COMING ATTRACTIONS

We enjoyed another exciting Sunday on the 22nd, with good fellowship, good teaching, and great preaching. The only downer was that the latest edition of our pastor's series of sermons on the book of Revelation did not record on the cassette tape recorder. Guess our adversary was not too happy with the series, and didn't want our shut-ins to hear it.

We copy and send out audio cassettes of the Sunday sermons, and the Sunday school lesson. In this way, we can minister to several groups of our homebound friends. But, sometimes the recorder fails and the process misses a great sermon.

Ice Cream supper on Sunday, August 29th, immediately following the evening worship service. This service will be led by the Truth, our church Youth group, with contemporary music, and a message by John Mew, or Minister to Students and Children. We appreciate the great job that John is doing with our youth.

On Sunday, September 5th, it will be my privilege to preach in both services . Please remember me in prayer as I prepare to preach to the church family. It is always a joy to preach to the fine folk of North FBC, and see your happy faces and hear the good singing.

Also, on that same Sunday, remember that we will pass out a list of our men for you to examine and pray over, then to come on the following Sunday, Sept 12th, to select 7 men of good report to be deacons for the next two years.

We are still praying for a music minister/worship leader to serve our church in a part-time capacity. If you know of anyone in the immediate area who might be interested and available, please have them contact me by phone or email or regular mail.

Today is Wednesday, and we look forward anxiously to another great time of prayer and Bible study in the church sanctuary. We pray for many people, and you are included in our prayers, as we designate a portion of our prayer list to what we call unspoken requests, meaning that we don't name anyone, but we pray for the needs of those who are asking and receiving of God.

See you later here on these pages, and at church, I hope.....God Bless...

DOG DAYS?

The topic of conversation the past several weeks has been the extreme heat we have endured, then the cooling down, and then, back up to 100+ heat index. Some of the old timers, including yours truly, call these times "dog days" of summer. But when asked to explain what we meant, we confessed that we didn't really know. So, with the amazing power of cyber communicating, the good old w.w.w. was consulted, and the following definition was found:

Meaning: Very hot days.

Origin:The ancient Romans noticed that the hottest days of the year, i.e. in late July and early August, co-incided with the Dog Star (aka Sirius, aka The Great Dog) being in the same part of the sky as the Sun. They thought the star contributed to the heat of the day.

I found this in a web site at: http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/6/messages/229.html


This site is good for finding explanations for all sorts of phrases we use in every day speech. Check it out.

Ready for Sunday

The North FBC family has had a good week here in mid August. And we are ready for another exciting time of Bible study, worship, Bible preaching, dscipleship training on the Lord's Day, prayer and filled with singing the hymns of our faith. Isn't it great to be a Christian? God is so good to His children.
The Messenger, or monthly newsletter, is ready to be mailed and will go out next week. Please notice all the announcements about the many activities of our church. And don't forget to attend as many as you are able.
Have received several new email addresses in response to my requests in the weekly
bulletin and the newsletter. Also am sending out an email Messenger once in a while, and we call it the E-Messenger. As I have said before, I am still learning how to get all this together and out to you. Please share this page address to your friends and ask them to view our writings and pray for our church family.
Happenings next month include:

1. First meeting of the new church year for the Senior Group, the XYZ [Extra Years of Zest] on Friday night, September 10 at 7:00 PM. Our special guest will be "Minnie Pearl," whom you will remember from some time ago. All seniors are urged to attend and bring well filled covered dishes for the fellowship meal.
2. Deacon election: a list of eligible men will be provided to the church in business conference the first Sunday in September, and election will be the following Sunday. Seven deacons will be replaced.
3. Homebound Members Sunday School lesson will be recorded and delivered to each shut-in by the Sunday School each week. The ladies Sunday School class will tape and deliver these lessons on cassette tape.
4. We also have a preaching tape of both services each Sunday that is delivered to our folks who are sick at home, or shut-in.
5. A great number of Children and Youth activities going on in our church. John Mew, our Youth Director is doing a great job.
6. We will start a pre-school children's church the first Sunday in September, also a new Sunday School class for Grades 6-8 for boys and girls will start.

So, thank you for reading these ramblings, and please pray for us. Remember, God loves you, and so do we!

SUNDAY REPORT August 15 2004

Sunday afternoon of a great day of church fellowship and worship. The men and boys started off the day with a good breakfast and a meaningful testimony given by our guest speaker, the Rev. Sam Warwick, newly arrived minister of the North United Methodist Church. We pray that Bro. Sam will be in our commnunity for a long time as pastor of our neighboring church.
Sunday school numbered 97 today, with some of our regulars away for the final trip of the summer. We have a good time in these classes, and urge those who are not in our S.School to come and get involved. There is a class for all ages. We have started two new classes this year, and plan on a new class of 6th-8th graders in the coming year which will begin in October. Also, in the planning, is a pre-school worship service for all the little ones starting soon. If you are interested in helping with these classes, please talk to John Mew. We really do need helpers from the church family.Pastor Larry Shull brought an exciting and thought provoking message from 1 John about seeking to live a perfect life for the Lord. If you are not attending the preaching services, then you are missing a blessing. Pastor Shull is an outstanding preacher who clearly exposes the Word of God for all who are willing to hear.
This is being written on Sunday afternoon and my wife Carolyn and I have just returned from the 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration for Sidney and Mildred Livingston. Sidney is our Chairman of Deacons, and Mildred is one of our faithful leaders. Their children gave them the drop-in reception at the Calhoun County Country Club in St. Matthews, SC. We are very proud of Sidney and Mildred, and wish them many additional years of joy together. And we are very appreciative of their children for sharing this moment with the North church family and Carolyn and me.
Now, we are getting ready for our Discipleship Training Class, and in starting a new
subject of study tonight. We are getting into "Godlessness In The Last Days," based on events as outlined in 1 and 2 Timothy, among others. It is my joy to be a part of that class as we share and discuss biblical ideas and doctrines.
Following that, we will go into the evening worship hour and continue our study of the Great Tribulation events in Revelation, led by our pastor. God is so good to us here in North, SC, as I pray that He is wherever you are.
More chatter later, just know that God loves you, and so do we....
Sincerely, In Christ

THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE!!

Greetings to you in the precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. It is a wonderful day here in beautiful downtown North, SC, and we wish only God's best for all who have come across these writings.
We are always excited here on Wednesdays, as we prepare for the mid-week prayer and Bible study time tonight. Our pastor leads is to consider the prayer needs of our church family and friends, and then shares an insightful time of Bible study. We have a great time, and then the choir remains and practices for the Sunday services.
My hearts desire is to see our church as full on Wednesday night as it is on the Sunday meeting times.
Here is an interesting link for you, if you are concerned about the voting rules and procedures this year. You might have already seen the article in the current Baptist Courier about this. It is an interesting site, just go to www.ivotevalues.com and check it out. Many people are confused as to exactly what we can do, legally, in the matter of public elections.
God Bless and Keep You.....

To rise up with wings of eagles 

GOD IS SO GOOD!

We had another exciting day of worship and praise in the Lord's House last Sunday. Though attendance was a bit down, only 80 in Sunday School, the 'spirit' was there for us as we shared in Sunday School and Worship.
GYM OPEN: please remember that the gym will be open each Tuesday evening at 6:30 PM for basketball [ages 14 and up, including adults.]

PRE-SCHOOL WORSHIP SERVICES: We are planning to start a Preschool Worship Service for our little ones soon. John Mew, our Children's Director, is asking that all who are interested in helping with this new project come to a covered dish luncheon immediately following the services Sunday, Aug 22. Please bring covered dishes, share them with others, and discuss the beginning of this class. Let John know, 247-2711, if you can come.

NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS FOR 6th to 8th graders, starting on September 5th. John Mew will be the lead teacher.
We have started several new Sunday School classes during the past church year, and all seem to be doing very well. Our appreciation to Sarah Wannamaker for her leadership in the Sunday School ministry.

A special invitation to all who check in to this Blog. We need you to be a vital part of our church and urge you to come and share with us in our Sunday School, worship services, and the Discipleship Training class. We have a full ministry in our church, with great programs for all ages, little ones up to us older ones! I especially invite you to drop by the Sunday School class which I lead each Sunday, we call it the Sunday Morning Seminary, and we do have a great time of fellowship, fun, discussion, and even coffee and donuts from time to time. Don't let the title scare you, it is not a demanding class, just discussion and sharing. We talk of various subjects each time. Please come and give us a try if you can.

Reminder...don't forget the Fifth Sunday Ice Cream Fellowship on the 29th of this month. Home churned cream and good fellowship as we enjoy this special treat on warm [hot] summer evening after church. Come and bring a friend.

Our church office is in the process of searching for a new copy machine. Due to the lightning storm several weeks ago, we lost two circuit boards in the old copier. The problem is that they are so old that replacement is not available. So we are taking bids on a new machine. As you can imagine, this is a difficult decison to make, so we ask you to join us in prayer that we will make the right decision. The copy machine is a valuable tool in the ministry of our church and we are seeking one that we feel is the right one. We never consider anything without bathing it in prayer.

Our Youth Group has a new name, TRUTH. You will be seeing that name more and more in our news items and youwill know that it is the name of a faithful group of dedicated youth, led by John and Karla Mew. Please pray for the TRUTH group in our church.
Enough for this time, remember, God loves you, and so do I. Will see you in Sunday School and church. Call your church staff if we can help you in any way...

Another great day of worship and praise in the FBC of North. Attendance was down a bit, which, I suppose, is because so many are taking their last fling at summer vacations and such. Our pastor shared two exciting messages with us, as we considered the wonderful forgiveness which our Lord showers upon us in the words of John in 1 John 1:9. Then, in the evening service, we continued our journey through the book of Revelation. What a blessing to know that the Christian will be spared from the trials and tribulations outlined in the Revelation of Jesus Christ which was given to the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos.
Let me know of any email addresses which you would like to be included in the E-Messenger newsletter which we will be sending out from time to time.
To our church family, don't miss the last Sunday of this month as we have An Ice Cream Social following the evening worship hour. Home churned or purchased, there will be ice cream for every taste. Come and invite a friend.
God Bless for now...