Church guide

Read the latest blog - CONE OF SHAME - https://mailchi.mp/b67e0ad68dbd/read-the-latest-blog-cone-of-shame

December 2016 Ladies' Newsletter Women of the Fold Proclaiming the beauty of Christian women When I was a little girl my family didn’t attend church. I wanted so desperately to go to church, and God knows the desire of even a small girl’s heart—maybe especially the heart of a child—so when our neighbors next door asked if I’d like to ride to church with them I was thrilled. They attended a small church in our community that was on a fast track to apostasy even then. Today, sadly, it has arrived at its destination. I rode to Sunday school with them and afterwards my dad picked me up, most Sundays still dressed in his pajamas. And every Sunday I watched as my friends and their parents walked from the Sunday school building into the sanctuary, a Currier and Ives image in my mind today, and every Sunday I longed to go into the church with them. One of my fondest memories was being asked to light one of the Advent candles in the Sunday school assembly. I was thrilled. I loved the Advent wreath and loved learning the meaning behind the candles. God protected my tender spirit and gave me a godly Sunday school teacher named Mrs. Brown. I suspect she knew I came from an unbelieving home but she was so kind and she read stories from the Bible about Jesus and how He healed the sick and raised the dead and those stories both quenched a thirst in me and made me thirsty for more. I memorized the books of the Bible in her class and I remember becoming angry when boys in the class were purposely disruptive and Mrs. Brown would have to stop teaching to deal with their inane “boy” shenanigans. This church had a class for twelve year olds to teach them about the church and to ultimately confirm them into the church. When I reached that age and the class was about to begin, my mom told me I would not be attending. “That is not the correct reason to join a church”, she said. “You don’t join a church because everyone else does”. I begged her. I cried. I told her maybe I could go to the class without joining the church. She said she would call the minister and ask. I came home from school one day and she had called the minister. The class was indeed designed to end with church membership and I would not be attending she told me. That was that. When my mom made up her mind there was no changing it. As an adult I wondered why she would do something so drastic…so definitive. There was no offer of a different church. I was just told I was no longer going to that one. I’ve shared my testimony before of how I went to a sleepover at a friend’s house and her mother read to us from Revelation. I was terrified and said, “I don’t want to have to live through that”. My friend encouraged me to go with her to her church, another denomination, and speak to her pastor. I walked into his study and blurted out, “I don’t want to go to Hell”. I was probably his easiest convert! This godly man led me to the Lord but I also know that Mrs. Brown planted many seeds in her little class. He only reaped what she had so faithfully sown. My brother and I text messaged this October about our time in that apostate community church. He asked if I remembered trick or treating for a cause that neither of us would support now. We said to each other, “What were our parents thinking, letting us do that?” I text messaged my lifelong friend who had attended that church with her family and asked her about the trick or treating. We talked about the church and she said, almost casually, “You know that pastor did something to ____ (a high school aged girl who was the big sister of one of my close friends). “What?” “When?” I had a million questions. Her answer told me that it was common knowledge in the church and community. And it had happened in the very time frame that my mother made me quit going to the church! “Why did they let him continue there?” I asked. She didn’t know. Her parents became disgruntled and left the church sometime in that time frame, and my friend began to attend the church where I was saved. I now wonder if my mother knew what happened. Maybe she used the confirmation class as an excuse. I won’t know until I get to Heaven. It would stand to reason that if the incident happened to my close friend’s sister, my mom would have heard about it. Ever since I was twelve I wondered why she would abruptly stop me from going to church…something I enjoyed so much. God gave me a new perspective. He was protecting me and used my unbelieving parents as tools. I mentioned the beautiful meaning of Advent. I am grateful I took that with me from that church. I have continued that with our family and I love the meaning of the ceremony. I’m sorry we have thrown that out in most of our non-liturgical churches. The word Advent literally means “Coming”. He is coming. He is coming to save us, to save His people from their sins. He comes to give us His perspective which He gives in the form of His precious Word. He gave hope to a skinny redhead from an unbelieving home who heard His name most often as a curse word. He used a beautiful white headed woman named Mrs. Brown to plant gospel seeds in spite of disruptive boys who didn’t want to be there, and he used a kindly pastor to lead me the rest of the way to salvation. And He mercifully saved my parents and used me to lead my Daddy to the Lord. Do you look for Him this Advent season? What perspective would He like to change in you? Maybe a hurt you’ve clung to has a different side and He longs to show you another possibility. Is there someone you know who needs salvation? This season is the perfect time to tell His story! My prayer is that each of us will grow closer to Him, more deeply in love with Him, and more grateful to Him for taking on flesh and coming to us. - Kay Etheredge “I am more sinful and flawed than I ever dared believe, more loved and welcomed than I ever dared hope”. Elyse M Fitzpatrick

Annual baptism service at Turkey Creek where three men from Brother Bryan Mission were baptized yesterday. Amen!

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