Church guide

WHAT IS IN THE EGG? There are many holidays on our yearly calendar. Easter is one of the most colorful and exciting for everyone. Some people have to have a new outfit with matching shoes. Some have to have a huge Easter lunch with all the trimmings. Some have to visit family or keep traditions started with family. No matter what the Easter Holiday holds for you, most of us have an egg or two hiding around for someone to find. We do a lot to an egg we color them, boil them, stuff them, or eat them. The main goal is for someone to hide them and then someone to find them. It is a fun way to celebrate. Some will argue many points about the egg and the hunts origin. The truth is an egg is an egg. An egg is a new beginning, a new start, a new life. That is exactly what Jesus brought to us at Easter. A new life by giving His. A new beginning by washing us of our sins. A new start by making us new and forgiven by His blood. When we find the egg in our hunt and we pour out the goodies inside then we see the empty egg. The empty egg reminds us of the empty tomb. Jesus came for us. Jesus lived among us. Jesus died for us. Jesus rose again for us. Jesus left an empty shell behind called the tomb to remind us…that life comes from Him. Easter is the time of the year to be reminded …He makes all things new. What was dead in the winter comes to bloom in the Springtime. Full bursts of color remind us of the beauty of His love. So, the next time you see an Easter Egg be reminded of new life, new hope, new beginnings and the beauty of an empty tomb. -Children’s Pastor Chrissy JOIN US FOR OUR COMMUNITY WIDE EASTER EGG HUNT APRIL 20TH AT 10 A.M. WE WILL HAVE OUR EGG HUNT THEN WE WILL HAVE INFLATABLES. EVERYONE WELCOME!

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For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Today’s sermon “The Greatest Sin” reminded me of this verse, Ephesians 2:8-9, that not for just one sin did he die for but for all sins. Not just one of mine and one of a fellows ! All he asks is for us to seek him first, then shall we be made whole again! Every burden, every fear, every mistake we have made is undone because of his Amazing Grace and the chains of our burdens, fears and mistakes are GONE!

In light of the special conference here is a synopsis of the votes and results! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TObRlMxuH9Q&feature=youtu.be

We have all heard this scripture. It is called the “love chapter”. Yet, it is so very true and hard at the same time. As parents, it seems like this scripture is tried every day of our lives. Our children are beautiful, wonderful creations from the Lord but try us they will. Being the mother of two toddlers ten months apart, there are days I feel like I should go back to bed. I have to remember that God is very present in my time of trouble. He is a constant companion to us. God gave us our children and He will give us wisdom to raise them. Prayer is the key and love is the glue. As a Children’s Pastor I see so many little lives hurting and broken. God, our Heavenly Father has a plan for them and He loves them unconditionally. I struggle daily to know how to reach broken little hearts for Him. So, as we start this Valentine week let’s concentrate on I Corinthians 13. Love is patient (when the milk is spilled) Love is kind (when the kids are fighting), Love doesn’t envy (the other families car) Love is not boastful (even when our kid makes A honor roll) Love isn’t rude (especially when someone takes your place in the car line) Love isn’t easily irritated (even when you are running late) and love does not resent (even when someone is mean to your kid). Love bears, believes, hopes and endures all things. Jesus was the example. We are His followers and He said, “We can do all things through Him.” God loves you. Trust Him to help you to raise your kids in His loving ways. HE LOVES YOU AND HE LOVES KIDS!! Pastor Chrissy

Dear Friends, A letter about Prayer: In Acts 4:23-31 we see Peter and John have been arrested and threatened not to preach Christ, but the Lord has told them to! They were torn between God and man. When they were released where did they go? To the tavern, no but they had a prayer meeting! They headed for their own people, the law of affinity. We are attracted by those like us…birds of a feather flock together! You can tell a lot about a person by who they run with or runs to. Well, Peter and John ran to their own company. It’s a shame when people get into trouble and don’t run to the church…may we make our church one they can run unto. This scripture gives us four things that can revolutionize our prayer lives. First, they were united in prayer. They dropped to their knees and joined hands and prayed together, though we all should have a private prayer life. We should pray as a family, meals, bedtime, family devotions, crisis, hospital, etc. Either we will be united in prayer or we will be untied, and as a church the same it true. Second, we should pray God centered prayers, they did not focus on their problems but on God’s power. Verse 24 recognized God as Creator. When we do this it put our problems in perspective, reminds us that He can handle our problems. -Nehemiah was in serious trouble but spent hours praising things about God and who God is before making his request. -Isaiah 42 talks about God’s power, guidance, control, and faithfulness prior to his requests. -David in Psalms 145:1-3 says, “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” As I have said before we need to revolutionize our prayer life, take out some moans and add some amens, delete the how’s and replace with hallelujahs! Shove gratitude up front of our groans. Third, this was also a scriptural prayer based on scripture. So quote the Bible when you pray, hide it in your heart, recall and use the Word of God throughout your prayer time. They prayed scripture claiming scripture, praying based on scripture and so can we. So how should we pray today? Biblically, for souls. “Lord you are not willing that any should perish, Lord, you added unto the church daily, you are the great physician who touched blind eyes, brought the prodigal home and so I ask you to do it for our son/daughter, you can do it again Lord.” Fourth, their prayers were united, God-centered, scriptural and totally unselfish. In verse 29 they didn’t pray for deliverance for God to crush their heads, call for fire down on the council or for protection but that they would be able to still do what they are supposed to despite it all! Do we pray like that? We tend to pray for God to get us out of situation, not deeper! We say, “Oh God, kill ‘em! Smite them.” Philip Brooks said, “Don’t pray for an easy life, pray for God to make you stronger. Don’t pray for tasks equal to your power, but for power equal to your tasks” So, if we truly and humbly pray, God’s power will work in us and through us. So, pray and expect God to work in you and through you and us as a church. Bro. Larry

BTW (By the way): those serving this month and monthly calendar of events !

How would you like to receive your church information from the bulletins, newsletters, church events and opportunities to give and serve ?

FEAR HE IS A LIAR: I find the scripture from 2 Timothy 1:17 so encouraging. It says, ”For God has not given you a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.” That promise has been so helpful to me during times in my life when my future was unclear or when I assumed the worst would certainly happen. I came to find out that I really had nothing to fear at all. I learned that fears are not facts. I’m not sure what fear you have today, but I love the lyrics in Zach Williams’ new song that says, “cast your fear in the fire, ‘cause fear is a liar.” I feel like a lot of times the devil tries to use our past against us. We are doing works for God and we hear that small voice that says I don’t deserve to be here and that I don’t belong, but I’m not what the devil says I am. I’m what God says I am.” - Zan Hataway Come see us Sunday at the 8:30 contemporary service and worship with us ! - Zan & Jody Hataway

Finding God’s Will Spiritual people tend to ponder God's Will for their lives and their ministries. I know I do. To understand God’s will for our lives we must understand God’s divine purpose revealed in Scripture. Perhaps it is better understood in other terms. If a high school player asked a football coach what he wanted him to do with his life over the next year the coach would reply "start working out, do your best to stay in shape, learn the plays and implement them in the game, be a team player, and try to stay focused so we can win the state championship." Everything the coach wants the player to do revolves around the coaches "purpose". That is the coaches "will" for the player. It's the same for us true believers, and Scripture makes it clear that God’s purpose is to rescue all of mankind. Just as a coach desires to win every game, God wants to rescue every human being. God has established the church as His team and has accomplished the redemption of mankind through the works of Christ, yet we all know that no game ends with good coaching and the establishment of a team. The world must encounter Christ and receive that redemption and justification through faith! There is still a ball to be carried, a field to be taken, a game to be played and our coach wants the very best effort out of us. With each new generation their are new souls and each soul has his/her own free will to accept or reject God’s love and gift of salvation. God's "Team" will always have a game to play until Christ returns. So when the spiritual minded person, like myself, seeks God's will for their life and begins to ponder what God would have them do with life or ministry they must understand that God's will for us is found within the framework of God's goal and purpose: - Thus on a basic level, God's will for us is to, first, start working out and getting into better shape for the game spiritually (reading our Bible, praying, fellowshipping, worshipping, etc...) we must develop our spiritual ability and endurance. - Secondly, God wants us to learn the basic plays and become more efficient as a unified team for life, service, and reaching the lost, we do this equipping primarily in church where we study application of scripture and formulate outreach plans and ministries to carry the gospel (our ball) into the world - Thirdly, God wants us to not only get in shape and learn to be a better team driven by His divine purpose, but God also wants us to use every ounce of energy when the ball is on the move to implement our play in every aspect of our lives wherever we are. God's will for us involves self sacrifice, self preparation, toil for growth, team work, play implementation, and MOVING the gospel ball always up the field to advance the teams position. So what is God's "will" for our life? Perhaps its not as complicated as we think! -Brother David Collette

We welcome Todd Agnew this morning as he leads us in worship and brings the message. Come see us at 8:30 or 11:00.

What a blessing it was to watch our children and youth lead the service for Children’s Sabbath. We are thankful for each one.

Larry White and Frankie Massey flying over the church - getting closer to God.

Hold your loved ones tight, eat with joy, and give thanks to our Lord for all his wonderful works!

For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Today’s sermon “The Greatest Sin” reminded me of this verse, Ephesians 2:8-9, that not for just one sin did he die for but for all sins. Not just one of mine and one of a fellows ! All he asks is for us to seek him first, then shall we be made whole again! Every burden, every fear, every mistake we have made is undone because of his Amazing Grace and the chains of our burdens, fears and mistakes are GONE!

FEAR HE IS A LIAR: I find the scripture from 2 Timothy 1:17 so encouraging. It says, ”For God has not given you a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.” That promise has been so helpful to me during times in my life when my future was unclear or when I assumed the worst would certainly happen. I came to find out that I really had nothing to fear at all. I learned that fears are not facts. I’m not sure what fear you have today, but I love the lyrics in Zach Williams’ new song that says, “cast your fear in the fire, ‘cause fear is a liar.” I feel like a lot of times the devil tries to use our past against us. We are doing works for God and we hear that small voice that says I don’t deserve to be here and that I don’t belong, but I’m not what the devil says I am. I’m what God says I am.” - Zan Hataway Come see us Sunday at the 8:30 contemporary service and worship with us ! - Zan & Jody Hataway

ATTN: Students and Youth Groups - Join together for worship at "Rally to the Son". Event will be held at Lucedale City Park Saturday June 3rd from 1:00 pm - 7:00 pm and feature 7 Local Bands!