sunday, Dec. 25 - The Lord's Day Worship at 10:40 am (NO SUNDAY SCHOOL)

ICYMI: Last Sunday's sermon audio on Luke 17:1-4 "Stumbling Blocks and Sinning Brothers"

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 3:36.
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." 


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.


BONUS: Perhaps you heard about the vote in the US Senate this week on the "Respect for Marriage Act." Take a listen to Wednesday's edition of The Briefing for a well-reasoned Christian analysis of this mis-named new law and the implications for the religious liberty of Christian individuals, businesses, and institutions.

See you in church!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Greg