May, 2013
Glory to God
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
(Acts 1:8)
The church (body of Christ) universal is all born again believers. The church local is a body of believers confessing Jesus Christ as Lord in a connected together in membership and purpose, such as WHGBC, The local church organize under qualified leadership worshipping, teaching, making disciples and serving the Lord Jesus in a unified effort together. The local church’s primary function is to bring worship and honor to the Lord through all means possible.
Many believe the mission of the church is to evangelize the lost so they won’t go to hell. It is true that evangelism should be a natural by-product of the church’s primary mission. It is not the mission itself. There is more.
Others may believe that the church is to preach the Gospel to every creature. This is true. But by itself, it falls short of the goal.
Some believe that the mission of the church is to live a separated life and as a result the lost will see Christ in the lives of believers. This is a valid part of the Christian’s life but not the main purpose.
The primary mission of the church should always be centered on bringing glory to God. The above mentioned beliefs should be a part of the whole. We live in a “me-first” society. This has been clearly brought out in the recent sermons and studies in The Story as we saw God’ people continually turning toward idolatry. The “me-first” approach to faith is self serving idolatry. God deserves more from His church. He is entitled to being given glory. If His glory is not the driving force behind the church’s mission, we have failed.
There are four pillars that enables us to fulfill the mission of bringing God glory in all we do.
# 1 The Body of Believers (Our Jerusalem)
When a local church ministers to its own, great things begin to happen. We become capable of outreach into other areas. We began in our Jerusalem by growing a local body of believers as the foundation to reach out.
# 2 The Community Around Us (Our Judea)
If a church continues to only minister to its own people, it ceases to be a church and soon becomes a club. In order to share Christ and be salt and light we need to begin in the community around us, not to foreign lands. That will come later. In order to accomplish this, we must love God with our all and love our neighbors as ourselves (Mt. 22:37-30).
# 3 Those Others Ignore (Our Samaria)
An area outside of Jerusalem to the north was Samaria. It was an area avoided by Jews --- a people that the Jews had no dealings with (Jn. 4:9). There are people around us who are rejected because of their lifestyle, color, background, sins that are considered despicable, etc. God died for these and are not to be overlooked in sharing the gospel. We may not condone many of their actions, but we love them enough to share Jesus.
# 4 Beyond Our Borders (The Uttermost)
Once we have set up these three pillars, we set a forth --- foreign missions. We have four or five mission groups from our churches going oversees annually sharing to the needs of others. This seems to be the church’s weakest pillar, but necessary. The gospel must first be published among all nations. (Mark 13:10)
The local church in bringing glory to God reaches its Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the Uttermost. This is a great design of a God honoring church resting on these four pillars.
Bro Larry
P.S. The Story continues. We are not through the thirty-one weeks. There is much to be seen, learned, and applied as we find ourselves in His story. This month we complete the Old Testament chapters.
Prepare to attend, work, and support as we host our association meeting, June 21-23.
· Friday evening worship – June 21
· Saturday business & worship – June 22
· Sunday ordination service – June 23
We need names & photos of our graduates as soon as possible as we prepare to honor our graduates on Sunday morning, May 19.
We need names of photos of deceased members and immediate family members who had passed since last Memorial Day as soon as possible to honor them on Sunday morning, May 26.
May Birthdays
May 2 Joyce McMurtry
May 2 Jake Stinson
May 5 Tyler Bratcher
May 6 Tanya Naney
May 13 Nell Treadway
May 15 Kayla Swift
May 16 Willie McMurtry
May 16 Kayce Thornhill
May 18 Jordan Hunter
May 21 Donna McConnell
May 21 Alegna Cochran
May 25 Diane Taylor
May 25 Kimmie Swift
May 26 Steve Weatherbee
May 31 Brian Stout
May ANNIVERSARIES
May 23 Greg & Pennye Staley
May 26 Charles & Kristen Jones
(Please notify Betty Mooneyhan of needed corrections)
STATISTICS FROM April
04/07 85 128 $ 1227.00
04/14 85 120 $ 1770.45
04/21 95 125 $ 4293.00
04/28 101 141 $ 1199.00
Avg. 92 129 $ 2122.36
Avg. Needed To Meet the Budget = $ 2597.65
Year To Date Average = $ 2405.86
For some reason, April’s attendance has been up some but giving has been down. As you can tell from our quarterly financial records to the church, there is no waste of money. It takes money to do ministry.
JUST A REMINDER.
WOMEN OF WORSHIP NOTES
(Director of W.O.W. Ministry: Betty Mooneyhan
Ladies Church Work Day
Saturday – May 18th at 9 a.m.
Ladies are needed to do clean up work as we get ready to host the association. Men are needed as well.
MEN’S MINISTRY NOTES
(Director of Men’s Ministry: Mike Stinson
. Saturday, May 18th – 8:00 A.M.
Breakfast Meeting
Men, bring a breakfast item and a friend. It is worth the effort.
CHILDREN NOTES
(ages 3 – grade 5)
Children’s Sunday School & Children’s Church(Director – Donna Treadway)
Children’s Groups – Wednesdays @ 7:00 p.m.
(Director: Open)
SENIOR ADULT NOTES
MONTHLY OUTING - FRIDAY, MAY 3RD @ 10:30 A.M.
Lunch at the Top Hog in Gallatin followed by a tour of the Fort Bledsoe Colonial Fair. Cost is $5 admission plus lunch.
YOUTH NOTES
(Grades 6 – 12)
(Youth Leaders: Josh & Heather Legg)
Sunday School Classes – Sundays @ 10:00 a.m.
Youth Classes – Wednesdays @ 7:00 p.m.
Youth Small Group Sessions – Sunday @ 6 p.m.
Graduating Seniors To The Cheese Factory
Friday, May 3rd
Leaving from church @ 5:30 p.m.
Mother’s Tea & Brunch
Saturday, May 11th
A youth sponsored event for the mothers of our church sponsored by the youth. The time is 10 a.m.
Youth Mission Trip – Nashville Rescue Mission
Saturday, May 31st
Leaving from church at 9:30 a.m.
The youth will have lunch along with the mission trip. As they take the canned food items collect during the Thirty Hour Famine weekend.
The Thirty Hour Famine Weekend was a great success in many ways. The spirit of the youth was great throughout the weekend as they did without food, worshiped, built and sleep in cardboard boxes, did work projects, and experienced a downpour of rain. Thanks to the large number of adults who helped,
· Total number of youth participating = 36
· Total amount of money raised = $2160.24
Which feed six children for a year
FIND YOUR PLACE IN God’s Story
As we journey together through
“The Story” and The Bible
(Don’t Miss Out on This Spiritual adventure)