Mars Hill Baptist Church

This Sunday we celebrated Pastor Appreciation Day. We love our pastor, Bro. William Short, and his sweet wife, Mrs. Cindy Short. We appreciate you for preaching the truth to us every time you are in the pulpit, for our dedication to the Lord and your willingness to be his hands here on this earth. There is surely a mansion waiting for you in heaven one day, with the crowns you have earned to throw at the feet of Jesus. We pray for you constantly, that God will continue to use you in a mighty way.

This Sunday, the message was taken from Psalm 122. “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

The church is not a building made of wood and stone, but of people, made of flesh and bone. But the Lord’s house, the church building, is a special place set aside to come and worship God, to leave the world outside, and seek him.  It is God’s will that his people gather together, to worship and to learn from one another. To grow in his grace and wisdom, to find new meaning in each verse of the Bible, God’s Holy Word. A time to worship is so important. Be truthful with yourself for one moment here: If there was no dedicated worship hour, on a dedicated day of the week, would you be dedicated enough to the Lord, to worship on your own, within your home, or at work? Probably not!

God’s people should look forward to going to church every week, to be excited that today is the day we worship together. Yes, sometimes we get into a rut, a routine, and maybe you feel it’s your duty, rather than an honor to go to church. When we walk into God’s house, we should be able to say, “This is where I’m supposed to be; this is where I belong; this is where I will worship my God today.” Believe me; the more you put into the service, the more you will get out of it. If you are in a rut right now, this is the way to get out of it: Worship God on purpose, whether you feel like it or not. When you do, you will find that, very soon, you will begin to feel like it more and more. It becomes exciting again, new again, and worship becomes part of your daily life—not just on Sunday. We have a standing invitation each week to come into God’s house. God has something for us; it’s up to us to reach out and take it.

Verse 4 tells us to give thanks in the name of the Lord. When you woke this morning, did you thank him for the air that you breathe and for your blessings? You may not think you are being blessed, but trust me; we are blessed every day in some way. To have a roof over our heads, clothes on our back, food on our table, shoes on our feet, a family to love, our health, a job to work at, a house to clean and laundry to do; the list goes on and on. Yes, God blesses us every day in many ways I have not mentioned here. I thank God for our pastor and for all he does for our church every day. Bless the name of the Lord; for it is from him that all blessings come. Amen!

Finally, come into the house of God and find peace, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. The world cannot grasp the peace of God. Leave your cares and troubles outside—the TV, the cell phone and news stories—leave them alone and find perfect peace with God. Pray for his peace in your life every day. Love one another as God loves you. Be glad to go into God’s house, and find his love, his peace and his perfect will for your life. Be glad to love yourself and others, the way that God loves us.

We thank all the ladies of our church for preparing the wonderful lunch after our service. We truly had a bountiful meal, and our cooks are the best in the county!

Our Fall Festival will be Oct. 26 from 1-3 p.m., with games for the children and candy. Please come and be a part of this ministry. Our young couples are working hard to make this fun for all.

On Nov. 10, in the evening service, Stephanie Levins will be our guest, singing and giving her testimony for the Lord. She is a wonderful example of the love of God, and if you have never heard her, please come on out and be blessed.

It’s time for Operation Christmas Child once again, and Nov. 17 is the time to have all shoeboxes packed and ready. Please help make a child happy this year. The most important thing is to share the love of Jesus with them.

Please continue to pray for our church, our pastor, the sick, the lost, the hurting, our children, our troops and our government. God is good, all the time. Amen.

Bethsalem Baptist Church

Bro. Bobby opened our worship with ministry opportunities and welcoming everyone. Great songs were sung by the congregation and the Celebration Choir sang “Walking with Jesus.”

Bro. Bobby preached from Mark 2:1-5. His message was titled “Friends, Think Outside the Box.”

Bro. Cleve Mallory provided the evening message.

Wednesday night: Supper at 5:30 p.m., prayer meeting for adults at 6:30 p.m., Team Kids for children and Students Outlet

Happy birthday to Natian Emerich, Hope Wilson, Hannah Jones, Michelle Moseley, Emily Powell, Joy Smith, Eddie Salim, Kyle Pack, Teresa Pack, Jeff Thrasher and Emily Clackley.

Pray for Sid Griner, Rebecca Martin, Debbie Burch, Charles Bryant, the Hunt family’s adoption, our shut-ins, our Pastor Search Committee, Pete Barber, Hunter Moor, Lillianna Thompson, Charlotte Thrasher, Hayley Boyd, Wendy Speigner, Jennifer and Brandon Teel, Tyler Barnes, George and Diane Williams, Betty McGee, David Johnson, Lois Blalock and Austin Chandler.

Come and worship with us on Sundays.