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, March 2008
3 of 4 people
in the
Dates for the
Week of Prayer for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering/North American
Missions will be announced soon, as well as our church offering goal.
Annie Armstrong Easter
Offering® (AAEO) Fast Facts
The reason we
give to AAEO:
To help our missionary force reach for Christ an estimated 251 million lost
people in the
Amount given to AAEO in 2007:
Year-end figures totaled $59.3 million
Amount of
AAEO used to support missionaries and their work: 100%
Number of North American
Total 2007 NAMB budget: $124,000,000
Amount of
NAMB budget that comes from Annie: 46%; Amount of NAMB budget from Cooperative Program:
37%
What do AAEO-supported missionaries do?
Start new
churches
Engage in
student evangelism on college campuses
Serve the
physical and spiritual needs of people through inner-city Baptist centers
Serve in
local Baptist associations as associational missionary or other mission
staff
Minister in
resort settings such as campgrounds and ski areas
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Let’s give Dr. Hokuf a hearty welcome “home”
Editor’s note: Let’s give Dr.
As we prepare to welcome Dr. Hokuf back to our ministry let’s strive and ask
God to help us “Take Care of Our Pastor.”
One of our church members gave us a magazine
article to share written by
Your Pastor—A Gift From God
Ephesians 4:8 tells us the pastor is a gift from God.
Verses 11-12 reveal their purpose.
“And He gave some . . . pastors . . . for the perfecting of the
saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ.”
Their very lives are consumed with believing for the success, prosperity and
welfare of their congregations.
They care for their assigned flocks like none other on earth.
They have been given the awesome responsibility of watching over our
lives.
The Amplified Bible says, “They are constantly keeping watch over your souls
and guarding your spiritual welfare.”
Behind the Scenes
The public side of your pastor is just the tip of the iceberg.
So much more goes on “behind the scenes.”
Sermon preparation takes many hours of study and prayer.
They sacrifice much to see the needs of
their flock. Add to that
. . . phone calls, hospital visits, counseling sessions, pastoral and church
staff care and their own family.
Take Care of Your Pastor
When a pastor is honored and esteemed, the preaching is stronger, the gifts
of the Spirit function more proficiently and the spiritual atmosphere is
thicker with revelation and demonstration.
The entire church family benefits when your pastor is properly
supported and protected.
Proper Care, Proper Feeding
Purposefully receive your pastor as a precious gift from God.
Pray for your pastor.
Faithfully attend church. Speak
well of your pastors. Honor the
associates to whom your pastor delegates responsibility.
Flow with your pastor’s vision.
Walk in love with fellow church members.
Respect and honor your pastor’s spouse.
Bless your pastor in every way possible.
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Last Supper
production slated for March 16
The Agape¢
Players men are preparing to present The Lord’s Last Supper Re-enactment
on Sun., March 16, 2008, at 8:30 & 11:30 am.
A special thank you goes to all the men who are helping to make the
presentation into what promises to be a special day.
Only God knows the hearts that will be touched by the production.
Once in a while God asks us to step outside our
comfort zone to new experiences.
When we do, we have a chance to grow and to trust Him.
He promises to walk with us as we attempt new things for His service.
I’m sure some of our actors never thought they’d be on stage.
Youth Drama
A special thank you goes to our youth Agape’
Players. They’ll be presenting
The Cross on Sunday, February 24, 2008, at 8:30 and 11am.
We’re confident they’ll do well as they try a something new.
We hope to present more youth skits in the future.
Children’s
Drama
We’re hoping to have a children’s skit later in the
spring. God has opened the door
for presenting His word in a new way.
I’m thankful to be a part of this new ministry.
Thanks
A special
thanks goes to Carol Singleton who helped make most of our new
costumes for our Palm Sunday drama.
May you see God in each new bud popping through the
cold ground of winter.
With Easter blessing and love,
Patricia Culver,
Agape¢
Players Coordinator
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Would you?
Greetings from the Sunday School department.
Would you like to learn more about the Bible than you ever thought possible?
Would you like to influence lives for generations to come?
Would you like to please God?
Would you please prayerfully consider being a Sunday School teacher or
helper? God will bless you.
Immediate openings include:
grade school teachers and helpers, and a college and career teacher.
Please contact Dave Jackson, Sunday School Director.
Missions 2008l
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
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Jesus Loves Me
Childcare Center
has PAID staff
openings.
======================================================
Worthy of Praise
Women of Faith conference coming September 12-13
coordinator needed
The 2008 Women of Faith conference will be Sept 12-13, 2008, at the
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E-mail Prayer Chain
Please call the office if you’re interested in serving on
an e-mail prayer chain. You will
not need to pass prayer requests to anyone else.
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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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Grab a basket
What do you think Mr. Field Mouse found?
He found an Easter egg hidden in the grass under some bushes around
the church. The only thing I can
figure out is that it was left over from last year’s Easter Egg Hunt. Well,
there were thousands of eggs to find so this egg was missed.
This reminded me to tell you about this year’s
Easter Egg Hunt. Children, grab a basket and
we’ll see you at the Easter Egg Hunt on
Saturday, March 22,
10am-12noon. On second thought,
I think I’ll make myself a little scarce.
I’m sure there’ll be some crumbs left for me.
Brother Mouse said that Mr. Phil (Meekins) and the youth need help
They need candy, plastic eggs, filled plastic eggs and money to
purchase hot dogs, rolls, snacks, prizes, etc.
They need some adults, too, to set up, cook the hot dogs, etc.
Kat, The
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Thank You and . . .
Are you caring for a loved one?
Read this book
by Kathy Gray,
Ministry Assistant/Editor
Again, I wish to thank the church family for the
overwhelming expressions of support and love as we bid my mother, Etta May
Miller, farewell. She’s
with Jesus. Mom passed away at
her home. God blessed her with a
peaceful journey and gave our family peace, as well.
Mom was able to live at home primarily because my
father, Mark Miller, tended to her needs.
He took over all the household chores—learning things he’d never done
in his entire life. He also took over some of Mom’s personal care, as well.
Dad sacrificed much to care for Mom and he did it with a cheerful,
dedicated, loving heart. My
sister, brother, and I took over some of her care as well.
My sister and I live close to Mom home so we were able to do the
hands on things. My brother
lives in
Let me switch gears.
Everyone who cares for an aging loved one is considered a caregiver.
It may be something that takes little or much of your time.
Many times it isn’t easy.
Juggling personal schedules is difficult and adding more responsibilities to
care for someone else is trying.
Thankfully, I was able to leave work at any time I
needed to. I was able to go to
doctors’ appointments with Mom (and Dad).
Dr.
Before my mother passed away I started reading
Focus on the Family’s Complete Guide to Caring for Aging Loved Ones
which is considered a “lifeline for those navigating the practical,
emotional, and spiritual aspects of caregiving.”
The book represents a collaborated effort by a group of people
affiliated with Focus on the Family.
It took three years to complete.
Complete Guide
to Caring for Aging Loved Ones is well-written and covers many aspects of caregiving.
Actually, I’d consider it a handy reference book to always have on
hand.
Are you caring
for a loved one?
I’m sure there are many books available on this
subject; but, few with a spiritual side of caregiving.
Each chapter begins with Scripture.
Nothing can speak to us as Scripture does.
It’s God’s edification.
Sidebars draw readers’ attention to interesting notes:
“Honor implies choosing to give great respect and care to our
elders—not grudgingly, but from a principle of love.”
“Elderly people do much better under the care of family members,
people who know their history and personality.”
“Taking some time off for yourself is not a sign of weakness and will
help you more than you may realize.”
“Say all those things you have been meaning to say.
There is never a better day than today.”
“The ‘baby boom’ generation born following World
War II is beginning to grow old while medical technology is moving forward
at lightning speed. Since 1900
the number of Americans sixty-five and over has grown from 3 million to 34
million and is expected to double by 2030, one year after the last of the
baby boomers reach the age of sixty-five.
By 2025, seniors will outnumber teenagers by more
than 2 to 1.”
Caring for
Aging Loved Ones
is an easy read. It doesn’t need
to be read through from cover to cover.
You can easily select chapters that apply to your personal
circumstances. It has a wide range of topics some of which are:
Facing a New
Role
Honoring Your
Aging Loved Ones
Caring for
Yourself
Physical
Changes in Aging
Mental
Change, Memory Loss, and Dementia
Getting Help
(financial care, legal care, etc.)
Church,
Religious Activity, and Spiritual Life
Helping Your
Elder Remain at Home
End-of-Life
Issues
Moving
Forward
If you’re caring for an elder or if it’s a role you
may face in the foreseeable future, I highly recommend Caring for Aging
Loved Ones. I am personally
placing a copy in our church library.
And, I’m ordering four extra copies that I wish to pass along (1st
come/1st served) to those interested.
When you’re finished with the book just kindly pass it along to
someone else who’d benefit from its subject matter.
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Building Maintenance Fund:
We must purchase a new heater.
It was voted to use part ($3,000) of the Building Maintenance Fund
(plus $3,000 from the Emergency Fund)
for this
purpose; therefore, we’ll need
to put off some planned maintenance projects.
May God bless
you for your support in replenishing the Maintenance Fund.
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An Easter prayer
Once again,
Lord, we are astounded by the incomparable and glorious event of Easter.
To remember how you conquered sin and evil through the resurrection of Jesus
stirs up joy and hope within us.
It comforts us greatly to know that because Christ was raised from the dead,
we who are "in Christ" have the assurance of eternal life.
Furthermore, to have the living Christ as our Savior and the under girding
Holy Spirit as our daily Companion assures us of grace that never fails us.
Finally, it is a certainty that all things good and desirable are possible
for those who love you, because Christ lives and reigns as King of our
lives.
All praise and glory to you, loving Creator, now and forever! Amen.
-Charles Ferrell
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Worthy of Praise
The Creator became like the creature; then He became the servant of the
creature and died for the creature, for love of the creature; so that the
creature could become like His Creator!
Pastor
Dan Mohler—2008