Newsletter for August 19, 2026

We are looking for individuals who would be willing to serve as substitute Sunday School teachers from time to time. Occasionally, one of our regular teachers needs to be away, and we would love to have a list of willing substitutes we can contact when needed.

If you would be willing to help teach a class occasionally, please let us know. Your willingness to serve would be a great help to our Sunday School ministry.

Ladies' Bible Study
Beginning September 15

Join us for the 7-week study
"A Jesus-Shaped Life" by Lisa Harper.

When: Tuesdays at 1:30 PM
Where: Family Ministry Building

Please register by August 23 by calling or texting Elizabeth See or contacting the church office at 229-567-9320.

Your workbook includes streaming access, making it easy to continue your study at home during the week.

This year, we have seen an increased need for assistance through our Benevolence Ministry. If you feel led to give specifically to our Benevolence Fund, your gifts are used to provide help and support to individuals and families in our community who are facing times of need.

Join us on Thursday, November 19, as we travel to the UGA center in
Tifton to see Megan Woods live on The Truth Tour!

Megan Woods is a Christian singer and songwriter whose music shares the life-changing truth of God's love. Her hit song “The Truth” grew out of her own journey of struggling with self-worth and discovering her identity in Jesus Christ. Megan now uses her music to remind others that we don't have to believe the lies the world tells us—we can stand on the truth of who we are in Christ!

Concert Details:
Thursday, November 19
Leave the church: 5:30 PM
Concert: 7:00 PM
Adults: $24
Youth: $15*

*Children in 5th grade and younger must have an adult attending with them.

If you would like to attend, sign up with Jonathan by September 27. We must have our final count by the deadline in order to purchase tickets.

Come enjoy a great night of Christian music, worship, and encouragement!

Don’t miss Brother David’s Mid-Week Devotions.
New messages are posted every Wednesday on our media page—take a midweek moment to be encouraged and refreshed in God’s Word.

Budget for 2026 . . . . . . . .  $363,528.00
Tithes Needed to Date . . . . $230,700.36
Received to Date . . . . . . .   $185,926.90 
Needed for weekly budget . . . $6,990.92
Tithes Received this week . . .  $2,525.27

As most of you know, my nephew from the Netherlands has been staying with us for the last few weeks. On his final weekend with us, I asked him if there was anything special he wanted me to make before he went home. His answer was hamburger casserole.

I thought, I can get behind that! In my mind, I was already picturing ground beef, some kind of potatoes, and plenty of cheese. How could you go wrong? Then he started listing the ingredients. Cream of mushroom soup. Cream of tomato soup. Tomato juice. Noodles. Peas. Green beans. Corn. And then you throw it all together in a casserole dish and top it with cheese. Actually, while he was describing it, I was already thinking about what I could make for myself while he ate his hamburger casserole.

However, while I was cooking it. The more I looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. Then I remembered a dish my mom used to make called Talerine. I can still remember the dread I felt when Mom said Talerine was for supper. Apparently, she thought it was good enough that she even had the audacity to put the recipe in the old church cookbook!

After looking it up, Mom's Talerine and my nephew's hamburger casserole were very similar. Then came the biggest surprise of all. I tasted it, and it was pretty good.

That got me thinking. All those years ago, when Mom made Talerine, did I really give it a fair chance? Or had I already decided I didn't like it because of how it looked, what was in it, or simply because I had convinced myself that I wasn't going to like it?

Unfortunately, we don't just do that with food. Sometimes we do it with God. God puts something in front of us such as a new opportunity, a change we didn't ask for, a person we don't understand, a ministry outside our comfort zone, or even a difficult season. However, before we ever give God a chance to work through it, we've already decided: “I don't like this,” “This isn't for me,” or “God, I think I'd rather have something else.”

Sometimes God's plans don't look very appetizing from where we're standing. They may contain ingredients we would never have chosen. There may be circumstances we don't understand, changes we don't want, and difficulties we would gladly leave out of the recipe. But we only see the individual ingredients. God sees the finished dish.

Romans 8:28 reminds us, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” It doesn't say that every ingredient of life will be good. Some may be bitter or painful. Some make absolutely no sense to us at the time. But God takes all those individual pieces and works them together for His purposes.

Maybe there's something in your life right now that you've already decided you don't like.
Before you turn your nose up at what God has placed before you, be patient and allow God to work. You might just discover that what God is preparing is much better than you expected.