Bethany Baptist Church
We were glad to hear Bro. Jim Philamlee brief us on the ministry of the Cornerstone Mission Builders.  He brought a challenging message, “The Preached Gospel Demands a Response,” using Acts 17, Romans 1:16 and Isaiah 55:10-11.
No one who has been exposed to the word of God will ever be the same.  Paul (in Acts) mentioned there were the mockers, the procrastinators and those who believed.  In which group are you? The Gospel is the answer for America today.  Jesus Christ is the only Answer, and we need to take note of that.
Sunday night Bro. Steve brought a message from 2 Timothy 1:16-18.  He used the words of the Apostle Paul commending Onesiphorus as an example of how we should love, encourage and minister to our fellow Christians.  He closed with the challenges: Who is your Onesiphorus (who is your encourager)?  Who are you ministering to?
Prayer list:  Betty Biggs, Carl Gray, Ellen Gray, Ophelia Griffin, Ernestine Hatch, Gloria Headley, Mary Knight, Larry Miller, Billie Neeley, Jesse Wallace.

Bethsalem Baptist Church
Our morning service began with a time of welcoming and fellowship shared by the congregation.
The special music presented by the Celebration Choir was “He Looked Beyond My Fault” with soloist Emily Edwards.
The message by Bro. Brad was “God’s Plan for Marriage” from Ephesians 5:22-33. During the evening service, we had a praise service and testimonies.
Pray for Randy and Anna Thompson and daughter, Lilliana; Bro. James Moore, Charles Bryant, Sylvia Wingard, Noah Waters, the Nichols family, Lynn Minor, Brian Blackmon, Billy Ray Mims, Paul Green, Tyler Harmon, Joe Ann Adams, Clyde Hughes, Ella Vance, Donald Cleckler, Pete Burnett, Linda Henley, Hunter Moore, Austin Childress, Jim Beck, Diane Latham, Sue Coleman, Grace Williams, J.D. Jones, Joe Wingard, those in storm areas, those who have lost loved ones, our homebound, and pray for revival to come.
Happy birthday this week to Sonya Norman, Denny Carroll, Jenifer Bland, Jessie Hucks, Paxton Chavers, Jamie Beadlecomb, Dot Plyer, Jeremy Blalock, Colt and Claire Crowe, Haley Williams, Jacob Wright, Shelby Grant, Thomas Shane Loyd, Megan Barrett, Blake Bradberry, Blake Edwards and Cayla Hicks.
Happy anniversary to the following couples: Charles and Gladys Bryant (56 years), Stevie and Janice Gray (37 years), Mike and Sharion Williams (30 years), Billy and Jessica Fuller (10 years) and Earl and Janet Willis (37 years).
Have a blessed week. God is so good. Come worship with us on Sunday and get connected.
Tell someone about Jesus this week.

Calvary
Independent Baptist Church
Calvary Independent Baptist Church was blessed with more visitors this Sunday.
The morning worship service included a message preached by Pastor Rick Hatchett on text from Ecclesiastes and Romans. He talked about how a football game can relate to how life is played out in relations to rules and penalties, and receiving Christ is the only way to be a winner in the game of life. The Sunday evening service continued in Revelation 11 with our Associate Pastor Oscar Mims.
We have homecoming coming up on Oct. 16, with a three-day revival following on Oct. 17-19 starting at 6:30 each night. We want to invite everyone who will to come out for these services or any of our regular services. Please pray for our outreach and bus ministries as we strive to lift up the name of Jesus in all that we do.
For more information call: Pastor Rick Hatchett at 256-786-0977, Associate Pastor Oscar Mims at 205-755-9399 or Youth Pastor Kevin Shaw at 205-351-4585.

Cedar Grove
Methodist-
Protestant Church
Thank you, Lord, for the much-needed rain and for all your many blessings you have bestowed on us just this week alone.
Brother Steve Price led the congregation in singing “’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” and “The Lily of the Valley.”
Happy birthday to Linda Sullivan, Don Tippett, Pam Jones and Missy Knight. Happy anniversary to Gary and Amelia Hubbard.
Our prayer list is too long to put in the paper; God knows who they are, just say a prayer for the ones on Cedar Grove’s prayer list. A special prayer request for the family of Helen Scott — she went to be with the Lord Aug. 29; she was a beautiful lady on the inside as well as on the outside. She was full of life and seemed so happy all the time. She will truly be missed. Our loss is heaven’s gain.
Remember to pray for our country, military, leaders, sick and shut-ins.
Bro. Steve Price led the congregation in singing “Everybody Will be Happy Over There” and “Where the Soul Never Dies.” The choir blessed us with several songs.
Norma Muir sang a beautiful song, “You’re Still God.” Several went to the altar.
Brother Jeff Carroll brought a good message entitled “God’s Wrath.” His scripture came from Romans 1:18-32.
The song of invitation was “Just As I Am,” and several went to the altar and prayed.
The evening service began with ‘’Jesus Hold My Hand’’ and “When the Roll is Called up Yonder.” The choir sang several songs, and Jordan Sparks and Shaina Muir sang “Love is a Cross.”
Our youth minister, Clay Collins, brought the message Sunday night, “The Power to Overcome Temptation,” from James 4:7.
We are very proud of Brother Clay; he preached a good message. He is excited with the youth, and they are growing in number as well as spiritually.
Lauren Wyatt sang the invitation song, “Lead Me to the Cross.”
Be sure and go to our church website; it is still under construction but it is very informative. It tells all about the Methodist-Protestant faith — you will find that we don’t believe in abortion or ordaining homosexuals or same-sex marriage. The website is cedargrovethorsby.com. You can have someone put on the prayer list, and there is a number to call. You can also read the news on there.
We welcome our visitors. Some of our regulars were absent due to different reasons, including traveling for the holiday. We pray that everyone has a safe trip.

Friendship Baptist Church
Our choir special Sunday was “Never Grow Old.”
Bro. Ken’s (Daniel) message was from Psalm 46, “Where Is Our God in Our Time of Need?”
It is important for each of us to know where to find refuge.
We must have confidence in God, our refuge. We must let him into our hearts and trust him.
Sunday evening, Bro. Ken’s message was from Galatians 4:12-20, “Is Anyone Listening?”
It is our responsibility to right a wrong. We shouldn’t become an enemy by telling the truth.
Homecoming is Sunday, Sept. 11 at 10 a.m. with The Lowerys. At 11 a.m., Alan Johnston will be preaching, and at noon we will have a time of fellowship and food in the fellowship hall. There will be no evening service.
Upcoming events:
Sept. 9-10: Workday at the church
Sept. 11: Youth will go to the lake after lunch
Sept. 18: Bring baby shower items for Jimmie and Mary Martin for their adopted baby girl to be born at the end of October. They need clothes and diapers for the new addition to their family.
Sept. 18: High attendance Sunday — bring a visitor or join us.
Sept. 25: Youth swim party at Janice and Wayne’s home after the evening service.
Oct. 1: Trip to visit the Amish culture in Tennessee — see Regeana Funderburk.
Happy birthday to Trent Cleckler, Thomas Marcus, Tori Griffin, Faye Honeycutt and Matthew Jones.
Prayer requests: Tony Connell, Sandra White, Pat Hay, Tim Jackson, Marshall Lowery, Holly Shirley, Jim Staggs, Paula Owing, Jennifer Griffin, Doris Littlefield, Betty Wilson, Lillana Thompson, the new church year, and unspoken requests.

Jackson Chapel Church
Bro. Horace Wyatt got the morning service started off with “The Glory Land Way” and “He Keeps Me Singing,” and Gary McKee blessed us with a beautiful song “Don’t That Sound Like Heaven.”
Bro Dennis’ text for Sunday came from Deuteronomy 7:6-11 — We as Christians fight temptations every day, but we all have the ability to resist these temptations.  Satan is going to and fro seeking whom he may devour, and he knows our weaknesses, and those are the areas in our lives where he will attack us.  We as Christians also struggle with habits, and as long as we have those habits God will not bless us the way that he could bless us. If we would turn those things over to God, he will take those things away.  The service ended with several coming to pray.
Please remember these as you pray this week: Harold Sansom, Vicki Johnston, James and Marie Johnson, Delma Mayfield, our lost loved ones, and our servicemen and women.

Lime Springs United Methodist Church
Our Sunday School lesson focused on one of the Fruits of the Spirit: love.
Bro. Shannon brought the morning message from Exodus 20:8-11, entitled, “Our Sabbath Rest.” He reminded us that God demanded a day of rest called the Sabbath. Although our day of worship is observed on Sunday, because it is in remembrance of the day of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the need of having a set day for worshiping God is still important. The problem is that most people fail to worship God correctly because they forget to include the “rest” part. Living in a world of fast foods, fast lanes and busy schedules has influenced every aspect of our daily lives, including the way we worship. Too often we enter our sanctuary expecting a pre-planned, predigested and quickly served worship hour. The end result is a “hurry up and bless me if you can” approach to God.
Bro. Shannon encouraged us to follow the example of Christ, who took his time to enjoy life. Even when he received the news of his friend Lazarus’ sickness, he didn’t get in a hurry. Yet he was still able to accomplish so much for God. Why? He understood the importance of rest.
There are three types of rest that will come to Christians when they take the right approach to worship: redemption rest (Zephaniah 3:17), sinner’s rest (Matthew 11:28) and the saint’s rest (Mark 6:30). All three are available as a result of observing the Sabbath’s rest (worshiping without time demands). Bro. Shannon concluded this message with a challenge to slow down and enjoy our Sabbath rest.
Our evening Bible study continued a series on the Old Testament: a summary. We studied the book of Isaiah.

Mt. Carmel No. 1 Church
What a great blessing it was to be in God’s House and feel His presence in a mighty way!
After several spirit filled congregational songs, our morning worship service was opened with Tammy, Lillie and Rebeka Jones singing “He Will Make a Way” and Charity Lockhart sang “If You Want Me To.” Following the specials, Bro. Derrell shared with the children a lesson comparing our lives to a flashlight that will not shine because it is filled with “junk” instead of batteries.  Our life cannot shine for Jesus if it is filled with all sorts of “junk” besides God.
His message, “I’ve got the Joy,” was taken from Isaiah 40:28-31.  Things will not always be perfect in your life, but with God you can have joy in your heart.  Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.  Negative attitudes, disobedience and self-centeredness can rob you of joy.  Without joy in the heart, there can be no happiness.
Sunday evening Bro. Derrell’s message, “Fundamentals of Stewardship,” was taken from 1 Corinthians 4:1-2.  As Christians we are going to be held responsible for our service to Christ; for what we do with the blessings we are given.  God expects us to be faithful stewards of these blessings.  Good stewards will be rewarded.
We covet your prayers this week for God to be with some of our members that have special needs in their lives. Among those are Robert Childress, Minnie Childress, Christine Smith, Sarah Scott, Hershel Scott, Mary Maudlin, and Cecil Franklin.
We encourage you to be making your plans to attend the Mega Training Conference at Jemison First Baptist on Sept. 22.  This is for all leaders for this church year.

Mt. Springs Church
Services started Sunday, Sept. 4 with Bro. Kenneth Moates leading the service in the following hymns: “There Shall Be Showers of Blessing,” “I Would Not Be Denied,” “This World Is Not My Home” and “Keep on the Firing Line.”
Bro. Rickey Bice gave a devotion from Jeremiah 31:3. If you want to know the reality of God’s love, look at the cross.
We face things in life that aren’t easy but God still loves us and will be there for us.
Bro. Kenneth’s Sunday School lesson was taken from Revelation 8:1-6. We are really enjoying the lessons he has been giving from Revelation.
After Sunday School, Bro. Kenneth led the hymns “’Tis So Sweet to Trust In Jesus” and “Oh I Want To See Him.” Kellie and Conner Bice sang “The Potter Knows the Clay” by the Perrys and did a wonderful job.
Bro. Don’s message was taken from 1 Corinthians 3: 9-10, “Laboring for God.” It takes sacrifice to labor for God.
If we don’t labor with God we won’t accomplish anything. We’re to do the labors for and use the talents he’s given us to serve others.
The service was ended with the song, “Oh, How I Love Jesus.”
Sunday night service began with Bro. Kenneth leading the church in the hymns: “Glory To His Name,” “I Never Shall Forget The Day” and “Where the Soul Never Dies.” Bro. Kenneth’s devotion came from Psalms 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very pleasant help in trouble.” After his devotion, we were blessed with the testimonies by the members of Mt. Springs and the scriptures that some of them began to quote. God surely came down and touched Mt. Springs that night. We were all feeling the touch of God’s sweet Spirit when we left.
Don’t forget Mt. Spring’s Homecoming is Sunday, Sept. 11. Bro. Bobby Brindle will be our guest speaker, and we will have special guests Mike and Kelly Bowling and Canaanland to sing for us. We know it will be a blessing, so we hope to see you there!
A verse for you this week is Nahum 1:7, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”

Rocky Mount United Methodist Church
Our service began with praise and glory to God for the life-giving rain. Brother Willard’s text this week was Matthew 18:15-20.  In today’s culture of litigation, these verses tell us how to settle conflict in a Christian way.  Our first step would be to address conflict directly with each other.  We are told to get together and talk through differences with a prayerful attitude.  If that fails to resolve the conflict, Jesus says to get two or more fellow Christians and again discuss the issues.  In modern language this is called mediation.  The next step for a Christian would be to take the issue before the entire assembly.  Arbitration is what it’s called today.  If that fails we are told to treat the reluctant party as a heathen/gentile.  Does that mean that we are to write them off as non-redeemable?  No — it just means that we should then go ahead and file the needed lawsuit!  What is our lesson as a Christian? Don’t resort to secular answers as your first reaction to any issue you face.  Read your Bible and pray for discernment about everything that happens in your life.   The answer you need will be there.
See a church member for opportunities to donate to our 2011 youth mission fundraiser.
Worship with us Wednesday night as Bonnie Snow leads a Bible study.  Our youth movie continues this Wednesday at 6:30.  Join them for discussion and snacks.

Samaria Baptist Church
We praised our Heavenly Father for the blessing of the rain Sunday.
Jeannie Mims played the piano for us and sang a beautiful song “Midnight Cry.”
Our prayer concerns today are for Vickie Rogers, Jen and Mike Hahn, Mr. Whitcher, Debbie Wright, Ms. Martin, Betty McCary’s mom, Floyd Collins and Chad Sims.  We recognized Don Fisher for his birthday on Labor Day.
We are all responsible to God for how we live our lives.  The influence we have on others is very important.  It can be a positive thing or it can bring harm to the cause of Christ.  If we live for ourselves, and do not meet God’s approval.  Human beings are born enslaved to sin.  No person is born spiritually free.
Our pastor’s text came from Ephesians 1:3-13. We are born in the bondage of sin, and when we allow Him to, God saves us from this bondage. The same glory that saves a little child can save a hardened criminal.  Crime is driven by drugs and alcohol, and these are two of the devil’s most effective weapons against God’s people, and families.  Sin makes us a slave.  Christ has already paid for our freedom and redemption.
Are you born again?  You will see heaven.  It doesn’t mean that the devil will leave you alone.  But it means that we have grace to endure, and it means that eternity in heaven will be worth it all. We are human, and our faith will sustain us by His power.  He loves us and wants us to have all things we need.  Jesus understands our weakness, and stands ready to sustain us.
Jesus refuted Satan to gain glory.  He stands in the gap for us as well.
May God bless you every day.
We invite you to join us at Samaria for a blessing in prayer, song and a heart-stirring message every Sunday.

E-mail church news submissions to news@clantonadvertiser.com, or call 755-5747.