Mountain Springs Church

Services started with Bro. Kenneth Moates leading the church in the following hymns: “There’s Power in the Blood,” “I Love My Savior Too,” “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “This World is Not My Home.”

Bro. Roger Cleckler gave a devotion from Psalms 103:11-12. Once you’ve been saved, your past sins will not be remembered or held against you anymore. If you are not saved, let this be the new beginning; every past sin will be washed away.

Bro. Heath preached from Psalms 27:14. As Christians we’ve got to wait on many things, like waiting on God to move in our life. When we wait on God, everything is so much better. Don’t get discouraged, wait on the Lord.

Sunday night’s service started with Bro. Kenneth leading the church in the hymns “Getting Ready to Leave this World,” “Living By Faith” and “Heaven’s Jubilee.”

Bro. Kenneth Moates devotion was taken from Psalms 51:1-3. Until we’re willing to acknowledge that we need God, he can’t do anything for us.

Bro. Roger Cleckler sang “If the Rapture was Yesterday” and blessed the church with a wonderful song.

We are very pleased to say that one of our own members, Bro. Sam Ross, has been given the honor of being pastor at Bethel Baptist Church. We are so proud of Bro. Sam and excited for all that God has in store for him. Even though we will miss him at our church, we know that God has a great plan for his life. Good luck Sam and may you always know that we love you and we’ll be praying for you always.

Mt. Carmel No. 1 Baptist Church

Taking into consideration that if the old saying “April showers bring May flowers“ is true, we should have a beautiful May. Isn’t it great that God knows what we need and when we need it? He blesses us with rain and sunshine to provide for our needs. It is a good thing that he, not man, is in control.

After several hymns were sung on Sunday morning, Bro. Derrell brought a message that we all need. It was titled “How to Be Successful in Leading People to the Lord.” The passage of scripture used was taken from Luke 5:1-11.

Does witnessing and soul winning come naturally to you, or do you struggle with this? To be fishers of men is a work that has requirements, just as catching fish require certain skills and equipment. First, you need to be sure the call to this endeavor is coming to you from God and that it is clear and plain. The timing is also important. You may not know why the message is to be shared at a certain time and place, but you have to learn to trust God for the timing. Obedience in delivering the message is very important. Being patient is also a factor that is needed. We may get tired and downhearted when we fail to see the results of our labor. God may have a greater catch in store for us when we follow his command. The results of our labor could astonish us if we are obedient, patient, plain and use the right bait.

Luke 23:32-33; 39-43 was the basis for our Sunday evening message, “The Crosses of Calvary.” What do you think of when you see the image of the three crosses of Calvary? Maybe things such as harshness, pain, cruelty or punishment may come to mind. What about grace? Grace is a precious gift that we have because of what the One on the middle cross went through. He was not guilty of anything. He did not deserve to be hanging on that cross. His suffering was done because of his great love for us and as payment for sins. According to the Scriptures, the two hanging alongside him were guilty and paying for their crimes. The three crosses of Calvary may be empty in the images we see today, but our actions may serve to crucify our Lord on a daily basis.

We would like to say congratulations to Austin Liveoak for his accomplishments. He has the honor of becoming an Eagle Scout. His Court of Honor was held Sunday afternoon at the Jemison Fire Station. A crowd of family and friends were in attendance in spite of it being a very rainy afternoon.

Even though we heard some great praise reports regarding the sick of our church, we still have a lot of needs. Among those are Christy Lowery, Elladene Mims, Kay Franklin, Sue Davenport, Shelia Robinson, Jenny Hayes, Tammy Harmon, Mary Maudlin, Doug Liveoak, Winston Liveoak, Barbara Liveoak, Frances Higgins and Jacob Jones. We keep praying; God keeps answering!

Upcoming events include an Easter egg hunt for all ages on Saturday, April 19 at 2 p.m., followed by a hotdog cookout.

On Easter Sunday morning, we will have Sunrise service at 7 a.m., followed by a prayer breakfast. Our morning services will begin immediately following the prayer breakfast.

Please make your plans to attend these times of fellowship and worship. You are always welcome to worship with us at Mt. Carmel.