I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
John 8:12
The
Lamplighter, April 2008
From the pastor
Dear church family,
Greetings in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is good to be back after a couple months of sabbatical rest,
actually medical leave would be more accurate.
As many of you know back in November of 2007 I was experiencing what
I now describe as the symptoms of burnout.
My doctors and your deacons recommended time off and the church
agreed. Pastor Dan Mohler
stepped up to the plate while Janet and I were away.
“Thank you” to all of you who filled in and did extra duty to cover
for me. I believe the church is
stronger, as well as myself, for our having gone through this together.
James 1:2-5, 12NIV says:
Consider it pure joy, my
brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the
testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its
work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of
you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without
finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has
stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to
those who love Him.
I shared much
more in addition to these things in my sermon on March 9 from James 1.
If you would like a copy please contact the office.
James was the
half-brother of Jesus. He tells
us to react with joy to the trials that come our way (1:2).
That may seem unreasonable except that we know the reason for those
trials is to make us mature in Christ and to build His character into our
lives (1:3-4). Our resource in
all of these things is God’s power and wisdom (1:5).
Finally, He promises a reward for all who persevere and love Him
through it all (1:12).
The Lord
ministered to me through this passage and I am trying to obey His
commands—with His enabling power.
It is interesting that the problems and trials that were troubling me
so have not really gone away—some are actually worse.
But now, I feel refreshed and more able to deal with them.
Continue to pray for us.
We really do depend on your love and prayer daily.
Your brother
in Christ,
Dr. Stephen D.
Hokuf
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What is the purpose of your life?
Are you frustrated about the meaning and purpose of
your life? The Purpose
Driven Life by Rick Warren will transform your understanding of who
you are and help you to grasp your profound destiny.
Why are you here at this time and in this place?
God planned you for a purpose.
Wouldn’t it be great to know what it is?
If this interests you please sign up for the six
week Sunday School class starting April 6th which will be taught
by Pastor Dan. The
sign-up
sheet is next to the poster in the educational wing.
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Missions 2008
Missionaries like
Y-O-U
are needed
As we move on through the new year God has blessed
us with, we need to turn our thoughts to missions ministries that we can do
for Him.
For the past six years, we’ve taken a mission trip
to
Please be in prayer about our youth mission work in
At home, we have another mission outreach —
We have a tropical theme this year:
So, you see there is room for everyone.
God calls us to ministry.
What has He called you to do?
In Christ’s Service,
Patricia Culver, Missions, 2008
Women of Faith conference coming September 12 & 13
Women of Faith Conference will be at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA,
again. The dates are September
12 and 13. We are trying to take
a group for an overnight stay.
Here’s a short description according to the Women of Faith website for some
of the speakers:
Sandi Patty—Every woman struggles with the feelings hidden deep
within her—even the most-awarded female vocalist in contemporary Christian
music history.
Nicole Johnson—has 20 years’ experience as an actor, television host and
producer. She has published
seven books and a variety of materials on relationships.
Max Lucado—has the heart of a pastor and the pen of a poet.
He is a preacher who writes and a writer who preaches, though no one
would call him preachy.
Luci Swindoll—No one on the porch enjoys themselves more than Luci.
She’s full of anticipation, fun, and a sense of adventure that won’t
quit.
For more information on the speakers as well as others and for general
information go to the website:
womenoffaith.com.
Or, contact Chrissy Jackson 443 480-4049 (cell) or email her @
kidchrissy@gmail.com.
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It’s TAX TIME
AARP offers FREE TAX HELP!
Membership in AARP is NOT required.
ALL ages welcome!
Call 410 996-5600-X471 for an appointment.
There are several locations available including North East Fire Hall.
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Calling all grads
Please notify the church office if you have a graduating senior— high school
and/or college.
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Did you agonize with Judas?
Director Pat Culver’s thoughts after the production,
The Lord’s Last Supper Re-enactment.
Once again 13 men in the church came forward and made the
pages of the Bible come alive for us.
Each man took on the characteristics of their character and made it
his own.
Did you agonize with Judas as he struggled with his
decision to betray Jesus— not knowing or seeing the consequences of his
actions? Do we, too, follow our
own agenda not considering the long term consequences?
Or, did you agonize when Peter was loudly
reprimanded by Jesus telling him that in three days he would deny even
knowing Him? How crushing for
Peter. Have we, too, denied
knowing Jesus by our actions or inactions?
How could each man not look at his own life and
wonder why God called him to leave it all and follow him? Has Jesus called
you? Are you willingly following
Him?
Were you not humbled as Jesus washed His disciples’
feet? He calls all of us to
serve in that way, too. Have you
found your place to serve?
Truly the presence of the Lord was in this place
and He would have lovingly looked in each man’s face and say, “Well done thy
good and faithful servant.”
The stage is clear, the props are all packed away.
The costumes are carefully being cleaned and packed away.
But, like the men that did such a wonderful job, there will be quiet
moments and pondering knowing that after this we will never quite be the
same.
A heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make this
production a huge success.
A special thanks to the new faces at the supper
table. Did you figure out who
our last minute disciples were?
They were the ones that came at just the right time.
I know God was honored by all you did.
Until next year—“Shalom”
Patricia Culver
Director Agape¢ Players
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44 prayer warriors are praying for your concerns
PTL!
We have
implemented a new phone prayer chain and email prayer chain as well.
We have 33 prayer warriors on the phone prayer chain and 11 prayer
warriors on the email prayer chain.
Please note: All prayer requests
will automatically be placed on the email chain UNLESS
specified otherwise.
===============================================================
Do you have a
favorite website?
Do you have a favorite website/s that you’d like to
share with our church family.
Here’s a few we use in the church office:
Our church
calendar is available on the web in different formats.
Click on the event for additional details.
We email
The Lamplighter to
listen to
music while working on your computer—you’ll need a speaker & possibly other
software that is probably downloadable.
Most of these hymns are traditional.
Does anyone know of a similar site for comtemporary/praise
hymns/songs
pictures and
clipart many are FREE
www.bcmd
Our
Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware site
www.bcmd.e-quip.net
FREE training
resources from our Baptist convention:
===============================================================
Health kits—will you make one?
Women on
1 large bath towel
1 wash cloth
1 toothbrush (adult)
1 toothpaste (large)
1 large comb (no rat tail combs)
1 shampoo (full size)
1 bar soap (full size)
1 deodorant
=============================================================
Walk for Life—2008
The
You are encouraged to sign up to walk and find
sponsors to support your walk in order to support this worthy organization.
If you are interested please see Pastor Dan to sign up.
Date: Saturday, May 3rd
Place:
Time:
Registration 8:45am, walk 9am
Distance:
only about 2 miles