Pastor Mark Elkins

Pastor’s Notes

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH

DECEMBER 2016

DECEMBER Dec 4th

Shelor/Carlson Sunday School Christmas Party

Dec 4th-11th

Week of Prayer for International Missions

Dec 11th

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

Dec 14th

Angel Tree Drop-off Deadline

Dec 18th Christmas Celebration

Dec 24th

Christmas Eve Service

Dec 25th Special Christmas Service

Merry Christmas!

Jan 1st New Year’s Day!

Grace Notes

Without a doubt, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year! And one of the best parts of Christmas is all the wonderful music, hymns, and carols that come with the season. One of my favorites, if not the favorite, is “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”. Did you know that when Charles Wesley first wrote it in 1739, it was a poem titled after the original first verse: “Hark, how all the welkin rings”? By the way, welkin is roughly translated “the heavens” or the “the skies.” It was his ministry partner George Whitefield, who in 1758 is believed to have changed the first verse to the now famous “Hark! the Herald Angels sing” and he also dropped verses 8 and 10 from the text. The tune that we are all so familiar with wasn’t even added until another 100 years later, in 1856. But after 100 years of changes, additions, and subtractions we have one of the most theologically rich Christmas hymns of all time. If we did nothing else this Christmas, but study each of the truths unveiled in this hymn (including the often forgotten last 2 verses), we would be blessed beyond a mountain of wrapped gifts:

Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”

Joyful, all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies; With th’angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!” Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored; Christ the everlasting Lord;

Late in time, behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th’incarnate Deity,

Pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings,

Ris’n with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by,

Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

Come, Desire of nations, come,

Fix in us Thy humble home; Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,

Bruise in us the serpent’s head. Now display Thy saving power,

Ruined nature now restore; Now in mystic union join

Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface, Stamp Thine image in its place:

Second Adam from above, Reinstate us in Thy love.

Let us Thee, though lost, regain, Thee, the Life, the inner man:

O, to all Thyself impart, Formed in each believing heart.

Announcements Thank you to everyone who helped with this year’s Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes! By God’s grace, we were able to send off 85 Shoeboxes around the world in the name of Jesus Christ!

December 4-11th is the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering’s 2016 Week of Prayer for International Missions. Every year, the International Mission Board (IMB) collects money from churches around the Christmas season. 100% of the proceeds go to missionaries serving all around the globe to spread the gospel and the love of Jesus Christ. Our annual Offering date is Sunday, December 11th.

Mark your calendars for an amazing musical celebration on Sunday, December 18th at 7pm in the sanctuary. Join us as we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas! The experience will be a night of worship, a drama from the Children’s Choir, the Voices of Grace, and more! Refreshments will be served following the program.

Attention everyone involved with this year’s Christmas Program! We will be having a special Rehearsal on Saturday, December 17th at 10am in the sanctuary. Please try to be there as we prepare for our special event!

The Children’s Choir will be performing a short skit for the Christmas Celebration, which will be on Dec 18th. Any children interested in being a part of this, please join us in the sanctuary on the next two Sunday evenings, Dec 4th and 11th at 5pm. Please, contact Pam Elkins with any questions.

Nursery Schedule

Dec 04 – Casey Elkins & Sandee Davis

Dec 11 – Nandrea & Pat Groves

Dec 18 – Amy Shelor & Jane Hall

Dec 25 – Brenda Vaughn & Linda Daumen

Children’s Church

Dec 04 – Wendy Buchanan & Barry Jones

Dec 11 – Linda Daumen & Peyton Elkins

Dec 18 – Dale & Shelley Hollandsworth

Dec 25 – No Children’s Church

Prayer Deacons

Dec 04 – Lee Bryant

Dec 11 – Chuck Buchanan

Dec 18 – Greg Carlson

Dec 25 – Joe Griffin

Fellowship Meal

Dec 07 – Prepared

Dec 14 – Potluck

Dec 21 – NO WED Night Activities!

Dec 28 – NO WED Night Activities!

November 2016

Birthdays Anniversaries

Announcements Cont. Thank you to everyone who has picked up an Angel Tree card. Please remember to drop by your new, wrapped gift in the hallway outside the sanctuary next to our “Angel Tree,” along with the angel card by Wednesday, December 14th. You can help bless a child who has a parent in prison this Christmas. You will find that there are still some cards that on our tree waiting to be picked up. Please consider picking up an angel card from the tree, and purchasing the requested items on the card, praying for the child, and dropping off your wrapped gift (with the angel card attached) by the Angel Tree. Contact Wendy Buchanan if you have any questions.

All Wednesday Night Activities, including AWANA, will be cancelled on December 21st and 28th for the holidays. Enjoy time with your families!

Christmas Eve, we will be hosting our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service in the sanctuary at 7pm. It will be a festive event of remembrance and rejoicing as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ over 2,000 year ago in a little town called Bethlehem.

This Christmas, we have the special opportunity to celebrate Christmas in the Lord’s house Sunday, December 25th. Sunday School will be cancelled, but will have a brief, worshipful church service at 11am, with nursery available, but no Children’s Church that day.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt

among us, and we have seen his glory,

glory as of the only Son from the Father,

full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1

2

3

4 Shelor/Carlson Sunday School Christmas Party 5pm Children’s Choir Practice

5 Marceia Bartlett

6

7

5:15pm Dinner (Prepared)

6pm AWANA 6:15pm Bells Bible Study AWANA Mamas 7:40pm Choir

Nadine Smith

8

9

10

11 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions 5pm Children’s Choir Practice

12 Allison Hughes

13

14 5:15pm Dinner

(Potluck) 6pm AWANA 6:15pm Bells Bible Study AWANA Mamas 7:40pm Choir

Angel Tree Deadline

15 10am Women of Grace

Nandrea Groves Chris Howell

16

Mark Elkins

17

Lewis Carroll

18

7pm Christmas Celebration Refreshments to follow

19 7pm Women on Mission

20

21

No Wednesday Night Activities!

Merry Christmas!

22

23

Junior & Charlotte Hughes

Jane Hall Clay Menear

24 7pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Leon & Chris

Howell

25 Merry Christmas!

11am Special Sunday Morning Service No Sunday School

Winfred Stowe

26 Margaret Carlson

27

John Hughes

28

No Wednesday Night Activities!

29 30 31 New Year’s Eve! Laurie Salser

December 2016

Birthdays Anniversaries

Thank you for helping us send 85

shoeboxes in Jesus’ name!

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is

given; and the government shall be upon

his shoulder, and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6