Bethany Baptist
On this first day of calendar year 2012, Bro. Steve’s message was from 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, “Accepted Of Him.” The Apostle Paul said even if these earthly bodies are gone, if we are saved we are always with the Lord. In verse 8 he says that we know “If we are absent from the body, we are present with the Lord” because of the assurance we have of our home in heaven. Because of our security in knowing we are accepted in Christ, we labor for Him. During this year 2012, if we want to be accepted of Christ, we need to do what pleases Him. Let’s set our goal to please God in everything we do.
Sunday night, Bro. Steve continued in 2 Corinthians 6, using verse 17: “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Using supporting scriptures, he discussed 10 things that we have new when we are in Christ. They are a new Father, a new Faith, a new Foundation, a new Family, new Friends, a new Freedom, a new Food, new Fruit, a new Fellowship, and a new Future.
We enjoyed having Helen Mims and also Justin Gray visiting with us; Bro. Justin blessed us with the song, “Plenty of Time.”
Prayer list: Betty Biggs, Carl Gray, Ellen Gray, Ophelia Griffin, Ernestine Hatch, Danny Jones, Lori Knight, Mary Knight, Larry Miller, Billie Neeley and the family of Grover Walton.
See you Sunday!

Bethsalem Baptist
Our New Year’s morning worship began with singing “Happy Birthday” and “Happy Anniversary” to all celebrating special days this month.
Roy Martin sang “Word of God Speak” for our special music, and the Celebration Choir sang “Written In Red.”
Bro. Brad’s message was “The Bible: God’s Holy Word” from 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The purpose is to learn, love, live and share the word with others.
We had no evening service.
Wednesday night is family supper at 5:30 p.m., followed by prayer meeting at 6:30 p.m., children’s choir practice and The Outlet for youth.
Pray for Jeanette Smitherman, Ruby Jones, Louise Thomas, Charles Bryant, Lilianna Thompson, Tyler Harmon, Debra Mims, April Stange, Renee Wingard, Keith Smith, Janice Blackmon, Max Martin, Johnny Smith, James Harris, Crystal Keith, Pamela Howell, Betty Gregory, Jacob Jones, Diana and Alyson Stockton, McCoy Duren, Robert Ethridge and Scott Bogard.
Happy birthday this week to Patsy Lockhart, Brittany Hines, William Eubank, Gabriel Kelley, Eugene Stange, Hunter Blackmon, Abby Clackley and Devin Hodgman.
Happy anniversary to Donnie and Susie Parker (five years).
We hope everyone had a happy new year.
Next Sunday night our new Life Tracks program starts for January and February. Cleve and Brad will lead this.
Have a blessed week. God is so good.

Calvary Independent Baptist
Calvary Independent Baptist Church started off the brand new year with more candidates for baptism and church membership. We stand amazed at what the Lord has done here in the past year, and we look with hope in expectation of what He is going to do this year. It is great to be able to come to God’s house and experience his presence and see His work being accomplished through His children.
Sunday morning’s service included a message brought by Pastor Rick Hatchett from passages beginning in Genesis and ending with the way of receiving salvation described in Romans 10:9-10. He preached on how God is the God of second chance. We all have a second chance because we can have forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life through the great God and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sunday night’s service included a message from Associate Pastor Oscar Mims on Revelation 16.
If you want to know God’s will but aren’t sure where or how to find it, feel free to call upon any of our pastors for assistance and for prayer. If you are looking for a church family, we are looking for you. Come visit, fellowship and worship the Lord Jesus Christ with us.
We are located south of Clanton just past Dollar General right off U.S. Highway 31 on Fulmer Drive. 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
“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him will I trust” (Psalm 91:2).
I wish for all a very happy new year and pray that everything will go better for everyone.
The Sunday School lesson was “The Child and the Kingdom” from Matthew 18:1-14.
Bro. Billy Joe Caton dismissed us into the worship service.
We welcome Clarinda Price and Chris Price and all of the other visitors, along with some members who have been absent for different reasons. We are glad you are back.
The first song, “Just a Little Talk With Jesus” followed by “The Old Gospel Ship” will get you going good. The choir sang our theme song, “God is Good All the Time” led by Bro. Alton Russell. After another song by the choir, Bro. Gary Hubbard blessed us by singing “I’m Amazed.” Sis. Patricia Cofer also blessed us with “He Will Hold My Hand” accompanied by Sisters Stacy Wyatt and Amelia Hubbard. All the songs were just beautiful.
Happy birthday to Minnie Childress and Tyler Booth, and happy anniversary to James and Naomi Gillispie.
Bro. Jeff Carroll preached a good sermon entitled “Who Will You Serve This New Year?” His text came from Joshua 24:1-15, 16 and 23.
Sunday evening, Bro. Heath Vines preached on “The Danger of Being Lukewarm” from Revelation 3:14-22.
We have so many on our prayer list. Bro. Larry Patterson had open-heart surgery with four bypasses. He came home, so keep him in your prayers.
We are praying for the Knight family. Sis. Ruby Neeley needs our prayers; we really miss her at church. Our neighbor’s baby, Cooper Mason Betinez, was born Dec. 7 but was due in February. Pray for him; he is doing well and looking better. Also pray for his mom and dad.
We are having The Kellys here March 11 at the 11 a.m. service.
Have a wonderful week. God bless.

Christ Independent Methodist
We at CIMC began this wonderful new year by starting with the right order of events to guide our daily lives. We greeted the new year by attending services at our home church.
First we sang a congregational trilogy of three Christmas hymns “Joy to the World,” “Go Tell It on the Mountain” and “I Heard the Bells.”
To be sure we received a jumpstart on our daily Bible reading as set forth in the “2012 Thru the Bible Reading Guide,” two of our youth, Dylan Payton and Nate Adams, read the first selection as set forth in the reading guide according to John 1:1-18.
Then our pastor, Dr. Mac Stinson, grabbed our attention with another of his provocative sermon titles, “Two Inches of Faith.” Around these words he built his sermon, which is always thought provoking, well prepared and supports the word of God.
His scripture reading was taken from Luke 2:22-40. He spent his sermon portraying the little family of Mary and Joseph as a young couple much like those of us today who begin our lives as a married couple with faith, hope and dreams for our future together. Mary and Joseph did not represent affluent families. He was a carpenter, or as some writers believe, a stone mason. But their values were commendable. At the proper age they carried their little son, Jesus, to the temple to present him to God as was the custom. They could not afford to take a lamb as a contribution, but they compromised and took two turtledoves. Gifts they gave their son in abundance were time, attention, affection and moral conduct concerned with the distinction between right and wrong. Then they faced the same challenges that young couples face today. I have lived long enough to remember what it meant to compromise but not to give up.
Sunday will be remembered by our church family. Dr. Phil and June Simms invited us all to their home for New Year’s Day lunch. It was a Southern tradition in food.
When you pray, remember Mable Mitchell, Charlotte Verren, Shea Simms, Dr. Mac Stinson, our military and their families, our church, community, Israel, Christians worldwide and each other. Have a blessed week and a happy new year.

Jackson Chapel
Bro Gary Fant got the morning worship service started off with “At Calvary” and “When We All Get To Heaven.” Bro Dennis blessed us with “If I Could Telephone Heaven” and his text came from 2 Peter 3:9-14. We need to realize that God is not slack concerning his promises that are written in the word of God. We are going to stand in the presence of God on judgment day one day and will get to view everything that heaven has to offer, but if our name is not written in the Lamb’s book of life, he will tell us to depart and we will be cast into a lake of fire. We as Christians need to make sure our name is written down so we will be able to enjoy all the beauty that heaven has for us. The service ended with several coming to pray.
Bro Gary Fant got the evening service started off with “Footsteps of Jesus,” “O I Want To See Him” and “Just Over In The Glory Land,” and Bro Dennis blessed us with “What A Lovely Name.” Bro Dennis’ text came from 2 Peter 3:11-14 — As we start a brand new year that Jesus Christ has blessed us with, we as Christians need to strive to do our best to serve our Savior in 2012. We may not have done all that we could do for Jesus Christ in 2011, but we can start today trying to be all we can be in 2012. We as Christians need to be diligent in serving Jesus Christ and the life we live so that we can go to heaven when it is our time.
Happy anniversary to Larry Don and Janice Williams.
Happy birthday to Dewayne Castleberry.
Please remember these as you pray this week: James and Marie Johnson, Horace Wyatt, Julie Solis, Juanita Wilkins, our servicemen and women, and our lost loved ones.

Mars Hill Baptist
We are having revival at Mars Hill — not your scheduled Sunday night through Wednesday night but the kind where people fill the altars praying, bringing their petitions to God for our church, themselves and others. If you want to see the Holy Spirit in action come visit us. We have a place for you to occupy, and God has a job for you to do. There is no minimum wage when you work for God, benefits are great and insurance is included.
Sunday morning was a stirring time, first Sunday School, then the choir gave us “He Set Me Free,” then came the sermon and worship service. What a way to start the new year.
Jan. 8 will be the day for our Lottie Moon offering; remember this.
Our senior adults will meet soon to plan their summer trip. Dates will be announced later. Our Senior Messengers do a great work in the church. We encourage all our senior adults to join them in their work and fun-filled activities.
We have some out sick and some with surgery and some to have surgery soon. We ask you to remember to pray for all the sick and hurting. It may be you next week who needs prayer.
Always remember to forget the troubles that come your way; but never forget the blessings that come each day.
We invite you to Mars Hill. We are located on County Road 42 in Jemison.

Mt. Carmel No. 1
Sunday services began with the teaching of a great Sunday School lesson entitled “Living in a Fast Food Culture.” As we make our new year’s resolution, let us ask God to align us with Christ by avoiding harmful actions and practicing a healthy lifestyle for his honor.
“The Man With Ten Feet” (Mark 2:1-12) was our message for Sunday morning. The book of Mark teaches that there were four men who saw a need and decided to do something about it. The four men brought the man sick of the palsy to Jesus. Bro. Derrell had the congregation in wonder about the 10 feet; we listened real close and learned a very important message. It takes a lot of work to meet Jesus; you have to put something into it to receive the blessing Jesus has for you. The four men got past the crowd by going through the roof to get to Jesus. They had cooperation and worked together to get to Jesus. Get wise in how you are going to do the job for the Lord in this new year.
Sunday night, Bro. Derrell read us a newsletter from Bro. Roger Vines and his wife. He told of his mission work in Nicaragua, how they give God praise for souls being saved. Remember to pray for Bro. Vines and the work they carry on in the mission field.
Upcoming events for our church:
Jan. 14 at 8 a.m. is our January prayer breakfast. Come adults and children, bring your prayer requests and enjoy a good breakfast.
The youth will be leaving for a youth retreat trip to Tennessee on Jan. 14. Keep them in your prayers.
Our prayer request list continues to have many names on it. Minnie Childress was carried to the hospital Sunday afternoon; especially remember her and Bro. Robert as you pray. Pray for one another and all the sick. Come worship at Mt. Carmel; you are always welcome.

Mt. Pisgah United Methodist
Happy New Year from the members of Mt. Pisgah! We’ve had a busy holiday season. It all started with the hanging of the greens to get the church ready for Advent. The members of the church were invited to a Christmas party at the parsonage on Dec 17, hosted by Pastor and Mrs. Glenn Walker. Everyone had a wonderful time. On Dec. 18, the choir gave a beautiful performance of the Cantata, “When Love Was Born.” On Dec. 21, members went caroling. On Christmas Eve we had a special Communion service where families came to the church to partake of communion with just their family. The church was opened for an hour to allow families to come and go. On New Year’s Eve, we had a special “Watch Night Service, where we renewed our baptismal vows and welcomed in the New Year with prayer.
The 23rd annual Easterling Singing will be held soon. If you wish to advertise in the event program, please call Percy Scott at 755-2647.

Mt. Springs
Sunday morning services started with Bro. Kenneth Moates leading the church in the following hymns: “Just A Little Talk With Jesus,” “Where the Milk and Honey Flows,” “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow” and “Keep on the Firing Line.”
Bro. Roger Cleckler’s devotion came from Exodus 17:12. We need to thank the people that helped us in 2011 and help others in this new year. It’s going to take every one of us in 2012 to win people over to Christ.
After Sunday School, Bro. Kenneth led the church in the hymn “Send the Light.” Kellie and Conner Bice sang “Homesick” and blessed everyone with such a wonderful song.
Bro. Don’s message came from Ephesians 5:15. How are we going to use the time God gives us in 2012? We need to make the most of our opportunities for Christ because our days are measured on this Earth.
Sunday night’s service began with Bro. Kenneth leading in the hymns: “I Shall Not be Moved,” “Jesus is Coming Soon” and “I Want to be Ready to Meet Him.”
Bro. Kenneth gave a devotion from Ephesians 6:10. We need to be as strong as we can be in this new year. We need to be just as Christian on Mondays as we are on Sundays.
Bro. Don did not get to preach because we had such a good service. The Lord came down and touched many members. We are so thankful that we can have such wonderful services in the Lord’s house.
This Friday night Mt. Springs will be joining in with Clanton First Baptist Church to have a singing with special guests The Hoppers. The service will start at 7 p.m. and be held at First Baptist Church. It will be a blessing for everyone who attends so we hope to see you there!

Samaria Baptist
Happy New Year from your friends at Samaria. We had a warm, special service Sunday. Our Pastor took his message from Matthew 5. He spoke about the Beatitudes and placed emphasis on the promises God gives to the humble, pure in heart and spirit, and those who comfort and mourn with others. We shall be blessed when we adopt the policies accredited from the fifth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. God is ready to provide blessings to us, and through us. All we have to do is be available to Him, and to yield to His guidance and direction.
Special music was Jeannie Mims singing “Ten Thousand Years.” Our birthdays for today were Linda Silas, Paul and John Shearon; and our anniversaries were Linda and Gaines Silas, and Pauline and Ray Harris.
Please continue to pray for our sick. Horace and Gail Cleckler, Ray and Phylis Hardee, and those who have lost loved ones. Our praise reports were that Ray Hardee was able to be with us in our service. It was a true blessing of God, and we praise Him.
Also, praise goes up for the improvement of the little girl Karlie Gill, who we have been asked to pray for. She is improving, however, in man’s eyes has a long way to go to be well. Jesus has been very active in the workings of this child’s care, and He will continue to bless as we exalt our faith to Him.
May the God of heaven and earth bless you and yours this wonderful day, and may you receive the healing and guidance that you require. Putting Him first means you really are putting forth the faith that brings results. God bless you. Come and worship with us at Samaria.