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APRIL 2019

March 2020

It’s that time of the year, March Rally! This is our

largest fundraising event of the year. This year the

March Rally will be held Sunday, March 8th

during the

10:45am worship service.

We have many needs around the church that require

maintenance, replacement and/or repair. Your March

Rally support and donations will assist with meeting

these needs. So, please join a team today if you haven’t

and together we can continue to make our church great.

On March 8th we will determine which team raised the

most money and the winners will be crowned Queen

and King for the year 2020.

All GSJ members, friends and guests are encouraged to

contact one of the ten team March Rally Captains

(listed in the bulletin) or Chairpersons, Sister Dortha

Miller or Deacon Mark Green.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE March Birthday’s Afrocentric Wear Sunday

Our Mission Service Times

Bible Study GSJ Contact Information

Music in Mahogany Black History Quote

Who Can Be Against Us? Ecclesiastes Word Challenge

Upcoming Events March 2020 Calendar

03-01 Halle Green

03-02 Taleo Halbert, Jerome Williams

03-03 Jourdan Gates

03-04 Albert Barber, Daniel Mailey

03-05 Tracey King

03-06 Felicia Forrest, Maikiti Lindsey,

Robert Stewart

03-07 DaMon Johnson

03-08 Kenney Byrd Sr., Rev. Brian Martin

03-09 Fhonda Forrest, Georgia Bradshaw,

Donna Horne

03-10 Therese Taylor, Larry (LD) Williams

03-12 Aliceya Badgett, Bobbie Chase,

Raishard Johnson

03-13 Crystal Jones

03-14 Roosevelt Topps

03-15 Lamarcus Allen, Beverly Harris, Mikya

Sabbs

03-16 Laura Fisk, Jarmarcus Lindsey, Jane

Williams

03-17 Letitia Ficklen, Annie Trotter

03-18 Dennis Belcher

03-19 Roz Summerlin

03-20 Leslie Boyden, Skylar Finch, Alecia

Williams

03-23 Darlene Macon- Clifton

03-24 Lavonte Williams

03-25 Howard Buchanon II

03-27 Brian Robinson

03-29 Ramona Scales, James Robison, Alisse

Williams Davohn Byrd, Toshua Williams

03-31 Laverne Whaley, Cheryl Wilder,

Cleopatra (Patti) Wright

Our Mission

The church committed to explaining the Bible for

the equipping of the believer, the evangelizing of

the blind, and the edifying of the body as we

endeavor to bond in the unity of the Spirit.

Service Times

Sundays Morning Worship: 7:45 & 10:45 a.m.

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

First Sundays: Holy Communion 10:00 a.m.

Sunday School: 8:30 a.m.

Sunday Breakfast: 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Afternoon Programs: 4:00 p.m.

Office & Mailing Address:

Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church

Website:

Black History Quote

"When evil men plot, good men must plan. When

evil men burn and bomb, good men must build

and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of

hatred, good men must commit themselves to the

glories of love. Where evil men perpetuate an

unjust status quo, good men must seek to bring a

real order of justice."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Submitted by Brother Ray Turner

Greater St. John

Missionary Baptist Church

101 N. Adams Street

South Bend, IN 46628

Phone: 574-232-6700

Fax: 574-232-2773

Office Hours:

Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 4:00 p.m

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AFROCENTRIC WEAR SUNDAY

2 Timothy 3:16-17 English Standard Version (ESV)

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in

righteousness, 17

that the man of God[a]

may be complete, equipped for every good work.

In our current class we will be studying the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon wrote this book to answer

the question, "Why does life seem meaningless?" In Ecclesiastes we learn that without Christ we

cannot be satisfied—even if we possess the whole world and all the things that men consider

necessary to make their hearts content. The world cannot satisfy the heart. To sum up, Ecclesiastes

provides instruction on how to live meaningfully, purposefully, primarily by placing God at the

center of our life.

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The Bible is not merely one book but a complete library of history, poetry, short stories, letters,

visions, and moral instruction. The Bible was written over a span of more than a thousand years.

Many readers are put off by this mystifying wealth of messages in such a wide variety of writing

styles. The Bible has two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is

the original Hebrew Bible, written between about 1200 and 165 BC. The New Testament books were

written by Christians in the first century AD.

We encourage you to come join us in our Bible Study on Wednesday, a morning

session at 11:45am and an evening session at 6:30pm both sessions are held in

the Education Wing. Bible study is led by our Pastor/Teacher. Rev. Andre’ A.

McGhee. Along with your Bible the Ecclesiastes study books are now available

at the cost of $7.00 and can be picked up at the office Monday-Friday from

8:00am-3:00pm.

See you there!

Who Can Be Against Us?

If God be for us, who can be against us? - Romans 8:31

Sometimes we face a challenging situation in life and wonder how we are going to get through it. Maybe we

turn to our friends or relatives, but nothing changes. We have used up all our resources and find ourselves at

the end of our rope.

What can we learn from Daniel’s experience? Is God still the same today? Can he protect and provide for us?

God is faithful and is well able to help us because of his omnipotence. He is unchanging because He is perfect

and doesn’t need to change. As we bow before God and earnestly make our petition to Him, we can trust that

He is able to change our situation or to change us.

God is not only all-powerful but also omniscient. He knows when we are in a lion’s den and why we are there.

He knows if we can’t pay our bills, and He knows why we can’t pay them. He knows how much we hurt from

death of a loved one, and He knows the best way to comfort us. God is omnipresent as well. Whether we are

in a lion’s den, in a prison cell, or in our car, He can be with us through our difficulties.

Though God’s presence is always with us, we should consider that there are conditions for receiving His help.

Daniel was a man who served God continually, obeyed His commandments, and was faithful at his job. He

was also thankful. Regardless of what we face in life, we can turn to the God who knows the situation better

than we do. If we faithfully serve and obey Him with a thankful heart, we can be confident that God will be

for us and will help us. Harold R. Troyer – Belleville, PA

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. - Romans 8:37

MUSIC IN MAHOGANY CONCERT

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GSJ CUSTODIAN STAFF

One Monday morning in February, I arrived at GSJ to see three very busy people. They were cleaning the

church from what had been a busy Sunday of praise, worship and fellowship for our members. These three

devoted people were so busy, I had a hard time convincing them to take a break to chat with me and to tell

them how much they are appreciated for all they do. Those three people are Sister Betty McFarland, Brother

Charles Hurt and Brother Joseph Ward.

As members of the custodial staff at GSJ, combined they have 42 years of service (McFarland 20 years, Hurt

14 years and Ward 8 years). They all agree that it is a big team effort ensuring the church looks as good as it

does day to day. However, each of them has set responsibilities they tend to regularly. Sister McFarland

maintains the bathrooms, vacuuming, sweeping inside and outside as well as caring for all the flowers on site.

She also keeps Pastor McGhee’s study tidy. Brother Ward is the handyman. He makes sure the basement

floors and area is in top condition. Another one of his main responsibilities is keeping the kitchen safe and in

compliance with Health Department regulations. On a daily basis, Brother Hurt contacts contractors, orders

supplies and focuses on making sure things are working properly. Hurt and Ward work together to keep the

church grounds intact by cutting the grass, shoveling snow and keeping the walk ways clean for members.

A normal work day for Sister McFarland is from 8-12:30 PM, Monday through Friday. If there is an event or

program at the church outside of her normal shift, she has no issues coming in to help out because she loves

her church and will do whatever she can to keep our church guests and members happy. Brothers Ward and

Hurt echoed her statement. They love their church and are just a phone call away. Both work Monday through

Friday from 7-11 AM unless there is a funeral.

Towards the end of our talk, another faithful members name was mentioned. Brother Floyd Carter helps out

when they go on vacation. Most know him because he drives the church van, but that’s not all. He is always

willing to help.

Thank you for all you do!

Sister Jennifer Liddell

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In the foyer of a church, a young boy was looking at a plaque with the names of men and women who had

died in various wars. He asked the pastor, “Who are these people?” The pastor said, “Those are members

from our church who died in the service.” The boy asked, “The early service or the second service?”

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