WE NEED YOUR HELP
The Building and Grounds committee is in the process of sprucing up the church playground. We want this to be a safe and welcoming environment for children and families in our church. We have ordered new swings for all the equipment, but we would love the equipment to have a fresh coat of paint before replacing them.
We have had someone volunteer to spray all the playground equipment. But, we still need volunteers to help sand it. If you would be willing to help, please see Dwane Lewis or Jonathan.
Giving as of October 6, 2020
Budget for 2020 . . . . . . . . $326,787.00
Tithes Needed to Date . . . $245,090.43
Received to Date . . . . . . . . $202,077.79
Needed for weekly budget . . . . . . $6,284.37
Tithes Received this week . . . . . . . $3,639.66
MISSION GA OFFERING
The Mission Georgia Offering Emphasis represents the collaborative efforts of 3,600 Georgia Baptist churches to do what Jesus Christ commands His followers to do ā love our neighbors and serve the vulnerable.
Our church goal for the GA Mission Offering: $1500.00
Taken up so far: $575.00
Harvest offering
Each year, during our Harvest Banquet, we take up a special offering as a chance to thank God for His boundless goodness throughout the year. Due to COVID restrictions, we will not have a banquet, but we are setting aside November 8th for a special harvest offering. This offering is a special gift above and beyond your regular giving and an excellent opportunity to see God work through the generosity of His people.
From Our Music and Family Minster
God created us with a purpose: to love Him, to love others, and to tell others of His love. In the same way, a toaster has a purpose. A toaster takes bread and turns it into toast. It is good at what it is designed for, but it is pretty much useless at everything else. However, as great as a toaster is at making toast, it can only work if it has a power source. Without a power source, it is just a bread holder.
How many times in our lives have we tried to make toast without our true power source? When God created us with a purpose, He didnāt intend for us to do things alone. God gives us as believers the Holy Spirit to help guide and support us to fulfill His tasks.
In Acts 4, Peter and John have just healed a man and have been teaching in the name of Jesus. The religious leaders thought that this behavior would have died down after the crucifixion of Jesus, so they were beginning to get frustrated with the disciples. In the hope of curtailing this behavior, they put Peter and John in jail overnight. However, the council did not want a riot on their hands, so they released them and ordered them to stop teaching.
I have never been arrested, nor have I spent a night in jail, but I would do everything NOT to go back to jail. I am pretty sure that the accommodations today are far better than what Peter and John faced. Being faithful to their calling as Christians, they immediately went back to teaching and preaching. In verse 29, we read, āAnd now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.ā They were not worried about going back to jail; they kept their focus on ministry.
In our country, we often take our freedoms for granted. We are allowed to live out our faith completely without any chance of harm, but we donāt take advantage of that privilege. According to Christianity Today, eight Christians worldwide are killed daily because of their faith. Every week, 182 churches or Christian buildings are attacked. And every month, 309 Christians are imprisoned unjustly.
The believers in Acts prayed for boldness, not protection. They knew the source of their power. If we continue to read, we see what happens after they prayed:
āAnd when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31
They prayed for boldness, and the building shook. God wants to hear from you. Prayer allows us to communicate with the Creator of the universe. Why would we neglect to pray? We must stay plugged into the unlimited power of our Creator. We can have the same power that shook that room to guide us every day. Donāt be a useless toaster that just holds a piece of bread; be an unstoppable force for your heavenly Father.