Lunenburg United Methodist Charge
Antioch UMC Williams UMC
On our walk. . . . .
March 24, 2009
Matt 28: 18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you to the very end of the age.
Mark 16
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
The greatest evangelistic movement in Western society at one time was identified with Methodism. Yet, in the past several decades this denomination has sustained the largest membership loss of any church in North America. Many churches are walking right on the precipice of extinction….
Why?
It is because many of us have lost our focus…our meaning…and therefore are not producing any fruit! It is my belief that basically all of the present problems facing this world are directly connected to the fact that many of us have “dropped the ball.”
We have already lost at least two generations…those who do not attend a church---and it is our responsibility to pledge that we will not only do everything we can to win back these lost souls… ….but also to make sure we never lose anymore!!!
And this means that all of us must be completely dedicated to doing what we have promised God to do when we joined the Christian Church! We promised God that we would uphold God’s Church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service!
The salvation of the world depends on how well we keep up our end of that sacred pledge!
The founder of the Methodist Church—John Wesley was already a priest in the Anglican Church when he had his “heart-warming” or born again experience. And from that moment on…he began to preach salvation by faith through grace alone….he began to preach about the life-changing experience of dedicating one’s life completely to Christ and having a personal relationship with Him…
…and I’m sure many of you know what happened to him…he was kicked out of the Anglican Church……but this didn’t stop Wesley…he simply made church in the fields where the poor, disenfranchised, those who knew they were lost came to hear him by the thousands….and lives were changed….souls were saved by the millions!!!
And that is the number one priority of fulfilling The Great Commission of Jesus Christ---the salvation of souls!!!
Jesus said: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”…
“My food…is to do the will of him who sent me to finish his work.”
We live in an age of causes—from “save the seals” to “ban the bomb.” And these causes have invaded the hearts, minds, and calendars of many members of many churches. Some of these causes are worthy, and many are utterly worthless in comparison to what really matters!
Jesus reminded the disciples of the most important cause of all….…as a matter of fact, this cause is more important than the basics of life itself!
The cause is souls!……and as the church we must never forget that our first obligation is evangelism!
In the Great Commission, Jesus forever established our priorities: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus told His disciples that He was finishing the work the Father gave him to do.
Obviously, the earthly part of that work is now in the hands of us—the believers! The One who announced that He was the “light of the world” gave the commission to us—His followers: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Every believing member of Christ’s Church must see themselves as a God-anointed link in the chain of the Gospel. It makes all the difference in the world to understand that everything that is learned is learned so that it can be taught to someone else!
In the cause of the Great Commission….within Bible believing churches….every ministry counts towards the saving of souls…. ….so let’s not drop the ball!
This Sunday, March 29 Curtis Hyler and Jubilation will bring a service of sharing the Gospel to us. They are from eastern North Carolina. They have an extensive resume’ (see below and this is only part of it) and we are grateful they could take time out to be with us. It is part of our FRANK service. FRANK is a way to reach out to those, not only of the community, but those members who haven’t been in attendance at Antioch for sometime. Each of you is asked to invite a:
Friend
Relative
Acquaintance
Neighbor
Kids
Let’s fill up Antioch and only you can do it!!! After services a luncheon is planned. If you would like to help please contact Brenda Barnes, Betsey Hendricks, Robyn Fowler, Diane Overby
Curtis Hyler and Jubilation
We are about Our Fathers business, and that is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many as possible.
We have a burning desire to see souls saved into the kingdom of heaven, and a love in our hearts for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it is our passion to lift up the name of Jesus in song and to be used by Him as an instrument of His wonderful grace.
We have been so blessed by God, and want to use the talents that he has given us for his Honor and Glory. Our favorite foundational scripture reads:
Psalms 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass
Curtis Hyler manages the group and sings the lead part. He has traveled with several Southern Gospel groups from eastern North Carolina and broke onto the national scene in 1995 with the acclaimed quartet Heaven Bound. In 1998, Curtis’ music ministry took on a new dimension, as under God's anointing. Curtis began songwriting. His first song, 'Get Up. Get Ready." Was recorded by Gold City, and was nominated by the SGMA for Song of the Year in 2001.
Ray Rawls is a talented, veteran tenor. In the thirty plus years he has been singing Southern Gospel music, Ray shared his distinctive sound with The Redeemers, The Journeymen, The Laymen and Movin' Up. With his tireless work effort, his vast experience in and love for gospel music, he is a tremendous asset to the group.
Duke Sanders brings an enthusiastic stage presence and outstanding vocal ability to the baritone part. A veteran of thirty-five plus years in the performing music industry, Duke has many talents that he offers the group. One of which is his extensive experience with sound and technical equipment
A “love offering” will be taken for Curtis, Ray, and Duke. It is our way of saying “Thanks” for what should be an exciting and evangelical service.
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!
Opportunities for Ministry and Service
Monday, March 30
Bible Study @ Antioch @ 7:00 PM
Tuesday, March 31
Bible Study @ Audrey Smith’s @ 10:00 AM
Wednesday, April 1
Prayer Meeting @ Williams @ 5:45 PM
Choir Practice @ Williams @ 6:30 PM
Worship Events –March 29 - The Fifth Sunday of Lent
Antioch: FRANK Service
Williams: Taize’ Service
Sunday School is available each Sunday morning. The importance of Sunday School is that, though you may think hearing the word will suffice for you, you really need to be in attendance at Sunday School to gather all the information that you can in an open discussion classroom. Jesus’ word cannot be totally understood just by listening to a sermon. You have to interact with it and with other Christians to learn what He was saying to us. This is a life long study and you should take part. There is a class for every age so please plan on joining us to learn more about our Lord, Jesus Christ. Sunday School at Williams begins at 10:45 AM and at Antioch at 10:00 AM.
Evening Bible Study Evening Bible study will continue on Mar.30 at 7:00PM at Antioch. We will be reviewing chapters 31-40 of Isaiah. We will discuss the events depicted in the book. If you are looking for a study of God’s word join us not only for the study, but good fellowship.
Morning Bible Study. Morning Bible study will meet this Tuesday March 31 @ 10:00 AM at Audrey Smith’s house when will be reviewing chapters 1-10 of Isaiah. If you are looking for a study of God’s word join us not only for the study, but good fellowship.
$.02 a Meal – Lunenburg Ministries
The Mission committee is asking all who would like to help the least of us during this Lenten/ Easter season to take part in the 2 cents per meal program. All you have to do is put any amount of change into a Zip Lock bag or a container at each meal. On Palm Sunday we will take it up at our Palm Sunday service and take it to the Palm Sunday Evening services and along with the other churches in our county we will make a community offering to the Lunenburg Ministries for their use to help the least of us in our community. If you don’t have a bag or a container and would like to take part please see Brenda Barnes or Robyn Fowler.
Picture of Events.
If you would like to see pictures of recent events at Antioch please go to antiochmethodistchurch.org. This is the address for our webpage and it is updated as information becomes available.
Contact Pastor Ed
If you cannot reach Rev. Ed at the parsonage, you may call him on his cell phone: 252-532-0952, parsonage phone: 434-676-2314 or 252-537-5705. He can also be reached via e-mail at revedumc@yahoo.com .
UMW to Support Madeline’s House
The Antioch UMW is asking for everybody’s support for Madeline’s House. There will be boxes for donations of needed items to help Madeline’s House in there endeavor to supply a place for those who have suffered from domestic abuse. These boxes will be in the church office along with information on the programs offered along with a list of the needs of Madeline’s House. Madeline’s House has been on the verge of closing during the past year and their situation both materially and financially is tenuous. Please open your hearts to this important program. A special offering will be taken up on for Madeline House in April.
Prayer List
Please keep the following families in your prayers:
Becky Eades & boys
Edna A. Bagley
Dee Welch
Harry & Margaret Smith
Edith Parham
Bernard Bottoms
Walter B. & Carolyn Moseley
Tommy Cage
Bertha Bottoms
Fred & Denise Harper
Grace DiStefano
Betty Reese
CV & Agnes Thompson
Gertrude Hite
Betty Yerby
Nathan Hendricks
Ernie Schultz
Bertha Arthur
Margaret J. Conner
Justin McDaniel
Allen Alcock
Sgt Christopher Thompson
Elizabeth Crowder
Douglas Stewart
Ronnie Liestra
Doris Daniel
Layton Powell
Elizabeth Biggerstaff
Lucille Bragg
Alicia Clary
Rev. Robert Day
Dorothy Ann Irby
Laura Dutzman
Frances Hawthorne
Sheila Cage
Tom Fowler
Cameron Fowler
Sara Zaleski
Jeff Hendricks
Kathy McReynolds
Danny Horne
Maria Kay
Jo Ann Vansicle
JoAnne Doty
Red Tanner
Kay Thompson & girls
Audrey Green
Ruth Cowan
Vivian & Houston Rackley
Dennis Moore
Vince Callis
Gardner Family
Dorothy Shields
Marvin Bagley
Carolyn Brockwell
David Jones
Annie Faison
Earl "Chucky” Barnes
Brenda Epley
Cecil Faison
Bobby & Virginia Overby
Justine Mc Henry
Donna Reese
Tommy Rae Gee Family
Otha Wilkins
Nagel Taylor
Prayer Gram.
Please, when putting somebody’s name on our prayer list, PRINT their names and addresses if you have them. This will help us get the prayer grams out sooner and it will also make it easier to read during services.
A Final Word:
Duct Tape or a Nail?
A man dies and goes to heaven. St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates and says, 'Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in.' 'Okay,' the man says, 'I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart.' 'That's wonderful,' says St. Peter, 'that's worth two points!' 'Two points?!' he says.
'Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service.' 'Terrific!' says St. Peter.. 'That's certainly worth a point.' 'One point!?!!'
'I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.' 'Fantastic, that's good for two more points,' he says.
' Two points!?!!
'Exasperated, the man cries. 'At this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the grace of God.' ' Bingo ! 100 points ! Come on in!' We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and duct tape.
God did it with a nail.
AMEN... Have A blessed week!!
