Mt. Carmel No. 1 Baptist Church

It was a blessed day in God’s house this past Sunday. It was our last day to have Bro. Harper Shannon with us. We have thoroughly enjoyed his time with us, and the messages God sent to us through him have been so inspiring.

On Sunday morning he brought a message titled “The Lordship of Jesus Christ.” He used scripture references from Matthew 21 and 22 and 1 Peter 3:15.

In these passages, we find the religious leaders of that day trying their best to trick Jesus. They posed four questions to Jesus hoping to get an answer that would merit an accusation toward him. He answered them honestly and openly. The answers he gave proved that he is the Son of God and worthy to be Lord.

To be able to say Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life is the life statement of a Christian. Admitting you have sinned and stand in need of forgiveness, believing that Jesus is the resurrected, living Savior and confessing your sins to him are the first steps to being able to claim him as Lord of your life. As Christians, we must have a mindset of humility and obedience to the will of God.

We enjoyed a fellowship lunch after the morning message.

Bro. Shannon used scripture from Galatians 6:1-5 and 1 Peter 5:7 on Sunday evening to bring a message about how to “Lighten Your Load.”

First, he directed us to take a second look at our load. Maybe it is so heavy because we are trying to carry it all alone. We need to look around us. Become aware that we have Christian brothers and sisters who are willing to help us bear our burdens.

Next, we need to eliminate all excess baggage. Is every burden you have really necessary? How about the burdens of envy, jealousy, bitterness, guilt, unwillingness to forgive and unconfessed sins? Do we not realize these things can be left at the altar of God? This would make our load much lighter.

Also, we need to learn how to carry our load. One of the best ways is to find a trusted prayer partner with which to share your load. Then do as it tells us in 1 Peter 5:7 to cast our care upon Christ. He is willing and able to carry the load.

On Sept. 6, Bro. Gene Hitchcock will be with us beginning at 9:30 a.m. through the Sunday School hour helping us to learn new ways that we can build our Sunday School. We will start with a fellowship breakfast in the fellowship hall. The youth will be teaching the children while the adults are in the meeting. He will also bring our morning message. Bro. Randall Edwards will be with us for our evening service.

We were delighted to hear the report that those attending En Fuego this past Saturday received a great blessing by being there. The best report was that a great number of souls were saved as they surrendered to Christ.

A group from the church went to see the movie “War Room” on Saturday. It is a movie with a great message. We encourage everyone who can to see it. It was like being in church. We laughed, cried and praised God during the whole movie.

We had a time of praise when we heard the report Jennifer Watley received from the test she had this past week. They were all good. She is still going to have surgery at the end of September, so please continue to remember her in your prayers. Remember Jacob Jones, Erica Jones and Betty Lowery as they recuperate from an accident last week. Also on our prayer list is Minnie Childress, Leona Liveoak, Christy Lowery, Shelia Robinson, Elladene Mims, Hilda Cary, Jenny Hayes, Tammy Harmon, Steve Liveoak, Gladys Franklin and our church.

Submitted by Louise Liveoak

Rocky Mount UMC

The scripture for Sunday’s message was Ephesians 5:1-7. In this scripture, Paul tells us to follow God’s example and walk in love as Christ loved you. In this, Paul sets the bar quite high, telling us that we should love as Jesus Christ loved us.

How do we thank or reward a God who has loved us so? We need to look to the cross. How far are you willing to go for the love of others? Avoidance of sin is one way to demonstrate your love of God. Does God have to shed a tear over your behavior?

Just as the actions of a child can either fill a parent with pride or shame, the same is true for God. We have all heard that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. We all need to love, forgive and obey in the way Christ did. These actions will help to make your relationship with God better.

Join us on Sundays for Sunday School and worship, but we also invite you to join us on Wednesday evenings. We have a new praise and worship service called “The Works.” Even though the service is geared toward youth, everyone is invited.

Submitted by Betty Janney