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OCC: A Few Changes with the Same Mission
Much has happened within the OCC team since I last wrote you. Calvary Assembly of God Church is now going to be the central drop off point for Raleigh and Fayette County. This means that FBC will no longer be a regional drop off site. I can’t let this go by without thanking the hundreds of people, both members and non-members, who staffed our drop off location over the past 21 years. We could not have accomplished all that was done without your support. God has taken us into a new direction, and we have to be ready to serve God when and where it’s needed.
We still have our own 120 boxes that I have pledged to fill for this year and so far, your donations have been outstanding. For July and August, you can catch the back-to-school sale for supplies such as crayons, pencils, pens, pencil sharpeners, erasers, small note pads and glue sticks. I caught a good sale on composition books recently so those we don’t need. Donations can be left in the large brown box in the Welcome Center marked Samaritan’s Purse. If you’re not one that likes to shop, I would be glad to shop for you. So just put your donation in the church offering plate and mark it shoebox school supplies and your shopping will be done. Your past support of this program has been outstanding, and I am asking you to keep shoeboxes in your prayers and we continue to spread the name of Jesus to children around the world.
Can You Help Our Helping Hands?
As summer rolls along, so does our steady stream of clients seek help with food and clothing. We distribute non-perishable food and clothing to all eligible clients on a monthly basis depending on the size of their family. WE ARE ALSO IN NEED OF BLANKETS!!!
We are currently still looking for volunteers to work on Thursday and Friday mornings. It’s only three hours and you will be blessed. You can also provide financial support for Helping Hands through the Kroger Rewards Program. Just click on Rewards on your Kroger account and click down to Community Rewards and then select Helping Hands Community Resource Center. A portion of your purchase will go directly to us without costing you a dime! What a better way to support them. We are open Tuesday through Friday from 9AM to noon. We take donations during those times or they can be left in the large black container outside the church office.
Thank you for your generous support and please continue to keep us in your prayers as we reach out to help those less fortunate.
Get the Backpacks Ready!
School is starting on August 24th and we are preparing for a new school year. We feed children at Beckley Elementary that may not have food at home on the weekends. We will search local stores as well as the Mountaineer Food Bank for bargains. Prices continue to go up but we do our best to find the lowest prices available.
We are asking once again for donations of peanut butter. Every other week we try to give the children a jar of peanut butter. Each week we give them a loaf of fresh bread as well. We have purchased small packets of jelly for them so that they can make PB&J sandwiches. So, if you can, please donate 12oz. jars of peanut butter.
Thanks to each one of you for your donations of food, money and prayers for our Backpack Ministry. May God Bless You All!
Always a Tasty Lunch!
The Lizzie Lewis Circle is a group of ladies who meet the first Thursday of every month right here at the church. We gather for what is always a tasty lunch and discuss our various mission projects that we are involved in such as quarters for grades for the Weirton Christian Center. We have already collected over $100 and are well on our way to another $100. Our meeting for July will be on the 6th at 12:15 pm and it will be a carry-in luncheon. So bring a small dish to share and come join the ladies for a time of food, fellowship and learning what these ladies are doing for FBC and our community.
“Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace — but there is no peace.”
“Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace — but there is no peace. The war has actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” March 23, 1775; A speech by Patrick Henry made at the Second Virginia Convention at St. Johns Church in Richmond, Virginia.
I remember learning of Patrick Henry in school. As a kid I often wondered what was special about liberty. I also often wondered why Patrick Henry chose not to use the term/idea of “freedom”. It honestly wasn’t until within the last few years that I revisited these ponderings, but with a new understanding from a biblical perspective. First, let’s define the two terms. Liberty—the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views. Freedom—the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
According to The Jefferson Perceptive: Commentary on Today’s Social and Political Issues
Based on the Writings of Thomas Jefferson (http://eyler.freeservers.com/JeffPers/jefpco26.htm) “One should distinguish between the terms ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty.’ Speaking generally, Freedom usually means to be free from something, whereas Liberty usually means to be free to do something, although both refer to the quality or state of being free. Jefferson’s use of the terms almost always reflected those meanings. Thus, he never spoke of freedom as a right, though liberty is listed in the Declaration as one of our inalienable rights.”
It seems to me that Liberty encompasses Freedom. Regarding scripture, both words/concepts are used in Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18. Yes, Jesus is quoting the scroll of Isaiah in Luke 4, but Hebrew doesn’t always equal Greek, and English, well I’ll behave myself. We get a fuller understanding for what Christ did on the Cross for us in Romans 6:22, “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.” We have been “freed” from sin, “freed” from bondage through the power of Christ on the Cross. With this freedom through Christ we can now approach God’s throne with “Liberty”! Encompassing the Christ relationship is a freedom to approach the Throne of Grace with Liberty, that is, without FEAR of judgment from God’s Wrath.
In conclusion, Jude vs24-25, “24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
In Christ,
Pastor Bryan
Helping Hands – List of Community Needs
Helping Hands continues its mission to help those less fortunate in the Beckley/Raleigh County area and your support has been greatly appreciated. They are still in need of non-perishable food items, toilet paper, bar soap and summer clothing. There is also a great need for volunteers to work one day a week Tuesday through Friday. See Edna Nasby and let her know when you can help.
Operation Christmas Child: Important Changes
Some important changes have taken place these past few months that will impact our church and how we are involved in Operation Christmas Child this year and for the foreseeable future.
In years past, we were the collection center for the Beckley/Raleigh County area which meant that the churches in our area brought their shoeboxes to us, we cartooned them up and took them to the main collection point in Princeton.
The gentleman who ran that main collection center has retired from the OCC ministry and that location will no longer be our central drop off point. The central point has been moved to the Assembly of God church right here in Beckley on Sunset Road approximately two miles from our church. After discussing this with our area leaders, it was decided that having two drop off points so close two each other would not be practical and a mutual decision was reached to close our location and move the drop off location to Calvary Assembly.
In a nutshell, this means that we would do our own shoeboxes and then deliver them to Calvary in November. However, Calvary will still be needing some help during collection week but that’s not until November. The mission of OCC hasn’t and never will change and that mission is to spread the name of Jesus to children around the world through the power of a simple shoebox.
Now for your June challenge. We’re starting something new and that’s called the $5.00 challenge. What we are collecting this month is toothbrushes, combs and children’s scissors. What I need you to do is purchase one of each of these three items and spend no more than $5.00. If you shop at the right stores, this can be done. In the event that you can’t or don’t want to do the leg work, I will gladly take your donation and shop for you. This way it’s not too much of a financial burden on anyone and helps fill our shoeboxes.
As always, please keep this ministry in your prayers as they are delivering these shoeboxes to countries and children around the world and remember YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD THROUGH THE POWER OF A SIMIPLE SHOEBOX. God bless you all !!
The Backpack Pantry is Almost Empty
School is out and I am sure our Backpack Children are looking forward to sleeping late and spending their days playing.
Our Backpack pantry is almost empty so we will shop all summer to restock it with good healthy food for the next school term. We try to find bargains but as we all know there are very few. Thanks to the generosity of our congregation and friends we will be able to purchase what we need. Thanks to everyone who has donated food, money and prayers to our Backpack Ministry. May God Bless Each One of You!
For the month of June please donate 12oz. jars of peanut butter.
