The Press-Dispatch

Wednesday, December 18, 2013 C-1 Church notes   Opinion   Letters to the editor   Files OUT of the past Live Nativity presented Dec. 21-22 at Gentle Shepherd Gentle Shepherd Church of God, located at 8350 East 350 North, just west of Oatsville on the Oatsville/ Wheeling road, in Gibson County, will present a Live Nativity from 6-8 p.m. CDT, on the evenings, of December 21 and 22. The public is invited to come and share in the reenacted experience of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Refreshments will be served. house of mercy Sunday morning service 10 a.m.; teen class and children's Sunday school at 11 a.m.; fourth Sunday of the month, nursing home services at Amber Manor. This month it is December 22, at 2 p.m. A Christmas party with a gift exchange and meal was celebrated at the Knepps Cafe, near Washington, with a time of fellowship. We appreciate all that participated in putting together all the food baskets and the time they took out of their schedule to deliver them. This is the season of giving. Jesus said, "It is better to give than to receive." Think more of others than yourself. Touch the hearts of those around you with the words of Jesus on your mind. The Spirit of God moved in Sunday morning's service and lives were touched and changed. Now, they need to walk in faith and know that in their weakness, that God is their strength. Remember the sick and shut in, keep them in your prayers. May your week be blessed with the love and joy of the Lord. George Bruce, Pastor Immanuel Baptist church 219 West Main Street Petersburg Sunday school 9:30 a.m.; morning worship 10:40 a.m.; Sunday evening worship 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, ladies' Bible study 10 a.m., Kids' Connection 67:30 p.m. and prayer/Bible study at 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, church visitation, at 5 p.m. This Wednesday, Kidz Connection Christmas party will be 6-7:30 p.m. "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (I Peters 5:7). Blood Drive—February 14 from 2-7 p.m. Larry Barr, Pastor Mt. Olive G.B. Church Hwy. 56, Cato Hello friends and family. Mt. Olive General Baptist Church will be having their Sunday school service this Sunday beginning at 9:30 a.m., with our church service to follow at 10:30 a.m. We will be having communion with the service. All are welcome to attend. If you are looking for a church family, we encourage you to come and listen to Pastor Bob Strain give the message. We look forward to seeing you there. Bob Strain, Pastor Katherine Burkhart, Reporter Winslow G.B. Church Sunday school 9:30 a.m.; morning worship and children's church at 10:30 a.m.; youth group 4:30 to 6 p.m.; Sunday evening worship 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, adult Bible study 6:30 p.m. The first Wednesday of each month, Advisory Board meeting before Bible study. Business meeting following. Everyone is invited to join us for coffee and fellowship at 9:20 a.m. each Sunday morning before Sunday school. December 22—6:30 p.m. Children Christmas program. December 25—No Wednesday night Bible study. Merry Christmas. "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His Name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the LORD God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David" (Luke 1:30-32). Be in prayer this week for the lost, the sick, our church, our country and leaders, and always each other. God's blessings on you this week. Try to be kind and show God's love because everyone is fighting some kind of battle. If you don't have a church home, we invite you to any of our services. Terry Beadles, Pastor Kathy Henderson, Reporter winslow christian church Disciples of Christ Sunday school 9:30 a.m.; morning worship 10:30 a.m.; Wednesday choir practice 6:30 p.m. Continue in prayer for those on our December prayer list. Read Luke 2:8-20. Read Luke 1:26-33. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given" (Isaiah 9:6). As we worship Him this Christmas, may our celebrations be filled with joy and wonder at the fullness of what it means. Come and worship. Everyone welcome. Dr. Robert Asa, Minister Living Faith Church International P.O. Box 556 Petersburg 812-809-4544 "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 2:1). "And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (II Corinthians 12:9). "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Ephesians 6:10). Our strength is insufficient. We in our own strength have no possible means of success. Jesus said that "without Him we could do nothing." We have to put our entire trust in God and His strength. In our weakness, we are able to trust Him and it's only when we let go of our own will, that we can hold securely and tightly on to His. If we continue to trust our own strength, eventually we will find ourselves in a situation in which we cannot get out. God wants us to trust Him. He will call us to do things we cannot do in our own strength so that we will have to trust Him. Turn your weakness over to Him and His strength and you will see Him come through for you in ways you never thought were possible. As Joel said, "Let the weak say, I am strong." Church services will be conducted in the 4-H building at Hornady Park through December. Sunday morning 10 a.m. and Sunday evening 6 p.m. Stay current with updates from our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/livingfaithchurchintl. Upcoming events: Christmas Candlelight service, Sunday, Dec. 22 at 6 p.m. at the 4-H building, in Hornady Park. Join us for an hour of service with music and a Christmas Story. Be blessed. Don and Christina Priest, Senior Pastors spurgeon united methodist church Sunday morning worship 9 a.m.; Sunday school 10 a.m. Pray daily for those on our prayer list. "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift" (II Corinthians 9:15). At Christmas time, as we share gifts with others, we remember the generosity of God toward us—He gave us His Son. No gift is greater than the gift of Christ himself. Everyone welcome to our services. Honna Schloss, Pastor Sherry Julian, Reporter PETERSBURG CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE 118 West Pike Ave. 354-8851—Church We invite you to join us in all our services. Sunday school 9:30 a.m.; morning worship 10:30 a.m.; youth 5 p.m.; children's Bible quizzing 5:45 p.m.; evening worship 6 p.m. and Wednesday, adult Bible study/prayer 7 p.m. We will have a combined service this Sunday, starting at 10 a.m. Sunday at 9:45 a.m., there will be Special Christmas piano music playing before worship. Sunday evening at 5 p.m., we are having a Christmas party in the fellowship hall. Don't get caught up in the rush of things and remember the real reason for this season. See the "Real Joy of Christmas." Don't just pass over Christmas this year, but remember the Hope and Salvation that Jesus gives. He keeps His promises . . . Always. www.petersburgnaz.net. Come and join us as we . . . Enter to Worship; Leave to Serve. Michael P. Elliott, Pastor 354-6351—Home PLEASANT RIDGE G.B. CHURCH Sunday school 9:30 a.m. and morning worship 10:30 a.m. Everyone is always welcome. We want to thank God for His mercy, love and answered prayer. Continue to pray for one another, the unsaved, the prayer list, for all who are traveling, for the sick and needy, for the ones in hospitals and nursing homes, for the military and their families, our President and his family, and all decisions that are made. Remember to pray for our country and our religious freedoms. We want to extend our sympathy to anyone who has lost a loved one. Jesus is the greatest gift we've ever received...it is unclaimed treasure for so many. Jesus is our gift if we'll only accept Him. He is the greatest gift ever given. Give this gift to one person. Tell them what He means to you and how you've never been the same since you gave your heart to Jesus. Just a simple witness will do it. He gives us joy, hope, peace and a sense of security and helps us to cope with things that come up. "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near" (Isaiah 55:6). Remember: Pray daily, ask for guidance. Have a great week!. Dale Frederick, Pastor Lois K. Fowler, Reporter Continued on page 4 It's your attitude Many people fear that they will never reach heaven. Some try not to think about it, while others struggle to "be good," hoping that they will finally "make it." Very few, comparatively, are sure of heaven. The real pity is that so few understand what it is that keeps people out of heaven. If you are confused about this, just remember that according to Scripture, it is not one's sins that keep him out of heaven, but his attitude. God has made full provision for our sins. "Christ died for our sins" (I Cointhians 15:3) and "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7). But God has made no provision for a selfrighteous attitude. He gave the Law "that every mouth may be stopped and that all the world may be brought in guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19). Thus He does not want 25 $ The true Christmas story Christmas has always and forever must be celebrated as the birth of Christ. The true meaning of Christmas is often overshadowed by materialism and greed. On December 25, in many languages and in various ways, Christmas will be observed. Christmas is a religious holiday and its meaning must be kept central. In simple words it means Jesus Christ came into the world to redeem the lost. We hear, almost daily, about school districts that try to limit all references to God including Christmas. It is tragic that in some schools there will be no Christmas carols or even silent prayer. Some would like to eliminate the celebration of Christmas and make America a secular nation. Some teachers are now told to call the Christmas holidays a winter break. In some schools a small minority of our citizens would deny our children their right to a true Christmas. These are rights and great religious Amber Manor Care Center Petersburg — 354-3001 Computers Plus Radio Shack Petersburg — 354-9633 DougGlass DBA Hold Everything or services on your next visit!* 251 N. MaiN Street, OaklaNd City 812-749-3700 Jeffrey D. Irvin, O.D. Adam J. Russ, O.D. Heather R. Russ, O.D. *Certain restrictions apply. For production or service at Oakland City Eyecare only. Not redeemable for cash. traditions which are part of our heritage and educational process. Christians must be awake and make their voices heard when schools, movies, music and the media deny the true meaning of Christmas. Our churches must keep Christ in Christmas and not allow the merchants of greed to take over this holy season. Christmas is almost here. Let us celebrate the true meaning which is Immanuel; God with us. This is a wonderful worship and family time. In our homes we have always read the Christmas story and had a time of prayer to thank God for our greatest gift, His Son, Jesus. The story says it well. Let us celebrate the King. The Church Page is made possible by the following Firms and Businesses: Petersburg — 354-3433 CASH toward products you to keep saying things in your own defense. In fact, before you can know God as your Savior, you must recognize Him as your Judge, righteously condemning you as a sinner. Often, when capital crimes are involved, the defendant's attorney will tell him: "It will be to your advantage to plead guilty and to throw yourself on the mercy of the court." This is especially true of us as sinners in the sight of a holy God. If we will only plead guilty and cast ourselves upon His mercy we will find Him more than gracious, for He has already paid the penalty for our sins Himself. Yes, unsaved friend, it will be to your eternal advantage to plead guilty before God and to cast yourself upon His mercy, "for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of god is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Religious Viewpoint by Clyde Dupin Benner & Co. Heating and Air Bring in this ad for J. Clay Bigham, O.D. Two Minutes with the Bible by Pastor Cornelius R. 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