Mt. Carmel No. 1 Baptist Church

As we stop to give thanks to God for his many blessings, we should always include the opportunity we have to gather in his house with our Christian brothers and sisters.

We were happy to have our visitors and members on this past Sunday. One special first-time attendee was Robert Lawson Lockhart. He is the two-week-old handsome son of Geoffrey and Abby Lockhart. Congratulations Geoffrey and Abby!

Our special music was provided by Charity Lockhart singing “Oceans.” The morning message was taken from 2 Kings 2:1-15. Bro. Derrell titled it “What Would You Do?”

There are always decisions to be made. Remember that the decisions we make affect the lives of others. Often many are affected and sometimes only one. Our decisions can result in a loss or a profit. Elijah had been a great profit of God and was committed to doing his will. Elijah had been told by God that he was coming to the end of his life on earth. He was given the task of mentoring Elisha. He accepted this task. Elisha was given the call by God to minister to Elijah. Elisha made the decision to follow God’s calling to be this minister. When we look at the lives of these two prophets, we can see that blessings are given when the choice to go forward is made instead of looking back and dwelling on the past. We too can have a double portion of God’s blessings by being a faithful, obedient servant of God. There is a lot of work yet to be done. What are we going to do with the time we have left?

On Sunday evening, Bro. Derrell spoke to us from John 21:15-17 on the subject of “What is in a Question?” Taking time to seek out the meaning of questions can be very important. Finding the meaning determines how the question should be answered. This was the case when Jesus asked Peter did he love him. Some questions are personal because the person’s name is used in the question as it was here. Questions can lead us to understand feelings of others toward us. Answers can build up, show love and encouragement or they can tear down. At times questions can be used to help us understand what is important in our lives. There are questions that require a definite answer and others that can only be answered from the heart of the individual.

Those in our church who need special prayer this week are Jenny Hayes, Tammy Harmon, Sarah Scott, Frances Higgins, Virginia Church, Elladene Mims and Sheila Robinson.

On Thursday, March 13, there will be prayer walk at the church at 4 p.m. This is a special time that was started by the WMU to gather and pray for our church and all the special needs. There is a church cleaning scheduled immediately following our prayer time.

Mark your calendars for VBS Clinic on March 18 at Mt. Carmel. This is a great opportunity to get a heads-up on your upcoming VBS. There will be a nursery provided for children three years old and younger.

Mountain Springs Church

Services started with Bro. Kenneth Moates leading the church in the following hymns: “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder,” “I Never Shall Forget the Day,” “Living By Faith” and “Where the Milk and Honey Flows.”

Bro. Roger Cleckler gave a devotion from Ephesians 2:10. We are God’s workmanship and we need to look and talk like we are his people.

After Sunday school, Bro. Kenneth led the church in the hymn “Victory in Jesus” and Bro. Roger sang “Just Any Day Now.”

We had a special speaker from the Gideon’s. Bro. Ollie Clyde came and spoke to us. We are so grateful for the ministry the Gideon’s provide and the many people who get to read the word of God through the Bibles they place.

Sunday night’s service began with Bro. Kenneth leading the church in the hymns “Glory Land Way,” “In the Garden,” “I Would Not Be Denied” and “Where the Soul Never Dies.”

Bro. Kenneth gave a devotion from Exodus 3:7-4:14. We are qualified as Christians for God to use us for his glory. Always remember we are special in God’s eyes and he always has his hand on us.

Bro. Heath preached from Mark 12:41-44. God has blessed us in our life and in return we need to give back to him. No matter how small your talents may be, if you do something for Christ it will bless someone.

We will have a special singing on March 23 at 5:30 p.m. with special guests Ivan Parker and Canaanland. This will be a wonderful event and you do not want to miss it!