FBC Carthage E-News
November 25, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving Week!
This is a special week
with Thanksgiving Day this Thursday when millions of Americans will stop and
think of the many blessings for which to be thankful. I encourage you and your family to thank the
Lord for His goodness and mercy to you this past year. We each have much to be
thankful. Let us remember those
blessings as well as enjoy a delicious meal with family and friends.
As a special treat this
Thanksgiving, gather your family around a new video called “I Am Second” by
Phil and Kay Robertson of Duck Dynasty.
It also features their son Jep and their grandson Nathan. Several asked me yesterday if I had seen it,
so I went home and watched it in the afternoon.
It is a blessing to hear the Robertson’s testimonies and how Jesus is
now first in their lives. Click on this
link for the video, it is about 30 minutes long:
http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/the-robertsons/
·
The next four
weeks leading up to Christmas will be focused on Jesus’ birth, His Advent. We will be singing Christmas carols, hearing
the Christmas story, and reflecting on how those in that first Christmas
responded to Jesus. We will consider the
question, “What will you do with Jesus?”
·
Sunday afternoon,
December 1 will be the annual Carthage Christmas Parade at 5:00 PM. We will gather in front of the church at 4:30
PM for hot chocolate and coffee for the community. We will also have a time of singing on the
front steps prior to the parade.
Everyone is encouraged to join us for this fun time of outreach and
ministry to the people of our community.
·
Following the
Christmas parade, this Sunday, December 1 we will gather in the Christian Life
Center for our AWANA Christmas Celebration from 6:00-8:00 PM. There will be food and a lot of fun for
everyone. The children will have activities
and the adults will have opportunities to visit and get to know the families of
the AWANA children, many of whom do not have a church they regularly
attend. Every child will receive a gift
which members of the congregation have donated.
You can bring a gift for children ages 3 through high school this Sunday
morning and leave it in the Connection Point.
·
Sunday, December
8 will be our Children’s Choir Christmas Program, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”,
at 6:00 PM. The children have been
working hard on this program and it will be a highlight of our Christmas
celebration. There will be a finger-food
fellowship immediately following the program in the Christian Life Center.
·
Saturdays,
December 7 and 14 will be the Christmas Parties at Lighthouse Christian Camp in
Smithville. These parties will celebrate
Christmas with almost one thousand children.
You can still donate toys for these Christmas parties and you can be
personally involved by helping in the Christmas store, crafts, refreshments,
and other areas of service. Meet at
Lighthouse Camp around 8:30 AM and they will help you find a great job.
·
Sunday, December
15 will be our Shut-In Christmas Services as we go to homes and have a simple
service. We will start this special
service a little early at 5:00 PM. There
will be caroling, the Christmas story, and a special gift for each shut-in
family.
·
Sunday 22 will be
Christmas Sunday with one combined morning service at 10:00 AM. The Sanctuary Choir will lead us as they
present a special Christmas musical, “Jesus, There’s Something About that
Name.”
·
Tuesday, December
24 at 5:00 PM will be our candlelight, Christmas Eve Service with Christmas
Carols and an observance of Communion.
In addition to the special
services, there will be several Sunday School class parties and other
fellowship celebrations. (As your class
or group makes plans, please call and share dates, times, and locations with
the church office at 735-1929.) As the
song says, “It’s the most wonderful time
of the year.”
Happy Thanksgiving,
Bro. Tim
1.
The Operation Christmas Child has been a huge
success with over 800 boxes received from across our area! We will receive boxes until 1:00 PM today and
then take them to Cookeville at 5:00 PM.
Come and help with this final task of our Operation Christmas Child as
we pray over the boxes and ask God to use them to spread the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
2.
The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for
International Missions begins this Sunday, December 1. This annual missions offering is the
lifeblood for the over 5000 Southern Baptist missionaries across the
globe. Prepare your heart for this great
mission’s offering as we give generously that the peoples of the word may hear
and know Jesus. Here is a great resource
for more information about the International Mission Board and the Lottie Moon
Offering:
http://www.imb.org/main/lottie-moon/default.asp
3.
The renovations
are getting close to completed with all the new appliances in place in the
kitchen. The lighting in the Educational
Building is finished and the painting has only a few more areas to be
done. The floor tile and stair treads
are scheduled for December 4-15, just in time for Christmas.
4.
A special “Hope
for the Holidays” service will be held on Thursday, December 5 at 6:00 PM at
the Smith County Ag Center. This service
will be hosted by Bass Funeral Home and
is designed to offer comfort and hope to families who have lost loved ones this
past year. Many times the holidays can
be very difficult, especially the first year after the death of a loved
one. This is a community service and is
open to everyone.
5.
The Brush Creek Baptist Church will have their
annual Christmas Drive-Through - Life of Christ on December 7-8. This would be a good outing for you and your
family.
6.
The mission
project at the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home will be January 2-3,
2014. We will drive back and forth from
Carthage both days so the only cost for team members will be lunch both
days. As we get closer we will have a
better idea of the work we will be doing.
It the past the work has been painting, raking leaves, cleaning gutters,
light construction, and cleaning the gymnasium.
7.
In yesterday’s
message on contentment, I referenced a quote by Dave Ramsey. Here is his article on teaching children
about contentment:
http://www.daveramsey.com/blog/modeling-contentment-for-kids/
8.
To close out this
Thanksgiving/pre-Christmas E-News, here is a great Christmas Flash Mob that
shared the true meaning of Christmas in a unique way. This would be fun to be a part. Check it out:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=KGPKWPNX
